《Tree of Aeons》


 The Tree’s first years

    The Tree¡¯s first years


    Death and reincarnation


    I am Matt, an indie game developer. I died in a bus ident on my way home.


    You died. An old man says. He reminds me a little of Santa us.


    Oh, I did. It is a in white space. Reminds me of the scene where Morgan Freeman ys a god, so I look at him and ask. Are you God, and is this the pearly gates?


    Yes I am a god.. My name is Mozart, and Im the administrator of the soul transmission system.


    Mozart. What a name.


    Uh soul transmission? Wait. Reincarnation?


    Yes. Like all the isekai stories youve been reading. Oh thats a good way to exin it. Thinking about all the other reincarnation stories I could not help but feel a little excited. Would I get to build a harem?


    Oh nice. So, what am I reincarnated as? What special powers do I get?


    Roll this. A big disc appears with weird characters on them. It is like a giant wheel of fortune,plete with colors.


    Huh? What is this?


    This is the race wheel. The result of your roll woll tells you what you get to be in your next life. You can be a mosquito, or a dragon, or maybe even a minor deity.


    Hmm, why not a human? Thats how it normally is for isekai stories.


    You did not qualify.


    What do you mean?


    Based on the kind of life you led, you do not qualify to be reincarnated as a human.


    So. Oh that sucks. But why?


    That''s just how the rules are. Roll the wheel. You will be randomly allocated a race to reincarnate as.


    I could notprehend what are the words on the wheel, so I look at Mozart. More urately, I stare at him Seriously? Is this a trick?


    Just roll. Or you can be a mosquito. Thats permissible. Or a small gecko.


    Fuck that. I will roll the wheel then.


    I am just about to roll the wheel, then I stare at him again. I do recall having died in a bus ident, so theres quite a few other guys on the bus. Am I being singled out here?


    Erm.. how are the other guys in the bus?


    Dead. They are going to be reincarnated as well. After you.


    Oh. So, do they need to roll the wheel as well, like me?


    Nope. They will be reincarnated as humans or elves.


    Hey, I am being singled out! Thats quite unfair! What. Howe?


    They have been chosen by the gods, and those who pray for heroes. Selected as champions of the world they are going into, so they get special powers and stuff, to fight a big bad guy.


    How about me?


    You are not a champion. You just happen to get on the same bus as the kids.


    Wait. I am coteral damage? That reminds me that there are quite a few teenagers on that bus. Its a route that passes by a mall, and it''ste so they probably are on their way home after an outing.


    Why them? Why do they get to be champions?


    Because they are young, courageous, good hearted and have a desire to do good. Not yet tainted by the evils of society.


    Wait. So you chose kids to bear the burdens of the world?


    That''s the criteria the gods and the people look for, so that''s what they get.


    Damn. I roll the wheel.


    And it stops at some random word that I did not understand Wait. The word transforms now.


    A tree. I understood what it said.


    What?!?! Hey this is not going the way I thought it would. I am supposed to get super powers and get reincarnated.


    Yeah, trees have souls too. Mozart seems rather nonchnt about it. Trees are not bad, actually.


    How about grass?


    Oh grasses of a critical mass have souls. Before that they dont. For trees it is their age. Once the trees reach about a certain size they get a soul. There are world or species specific exceptions of course.


    Uh.


    Anyway. Tree. Goodbye-


    ckness. Darkness. Kind of like a TV screen gets turned off in the old CRT days.


    And then a menu. What is a reincarnation story without a menu, right? It shines against the dark backdrop, and reminds me of old DOS interfaces.


    Oh a clock.


    Year 1 Month 0


    [Skills : [Hibernate], [Germinate], [Autopilot]]


    [Species : Normal Tree]


    [Level : 1]


    Oh wait. Skills and levels. Ah yes I get to do awesome shit!


    At first I thought it would take some loading time. Maybe this dark space is like a loading screen. But then a good two hourster I am still in this darkness. And I do not feel a damn thing. No sensation, no vision, no sound either.


    It''s still dark. Am I supposed to do something? I try to open my eyes but it is still dark.


    I kept waiting. I dont seem to tire physically, but I felt mentally exhausted.


    An Hour. A day. Two days. Three days. Four days. Five days. Six days. A week. The clock just keeps ticking and nothing freaking happens.


    Darkness.


    ck.


    ck.


    ck.


    Frustrated I tried using my skills. [Germinate]


    *Not the right season.*A pop up appears.


    What is the season then? Once I had that thought, next to the clock a seasonal calendar appears. Another DOS like menu, but with a slowly moving indicator that says winter.


    Curious, I click [autopilot], and suddenly a popup appears.


    [Autopilot engaged. You have activated [hibernate].


    And I recall falling into a sleep like state.


    And when I woke up, a good four months passed on the clock. But still darkness. At least the season menu says [spring].


    [Autopilot has activated [germinate]].


    Nothing happens. It is still darkness to me.


    And with autopilot active, time passes quickly. At first I thought I misunderstood the clock, but it soon became quite obvious that 1 second is actually 1 hour.


    Which is really convenient because there is absolutely nothing to do. And so time passes.


    A year passes.


    Another year passes.


    And another year.


    Year 4


    In the fourth year, a string of notification appears, instantly kicking me out of autopilot.


    [Amber Lee has died. You received a fragment.]


    [Samantha Chandran has died. You received a fragment.]


    [Peter Varoufakis has died. You received a fragment.]


    [Hyuna Park has died. You received a fragment.]


    [Reed Constance has died. You received a fragment.]


    [Shah Rasul has died. You received a fragment.]


    [Mai has died. You received a fragment.]


    [Lee Kang Ho has died. You received a fragment.]


    [Shane Andrew Fillon has died. You received a fragment.]


    [Pink Fong has died. You received a fragment.]


    [The Demon King Asmodai has been defeated and sealed back to the demonic realm]


    Oh wow. At first, I do not recognise these names at all. But when the demon kings notification popped up, that is when I realise that the kids won.


    And nothing. Again.


    Darkness. I thought something would happen, perhaps it would prompt me that our mission isplete and we would move on to the next reincarnation, but nothing.


    A year passed.


    Another year.


    And another year.


    Year 8


    A notification appeared. Simr to the others previously, it just says Saita Maru died.


    Year 9


    Mark Antote died.


    Year 11


    Samantha Charleston died.


    Year 14


    Kim Possibru died.


    Year 15


    A demon king appeared. [Demon King Astaroth has spawned.]


    Frankly I think I should panic, but somehow being trapped in this darkness I can do absolutely nothing.


    Year 17


    A string of notifications again. Azares Fox, Sarah Cole, Pam Seis, Lucy Braveheart, Winston Chow, Donald Stump all died. Cumtively, a total of twenty fragments now.


    It seems to suggest that they have been defeated by the Demon King.


    Year 20


    An interesting message appeared.


    [The Gods has summoned twenty new heroes from beyond to answer to the threat of Demon King Astaroth.]


    Oh god. More kids?


    Year 25


    Indeed, 5 years after they were summoned, Demon King Astaroth is defeated. But in the process, another eleven kids died, and now I have all these 31 fragments with their names sitting in my menu.


    I get the feeling that this circle never quite ends. Demon Kings appear, and the gods summon heroes from beyond to answer them.


    In the next 10 years, another five died, and their death seems to be spread out, suggesting either they somehow fought and killed each other, or someone or something killed them.


    Year 45


    Another demon king appeared. Demon King Dantalion. Somewhat predictably, on the 47th year, another four names died, and that brings my total to 40 fragments.


    Year 47


    The gods summoned another fifteen heroes to this world.


    Year 50


    Demon King Dantalion, and of the fifteen, ten of them died. And I have a total of 50 fragments. Thankfully it seems my menu has changed such that the fragments now have their own dedicated menu.


    It seems like if the world had another demon king attack, the gods will always summon heroes to answer them.


    Year 52


    I am jolted out of the darkness by a spirit. A spirit that I can actually see. It is like he is a light in a sea of darkness.


    Hello. A young boy, no older than ten.


    Hi.


    Oh my god, did you just talk?!!!! He shouts and then runs in circles for a while. Wait I think everyone else will think I am crazy if I say a tree can talk.


    Yes of course.


    Frankly I can only see his spirit, shining against the dark background.


    Erm.. do you have a name, o tree spirit?


    At that point I wonder whether he sees me as a tree or as a person. My name is Matt. What is yours?


    Indra. I am ten this year, and I am a druid.


    Hello Indra. He seems quite willing to talk.


    I see. Howe you can see me?


    Hmm I think that is because I have a unique skill. It is called [Soul Communion].


    Sounds really special.


    It does not do much actually. Just allows me to see and talk to ghosts and stuff. Oh my, I think I better go back. Looking at the time it is quitete at night.


    Well, drop by if you feel like it. It is nice to talk to someone.


    Okay. Indra nods, and walks off.


    Indra wouldtere by every week, and we would talk.


    Can I ask for a favor? He asks one day, after a few months talking.


    Hmm?


    Would you mind being my magicalpanion?


    How does that work?


    I get to summon you to aid me in battle.


    I would love to, but I think I do not do much. I am not sure if I have anybat powers.


    Its okay, nobody I know have a tree familiar. I think it should be quite cool.


    Fine then.


    Indra starts mumbling some things, and that is when I have a popup.


    [Indra has requests to enter into a familiar contract. Do you ept?]


    A menu to click yes or no appears, and I mentally choose yes.


    Indra smiles. Yay! I have a tree familiar. This is so awesome. I bet nobody else has a nature-aspect familiar.


    Later that week he returns, and sits next to me. My teachers took a look at my tree familiar form and so I might be going away for a long time. It seems the druid council wants to see more of my tree familiar abilities, as it is fairly rare in the world.


    Oh. Good luck then. Is it that special?


    Yes. It is quite different from other forms as it has mostly defensive and healing skills.


    Hmm I didn''t even realise he use my skills. Seems like once I agree to the familiar contract, I dont really need to do anything. At which point I wonder whether I could see what my tree familiar skills look like.


    *pop*


    A menu appears.


    [Tree Familiar]


    [Level 1]


    [Skills : Ironbark skin, Healing fruit, Minor Regeneration]


    Seems my familiar contracts skills are quite different from my own, or maybe the familiar form has its own skill tree?


    It is my first time going so far away from home.


    Are you scared?


    Yes. But I think it is also an adventure! My mom tells me not to worry though. I will be going with the towns lead druid to the capitol.


    Sounds like fun. Spend more time with your parents before you go, okay? Never know when you will see them again. Since the day I died, the people I miss the most are my parents, and then followed by my friends.


    Youre right, I should spend more time with my family. I should go. Indra nods, and gives me a small bow.


    Bye. Good luck with your trip. Stay safe.


    Unfortunately, that is thest time I ever saw Indra.


    About three yearster (Year 55), I got a notification.


    [Indra Sinahalia has died. All the experience umted by Indra when using your familiar form. You have gained 13 levels. A fragment of Indras unique skill has been bequeathed to you in ordance with the familiar contract. You have obtained unique skill : Lesser Spirit Vision]


    You have also received the skill [Limited Telepathic Communication]


    For the first time in forever, I can see.


    It is not the kind of sight that humans normally have, but I can now see spirits of people if they are really nearby, and the pitch ck background is now reced with a ck background with faint outlines.


    So thats how Ie to the realisation that I am in some kind of park. Or a garden.


    And people.


    They are all a distance away but every now and then they would pass me by. At a distance, they are all a blob, kind of like a wisp, but as they walk nearer, the details improve. Its kind of like shortsightedness, but for spirits.


    I attempt tomunicate, but so far all just run away. It felt like they all thought they are being disturbed by ghosts. Disappointed at how the people around refuse tomunicate, I went back and examine my levels.


    A tree with a skills,As a result of those levels, I gained skills thatupgrade the effects of my familiars, boosting my telepathic powers, gaining some other skills and some healing skills.


    I should have used my skills first before attempting tomunicate but hey, its hard to hide my excitement when I suddenly receive the ability to see and talk. But thanks to the higher levels in skills my visual range improved.


    Sadly, very few people actually walk near enough for me tomunicate with them. It seems Im ced quite deep in the park or garden so everyone seems to be quite a distance away. Even with some additional skills, they pretty much need to be next to me to hear anything.


    So. nothing happens for quite some time again.


    Year 56.


    A fight breaks out. I could vaguely see lots of spirits in the distance fighting some soulless creatures (they appear as a rough moving shadow). The battle seems intense, as many of the spirits get extinguished, and the battle spills over into the park as well.


    One of the human fighters stands next to me, and excited, I took the chance tomunicate. Maybe he needs help, and I can get him to agree to a familiar contract.


    Ugh damned demons At this distance, I could hear what he says, and I could tell from my [inspect] skill that he is wounded.


    Need some help?


    Huh? He looks around, one hand still clutching his wounds. He then looks at the tree. Talking tree?


    You need help?


    Ah. Yes.


    [Healing fruit] As a result of my skills I now have the skill to create a small fruit that gives some healing affect.


    [Familiar Contract]. The battle is still ongoing, so i figure that they do not have much time.


    Oh. He epts, and munches down the fruit. His wound heals somewhat, and he nods. Thanks. I should go and help the rest now.


    I did not see that guy again after that, and ten dayster I got a notification


    [Semara Falk has died. You gained 1 level] [Level 15]


    Oh that''s it eh.


    The soulless monsters appear every now and then since that day, and the people repeatedly try to fight them off. Some days I could see those monsters everywhere, even around me.


    Thankfully they did not indiscriminately destroy everything, so they did not attack me. I wonder what happens if they attacked me then, perhaps I would die.


    Then a few dayster the humans or whatever woulde back and chase them away. Thissted for a good two months, as the battles ebb and flow, and then eventually the humans won.


    A lull.


    And then a person approaches me.


    Is this the tree?


    Hmm. Yes?


    Ah. It is! I am Starric, Semaras squad leader, and he asks me on his death to thank you. Thanks to the power of your familiar he became quite the hero.


    I see.


    I dont have much, but he also asks me to bury his trusty sword next to you.


    Starric digs a hole and then ces the sword inside.


    Would you like a familiar? I ask.


    It is okay. I already have a familiar spirit of my own.


    Ah damn.


    After he leaves, a few dayster, a spirit appears next to me.


    Hi. Its that Semara guy.


    Huh? Why are you here?


    Oh. I am just a part of Semara that is embedded in the sword. The real me died and passed on.


    Huh?


    Itsplicated, but the sword has been by my side since my youth for the past thirty years. So a fragment of me is in it.


    Oh.


    So how long will you be here?


    Maybe a few more months. I will eventually fade away with time..


    With Semara next to me, we end up talking. A lot. Semara is a lot more knowledgeable about the worldpared to Indra, so he had more to share. That is how I learn a bit more about the world I am in.


    This world has many gods and religions, and magic ismonce. Demons and monsters appear frequently, as a result of the worlds proximity to the demonic realm. And due to ster movements and astronomical forces, the barrier that protects the world from the demons asionally weakens, and that results in stronger demons entering the world. That sometimes leads to the entrance of Demon Kings.


    Gods and kings of the world, respond to this by summoning heroes from another world. The heroes rise to defeat the demons, and usually they do seed, at great cost.


    The world today has five remaining heroes. Arsene Emir, Valerian, Roana, Ashley Cole, and David Becks, and it seems after the defeat of Demon King Dantalion 5 years ago, they have since fallen out with each other, and are now fighting to be the most powerful ruler in the world.


    Demons and monsters still appear frequently, even if the demon king has fallen, demons and monsters are still a huge threat to the world. And demon kings are not the sole threat, though they are extremely powerful and seek to destroy the world and remake it in their homeworld, so in a way they are the most dangerous of them.


    Those 6 months pass a little easier with Semara to share his knowledge, but good times do notst very long, and so Semara fades away after those 6 months, disappearing back into his sword.


    <strong>Year 57, Month 1</strong>


    On the first day of the year, a young elf kneels before me.


    Oh tree, I, Sda Stoppu of the elvish tribe, humbly request for the blessing of the tree spirit.


    How did this random elf know of my existence? And his name is Sd?


    How did you know about me?


    Oh erm.. He seems a little embarrassed, but then kneels. You have been listed in the register of benign spirits by the local council, following the reports of Captain Starric to the town council.


    I am in a register of the town council. Seriously. I feel like a botanic garden exhibit.


    Fine. Familiar contract?


    Thinking about how Semaras spirit apanied me for 6 months, I add a condition.


    You must leave an item with strong personal connection to yourself with me, and on your death, your weapon should be buried near me.


    He nods, and buries a small wooden chain next to my roots. This is a small chain I made when I was a kid. Is this fine?


    Yes. I frankly do not know what is the criteria to recreate Semaras case but I say yes. And then, I offer him the familiar contract. Maybe Ill gain a skill that lets me tell someday.


    He kneels and he leaves, feeling happy.


    I sigh, and I go back into my autopilot mode.


    Year 57, Month 8


    Another elfes to find me. Another boy by the name Croissanta Fillings. Same deal with Sda I offer a familiar contract and he buries a small metal ring. Happy, he then walks away.


    I wonder how long do I have to live as a tree. Would I live longer than them?


    A popup appears. *Trees are eternal if they do not get killed.*


    No shit.


    <strong>Year 57, Month 11.</strong>


    I gain a level [Level 16]. But nobody died. Strange.


    <strong>Year 57, Month 12</strong>


    Somebody visits. He does not respond to me but he seems to be trimming some of my branches. But since I do not feel any damage I let him be. He also then collects the trimmed branches, and leaves.


    <strong>Year 58, Month 1</strong>


    I gain one level [Level 17]. And I acquire a skill called [self awareness]. Unlike what it says, for a tree, it means being able to look at myself.


    That is the first time I can see all my branches and my roots. I am actually pretty big, about the size of a small house. Being able to see myself, I also realise that guy trimming my branches are crushing them to make some kind of tea.


    Maybe that is why I am gaining levels?


    <strong>Year 58 Month 2</strong>


    Another elf named Corna Corres and ask to be my familiar. Turns out elves have a thing for tree spirits (which is quite rare) and on discovery of a tree spirit in the town of Moton, quite a few migrate to live near me.


    Anyway, I agree to let Corna Corr have a familiar, so I give her the usual terms, but I also made a special request, which is I want her toe back every 6 months and tell me what happens.


    <strong>Year 58 month 6</strong>


    I gained another level. Nothing in particr happened. [Level 18]


    <strong>Year 58 Month 7</strong>


    A human kneels. He asks for blessing to heal his child of his disease.


    I am not sure whether I can, but I can try. Bring him to me.


    A small baby, probably 8 months. He looks really sick. I create a magical healing fruit with all the nutrients I can gather.


    The man feeds it to his child. The child still is sick, and the man leaves with the child.


    Three dayster hees back with the child. The childs spirit looks better. Turns out due to the war against the demons, there are no more healers in this small town. Most of them died some time ago, and those that survive now serve in the royal army, on the Kings army.


    Child is actually just having a very bad fever.


    I gain a level. [Level 19]


    The man returns a few dayster again with poop. Cow poop, and he mixes it into the dirt. Fertiliser? I feel nothing, and I thank my lucky stars I cannot smell cow poop.


    Year 58 Month 12


    Winter. During this time I cannot create fruits. A man kneels and begs for help for his wife, but I cannot do it no matter how much I want to.


    I tell him to hang in there and return when springes around.


    Year 59 Month 1


    The man returns and curses me. I guess she did not make it, so I do not respond.


    And after the exchange, I gain a level and a skill.


    [Level 20]


    [Minor winter-resistance]


    Yeah, that man is going to hate me.


    Year 59 Month 2


    A youngdy drops by, and begs me to protect her husband. Her husband will be going to war soon, to defend the country from a demonic rift that appeared somewhere. Her voice sounds like she wants to cry, but I am a tree, so in my mind I can only empathise, and exin that I am not a god, I do not have the power to provide blessings. I am just a tree living here.


    Is there really nothing you can do?


    Does he want a familiar?


    Oh. Ill ask him.


    The next day a young manes, along with the youngdy. Is this the tree youve been visiting? He nces up, and shrugs. Doesnt look very impressive.


    Please Andy, a familiar might protect you.


    He shakes his head. Do you have no confidence in me?


    Its not that, but if something can give you a bit more protection, will you not take it?


    Andy sighs, and walks really near to me. This is so weird, talking to a tree, but hey, if you hear me, can I get a familiar? Just so that my wife feels safer?


    I wonder whether having a familiar would offer any protection, as they might overestimate their own abilities and end up taking more risk, but I offer a familiar contract anyway.


    Andy seems a bit surprised, Oh wow. There really is a spirit here.


    The wife smiles, Pleasee back to me, Andy.


    Yes yes. He epts, and the couple leaves.


    Year 59 Month 3


    The man with the sick wife returns. With something in his hand.


    He scolds and shouts for a while, and starts hacking at me. I dont feel any pain however, and it is then I realise that my trunk is really really hard. After some time, he gives up and leaves.


    It is about that time I wonder how did that other guy manage to trim my branches.


    Year 59 Month 4


    Corna Coro returns, and when she touches me I actually get the experience umted so far on the familiar.


    [I gain 3 levels. I am now level 23.]


    She tells me that there is some heavy fighting going on at the moment, and that the town of Moton may notst for very long, as the town is located near the border with the wastnds.


    Year 59 Month 9


    A bad month, really. The month started with 3 deaths, the 3 elves all died within days of each other.


    [Corna Coro has died]


    [Sda Stoppu has died]


    [Croissonta Fillings has died]


    I gained 12 levels. I am now level 35, and my species transform from normal tree to spiritual tree.


    At this point my skills are still mostly things like healing, and defense, but I also gained a skill that is a sort of insurance, called, [tree-rebirth].


    Year 59 Month 10.


    Deathes to the town of Moton.


    I see monsters attacking the town every day, and as much as I want to help, nobody got near enough for me to grant a familiar contract.


    I see some fighting in the distance, but it looks like the defenders are losing. On thest day of the month, it seems the war is getting really bad. [Arsene Emir has died. You gain a fragment.]


    Oh. One of the reincarnators has fallen.


    Year 59 Month 11.


    [Demon King Baal has entered the world!]


    9 years after the fall of Demon King Dantalion, another Demon King enters the battlefield. Is it me, or it seems to be getting more frequent?


    Moton at this point is deserted. Theres absolutely not a single soul that I can see from my [spirit vision]. I hope its more of a case of people fleeing, rather than killed, but the past months battle makes that seem rather unlikely.


    Year 60 Month 2.


    My surrounding is absolutely barren. Monsters now wander everywhere, and a few tried to cut me down, but thankfully my bark is really strong, and these monsters give up once they realise its pointless.


    Year 60 Month 9.


    The town of Moton is no more. The destruction of the past few days has been massive.


    And I think I see the Demon King. Oh shit.


    Hes huge. A massive, massive presence, he looks like he is the height of a 3 story building. Even at a distance I could see his burning presence, and I could see a soul, but unlike human souls which normally appear faint white in color, the demon kings presence is a bright red one, and is surrounded by a reddish fire.


    [The Demon King Baal]


    A red name hovers right above his soul. Oh damn it really is him.


    He turns, notices me, and he walks towards me.


    Tree?! He roars, and the earth shakes.


    Oh shit. I felt myself shiver and tingle, and I do not even know how I can feel the tingle when I got no sense other than vision!


    He raises his arm, and shes.


    Ughhhhhhh! I yelp in pain.


    For someone who is a tree, I am amazed and frightened that I can feel pain. It felt like I got hit by a car, or a truck.


    The top has been chopped off. For a brief moment, I thought I see his burning soul smile, and then he walks off.


    I am in immense pain, feeling like I a. being pulled in multiple directions, but a short whileter, I am just thankful that I live.


    I live! I am just a tree stump now, but trees do not die so easily!


    He disappears into the distance, and once he is out of sight, I fall into some kind of sleep.


    Year 65 Month 2


    Oh shit Ive been sleeping for the past 4 years?! I am still mostly a stump, but now a few small shoots emerge from the sides.


    Theres a notification menu that thankfully records all the string of messages I missed. The four remaining reincarnators has been killed, but amazingly, they manage to y the Demon King Baal as well.


    Also, I gain a level [Level 36]. And an achievement.


    [Demon King Survivor]

 Moving house

    Moving house


    <strong>Year 65 Month 8</strong>


    The shoots are not growing very well. In fact, they survive for no longer than a week, and then die off. And because the shoots as a result of ack of nutrients or sunlight (frankly I''m not sure what my body needs) my ability to stay conscious is really poor. Still, a randomelven druid visits.


    Oh tree, are you still there? He touches the stump, carefully inspecting the damage from the demon kings ws.


    Yes I am. I reply, but he doesnt seem to understand me.


    Ah the damage must have really weakened you. He touches the stump, and seems to be using some kind of druid magic.


    I feel invigorated, but only temporarily. It seems that energy is quickly drained away.


    The demon kings presence has tainted these grounds, that is why you are unable to recover. To survive when the fire still burns and the grounds corrupted shows you must be a strong tree!


    I do not sense the demon kings presence, but maybe my ability to see is impaired as well. As I still could not really keep myself awake for very long, I didn''t dwell on it.


    I will help you, and that will include moving you out of these taintednds. He says, and leaves.


    I wonder how he ns to move me.


    <strong>Year 65 Month 9</strong>


    A few men arrive, all of them appear quite old. Oh, and that druid fromst month.


    This is the tree I mentioned. It is amazing that is survives an attack by a demon king.


    Indeed. I believe the druid council would like to examine it further. Another man speaks, he seems to be holding some kind of wooden staff, and he kneels over me. "These fires are interesting."


    Should we move it back to the druid council garden?


    Hmm, I rather not. I rather not have the others discover this. Druidhome already has another tree spirit. I would rather we keep this for ourselves.


    True. Would be troublesome if the other group finds it. Where do you propose?


    Am thinking either Szas mansion or the Adventurer Guilds garden, or Temple of Gayas garden.


    The adventurers guild. I think that wont be a ce they will expect.


    I prefer the Temple of Gaya. Easier to exin why we are moving trees, especially with the reconstruction happening there. The Caretaker would want to have a look at this as well.They vote, and eventually decide on the Temple of Gaya. I feel a little headache from following their conversation.


    The five of them spread out in a circle, surrounding me. And they start mumbling something, and then I feel the entire ground shake, and crack. Then, the entirety of the earth around e floats and one of the guys take out some kind of sack.


    And then it is just all ck for me. Maybe they somehow suck me into the sack or some kind of druid-tree moving magic, I''m not sure. Turns out once my roots no longer touch anynd, I just lose consciousness.


    <strong>Year 65 Month 10</strong>


    How is it reacting to the transnting?


    Better than expected. Color seems to be returning somewhat and the taint of the Demon King is fading. But the fires remain.


    Did I say I am amazed it can resist the demon kings fire and attack and also its corruption?


    "Yes you did. But I think most druids would be."


    That''s what makes it worth studying.


    The guys are talking, and I could still hear them faintly. But I find my consciousness fade every now and then, so I could not catch everything.Theye over every other day to check on me, but some days I just cannot keep myself awake, though I do seem to be gradually recovering.


    <strong>Year 66 Month 2</strong>


    I feel much better now and I can actually keep myself awake. Those guys stille over regrly and now I notice they have been casting some kind of spell on me.I think it sounds like some kind of [appraisal]. On top of that, they seem to be poking me with weird contraptions, and they seem very interested on my stump, mumbling about fires of hell and stuff like that.


    Still, I''m too sleepy to think too much, and everytime I do I get a headache.


    <strong>Year 66 Month 3</strong>


    Is this the tree? An old manes to visit. Seriously, I''m really popr with old men. Is it a thing in fantasy worlds for old men to constantly poke at interesting things?


    Yes.


    He touches the stump, and seems to be rather deep in thought. From Moton, you say?


    Yes. It survived a demon kings ws, the scars on the stump still char a little with the demons fires.


    A fascinating sight. To see the demon king''s fires still burn on the stump


    Wait, the demon kings fire is still burning my stump? I took a good hard look at myself, and that''s when suddenly I feel a surge of pain. It seems [autopilot] cut off a portion of my senses, so I did not notice that I am still being burned.


    [Status : The Fire of Baal]


    Whoah. And oww. Oww oww oww. It feels like touching a hot kettle, for a long time. Pain. PAIN.


    [Autopilot].


    [Autopilot] is suppressing the sensations from the burning surface.


    These fires we should learn more about them. The old man says, seemingly touching the fire with a small stick.


    The younger man scratches his chin.


    The demon king will return someday. We can better defeat them if we know what we face.


    What do you have in mind, Caretaker?


    Can we defeat demons with their own power? The Caretaker muses, twirling the stick in the fire.


    The question stuns the younger man.


    It must be possible, for demon kings must demand the obedience of their minions, so they must have a power to control or punish their minions. So the fires of a demon must be able to damage any other demon, or else they would have no way to keep order.


    Caretaker, to channel the demons powers, that that may be seen as witchcraft and perhaps sphemy. Best not to repeat it. The younger man shakes his head.


    Perhaps you are right. The Caretaker sighs. "Good reminder, Acolyte."


    "To stay the path of Gaya, is my duty, Caretaker."


    <strong>Year 66 Month 9</strong>


    The past months is filled with people all investigating the endlessly burning fire on my stump. Usually it''s the same few old men with different contraptions or spells. The investigators and researchers would try things like dousing me on holy water, or trying to extract my stump surface.


    Still, the conclusion they seem to draw is that I am strong enough not to die from it, and not let it burn the rest of me, but not strong enough to extinguish the fire.


    The Fire of Baal also interfere with all my attempts to telepathicallymunicate. I suspect they seem to hear something, but they could not make out any details.


    The stump is actually constantly regenerating a sheet of fire-resistantyer, and thatyer gets reced by anotheryer once the firespletely consume the upperyer.


    Ah, so it''s kind of like a zerg rush and a wall of turrets. Maybe that analogy doesn''t quite work.


    <strong>Year 67 Month 1</strong>


    It happened in the middle of the night. A group of masked men sneaks into the temple grounds, they dress like typical cults, in dark hoodies and masks, and carry weird religious-like items.


    This is it. The tree that carries the Fires of Baal. One points.


    So the rumours are true. The Temple of Gaya is really experimenting with demonfire.


    "To find demonfire, the master will be pleased.


    He takes out a kind of vase. I think it is a vase, because it looks like a vase from the outline. The cultists seem to mumble some kind of weird chant, as the one holding the vase leans close to me. Heopens the cork on top of the vase, and it seems to suck up all the fires into it. It has a cork, does it make it a whiskey bottle instead? I wish I could see properly.


    Harvest the fires and lets go.


    Yes yes.


    About ten minutester he is done, and strangely, at that point someone shouts.


    Stop! What are you doing!


    Ohe on, why do guards always spot them only when they are done.


    Let''s split! The cultists shout.


    And they all flee in different directions, and then into the distance.


    [The Fire of Baal removed. Negative effects on some of your passive recovery, skills, spells and abilities removed]


    Oh thank you cultists, andI hope I do not meet a demon king again.


    <strong><em>The next day.</em></strong>


    Who is behind this?


    The fires are gone!


    Did you hear me? Who is behind this!


    Anyone able to collect the fires of Baal must be affiliated to the demons. Perhaps the demon cults.


    No shit, genius,


    Ugh. No one spotted them?


    The guards did. They are dead now. We found a few of them killed in the alleys.


    Ugh.


    With the fires gone, I am not very interesting anymore. Nobody evenes over to visit, and quiet returns.


    I''m not<em>hot</em>anymore.


    <strong>Year 67 Month 3</strong>


    A small boy sits on me. I offer a familiar contract, and he rejects.


    Damn.


    <strong>Year 67 Month 5</strong>


    Without the Fires of baal, I am able to now regrow a proper trunk in the past 5 months, right next to my stump. With this, I feel a bit more energetic than before.


    <strong>Year 67 Month 8</strong>


    This is the tree that has a seat!


    With a the trunk growing rapidly, I am now like a small tree, with a stump stuck at the side. In a way I look like a chair. Or maybe a stump + stickbo.


    It seems quite a few people doe over and sit on me, but most seems to ignore all my familiar contracts. I wonder why, and then a popup exins ''<em>Believers of Gaya cannot ept familiars of nature, and are naturally resistant to telepathy.''</em>Ah that exins why everyone rejects me.


    An old man approaches me one day, on thest few days of the month.


    Hi tree.


    He looks a little crazy. His soul looks really messed up.


    I am dying. And I am looking for a ce to be buried. Can I bury myself here?


    I have no idea how to respond to such a question. Seriously. Should I say, yes, please bury yourself here, or should I say, no, don''t bury yourself here?


    He touches my growing trunk.


    Yes. I will bury myself here.


    Uh. Okay. You made the decision, so I''m not saying a thing. Hey, maybe you''ll end up a spirit next to me like Semara.


    <strong>Year 67 Month 9</strong>


    That same death-wish old man sits on me, and then falls asleep. He did not wake up, and I could see his soul fading. He is discoveredter in the evening by the temple guys.


    Oh dear. This crazy old man really died here. A young temple initiateins.


    He been telling the Caretaker he wants to be buried here.


    Call the Caretaker." I am guessing the Caretaker is some kind of position in the Temple of Gaya, but no one answers me.


    The Caretaker from before returns and kneels over the old mans corpse. Old friend, I will bury you here as you asked.


    The two initiatesin. But Caretaker, he is not a believer. What gives him the right to be buried in the temple grounds?


    He<em>was</em>a believer. His three sons fought valiantly against the Demons, a part of the warriors of Gaya. But their death made him curse us, curse the temple, for bringing doom to his family, so he stopped believing. In his dying days I believe he hase around.


    Ah.. if you say so, Caretaker.


    They dig a hole next to my roots a dayter, and buried him next to me. Strangely enough, it is not in a coffin. Perhaps they do not have such culture here. Come to think of it, I do not recall ever seeing coffins. I feel relieved that I won''t get chopped up to be made into coffins.


    I wonder whether he will end up being a spirit.


    <strong>Year 67 Month 10</strong>


    Hello tree spirit.


    Oh. Hello old man. The old man really did be a spirit, even though it did take him a few weeks. I wonder why it takes him so long to transform from dead man to spirit. Is there like some kind of incubation period?


    Have you been here for long?


    No. I just appeared today. I think your roots are in my body now, so now you can see me." Hmm, my roots?


    Oh. Did you know I am here?


    No. I just liked the look of the tree and the location. It seems like a nice ce to be buried.


    Uhuh. What a thing to think about. That sort of thought never crossed my mind.


    You are a tree. Death must be a strange thing for you.


    Hmm. Never mind. Why are you here and why are you not moving on?


    I want to. But I have a lot of regrets. So much.. anger and hatred. Frustration for the temple of gaya. Anger at the gods and demons. Anger at how weak I was to let my children die.


    Huh.


    Must be a foreign concept for trees with no family.


    I understand it quite well, but I choose not to interject.


    Life and death. To lose your children to monsters, to flee when your children are fighting. Do you know how much I regret it?


    No. Why did you flee? He wants to vent, so I let him.


    To protect my younger children. I ran with them. I ran with their wives, their kids, my grandchildren.


    Then you did your part, no?


    No. I felt I should have been the one fighting, while they fled. An old man like me, choosing to run instead of fighting. That torment, it burns me.


    Is that called running? Sounds pretty honorable to me, and if you did stay and fight, would it have made a difference?


    Maybe. I am much older, but when the demons attacked many years ago I still could hold a sword very well. I could have. I am much higher level and I have better skills. It is wrong for them to entrust the protection of their wives to me. I, the dying old man should have been the one fighting and holding off the demons while they make their way out.


    They must have believed you can protect their wives and kids better than them. They wanted to stay back?


    <em>Hey I didn''t sign up for spirit-counselling. Is this guy going to vent at me for the next few months, because if he is, I am going to [hibernate]</em>


    So what. I should have knocked some sense into them.


    Ugh. I have to cut this guy off.


    You are dead. Let it go and move on.


    No! I cannot. I must not. I spent thest fewyears thinking back to that day when we parted in Olbast. I should have stayed and they should have left. Thirteen years, every night I think about it. If I made a different choice. If.


    You are dead.


    I am a spirit. There must be something I can still do. Something I can still change. That is why I am still here and not in the underworld.


    What would that be?


    I don''t know!


    Uh.


    The old man, his name is Gewa, and he spends a lot of time being upset over the death of his three sons. I asionally humor him, but I mostly ignore him and go into hibernation.


    <strong>Year 67 Month 11</strong>


    [Andy Schulon has died. You gained 9 levels.] [You are now level 45]


    Oh. I totally forgot about that guy. The guy whos wife came and beg for protection. He lived really long!


    Have you heard? Lieutenant Commander Schulon of the South Army died in battle against the demons. Some initiates chatter in the garden, and with the levels my vision and range of hearing improves. Ah, wow that boy became quite high ranking.


    The demon must be really strong.


    Indeed, and he is back at his peak with his power returning. This seems to suggest the demons gather strength out there, and they will only get more ferocious.


    You seem to be interested in the conversation. Gewa''s spirit sits next to me.


    Yeah I am. Have you heard of Andy Schulon?


    Hmm.. Sounds familiar! Oh wait, I remember now. He got a bit famous a few years ago. He led the defense of Pars pass against arge demon attack.


    What''s that?


    A battle where the demons attacked one of the many passes that connects the humands to the rift, and are sessfully repelled, despite being outnumbered. It is human battle history, not surprised you never heard of it.


    Oh.


    He is known for his defensive skills, but his abilities somehow weakened a few years ago for some unknown reason, it returned recently, and he contributed quite significantly to a few battles with his healing and defensive skills. His front linebat support has saved many many lives and won many battles.


    Don''t armies have mages and healers? What''s so special about him? Seems strange that a familiar can make such a difference.


    Mainly because he is in the front line, providing active support and healing. Healers and mages can provide support but they do so from the back and there is always a dy. Mages and healers can be in front too of course, but theirck of closebat abilities make them really vulnerable. Schulon is like a fighter with some mage and healer''s abilities, so that makes him very versatile.


    Oh. You seem to know how to fight. I''m actually quite impressed by this Gewa''s analysis.


    Every generation has to fight multiple demon kings and lords throughout their lives. Combat ability is a necessity.


    True, I seem to forget that multiple demon kings have appeared since I came into this world. What a cruel, harsh world.


    Hmm.


    A mage can cast shield that provides a half reduction in damage as a passive enchantment, but someone like Schulon can create a wood barrier to counter specific attacks that reduces the damage by much higher amount.


    Makes a lot of sense.


    So why are you interested in Andy Schulon again?


    Hmm. We used to have a familiar contract. I mean, I gave him a familiar a long time ago before he became famous.


    Huh?!


    Gewas spirit paces around me, seems to be thinking. It seems that statement triggered some kind of eureka moment.


    So you and him have a familiar contract, are you the source of his defensive powers? He looks at me with some hopeful, curious eyes. He never looked at me like that before, so it freaks me out a little.


    I am not sure. But if it is some wood based ability, I believe that is most likely from my familiar.


    I see I see." Gewa walks in circles around my trunk, and it makes me a little dizzy. He stops. "Can you give your familiar contracts to more people?


    Thats a strange question. Where are you going with this?


    Gewa gives me a kind of stare. Its weird for a spirit to stare.


    "What?"


    He stares somemore.


    "Seriously, what?"


    You. You have some power to reduce casualties in battle. Imagine if the world had hundreds of warriors with incredible defensive powers, we would see less death, and we would have higher leveled warriors all round because they all survive longer.


    Hmm.


    What hmm? Am I wrong?


    No, Gewa does have a point, so I mentally wonder how many familiar contracts can I give.


    <em>*You can presently grant 12 familiar contracts. There are no familiar contracts utilised at the moment.*</em>


    What are your concerns, tree spirit? Or do you not care about human lives? Gewa pushes. "Grant more familiar contracts, let those with your powers protect more people!"


    Hmm. Why should I? Okay, I guess giving familiar contracts make sense because I gain experience from it, but


    Frankly I do not know why I am hesitating, so I end up looking at Gewa. Feeling a little headache at having to make a decision, I decide to take a nap.


    <strong>Year 68 Month 1</strong>


    Your naps are really long.


    Time moves differently for trees like me. I respond instinctively, but then I wonder why I did. Maybe reincarnation means an entirely new set of experiences in this world.


    So, familiars? Gewa kept pushing and I ignore him. I still wanted to think, and he mumbles something about me and my absurd timeframes.


    A druid drops by. Ah, you are doing well. The new part of my tree has reaches a reasonable size now, right next to the stump. The surface of the stump is still charred ck, but it is healing.


    Hi. I reach out telepathically.


    The druid startles, and he looks around. Is.. is anybody there?


    No one. Only me, the tree.


    Huh?! He stares at me. You talk?


    Yes. Do you want a familiar contract? I am blunt like that.


    Uh no. Okay I am a little too blunt. Are you a tree spirit?


    Yes.


    The druid walks in circles. So, what kind of tree spirit are you?


    <em>What what kind of question is that?</em>


    Uh...


    The druid looks puzzled. Ah. I mean like are you looking for help with breeding or spreading your seeds, or the type that wants special nutrients or fertilizer, or like you want help with pests? Tree spirits are usually not chatty. And they only give familiars to those who has done a great deal of service for them, like after helping them through a difficult winter or battle a horrible disease.


    Oh.


    So do you need help with something? That''s why you are offering familiars?


    Hmm.


    The druid walks in circles a few more times. I heard you survived a demon kings attack, maybe you need help with your wound, is that it?


    It seems he is caught in some kind of monologue with his own mind, and presuming that I need help.Why is this guy asking and presuming I need help?


    He kneels, hovering over the stump. Your wounds are fully healed though. Ah tree spirits, always being so vague and need us druids to guess what you need.


    Wait.<em>WAIT!"</em>


    I know, I will give you some time and I wille back next month, okay? Trees need time to think, right? The druid bows and walks off.


    WAIT! Ohe on I am literally shouting and he just walks away.


    Are druids normally so dense? I look at Gewa, a little frustrated.


    Gewa shrugs. Mages tend to be stuck in their own world. Magic is everything and it consumes them.


    But for them to ignore me like that

 Another move?

    Another move?


    <strong>Year 68 Month 2</strong>


    The temple is abuzz with activity, but the mood is tense. Injuries and wounds, by the cartloads, as people keep getting carried into the temple. Me, in the garden, I can somehow picture the image of blood everywhere, and the stench of it.


    Or maybe it is just the newer initiates saying how strong the smell is.


    "How many more do we have?


    A lot more, Caretaker. The Caretaker is like the lead priest of the Gaya temple, and he handles most of the administrative matters.


    Demons? The Caretaker perch over one injured man, using some kind of healing.


    Yes, caretaker. Beast-type demons, about a hundred, from the rift. An initiate exins, while assisting the others in carrying a few of the wounded soldiers into the temple grounds. Another initiate nearby helps to support a few that can walk.


    Some initiates start putting up tents in the garden, and ssifying the wounded by the severity of the injuries. Those needing less immediate attention are relegated to the garden. And so quite a lot of the wounded and their carers are within my range.


    I did not lose a llimb." One injured soldier vents at the guy next to him. "I had a scare when the beast lunged for my arm. It is thanks to the other guys."


    "First battle?"


    He nods. "I.. I just froze when that beast roared like that. I did not expect that."


    "Their roar has a fear effect. You should not have stood so far away. You are lucky to get just a few cuts."


    Yea. Just a gash, probably will heal and be a manly scarter on. Maybe you can get girls with it. Another soldier tries to lighten the mood.


    Girls do not like scars. One of them said.


    Says who? I met girls who like scars. They say it looks really tough and they feel safe when they see it.


    No way.


    You guys are disgusting. A female soldierments, she turns to another side and face another sleeping female soldier.


    Hey, we did not die facing those beastdemons. Cut me some ck, I am just happy to live another day.


    Yeah yeah.


    Did you kill any of those beasts? One soldier turns to ask another. There are about thirty of them in the courtyard, resting in makeshift tents. Most of them here are not very serious, light scratches or some gashes, and won''t die if so quickly. But they do need some medical attention to prevent disease.


    No. Their hides are so thick. If I had one of those magic swords, maybe I would have gotten a kill or two.


    Your skills, did they not work?


    It did, but it is not enough.


    When do you think the healers wille for us? One of the soldiers that can walk asks, he sits next to another soldier.


    Once the heavily injured ones are dealt with. An initiate interrupts, handing out water and some light food.


    Yeah. We understand. The soldier nods. How is in there?


    Bad. Quite a few will not live through the night.


    The soldiers nce at each other. They sigh, but most are secretly relieves they got out of it mostly fine.


    The initiate looks at the tree. I think that tree produces fruits every now and then. It is edible, so feel free to take it, because we are short, do not have enough proper food.


    Ah.


    Based on my current pattern, I produce two or three small peach like fruits per week, but if I want to I can trigger a small bloom to produce more overnight. I felt like helping these guys, and hopefully lead to some familiar contracts.


    The next day, I have about ten small fruits, all containing mild healing effect. The soldiers did not hesitate to take and consume them.


    Tastes kind of nd.


    Feels like I am eating some kind of disgusting forest herb.


    If you dont like it, you can starve your ass instead. One grateful soldier smiles.


    I felt a bit slighted at thements, and at that point, I realise I did not select any skills that enhance the taste of my fruits. Such human aspects should be considered after all.


    I feel a bit better though. I think the fruit has some mild healing. [Appraise] One soldier holds up his half eaten fruit, looking at it inquisitively. There are skills like [appraisal] too, and I wonder what is the difference with my [inspection] skills.


    A loud horn res. It is so loud that my trunk vibrates, and my leaves rustle.


    Oh. That is not good... A few of the soldiers look at each other. Another attack?


    Looks like it. Some of the soldiers stand and walks, We should go.


    An initiate runs out. No. You guys must rest. Going there injured will be bad.


    I am fully healed. A few of the men with light injuries have recovered as a result of the fruits.


    The initiate looks at them, Let me.. let me get the caretaker to verify before we let you out. I can''t sign you out without his approval."


    The soldier nods, Yes yes. Normal tracking procedure. Please hurry and get the caretaker. The army needs our help, if it is anything like the previous attack.


    The initiate runs in, calling the caretaker. The soldiers look at the rest of the recovering soldiers.


    You guys better eat more of that fruit then. Need you people back on field once you are fine.


    Yeah. One of the soldiers shrug. Stay safe, and don''t get killed."


    We wont.


    At that point, one of the soldiers walk close to me. Hey, thanks for the fruit.


    Since he is just next to me, I pounce on the opportunity and immediately offer a familiar contract.


    The popup probably startle the soldier, as he stares for a while. Oh. Okay. He epts, and then he looks at the other soldiers. Hey, go and say thanks. You might get something.


    Some of themugh and walk away, but two others walk over and give me a pat on the trunk. Simrly I offer both of them a familiar contract, and they ept.


    Hey did the tree just... One soldier look at the other.


    Yes. The other nods.


    What happened? Those who are still injured seem a bit curious, because they seem a little startled by the weird expressions on the three soldiers faces.


    I think this tree, it.. it gave three of us familiar contracts?


    Really?


    What does it do?


    [Ironbark skin] One of the soldiers skin glisten in a brownish shade. Some defensive skills and healing skills. It is a tree familiar."


    Hey, this is useful. The soldier right next to me taps my trunk lightly. "Thanks."


    Yeah. Dont let it get your head though. One of the injured soldiers say.


    Let me check, everyone pleasee over. The caretaker arrives and starts looking at the soldiers that say that they have recovered.


    A whileter, he nods.


    Hmm. It seems you guys are fine. Free to go.


    Thanks Caretaker.


    The recovered soldiers go off, and the remaining soldiers, about twenty of them look at each other. After a while, they start talking again.


    You think this tree can give us a familiar contract? One of the injured soldier approaches.


    I still can give a few more, if you guys are not believers of Gaya. I reply to him telepathically.


    Ah! The injured soldier loses his bnce and falls. It It talked!


    It did? I did not hear a thing.


    It.. it talked into my head!


    What did it say?


    Uhm. I think I think it said it can give a few more if we are not followers of Gaya.


    Huh, but we are in a Temple of Gaya?! Is this tree not a Gaya''s spirit?


    Ill go call the Caretaker again.


    The Caretaker approaches me, and then looks at the injured soldier. You said this tree can give you familiar contracts if we do not believe in Gaya?


    Uh yes. I attempt to reply on behalf but somehow is repulsed by some kind of telepathic barrier.


    The Caretaker looks at me, and then touches my trunk.


    [Detect Evil] and [Detect Spirit]


    His eyes widen. It really is a spirit. He looks at me, and then he calls an initiate to bring some materials over. He then seems to chew on some kind of leaf.


    After a short while of chewing, he then looks at me.


    [Ethereal vision]


    Hello tree spirit. The Caretaker looks at me, and then he notices Gewa next to me. And you too, old friend.


    Hey. Gewa smiles.


    Hi.


    Who are you, and what are you.


    I am a tree.


    But you have a spirit. That is rare.


    That contradicts the statement I receive from Mozart. I thought he said trees of a certain size has spirits.


    Yes. I do have a spirit. I do not know whether I am rare."


    You told the soldiers you cant give them familiars if they are believers of Gaya?"


    Yes. Your believers will reject a nature familiar.


    The Caretaker thinks for a while, and he says. Hmmm I do recall one of blessings of our god is we can only use familiars of god, but I must confirm thatter.


    He then looks at the soldiers. Any of you not believers?


    Im not. A soldier walks over. Not yet, at least.


    Can you give him a familiar contract? The Caretaker asks me. "Will help me assess what I should do?"


    I offer him a familiar contract. The Caretaker bites a different kind of leaf.


    ept the contract, and open your menu. Eat this leaf.


    The soldier nods, epts the familiar contract and munches on a kind of leaf. Seriously, do they have weird drug-like leaves in this world? Wait, they must have, its a fantasy world.


    Then his menu appears for all to see. It is far moreplicated than the menu I have. I wonder how I could see it, but.. I just do.


    [Tree Familiar Level 1]


    [Element : Earth and Wood]


    [Rank : Nature Aspect]


    [Alignment : Neutral]


    [Active Skills : Ironbark skin, Healing Fruit, Minor Regeneration, Wood Shield]


    [Passive : Damage resistance, Improved Healing, Earth Magic and Wood Magic enhancement]


    Hey, there are more skills than I used to remember.


    So is the tree evil, Caretaker? Should we revoke the contract?"


    No. Probably not. But it is just not aligned to Gaya.


    Trees have alignment as well?"


    The Caretaker shrugs. No idea. Still, you soldiers can ept the familiar if you want to, I think it will be helpful for the battle ahead. As for me, I need to go talk to some druids.


    <strong>Year 68 Month 3</strong>


    Move it somewhere else. The Caretaker sighs.


    Yes Caretaker. This is really necessary?


    Yes. I brought this up to the temple counselors, and the conclusion is that we are a temple cannot ept a spirit that does not ept Gaya in ourpound. It woukd be perceived negatively by themon folk if a tree tells people not to believe in Gaya to receive a familiar.


    It is a tree.


    I would have chopped it down if its just a tree. But it has been helpful and I do not see a need to destroy it. So moving it to more... neutral location would be better."


    The druid nods. Understood. Inside his head he scrambles to think where to mvoe the tree.


    Still, did not take long for them to decide, I see a few druidse over, surround me, and once again they move me.


    Caretaker says youre a spirit, so we got to move you. The druid says apologetically. "We will be gentle, and you will note to any harm."


    Before I could respond, he casts some kind of magic, and the earth shakes. And once again, I lose consciousness.


    Seriously, being moved around is annoying.

 Freeka, Elf Village

    Freeka, Elf Vige


    <strong>Year 68 Month 4</strong>


    Freeka. A small vige with less than fifty souls, out of town. Elves. All of them.


    It seems that the presence of a spirit tree does not go well with a lot of people in the city, so the druids decide to move me out of the city. It seems a spirit that is not aligned to the religions of the world are seen as heretical to some of the believers, and so I think I am quite lucky that there are druids who look after tree spirits.


    The elves are happy to have a tree spirit in their small vige, and I could tell from their conversations. The leader of the vige requests I be put in the center of the vige, apparently for the protection a tree spirit can give.


    The elves are quite chatty, and from that, I learn that the leader of the vige is a middle aged man, Ric.


    A tree spirit is good fortune to our small vige.


    Somehow, he gives me a very pleasant feeling, so I immediately offer him a familiar contract the moment I could.


    An honour, o tree spirit.


    If anyone else wants a tree familiar please let me know. I telepathically speak.


    Certainly.


    Of the viges warriors, I give out all my remaining familiar slots to 8 more of the men and women. It helps them in protecting the vige, from the frequent monster attacks.


    <strong>Year 68 Month 5</strong>


    Rics wife, Laufen is pregnant. Theye over and ask for my blessing, I reply I cant give blessings, but if they fall sick they cane to me for some healing fruits.


    <strong>Year 68 Month 6</strong>


    The elven kids decorate me for a festival to the earth. The elves in this world are a little animistic, they believe in spirits of nature, and their god is the nameless great spirit of nature.


    Trees are spirit of nature, so this festival is also dedicated to you. An older female elf, Cashern leads the ceremony. She seem to y the role of the master of ceremonies, and also a living record of the elvish traditions.


    They eat fruits, vegetables, and some hunted meat, and pray to the earth for good harvest, a good hunt, and protection from demons, monsters and humans.


    They too serve some kind of fermented sap, which sends some of the men in some kind of high and dance throughout the night.


    <strong>Year 68 Month 8</strong>


    The tax collectors visit the elves.


    Ric pays them with what little gold or silver coins they have. Some of the elves in the vige sell their excess foods in the city for coin, just for the purpose of paying taxes.


    After the tax collectors leave, Ric sits next to me and sigh. These tax collectors are bloodsucking leeches. We get no protection from the army, yet we are forced to pay taxes, lest we suffer the wrath of the Kingdoms tax enforcement force.


    Ah.


    Do you have demons here? I suddenly wonder how do elves deal with demons.


    Oh tree spirit, we do face demons. But demons are usually drawn to ces with lot of souls for them to kill. Sparsely popted ces like our vige is usually spared of their wrath. It is only when the Demon King descends, when the elves throughout the continent gather to fight it.


    I see.


    One of the elf kids run over and knock on my trunk. Hey tree. Do you think you can give me a familiar?


    Ric pats him on the head. Brich, please dont disturb the tree spirit. He has given all his familiars to the adults.


    Brich pouts and walks away.


    Hows Laufen doing? I asks, but actually I could see from my spirit vision that she is well. Spirit vision is good at telling the overall health of a person.


    She is doing well. It''s been a few years since thest birth in our vige. Everyone looks forward to it, especially Brich and Wahlen. They cannot wait for someone younger than them to appear.


    <strong>Year 68 Month 10</strong>


    Harvest season before winter. Harvest is better thanst year, and Ric says it is because of me.


    I cant tell because I do not see a skill that boosts harvest, but apparently as vige head, he has a skill that lets him know what effects are affecting the area.


    Maybe it is race passive for spiritual trees or something, that things grow better around it.


    <strong>Year 68 Month 11</strong>


    Being at the center of the vige, the elven vigers frequentlye over to chat under the shade. I am growing quickly, and am quite close to my size before I got chopped by the demon king.


    Thedies now start to do some of their leisure activity under the shade. This means things like sorting or cutting through their harvest, or asionally, processing hunted animals.


    Some of the elderly also use the shade to teach their kids. It seems elves believe that the tree spirit improves learning, but I suspect that might be a cebo.


    <strong>Year 68 Month 12</strong>


    Winters are mild. I can produce some healing fruits, but their effectiveness is rather poor.


    The men fight some monsters during this time, it seems winteres with its own set of monsters. Nobody gets seriously hurt, so the mood is fine. It seems one of the guys, Jura, is the viges best fighter. He''s really good with a sword, and says he is going to be level 40 soon.


    Laufen and thedies would collect whatever winter fruits I produce to make some kind of tea.


    <strong>Year 69 Month 2</strong>


    Another festival to mark to end of winter. The elves are preparing some kind of fruit cocktail.


    The elvese over to vent their frustrations, mainly about how things are done by other elves. Elves are people after all, and at times theye into conflict with each other over rather petty things.


    I generally just listen. I''m not going to y counselor.


    <strong>Year 69 Month 3</strong>


    Laufen gives birth safely, its a baby girl, and is named Lausanne.. The elves throw a small party, and apparently tradition has it that elvish babies are supposed to be given the juice of a spirit tree, if there is one. I make her a healing fruit with all the healing abilities I can gather.


    <strong>Year 69 Month 4</strong>


    One of the elves sat next to me and tells me dire news. He just returned from the city from their weekly market visit, and the demon attacks are increasing. Rumor is that the demon king will descend very soon, and based on past trend, that does seem likely.


    More worryingly, for some human cults have also emerged. Some of them profess to be able to control demons and have taken control of some distance viges, and some are religious puritanical zealot who cannot ept other races.


    Still, the focus seems to be on the demons. A time for human unity, they say, as the demon king will rise once again.


    To some extent, I wonder why do these humans bother when the gods summon heroes to defeat the demon king. It is not humans of this world who defeat them.


    Will the gods summon heroes to defeat the demon king?


    The elf sigh, Probably.


    Why do you sigh?


    Every time heroes descend into this world, we trade the methodical destruction of the demon king, for the reckless destruction of the otherworldly heroes.


    Eh, elves dont look at them as heroes too?


    The elves are in two minds about it. A faction believes the gods heroes, some of which appear as elves, are gods blessings to the elves. Another faction believes that the gods do not want to summon the heroes, but because the destruction wrought by the demon king is too great, they had to. So heroes are a desperate response from the gods.


    What do you believe?


    The heroes. They are a blessing.


    Hmm.


    Has the demon king fallen to a hero from this world before?


    The elf stares at me.


    Legends has it that the demon kings of the past all defeated by the summoned heroes.


    Oh.


    I suppose summoned heroes must have some special thing about them that allows them to y demon kings.


    <strong>Year 69 Month 6</strong>


    A small group of soldiers arrive, the vigers are tense.


    Ric talks to the captain, and it seems the city is trying to gather the numbers to fight in the demon pass.


    No one goes with the captain, captain is not happy, but they leave after a while, having many other ces to go.


    <strong>Year 69 Month 9</strong>


    Baby Lausanne starts mumbling. Shes really cute, I cant help but remember my own nephew back on earth.


    Ah, home. I wonder how things are back there.


    The elves live hard lives, but generally are happy, and many of thedies enjoy spending their time ying with the baby.


    <strong>Year 69 Month 10</strong>


    I gain two level when the men return from their hunt. [Level 47] The men tell me they had to fight a giant beast and thanks to my familiars skills, they seed.


    I also gained two rather strange skills one morning. [Nourish] and [Secret hideout]. The secret hideout creates a small room right beneath my roots, probably can fit 2 adults.


    I wonder whether it is because the kids, Brich and Wahlen frequently y hide and seek with my roots and trunk. Maybe they should y a bit more if that leads to skills.


    Harvest this year is better thanst year, and it seems when I am around, the soil replenishes its nutrients a little bit faster.


    <strong>Year 69 Month 11</strong>


    Lausanne is feverish. I grow a small fruit of healing, for the Laufen and Ric to feed the juice within.


    Ric has an argument with the tax collectors over higher taxes this year, but eventually pays it.


    <strong>Year 70 Month 1</strong>


    The men report seeing more human armies on the move. And the frequent movement is disturbing animal movement. They say it''s rare for armies to move about when winter has not cleared, so the demons attack must be really intense.


    I gain a level [Level 48].


    I have my first attack skill. [Root strike].

 In the distance, a demon king

    In the distance, a demon king


    <strong>Year 70 Month 2</strong>


    There is great unrest in the human cities, and the elves too. They look up into the sky every night, and Casshern, the olddy exins that it is an ominous sign. Six stars align in a hexagonal shape, is the mark of the warp. The warp, signifies a weakening, a breach in the rift that separates us and the demon world.In other words, the demon king, is returning.


    If I could sigh, I would, but all I could is sway my branches. Or shake. It probably looks like a shake.


    Worry not, the gods will look after us. Casshern nods, sipping a hot cup of tea. Its still cold this time of the year, and I get a new menu. Its a temperature bar, and it reminds me of weather widgets on my android phone.


    How do you know for sure?


    They always have, tree spirit. Legends have it that we have been invaded by demon kings since time immemorial, and every time our world triumphed.


    ... As a financial advisor once said, past performance is not indicative of future returns, but I let Casshern continue.


    The stars. Despite the warp, in the distance there is hope.


    I wonder how the stars look in this world.


    <strong>Year 70 Month 3</strong>


    Baby Lausanne tries to crawl around and over my roots, and I get nervous every time she looks like she is going to have a fall. This feeling really reminds me of my babysitting days. I wonder how my nephew is, maybe he has grandkids by now. After all 70 years has passed.


    On a more serious note, the men fought a few lesser demons while hunting, and the presence of demons so near their home worries them, so they made some changes to their hunting practices.


    The summit of the elves will not be long from now.


    Summit of the elves?


    When the demon king is about to descend, the elven nations summon warriors from all over to take up arms, and defend the elvishnds from the demon.


    We are not in the elven nation, are we? I vaguely remember not being in the elven nation, but since being relocated to Freeka, I have no idea whether that statement is still valid.


    We are not, tree spirit. But some of the men still feel a desire to answer the calling, to test whether they can be the shield of the elves.


    Jura, perhaps?


    Maybe. But while we are happy with our sons and daughters who answer the call, the vige has to figure out its defenses without their best fighters.


    Ah. That is indeed a problem. When demons roam about, viges are without their best defense.


    Yes, yes. She sips her tea, and her wrinkly arms touch my protuding roots. I can vaguely feel her touch, but my sense of touch is hardly urate.


    How old are you, Casshern? I suddenly realised I do not know her age, but then again, age is just a number. In fact, I ask that question, then realise how disconnected that question is with the previous topic.


    Ah. I am old, tree spirit, I do not remember the exact year anymore. But elves live up to 500 years. Humans, if they have magic in them, can live simrly long.


    So magic extends one''s lives. Our conversations tend to drift, I would ask about things that I spot along the way, and Casshern generally lets me go off tangent. Perhaps she just thinks it is how spirits think and talk. Or maybe my mind is jumbled up by being a tree.


    Indeed. It is a blessing, and a curse. Live long enough to see so many demon kingse and go, and they are as natural to this world as a typhoon, or a massive earthquake. Long enough, to see tree spirits die."


    Have you ever met other tree spirits?


    Casshern looks up to the night sky again, looking at stars I cannot see. Once. But when demon king Astaroth descends on my town then, the tree spirit died.


    Ah.


    Tree spirits y an important role in a proper elven society. An elven vige or town without a tree spirit within is nothing more than a temporary gathering of elves.


    Can you exin more?


    The elves, we believe that the tree spirit is the guide after death. A birth under the tree spirits blessing is stronger than one without, and on our death we believe that our souls would be guided by the tree spirit, and through it, return back to our nameless mother. Our warriors are stronger, our druids wiser, our walls sturdier. Our inbuilt potential is best expressed when a tree spirit is present to channel and guide us.


    If I could gulp, I would. In fact I feel like going for a nap then. I do not think I can y such an important role that elves demand of me.


    How are other tree spirits?


    The one I met is imposing. Its presence dominates the town, and its protection allows the town to resist years of human attacks. A powerful tree spirit, like a strong fortress, its roots seep into the walls, healing it from damage.


    Still it fell.


    Yes. But not to any threat. It fell to a powerful demon lord of Astaroth. A monstrous being shaped like a corrupted demonic dragon. It burned the tree and the entire town


    Oh. I survived demon king Baal, does that make me super impressive? Or maybe I got lucky? I think I got lucky because the demon king did not press its attack and left with one strike. It just figured cutting me off and leaving that fire on me is sufficient to kill me.


    So, any high level demon should actually be able to kill me fairly easily. After all I am immobile so dodging is out of the question. It is either I have a powerful offense, a powerful defense, or at best, both.


    Or if I am lucky, I wont have to fight demons.


    <strong>Year 70 Month 4</strong>


    Humanse around again. This time a smaller group of four, led by one captain.


    The King decrees that each vige is to despatch 5 able bodied man to join the King''s Royal Demon ying Army.


    We cannot spare 5 men. 5 men means we will lose our ability to defend ourselves or hunt for food.


    This is not open for negotiation, viger. The Kingmands, and its people answer. The Captain is stern, his face looks like he has heard this a thousand times.


    We cannot give 5 men.


    Then I shall mark your vige as disobeying the Kings orders.


    How about 2.


    No negotiations, viger. The captain turns to leave.


    Let me discuss with my people.


    The Captain nods. An hour. That is all you have.


    The vigers huddle and words fly. They speak and argue, but eventually Ric meets the captain again.


    We will send 5 men. Ric answers. But not today.


    Not today, viger. Send your 5 men to report at Hammerhold Fort in two month. The captain nods, pass them a letter, and the small group leaves on horses. "Bring that letter along, without it, your vige is deemed not to have provided your men."


    After the captain leaves, Ric and the men kneel before me. It seems the decision bothers them greatly, and now they seek my counsel.


    Oh wise tree spirit, do you some words for us?


    Oh damn. I am no wise great tree spirit, I do not know what to do at this time! Uh wait, so what should I do?


    I dont know, Ric. When do the men need to leave?


    Hammerhold Fort is a month away, so a month from today?


    I took a nap.


    And I had a dream. A nightmare, actually. I rarely get that in this world.


    <em>A demon. Arge demon. Lots of them. In my dreams I could see them in color, in detail, and they remind me of monsters out of Diablo. Huge, I see dead people all around them. Their path, one of destruction. Dead people. Dead bodies, all scattered all over the floor, burning forests, and a tree. A tree on fire, with corpses pinned on its branches. Arge monstrous demon walks through the corpses, it''s steps crush every corpse in its way into pulp.</em>


    <em>I feel afraid. I shiver.</em>


    <em>Is iting for me?</em>


    <em>It''s head turns, it''s red eyes look at me.</em>


    <em>And a notification pop out.</em>


    <em>[<strong>Demon King Andras awakes</strong>.]</em>


    Fire. Death. Destruction. A thousand and one screams. It''s as if the world screamed as one, and it''s deafening. I feel my ears hurt, even though a tree should not have ears.


    And then I snap out of it.


    I snap out of my dream and I see Casshern touching my trunk, looking worried.


    You were shaking, tree spirit, after you went to the dreamworld the past few days. What ill news you bring?


    Demon King is here.


    Oh.. oh Cassherns old wrinkly hands shake, and she shouts a call. The vigers all react in shock, and they rush out of their houses and surround me.


    Ric looks at me and leans in. Is there something you wish to tell us, tree spirit?


    Demon King is here.


    Ric sat, he then asks the children to go back home, and only the adults remain. He then faces the rest of the vigers, exning what I told him.The vigers look at each other. Jura is the first to speak. Then we should join the Kings army, crush the demon king before it gets too strong.


    Another man shakes his head. Only heroes can kill the demon king. The best the army can do is clear a path, and take out the rest of the demon kings champions.


    Ah yes. But but all the heroes died in their battle against Demon King Baal. Until the gods summon new heroes to this world, there is no way of defeating the demon king.


    So this army is doomed.


    Indeed. So we should not join the army...


    Would you rather face demons, or what''s left of a destroyed army? If we stay at our vige, maybe a hero might emerge before we are attacked.


    The vigers stand and start to argue, but a decisiones out of it soon enough. Thank you for your guidance tree spirit. We stay.


    I didnt really say anything, but hey, it seems that is what they wanted anyway.


    <strong>Year 70 Month 5</strong>


    The men are hard at work, creating fortifications around the vige. Hunting will soon be difficult, as the demons will spawn more regrly. The demon king''s presence is always apanied by a surge in demons entering the world. It is just the way demon kings are, with their corrupting powers.


    Many will die.


    Indeed.


    Every demon king has led to death. Countless deaths.


    Why?


    Because it is so.


    Why is there no angel king? I sometimes wonder why the enemies are always demon kings.


    That would be heroes? Casshern looks at me, thinking I probably asked a stupid question.


    <strong>Year 70 Month 6</strong>


    An injured group of adventurers arrives at the vige. The group of four fighters are all bleeding heavily, and two lost their arm to what appears to be a huge monster bite.


    Ric immediately brings them to me.


    Ugh Their spirit is weak, what is normally a white spirit fades on and off, like a flickering light bulb.


    [Healing Fruit] I create four fruits, Ric and another elf assists to feed them.


    Their wounds stabilise somewhat, but the lost arm cannot be undone.


    What did this? Ric sits next to one of the adventurers, helping him eat the fruit.


    "Demons."


    It looks like peace is going away very, very soon.

 A Fiery Destruction

    A Fiery Destruction


    <strong>Year 70 Month 6, continued.</strong>


    The adventurers. They speak of a new breed of demons,rge, ferocious, and with teeth able to chew out any creature.


    Giant, walking on two feet, massive, magically reinforced jaws, and armored with thick skin. Some have horns along their backs.


    Ah, demons.


    Are all demon kings the same? I ask Casshern, to which she shakes her head.


    The adventurers are stable, physically. The two of them who lost their arms are emotionally unstable,menting about their lost future as adventurers, and they would be nothing more than beggars now. It is so bad, that Ric separates the two one-armed adventurers in a room, so that their negativity dont spread.


    Have we met any demons described by these adventurers?


    I think the description is pretty standard. Fangs, ws, scales, horns.


    <strong>Year 70 Month 7</strong>


    The adventurers eventuallye around and they leave. The Kings demon ying army starts their march for one of the heavily contested passes for the rift.


    No worry about the demon king so far. Strange, maybe they did not get the message.


    <strong>Year 70 Month 8</strong>


    A raid. A demon raid. It starts in the morning, a small trickle,. One of the elves spot a group. Thirty demons, led by an elder demon.


    This, will not end well.


    The elves quickly assemble for battle, whilst the young, men and women withoutbat skills quickly retreat to the fortified vige hall.


    The demons, these group is different from the earlier ones described by the adventurers. These are winged, mild fire wielders, using axes forged of dirty metals.


    The two forces sh, and the elves throw everything they have at them. Every skill, all their familiar powers they have unlocked.


    And the demons fall.


    But so does the elves. The demons are tough, and they have three times the toughness. Even with the advantages provided by the fortifications, familiar blessings and other tactical, for every four demons killed, one of the elves still get a fatal blow.


    The dying elves, they still try their best, everything they have. And I try to help, by the battle is fought mostly outside of my very limited range.


    I see their fading spirit, and I try to reach out to it.<em>Hey, dont die on me.</em>


    They walk closer, their spirits turning deathly pale, the wound on their body too deep, too serious.


    The tide turns, the elves now outnumber the demons, and with numbers, the deaths stop.


    And the elves win.


    Four. Four of us too many. Ric kneels of their dying bodies. All of them ced next to me, right next to my roots. I try to help, with every single healing ability in my disposal.


    I sigh, if I could. Maybe my branches droop a little. The wounds too serious, the damage too great, the bleeding too much.


    Casshern leans and holds onto one of the dying fighters. Deathes to us all, but for some earlier than others. Death, maye, but your spirits will never die. Oh tree spirit, take good care of them.


    I gulp if I could.


    The four soon pass on. I see their spirit fade to darkness, and a brief flicker of light at the end, like thest hurrah of a match. And they fade, their spirits drift into the ground below.


    The mood turn grim since then.


    The men focus on repairs, and sharpening their weapons. The women focus on their children. The loss of four men is too much for some, and the only way they could cope is to hold it in.


    But at night, when the house is quiet, some of the women and some of the mene to talk to me.


    How do I move on? I have known him all my life. Things just cannot be the same, can they?


    I have no answer. I am just a tree spirit, but I have no words who can calm the hearts of those who lost someone. I nod, and I try employ some empathy, but I know it is no cure for the hole in ones hearts.


    [Level up! Level 50! You gain the following skills, [calming voice] and [haunted tree]]


    <strong>Year 70 Month 10</strong>


    More demon attacks. But mostly small groups, so no biggie.


    <strong>Year 70 Month 11</strong>


    Deathes. But not from demons.


    Vige of Freeka! A roar breaks the morning quiet. You have failed to send what your King required of you. 5 soldiers, and you failed.


    Ric and the vigers, those who wake up early, quickly wake everyone up.


    Elves. The King should have known that elven viges have no loyalty to the King. Only humans know what it means to live under his majestys protection.


    A small toon of the army. About four hundred,prising a mix of knights, archers and other fighters. They carry insignias, and wear standard issue armor.


    The army surrounds Freeka. There is no retreat, with theirrge numbers. Ric sighs, they must have taken out their sentry.


    Ric offers to talk, to exin, The Demon King hase. Without heroes, the army is doomed!


    Hush, viger. No. Let me correct that, traitor! Laughter from the human army. They are confident, as they should be. They outnumber the fighting force almost twenty times. I will not listen to your excuses. Those who dare defy the King will be punished.


    The army has not tried to make its move yet, so the women and children quickly hide. Lausanne, Brich, Wahlen, Laufen and two other youngerdies squeeze into the secret hideout beneath my roots. The rest, even the older women grab whatever weapons they could.


    Are you ready, elvish scum? We are going to kill all of you now.


    Fire. Fire arrows.


    The humans they do not n to fight us!


    The burning arrows fly, and explode mid air in a fireball. The fire torches the roofs, the houses, the furniture.


    More arrows, and the elves try deflect the arrows.


    We must break through! That is our only chance! Jura yells. The rest of the elves follow, creating a wedge, and all of them head for it. Their only chance of survival, rather than being trapped in the inferno created by all the burning arrows, and burning homes.


    They could dodge the arrows, but as the fire spreads, it is either make a break for it or be cooked alive.


    The elves and the human army fight, and it seems some manage to escape. But I also see many die.


    Unlike demons, humans have levels and skills, with actual military training. This is a force that has done these sort of rebel suppression many times.


    As for me, I could only watch in horror, as the humans remain firmly outside my [root strike] range. The fire spreads, and I think a part of me is on fire. But such mild fires cannot kill me, even if they do burn my branches and leaves.


    More fire arrows, and the surrounding is just a ze. I check in on the three children and two women now squeezed into my [secret hideout].


    Shaken but still safe. It seems my roots and bark protects them. Good.


    The fighting intensifies, and I see Ric. He staggers towards me, bleeding. His spirit is weak, and an arrow pierces him.


    Oh dear tree spirit. I will soon leave this world.


    I try to heal him, but with multiple arrows through his body it is not working. And it seems the fact that my branches are burning also weakens the power of my healing.


    Please. Take care of my children and my wife. Protect them from the demons and these monsters too.


    Yes.. Yes. Dont die. I respond telepathically.


    From the ze an armored knight emerges, he holds up a sword. Why wont you die! He stabs.


    And stabs. And stabs again. The blood stters, all over my trunk.


    I feel anger. What is this stupid human doing fighting each other when there is a demon king out there.


    [Root strike].


    A root surges from beneath, impaling the knight, and he dies.


    There is still fighting in the distance, as some of the elvens run for their lives, as Freeka burns in a swirl of fire.


    Hot. But not enough to kill me.Somewhere along the way, I gained [Fire Resistance - 80%], and mortal, normal fires cannot kill me.


    One of the elves fight, but she takes a few hits. And deciding she cannot make it, she retreats, and she soon stands next to me.


    Casshern! I mentally yell


    Oh tree spirit. She is wounded, two daggers still in her chest. I thought of choosing my ce of death. Let me die beside you, spirit. She coughs. I think blood came out.


    This is madness. Man against elves! When there is a demon king around!


    Two human knights with spears close in on Casshern, they attempt to lunge at her.


    [Root strike]. I strike at both of the knights, killing them. But not before one of them used a skill and drive a spear through Casshern.


    We will meet again, tree spirits. Elves who die with their tree guardians never truly die.


    And she copses, a spear through her chest.


    The fire rages on, and the battles soone to a conclusion. The humans win, overwhelmingly. One by one the elven fighters die, and once the battle is over, the humans drag the corpses of the elves, towards me.


    Hang them on this tree. Amander of human army says. I count, about twenty five bodies. Maybe fifteen or so made it, and manage to flee. Then burn it.


    How about those that got away,mander. Should we give chase?


    Let them. Let them spread the word, disobey the King, and face dire consequences.


    Themander surveys the corpses, and walks well within range of my root strike. I have three root strikes left for the day.


    And in my anger, I attack. Two root strikes right at themander. The roots shoot out of the ground, and though he sees it, he is not fast enough to dodge.


    He activates some kind of shield and barrier, but it is not much use. My roots struggle a little, but eventually crack the barrier. It pierces him right through the heart, and the other through his pelvis.


    A druid! Fan out, there must be a druid that is still hiding. The vicemander shouts, and he runs. Lucky he did not suspect the tree.


    Argh, he goes out of my range.


    One root strike remaining.


    I see a bloody soldier, We should totally do this more often. Y''know, killing elves. Always hated these long eared dudes.


    Rather than talk shit, why dont you find where is the druid?


    Chill the fuck out dude, the druid probably used thest of his magic to take out themander. If he is still around, he is defenseless now.


    Huh these people seem really apathetic to the loss of theirmander. Or maybe death is just amon thing for them.


    True. Still some of them manage to run.


    The vige is now totally no more, reced with burnt ash.


    This tree is pretty sturdy, even though its all ck.


    We should just impale the elves on the tree. Teach these long ears the power of humans.


    Thats a little too much, man.


    You killed elves too. I am merely enjoying the process. Seriously, elves on a stick, like a barbeque.


    I agree with the other human, and in my anger I strike him with myst root strike for suggesting such an abhorrent idea.


    In a sh, it kills him, as it went right through his armor and his heart.


    Fuck! The druid is still around. The soldiers look around, and they spread out.


    An hourter they all return.


    What should we do with the bodies?


    Pile them up with the tree and burn them. Dont want them turning into undead or zombies, or food for the demons.


    Fire. The humans stack and pile the elves around me, and then start a fire.


    I feel helpless. So very helpless.


    The fire did not hurt me much, even though I look like I am charred. And more importantly, the six in my secret hideout is still safe and alive.


    Fire. The humans left after three hours, deciding their raid is over.


    The elven corpses, the heat and fire cook and roast them, and slowly they turn into ash.


    The fire rages. The elves in the hideout shivers. They are afraid, I can sense it. Their body weak, so I use [nourish], restoring their body strength.


    So many dead.


    Is is my fault? Why did I not ask them to send the 5 men to the army anyway? No. I may have a part, but they decided it. Maybe I have a role, myck of knowledge of the tensions between humans and elves, and weakness and inability to protect those who give me a ce in their lives.


    So many, dead.


    The fire burns into the night. Though intense, my trunk and branches are fine, the surface ckened. This pain pales inparison to what I felt before.


    Death.


    The death that I see stirs something, a desire, a fury, a need.


    I, must<strong>change</strong>. I have wasted myst 70 years in this world, taking things as theye. As a result, everywhere I go, I am a bystander, with too little power to intervene meaningfully.


    I, must be a whole lot<strong>stronger</strong>.


    Else these deaths, of those around me will never end.


    [Ric Searwind and six others died]


    <em>[You gain a total of 13 levels]</em>


    <em>[You are now level 63]</em>


    <em>[You have unlocked the next species change, upgraded from spiritual tree to magical tree]</em>


    <em>[Secret hideout upgraded]</em>


    <em>[Camouge & illusions upgraded]</em>


    <em>[Spirit Collection upgraded]</em>


    <em>[Essence harvesting obtained]</em>

 Recovery

    Recovery


    <strong>Year 70 month 11</strong>


    <strong>A day after the human raid</strong>


    The bodies are now a mix of ash and charred flesh. Freeka destroyed, the inferno engulfed all the wooden houses and halls. The six crawl out of the secret hideout after the fire burns out. Tears.Laufen is crying. So is Lausanne, Brich, Wahlen. The two youngerdies also squeezed into my secret hideout, Emile and Bellerive (fondly referred to as Belle) also cry.


    Death. The air stinks of it. The charred smell of burnt bodies. The girls seem to gag whenver they get too close to a burnt body, and holding back their urge to vomit.


    What are we to do now Laufen looks at Emile and Belle, who are in their teens. Their eyes are wet, their faces dirty from all the ash and soot.Everyone is covered in ash and soot. Well, everything is coated in ayer of ash and soot.


    Keep Lausanne in the hideout. It is too dirty and dusty. Laufen sighs, her hand still holding on to what looks to be a burnt momento, Rics personal belongings.


    Emile carries her, and once the hideout door opens, she gasps. Uh.. Laufen the.. the hideout looks different.


    Laufen shakes her head. Not now.


    Belle goes over and she too gasps. The hideout changed. It is not like that when we came out.


    Brich and Wahlen jumps and walks over. Yeah it changed.


    A proper room. Still too small for all of them, but morefortable than the space earlier that is about the size of a cer.


    "I just gained a skill upgrade for[secret hideout]. I think all of you had toe out for it to reset and change into the new one."


    A magical space, a creation of the tree spirits ability. 10 feet wide, long and tall, it is a lot morefortable than the 5ft by 5ft space earlier. In the center of the ceiling, is a glowing fruit, that provides a faint light. With more space, at least the elves have a ce to stay for the night.The elves nod and say a prayer of some kind. Lausanne is now one and a half years old, and can walk by herself, Brich and Wahlen babysit her, while the 3 older elves go around, surveying what''s not lost.


    The threedies are trying to recover whatever usable items they can find, perhaps some manage to survive the ze, somehow protected by other rubble above them.


    But most important is food.


    We we are gonna starve? Emile asks. All our food is gone.


    Laufen sighs. She is the oldest, so in a way she is in charge. She kneels before my ck trunk, Oh tree spirit, are you there? Can you make some fruits?


    Yes. I respond, my body recovering from the damage. I hear Emiles concerns, and you may eat my fruits. I will make some.


    From a few of the ck branches, a burst of life. Fruits. May not be satisfying or tasty, but fruits to deal with their hunger.


    Later on, the elves recover one of the hidden chests buried beneath the houses, a ce where elves store their most personal items. Multiple chests survived, as the fire tend to range above group, so only the floor is burnt.In it, some clothes, some weapons, and some personal items. All go into the hideout.


    Dont go too far, girls. We don''t know how far the humans went. Laufen warns, still cautious.


    They nod, and mostly walk about the remains of their vige. I could sense their sorrow, every now and then they would cry, perhaps they stil have note to terms with the destruction.


    Brich, the little girl asks Tree spirit, are you okay? You are all ck... She''s ying with Lausanne, and Wahlen with some sticks and stones.


    I am recovering, Brich. Rain will wash off these ck stains.


    Uhmmm. why are the humans so evil? They killed us. Brich looks at me, and ask. "Why did they do this to us?"


    Ah, a question about the nature of man. If I could answer this maybe I could win a Nobel Peace Prize or something.


    I dont know, Brich. But you must be stronger. All of us, must be stronger.


    Laufen, Emile and Belle spends their time sorting through the rubble, and at the end of the day, everything usable is now in the hideout. It didn''t take long for them to sleep, exhausted.


    As for me, once asleep, I look at each of my skills and abilities, and test out each and every one of them.


    <em>[Essence Harvest]</em>


    From the ashes, from the burnt wood, faint energies emerge and they join together into a ball.


    [Obtained Essence of lesser courage x 1, Essence of the sword (minor) x 1, Essence of the spear (minor) x 1, Essence of lesser fire x2, essence of death x 1]


    Oh? What does these do?


    <em>Essences are a type of material, used to permanently create and teach skills, enchant or imbue creatures and items, orbine them to create stronger essences.</em>


    <strong>The next day,</strong>


    A small pack of demons appear. Without the walls and the fighters, and with the smell of death lingering in the air, certain demons naturally gravitate to such ces. Just four demon hounds,, a tiny pack really but with only Laufen having any knowledge ofbat, they decide to run into the hideout. Laufen had no confidence in taking them all on her own.


    Run!


    Laufen stands at the hideouts entrance, with her only weapon, a dagger. She grips in hard.


    Hide, Laufen.


    She nods, and but stands next to the entrance. Her survival instincts are kicking in.


    <em>[Root Strike x 4]</em>


    The roots surge out of the ground, spearing the lesser demons who are trying to find the hidden elves. With my extra levels, I can use Root Strike a total of 10 times.Three of them die instantly. One, still barely alive, maybe I missed a critical bodypart. The root still impales the hound though, and it growls, dying.


    Laufen emerges from the hideout, and shends a killing blow. A stick to the head. The events from the day before drive her into a state of rage, and she bashes the hounds head repeatedly with the stick until it broke.


    Arghhhhhh!!


    "ARGHH!!" She shouts. The hound is dead, but she kept smashing.


    "ARGHHHHH! Die DIE DIE DIE DIE!" She shouts.


    Laufen sis. Calm down. Emile emerge from behind. She''s frightened.


    Laufen pants, her breathing ragged.


    I.. I am sorry Emile. I I just need to vent my anger, my frustration and my sorrow at something.


    Emile nods. She too walks up to the dead hound, and kicks it. Damn you demons.


    Anger. Maybe this is how they are coping with grief.


    [You gain a level. Level 64]


    Grief. We all have it. Yet if I am to protect these elves, and help these elves protect themselves, I need to get them to gain a lot of levels. In short, some assisted powerleveling is required.


    <strong>Year 70 Month 12</strong>


    Rain and winter. With no food supply.


    Fruits. Laufen sighs. I think she is getting a little sick of fruits. The earliest she can start nting crops is in early spring. "And it is freaking cold outside." Her winter wear is all destroyed in the fire and raid, so they can only step out in short bursts of time.


    At least it is warm here. Emile nods, thinking positively. The secret hideout is temperature controlled, andes with a small tap on a corner which supplies water, which is drawn from the roots below.


    Freeka, is nothing more than a t area now. The dust and soot is gone, and the constant rain had washed it all away.


    All of them, except baby Lausanne, have a familiar contract with me, and they attempt to hunt whatever animals that emerge during this time.But these girls, and one young boy, are inexperienced at hunting and so the animals all manage to run away.


    So no meat. Only fruits for today, just like yesterday.


    In the meantime, I get them to make a spear, to test the essence I harvested earlier.


    I think it is ready, tree spirit. Laufen and Belle hold up a spear, a repaired one. A wood stick, arge metal tip.


    [Essence of spear (minor)] I use one of the essence, and a small ball of light emerge from themp-fruit on the ceiling, and thennds on the spear.The spear shakes a little, and absorbs the ball of light.


    Laufen, how is it?


    [Equipment inspect]. Laufen apparently helps with maintaining the weapons the men use, so she has this skill which reveals more equipment specific details than my general [inspect].


    Eh tree spirit, I think it absorbed it partially. Compatibility stat is at 50%, but it grants a +2 to spearbat, so it is pretty good.


    Huh. That sounds like gibberish. It reminds of when one of the pure technical guys sit down next to me and start exining about their database infrastructure. Try using it?


    Laufen shakes her head. I think Emile should use it instead. I have a thing with spears.


    <em>Thing with spears?</em>


    Emile nods. She means she identally hurt someone a long time ago and now she has a phobia when using spears.


    Oh. Emile, would you?


    Yes tree spirit. Emile grabs the spear and swings it around, and she seems rather skilled with it, or at least her movements look really fluid.But then again, shiness is not always a sign of skill.


    How is it?


    Wonderful. I need some time to build affinity with it, but once I do I should be good.


    Whats<em>affinity</em>? Thats a new term, I had to ask.


    Oh.. erm.. it is the familiarity of a personwith a weapon, so with low affinity, your reaction time, energy use and overall ability is weakened. At full affinity you could use it like an extra limb. We get extra damage, speed and parry with high affinity weapons, so getting new stronger equipment does not mean it should be used immediately. Laufen exins.


    How do you know this? It still baffles me.


    Itsbat basics. Everyone knows it when learning how to use a weapon. I think the only exception to this are the summoned heroes. The legends say Weapon King Valerian has 200% affinity with any weapon he touches instantly.


    Oh. What does that do?


    I dont really know, but I think the stories say the weapons are able to exceed their own limits and in his hands, the weapons often do things normally not possible.


    Huh. Oh ya,<em>reincarnators</em>have cheat-like abilities. I wonder whether I could get one for myself.


    Which of the summoned heroes were elves?


    Ourst eleven champion is the Roana the Druid.


    Let me guess, she controls nature like a druid?


    Yes yes. She is like the most powerful druid ever, her power over the forests and tree spirits is incredible. It is said that every tree spirit that meets her will instantly like her and will obey her. In the battle against the demons she transformed an entire forest into an army of super-treants!


    <em>Huh.</em>I somehow feel a strange<em>pain</em>in my head.


    I also need to learn more about this worlds powers and creatures. There clearly is a gap in my knowledge.


    Anyway, please practice with it.


    Emile nods, but her face seems a bit sullen. Okay.


    Laufen gives her a hug. Its just us now. I know you always thought you did not have to fight, the guys would protect us The thought of having to defend herself kind of saddens her.


    Yeah we all miss them.


    Yes. Yes we do. But we must live on. Else their deaths is wasted on us.


    Emile nods, and both of the girls cry a little.


    <strong>Year 71 Month 1</strong>


    Now it is really cold. The elves frequently hide within the hideout, as cold winds now frequently sweep through the ce.ording to Laufen, Freeka is located on one side of a mountain range, and so asionally when the winds get strong enough to cross the range, it tends to get really cold. Previously, the vige buildings create a kind of a bubble from the cold winds.


    Arge bear appears. It looks curious at the disappeared vige.


    Oh. There is a bear. I telepathically notify Laufen. She is ying with Lausanne, and she shakes her head.


    Its too cold. We cannot catch it now


    Oh.


    The bear walks really close, and it rubs its fur against my trunk. I could kill it now. But me killing it would not be the point.


    <em>[Root strike] x 4.</em>Using 4 root strikes out of my daily 10 is quite overkill, as a good well ced hit through the chest would have killed it.


    But the point is to disable it, and get the elves to kill it. If they gain some levels they get to be more useful, and I can save up on the mana used to generate the fruits daily.


    The bear screams in pain, but the four strikes means all it could do is il its head now.


    Emile, can youe out with the spear?


    She nods, and once she opens thetch that leads out of the hideout she yells.


    Oh my god its a brown bear.


    At that point I wonder whether it is possible to use[Essence Harvest]on a bear, so I did.


    <em>[Fragment of bear essence obtained. Collect 20 to form 1 bear essence!]</em>Ah the whole RPG grinding mechanics.


    The bear struggles, immobile, and Emile stab it right through the head.


    Wow. Emiles hands shake. Perhaps a mix of adrenaline and fear? We.. we have bear meat!


    Laufen and Bellees out to assist her in cleaning up and processing the bear meat. More importantly they cut out the pelt and fur, which would help them in this winter.


    Did you gain any levels, Emile?


    Nope. But I did get a skill[Spear thrust].


    Hmmm.. They do not seem to be gaining levels that easily.


    <strong>Year 71 Month 2</strong>


    The elves are happier, with the bear meat as another type of food in their diet. Spring ising soon, and thankfully some of the crop seeds should be good for renting.


    I take every opportunity during this time, to let the elvesnd the killing blow on any stray demon or monster that pops up.Still, their leveling is slow. I wonder whether I am leeching off all the experience, and so I decide to change the manner of my training.


    Instead of injuring the monsters, I use[constrict], a new ability I gain after disabling so many beasts. I suppose there is some sentience in this system that tries to make things easier over time.But because[constrict]required multiple roots to act, I can only use it twice a day.


    The first time I use it, Emile, Laufen and Belle end up spending a good half hour trying to kill the trapped lesser hellhound. It seems a full strength and health hellhound can take a bit of damage, especially from these unexperienced elves.


    But I could sense the hellhound weaken considerably once Emile use her[spear thrust].


    After killing it, the three elves do in fact gain a level and skills.


    This is hard. Belle said, recognising that between Laufen, Emile and herself, she seems to least adept at using a spear or sword, or a stick.


    Still, I had to do it. Powerleveing is slow in this world.


    <strong>Year 71 Month 2 Week 4</strong>


    Is there is a vige here?


    Must be a mistake.


    A human merchant group passes by.


    The map says there is an elven vige. An old man turns his map around a few times, thinking that he read it wrong. Come have a look at it.


    Another guy goes over and looks at the map, and nods. Yeah this is the ce. Freeka.


    There is just a tree in this ce.


    It looks creepy.


    The merchant group, about eight of them. They look defenseless.


    At this point I telepathically ask the elves. What happens if you attack innocents?


    Nothing much if you did it once or twice. Do it often you might get a[criminal]title, which makes it hard for anyone to go to town or cities where they have a[detect criminal].


    Should I kill these human merchants?


    Laufen pauses. Uh uh..


    I could sense she is conflicted over her hate on that humans that killed her husband, but at the same time, these merchants have nothing to do with it.


    Never never mind. She shakes her hand, but I could see her squeeze her staff a bit. Maybe she really wants to, but a moral, just part of her still is holding on.As for me, if these elves want, I would let them have thest kill.


    Its a really creepy tree. One of the merchants shake his head. We should not get near, I feel its dangerous.


    So what do we do, we are supposed to rest a day at the vige before we go on.


    We make camp here? It is a nice open space.


    Preferably some distance from that tree.


    The merchants at least have the sense of set up camp a little further up from where Freeka is, and that night, one of the merchants actually walks up to me, and stands really close to me.


    Why does this tree feel<em>different</em>?


    He is one of the older ones, probably in histe 50s. He has some arms and looks like he can fight.


    Are you some kind of rare wood? He touches my trunk, but then pulls back instantly.


    He touches his hand, then he tries again.


    Eh? Its a normal tree?


    One of the effects of[camouge], so I appear as a regr tree. Else even animals with any sense of danger would not daree close.


    Hmm.. I feel spirits


    Danton! Get your ass back here and stop masturbating at the creepy ass tree.


    Hey fuck you I aint masturbating.


    The old man sighs, and then he unzips his pants. And he pees on my root.


    At that moment I am tempted to kill him.


    He walks away and back to the group.


    <strong>Year 71 Month 3</strong>


    <em>[You gain a level. Level 65]</em>


    <em>[You obtained Learning Aura]</em>


    <em>Boosts exp gain by 20% for those lower level than you.</em>


    All that guided powerleveling led to a new skill. Still, Laufen is only level 27, Emile and Belle Level 18. Wahlen and Brich are level 6 because they are still too young to be fighting. Despite their levels, their skills are actually mostly unrted tobat, and only their recent levels and skills led to more survival andbat abilities.


    Now that winter is over, they start to nt crops around me. It almost feels like things are getting into a new routine.


    <strong>Year 71 Month 4</strong>


    I see an elf. A familiar one, walking through the woods. Alone.Its Jura, and he looks like hes been through hell. One of his left arm is gone, and his body is covered in scars and cuts of all kind.


    He walks up to me. Tree spirit, youre still here


    I tell Laufen to wait, even she wants to run out and hug him the moment they saw him. I just want to be sure this is not a trap. Yes. How are the rest? Did any get away?


    Jura kneels, his face looks really defeated and sad. I only manage to safely send ten of them to the elven kingdom. Demons, monsters, and humans. There are too many


    You have done what you could.


    Jura clutches his left arm, the one that is lost. I wish I could do more. Is everyone, dead?


    No. Laufen says, she could not hold back so she ran out, and gives him a hug. d to see you, old friend!


    Laufen! You all are alive?! Jura weeps, he is overjoyed to see survivors.


    Yes. Yes. We live, its been really tough, but the tree spirit watches over us.


    Jura enters the secret hideout with the rest of them, and he gives everyone a hug.


    I cannot believe it. To think some of you still live.


    The rest died  horribly.


    Jura shakes his head. Things have not been well for us either. Or anyone, even the humans.


    Laufen sits, Huh?


    The demon king emerged during the depths of winter, and his swarm of demons crushed the Kings army. A few human cities near to the west rift has been destroyed, its people ughtered. That made our escape difficult...


    Laufen shakes her head. Serves the humans right.


    So the demons and the death that followed made our travel to the elven kingdom really challenging. With little belongings and no money, and plenty of other refugees, we were attacked, robbed... A few of us died to robbers and bandits who think we have money.


    Emile and Belle both nod. Oh..


    Jura munches on a healing fruit. So.. so we had to fight other people, and demons..."


    About this time, a few riders emerge from the woods. I instantly let Jura and Laufen know, cutting short their conversation .


    Oh no, I was followed!


    Six of them, they look like bandits, their attire is messy and seem like they did not carry any armor. The tracks of the elf leads here.


    I like his sword. I want it. Find him. One of the older bandits gallop around on his horse.


    Where could he have gone?


    I thought there is a hidden vige of elves we could raid. Should have strike him when we had the chance.


    They are at the edge of my range, but then I ask Jura toe out.


    Huh? Jura did, holding his sword.


    Taunt them. I whisper into his mind. Stand next to me.


    Hey you scums. You want a piece of me?


    The banditsugh. So there you are. I wanted that sword. Give it to me, and I might let you live.


    Dream on. Come and get it you foul smelling scoundrels.


    The bandits charge. All of them.


    Great, they are reallyfortably within range now.


    <em>[Root strike] x 6.</em>Six roots shoot out of the ground, stabs each and every one of them. The leader though had some kind of magic armor, and the root merely knocks him off his horse.


    Ahcks! He coughs, as hends on the ground. The armor bent a little. Oh you are some kind of druid, eh?


    Jura is visibly surprised as well, but then he smiles. Yes. Come and get me.


    Can you win? I ask telepathically.


    Maybe. With one hand I am not as good as before.


    The bandit leader shes. Jura dodges and counterattacks. But the bandit dodges his attack. They trade a few more strikes, but they seem even.


    Jura coughs. Ugh, youre pretty good. If I still had my arm I would have won this easily.


    But you dont. The bandit smiles, and activates some kind of skill. His body radiates a kind of aura. Now you die.


    Jura struggles to fight back, and he gets a cut.


    Aghhh.


    I decide to step in. With all my remaining[root strike].


    My roots impale the bandit leader, his armor did not protect every part of him. Two roots through the thighs, one through the gap between his armor, and another punched through the dent made earlier.


    Ugh To think you still had a trump card


    That was not me. Jura stands, and taps the trunk.


    And the bandit leader dies.


    [Level up! Level 66]


    [Root strike range extended]


    Jura. Laufen asks him to sit. You.. you would have beaten guy easily.


    Jura shakes his head. Not anymore. I have a curse.[Tormented fighter.]. It weakens all my abilities and skills.


    Huh? A curse?


    Jura sighs. At first the effect is mild, but as time goes on I have nightmares every day, and now I cannot even wield my weapon properly.


    Emile then asks, Jura can it be healed?


    Maybe. Curses can go away in time. Or if something breaks the curse.


    Indeed, Jurater demonstrates that curse affects how his skills are now cut short, andbos he easily pulled off in the past, can no longer be performed.


    Tell me what youve seen out there. I ask Jura. Maybe fighting is not something we should be doing now.


    <strong>Year 71 Month 4 Week 3</strong>


    Juras daily routine is talking with me, ying and helping with the crops. I suspect the curse is something like mental pain, and wonder whether my[calming voice]can help resolve it.


    It seems the curse is so bad it actually interferes with his ability to use familiars.


    Still, an extra hand around to help do things, and he seems to really really enjoy having the kids around.


    He is kind of like Lausannes uncle and spends time ying with them.


    The first batch of crops are ready for harvesting even though they were just nted 2 weeks ago. I do in fact have a lot of levels, so perhaps they do have an effect on the crops.


    I am trying to train these girls inbat. What is the best way to do it?


    Well, actualbat experience is the best. Otherwise will be mock battles.


    Why are they gaining levels so slowly? I ask Jura, even though I asked the others before.


    I dont think they are slow. Based on what they have been doing, it seems they are gaining levels quite fast already!


    Huh. No way to speed it up?


    If there is a [tutor] or a master, you could or if they somehow get hold of any of the artifacts of the heroes.


    Artifact of the heroes?


    Uh.. ya. I once heard Casshern talk about how the heroes artifacts can cause explosive leveling and skills.


    Why?


    No idea.


    <strong>Year 71 Month 5</strong>


    Demons. A sudden surge in demons.


    I see them enter my field of view, in the thousands. At this point, Jura and the elves are hiding inside the hideout. That is their only chance.


    Thousands, they sweep through, killing everything in its path. They look like hounds, and thousands of them.


    So many of them.


    They approach, but their ws and teeth fail to damage my bark. And even as more demons sweep through, all I could do is just watch.Arge demon, one wielding a fiery axe. It looks like a demon lord from Dota. It swings its axe at me, yet it bounces off.


    No damage.


    Annoyed, the demon lord hacks at me multiple times, but every time the axe just bounces off. Eventually, it gets tired and it too continues the march.


    The army, the swarm of thousands of hounds and other kinds of lesser demons continue passing through for a week.


    I only have a limited number of root strikes, so with no means of killing a massive army, I thought pretending I am harmless is the best way to protect the elves.The elves never felt so afraid in their entire life, yet are simultaneously amazed at how these lesser demons are unable to damage me. Hiding inside, whilst the demon marches overhead is probably the most scary thing they ever had. Every moment they wonder whether a demon will burst through the door.


    The demons.. a week. That''s easily an army of twenty thousand! Jura calctes, for me I did not bother. It seems I am the only surviving tree as far as the eye can see.


    The humans wont make it. Laufen sighs.


    If Freeka is still here, it wont either. Jura nods. Thankfully I only saw a few mid tier demons. It seems to be a massive army of low tier hounds, something an army of half the size can handle.


    Later that month, one bigger demon appears, taking the same path as the hounds earlier. rge, lizard like creature. It resembles a gigantic komodo dragon, but has red horns and eyes.


    Thats a giant redhorn demon. Again all the elves are hiding, and I secretly thank my lucky stars that we have[secret hideout].


    It sees me, and it stares. Then it opens its mouth, and breath fire. It feels kind of warm. But with 80% fire resistance, it cant kill me.Its monstrous. About the size of a three story building. Bigger than me and it tries to bite me. But its fangs could not get through the bark of my trunk.


    Then it uses its ws, again no damage. Infuriated, it shes and swipes with its ws, and then mixed with a bit of bites. Still, the bark holds. I''m amazed at my bark, there must be some kind of anti-demon buff.


    Annoyed, I use four[root strikes]at it.It pierces its thick hide, and it roars in anger, biting and swiping at my trunk repeatedly. But once again it''s attacks does nothing.


    Tree spirit.. how do you withstand such fearsome strikes?


    I dont know? I am starting to suspect my[demon king survivor]have a thing to do with it. Maybe it grants me resistance to demon attacks?


    Its injured from my root strike, and its angry. It breathes fire again.


    Nothing.


    And this time when it attempts to bite me, I send2 [root strikes]to the mouth, probably what is its upper mouth. And it pierces through, a root strike up from the mouth and through the head. Kind of like how a stick goes through the brain.The giant redhorn demon starts to burn in a strange fire, and after the fire is done, all that is left is its fangs, and horns.


    Hey why does it do that? I ask Jura and Laufen, both ecstatic to survive.


    So it is demon kings summoning, not a natural demonspawn. A creature mostly made of the demon kings mana, when in it reverts into its mana form.


    I see.


    <em>[You gained 5 level. Level 71]</em>


    <em>[You unlocked the following skills]</em>


    <em>[Rooting field]</em>


    <em>[Local roo ess]</em>


    <em>[Poison field]</em>


    <em>Whoahhhh! More offensive abilities, except that[local roo ess]...</em>

 Demon Boss Battle I (assisted)

    Demon Boss Battle I (assisted)


    <strong>Year 71 Month 6</strong>


    <em>[Attempting Local Roo ess. GrassNet found. Connecting.]</em>


    [<em>Sunsunsunsunsunsunsunsunstepstepssunsunnightnightnightnightnightsunsunsunsunsunsun</em>]


    What the fuck is this.


    [sunsunsunsunsunsun]<em>ad infinitum</em>


    Oh. After a while it reminds of a pinging. A constant pinging where the gras transmits what it currently feels.


    Damn.


    [Disconnect from GrassNet].


    [You unlocked a new skill. [Create Roo Node]].


    The elves spend a lot of time hiding, as more demons pass through, this time from the other direction.Once the demon king appears, the number one activity worldwide is fighting demons. There is no peace until the demon king is in, because his very presence triggers demons to appear.


    For our little group, we would attack if the size of the party is small, and get the elves to help take a few down ornd the killing blows.If it is too big we would hide, since the lesser demons cannot hurt me. I checked my skills, and it seems that I get various defense buffs from all the levels.


    <strong>Year 71 Month 7</strong>


    The huge army of demons travelling through fromst 2 months are retreating.So I take the opportunity to test out my new skills[poison field]and[rooting field], which effectively create a field with tiny roots that attempt to tangle and dislodge any passing monster, and then the same roots also has tiny thorns with poisons.


    The hounds generally pass through unharmed, as their small size, flexible and nimble paws and more importantly, they appear to have some poison immunity.


    The mid tier demons though, generally arerger and unable to avoid the tiny thorns, so quite a bit gets hit, and the poison causes a few to copse onto the ground. The root field then slowly cuts at the copsed demons, eventually killing it. All this happens over a period of a few hours.


    About a week after the demonic swarm retreats, an army of humans now appears, which I believe to be chasing after the swarm.


    A tree... An old warrior speaks, he rides on an armored horse. He rides up next to me, and look at my trunk. "Even when thousands of demons pass through here, nature survives."


    Two other warriors ride up to him. Yes, Lord Rajjiv. Amazing that a tree can live, when so few trees survive the hound swarm. They look at the barren field around them, all the trees has been either burnt or destroyed by the demons, though signs of recovery is seen.


    We make camp here then. It is a good omen from the gods. Perhaps this tree is blessed."


    A superstitious bunch, but it reminds me of the founding mythos of many ancient cities.


    Yes, milord.


    The Lord and his trusted lieutenants all camp within my striking range, and the remainder of the army beyond it. My [root field] and [poison field] expired a few days ago and still is on cooldown.


    What should we do? The elves are slightly panicking, because arge group of humans somehow trigger a bit of fear.


    Hide! We have enough food. Laufen insists, not wanting to face the humans.


    Lord Rajjiv sits next to me with a drink. Oh tree, I suspect you must not be an ordinary tree to survive. Perhaps you are a tree spirit, like the guardian trees of the elven capitals?


    Perceptive!


    Ah wait, if you truly are a tree spirit, proper introductions are necessary. I am Rajjiv Nung II, of the Kingdom of Nung. I am a minor lord, Ie in peace, and I am here to push back the demon army that is brought tremendous destruction to the world. Perhaps with some deeds the King would elevate my status."


    Hmm, I guess I should reply. Hello.


    He jolts in shock, his drink almost spills. Ah. You are indeed a tree spirit! Well met! The demons, they passed through?"


    Directly asking a question on military intel.


    Yes, a week ago.


    Hmm.. A week. We are still too slow after all.


    Why so?


    We are trying to catch up to them, but if they are still a week away, means we have not gained on them. How many of them, would you know?


    No idea. Maybe ten thousand?


    Ten thousand. Hmmm.. we can still take that.


    He takes out a map, and though I cant see the writings on it, I could still notice him pointing here and there. Things are all just a lot of outlines to me after all.


    Maybe I can learn a skill to see normally.


    The demon king is very far away, but he has multiple champions that lead his campaigns against the world. It seems after the champions are in their armies tend to scatter and weaken in coordination, so taking out the demon champions are a good way to reduce the threat of demons.


    The champions are then given multiple lieutenants, such as giant demon lords or just massive demon beasts.


    What if you meet the demon king?


    Lord Rajjivughs. Then we run. We run as fast as we can.


    Is fighting him that scary?


    Unless you happen to have the weapon of the gods, or are a summoned hero, there is no chance. Why fight a doomed battle?


    Good point.


    Well, Rajjiv and the army departs a dayter, marching towards the demons.


    <strong>Year 71 Month 8</strong>


    Lord Rajjiv returns. He is injured, and so is his army. And a demon swarm is on his tail.


    Set up camp. Defensive structures!


    The army set up a makeshift trench and wall, by digging into the ground. They would have added spikes, but all the trees are gone, except the small trees growing nearer to me.


    Scouts. Where are the demons?


    Should be here in 3 days.


    The army spend most of their time setting up the trenches, hoping to trap the hounds so that they can stab them easily with spears. Those with higher levels and skills will be deployed against the mid tier demons.


    In a way, a defensive battle against demons is advantageous. But, the trenches will overflow with bodies, and soon that defensive advantage will dwindle.


    I dont know whether we can survive this. Rajjiv sighs, polishing his sword. "The men must be ready to fight to theirst. We beat them here, or the towns behind us will die."


    Fear not, Lord Rajjiv. The reinforcement army is on their way. One of the lieutenants assure him.


    Rajjiv, and a few lieutenants stand underneath me, the only natural shade in the now empty ins. Once it is a forest, but the demons destroyed all of it.


    Rajjiv, do you need a familiar?


    He turn, looks at me. Uh yes. That would help. It would really help.


    I also grow a few healing fruits, which the humans happily consume. Meanwhile, the elves continue hiding.


    What should we do? Laufen ask, one hand carrying Lausanne.


    Jura sips a cup of water. With such arge human army, we should just hide. Its safer here, if the size of the demon army is like what we seen before.


    Yeah. Just feels like all we have been doing is hide. Laufen sighs. "Should we fight for a change?"


    "No." I intervene. "Hide. I will protect you."


    Seriously, just hide.


    <strong><em>3 dayster.</em></strong>


    A ck line emerges in the horizon. Hounds. A lot of them. They charge at the human army, like a tsunami approaching the shore.


    [Ironbark skin]Lord Rajjiv shouts, enchanting his nearby lieutenants. His lieutenants then joins the line, barking theirmands.


    Spears, ready! The defenders raise their spears, creating a spear wall.


    The swarm of hounds close in, and enter the firing range of archers.Archers unleash a volley of arrows at the swarm, and quite a few die. But not enough.


    Spears![Defensive line] Lord Rajjiv shouts, and the soldiers feels a surge in strength, a hardening in their skin.


    Some lieutenants and sergeants activate their skills, the swarm smashes right into the line of humans. Death. Some hounds skewered.


    The battle continues. Hounds, in the thousands.


    They bite, swipe and growl at the humans. The defenders switch to short swords, and cut the hounds that are close.


    Still, the momentum of the hound''s charge is intense.The first line breaks. The swarm is just too much, and now smacks into the line behind it.


    [Tactical reorganisation], [Morale Boost]. Rajjiv shouts, as the line around him breaks. The second line of humans step in, reinforcing the line that just broke.


    More fighting, more blood. More death.


    The hounds outnumber the army, so they seem to be winning, but it could go either way. The second line falls back to the third, another wall of spears.


    Rajjiv waits for the moment to activate his skill. Timing is crucial.


    But help came, and the odds shift rapidly.


    A horn. And a stream of charging knights on horseback, 5,000 strong. They descend from behind the hounds, crushing them with their heavynces. Rajjiv looks like he has tears of joy when he hears the horn.


    Hold it together, men!


    Lord Rajjiv lifts his sword overhead, it glows in a bright sh. The sh stuns the army of demons briefly, allowing the defenders to regain some ground.


    The charging knights lose their charge momentum, and a vanguard group is holding back the hounds. A pack retreats, but then turns back, with speed.


    Lord Rajjiv lifts his sword again. Men! Advance and attack now.


    Another sh of light, and he stuns the hounds that nce at it. The demons, sensing defeat, start to flee.


    And the knights chase after theggards, before reuniting with the main army.


    d to see you, Lord Rajjiv. A heavily decorated rider rides up to him.


    Me too, Captain. You came just right on time.


    My pleasure. You seem to have them in your hands anyway.


    "Perhaps, but I rather not gamble with my soldiers lives. Your charge helped alot."


    "Let''s burn the dead before they start transforming into zombies."


    The humans gather their dead into a mountain, and set fire to it. It seems that is one of the ways to prevent the demons or the undead from defiling the dead.


    As the fires burn, a huge creature appears on the horizon. Arge demon, perhaps drawn by the sight of the smoke.


    The sight of it instantly sends the army into a panic.


    A demon champion. Lord Rajjiv pales.


    The hounds appear beside it, but unlike before, they did not charge at the human army. They wait, perhaps for a signal.


    The demon champion is massive, the size ofrge building. It looks like it is a giant earth golem, but reddish in color, and has spikes and horns throughout its body. It is like a grotesque mix of a golem, a hedgehog and a demon.


    It steps closer, and the earth shakes. Every step, the earth shakes from its massive steps.


    Oh shit. I feel a<em>shiver</em>down my spine. Like a demon king. Okay, that understates the presence of a demon king. Maybe a lot less than a demon king, maybe 1% of a demon king.


    The champion, a giant demonic earth golem, walks closer. Each step leaves a deep scar in the ground, like godzis massive steps.


    It feels like I am face to face with a kaiju.


    It roars, and it sounds like an exploding volcano.


    Get the general force to retreat. All our top fighters and mages gather to me. This will be a battle of champions. Rajjivmands. "Send a courier to inform HQ now. Tell HQ to gather heroes and champions if they do not hear from us in two days."


    The regr soldiers are more than happy to retreat far away, there is no shame is running from a giant monster that can crush you underfoot.


    Together, with me. I telepathically inform Rajjiv. Together, I think we have a chance. I think that''s instinct?


    Rajjiv nods, Protect us, tree spirit.


    The captain dismounts, and his force of riders mostly retreats as well. Gathering around him, is his highest leveled warriors, healers and mages.I offer him a familiar contract too. In fact I offer everyone I can a familiar contract, maxing out my limit.


    The captain leans in. Tree spirit, do you have [Empower Allies]?


    No.


    The captain then takes out a scroll. [Loan skill] [Empower Allies].


    <em>You have been loaned [empower allies] for 24 hours.</em>


    Oh. The golem approaches.


    The human fighters and lieutenants stack themselves with all the buffs and healing they have.


    The earth shakes. Little pebbles jump at every step. Jura climbs out of the hideout, deciding this battle is one he should take part in.


    Huh? The humans are surprised to see an elf appear from nowhere, but there is no time for that argument.


    The golem roars, it is within range, and it throws its fists at the humans.


    <em>woosh</em>


    They dodge, but the punch has such force that it creates a small shockwave, catching some of the umprepared lieutenants.The captain activates[Quick step],allowing those too near to run away.


    The captain and the lieutenants attack, but it barely scratches it. Normal sword attacks or arrows do no damage against itsrge and horn covered bodies.


    <em>sh</em>. The humans attack its feet, and those with leap attempt a few shes at its body.


    <strong>Punch</strong>. The golem punches the ground, the earth shakes and rocks fly everywhere.


    <em>sh</em>. One brave lieutenant tries to climb up its back, but a rock arm appears and punches him off.


    <strong>Punch</strong>. The flying rocks is like a scattershot. Some smaller rocks and stones stillnd a hit, and it hurts.


    About fifteen hits in, the humans realise the folly of using regr weapons and attacks on the golem.


    Dont swing at it blindly, reserve your strength for magical attacks! Lord Rajjiv yells, and he knows some of these lieutenants have never faced a high-defense and regenerating golem. Maybe he should have said that earlier, but he panicked when it starts to punch.


    It tries to punch the fighters, yet its bulky size gives up its intent, so they manage to avoid its punches directly. They had to just ount for the shockwave and the flying debris as well, which is harder to dodge.


    [Holy strike]Lord Rajjivnds a cut, and with the holy damage it leaves a small tear. But only a small one.


    [Energy Lance]The captain lunches at the demon with a magically enhanced charge, and it leaves a small hole. The golem does not dodge very much, mainly because its thick rock hide is just incredibly tough and it regenerates.


    The golem swings itsrge arms, and two lieutenants are caught.


    Arghhh! They cough, probably blood.


    [Empower],[Defense], [Ironbark], [Wood shield]I activate all the defensive abilities I have, and the golems armnds on some kind of barrier.


    The golem now is almost next to me, and so, it then<strong>punches</strong>at me.<em>Ouch</em>. I really felt that. A dent in my trunk.


    A<strong>punch</strong>.


    I feel myself groan and twist.


    And it<strong>punches</strong>at me again. I activate wood shield, and the wood shield shatters instantly. But no direct hit.


    The humans keep using their skills, and it scratches the golem. But nothing too deep.


    It manages to grab one of the lieutenants, and crushes him. Argggggghhhhhh!


    The captain charges with another magical attack. Again, like all the previous attacks, just a small dent.


    Its too tough. None of our attacks can break through it.


    I have a special holy charge skill, but I think it is not powerful enough to kill it. Rajjiv pants, dodging a swipe of the demonsrge arm.


    The demon stomps the ground and the earth shakes. Some of the fighters lose bnce. It then throws a few loose boulders.


    It can do that?! One of the fighters yell, frustrated that after dodging rubble, they now have to dodge boulders.


    I activate[wood shield], and I manage to shield a few from the boulders, but three of the lieutenants still get a boulder right in their face, and the boulder crushed them instantly.


    Ugh. We are losing! The captain screams, assessing that the damage dealt to the golem is less than what it is dishing out. If it keeps picking them off, they would lose eventually, they can only harn it with skills, but the demon''s regr punch could knock any of them out.


    A battle for attrition or endurance is a losing one. The humans need special skills.


    The Golem stomps the ground, everything shakes, me included. It roars and a burst of me emerge around it.


    A few lieutenants catch fire, but one of the mages then puts it away. The mages attack with some fireballs, but it seems to be resistant to fire.


    Rajjiv stands next to me. Tree spirit, do you have any strong attack?


    Well, I only have one attack, so I use[root strike].


    It strikes at the demon, breaking maybe a rock or two from the golems massive body. Though it chips a bit of rock out, it does not really hurt it.


    The golem retaliates,<strong>punches</strong>me right in the trunk again. My entire body<em>shakes</em>and another dent in my trunk.


    Ughhhh. That really hurt. I felt like somebody just punched my gut, and some. I feel a little<em>drowsy and dizzy.</em>


    <em>Pain</em>.<em>Pain</em>. I suddenly recall that feeling of being chopped by demon king Baal.


    The golem has smaller appendages on its back that swipe at any attackers, and though Rajjiv and the rest try to take to chance to attack, its mostly does nothing.


    The human fighters throws a few more magic attacks at the golem, but mostly just a scratch, or a small dent.


    I have a crazy idea. Rajjiv looks at me. Everyone, cast all your support and boosts on the tree!


    Huh?


    Trust me! Rajjiv shouts, he dodges and then runs next to me.


    [Holy Power X], [Blessed strike V], [Demon yer III], [Energy burst V], [Fatal strike], [Heavens Punishment], [Holy Blessing]. Rajjiv use a string of powerups on me, and I feel a strange surge of power and magic in my roots. He chants and mumbles it out, while dodging the giant golem''s attempt to interfere with it.


    The tree spirits root strike on its own, can damage the demon. With enough magic enchantments, it can deal a strong hit! He shouts, and continues channelling some kind of holy magic.


    [Imbue Holy Power].


    I feel really light-headed.


    The captain nods, Ah! Makes sense! He dodges, and he too runs next to me.


    [Energy boost], [Piercing strike], [Magic damage III], [Attack boost III]


    A few of the other human fighters run up to me as well, using their support boosts,[Power strike], [Dodgeless strike].


    All that enchantments makes me feel really quite engorged, like my roots are about to blow up. The earth shakes.


    The golem<strong>punches</strong>me again, ugh... If I am human I would cough blood now. And another<strong>punch</strong>. I feel my barks bend and buckle.<em>Pain</em>.


    But here goes, I honestly feel like exploding, and Im not sure whether its from all the magic or the punches.


    Thats it, tree spirit. Give it everything you got! Rajjiv shouts.


    I let it all out,[Root strike] x 9.


    All my remaining[root strike], all at the same time, and it appears like nine shes of light. Nine shes that shoots into the sky, piercing through the demon golem.


    Nine magically overcharged root strikes.


    It tears 9 massive holes through the golem, and it stops.


    And then it crumbles. The massive golem shatters into multiple pieces and crumbles into rubble. All the rocks that form the golem fall like a puppet whose strings were cut.


    The golem falls! Rajjiv shouts. "Woooooooaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!"


    The human army roars in joy. The hounds disappear from the horizon, perhaps taking queue from their defeated champion. Rajjiv, the captain and the remaining lieutenants gather next to me, but I just could not respond.


    But I felt really<em>dizzy</em>. Its as if everything just went nk. And I fall into a kind of sleep...


    [Level up! You gained 15 levels! Level 86!]


    [You unlocked the following skills!<blockquote>


    <em>Dream tutor</em>


    <em>Wood magic & creation</em>


    <em>Rhizofiltration</em></blockquote>


    The following skills have been upgraded :<blockquote>


    <em>Secret hideout</em>


    <em>Root strike range and quantity</em>


    <em>Local rootness ess</em></blockquote>

 Waking and more reincarnators?

    Waking and more reincarnators?


    <em>A dream.</em>A dream that contains visions of what looks like my home world.


    It begins, in a vast sea of stars, like the milky way and more. A gxy, and a neb in the distance.From the vastness of space, it zooms in on a sr system, then a. Earth.<em>Or is it?</em>The dream does not linger, and it moves a bit too fast.The scene zooms in on a hospital or a clinic A doctor, a nurse, a child and probably the childs family. The child smiles and nods. A few around him cry.


    And the child sleeps, and those around him give him a hug, crying.


    Then it zooms out again, back to the view from space. Stars. Thirteen streaks of light, all from the. They shoot up, and then the view speeds up, like a warp, or a slipstream.


    A whiteyer emerges around all the streak of lights, and just as it exists the slipstream, a ck barrier appears. It shatters, like ss.


    And a green is seen.Thirteen streaks of light, they fly towards a point, but ones brightness starts to flicker, and move a little slower. And that one streak of light loses speed, and starts to drift apart from the rest of the group.


    And it crashes into the. A little whileter, the twelve streaks of light crash on the as well.


    <strong>[Twelve reincarnators have arrived!]</strong>


    <strong>Year 71 Month 10</strong>


    2 Months. Ive been asleep for 2 months?<em>The elves! What happened to the elves?</em>


    Oh. I still feel them here. The elves are alive, thankfully. I had a scare whether my fruits or [secret hideout] or [nourish] would be disabled when I woke up, but everything seems to be alright?


    Jura, Laufen what happened?


    Oh?! The elves jump, surprised. Tree Spirit, you are awake!


    Ah. Yes.. Ive been sleeping for two.. Months?


    Yes. All of us are really surprised that you did not respond earlier, and one of the captains mentioned it could be a kind of mana-sickness.


    Then?


    Oh, erm The humans left after the battle 2 months ago. They want to talk to you but they all left after waiting for a few days. After the demon champion is defeated, its quiet around here for a moment. The demon hordes in this region are in disarray and their behavior is erratic. Other than that, nothing much, we mostly continue hiding here, your fruits and [nourish] ability is still working so we knew you are merely sleeping. So, we''ve been keeping ourselves busy since. We gained a few levels too!


    Jura did participate in the battle against the demon champion, so, it makes sense for him to gain levels. Ah. how many levels did you gain, Jura?


    Oh levels. Erm.. I think I gained 4 levels, and a skill? Well, that''s a big difference. Is it because Inded the finishing blow?


    Jura smiles and nods. Thank you, most importantly, battling such a huge golem helped with my worries and boosts my confidence, and my[tormented warrior]has improved to [tormented warrior (mild)]. I think if this keeps up, I will lose the penalty soon enough!


    Laufen and the rest shake their head, no levels for them. All they did is just hide after all, if you didnt participate, you dont get levels. Sounds fair. In fact, this whole fuzzy logic behind leveling incentivizes hard work and participation. Its probably designed by a school teacher somewhere to reward kids, no? Laze off, dont take risks, and you get nothing!


    <strong>Year 71 Month 10</strong>


    <strong>A few days after I wake up</strong>


    Ah, that reminds me, I have new skills. Kind of forgot about them in the daze of waking up. It feels like a bad hangover really.


    [Wood Magic]


    A wheel pops up in my mind, at the center of it a leaf shape. There is a lot of greyed out skills and menus that grow out of that wheel.


    Ah, I unlocked the magic type, and I have under it two skills.[Bind] and [Bloom]


    [Rhizofiltration]


    <em>This is a passive skill. Will extract minerals and other items via roots, and automatically filter out negative effects in the ground.</em>


    [Dream Tutor]


    <em>May use dreams to learn, and to teach. Requires a collection of spirits, memories and objects to unlock more Dreams. Essences can be used to bestow certain skills via dreams. Target must be sleeping for the ability to kick in. If sleep is interrupted, learning may not be effective.</em>


    I immediately test it out on the elves, once they go to sleep at night.


    <strong>Year 71 Month 11</strong>


    The effects of dream tutor seems quite varied. It works very well in the case of Jura, as he gains a new attack skill.For Laufen and Emile, they seem to be feeling a little lost, the dream felt more disorienting and confusing than enlightening. But they seem to say they are learning something. For the youngest Lausanne, it seems to cause her nightmares, so I choose not to use it on her until she is much older.


    Perhaps dreams are just scary when you''re 2 to 3 years old.


    Nothing much happened this month. It is really cold again, and the elves spend time mostly resting in the expanded hideout which now has an additional room.


    asionally, they would pop out to kill whatever creature thates too close. Powerlevelling. I should get a skill like that.


    <strong>Year 71 Month 12</strong>


    <em>[Melur Marin has died. You received a fragment. You have 56 fragments.]</em>


    What. That is way too fast for one of the reincarnators to die. It is only slightly more than a month since they arrived!


    Are they in danger? Or maybe a conflict broke out?I ask Jura to gather more information, but he wants to be here, with the rest of the elves.


    "I don''t think its good for me to leave, tree spirit. It''s better if we stay in this hideout. It''s really the safest ce with you around."


    Oh well, the nearest town is a human one, and maybe the elves won''t be so well received anyway....


    <em>[Your root has harvested some materials. Raw Iron x 5. Do you want to disable all simr notifications?]</em>


    Oh. Okay.


    Materials, like essences, are used for making stuff, and its part of my [wood creation], so the iron and essences get absorbed into the wood, and the wood then forms itself into the item I want to make. Its a slow process.


    <strong>Year 72 Month 1 Week 1</strong>


    I create a wooden ring, with iron and essence of lesser fire. Its more like its been growing within a branch, and once its finished growing the outeryers peel off to reveal the inner product.


    A popup appears.


    <em>[Materialpatibility is low. Effects are reduced by 50%].</em>


    Ah. Laufen, being the resident inspector, then advises on its effects. Honestly it felt like I am at a masterchefpetition waiting for Laufens judgement.


    Boosts fire magic (minor), and attack stats increase. Ah. Not bad. Maybe I wont get disqualified this round.


    The rest of the time, its a lot of resting and the asional monsters.


    <em>[Woodcrafting upgraded]</em>Oh thats easy.


    <strong>Week 4</strong>


    Demons. A group of hounds. I kill them, and let the elves kill a few.


    Obtained new skill : [Powerleveling I]


    Ah! Finally. The elves, other than Jura, gain a level.


    <strong>Year 72 Month 2</strong>


    Quiet month. More demons, more killing. More levels for the elves.Other than that, the elves cant wait for spring. Winter is finally ending.


    [Essence of winter (minor) x 1 obtained]


    [Essence of cold (minor) x 1 obtained].


    Ah, auto-mode [essence harvesting].


    My new discovery that most of my harvesting/material type skills have an [auto] mode. I mean, I am a tree, and the cells of the tree extracts mineral without the need of my conscious interference. Its kinda like breathing.


    <strong>Year 72 Month 3</strong>


    Near me, a few small bushes and trees start to grow. The remains of the previously destroyed trees, now regenerating. The recovering bushes and trees start to add some texture and features back to the previously empty field.


    This is also the season when the elves start to nt their crops, so that they have a better variety of diets on top of my fruits and [nourish]. Surviving on fruits alone is possible, but not the most tasty way to do things.


    Demons, or more urately the hounds appear like locusts. Swarms of them, here and there.I kill those that I can, and ignore those clever enough not toe too close. I mean, it''s not like I can chase them. KInda like a venus flytrap. Gotta wait for my stupid prey toe near. Maybe I can get a "lure" skill some day in the future.


    [Level up. Level 87!]


    <em>[Healing fruit upgraded] [Healing vines upgraded]</em>


    Obtained a new skill:[Sr-healing]


    Oh. I feel like a bulb shaped monster now.


    <strong>Year 72 Month 4</strong>


    A horseman passes through. He rests a while under the tree.


    He sleeps under the shade, right on my trunk.


    I drop a fruit on his head.


    Ouch.


    He grabs it, examines it for a while, and then eats it.


    Thanks, tree. He rides off after his nap.


    [Skill : Fruit-attack obtained]


    Oh.


    <strong>Year 72 Month 5</strong>


    More demons.


    Seriously, these things never end. How do these guys deal with so many demons?


    The demons appear on average twice a week, thats pretty okay. When demons are actually terrorising us a few years ago, they appear daily.


    Ah wait, I keep forgetting my sense of time is different from the elves. Killing all the demons though gives me a new skill.


    [Obtained skill : Root surge]


    [Obtained skill : Lesser demon suppression aura]


    <strong>Year 72 Month 6</strong>


    Big harvest! The elves have crops, and some of the trees around me are growingrger. Its quite unnatural to see them grow so quickly, but apparently amon urrence if there are tree spirits around. Apparently I''ve grown taller as well, and I am now about the height of a four story building.


    Excess mana harvested by tree spirits (who usually do not spend their mana) is dumped into thend around it, and that turbocharges all other nt growth.


    Also, thanks to[wood creation], all the elves are now equipped with weapons and armor I made, which also gave that skill an upgrade.


    <strong>Year 72 Month 7</strong>


    One thing being a tree, I am mostly immobile. So in a way, I really spend a lot of time doing mostly nothing. It''s really a waiting game, hoping for things to happen. Do trees always feel like this, just waiting? Or maybe a rock?So I usually try to use my plentiful idle time to help the eleves, by using my skills [dream tutor], [powerlevelling] and [wood creation].


    Right now, Jura is level 54, Laufen Level 31, Emile is 26, Belle is 25, Brich and Wahlen Level 11 and Lausanne is still unknown.


    Lausanne, the now 3+ baby can talk quite well but still does not know how to ess her menu. Maybe in a few more monthsshe will tell me what level she is.


    "Tree-tree." Lausanne would walk around, her steps now quite stable, and crawl up and down the roots.


    Laufen would then pet her daughter''s head. "Now now, that''s not how to refer to a tree spirit."


    "Tree-tree." Lausanne mumbles. "tree-tree?"


    I kinda like that name, I should call myself that.

 Discovery & Adventurers?

    Discovery & Adventurers?


    <strong>Year 72 Month 8</strong>


    A small group of young adventurers appear, six of them, on horses. Heavily armed, their horses exhausted, they made camp next to me. It seems like being the onlyrge tree in this vast field does seem to draw attention.


    I think that tree in the middle of the field looks nice.


    I think so too. Lets go have a look.


    These six adventurers, theystand next to me, examine my trunk and the leaves, and the trees that now flourish around me. At this distance, I make out that there are four girls and two boys.


    One of them look around, and she sits down on one of my protruding roots, then admires the view of the fields. Its a nice view, even though it''s probably one made by the demons.


    "Yea, good ce to take a nap. Our journey to the rifts is still a few days to go, and we best enjoy this peace and quiet while we can."


    "True."So they then set up camps next to me, and rest that night.


    The next morning, a group of fifteen demons appear in the distance, and I learn from Jura that theserge winged creatures are known as manticores. They make their presence known with a loud roar, and that wakes the adventurers. Silly, these manticores. They should just keep their mouth shut and attack the adventurers while they sleep.The adventurers though seem unshaken, as if its a normal urrence for them. In fact, it seems the adventurers already set up some kind of magical defense, and a huge thunderbolt zaps the manticore that intrudes into the area marked.


    A long haired girl shout some kind of chant, and an orb of red lightning float between her two palms.The red lightning leaps out of her two palms in a sh, and it zaps three of the flying manticores, and fries them instantly. They fall onto the ground, charred.


    The leader of the adventurers, a guy wielding some kind of warstaff, he raises it and creates a forcefield that blocks all the manticore''s acidic spits. And after that another chant, which cause all the manticores to move sluggishly.The other guy of the adventurers thentakes out some kind of contraption that resembles a very long rifle, and fires a high speed orb. It explodes mid air and sts a few of the slow moving manticores caught in the explosion into pieces.


    A short haired one wearing a thin armor, flicks something that looks like a fan, and a huge gust of wind appears. The force of the wind pushes all of the manticores, and they fall onto the ground in a smack.The two remaining girls,, both pull out a pair of shortswords, and they sh the remaining grounded manticores to death.


    One of the twinsword girls smile. I gain a level. I get a skill! She jumps around, happy.


    Oh what did you get? The other twinsword girl taps her on the shoulder


    [wless Dodge].


    Oh cool. I didnt get any. The guy that cast the forcefield sigh, and he sits on one of my roots. He takes out some kind of cloth and starts to clean his warstaff.


    Stop whining, youre Level 75! I am just level 63! The twinsword girl shouts.


    Meanwhile, the mage girl is harvesting the remains of the manticore corpses alone with a small dagger and a bag. After going through a few of the manticores, she notices she''s doing it alone and then nces over at the rest of her teammates, and asks. You peeps not helping to collect them loot?


    The rest of them unanimously shakes ther head. You do it. Well just ruin it.


    The mage girl rolls her eyes. Ugh. You know my ability works as long as I am around!


    Aint taking that risk!


    They banter for a while, and rest. After cleaning up their camp, they soon set out towards the demonic rift.


    <strong>Year 72 Month 8, two dayster.</strong>


    Five demon knights, on hellhounds arrive. It seems they are following the scent of the adventurers.These demon knights are previously human, but their body has been corrupted by the demonic forces and then transformed.As they are once human, they still speak normally to each other, with the only difference is their voice.


    They were here. One of the riders pat his hellhound, tracking their scent. They are headed for the southern rift.


    Another rider examines the dirt, and some of the little remains from the battle. Six of them, still on horses. Probably rested here for a day.


    No sign of any injury. Looks like the manticores are unable to hurt them. Will need more powerful monsters. The rest of the demon knights nod.


    Two of the demon knights start chanting some kind of spell. It looks like some kind ofmunication spell.


    At this point, I wonder whether I can beat these demon knights. You think we can take them on, Jura?


    Jura shakes his head. They have abilities and skills like a normal human, so I am not sure of our chances. They could be very strong, or just like a normal human. I''ve never fought one, so... I honestly can''t say."


    Somehow, I decide to let them go.


    <strong>Year 72 Month 9</strong>


    A huge explosion in the distance. Then another.


    And another.


    The earth shakes constantly, even though the explosion is so far away. The sky above is filled with streaks of colors. Its not a pleasant sign, one of fighting.... perhaps monsters.


    TreeTree, these explosions They are starting to get nearer.


    More explosions.The vibration and shaking gets stronger.In the distance, a huge rupture, as rocks shoot up.


    And Jura sees it. Tworge flying creatures, each breathing some kind of elemental attack at a small group.


    Its the six adventurers!


    The earth shakes so badly, my roots increases its grip on the earth,reducing the shaking. More explosions and spells criss cross the skies. The explosions and destruction sends huge plumes of dust into the air, and it creates a minor dust storm, blocking some of the sunlight.


    More explosions, and I could sense the adventurers fall back.


    The adventurer group retreats, while retaliating with ranged attacks. The tworge demonic wyverns are also apanied by a huge swarm of hellhounds and lesser demons, but they keep their distance. It seems the wyvern''s elemental breaths deal a whole lot of coteral damage.


    Bam! An explosion right at one of the demonic wyvern''s chest.


    And it falls onto the ground, and the earth shakes from the impact.


    Ugh yes! The adventurers take the opportunity to run, and three of them are heavily injured. The remaining wyvern try to chase, and a nicely ced fireball from the magegirl manage to tear one of its wings. Unable to fly, it chases after the adventurers on its tworge foot. Luckily, it''s a lot slower this way.


    They run towards me, and at this time they notice arge group of demons appearing on the other direction. The demons have the adventurers surrounded with hellhounds.


    The tree. Let''s fight there. The fan girl points at me, and they try to run as fast as they can.Well, any cover is better than no cover.


    As the adventurers reposition themselves around me, I can now sense that the gunner man , and twinsword girls are injured. Their spirits is wavering, flickering, and one of the twinsword girls'' spirit seems engulfed in some kind of demonic fire, or rot. I''m not sure.


    Around me, it''s hordes of hounds, and lesser demons. Only the now lumbering demonic wyvern approaches, but this is after a moment of hesitation.


    They the rest dont seem to be approaching?


    Huh?! Great! One of the mage girls seem really surprised, and she scrambles over to help her injuredpatriots. "You guys deal with it. I need to look after them."


    Thewyvern roars, and then it charges at me and the adventurers. Its already injured from all the ranged attacks, so the moment I feel like I can get a good shot.


    [Root strike]


    It stabs it right in the abdomen. Some of its inner matter splurt out, but nothing too serious... yet.


    Its not dead yet, but the stab slows it down.


    [Root strike] x 2Ihit the abdomen of the wyvern again, and this time one of the roots manage to pierces through, and stabs the wyvern right through the chest. And it falls. The death of the wyvern scares the rest of the hounds and the lesser demons, and causes them to be afraid to approach.


    Oh wow. The forcefield man touches my trunk. A tree spirit! We''re saved!


    The mage girl shakes her head, still trying to look at her friends. They are dying!


    Bring them to me, I mentally tell the mage girl, and she uses a kind of magic to levitate all 3 of the injured adventurers next to me, and a small branch reaches out, touching them.


    [Sr Healing]


    [Healing fruit]


    [Nourish]


    The wounds start to close a little, and I could sense their spirit start to stabilise. Two of them recover quickly, their wounds and cuts heal, except the twin sword girl, who took a deep stab into her chest. She''s the one who I seem to see some kind of demonic presence in her body, gnawing away at her.She yelps in pain.


    Dont die. The mage girl holds her hand.


    The twinsword girl smiles weakly. I keep trying to heal her, but that demonic energy is interfering with the healing. Or more like, it''s just undoing whatever healing we apply.


    No. The mage girl holds her hand tightly. No, no, no.


    The demons keep trying to get close, but without the giant demon, the rest of them are just small fries, easily defeated by the forcefield dude, and the other wind-wielding girl.


    I extend of my thinner feeler-like branches, touch the wounded girl on the head, and activate my healing abilities. The wounds recover a bit, but itsts only for a short moment, before it somehow opens again.


    The demons. Damn them! They used some kind of special demonic rot attack, and the effects are still in her body it will keep burning away at her body, despite our attempts to heal her. To really heal her, we need to remove that demonic rot, and in the meantime, all we can do it keep her alive. The mage girl curses, and then nces up at the tree.We need to coordinate our healing. We cast healing alternately, so that her body does not deteriorate too much.


    With the other twinsword girl and gunner healed, the remaining 4 adventurers unleash their fury, and ughter the remaining demon swarm. The huge numbers of the hellhounds mean very little for this group of powerful adventurers, now fueled by anger and desperation.The demons numbers fall quickly, as the 4 healed adventurers unleash wave after wave of attacks. The hellhounds start to flee, it seems they too are frightened of the adventurers.


    And about two hourster, there''s not a single living demon in sight. They have all either fled, or died.


    That then shifts the focus to the injured twinsword girl, still battling against the demonic rot inside her.


    Its not getting any better. Mage girl sighs. We been trying to heal her.


    We have to take her somewhere, to the town.


    No. Magegirl shakes her head. I dont have enough mana to keep healing her... We won''t make it back to the town in time. If I stop healing her, the demonic rot will kill her within three to four hours. We can maintain it now because the tree spirit''s healing abilities is gives me room to recover my mana."


    Huh The fangirl holds the injured girl''s hand. She''s asleep at this point.


    I can use a mix of healing and regeneration abilities I have as a tree to keep the injured girl alive, but I am unable to remove the demonic presence gnawing away at her body. So its a constant battle between the healing forces and the demonic rot.


    Hmm. So heres the n. The three of us will stay. And the three of you find the rest, and find a cure for demonic rot or anyone who has any inkling of what sort of cursed power that demon champion used. The three of us will be here because she needs healing, and working with the tree spirit, we can keep her alive. I will stay back for protection.


    The three, one twinhair girl, the fan girl and the gunner guy nod. Hmmm.. best chance we have then. Lets go, no time to waste.


    At that point, it urs to me that they never asked whether I agree to the n, but fine. Since these adventurers will be here for some time, I ask Jura and Laufen toe out.


    Huh. Elves.


    We live here. Tree spirit says we should meet you. Jura and Laufen introduce themselves. "We heard your n to stay with the tree spirit."


    Ah. We mean no harm. We need the tree spirits help to keep my friend alive. The mage girl exins. "I can''t do this on my own..."


    Jura and Laufen look around, and nod. Then pleasee in.


    Come in?


    The elves bring them into the secret hideout, and the injured girl is ced on the floor of one of the rooms.


    At that point, a popup appears[Do you want to initiate Life Support protocol?]


    Oh. Okay.


    At that moment, the room shakes a little, and multiple branches appear around the injured girl, attaching itself to her.


    Whats happening? The forcefield dude asks, he seems worried and reaches for his warstaff. "Exin!"


    The magegirl stops him, The tree spirit is doing something. I think it''s putting some kind of magical support mechanism.


    The branches all form into like a hospital bed like shape, and a few little wooden feelers attach itself throughout her body. The feelers, supply a mix of condensed healing fruit juice, and whatever regeneration ability I have. It also gives a minor version of whatever passive healing ability I have.


    Its like a The forcefield dude and the mage girl look at each other.A hospital bed.


    Thank you for help us.


    Jura and Laufen shrugs, It seems the tree spirit agreed to help you, so we''ll be okay. We just hope you''re not like the other humans.


    Ah. We promise we won''t bring you any harm. We just want to save our friend''s life and I pray we wont take too much of your time or space. The forcefield guy nods, and sits down. Mage girl looks at her injured friend, and after a while, she too rests next to her injured friend..


    Shes stable. The tree spirit is using some kind of constant healing, channeled through the branches connected to her. The magegirl observes, using some kind of spell.


    Laufen passes them some fruits to clear the tension. What''s your name? I am Laufen.


    Hendry. Forcefield dudethen munches on the healing fruit.


    Alexis. Mage girl too takes a bite, and she then points at the injured girl. Shes Me.


    Ah.


    This ce its a magical pocket dimension inside the tree spirit, right? Alexis asks. She''s into the whole theoretical basis behind magic and finds it really fascinating on how magic works and interacts,


    Uh Laufen scratches her head. Laufen had never thought about such things.


    It''s bigger inside than the tree itself, yet not underground. It has to be. Alexis exins, and to be honest, that is the first time it urred to me as well.


    Me''s asleep, as I use a mix of liquid healing fruit extract that I feed into her body via the branches, and asionally [sr healing] via a leaf that is right above her head. Alive, and asleep. With the healing powers between myself and Alexis, we could heal herpletely, but the demonic rot would just reopen the wounds again.Whatever it is, this demonic rot is pretty nasty.


    Exhausted, both Alexis and Hendry soon fall asleep, but not before casting a wide range of precautionary spells. They are careful, and prepared.


    [You gain two levels]<strong>[Level 89]</strong>


    [Nourish upgraded. Life support unlocked. Suspended animation unlocked]


    <strong><em>The next few days</em></strong>


    They wait. Their three friends will take some time toe back to them with any kind of cure.


    Alexis would peep at Me, who is still asleep, every few hours to check on her. Hendry seems restless, paces about and takes long walks around, and seems to be talking to himself about demons and monsters. He would go on long ''walks'', where he ughters any lesser demon hees across.


    Worried?


    Yes. Alexis munches on a bread that she pulls out nowhere. I dont want to lose her. We, dont want to lose her. It would be unbearable to me.


    Laufen nods, and tries to reassure her. Your friends will be back with a cure.


    I hope so.


    What did you fight, that caused such a bad wound?


    A demon champion. Some kind of earth snake that seems to be corrupted by huge amounts of demonic energy. It had a special weapon, a kind of venom


    A demon champion?! Laufen gasps, her hands to her mouth.


    Yes. We killed it, but not before another hidden assassin demon retrieved that special venom and stabbed Me with it.


    Wow... Must have been a big expedition into the rift.


    Alexis pauses. Ah.. yes.


    Demons. On the horizon. Hendryes back into the hideout. A lot of them. Hounds and a lot of mid tier creatures. Maybe they will hide some powerful demons inside as well, so we should be careful.


    Huh? Demons can do that? Jura seems surprised that demons are capable of such sophisticated tactics.


    Uh.. yes. Hendry nods.


    Jura shrugs, and then looks at the two adventurers. I think we should hide. Normally they will ignore us. Our tree spirit has all sorts of defensive buffs, and the demons can''t scratch him.


    Treetree. Lausanne interjects, and Laufen catches her. Its Treetree.


    Yes. Treetree has all sorts of defensive buffs.


    Hmm very well. Hendry retreats inside, and the demon swarm approaches. They fan out, covering most of the area, destroying the regrowing shrubbery.


    Somee close to me, but they mostly walk past me. A few attempt to attack my now thick andrge trunk, but not a scratch.Hendry seems surprised when the swarm eventually leaves.


    It''s really neat, right? That''s how we survive so long out here. Emile smiles, her words a little hint of bragging. The demons just pass by us like we are not there. And even when they do notice the tree, they can''t hurt us.


    That is so strange. Hendry sits, he rubs his chin, and then his head.


    Later on, Laufen eventually tries to make some conversation. So how long you think itll take?


    For?


    Your friends. To find a cure.


    Hendry and Alexis shake their head. Alexis rubs her chin and exins. Not sure. None of us have any specific anti-demon abilities. We dont even know the specific magical nature, or the mechanics of the disease or demonic rot that Me is having We''ll just have to try whatever they bring back.


    Ah. Laufen felt like she just asked a question that led to a technical question way out of her depth.


    AHHHHHHHHHHHH!


    Me screams in pain, and all of them rush over.


    Me, are you okay? Hendry and Alexis grab her arms, Alexis quickly using some kind of diagnostic spell.


    As it turns out, the constant heal-destroy cycle actually results in a surge in pain, as the body regains the sense of the healed area, and then gets damaged again. And that sensation umtes, abruptly jolting her into an intense pain every now and then.


    I.. I don''t have any kind of pain reduction spells. Alexis sighs. If only we had a pill or something.


    Hendry shakes his head. Me you got to hang in there.


    Me copses, unconscious. The demonic rot is also weakening her spirit, ao I suspect that also contributes to her inability to remain conscious.


    Tree spirit, do you have any pain reduction spells?


    Hmm.. no.


    But I wonder I can produce saps or materials that can suppress the pain. I recall quite a few medical products that are derived from nts.


    <em>[Trees natural abilities unlocked : Tree extracts & saps ]</em>


    Oh. Wow. A menu pops up and shows me a huge list. Rubber, oils, poisons, fragrances, saps


    Wait. Found it.


    Pick some leaves and make tea. I mentally tell Laufen.


    A small branch with odd colored leaves appear right next to the wall.


    Huh? Oh okay Tree-Tree. Laufen runs to get hot water, quickly snap a few leaves off the branch, and quickly mashes it.


    The process of making the herbal tea takes about an hour, but eventually the fragrance of the tea starts toe out , and they feed Me the tea.


    She yelps from the hot tea, but as the tea flows into her body, it releases a pain-suppression effect. Alexis grabs the remainder and examines it, just to make sure its nothing dangerous.


    Ah


    Me falls back into slumber.


    They make the tea for Me every 6 to 7 hours, as the pain would pop up every now and then, and a few more days pass by.


    <strong>Year 72 Month 10</strong>


    Mes still in a state of assisted living, her body still affected by the demonic rot.


    <em>[Tree saps & extracts upgraded]</em>


    Thanks to constant use of the leaves for the pain-numbing tea, it levels up, and its more potent and longersting. Thanks to it, she could stay awake for about 30 minutes to an hour per day to talk, which helps Hendry and Alexiss mood greatly.


    Dont worry, I wont die. Me smiles, looking around the room. This feels like a hospital. Its a familiar ce.


    Alexis shakes her head. No. Well get you fixed up again, okay?


    Hendry frequently spends his time climbing up my branches, and sometimes just sitting out in the sky. This is probably his way of coping with being trapped here, his friend wounded in this manner.


    Apparently the stars are beautiful, and there are more moons here.


    Later that month, we had demonic visitors again.


    The demon knights. Hendry grips his warstaff.


    Riding on the hellhounds, eight of them. They wield a mix of weapons, three with swords, two with spears, two with bows and arrows, and one with a staff.Alexis holds him back, No. You can win, but we must hide. We do not want the entire demon swarming down on us. The demon knights are looking for us, you know it. Hide. Not fight. Not with Me injured.


    Hendry sighs, but agrees. The demon knights ride up to me.


    Hmm, their scent fades here.


    Some went that way but not all of them.


    Two.. maybe three is here.


    They look at me, and three of the demon knights raise their sword. Their sword shes, into a burning sword, and the three of them sh my trunk repeatedly.


    And it feels like an itch.


    Huh. The demon knights pause, as their shes do not seem to work. Strange


    To be honest, Ive always found my defense against demons extremely strange too. But hey, notining. They sh a few more times, before the demon knight with a staff walks close and cast some kind of spell.


    [Detect resistance]


    Oh. Theres such a spell.


    The demon knight pauses. Oh. Oh no.


    The other demon knights turn and look, What?


    This tree. It has [Demon immunity : Midtier] and [Elder demon damage reduction - 84%]


    Im shocked too.


    How?! One of the demon knights ask, their attacks now stopped. They probably realise its futile in face of that sort of resistances. It looks just like any otherrge tree.


    At this point, I realise I probably should not let these knights run, and a few[root strike]surges out of the ground, right through the hellhound and into the demon knights. One manage to leap, but still the root crushes through his demonic armor.


    Turns out these demon knights are just pretty much humans in armor, so in an instant, all of them are dead, skewered by roots. They probably are tougher than regr humans by a bit, but against my root strike it''s still just paper.


    After the battle, Hendry and Jura asks. Tree-Tree, how did you get your demonic damage reduction?


    Uh I dont know.


    Is it an item you have? Alexis asks. Some items reduce damage from demons. [Wards]


    At this point, I can only think of my fragments. I attempt to take out one fragment, but an error pops up.


    <em>*Fragments cannot be separated. Its fused to your body.*</em>


    Oh, but I can move where they all are.


    Alexis, Laufen, Im going to show you something, help me examine and inspect it.


    They both nod, and the roof shakes a little. And the wooden roof move in a circr fashion, , revealing antern-like object made of intricately shaped wood, with dozens of little lights floating inside. It pulses in a regr fashion, with tiny shes within.


    Oh its beautiful.


    [Inspect equipment] Laufen uses her only inspection ability, and then shakes her head. I cant see a thing. Its just filled with unknowns and question marks.


    <strong>[Thorough Examination]</strong>Alexis has a far superior identification spell, and after she uses it she loses her strength and sits on the floor.


    You okay? Hendry tries to hold her.


    I.. I am. Alexis points at it. Im just stunned. That.. that thing is your heart, isnt it?


    Oh. I think so. It kinda does feel like it is my center. They are right now inside me, anyway.


    [The Trees Heart and Spirit-Lantern], this is the heart of the tree, adorned with the fragments of 56 heroes, it gives the tree 2800% increase in experience gain, 560% extra damage against midtier demons, 280% extra damage against elder demons, partial demon armor-negation, immunity to lesser demons, damage reduction against elder demons and significantly reduce damage from fire.


    So all the fragments do have a function after all.


    Hendry pauses. Alexis, are you sure?


    She nods.


    We must tell the others. We must revisit how and where the battles with the demons is fought. This ability transforms this location into a favorable battlefield for us. We can save lives!


    Jura and Laufen sit, Tree-Tree, I didnt know youre so amazing.


    Alexis then looks at Me, whos still asleep. TreeTree, can you please move your heart closer to Me?


    It is right next to her now. A prompt appears.<em>Do you want to absorb Me Adams?</em>


    I shake off the prompt, answering no.


    Alexis looks at Mes condition. Hmmm.. no effect. The rot is still there. It seems the resistance is not shared by the glow. Oh well.


    I keep my heart back, suddenly realise its probably very dangerous for me to reveal it that way. Perhaps if it is destroyed, I would die? I think so. Now that I know the source of my past effectiveness is due to the fragments, that means against non-demon enemies, Im actually significantly weaker, and someone of incredible power like Hendry or the humans could probably easily destroy me.


    <em>[You gained 3 levels. You are now level 92.]</em>


    <em>[Skills upgraded : Secret hideout - healing chamber adaptation]</em>


    <em>[Obtained skill : Summon insect warriors]</em>


    <em>[Obtained skill : Super anti-demon root-strike]</em>


    <em>[Obtained skill : Customisable branches]</em>

 An army passes by, again

    An army passes by, again


    <strong>Year 72 month 10st few days.</strong>


    A delegation approaches from the distance. Its the beginning of winter, and yet it is warmer than usual, so warm that I could feel something is in the air. My leaves, the warmth confuses them, and so they shrivel up a little. Somehow, this warm air is rough, and my trunk and bark feels a bit rougher as a result.


    A delegation of soldiers, a hundred strong, carrying all sorts of materials and goods. An expeditionary force?


    Friend, or foe?


    Tree spirit. A voice calls out, one I vaguely recognise, but once he got closer, I soon identify the voice as Lord Rajjiv Nung. Hmm.. is it still asleep.Jura? Jura?


    He seems to be better condition than thest time we met, maybe he gained some levels.


    The elves are hiding, a little intimidated by the presence of so many men. I too somehow share that emotion, and am on my guard as well.


    Should I go out, tree spirit? Jura asks, while that Rajjiv calls for him.


    Hmmm


    It is best I respond. Perhaps letting Jura hide is a better idea, but then I turn to Hendry and Alexis, Do you guys want to go out? Its a bunch of humans, maybe they can help you.


    Hendry shakes his head, We dont know them, so well watch how this ys out, but we will help if needed. Our priority is still Me, and by extension, your ability to continue to support Me.


    <em>Seems quite reasonable.</em>


    Yes? What brings you here with a small army? I telepathically speak to Rajjiv.


    Lord Rajjiv smiles, Ah you are awake! Great! We have much to discuss. He dismounts from his warhorse and walks closer, gesturing to my roots. May I?


    Yes. He sits on the t surface of the few protruding roots.


    So, since ourst battle, the defeat of the demon champion at our hands greatly improved our Kings opinion of natural spirits are a means to fight demons.


    He pauses.


    And so, we are wondering whether you are open to relocating yourself outside of our capital city.


    No. I<em>hate</em>moving, I have to be decisive in rejecting this.


    Ah I suspected as much. Well, are tree spirits able to produce offsprings or saplings which we can cultivate into a tree spirit? Would a branch of yours grow into a split version of yourself?


    Eh. That, is a good question. I recall producing fruits and they do have seeds, but they only seem to grow into normal nts. If they did somehow grow into their own tree spirits I sure did not detect their presence.


    Rest assured we will take good care of your offspring or saplings, we only ask ites to our aid in battle.


    But Rajjiv is asking a very good point. Could I procreate in a sense that allows me to create other tree spirits? Or my offsprings do not inherit any of my abilities or qualities?


    I am afraid I am unable to produce any spirit-offspring. So far my offsprings and seeds are just normal trees..


    Yet? Or maybe I do not yet know how?


    Ah that would be a disappointment. But not unexpected.


    Rajjiv stands and looks around the area.


    But that is not why I came all this way...


    Rajjiv takes out a small map, and points. I cant actually see the map, though.


    The demon champions, three of them. They seem to be gathering somewhere in the region near here. We will set up a base of operations here, and then attack the demons.


    <em>Huh?</em>No. Arge army, here? That would be bad.


    Not a choice, tree spirit. I am just informing you. The King has decreed thisnd and its surroundings to be the staging ground for the military operations against the demonic champions. We have the heroes themselves, and they are on their way. We, are just the advance party, to prepare this ce for the uing campaign.


    This, news is unpleasant, but then again, what choice do I have? If indeed arge army will be here, what chance do I have to protect the elves? Can I fight off an army? I feel the answer to that is no, so it looks like I have to put up with it.


    Heroes? Ah, the<em>reincarnators</em>!


    Yes, the ones with gods gifts. Not sure when they will get here as the King said, as they are visiting all the kingdoms along the way, but they are headed here and then towards to demon champions. y them, heroes gain power and levels, and weaken the demon king.


    Ah Reincarnators. I would like to see what sort of cheat like abilities they have.


    Oh wait. That means the days ahead will be a whole lot of death and war. Well, from what I learnt about this world, its always been filled with death and war, so I should notin.


    The elves too shake their head. From within the hideout, they can actually eavesdrop on any conversation next to me. Hendry peers out through a small peephole. That man is from the Kingdom?


    Yes, Rajjiv Nung of the Kingdom of Nung.


    Hendry shakes his head, Dont know him. Do you, Alexis? Alexis shakes her head too. Ah, I guess we will keep hiding. No need to draw attention unnecessarily.


    Laufen gives Lausanne a hug, and she looks at the rest. Hmmm.. it sounds like there will be a lot of fighting. This ce is going to be a battlefield again. Its just not too long ago we had so much death.


    If I can keep you elves safe, I will. I assure her, even if I do know what''s going to happen is going to be very unpleasant.


    Rajjiv, oblivious to the conversation within the hideout, then motions his men to start work.


    Tree spirit, may we meet again under far better circumstances. Some of my men will remain to start setting up the area for theing battles. After the men rest for an hour or so, about 70 men follow Rajjivs lead, and ride towards the demonic rifts. The n is to spread out, monitor the demons movements, setup magical markers, and be on the lookout for anyrge demon armies.


    The remaining 30 or so men start to build a campsite, featuring multiplerge tents. Further out, they build a low fence, making where this future army is going to be. These men, appear to be builders and mages. A few of them use magic, mainly to manipte the ground and dirt into a makeshift dirt wall and trench.


    Alexis and Hendry looks out of the peephole. Heroes areing?


    "Yes, that''s what he said."


    Oh wow. I cant wait to meet the heroes. I wonder what they are like? Emile and Belle both seem quite excited to meet heroes, and that excitement cause both Alexis and Hendry sigh.


    Have you guys met them? Emile ask.


    Alexis and Hendry nce at each other. Ah.. yes. yes we have.


    They must be handsome and dashing oh wait don''t tell me dont tell me. Emile seems somewhat infatuated with the concept of heroes. Hendry and Alexis smiles.


    I think fairy tales and reality usually differ quite a bit.


    Meanwhile, I activate my [summon insect warriors] skill, and a few beetles appears on my branch, hidden from the soldiers. They seem rather tough, and they are mostly mind-less creatures mentally linked to me. Will need to test them in actualbat to know how they fare in reality.


    [<em>Customisable branches] A popup appears, you currently have 3 slots for customisable branches. The branches can be customised for specific functions, such as producing certain materials or essences, host certain insects or animals, or be some kind of amodation (if the branch if sufficientlyrge).</em>


    Ah. Theres actually a long list of materials extracted and essences harvested, hidden inside a separate notification menu. I think I recall asking to hide those notifications, else Id be overwhelmed by them all the time.


    Hendry chooses to mostly stay inside, wondering when his friends will return. Mes still surviving, her body in a constant battle with the demonic rot within. Alexis spends time talking to Me and ying with the younger elves, Brich, Wahlen and Lausanne.


    The older elves are still apprehensive of the humans, but the younger ones do not hold such prejudices. Perhaps, not yet.


    <em>A weekter,</em><strong>Year 72 Month 11 Week 1</strong>


    Twenty thousand strong, an army passes by. Half of them set up camp here, but from the chatter it seems they are meant to leave very soon. The other half march on, nearer to the rift where they will set up smaller camps closer to the rift.


    With the numbers,es traffic. The traffic in this area is much higher now, as messengers are needed for certain types ofmunication. There is also a small group of dedicated mages, and it seems their role is to facilitate long distance securemunication spells.


    And winter is dyed this year. It''s still warm. Something strange is happening to the weather.


    Alexis suspects its the demons.


    And refugees start popping up, an oue of more demon raids, destroying viges that are closer to the rift.The rift, as Alexis borates, is a flux, a rip in space, and it joins our world with that of the demons, and it expands and moves, usually slowly but under certain circumstances, quickly. The longer the demon king remains in the world, the rifts will remain open and expand, and after their death, the rifts will shrink and eventually close.So, a world cannot wait forever for the heroes to y the demon king, else the rift would expand sorge and appear all over the world.


    <strong>Year 72 Month 11 Week 3</strong>


    From the bits and pieces of information I gather via eavesdropping the refugees and the soldiers, it seems no one knows I am a tree spirit. They presumed I am a normal tree that somehow survived this location, and that is interesting.


    At this point I realise perhaps Lord Rajjiv has reasons not to share that information, and my assessment of him in my mind change ordingly. Him and his toon took credit for the demon champion defeat earlier, ignoring my contribution. Well, though I do feel slighted, after dwelling on the idea for a while, I think keeping myself unknown is better.


    Should I reveal my presence to the soldiers? I ask this of the elves and the three adventurers.


    Hmm, but what would revealing your presence achieve, TreeTree? Belle asks, still peering outside. Emiles been talking about the heroes for some time now, and she is wondering where in the world are they.


    True. I stand to lose more than gain. Given that I cant really move I cant exactly run away, can I?


    If you have powers, its best to keep it a secret. Alexis said, holding Mes hand. People will seek you for your power, and you be a tool, not a person. Your power will define who you are to the masses.


    Fair point. She sounds really sad when she said that. Sounds like personal experience.


    It is. Alexis holds Mes hand a little longer.


    <strong>Year 72 Month 11 Week 4</strong>


    Another ten thousand or so soldiers arrive, they do not stop here for long, and they continue marching towards the rift.


    At this point this surrounding area is pretty much a makeshift fort. The humans with earth magic mold a twoyer wallplete with towers and ramparts, and staff them with soldiers.


    Traffic is still high, and refugees seem to be constantly streaming in. The refugees dont stay for long, as the food avable is meant for the army, and is barely sufficient, so they move on to safer, and hopefully more prosperousnds. There are minor demon attacks, small packs of hellhounds easily disposed by the army encamped in this ce.


    From the chatter, I gather new types of demons are appearing near the rift. Larger, more earthlike versions of hellhounds, and a half-golem, half-demon variant. Perhaps the demon king has some earth-elemental powers, since his minions does disy earth-like features.


    I wonder whether this has something to do with the mild shakes and tremors we have been feeling asionally.


    Where are they? Hendry is frustrated, though Me is stable. It seems he is raring to get a shot of the demons, but is also torn with Mes present condition.


    Our friends wille back for us. Alexis assures him, Its.. It''s fine like this. A bit of a break from all this killing. And maybe the heros power can help Me.


    Hendry scowls, but then he pauses to think.


    You might be right, Alexis. The heros sem-divine holy powers may be able to counteract the demonic rot.

 Heroes and a surprise attack

    Heroes and a surprise attack


    <strong>Year 72 Month 12</strong>


    The heroes arrive. Apanied by an army of adventurers of three hundred. It is normal for heroes to have a huge group of tag-alongs, these people seek the glory and mour of being associated with the heroes, but will probably be the first to flee should shit get out of hand.


    The heroes themselves, five of them, are three boys and two girls, and they look no older than twenty. Or maybe slightly over twenty. The gods chose young teens for their demon killing tasks this time, and in a way, thats better than choosing high schoolers.


    They ride into the makeshift camp, and one of them stops and stares in my direction. Though I cannot meet his eye, I could sense his probing gaze...


    Hmmm I feel a familiar presence. One of the heroes mutter, and rides his horse closer.


    You were here before, hero? An adventurer apanies him, and asks.


    No. The armored hero ces his hand on my bark, and I feel my body shiver a little. Just... someone familiar... Hmmm


    [Hero''s sense]


    The hideout shakes a little, and everyone freaks out. It seems this hero has some kind of magical touch, and my body reacts to it defensively.


    The shaking causes Hendry to sigh, and he decides to goes out to talk to the hero.


    Hey hero.


    The heros eye widen and stares at Hendry. Hendry!


    The adventurer next to the hero raise his sword at Hendry. Eh? Who goes there.


    It is fine. Lay down your arms. He is one of us. The hero stares at Hendry. Hendry. Its been a while


    Yes it has. Anyway, take your hands off the tree, and I.. I might need your help.


    The hero takes his hand off. Well, nice to see you, again.


    Hendry pauses. And sighs. Nice to see me? I take that means you stopped ming us for her death?


    The hero shakes his head. Id like to think we havee to terms with it.


    Really? Hendry takes a step back.


    We were all too eager. Too excited to be given this opportunity, this chance to make something of ourselves. The hero walks closer to Hendry.


    Hendry pauses. Really? Just like that?


    The hero puts his hand on his shoulder. Yes.


    And the hero punches him in the gut.<em>Thud</em>.


    Ugh! I knew it. Hendry groans in pain, but he recovers, and throws a punch back at him. The hero dodges.


    The adventurers stare, Uh, hero, should we do something?


    The hero, yells. No. This is between me and him. They punch each other a few times, then it esctes, and they start throwing high speed punches into shes, as both attack each other with their abilities. This cause the adventurers to stare at the high speed exchange of blows.


    A few more heroese over. Max! Stop this.


    Two female heroines shout, and Max, the hero jumps a few steps back, and that ends the barrage of punches.


    Hendry! One of the heroines seems to cry a little.


    Hey. Hendry stops, and sits on one of my roots. The heroines runs over and gives Hendry a hug. Been a while.


    Weve been looking for you guys... The heroine smacks Hendry on his shoulder. "Running off like that..."


    At this point the adventurers ask, Uh who is he?


    Maxughs, Ah yes, please ignore us. He is a friend. You guys go ahead, Well need to talk privately with our friend here and so, well be fine.


    Max started by borating... "You guys should not have left like that. We''re angry, and were still sad. It still is a lump in our hearts. But we are willing to let it go, for on hindsight, we had a part to y too. We failed as well. We all did. I think a part of the way we acted is because we were angry at ourselves.


    At this point, I''m confused at what their conversation is about, perhaps there is some historical bad blood.


    Hendry nods, his eyes a little teary. Heh... Water under the bridge now. Well, Max, like I was saying, I need your help. Do you still have anti demonic powers?


    Max thinks for a while, Huh? I still do, why?


    Alexis, right on cue,es out with Me, shes asleep and supported by Alexiss levitation. It''s actually for Me. Shes received some kind of demonic rot or maybe demonic poison. Shes weak and battling that demonic rot internally, and currently supported by a whole lot of healing magic. It.. it seems to be some kind of magic meant for... us.


    The heroes gasp. Me... Max runs over, looks at her, and holds her hand. He then proceeds to use some kind of magical ability on her, then their two bodies start to glow faintly.


    The hero chants and mumbles a little, his palm glows like a monk trying to use some kind of mantra.


    [Divine Touch]


    The ability causes Mes body to glow in a faint light.


    Hmm.. I cant remove itpletely. It contains a strong taint of the demon king. You are right. This is made to kill us, and this... this makes this demon king more dangerous than ever. He sighs, and everyone else follows.


    Alexis holds Mes hand, whos gradually opening her eyes.


    But I can suppress and weaken the effect of the demon king''s poison, such that it will stop hurting her.


    Thank you. Me opens her eyes, and speaks.


    Max smiles. Nice to see you too, Me."


    Reincarnators. These adventurers are reincarnators as well.Now that they are right next to me, I feel strange. Are these people from earth too? The kids, those few when I came so many years ago they have all died. These people, a simr fate probably awaits them.


    What should I do?


    Should I reveal myself as a reincarnator? But what good does that do, other than unnecessarily involving myself in the demon war.


    There is also the question about the [Fires of Baal] that I had before, and how I can recover from it yet Me fails to. Why? Is it because the fires are just generic demonking fires, whereas Me''s demonrot is a customised superweapon for reincarnators?


    I have no answer to that, unfortunately.


    At this point, I decide to wait and see. I mentally ping Alexis.


    So... may I ask what is happening? Are you going to leave with them?


    Ah.. er.. right now theres still three of us that is out there looking for a cure. 3 of us out there. Or maybe, there is no cure, and only killing the demon king will wipe away all traces of it. Oh, anyway, I think Mes in no condition to fight yet. Her demonic rot is still present but now weakened by a counteracting holy power that Max has, but until we know what that means inbat, we do not want to risk it. Me''s body seems to be fine, with no observable negative effects so far, but I think there is a high chance that whatever demon king magic it is, it will probably interfere with our divine gifts. So, attempting to assault the demons without being at full strength is folly, so we n to stay back and attempt to regroup with our other 3 friends first.


    Uh Alexis is a lot more technical when ites to magic. "Sorry can you repeat that in simpler terms?"


    So I think me and Me will stay back. We will wait for the remaining 3, and then we will join up with Max and group. The fact that the demon king has a special weapon designed for us is... worrying."


    <em>The next week</em>


    <strong>Year 72 Month 12 Week 2</strong>


    News and reports of the demon championse in. The heroes, adventurers and the soldiers move out, towards the rift.


    Me and Alexis remain, Alexis is ying the role of Mea observer, and monitors her bodys condition.


    Me would try use her abilities and they discover that with the demonic rot still present, her abilities are weakened by about 20% to 30%. Alexis''s hypothesis is right after all.


    The camp is now a lot quieter, about 1,000 soldiers remain. These are themunication mages, the logistics coordinators, and just some guards to keep the stray demonhounds at bay.


    <strong>Year 72 Month 12 Week 4</strong>


    IThe heroes defeat one of the champions.


    And then the next day, the camp is attacked.


    Sixrge demons, part golem, part demon, lesser versions of the golem demon champion, apanied by tens of thousands of the new rock hybrid hellhounds. The six demons, their bodies made of a mix of rock,va, stone and flesh, their synchronised steps shake the ground.


    How did they appear so suddenly?


    Three at the front, three at the back, they have the camp cornered on both sides, and their sudden appearance sends the camp into a panic. Mages quickly send out requests for help. But any request will be toote, reinforcements will take some time to get to us.


    Alexis and Me look at each other. Howd they get behind us? In fact, that''s on the mind of the thousand or so soldiers now trapped in the camp. But at this point, there are more urgent questions to be answered.


    The two demon forces march on the camp. Their footsteps cause the earth to rumble. How did all the shaking go unnoticed?


    I summon[Insect warriors].


    My insect warriors appear, crawling out of my branches. Three of them, they will deal with the hellhound hybrids, and hopefully not die too easily. The humans scream when they see my giant insects, but did not attack it.


    I try to survey the field of demons. I need to save my[super antidemon root strike]for the lesser champions.


    The guards try get ready, as the demons close in.


    The mages in the camp st, magic spells at the golems, and the camp soon descends into a chaotic battlefield. The six giant demons are exceptionally resilient, enduring volleys of spells and weapons from the mages, and escaping with minor wounds and damage. Alexis and Me both join the battle, using their special abilities to wipe through the hellhounds with ease. Once it get messier, Jura too joins in.


    But there are probably tens of thousands of them, even with Alexiss numerous AoE spells killing hundreds per shot. And it is from this battle I see the sheer OP-ness of these reincarnators.


    Alexis could st waves and waves of magical explosions, almost constantly. Me, even with her weakened form, could swirl and twirl and her shes somehow go through all the monsters like they had absolutely no armor and is made of chiffon.


    It''s rather ridiculous how they can sweep through hordes of demons like nothing.


    Onerge golem is destroyed, a pointnk fireball from Alexis destroys its body.


    Onerge golem passes me, and I take the chance to use my new [super antidemon rootstrike]. It shoots out of the earth and slices the golem in half. Whoah, I felt a little pleased with myself.


    Alexis blows up anotherrge golem. Throughout the camp, soldiers and mages battle with the hybrid hounds, and though they could beat them easily one on one, even one on two, the hounds have farrger numbers, easily ten times the number. So, mages and soldiers are dying.Even with Me and Alexis providing tremendous support to the battlefield.


    Me cuts down one of therge demons with some kind of shy shing move.


    My insect warriors seem to be perform as expected, they are able to take down about twenty or so hellhounds, before they get torn apart by the hounds.


    Alexis manage to blow up another golem.And another fireball from Alexis blows up thest golem, she really is the true MVP in this battle.


    We did it! Now, Alexis turn her attention to the regr hybrid hounds, and joins Me and the soldiers in exterminating them.


    Then the earth shakes, and sparks of lightning shoot out from the rubble of the destroyed giant demons. The lightning connects to all the other remains, and the remains of the destroyed golems float into the air and join together. Alexis sends a few fireballs instinctively, and it knocks some of the rocks off. But something is still pulling it together.


    The remains of all the fallen golems and hounds merge into a giant six story tall centipede made of earth, rock and stone, covered in sharp jagged rocks and stone throughout its body. In a way, its part centipede, part porcupine. It then charges into the battlefield, crushing both allies and enemies alike in its charge.


    Once it loses momentum, it tunnels underground.


    Shit. Alexis and Me run, waiting. It can appear anywhere! They look around, but mostly at the ground, waiting.


    The earth shakes, and it shoots out of the ground, killing more soldiers and also hounds. But the death of the hounds is beneficial to the giant rock centipede, as the debris and corpse of the fallen hounds would then merge into it.


    Its a scene reminiscent of giant spice producing sandworms.


    Yet, it does not approach me. In fact, the moment it heads underground, I know exactly where it is, and it seems that my roots create a kind of hard rock that it is unable to tunnel into.


    I could sense it, tunnelling from one side to another, trying to get through the wall. My roots is able to detect its motion, and predict it.


    And I think I can beat it, I instinctively seem to realise that my root strike is more powerful underground. But it moves really quickly underground, shaking up the dirt above ground as well. Its speed is something I cannot deal with, but if I could just get it to slow down I think I can take it.


    Gather around the tree! The monster is unable to tunnel close to it. Alexis yells, seeminglying to simr conclusion as me. She activates a weird console like magic, and calls all the surviving mages to her.


    The demonic centipede surges out of the ground again, and Alexis yells.


    Now. The mages all coordinate a magical st on the demonic centipede, and a fewrge chunks gets sted off.


    The demonic giant centipede tunnels again, and I try to follow its movement. Its really fast, but it slows down for a moment before it surge upwards. Thats the best time for me to hit it.


    And it shoots out of the ground again, killing more soldiers and also hounds. I strike it with two [Root strike]s, and manage to knock a few chunks off.


    The centipede regenerates from our attacks, rocks that we knock off would get pulled back, but I could feel that its magical energy bnce dwindles each time. Defeating it means getting its magical power down to zero by sting its chunks off.


    It attacks a few more times, as I try to figure out the timing.


    At this point, almost 70% of the humans are dead, and almost all the demon hounds are destroyed or absorbed by the demonic giant centipede.


    Its between us and the centipede, now. The centipede splits itself in two along its length, and then both tunnel underground. Underground, the split centipede reconnects itself, be one very long and lean centipede.


    And this time, it pops up out of the ground, and uses its now longer body length like a whip. mming into the soldiers, mages, and also into my trunk. It can''t tunnel near me, but it can whip its body to attack the humans around me.


    I feel my trunk shake when the body of the centipede ms into me, and some of the mages quickly let out a st. Once again knocking some of the rocks off this demonic rock centipede. It pulls back, curling itself like a snake, and using its longer body as a spring to attack the mages and soldiers.


    [Grand fireball]. Alexis activates her signature superpower, a blue fireball, and it sts right into the demonic centipede.


    It breaks and burns from the fire, but the momentum of the centipedes attack still pushes through, and stabs Alexis right in the chest, and pushes her back, mming into my trunk.


    Arghhhhhhhhhhhh--- Alexis screams in pain as her body is stabbed by multiple sharp rocks. Those same rocks are burning from her Grand Fireball, and it spreads throughout the Centipedes body.


    It ils, but still pins Alexis to the trunk.


    Alexis, somehow still manages to cast another [grand fireball], creating a huge explosion right in front of it. It sts almost all of the rocks at the head of the centipede away, but a skeleton of super hard rock remains, and it pierces Alexis''s chests.


    It ils, but does not want to let go of Alexis, so it pushes, and pins her body into the ground.


    I use [constrict], holding onto the centipede so that my root strike can catch it, and then all my remaining [super anti demonic rootstrike]. They pierce through the centipede, and this time, together with a 3rd grand fireball, it sessfully depletes its magical energy, and it crumbles, turning into ordinary rock.


    Alexis explodes into a huge fireball, and then suddenly, a vacuum like effect appears, as all the fires swirls back and merge into a human shape, revealing Alexis whole and unharmed.


    "Ugh." She groans, unharmed but very visibly drained. "I always hate using [Body of Fire]."


    Me smacks her on the back. "Thats why you''re always the bait! Everyone aims for the mage!"


    <em>Reincarnators</em>...


    [You gained 8 levels. You are now level 100]


    [You have evolved into an Ancient Soul Tree. The next evolution rank up is at Leve 130, if conditions and materials are met. You can still gain levels without ranking up.]


    [Your following skills have been upgraded : Life support chamber]


    [Healing powers upgraded]


    [Secret hideout upgraded. Extra rooms, special purpose rooms and hideouts unlocked. Customisable branches option now has "External room"]


    [Soul absorption upgraded. Soul realm unlocked]


    [Symbiotic extension unlocked]


    [Essence collection upgraded. Essence mastery and generation obtained. Customisable branch options now include "Essence generator"]


    [Materials Obtained]


    [Essence of giants x 1, Essence of starlight x 1, Essence of sword x 4, Essence of knights x 1, Essence of fire magic x 1]

 Interlude: Level 100 & Soul realm

    Interlude: Level 100 & Soul realm


    Level 100 and the rank up brings change, and a lot of benefits. One of the key changes is a UI change, as my interfaces be much more organised, and menus expanded. There are more tooltips as well, and information about my skills improved.


    Size wise, the rank up brought about greater size and range. Twice asrge, almost eight stories high, and my roots extend wider. And deeper roots, which leads to my discovery of how the demons appeared.


    Deep tunnels. The rock centipedes dug tunnels deep beneath the ground, and used them to move their forces without beig detected. They covered the entrances, but these tunnels, their reach is well beyond my range, and perhaps even into the demonnds as well.


    Valuable information, perhaps I can trade something for it.


    The sudden increase in size overnight scares the humans, but they are too preupied with the dead to do anything. It seems to [camouge] and [illusion] confuses them. With this new size, I have eightrge branches, and the new skills allows me to set some of them as an [essence generator], creating essences of the moon, the sun, and nature. These canter be used as part of the forming process of the items and things I want to create as weapons. From the little I gather of the heroes and warriors, demons are generally weak against ster materials, like metals of an asteroid.


    My healing room too changed, and now it has something like a pod, where a body can be fully submerged within. Rebuilding bodies some day in the future. Attached is also ab-like area, a small underground room filled with roots, pods, and other things, like a spawning pool.


    I activate[soul realm].I feel my consciousness shift, and I appear in a vast space filled with little floating lights. These, little wisps, they float and swirl around, and they seem to whisper and chatter endlessly in anguage I do not understand.


    What is this ce?


    This is your soul realm, and this is one of the strongest powers of a spirit tree. A wisp floats before me, it is different from the other wisps in that it is green, while the others are white. Here, are all the souls of those who have died in your vicinity. Here, theyy dormant, resting, waiting...


    For?


    For their onward travel to the afterlife. Tree spirits, as the elves once advised you, are the beacons of souls, attracting those who died. You, also function as a pitstop, refreshing the souls, and souls who are stronger are more likely to make the travel to the afterlife, where will they reenter the cycle of life. Your very existence here prevents the presence of regr stray ghosts, but in turn, the ghosts exists all in and within you.


    I pause and I look at this green wisp exining all this to me. And... you are?


    I am Wisp, a creation made of thebined souls who did not make the cut for the journey to the afterlife, and my role is to support and guide the newly dead. I have existed within you, from the very moment you transformed into a spiritual tree. You have many questions, and I will answer them.


    He first guides us to a tree filled with little lights, like fireflies in a swamp. "These are souls of the recently dead. The faint white ones are humans, and as you can see, its currently mostly humans, but we can also see that there are little souls with different colors, and these are the mixed race humans."


    Wisp floats over to one ck tree branch, with tiny little lights there, these lights are smaller than the other souls. They look like little blinking sparks on a dark tree.


    These are the leftover souls, fragments and souls that have degraded, or some that just do not want to be reincarnated. At their current state, they have lost their identity and awareness, so they be just a shell. So, they can be used to create things, custom familiars, infused into weapons, merged together quite versatile, all in.


    And after that, Wisp led me to another ck branch thats split in half.


    This is the [soul forge], where you can make even more things with the remnants, but its inactive at the moment, as you need to either connect to a magical leyline, or gain more levels such that you can power it yourself. It connects to the pod in your secret hideout."


    I pause, and I ask, "Why is the soul realm a powerful ability?"


    The wisp twirls. "The soul is at the core of power in this world. It is souls that gain experience and levels, and the body expresses that extra experience and levels."


    "But why do people train their bodies then?"


    "Because the body changes the soul. It is a feedback loop. A strong healthy body nourishes the soul, and vice versa."


    "Okay. You said this is a strong ability. Why?"


    "..." The Wisp pauses. And twirls around.


    And it twirls and spins a while more, before it pauses.


    "...because to change a soul, is to amend destiny."

 Interlude 2: Alexis

    Interlude 2: Alexis


    <em>Perspective of Alexis.</em>


    The demon king is out for their heads.


    She knew it. She felt it. Every battle with the demons, their eyes seemed to contain a deep, feral rage, all directed at them. Is it just how they always look?


    Even when they are not fighting, it feels like she could sense where the demon king is. Its as if there is always a cold wind that blows from that direction, but theres no actual wind.


    After the constant ambushes and attacks, she now also suspects, so can the demons. It''s the only usible reason why incredibly powerful demons appear where they are, and somehow, can always strike when they are apart.


    Its a coincidence, Alexis. Max waves off the idea. They have hunter-demons and demon knights constantly tracking where we are. That''s why they know where we are.


    Maybe.


    But is it?


    As a mage, there is a logic to everything. This system, even if it does not fit anything from where she came from, has its own rules andws. And those rules means all power must have some kind of feature orw which it obeys, including that of the gods blessings.


    The blessings of the gods. The blessings, they offer some degree of protection from demons, they enhance stats growth, boosts experience gain for easier levelling. These aremon knowledge, that heroes get perks like this, to make it easier to defeat the demon king. For them to gain the power necessary to destroy the demon.


    Lately, she had asional moments of rity, and she now suspects the blessings do more than they say they do.


    Her friends, those who came together with them. They all were headed for a cafe when the truck lost control and the huge container came undone, and mmed into all of them.


    Their friends. After a brief meeting with the gods, they all woke up in this world, and her friends, herself even, went all in on this divine quest to y the demon.


    Heroes, her friends, and even herself. So engrossed with that goal. Such that all the death, pain, suffering, all just a side note. A number. The vast destruction around her, all they seem to do is enhance their resolve to destroy the demon king.


    Its as if all of them heroes have been mentally altered, made immune to the destruction, and all that negative energy and emotions is funnelled into achieving their goal of defeating the demon king. Me, even with her near death, went back to the battlefield happily, as if her brush with death never really matter.


    Alexis did not realise this before, buttely, that brief rity of mind. Its only when she reread her daily journal, that she realised her own strange mental processes, the strange way she is reacting to all these senseless death all these time.


    Were on the way back, Alexis. Amunication mage walks up to her and passes the message.


    Alexis nods. The heroes, all of the summoned, they will converge soon, back here, at the tree.


    Alexis scribbles on her journal.


    For the moment, destroying the demon king aligns to her and her groups interest. After all, they are hunted. That sense, that ominous feeling that the demons areing still permeates her.


    Wait. If her suspicions are true, the demon king will look for them, even before they are ready.


    What would she do? What should they do? Can they keep running?


    She nces up at looks at the tree. Itsrger, farrger now. And she feels safe. If they had to fight, this is the best ce for it. If the n is up to her, they would fall back, and fight here.


    Still, can the demons find them?


    She sits, and closes her eyes. Stilling her mind, she concentrates on her breathing, the prickling senses on her skin, the beating of her heart.


    And she searches. For a subtle signal, a presence of their own. Are they leaking some signals behind? Are they, like a nuclear bomb, leaking radiation which the demons can pick up?


    If the gods had a hand in this, where would they do it?


    If they could hide their presence, maybe, just maybe, they could deal a surprise attack-


    Alexis, are you busy? Me asks, she looks like ran.


    Ah. Alexis snaps out of her concentration. Uh.. yes. I would like some time.


    Me nods, Oh Okay. She sighs, and walks away.


    Alexis closes her eyes, and tries again.


    <em>Demons. Anger. Destruction. Fire. Death. Fields of dead men. The voices of all the grieving humans, saying the Demon King must be in.</em>


    Alexis shakes her head.<em>Not again</em>. All of them, all the heroes get this every now and then.


    As if the world reminds them of their duty.


    She walks closer to the tree, and lifts a small wooden teapot. She pours herself a cup, and sips on it.


    Tea.


    And the voices go away.

 The lab

    Theb


    <strong>Year 73, Month 1</strong>


    Jura steps out of the green liquid pod in theb. Hes been submerged in it daily, and undergoing experimentation.


    How do you feel?


    Fine, TreeTree. Did you do anything, my status is unchanged


    No.


    In truth, all I do is look, at his body, in great detail. The first time he steps in, and submerge himself, the pod floods me with data and details. And it''s fascinating. Its like looking at the body of the person with an electron microscope and some kind of radio wave imaging machine.


    Its incredible, to see every strand of fibre, the organs, the bones. In a way, this is also the first time I have an actual idea how Jura looks like, outside of my somewhat pixted spirit vision. The details, the effects of all the parts on his body, and how it influences his fighting abilities and magic.


    Another thing I spend a lot of time on, on his soul, and how it interacts with his body. It is like the source of a river, higher levels result in a bigger source, and the water from this source flows into each body part, which then gives each body part toughness, and awakens magical properties.


    And, in his body, as if there is a polluted drainage pipe, releasing dirty water into that river, and so each body part is not getting clean water.


    I reach out to it, and then I knew.


    It can be fixed. But I will need the right materials.


    Later that evening I ask Me for her help. If I could see Juras body in such great detail, I wonder what I would find from the heroes.


    This request however seems to make Alexis a little suspicious, so she insists to be around as well.


    Ah, theres no helping it, so Jura guides both of them to the newboratory underground.


    This this looks like... Both of them had a stunned look, as if they did not expect to see something like this not in this world. Ab.


    I recall only the elves been to this new room, different from the medical ward-like area that Me once rested in.


    Jura nods, and points to an open pod. Please, if you dont mind


    Me nces at Alexis, but then, Okay.


    Jura smiles, and then leaves the two heroes alone. Me undresses and then steps into the warm green liquid, and then the pod slowly closes in.


    Alexis stares on, cautious, but she looks like she is thinking.


    And a torrent of data washes over me, and it stuns me for a moment.


    How long will this take? Alexis asks.


    About two hours. I snap out of my shock, and start my investigation into Mes body, wondering what makes her tick.


    First, physique. Her body starts of as that of a normal human, but as she gains levels, her body changes with it. Already I could tell she is about three to four times physically stronger than Jura, before any magic spells that would further push her into crazy strong territory.


    Her skeletal structure tougher than steel. Its as if she has an adamantite frame, and her muscles all store tremendous amounts of physical energy.


    Then, the soul. Her soul is like a massive spring, with a two waterfalls from the aether pouring even more water into thatke, and it flows downwards like a raging river.


    Yet, it is not fully clear. Right next to that spring, a small whirlpool, sucking some water away. It is now barricaded with some kind of energy, so only a small portion water is drained away by that whirlpool.


    This is taking too long. Alexis mumbles, and uses some kind of magic. Is she alright?


    Yes. Shes fine. A bit more. I could analyse and revisit the datater.


    I reach out to sense that ck whirlpool and I feel an ominous presence. Demonic. It attempts to burn me.


    <em>Ugh.</em>


    I investigate the waterfalls instead, and I sense a kind of unknown power perhaps divine? Or is it astral?


    These reincarnators their souls must have been modified by the gods that summoned them here. Their size and capacity far exceeds that of a normal human, ifpared to Jura. But I would need more samples.


    Alexis looks nervous, she does not seem to like seeing Me in the pod.


    Ah. I am done. The pods doors opens, like a reverse venus flytrap, and Mes eyes open.


    Alexis immediately grabs her. Are you okay?


    Me rubs her eyes a while and say, I feel pretty nice, actually. Its like a massage.


    [Secret hideout - Bib upgraded]


    Oh.


    Really?


    Yeah. I do. You should try it.


    Alexis shakes her head. Uh never mind.


    Why are you worried? The tree saved my life, if it wants us to just dip into a pool


    No. Alexis turns. If we are done, lets go out.


    The two reincarnators leave, and I then telepathically reach out to Laufen, for her turn to dip into the pod.


    And then I task Jura with a request.


    Capture a demon hound.


    Capture?


    Yes. I want it.. alive.


    Really? Its teeth can chew through any rope or we have


    And a appears next to him. Woven from my bark and fibre. Shouldst a bit. Use this as well. I hand him a wooden container containing paralyzing sap.


    Jura nods, and set out.


    Around this time, some message spells bounced back and forth between the heroes, and both Alexis and Me leave, together with the remaining army. It seems one of the nearby cities are under attack from a demonic army, so the rest of the heroes change their ns and head straight there instead.


    And this is great, because the elves finally get to have their space again.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 1 Week 3</strong>


    Jura finally caught one. Its tough trying to find a hellhound that is in a manageable small pack, but he got it.


    The hellhound lost four limbs, but is still barely alive.


    So what do I do with it? Jura looks at me quizzically.


    Bring in down into theb.


    Jura pauses. Inside?


    Yes.


    He gulps, but carries it in. The rest of the elves look curiously, Laufen, Emile and Belle all ready for battle, just in case the hound tries something funny.


    And Jura throws the hellhound into the pod.


    My branches and roots, they move to wrap and attach itself to the paralysed hound, and its struggling stops. One of the roots administer a dose of sedation, knocking it out.


    Then, I peer into its body. The body of a hybrid hellhound.


    The first thing that I notice is the unusual nature of its body. A mix of normal flesh, but with a smattering of earth. Its made of ayer of flesh, mixed with atticework of interconnected rocks, and this mixture is present throughout its body. Some parts, near its skull and its teeths, the rocks are much more present, and the type of rock appears to be some kind ofpressed stone, that is magically augmented.


    A thickyer of sap coats its major vessel, and this is how the paralysing sap disables this hound.


    Then, the soul.


    If the magic from Juras soul is that of a water tap, and Mes mana is a fire hose, this hellhound would be best described as a dried watering hole. Parched, dry, its body devoid of the natural mana.


    Instead, there is a small red fire that hovers right above where the spring would be, and it emits a kind of heat that powers all the magical augmentation throughout its body. As I reach out to touch it


    <em>Demon</em>.


    A pushback from that tiny fire. A wall?


    I keep pushing. The wall bends, its not strong enough to resist me.


    And for a moment, I see a glimpse of a faraway ce


    <em>A red, a surface filled with fire and brimstone, arge glowing red stone.</em>


    And then the fire disappears. At that moment, any sign of life in the hound disappears, its like somebody pressed an off button.


    <em>Hmm</em>..


    Yet the hound is still there, as if its turned off, its body is floating, its four limbs still severed.


    [You gained a level. You are now level 101]


    [Secret hideout - bib, upgraded. Additional pods now avable.]


    Two additional pods pop up next to the one with the floating hound.


    Its dead? Yet its body remain, perhaps the pod interferes with its natural decay into mana.


    Jura steps in, wondering what is the sound he heard. Its actually the two new pods that popped out.


    Its fine. The hounds dead.


    Huh.


    Anyway, good that you are here. Dip in.


    Jura pauses. Uh okay.


    Two dayster, a horde of hellhounds appear, together with about fifty or sorger demons, their target is not me. But based on the strength of these demons shown to me so far, I can defeat this horde.


    And so I did. A mix of [root surge], [super antidemon root strike] and [root strike], and Jura too participate in the battle.


    A few of the demons survive, and Jura assists to capture them for my experiments.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 2 Week 1</strong>


    [Rajjiv Nung has died. You gain 3 levels, you are now Level 104]


    [Obtained skill : Lesser Holy Enchantment]


    Huh. He died. That''s strange, he is with the heroes, I would have thought he should be quite safe. Must be a rather fierce battle.


    This actually also reminds me of the familiars I grant, and so I pull up a menu that shows all the granted familiars.


    And it seems I have been neglecting them, so I call Jura and Laufen over, and have both of them show me their familiar forms.


    A familiar allows ess to the spells and abilities of that familiar, which is by andrge based on their grantor. Theyve gained levels, Juras familiar is level 30, and Laufens familiar is Level 13. They manifest in many ways, usually depending on the user.


    When they did, a prompt appears before me.


    <em>Juras tree familiar has reached the limit of Level 30. Do you wish to elevate the familiar to the next phase?</em>


    Huh.


    How long did it stay at Level 30?


    Oh.. for quite some time already. My familiar reached level 30 during thest attack by the demon centipede.


    Uh why did you not tell me?


    I thought you knew? Jura rubs his head.


    Ah dammit. Communication breakdown. I need to get these elves to tell me more about themselves.


    I mentally say yes to the prompt.


    And Jura pauses, his eyes wide open. Uh.. I did not even know a familiar can rank up! Wow I get to choose its next form!


    Huh. I know too little about familiars


    One of my branches has been converted using [customisable branches] into a room, but it serves its function as a jail cell, for all the captured hellhounds. On top of the dead hybrid in one pod, I subject the remaining hellhounds onto more investigation, and if I do not attempt to sense the fire, itll stay alive.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 2 Week 2</strong>


    <em>Shake</em>. The ground buckles, and bits of rock fly.


    My roots, they attempt to hold on, but the shockwave that causes this is way too strong, so throughout the ins, the ground buckles.


    <em>Shake</em>


    Jura rushes out in the direction of the shake, I ordered him to look out for what causes it and retreat immediately. A part of me feels afraid.


    <em>Shake, shake.</em>


    The earth keeps shaking, and as the day goes on, explosions get louder. Something ising. Or a battle ising.


    The shockwaves propagating through the earth gets even stronger, and my roo is flooded with pain.


    The rumbling continues even at night, and Jura runs to us in the darkness of night.


    No good! Three demon champions appeared. The heroes are engaging them in battle, but they seem to be retreating this way.


    Three? That is far too many! Fighting one almost killed me, and knocked me out for weeks.


    But cant the heroes beat them?


    Did you see the heroes?


    Yes yes. They are retreating here!


    Why?


    I dont know. Maybe they are trying to lure them away from the cities!


    The explosions and rumblings continue. They seem to be fighting even when retreating, so whatever they are fighting can keep up with them.


    How far?


    A day!


    Shit.


    What should we do? If three demon champions are here, can you hold them back TreeTree?


    No. If they are anywhere like the giant golem earlier, I may notst very long. I can take a few hits but it will be a matter of time before it kills me.


    But you are stronger thanst time. Jura pauses. Maybe you can take one. And.. maybe thats why they areing this way. They need your help to even up the odds.


    Dont they have an army of adventurers?


    Jura shakes his head. I think they are either dead or they have fled. I dont think any sane adventurer would want to battle three demon champions together. It''s foolish, and only the bravest of adventurers would attempt it.


    And the world expects the heroes to?


    Heroes have special powers! They are different!


    This does not make sense. I thought they killed some of the demon champions already. How is there three appearing out of nowhere


    Jura pauses. Uh I dont know. I am guessing the heroes dont either.


    The earth shakes. More rumblings. I could feel it. They are going to be here in a while. Maybe less.


    Whats our n? Jura paces the room.


    If I remember correctly, a few of them can take one demon champion with no problems. So there must be more to it. How many heroes did you see?


    I couldnt get a good look at them. Its too chaotic.


    Ah.


    Three demon champions, if they are of a simr strength as the golem, its going to be a real challenge. They are going to be here maybe in about two hours, so the heroes must have something in mind.


    Are they wounded?


    How do I defeat these demons?


    I look at the hounds in theb, strapped to the pod.


    Jura, whats known to be effective against demons?


    I actually asked this before, I recall the answer that there are weapons created by the heroes that have special effectiveness against demons. There''s also natural weapons like the usual holy magic, or star weapons like metal swords made from asteroids.


    Do demons have an off switch like the hounds?


    If I could extinguish the fire in their body, they would shut down. Okay, following that metaphor, if their source of power really is that fire, would water therefore destroy them?


    And so I test out on a hound, pouring my mana in through the connected roots. It enters its nk soul realm, and some of the mana evaporates in the process. Is it the heat of the soul?


    But after the initial evaporation, I could see the fire shrink, and eventually its extinguished.


    It works, for one. But from this I realise its slow, and not as effective as a simple strike. A strike would have destroyed that hound for far less mana. And if a demon champion isrger and more powerful I would not be able to do it.


    The dead hounds body cracks, the rocks on its body falling off like its shedding skin. And then, it convulses, or vibrates. It twists against the vines, and it starts to suck in mana.


    My mana.


    It twitches.


    And it stops. And I see its body regenerate, the wounds heal, and its limbs and fangs regrow. The rocks that once decorated its fur is reced with a strange, woodlike texture.


    A shiver runs through me.


    Jura. Lab. Now! Jura immediately jumps, and runs for theb, armed.


    He sees one of the hound. Which one?


    And the hound opens its eyes. And its green.


    [Hellhound forcefully adapted into your subordinate minion with your natural mana, and has transformed into woodhound]


    Wait.


    Jura eyes the hound, his arms grip his weapon. A hound should be an easy battle, but never could be sure.


    The pod opens, and the healed hound crawls out. It looks at Jura.


    I mentallymand it to sit.


    And it does.


    It feeds on my mana to survive, and I could sense that mana link between me and this.. woodhound. Its a simr link to my summoned insects.


    Fascinating.


    [Skill obtained : Natural Mana Overwhelming]


    But, no time to waste. I still dont have an answer for the three demon championsing my way. The earth still rumbles and shake, and the explosions can now be seen in the sky.


    Think!


    I have, familiars, essences, souls, soul realm, a few root attack variants, saps, leaves that can function as tea, wood magic and forming abilities, healing powers, spirit vision, a secret hideout wih ab and healing chamber, insect warriors, roo, barkskins, defense, wood-shields, some other lesser defense items, and a whole list of passive stats buff.


    Can souls and essences be made into a weapon?


    <em>Soul forge required to form high efficiency weapons.</em>


    Ugh. Not that. How about essences? Can I convert them into a weapon?


    <em>Currently, the essence of fire, essence of death and essence of starlight can be converted into a single use weapon.</em>


    Fine. Combine them.


    <em>Vessel required.</em>


    I would want to use it together with my [super antidemon rootstrike], so I quickly form a sharp pointy piece that will serve as the piercing edge of my root. With the piece of wood, the essences are then added to it, forming a sharp, three pointed wood.


    The earth rumbles. And streaks of light can be seen in a distance.


    They are here.


    Streaks of light in the distance now be explosions, and the heroes zoom toward me from the distance. Using some kind of speed burst, they retreat and dodge the explosions.


    Three demon champions appear, arge golem, a huge horned stone centipede, and some kind of stone turtle with spikes. They stand in the distance, surrounded by a horde of lesser demons, minor golems, and a few other lesser centipedes.

 The True Power of Heroes

    The True Power of Heroes


    <strong>Year 73 Month 2 Week 4</strong>


    Heroes & Champions


    Eleven heroes. They run, leaving destruction in their wake. Explosions, deflected by barriers. Fires, blocked by magical shields.


    The heroes, they try. Magical thunderbolt here, lightning st there, and the lesser demons fall like flies.


    Yet, there are easily tens of thousands of them, and only eleven heroes to stand against it.


    The fandy twirls, and she mutters a kind of chant. The demons attempt to disrupt her, but the other heroes cover her.


    <em>Swoosh</em>. A st from the sky, and hundreds of the demons, crushed instantly.


    And a blue giant fireball streaks through the demon swarm, roasts all in its path, then explodes, killing a few hundred more


    The giant tortoise demon stomps its feet, and the earth shakes tremendously, and a few dozen massive boulders fly at high speeds towards the heroes.


    A wall of light emerges, disintegrating the boulders and also the the lesser demons in its path. An ability that both Hendry and Max use together, a holy wall of some kind.


    The tortoise stomps its feet, and a few dozen more boulder fly towards the wall.


    Ugh. Hendry and Max both winces, Its using up quite a lot of mana. Alexis!


    The heroes retreat closer, and Me runs up to me.


    Tree Spirit, please aid us in battle!


    What if I refuse?


    Then the demons will kill you too.


    So, do you have a n?


    Yes.


    The heroes retreat into a formation behind me, and start some kind of chant.


    The horde of demons charge in, the thousands flood the fields. My insects and Jura together with my roots, form a protectiveyer, drive the demons away from the heroes.


    The three demon champions seem particrly disturbed by the chanting, and so they join the battle. The centipede, the fastest of the three, is unable to tunnel too near, due to my dense subterranean rootwork, and so it chooses to attack us directly, trying to ram the heroes.


    My wooden shields appear to block the centipedes strikes, and they shatter on impact. But it is sufficient to deflect it away, as Ind a few holy-enchanted root strikes on its side, and it knocks it back a little.


    I have its attention, and it tries to ram me instead.


    *<strong>wham</strong>*


    That hurt, a few barks crack, I had all my defenses up, but not fatal.


    Another root strike, this time to its body, and a big chunk of stone chips off.


    It rams me again.


    <strong>*wham*</strong>


    It shatters the threeyers of wooden shields I create in its way. Whatever the heroes are nning, it better work. The giant centipede rams me again, while smaller centipedes try to attack the heroes.


    A white dome appears over the heroes.


    They protected themselves with a magical barrier, great!


    The smaller centipedes ram into it, but nothing happens. Its ideal subterranean attack nullified by the rootwork, it can resort to ramming and swiping the dome with its stone thorns.


    Therger champion centipede is still focused on me. Its bigger than the centipede before, but so am I. Myrger form flows into additional power for most of my abilities, so Jura and the heroes are right that I can hold my own against these creatures for a while.


    The golem champion is now in range, and it tries to punch the white dome.


    [Constrict]


    My roots shoot out of the ground and grab hold onto the golem champion, and the tangles hold his punch back.


    I activate [constrict] on the giant demon centipede too, and it retaliates to it by twirling its body around my trunk. It coils around me, my branches, roots and vines also wrap themselves around the giant centipede, so we are both stuck. Or more like, the centipede is stuck.


    It feels like a snake is wrestling with a stick.


    Some of my roots pierce through its stone structure, after all it is made of earth and my roots are good at going through such surfaces. Elemental advantage, I suppose.


    Still, the golem and centipede are still mostly unharmed, even though are trapped in a thicket of roots and branches, and the giant centipede all coiled around my trunk. The centipede took a few blows, and its struggling and trying to crush me with its stone body and gore through the trunk with the horns.


    But the trunk and bark holds, with all the defense buffs that I have passively and the effects of the demon damage reduction.


    The tortoise is the only free one, and it then bites through the vines that tangles the golem.


    *chomp*


    *chomp*


    Sharp bites cut through the vines and roots, and one of the golems arms is free. And it punches. The punch ms into the dome, hard.


    <strong>*wham*</strong>


    The white dome cracks.


    Crap. Thats bad. I need to protect them for a bit more.


    A few root strikes pop up, hitting the underbelly of the tortoise, and knocks it back a little. However, it did not topple.


    The golem raises its fists and readies its next full power punch.


    Ugh, I use a [super antidemon rootstrike] together with the essence-edge, and it ms right into the golems chests. It explodes in a sh of starlight, and a huge hole appear in the golems chest.


    It still lives!


    It punches again, and I create multiple massive [woodshields] to block its strike. Its punch crushes the shields easily, and still manages to hit the dome. But, the shield did its job, the domes only lightly cracked.


    The giant tortoise rams me instead, and tries to bite me with its beak.


    *scratch*


    I could feel a gash near my trunk, but it quickly heals.


    The centipede tries to crush me even more, but my roots are also sucking out energy from its body.


    The golems other arms are free, and it throws a few more punches at the dome. Once again I create wood shields and try to reduce the impact.


    But only the first punch is weakened. The other few punchesnd squarely on the doom and it cracks even more.


    The dome glows.


    It seems, I have done enough. Now the heroes need to show what their n is.


    The dome pulses somemore, then it the glow bes brighter.


    Then,<em>woosh</em>.


    A blinding light.


    The dome explodes, and a massive energy wave sweeps outwards, like a nuclear shockwave. The wave disintegrates all the demons in its path, the lesser demons all vaporised, and in an instant, only demons surviving in the entire battlefield are the champions.


    Thats just too overpowered.


    The 3 champions though did not escape unscathed. The giant tortoises shell is half destroyed, revealing its charred in body, the golems arms and half its head that faces the dome is destroyed, and the giant centipedes body is half gone too.


    Yet somehow, the rest of us are safe. It seems like a special ability tuned to demons.


    The heroes, they emerge from the dome, wielding shining weapons, and covered with an armor of light. They dash towards the demon champions, and in just a few shes of light, all the demon champions are killed.


    At that moment, the only thing that went through my mind is, What the hell was that?


    Did I just tank three demon champions so the heroes can activate some kind of ougi power of friendship OP ability?


    Indeed, the heroes in their light armor form make such quick work of the champions that I found it hard to believe they are even demon champions in the first ce.


    The heroes, having destroyed all the demons, regroup.


    Thanks for covering us. We gained quite a few levels from that.


    Seriously.


    Now that they are not jumping or flying from ce to ce, we get a better look at them, and the heroes new outfit actually reminds me of power rangers. Or maybe kamen rider.


    Me Did you guys unlock some special ability recently?


    Yes we did! We got this special uh [Heavenly Form], and a few special skills. That big boom thing is our [Starlight Nova].


    <em>Whoah</em>. How do I get that kind of power?


    Me may I ask you dip into the pod again?


    Yea sure! Me says happily.


    At this point, Alexis and Hendry grabs Me. No. Its our power, we cannot reveal it. Dont do this.


    Me shakes her head. Both of you are being unreasonable. TreeTree just helped cover our butts because this skill activation has a ridiculously long chant time, and now you want to deny it?


    Hendry and Alexis pauses, Lets decide, collectively. As a group.

 Seeing heroes, and interlude 3: Demon King Battle

    Seeing heroes, and interlude 3: Demon King Battle


    Eventually, the heroes came to apromise. Mes argument sort of won.


    Here goes. Me dips in. The rest of the heroes look on, some with a rather concerned expression.


    Alexis and the fandy activate some kind of magical ability, and Me glows somewhat.


    Insurance. Anything unnatural, we go in. The mage exins, and I deduce its some kind of magical short-range teleportation ability.


    Max shakes his head, If this Tree saved Mes life, and Me has done this before, I really do not see why such precautions are necessary.


    Hendry puts his hand on Max. Yes. Yes he did. But our gift, our burden must be carefully guarded, and not put under the knife, or risk getting stolen. Precautions are necessary.


    I sigh These reincarnators are a pain, but whatever. Im not stealing it. Im just having a look at it.


    Me shakes her head. You guys, stop being paranoid. I want to do this, and we voted. Ill be fine. I can dip in a pool.


    One of the heroes poke in. I dont see the issue too. Our abilityes from the gods, and I highly doubt it can be easily stolen or copied or whatever. Just because you can see the schematics does not mean you have the tools and materials to create a machine.


    Well, he has a very good point.


    Mes fully submerged, and the roots and vines attach itself to her. And I could sense the data flowing into me, so I start to peek into her body.


    What is most immediately obvious, is that the two waterfalls from the aether that once pour normal clear water into theke of her soul, is now pouring a sparkly liquid, and it sparkles with starlight. I think this is what they refer to as, star mana.


    The ck whirlpool also disappeared, and so the water that flows down into the rest of her body is strong, thick like that of a raging river. That starlight water pours and feeds every part of her body, and enhances her bodys strength even more than before. Its kinda like those athletes taking performance enhancing drugs, really, only the change in muscle strength and texture is permanent.


    The star-mana is the fuel that powers their tremendous destructive ability, and their exceptionallyrge and powerful soul is the engine, and the body is the vehicle.


    Comparing Jura, Laufen to Me, it is obvious to me that in every where, Mes soul is just huge, and as a result, their disyed potential is just absurd.


    Is it done yet? Hendry asks, its about an hour in. They seem really anxious, but perhaps they are unaware how long medical procedures actually take. But I think its enough for me to gather all the data I need.


    Yes. The hatch opens, and Me steps out. She shakes her body abit, and yawns.


    That was a very pleasant nap. I felt like your healing energies were all inside me! Meughs, and she looks at her worried teammates, See. I am fine!


    Alexis and Max both casts some kind of spell and then nod. Yeah, shes fine.


    Max then looks up to the Tree, Apologies for our reservations. Hope you keep whatever you discovered a secret.


    Honestly, all I discovered is your souls are exceptionallyrge, you have huge amounts of star mana pouring into your body, and the huge natural mana from your soul and the star mana changes your body into anti-demon superhumans.


    All the heroes pause.


    Really, thats it.


    Star mana? Alexis pauses, and then she blinks. Hmm that makes sense.


    What? The others turn and look at Alexis, the groups wizard.


    I mean, it exins why we have such sess against demons. Star mana is rare, known to be naturally effective against demons who are extraterrestrial in nature and yet our body overflows with it. It, it never ured to me that the special mana that we all get ess to is just star mana. it should have been obvious, how our recent abilities have star-like names.


    Alexis then sits in one of the many root-benches in theb.


    Did you see our gifts?


    Hmm, I cant identify which one is a gift withoutparing to another body. Its from your differences that I know what is what, else I have to assume all that is the same is the norm for everyone.


    Hmm. That is true. You need a control or reference to interpret the results. Alexis rubs her chin.


    Alexis? Hendry walks over.


    Hmm.. nothing. Alexis then walks out of theb, and eventually all the heroes follow.


    Once they are out, I turn my attention towards digesting the new data I possess, now stored like a medical record.


    Indeed, I am not lying when I do not know where the divine gift is, andparing two reincarnators with different gifts would be one of the easier ways to find them, since one would naturally expect different gifts to appear and manifest differently in ones soul.


    The heroes, went back to their camp. Using some kind of magic they create a magical transportable inn that allows them to live infort, even whilst travelling. Ah, such a magic would put hotels and inns everywhere out of business, but the hospitality business can count on their lucky stars, as such magic is so far exclusive to heroes.


    Later that night, Me came over again.


    Hey Tree Spirit. I, I just want to apologise for my teams behavior. We, we tend to behave like that, its all about us, and not anyone else. Everything just to further our own aims of beating the demons.


    If I could nod I would. On hindsight, the heroes are pretty asshole-ish.


    You saved my life, our lives, and helped us alot. So I think we owe it to you, and I am really unhappy with what my team did. Even Hendry and Alexis are suspicious, and I.. I dont know why.


    Me pauses and sits on one of my many roots. Some of them are t on top now, to serve as tables and benches.


    Can I make a deal with you? Once we beat the demon king, Ille back and help you, even if I am not as magically clever as Alexis.


    Hmmm, Im not sure whether that sort of help is useful, but if I had to ask...


    Tree Spirit, do you have any requests?


    Hmm, ept my familiar. I gain experience if they die, so in many ways that helps me. In fact, ask everyone to take a familiar, thatll be enough. These heroes are going to fight more demons in the days after this, might as well profit out of it.


    Me nods, Oh that is fine. Give me one first, and I can ask the rest.


    I activate the familiar contract, and Me epts. She grins. Ooh it''s like a summon.


    The next morning, Me shows off her new familiar abilities to the heroes, and about half of them do end up epting a familiar from me. The other half have their reservations, though. Oh well, better than nothing. Six heroes with familiars, and five without.


    They left that afternoon. Perhaps it is better that way.


    <em>Experience from the demon champion battle</em>


    [You are now level 110. (+6 levels)]


    [Secret hideout : bib upgraded.]


    [Wood shield upgraded. Steelwood barrier obtained]


    [Constrict significantly upgraded]


    [Absorption significantly upgraded]


    [Obtained Tree ability : Subsidiary Tree]


    [Customisable branches options expanded]


    ---


    <strong>The Heroes POV. (Alexis)</strong>


    After the defeat of the 3 demon champions, we were feeling quite good about ourselves. We gained on average 10 levels each, and all of us now at least level 100. We felt we are ready for the demon king.


    [Heavenly Form]. We got that power when all of us hit level 90, and now after the demon champion, it leveled up, and we gain variants of that power. Max for example has [Heavenly Barrier Armor], and does not require that stupidly long chant time anymore.


    And even that chant time is somewhat irrelevant, now that Freyas, our residentdy with a fan, gains a power called [elerated chanting - Heavenly form], which allows all of us to enter into the form within a minute.


    The gods n on winning. And we are ordingly equipped with powerful abilities and skills.


    Yet, why did so many heroes die in the past?


    Me sits next to me. Still thinking about it?


    We left the tree spirit a day ago, and Me seems fine despite our initial disagreements on what we should do with the Trees request. After all, we do have amon enemy, the big bad that is the demon king.


    Yeah. Still bothers me.


    It bothers Max too.


    Were closer to the rift now, and it almost feels as if we can sense it.


    The next demon champion isst spotted guarding one of the rifts, and our goal is to destroy all the demon champions.


    Me usually rides next to me. Maybe its hidden in in sight. Something obvious.


    Possible!


    Some demons attack, we dispose them off easily. We are a group of 11 level 100+ heroes after all.


    The journey towards the rift brings us to more demons, and in a way its good. THe more demons they throw at us, the higher level we get.


    Two dayster, we arrive at the rift.


    Its like a glitch in the system, like a damaged LCD monitor. Whats a beautiful view is jarringly broken by arge ck gash floating midair, and demons are pouring out of that gap like water. Thankfully, just lesser hounds.


    The demon champion here is a giant cyclops with multiple arms, and it ys a function more than just a guard. Its also a guide for the new demons. It would point, and the hounds would go off in a direction.


    We attack, and with our newfound powers we crush the demon champion easily. Maxs star-mana powered [Starlight Smite] skill weakened it significantly in a single blow, and a few hitster it copsed.


    The rest of the lesser hounds didntst very long. A few AoE spells, and these fragile hounds die.


    The rift is still pouring demons out.


    Can we do something about it?


    Me nods. Ill need help, but I think so. Me starts dancing in a rhythmic fashion, and her body starts to glow in a myriad of colors.


    Me? I sense the presence of her mana, that special mana, and.. .something.


    I had a dream. She points both her swords at the rift, and two beams of light shoot out towards the rift. When I was in the pod.


    The light hits the rift, and it looks like the rifts energies start to battle the light.


    In the dream, I see a rift close when some heroes channel their power into it.


    The rest of us try, and indeed, together, ourbined powers start to overwhelm the rifts energies, and it shrinks, and eventually vanishes in a spark of light. The deserted, destroyed valley suddenly bes quiet, and normal again.


    <em>Demon King.</em>


    A sensation in our body, like an ice cube just rolled down our back. We feel it, the demon king. Itsing for us.


    All of us share a few nces. Its going to happen soon.


    How long, you think?


    I felt it again, that presence. I know it knows where we are. And I think I know where it is, too.


    Max and Hendry both sit. I have a feeling maybe two weeks. Strange, I had the same number in my head as well. We all can feel it.


    Strategy?


    Hit it with all we got. At range.


    Its going toe to us with everything it got, too.


    Then I suppose we should intercept it, take it off guard.


    I could do that. Indeed, for a long range homing attack, I think I might have just the spell.


    It took a days preparation, but we got into position. We could sense it, and if we can sense it, we can attack it.


    Eleven of us concentrated our energies into a glowing white energy ball above us, this is our opening act.


    [Neutron Comet] Arge building sized ball of light, containing our daily charged energy.


    It zooms towards the demon king, flying at high speed, perhaps a few thousand miles per hour. The demon king is far, perhaps a thousand miles away, but this is tuned to that sense of him, and I believe I can hit it.


    Impact, and we could feel as if the air shakes a moment.


    And then, a retaliation. A wave of boulders fly towards us. We deflect them easily.


    Still, it shows we can hit each other, so we resume our dailyet.


    And the two weeks is over, every day we attack with aet, and it retaliates with the boulders. There are lesser demons too, but we crush the, easily. And then, we have visual contact.


    The demon king Andraas takes the form of arge flying fortress with multiple spider-like legs, multiple tentacle-covered buildings as its body, and has multiple spires with eyes. Its as if a tentacle monster merged with a fortress to be this monstrosity.


    Its angry. And it attacks.


    [Demon King Andraas]


    Its unleashes a wave of rocks at close range, and these rocks are magically enchanted with demonic energy. And its spires and eyes shoot beams of energy at us.


    This is it. Hendry puts up a magical barrier, and yet it cracks when the beams hit it.


    And we descend into battle.


    Its faster, stronger, and tougher.


    The heroes and demon king is now in close battle, and the deserted valley is instantly filled with beams of light, flying rocks, and our counter-magics.


    A jagged rock flies right past me. I duck.


    I felt a shiver.


    The jagged rock breaks up into a million tiny needle like shrapnels next to me.


    [Fireform]


    My body of fire burns up the tiny rock needles. And a few other rocks that fly my way.


    The other heroes have their own ways of protecting themselves. Freyas with her wind magic is able to surround herself with a constantyer of magically enchanted high-speed winds that shred the needles.


    Help! I turn to look at our gunner. A massive tentacle is trying to crush him.


    [Holy Thunderstrike] A thunder zaps the tentacle, paralysing it for a split second, but enough to let him escape.


    Maxs sword glows with holy magic, and he shes the tentacle. It explodes, and the demon kings blood get everywhere.


    I thought they normally look like demons.


    Well, thats what the record says. But this demon king has been doing strange things from the start, it has elemental hybrids!


    Hendry creates a huge barrier, and we take this moment to enter our [starlight armor] form.


    The demon king roars, its tentacles and legs il repeatedly at the barrier. It cracks, and it cracks quickly.


    <em>Will we make it?</em>I wonder as we chant, the cracks appearing throughout the barrier.


    Hendry nods.


    A sh of light. The armor is done, and the barrier explodes, and a white me burns the tentacles close to the barrier. But still, the demon king looks rtively unharmed.


    The demon kings spider-leg stab Max in the stomach. UGH!


    MAX! Mes light sword cuts the spider-leg off, but a stab is a stab. Hes hurt.


    Maxs blood drips onto his sword, and he enters a frenzy. He climbs onto the demon kings spider leg and rushes forward.


    WE should get on the body!


    Good point. There might be a heart somewhere we can destroy!


    The fandy calls the rest of us to her, and she sweeps a fan. And a tunnel of wind appears, carrying us to the body of the demon king. The castle itself.


    And the fortress is like a disnend turned into a demonic yhouse. Tentacles everywhere, each house covered with eyes, and giant spiders roam the fortress.


    Should we just blow up this entire structure?


    We could.


    And we start attacking everything. The floor, the buildings, everything we see. The tentacles and giant spiders try to attack us, but it doesnt do much.


    We eventually bore a hole right into the fortress itself, and we found what we wanted. One of the many hearts of the demon king. Max, in his fury, shes it, and it blows up, and tonnes of its ck blood ssh everywhere.


    One.


    An army of human-sized demon knight appears as we look for the next heart, easily a thousand of them, apanied by spiders. They are strong, but in our starlight form we crush them easily.


    We found the next heart in a tall spire, and it is our gunner who blows it up.


    The third heart is hidden in one of the many buildings. The fourth in a corrupted church, and the fifth in a barracks.


    Each time, more and more demons try to stop us.


    How many hearts are there?


    Nine?


    We found the sixth and seventh hidden in another set of buildings.


    The demon king starts to lose ability to fly, and starts to crash onto the ground. More demon knights and demon champions try to stop us, but we destroy them easily.


    The eighth heart is in what looks like a market, and then, the ninth heart is in what appears to be a corrupted garden.


    Thats it?


    At this point, we are all drenched in blood and whatever gunk the demon king is made of.


    The fortress crashes onto the ground, yet the tentacles are still attacking us. But unlike before, their attacks seems to be blind iling.


    Then, the entire thing starts to shake. All the remnants of the demon kings hearts start to float out of their remains to pool together into a ck ball midair.


    Meughs. This is like a video game. Its not even its final form!


    The tentacles, the eyes, the legs, they all melt into a ck liquid that merges with the ck ball. We throw every ranged attack at it, and we manage to incinerate some of the ck liquid away.


    And then an eyeball appears on a ck ball. An evil eye?


    The next form is a massive eye. And it lets out a wave-ray of destruction.


    Max and Hendry join together to put up a barrier, but that ray destroys it instantly. And then starts to burn us. Unlike before, its not a focused beam, but more of a shining light, and everything that is lit by that light burns.


    Ahhhh. We attack it, and cuts appear in its body. Yet it seems to be a partial liquid form that seems to nullify our attacks.


    Me uses a special ability and manages to jump onto it. And she stabs it repeatedly with her two swords.


    The eye closes, and tries to turn and twirl repeatedly, but the Mes magical swords are deeply embedded into its body, and sticks even with its liquid forms. Still, it tries to shake her off, Me flings around like a ragdoll.


    Shes fine though, and she shouts.


    Theres something hard deep inside. I think we need to get it!


    That is the cue we needed, and our gunner takes out a special harpoon like weapon. It shoots a chained-harpoon and stabs into the eye. I wince a little at the imagery.


    And he channels a kind of energy through the chain into the eye, and it blows up. Me thankfully manages to jump away in time.


    A round red crystal.


    And it pulses.


    And pulses.


    And it starts to glow.


    Oh fuck its going to explode.


    All of us huddle together, and activate all the defensive and barrier spells we have at our disposal.


    It then blows up with the strength of a huge hydrogen bomb.


    [Demon King Andraas has been in]

 Next generation

    Next generation


    <strong>Year 73 Month 2</strong>


    A few days after the heroes leave


    The [subsidiary tree] unlocks 30 additional trees, and with that, using my natural tree spirit powers to stimte nt growth, a small forest now grows out around me, and though all these new smaller trees look separate, but they are actually part of me. They are linked underground via roo, and they serve a few functions.


    Each separate tree is actually one [customisable branch], and they collect a few things, such as sr energy, essences.


    The immediate impact is of course, happier elves! Well, Juras happy for a few reasons. After his involvement in the battle with the 3 demon champions, though its mainly dealing with the lesser demons, he gained a level and sessfully removed his curse. It seems growth can naturally ovee such curses.


    But the elves are happy because the additional trees remind the elves of this ce, before the humans, and before demonic stampedes that razed this ce to the ground. Freeka, is once surrounded by forests, and the forests was once home to many natural creatures that the elves hunted, and many herbs that the elves used extensively in their cooking,


    I have been trying to regrow the surrounding area multiple times, but each time a demon attacks, these regr trees do not stand a chance. These subsidiary trees, they inherit my resistances and defenses, and so, I think they willst a lot longer.


    The 30 extra trees form two circles around me, 6 in the inner circle, 24 on the outer circle.


    It feels like a wall. Jura looks around.


    It is meant to be a wall. Indeed, ayer of demon-resistant trees is my idea of defense.


    These trees, do they do something? Laufen asks, and Lausanne walks next to her.


    Looking at Lausanne, Brich and Wahlen, I decide to convert one of the inner trees into a yroom. The secret hideout did not have much space, given that it mostly living quarters, the food store, theb and the medical area. Oh, and there is a small pool.


    These elven kids have seen too much, and maybe a proper y area will bring a greater sense of normalcy into their lives.


    The yroom has a small wooden slide, a few different wooden toys, some racks and small chairs made using my wood forming magic.


    Ah children, what innocent souls.


    Eh.


    I wonder how a childs soul would look like, and Lausanne is too small, so Brich volunteers for the dip.


    And a childs soul, is the same as Juras, with one notable exception. The earth, or the body, is soft. And the spring which pours out, seems inconsistent. Brichs soul at time surges, and then it shrinks.


    When do children start practicing magic?


    Oh.. it differs by culture Laufen and Jura sits around and exin. Some cultures believe it is best to let the body mature before attempting to draw out mana, and so the exposure to magic iste, like their mid teens. Some cultures believe it is better to be exposed early and let mana flow more freely in the body.


    And different societies expose them differently, its not as if there is one standard way of doing it, as the bodies of different people are very different. People may learn the same spell, but the bodys elemental preference, stats can change how that trantes. In fact, the only so far somewhat uniformly agreed skill that appears the same way is the most basic of spells spark. And from what I hear, that does not apply to heroes!


    Hmm.. I suppose the shape of body, the way that water flows from the soul to the body makes that difference.


    Wahlens next, and indeed, once he dips in, I get a notification.


    [Obtained passive skill : soul grading]


    And indeed, it is a skill that sort the souls into general grades, and what I see is the both Wahlen and Brich are graded as a range of rank 2 to 4, where Laufen, Emile, Bell is rank 3, Jura is rank 6. The grade range for the 2 children seems to imply that childrens souls are still flexible and subject to influence.


    Actually, looking at all this I now wonder what am I?


    I am a tree spirit, but I do have a soul, and I wonder whether it is possible to look at myself, the way I peek into others?


    Nope.


    I cant see myself. Though, I do have a wide array of menus and measurements. Oh well, maybe someday I will get some kind of reflection-ish ability. But menus are supposed to be a lot more urate, after all they quantify everything into a number or a status. But this recent experience does draw some limitations of menus. Numbers are rigid, and yet the vision of ones soul, and that notion of a flowing water, it exins how everything is linked, and how the body feeds back into the kind of energy produced.


    Anyway, back to the children, and my new found tree-mates.


    With 30 extra [customisable-branch], and the new options for them, the innermost trees are reserved for elves, so for the inner 6 trees, 1 is a ypen for the kids, 2 is some extra rooms for the elves, and perhaps future visitors, such that they dont get inside me, and I left 3 empty for now, since the process of changing one upied customisable branch to another type takes a good month, even though the first change from nk takes a day.


    As for the other 24, I set one as a kennel for the woodhound, 10 for essence extraction, 4 as mineral processors, 5 as housing for insect warriors, which as a result, spawns an additional 15 insect warriors in my service, and 4 unused. Perhaps Ill get some kind of defensive option, which the remaining 4 can be used for.


    I set a lot of the customisable branches for essence extraction, because wisp ims that essence is one of the key materials for the [soul forge]. Still, even now its not operational, the soul forge needs a power source.


    The elves now walk about their expanded safe area protected by the 2yers of trees. Jura takes one of the extra rooms, and the two young elves, Emile and Belle takes the other room. Laufen and the children continue to stay in the secret hideout. An unfortunately, the toilet and washroom is still in the secret hideout. Perhaps amon public bath can be madeter on.


    TreeTree, will these rooms grow?


    Maybe? I dont really know. Perhaps these trees can level up and I can give them more options. But I think it is quite unlikely as they are connected to me.


    Ah oh well. Belle shakes her leg on her new mattress. In the room the 2 girls share, theres 3 single beds, and a few cabs. Its fairlyrge, and theres windows out to the main tree. In a away, these rooms look like they are carved out of the trees themselves.


    Emile too checks out her new cabs. For once she can move her clothes out of her chest in the hideout, into proper cabs.


    You think the heroes will defeat the demon king? Emile sits on the other mattress.


    Yea, of course they would. They are heroes!


    Not as good looking as I hoped though.


    Well, I guess history paints heroes with a whole lot of makeup! Belleughs and rolls on her new bed. The mattress is made of old clothes stuffed inside.


    Emile stands and looks out one of the windows, to see a few of the new subsidiary trees. Its home to the giant beetles, and a few of them are resting. The home of the giant beetles, these giant trees are hollow within, and contained inside are nectar which these beetles feed on.


    She felt a little tingle, perhaps an instinctual fear. Its weird to be so near these giant beetles, but they are minions, creations of the Tree Spirit.


    Jura walks in. Ah, the design is the same.


    Oh Jura.


    Settling in already?


    Yeah. Finally a space outside!


    Yeah, tree spirits are amazing. There are other tree spirits around the world with simr powers, and some of these very ancient tree spirits managed to elude the wrath of the demons by escaping, by creating mystical forests that are able to disappear temporarily. The methods the denizens of the world used to survive and oust the demons are varied, some choose to disappear, some choose to constantly move.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 3 Week 2</strong>


    [Demon King Andraas has been defeated]


    <em>[Maximilian Powell has died]</em>


    <em>[Me Adams has died]</em>


    <em>[Hendrick Mathers has died]</em>


    <em>[Freyasian has died]</em>


    <em>[Gunnar Forrest has died]</em>


    <em>[Peters Schmiel has died]</em>


    <em>[Fang Wei has died]</em>


    <em>[Omar West has died]</em>


    <em>[Sally Ann Courss has died]</em>


    <em>[Reese Witherfork has died]</em>


    [You received 10 fragments. You now have a total of 66 fragments]


    [You gained 4 levels. You are now level 114.]


    [Tree Familiar abilities upgraded]


    [Skill : Defensive dome obtained]


    [Customisable branch option unlocked : Shield Generator]


    [Soul Tree range greatly expanded]


    It started with a set of popups, and then I had a very, very bad feeling, and I asked all the elves to hide. They didnt know why, but they trusted memands. I activated all the defensive measures that came with the higher levels, and indeed, there is something.


    There is a small dy, about an hour, but then it happened. A very strong wind swept across the entire area. Its like a shockwave from a faraway explosion, and with it, searing, hot air. Thankfully, it seems to have weakened considerably by the time it came here.


    What the hell was that! Jura exims, and looks at the other elves.


    The demon king died. And I think some kind of massive explosion happened.


    OH! The elves p their hand. Thats great news!


    And the heroes died as well.


    Oh. Thats sad, but thats great news too! Jura frowns, and thenughs.


    What? Why? THe other elves look at Jura.


    Surviving heroes tend to create political chaos after the demon threat is nullified. Actually, quite a few of the human kingdoms and empires we see today are descended from heroes. So heroes, while necessary, do create a whole lot of wars and fighting.


    So what next?


    What would you do to prepare for the next demon king?


    The elves pause.


    Uh


    Wait. I thought elves being long lived tend to n things out.


    Jura and Laufen nce at each other. Well, were concentrated on our day to day lives, training, or looking after the kids, that we dont think much about the next demon king. Kings and emperors, heads of priests worry about such stuff.


    That somehow reminds me of regr people stuck in dead end jobs, unable to see the bigger picture because its deadlines after deadlines at work.


    And even if we thought about it, the demon king is so powerful that whatever we thought isnt going to work.


    Well, fair. If its not something you have the ability to change, you dont worry about it.


    At this point its the children that speak up. Brich and Wahlenugh and say, if we could be heroes, then we can beat the demon king! Thats actually the ideal. If we could beat the demon king, then we need not worry about the problems that it creates.


    And if I want to try that idea, Ill need to get my [soul forge] online.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 3 Week 3</strong>


    The death of the demon king takes a while to get out, not everyone gets a nice notification in their menus like I do. It seems that the ce where the demon king perish, is warped by the mixture of his demonic magic and the natural magic in the area, and creates special mana crystals known as Daemolite.


    Daemolite is a valuable mineral, for it only exists at the ces where the demon kings has died, and the amount of such mana crystals created is finite. But, its valuable for its ability to store mana inrge quantities, and is therefore valuable in high-mana requirement spells, rituals and generally as a source of power forrge, long range weapons. Even adventurers also use them as a sort of a reusable mana potion, as theyck of pains of potion-sickness, as these crystals merely store their own mana, which they can withdrawter on.


    And so, the period immediately after the demon kings death is usually a mad rush to the demon kings site, to harvest these minerals. It is for these reasons that some adventurers have a secondary mission given by their countries, which is to observe and inform their benefactors the location of the demon kings demise.


    Yet, mining such minerals, which usually appear as crystalline structures on the surface, is fraught with challenges as well. The dense mana pool tend to attract leftover demons, and alsorge monsters.


    Daemolite is valuable, but what gets kings and countries to sendrge armies to seize control of the area, is for a very rare thing, thest remains of the demon king, is a small finger sized horn, known as the Horn Of Eternity. Ground into powder and consumed, it restores ones youth, extends ones life significantly, and depending onpatibility, gains ess to a special type of magic, known as chaos magic.


    In an age where ones life is finite, agelessness and youth is very much desired.


    And, we have our first human encounter again.


    Airship!


    Oh, a magical airship. It seems those exists in this world after all. Its a small one, and it zooms ahead quickly.


    At this point, Jura looks up. That airship


    Huh?


    They belong to the Sh kingdom that attacked us.


    Ah. Thats a kingdom I dont want to benefit from this entire adventure. Hmmm, but I cant attack it at range, my root strike doesnt fly so high. If only I have some kind ofsso, but Ill work on that next time. Perhaps flying insects too.


    But for now, I think my fruits can hit it, if I shoot them with it. Perhaps I can create explosive fruits next time, like explosive mangrove seeds. Maybe next time, this system has a way of creating things I think about somehow.


    I create a bunch of corrosive fruits, and right when it fly overhead, I unleash a huge barrage of them. They hit it underneath, and it shakes midair, and starts to crash.


    The airship shakes, and somehow manages to perform a controllednding, and about six men pop out.


    Huh what the hell happened? One of them came out, he seems like a fairly experienced adventurer.


    We are attacked. Something hit us with these things. Another guy points at the remains of the corrosion fruits stuck at its bottom. The hull is riddled with holes.


    Theres only that bunch of trees. Something is in there?


    Yea.


    Lets go check it out. The six men draw their weapons and approach the outer trees. And as theye a bit closer, my roots pop out, and wrap around their bodies like multiple pythons.


    They scream.


    But my roots and vines are able to hold back a demon champion.


    They struggle.


    Still, my beetles pop out and bite off their weapons.


    Weaponless, and restrained by vines, I wonder what do I do with them. Kill them?


    At that point, I wonder whether are all men of the kingdom of Sh the same. Maybe these men are unaware of the atrocities their fellow menmitted.


    Tie them up and interrogate them. Find out what they want. I mentally speak to Jura.


    Jura takes a bit of my extra-strong paralysing sap and makes all but one of them drink it, and it causes the five men who had a taste of the bitter sap to shake and convulse like they are electrocuted.


    Thest man, the oldest and the one who looks to be in charge, stare at Jura. What the fuck are you doing!


    You belong to the Sh Kingdom, and they destroyed this vige some time ago. Im just taking revenge.


    The mans eye widen. I have nothing to do with it.


    Really? Jura shrugs. Thats what everyone says. But the sins of the nation are shared by every citizen and follower of the nations. I might spare your life is youre cooperative, but otherwise Ill kill you.


    The beetle carry the remaining five men into a wooden cell, one of the extra [customisable branches]. Essentially its a room, but with no windows and a door that only can be opened from the outside, and vines inside that holds onto their bodies.


    So.... do you want to cooperate?


    Fine. What do you want?


    Good.


    The group of beetles then transport the damaged airship into the area between my main tree and the sub-trees. Ill have to take a look at themter, the idea of having my own airship is appealing, even if I cant use it.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 3 Week 4</strong>


    The adventurers are alive, and my routine involves putting them under the microscope. There are certain differences in the human bodypared to elves, and this is most apparent in the nature of their water. The elves have a very slight greenish tinge to them, and this it seems leans toward a nature-based magics, and makes it harder for them to use magics that contradict this natural disposition, whereas the humans generally have pure, clear, colorless water.


    After a week of going into the pod theyve gone slightly crazy, and it seems they are hallucinating. Perhaps its the sleep-inducing elements that I inject into them via the nourishing branches.


    Are we going to keep them here forever? The younger elves arein, but put up with it because they are monitored by beetles and restrained by the vines.


    Well, I n to dispose them, eventually. But for now, they are useful. If the soul forge is that powerful, understanding this is key.


    Jura grins. I would like to fight them one on one.


    Hmm, maybe I could set up a match between Jura and them, and let them fight for their fate. But what if he loses?


    No, if he loses, I have a problem.


    Fine. IF they win, they go free.


    Jura gulps, but he is the best fighter the elf vige has, with all the additional levels from the recent battles.


    Let them know, one on one, if they win, they go free, they lose, they die.


    The adventurers are more than happy with such challenges, and so they agree. So, the next day, the captain faces Jura, outside the ring of trees. Ill still be able to easily kill them with a root strike, so Im not too concerned.


    The battle starts with a staredown, the captain and Jura stares at each other, and readies their weapons.


    Start. Laufen, nked by about six beetles, start of the match. She shakes her head, this is a silly men thing.


    The two men starts trading swords, but its easily clear that Juras a lot stronger. I figured as much, as my investigations into his body doesnt suggest anything special.


    The adventurer tries a few dodgy tricks. A poison dagger, a random hidden weapon, and it fails. Jura as an elven warrior has fought adventurers many times in the past, so such tricks are not new.


    And a sh, the battle ends. All in, its mostly posturing and sensing for a good 3 to 5 minutes, the actual fighting is like for 5 minutes and thats it.


    So, the adventurers will die.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 4 Week 2</strong>


    Some peace and quiet. Its lovely. Rather than killing them with a root strike, I felt like trying something different so I used [absorption] on them, and drain them into nothing but a husk.


    With the new weapons and items collected from the adventurers, the elves can now practice different kinds of fighting, which they will need to do eventually.


    My multiple essence generators are producing well, but I think Ill need new skills and abilities soon. And one alternative to the [soul forge] is to power it myself, but that would require a tremendous amount of energy, and so Im exploring how to store energy, the solution came in the form of a potato.


    [Tree ability : create tuberous storage]


    A potato that stores energy.

 Customisation and crops

    Customisation and crops


    <strong>Year 73 Month 4 Week 3</strong>


    One tuber for every [customisable branch]. So for a total of 40 potatoes, given that my main body grown and has 10 customisable branches now, and 30 for each of the subsidiary trees. These standard sized potatoes is also now my standard unit for energy.


    The energy cost of my [soul forge] activities will be measured in potato units (PU).


    And we see a group of returning refugees.


    Dislocated by the demonic invasion, these men and women seek to return to their old home, to rebuild, and to see whats left. Their expression a mix of fear, excitement, relief, and worry, to return, there is a lot to think about. They probably lost a lot to the demons, and yet they still want to return. They however did not get too near, and mostly just went on their journey.


    I wonder how are the rest of our vige? Laufen sits at one of the t roots that link the main tree to the other tree. Juras opposite her.


    They are in the elven kingdom, Id like to think they will be fine. Jura nods, but he probably is being optimistic. Not many survived the journey, and to restart in a foreignnd is hard.


    Do you think they wille back?


    If they know what we have, yes. Jura pats the t top of the wood. Its like a table now.


    Theres a lot of things to do, though, and one of it is for me to make contact with other spirits.


    To further extend the range of my [local area roo], I would need to engage in some infrastructure projects. But of course, it is a difficult exercise, so its important to locate other spirits first, and then attempt to link up.


    The elves unfortunately do not remember where is the nearest tree spirit, and it is possible not all tree spirits are known, though it seems that those attuned to nature can generally sense it, and so, I wonder whether I can sense it.


    And I get pulled into the soul realm.


    Its the Wisp. It seems it can pull me in here whenever it wants to.


    Hello. The wisp floats, surrounded by multiple other floating souls They glow like little balls of white light, orbiting the wisp.


    Oh. Hi Wisp.


    One of the little balls stop and float right in front of me. Tree Spirit.


    Huh? Oh, is this like Gewa? I take a better look, and this ball is.. different. Its glow pulses, and the color is bluish.


    One of your heroes. Unlike the others, theres something holding it back from returning to the gods.


    So, you are? Heroes? Ah well, heroes are supposed to be special, their spirits belonging to the gods.


    Me. Died.


    How?


    Her souls in pretty bad shape, whatever caused the death is really bad. Souls, even those of the gods also naturally decay unprotected, and its actually amazing it made the journey here. The wisp floats. Youll need your soul forge to repair her back to normal.


    Why? I ask Mes ball of light.


    Promise. Help. Tree Spirit.


    My guess is it followed the path of the familiars attached to it, else it would have given up and return to the gods She holds rather strong emotions of debt to you, so she returns.


    Ah. Its a bit like Gewas case, but in this case its due to her promise. Ill need to figure out how this works better.


    Okay will it decay further?


    Nope. Now that its in your soul realm, the decay stops. But to repair whatever caused the damage to her soul, youll need your [soul forge].


    I see. It seems everything rted to souls must start with having a functional soul forge. Can I ask what happened?


    Demon King. Explode. Die. Mes soul bobs up and down.


    Oh okay.


    I think thats all it can manage for now. The wisp stops me from going further. You can talk to her again tomorrow. Her soul need to get recharged now.


    The wisp then moves away, and the other souls follow.


    The rest are the other reincarnators? I ask, noticing the other souls, but they do not look like Mes. They look ordinary.


    No. Just random souls that died within your range. You get a lot of these. Kind of like a ma that pulls souls towards me. Or is it gravitational field?


    Doesnt these souls have information I can use? I mean, if they can talk like Gewa, that means I get a constant stream of information as long as people die!


    Maybe, but you need a soul forge to squeeze it out of them.


    Seriously! Must everything be dependent on a [soul forge]?


    No, you can also get a skill, but youre not there yet. Spend more time in the soul realm, you might learn something. The Wisp bobs, and then<em>wooshes</em>off.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 4 Week 4</strong>


    Refugees! And adventurers. They have somewhat aligned interests, refugees want to return to their old homes, while adventurers want to check out whats left behind. Perhaps from the many demon battles, those who perished leave valuable items behind, useless to demons, and they need the refugees knowledge of their areas. Perhaps they are here to raid any abandoned castles or stuff.


    There are about four batches of refugee humans, and then one odd lizardman. Too bad the lizardman didnt get close, I would love to put him under the scope. And they mostly avoid me. It seem a gigantic tree surrounded by two rings of trees is scary!


    I did some thinking and I came up with three threats which I need to prepare for.


    The first threat are the nearby kingdoms, their adventurers and armies will seek to restore their rule over thend, and that will includeing back here and iming this ce. I will therefore need to prepare for an army, easilyrger than before. And this will include their adventurers as well, that may see myself as a prize, or a bounty.


    The second threat are the non-demon monsters. I had it easy with my various buffs against demons, but now that the demons are gone, we are back to the regr monsters. I recall I can handle most of the regr ones, but if there are greater monsters, of which the abilities are unclear. There may be dragons, or monsters of that level, which may now be attracted to myrger size.


    Thest threat is obviously the returning demon king. From the past trend, it looks to be a ten year cycle, and Im not sure whether ten years is enough to prepare, so Ill also want to know whether I can somehow influence the return of the demon king, perhaps the rift sizes influences the demon kings return, or something. If I can figure out how to push the time back even a year or two, that may allow more options, maybe even push it back indefinitely.


    The kingdoms are the immediate threat, of course, and I would like to get back at the Sh kingdom for what they did to the elves. So, dealing with a conventional army, I would need arge amount of area effect abilities, a standing army, perhaps in the form of arge beetle army, or some converted woodhounds, and some camouge or ambush-like abilities to take out unprepared forces.


    It seems the political situation for most nations is held together by the big bad guy, the demon king, and once its dead, the cracks in most nations tend to emerge, so the period after the demon king is usually followed by all sorts of rebellions, coups, power grabs and so on. I could offer protection from demons that these kingdoms cannot, and thats a strategy to gather supporters and rebuild Freeka.


    For non-demons, itll be on the elves. Ill need to get them to the point where they can handle monsters, but dragons or other powerful flying beasts, if I ever encounter them, would bel a headache. My anti-air options are limited, my fire resistances may or may not apply against dragonfire, and I hope I dont have to find out.


    For demon kings, I honestly dont know where to start, but first of all, I need data. What has been written about demon kings in the past, and that means finding libraries, scribes, historians, other tree of knowledges, if there are such things.


    TreeTree. Emile snaps me out of my thoughts. They can call out to me anywhere around my main tree, and somehow I can receive it.


    Yes?


    Can you put your smaller trees anywhere, or must they be next to you?


    Good question. I didnt think about it, the moment I got the ability I just instinctively put them around me.


    At this point a popup appears on my menu.


    <em>Subsidiary trees can be ced anywhere within your rootwork. Each subsidiary tree also extends your rootwork.</em>


    Its like a build-range thing strategy games have. I should have pylons.


    Why did you ask, Emile?


    Oh, I thought itll be cool if we could like have a room to stay at the end of every days journey. If we were on a journey. Im just daydreaming. Haha. Emileughs and rolls on her bed. Or maybe the trees can be a wall or something


    Hmmm, spacing out the trees like a electrical pylons is interesting, since my vision is shared by my trees after all.


    Or maybe theyll be like the magical twin-trees of the old Era. Theres this two spiritual trees that are apparently twins, and they have a connected portal that allows a person to move between the trees.


    Well, thanks for the idea Emile!


    <strong>Year 73 Month 5 Week 1</strong>


    Im trying to find out whether my leaves can act as some kind of energy generator since I discovered the potato storage. In a way, a sr-panel - batterybination. I mean, in a game-sense, I think its possible, but Im not sure what Im missing to upgrade them. There should be a more efficient and higher output design and construction.


    Leaves after all generate food via photosynthesis, and the tubers act as storage of the food, and if the leaves can produce more, itll be faster to refill the tubers.


    Maybe Im missing certain kind of minerals.


    Im also stuck with the soul forge, but at least I know what Im missing.


    To fire it up for the first time, 1000 potato units (PU). Subsequent use depends on the type of forging or change you are making. The Wisp floats. I like that he uses my terminology. From what I calcte so far, I have 40 potatoes underground, and each of my leaves and trees generate 1 PU as well, so if I use my existing production and release my stored energy I can hit 80 PU.


    920PU to go. I need to figure out how to close that gap. The elves, using their mana can each produce about 1 to 3 PU worth of energy, so their contribution is rtively negligible.


    And now that I have the potatoes, Id like topare against the storage capacity of this daemolite that everyones looking to get.


    Theres a fair bit of soulsing. The Wisp bobs and floats. My soul realmtely looks like a firefly park. I wonder whether theres a capacity. No. Theres no limit.


    If I kill someone, do I get their soul?


    If they are strong and hold strong emotions against you, no. Otherwise, theres a chance you will. Most souls lose their worldly bindings and dont really care which spirit tree or spirit being captures them.


    Why dont all the souls float back for my familiars? I wonder whether he knows, but I suspect its a chance thing. Like Semara?


    Theres quite a bit of randomness involved. Proximity, luck, the manner of death, whether there are other soul trees nearby a lot of things influences it. The ideal situation to absorb a soul is to repeat Gewa, ie, for them to die right next to you, on their own, next to you. Killing them, or a painful death reduces that odds. In their case, their actual soul still needs to go on to their next life, but that waiting time is spent with you


    So will Me move on to the next life too?


    She should, as it is the way of the world, but otherworlders are special. I am not aware of whether their rules are different. In any case, the damage her soul received prevents her from moving on, so you have time to.


    Ah so there are plenty of souls that are damaged, and unable to move on. A gruesome death tends to damage the soul, and releases dark energies that may create hauntings or manifest as evil spirits, but the presence of spiritual intermediaries, such as tree spirits, exorcists, evokers, spiritualists or certain types of ces of worship is able to contain said energies and manage the souls.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 5 Week 2</strong>


    Its getting hot.


    The small patch of crop the elves nt around the trees are doing well, augmented by my presence. Using some wood magic to fashion a set of wooden pots, there are multiple pots hanging around all the branches, and also on the floor, and they contain things like chillies, herbs. Theres also a small patch that grows edible potatoes, and corn.


    Harvest should be soon, at least for this batch.


    Juras practicing his tree-jumping thing. It seems elven archers used to jump from tree to tree to get into position, and previously with only one tree, he didnt have anywhere to jump.


    The kids want to follow what hes doing, so Laufen keeps them in them in the ypen. Lausannes at that mimicry stage after all, and even with her tininess shes trying to climb up the trees.


    And I acquire a new skill.


    [Customisable branches : Harvestable Products obtained. Options are : Cotton, Maple Syrup, Oranges, Olives. Expanded options will be avable with higher levels, or when new types of fruits are studied in the bib]


    Ah man. I dont feel like using the inner ring trees or the main trees avable branches for this though. So that leaves all the 4 outer ring trees for these functions.


    For us, wed like cotton. Well get to make new mattresses, new clothes and new pillows. We already have rather tasty fruits.


    If well see more travellers, maybe there will be merchants too! Olives and syrups should sell quite well, we can get money!


    Ah money. Hmmm That would be interesting.


    I wanted to still leave some of the outer trees avable, so I choose 1 for cotton and 1 for olives. The two chosen trees enter a sort of hibernation stage, and I could sense its inner body changing. In fact, as I reach out to it, a popup appears in my head.<em>Transforming to produce chosen products, please wait 3 days.</em>


    Ah well, thats not long.


    That money and merchant thing though I think Ill scare them if I talk directly into their head.


    Well do it. The threedies, Laufen, Emile and Belle. We used to buy and sell stuff with merchants, so I think we can handle it.


    Alright then, olives for sale.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 5 Week 4</strong>


    The two trees are ready, and it seems each tree products one cartload of olives, and one bale of cotton, per week. The elves though need a storeroom, so for now they put in within the [secret hideout]. The cotton is in rather raw form, so the elves and the kids help with processing them into more usable form, which will take quite a while. In some ces of the world, magic is used to process these raw cottons.


    As for the olives, they are harvested in their fruit form and will be pressed into olive oilter. It seems these oils are rather expensive, since they dont grow everywhere.


    The quality of these 2 produces are average, and I suppose thats because I just acquired the skill to make them. Perhaps Ill get the ability to produce higher quality producester.


    With the additional crops, the elves are now a lot busier, and somehow it cheers them up. It seems to remind them of a proper vige life where everyones got some kind of work to do. Even if it is tiring to work on the cotton, or to press the olives with the wooden press Ive made with some wood magic, these elves find some kind offort and pleasure in doing such chores.


    asionally, there are still some stray packs of hellhounds and other monsters appearing, but they are easily disposed by the beetle group.


    And then theres an odd bunch. Theyre like adventurers, but not.


    Ah, bless the nameless mother! The druids, they seem extremely interested and so they move closer. These trees! They look untouched by the demons destruction.


    Ah, indeed. The gods are kind, for somends are preserved!


    The elves hide. Laufen shakes her head.


    Who are these people? I ask the elves, now all hidden.


    It looks like there are people living here! One of them mutter, as the rest catch up.


    A man that wears a strange wig, with a ne of multiple tiny bones, ws and feathers look at it and point at my main tree. He reminds me of those shamans or witchdoctors and he carries a wooden staff decorated with small skulls and bones.


    Spirit sign.


    Oh? Another manes up next to him. Hes got a long flowing white cloak, and hood. A bit like priest, but not. That exins it.


    Leave? The shaman asks, and the others nod.


    Yes, yes. This ce dont need our help.


    Wait. Wait. The super excited first guy interjects. I think there are elves here.


    Yes. So?


    Isnt there a bounty on elves?


    No. The shaman shakes his head. No elf hunting.


    Dont let the King hear that. Another of hispanions chime in, and rides up next to him.


    He no king.


    Okay, okay. Were not having this conversation. Lets go, lets go. One of them gets in between the shaman and the other over enthusiastic guy, and tries to break up their conversation. Weve got plenty more to do.


    The shaman guy nods, and they move on.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 6 Week 2</strong>


    Shrubs and small trees grow around my circle of trees now. Theyve been growing since spring began, and now they form ayer outside. Throughout the valley, weeds and small shrubs pop up, and so it is now ayer of green.


    My presence contributes to this burst of nature and vegetation, of course.


    And roads.


    Yes, actual roads are being built. A group of 40 men, using a mix of earth magic and fire magic are building a road across the valley. Theyre apanied by cartographers, and some guards.


    Lets mark this in the map.


    Its Freeka isnt it?


    Yeah, whats left of it. But it looks like other than the destroyed forests, the general area is unchanged.


    At least thats a piece of the map we dont have much to change.


    Yea. One of the men scribbles on what looks to be a veryrge floating book.


    The earth mages keep on forming bricks and the fire mages st them, cooking the bricks, and then it is magically arranged on the floor by the other mages. Its a continuous, ongoing process, that builds tiled bricks for faster travel by merchant wagons.


    But we do need to note down that giant tree. Itll be andmark.


    Giant trees. Probably magical. To be investigated further.


    And thats the end of it. They moved on.


    In this world, the devastation caused by magic is incredible. Towns ttened, hills destroyed, forests razed. But simrly, the natures magics also restore the hills, and forests at a speed far faster than my own.


    And despite the really huge deaths from every demon attack, it seems the worlds poption is still growing rather steadily. Not all continents are affected by the demon king, though the demon kings move and rotate its appearance between the continents. So, the destruction is localised, and gradually spreads, as the demonic rifts open in more and more ces, until the demon king is killed.


    To some extent, the presence of reincarnators and heroes made the natural denizens of the worldzy. Lazy. And selfish. Because its not their problem. The heroes will deal with it.


    The armies from those nearest to the demons are there just to buy time and reduce the destruction, but kingdoms across the other continents would not send armies to aid. I find my thoughts constantlying back to how the demon king is a regr disaster. Its like a hurricane that happens every 10 to 15 years, and if what Me briefly suggested, slightly stronger each time.


    And that brings me to the next question. What if no heroese the next time? I hope I dont jinx it, but, what if? Ah, maybe I should ask the gods. Can I talk to gods in this world?


    Maybe I should not think so much. I am a tree, right?


    <strong><em>Next day</em></strong>


    TreeTree. Lausanne sits on my roots. Ah, yes. I got distracted. Baby duties. When the adults are busy with the olive press or splitting the cotton fibres, Laufen asks me to keep Lausanne entertained. Brich and Wahlen are old enough to be given some tasks, but Lausanne at 3 is still too small.


    Yes?


    y time. Please make a wood ball?


    Oh okay. Sure. A wood ball appears, and she grabs it. She has many wood balls, but she seems to enjoy the newly made wood balls the most. She says the surface is smooth.


    Ball.


    Yes. Ball.


    Balls are like round fruits. Like oranges. But smoother.


    Yes. Lausanne hops around carrying her wood ball. She walks out of the hideout to the inner circle courtyard. The other elves are working with the wooden press.


    Can you make a big ball?


    Yes, how big?


    Bigger than the tree? Bigger than.. the world?


    Well, no. I cant make a ball that big.


    Oh. Lausanne looks down.


    Can you make a treehouse? So I can throw balls further? Well, I could make a mini treehouse in her yroom. But shes 3.


    Ah. Yes, I can.


    No. Wait. I dont have the skill? But I could create a treehouse like structure, but its not secured to the tree


    Can you make one now?


    Uh no.


    Why?


    I need to prepare.


    Can you make stairs?


    Yes. Where is Lausanne going with this?


    Can you make stairs between trees? Thats like bridges, no? Should be possible, even though the trees are not linked.


    Mommy says I am growing. Are you growing too? You are a lot bigger now.


    I.. I think so.


    I think I am growing. I can reach for things on the table now.


    Yes. Yes you are.


    How much taller and stronger can I grow? Will I be a hero someday? Lausanne kicks the wooden ball. Its hollow and smooth, so it doesnt hurt so bad. The ball rolls onto another bunch of roots.


    Maybe like your mommy.


    Can I be strong instead, so I can protect mummy and everyone?


    Why not. If you work for it.


    Uncle Jura says not everyone has the ability to be heroes. Needs to be born with the talent.


    Man, Juras a bit too realist there.


    Im just telling her to not pursue the impossible. People are born with a ceiling to their ability. Everyone gets there and they teau off.


    Really? Maybe his understanding is incorrect. But then again, Im not sure either. Is this world so fatalistic that everyone settles at a certain level? Do the mechanism of levels actually form a cap?


    I can, right? Lausanne looks at me, hopeful. She wants to be a hero, and, I think she can.


    Yes. Of course.


    She smiles, pick up one of the small sticks and starts swinging it around like shes fighting. Shes a bit too young for that, honestly.


    Laufen shakes her head, but doesnt stop her daughter. She then goes back to work, sorting through the cotton threads. They have some kind of basic loom invented, but needs quite a bit of manual assistance to make basic cotton cloth.

 New habitants

    New habitants


    <strong>Year 73 Month 6 Week 3</strong>


    Arge caravan passes by. They go along the road made by the earlier bunch.


    I hope they are sure.


    No ones sure, but if we manage to get there we will be one of the first groups to reopen the old trade routes. And that, will make us rich. The price differentials is huge!


    Theres easily 200 men in this group, with about a hundred horses carrying goods.


    Wonder why they did not just send airships.


    You know how expensive the power crystals are? And they take so long to charge!


    At about this time, their conversation is interrupted.


    Hello merchants! Would you like to buy some oils and cloth?


    They turn and see two female elves. Laufen and Belle, with two baskets next to them, one containing olive oils stored in small wooden bottles, and the other containing the processed cotton cloth they worked on for the past few weeks.


    Of course, hidden a distance away is the armored beetles. Thanks to the tall natural weeds, they can easily hide.


    And they both picked a location well within my [root strike] such that I can quickly intervene if anything happens.


    Elf?


    Kill them. Well get bounty. One merchant says.


    Laufen and Belles face turn pale.


    Shut up. The bounty is worth a lot less than our trade rights to the elven kingdom! Apologies ma''am, please ignore my guildmate. He shouts out, and smacks the merchant on the back.


    One of the riders, a guard ride up to them two. He signals to the merchants.


    Two of the merchants then ride up to the elves, dismount and look at the wares.


    Hmm. I am surprised you have olive oils in this area. I dont see any olive farms or groves.


    Laufen smiles, and did not answer.


    Hmm. condition is average, and storing them in wooden bottles is not good. The merchant takes the hint and focuses on the goods.


    Yes, we would like to also buy some ss bottles, if you have them. Belle adds. Olive oils are usually stored in vases, away from sunlight and kept sealed.


    Another of the merchants ride up to the two. Oils?


    Your field of expertise. The merchants nce at each other, and it seems this one is one that trades in all kinds of oils.


    The merchant takes out a small ss bottle. May I?


    If you buy them.


    The merchantughs. Fine. I have sixrge amphoras empty. Ill pay for that much. He takes out some coin and pass them to Laufen.


    Laufen carefully inspects the coin she receive. Would you sell us a few of yourrge amphoras?


    The merchant shakes his head. I have no extra today. But I will arrange for one of my men to ship some. You can pay my men then. How many do you want to buy?


    Laufen looks at her coins again. I think this can afford me ten?


    The merchantughs. Yes. Ten is about right, once you include the cost of transport. I will get my men to deliver ten then. To this location?


    He looks around, and jots some notes onto a book. Its probably his order or transaction book.


    The amphoras, pottery used to ship goods, usually liquids betweenrge distances. Theres also wooden barrels, or metal containers, but these amphoras made of y are cheap and quite durable, so are poprly used.


    Laufen nods. The merchant pours the olive oil from the wooden bottle, into his ss one. He inspects the color, smell, and stirs it a little.


    Hmm. Its average, but still rather fresh. I can sell them. The merchants make some kind of signal.


    Some of the men, the merchants assistantse and assist to pour the olive oil from the wooden bottles into therge empty amphoras that hang by the side of the horses.


    How often do you make olive oils?


    Laufen pause. Maybe once every 3 months? Except winter.


    Ah. You will have avable supply in 3 months? I know some nobles will prefer fresher olives oils, rather than those imported from further out.


    Laufen and Belle huddle and discuss a bit, and then she nods. Yes. I think we can have two or three amphoras by that time.


    Great.


    The cloth however, had no buyers. Superior quality cloth is avable around the area, so the one they made wont sell for much. So its not worth the effort of buying and them attempting to resell these average quality cloth.


    But, strangely enough, one of them asked about the wooden bottles themselves.


    These wooden bottles are beautiful. The surface is really smooth. Do you have a master woodsmith with you?


    Well, they are made with my woodforming magic, and not carved.


    Thats a secret. Belle smiles.


    Alright we should get going.


    One more do you have any vinegar stock for sale?


    Ah yes. One small bottle?


    And that is thest of it. The merchants continue on their journey, and the elves have some coin and a small bottle of vinegar stock. It seems that Laufen and the girls are nning to make fruit vinegar with the extra healing fruits I make.


    Ah. Next time I want to ask for flour! Belle sighs. Too bad we had to buy the amphoras first.


    Bread?


    Yeah. I want bread.


    Juraughs, and eats some potato chips. The inner courtyard is full of potatoes. Its the elven staple apparently, since they dont the vast farnds the humans maintain.


    Im fine with potatoes. They taste pretty good when fried with olive oil. Jura shrugs.


    Bread. Belle rolls on her bed.


    Emileughs. We can trade for that next time. If we can get better quality stuff.


    The elves kept all the money at first, I wanted some, so after some discussion the elves gave me a fifth of the coin, which I keep in my inventory.


    Did not realise Tree spirits wanted money. The elves collectively asked, it seems it never urred to them that a tree would ever want money, even though I, a tree, am conscious, sentient, and I supplied the raw materials.


    I may need to purchase certain items so I want to start saving some money for it. Especially for the advancement of my powers.


    Oh


    Well, I will need money someday, so might as well start saving. I would like to be able to trade, somehow. There will be goods or materials Ill need to buy, since I cant possibly make everything myself.


    So yea, can I have a fifth of all the coins received?


    The elves huddle and discuss, to be honest I can hear everything they are saying, but they agree. Its really mostly about what they want to buy, and why a tree needs money, though in the end, their gratitude to me wins out.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 7 Week 1</strong>


    The elves are hard at work, mostly doing the olive press. The cloth they made is used to make new mattresses and clothing, but since it doesnt sell, the elves now focus their efforts on the olives instead. So, a bit of this weeks cotton is left unharvested.


    A small merchant convoy also drop by to deliver the amphoras as agreed. It seems the merchants have a means of long rangemunication.


    Its on one hot day, a small group of fleeing men and women, riding horses, six of them. Heavily injured, they all have multiple arrows in their backs, and even the horses are injured.


    And a group, about ten men in cloaks chase after them. They seem injured as well, but less than the earlier group.


    Head for the trees! The group of six gallop with all their remaining might.


    The cloaked men chase, a few trying to slow them down with more arrows.


    At this point, I wanted to kill all of them, but the six looks so heavily injured they would probably die of bleeding soon. And I would like horses


    Who goes there! Jura, perched on a tree call out.


    The six yell out some gibberish I do not understand. Jura, though, does. And he shouts.


    Tree Tree, target the cloaked men!


    And he throws wooden spears at the cloaked men.


    [Root Strike] x 8


    Eight roots strike at the riders, faster than they could ever react, killing them instantly.


    The remaining 2 jerk, trying to pull back, but they are too close.


    [constrict] Roots pop out and tangle the remaining 2, and deliver a strong dose of sleeping poison.


    The six riders earlier did not look back, and they ride next to the outer ring. The heavily injured six walk in, and it seems they all suffer heavy wounds.


    It is then, one of them reveals a young baby.


    Jura pauses.


    Huh?


    Hold him. Please. His blood soaks the cloth wrapping the baby, and Jura reluctantly holds the baby. The six wounded men and women dismount.


    Is this Freeka?


    Jura pauses. Uh I suppose.


    Huh. The wounded start to treat each other, and they pull out the arrows from each others back, and start pouring healing potion over it. Of the six, two male humans, one female human, two male elves and one female elf.


    It is the female elf who shouted the gibberish earlier, and she looks at Jura, her armor drenched in blood.


    I am Eriz, an aide and guardian of Yvon.


    Who is that? Jura scratches his head. And why do you know our passphrase.


    Passphrase? Ah, it seems Jura and the men developed a passphrase to identify friendly people before this.


    Ah. Yvon, our mistress, she.. she says her brother is the vige head here. Her wounds are recovering, the potions are working.


    Brother? Ric?


    Ah yes. I believe she mentioned his name is Ric. Is he around?


    Hes dead. Juras still awkwardly holding the baby. He looks to be less than 6 months old. And.. take this child back.


    Ah. Eriz pauses, and turns back to face the other riders. Do you have clean clothes that we can change him? All of ours is bloody


    Laufen, whos eavesdropping from inside the hideout, walks out with some clean cloth from the extra clothes she made with cotton earlier, a bowl filled with paste and some clean water. She takes the baby from Jura and starts to clean the blood-covered baby up. Hes alive, but weak and exhausted.


    Does Ric have a sister?


    Yes. I met her when we were wedded, but have not seen her since. Laufen nods, her hands cleaning the weak baby. Is she well, in the human kingdoms?


    Eriz smiles. The mistress is alive. But it is a challenging period now, with the King suspecting the elves for treason. And the other Princes finding every chance to remove us.


    Who is this child


    Uh It is the mistresss baby.


    What?


    Eriz nod. Its inevitable. With the tension in the capitol, the mistress requests that her brother assist to look after her child.


    One of the humans walk up next to Eriz. Please, raise the child as your own. We will return to the capitol.


    Laufen shakes her head. I cannot. We cannot.


    Eriz pause, and the other human femalee up. Perhaps the 2 of us stay back with the child? The guys can head back...


    She looks around.


    Will you guys ept us? As a refuge?


    The other men nod. That is a good idea. The child is most attached to you, Eriz. This ce feels safe, and magical.


    Eriz looks around, at the trees and then at me. She stares for a while.


    ...The mistress has many good people around her. She would want some of them to ensure her childs safety. One of the men say. I will stay too, if you want.


    Can we stay, with the baby?


    Laufen pauses, and they both go back into the hideout to discuss with the rest. They agreed, eventually. Laufen felt particrly conflicted, because if this baby is indeed her nephew, then she felt bad to turn him away.


    Yes.


    Eriz, the human woman, Safran, and a human man, Pock, stay back.


    As for the two unconscious human attackers, they are kept in the jail, where the adventurers once were.


    [Level up! Level 115]


    [Skill upgraded - Subsidiary Tree amount increased to 40.]


    [Skill upgraded - secret hideout has unlocked - Tree-asury]


    Ah. Treasury. And more trees! So convenient, this levelling system.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 7 Week 2</strong>


    The 2 humans, under the influence of strong hallucinogens, quickly reveal that they serve one of the Prince of the Sh Kingdom, Prince Wargo, the first prince, and the King is aging, dying. So, all the Princes are positioning themselves to seize the throne.


    Eriz and the mistress Yvon serve another Prince, Prince Gn, the third prince. It seems Prince Wargo is a humanist, meaning he is against non-human citizens of the kingdom, and he is recently a target of a botched assassination attempt by elves.


    Prince Gn, who is surrounded by elvish and other non-human minders, are under tremendous scrutiny from the rest of the Prince, eager to eliminate thepetition.


    Yvon, is apparently a highly skilled administrator, in the inner circle of Prince Gn, and so having a baby is huge vulnerability. The men wanted to capture the baby and force Yvon to defect to Prince Wargos side. Theres also suspicions whether the baby is one of Prince Gns many illegitimate children.


    And after extracting everything from the 2 men, I use [absorption] on them and drain their life away. Its a slow, painless death, with the effect of strong sedatives. And one which leaves no remains, as their body turns into nutrients.


    The elves are notfortable letting the new people so near, so for the first day, the humans lived in tents, while Roma and Eriz stay with Emile and Belle.


    The next day, I decide to spawn two of my new trees outside the 2nd circle, and so there is two new rooms for the new people. This surprised the new people greatly, especially Eriz. But the distance is necessary, because the elves are notfortable with new people, yet.


    This A spirit tree?


    Yes. Jura nods.


    They also react strongly to the beetles. All of them jump and almost wet their pants went a group of beetles crawl down some of the trees while they are walking.


    The beetles have been busy. Non-demon monsters multiplied and so I frequently send a group of them to kill these monsters.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 8 Week 1</strong>


    The newbies are here for a month, and out of boredom, they are now helping with the olive press. The merchants are supposed to be here the next month, so the olives are now stored in the amphoras.


    The beetles have been very busy too. Every day some monster would appear and they would be sent on missions to kill them, and bring back their bodies.


    So many monsters, that my beetle skill upgraded. Still, the beetles are equivalent to about six or seven hellhounds at their upgraded strength.


    [Armored beetles upgraded to warbeetles]


    Anyway, the elves are right to suspect these new people. Eriz has beenmunicating with somebody magically, and perhaps she forgot that tree spirits have vision of everything in the trees. Perhaps her mistress, but otherwise its coded and in an unknownnguage.


    As for the remaining 8 subsidiary trees, I ce them like pylons, in a circr fashion. Each of them as far away as possible, in one of the either directions.


    With this, I can extend my vision to cover the entire valley.


    And strangely, this led to another upgrade.


    [Subsidiary tree upgraded. You can ce a total of 60 trees.]


    The increase in [subsidiary tree] means an equivalent increase in [tuberous storage] amount, so at 60 trees, plus ten with my main tree, I have a total of 140PU. Still very far away from that 1,000 PU.


    There must be a way to do this.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 8 Week 3</strong>


    No good. We must go back. We must help. Eriz shouts, startling everyone.


    What happened?


    The King, and the Prince, they start ordering mass execution of the non-humans.


    What?! Safran and Pock both seem surprised.


    How how do you know? Jura asks, his hand on a knife.


    Eriz pauses. She rubs her head and then sighs. I.. I have been magicallymunicating with Mistress Yvon. And now that the news is out there is a massive uprising in the kingdom by the non-humans.


    Pock shakes his head. The King is mad.


    Prince Gn and Mistress Yvon has not seen the King for weeks. Eriz shakes her head. It may be the Prince using his name


    What is the mistress nning.


    Escape. The army is too strong and organised, and fighting back is meaningless. She had been making arrangements for the rest of the civilian non-humans to flee to the sympathising cities, or to the other kingdoms, but it seems the other kingdoms have closed their borders.


    Safran nods. We can go and help with the refugee traffic.


    Eriz, Safran and Pock turn to face Laufen. Please, take care of Roma. For us. We must go. We will return.


    No. One of you stay. Laufen insists, Roma still asleep on the bed.


    People are getting ughtered. They need help.


    And a baby child needs her guardian.


    Safran and Pock nod. She has a point, and both of us will be able to disappear easier as humans. Eriz, please stay. We wille back.


    Eriz sighs. Very well.


    And, a few skills of mine upgraded after using it all this while.


    [Secret hideout : Bib upgraded. Pods increased to 5.]


    [Essence collection upgraded. Extraction rate and speed improved.]


    [Mineral extraction upgraded.]


    [Mineral augmentation obtained. You may use the metals obtained to strengthen your [subsidiary trees], and [insect warriors]]


    Ah, I do have arge stockpile of essences and irons from the automated harvesting.

 More refugees and a baby

    More refugees and a baby


    <strong>Year 73 Month 9 Week 1</strong>


    Eriz has been updating everyone whats happening, almost daily. She just could not keep her anxiety to herself.


    I kinda stop following after a week. I mean, its just people fighting and dying far away. And, running, of course. Its kinda like me switching on my television, and watching world news about some bombing or fighting in some distantnd. It gets tiring, and shit like this happens all the time in this world. I suppose I should feel somehow for them, since they are elves, but I personally feel obligated to the 7 elves under my care, and thats it I suppose?


    Wisp. Any idea how do I speed up this uh.. powering the soul forge? Isnt 1000PUs too much?


    I thought its quite little. A small forest would have more than a 1,000 trees, easy.


    But that implies I have all the trees as a subsidiary tree!


    Do you have to?


    Uh. What?


    I said too much. The Wisp floats. I cannot give you that answer.


    Ohe on.


    There are some things a Tree Spirit must learn on their own.


    Tree. Smart! Me bobs in. Tree. Good.


    Yes, yes.


    Okay, so there must be a trick to this. So if I did not have to have all of them as my subsidiary tree?


    Is it via roo?


    Let me try it on a shrubs and trees that now spawn throughout the valley.


    [Local Roo ess connecting to nearby trees]


    [Connected.]


    And I hear spam again. Spam. So much. Spam.


    Spam. [Filtration activated]


    But can I extract power out of them?


    [Attempting to connect. Energy drain initiated. Roo function obtained : Tre-energy.]


    [Connecting to 64,5XX grasses, 367 shrubs and 141 normal trees, producing an estimated 18.4 PUs. Normal trees produce 0.1PU, shrubs 0.01PU, and grasses 0.00001 PU.]


    Ah, I need ten thousand normal trees to hit 1,000PU.


    But!


    Its very doable. The entire valley is within my roo! All I need to do is to actively use my tree spirit mojo and grow this entire valley into a forest like it once was.


    I feel like dancing. Weeeeeeeee


    Now I need to work on my mojo.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 9 Week 3</strong>


    Massive! Massive burst in tree growth in the valley. The number of normal trees surged by 300 in two weeks! If I keep this up, I can hit 10,000 normal trees by Year 75.


    The elves are especially surprised to see the sudden surge in tree growth, and what is sparsely covered valley is starting to look dense again.


    But there is a trade-off, though. In using this ability, my essence and material extraction slow tremendously. It seems essence and materials are not extracted and instead used in the creation of these trees.


    But no matter, I have been hoarding essences and irons since I had the auto-extraction function.


    Oh, and the olive oil merchant actually came. And I get me some of that coin, too. It seems an ongoing non-human genocide does not stop merchants from doing business.


    Ah, those who worship the coin are probably the most devoted of devotees. So I leave a path of some kind for the merchants, and an area where the trading can happen.


    There is a small hut, made using wood magic, at the side of the path. Jura and Laufen helps to make a wooden panel that says, Freeka trading post.


    Eriz is still on about the chaos in the kingdom, and theres some sparse resistance, as most choose to flee. Anyway, distant matters.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 10 Week 1</strong>


    More trees! Another 300 plus trees spawn, bringing the valleys normal tree count to 762. This is the single indicator I follow for the next 1 year until this damn [soul forge]es online.


    Animals appear now. It''s actually a curiosity how animals appear when they were not here before, but ording to the elves, there is a god that creates animals in thends where trees appear, in the same manner as how monsters appear out of nowhere.


    Well, it is logically consistent. If monsters are just magical versions of animals, and monsters can spawn out of nowhere, it should be the same for animals.


    Maybe they are both creations of the same gods.


    But can sentients spawn out of nowhere?


    Ah anyway, Juras out hunting. Apparently spotted one of his favourite food, a deer or something like that.


    There is a new mild annoyance.


    Birds.


    I mean, birds. They make nests on your branches, and they poop everywhere.


    And some of them are brazen enough to attack my iron-reinforced warbeetles.


    But they are just irritants.


    TreeTree using magic?


    Yes Lausanne. It will be a forest once more. Lausanne likes trees. She likes flowers too, and some of the shrubs have flowers. She likes the yellow flowers the most. She says it looks like the sun.


    Wow. Teach me, please?


    I cant. I just feel it. Its like a primal urge I just have to let out, and it happens.


    Its true. That spawning trees this is kinda like something I do naturally, and its only suppressed by the materials and essence extraction. Once I activate it, it just happens. Weird tree spirit mojo.


    Lausanne shakes her tiny toddler head. No no. Do you know druid magic?


    No I do not.


    But best druids learn from Tree Spirits!


    I I cant. Maybe someday.


    Did I say shes too young? Shes too young. I dont think she should be learning magic at 3 to 4 years old.


    But I frankly do not know how to teach my kind of magic. Ironic, considering I have [learning aura] and [dream tutor].


    This valley regrowth boom led to my subsidiary tree leveling up. I think the subsidiary tree ability is just linked to me doing tree-like things.


    [Subsidiary tree leveled up. Limit increased to 90 trees.]


    [Some of your stored iron materials and essence of nature has been consumed. Six inner circle subsidiary trees upgraded. They are now able to support 3 external rooms each.]


    Progress!


    The elves gained some skills in [olive oil making], Laufen apparently already has [trading] and [coin management] from her past experience, so shes the elves primary treasurer at this point, assisted by Belle.


    Progress for the elves!


    Sadly, bad news from Eriz. The resistance spreads and the country descends into a civil war of some kind, with the humans overwhelming on one side, and the non-humans, outnumbered and outgunned.


    Prince Gn, their benefactor is killed in an assassination, which is quickly framed on their mistress.


    So, the non-humans are fleeing inrge numbers.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 10 Week 3</strong>


    [Roo is now connected to 1,000 normal trees. Local roo ess upgraded, range extended]


    The valley now looks like a forest, and I am no longer easily visible from afar. On hindsight, I should have done this a long time ago. The tree cover this forest of normal trees help hide my presence.


    With the increased [subsidiary tree] amount, I scatter about twenty of them across this new forest, and have them as home for my [insect warriors].


    This brings up my total warbeetle poption to 78, so I have a small army of beetles in my hands. I mean, it seems like my abilities are derivatives of what a tree does in my real life, doesnt it, so I wonder whether I can get an air force of some kind, perhaps these birds or some kind of bees.


    The beetles asionally get attacked by the animals, but they are tough enough to shrug it off.


    Anyway, air force. How do I lure new creatures? Why cant they just give it to me like the beetles?


    <strong>Year 73 Month 10 Week 4</strong>


    Elves, dwarves, halflings, treefolk, gnolls, minotaurs, centaurs, lizardmen. A lot.


    Maybe two thousand.


    How long do we have to keep moving?


    As long as we need to. The armies are still after us.


    The only thing uniting this ragtag bunch of nonhumans is the humans. Once things settle down they will all split up.


    After this is the old demon king territories


    Safer than being hunted by an army. Lesser demons remain now, so it should be safe...


    Should.


    One discussion came up with the elves recently. About epting these refugees, if it everes to it.


    The view amongst the 7 elves is that they are notfortable with them being too near, and that is defined as the two rings of subsidiary trees. That space, to them, is still their space.


    But, they understand the need of these people, so they are open, and willing to share the valley with them. Perhaps these refugees could base themselves at another part of thisrge valley, after all, with trees now popping out everywhere, it wont be a problem in terms of cover or protection.


    Theres a path.


    We should take it?


    Yes.


    No.


    In the end, some take the path, some decide to wade through the forest. It took them a few days, but eventually, of the 2,000, about 300 or so elves, treefolk and centaurs decide to stay in the forest. Being different races, they split up and start to make some housing in their own part of the valley.


    For the others, a forest is not their ideal ce and so they decide to move even further. Perhaps the army is still a bit too close forfort.


    Thanks to the cover of the forest, they dont know about me or the elves presence, yet. And thats fine. Some of them saw the Freeka Trading Post sign, though, and probably wonder whether its still used. After all, the merchants onlye by quarterly, and its going to be winter. To some, it is better to gather food and shelter before winter.


    Oh.. there are treefolk, elves and centaurs in the valley?


    Yup. The treefolk is near the small pond, the centaur near the valleys slopes, and the elves at the far end.


    Whoah.


    Treefolks. They are part tree, part humans, part insect, apparently a creation of the nameless mother to give trees some variety. Looking at them using my vision of the valley, they resemble insects that disguise themselves as tree branches and leaves.


    And for them, when they sleep, their legs must touch the floor, so they often sleep upright, or slightly tilted, leaning against the wall. Living in multiple stories is a strange and ufortable concept for them.


    And in a way, they are the first to detect my presence.


    When they sleep, their feet would extend small feelers into the ground, and this would exchange their bodily waste for nutrients. This leads to contact


    [Foreign entities attempted to connect. Treefolk presence detected. Isting]


    [Treefolk sessfully isted.]


    Huh. They jolt from their first night of proper rest. This ce the ground


    A group of beetles appear outside their makeshift settlement. The few warriors quickly take up arms, but theres too many. Easily 40 of these beetles.


    Hello, treefolk. Its nighttime, and treefolks vision is rather poor, but an elven voice is strangely wee.


    Who goes there. There is a de facto chief among the treefolk, he steps forth.


    I have been instructed to visit you. Wee to Freeka, and this is our valley.


    The treefolk look at each other, We see no Freeka, no settlement.


    Ah yes, razed by the Sh kingdom. But some of us survive, protected by our guardian spirit.


    Guardian spirit? The treefolk instantly connect the dots. A tree spirit, here?


    Yes. Hes been watching all of you. This valley is under his domain.


    A few of them gasp, but the leader then asks. Does he want us to move away?


    No. At least, not yet. We are just a greeting party. If theres no unpleasant events, our tree spirit will not take any hostile actions


    The leader breath a sigh of relief. Ah. As treefolks, we would be greatly honored to live in and watched over by our ancestors.


    We hope so. Try not to chop too many trees down, and if you encounter any beetles, please do not attack them. They are the minions of the tree spirit.


    The leader nods. Certain.. certainly.


    The beetles and Jura disappear back into the night, and the treefolks quickly huddle together to discuss this revtion.


    Back home, Jura looks at me. Was that necessary?


    Yes. It is important they know who they are dealing with, and treefolks seem like the ideal candidates to make that first exposure. And I wont want them randomly attacking my beetles.


    Treefolk and elves have an awkward rtionship, and are often tense with each other. This is because though they share the forests, they have different ideas of what an ideal settlement is like. Elves, especially the high and sun elf variants prefer to build tall structures, carved from the trees, whereas the treefolk prefer to have vast sprawling settlements that allow contact to the earth at all times. Elves also have good night vision, whereas treefolk vision is generally poor, and they depend on a wide range of other senses like touch, gravity, vibrations.


    The elven group are quick to start working, tying their cloth and whatever vines they find to form a kind of makeshift shelter, while a few of them use some kind of magic to bend and shape the normal trees into a house. Its a slow process, whatever wood-forming magic these elves use, and from my observation, it reduces that trees energy output, in exchange for greater structural integrity.


    The centaur group live near the sloped areas of the valley, where there is a mix of shrubs and trees. Unlike treefolk and elves, they erectrge tents, and they prefer to be out of the woods. Any trees in their vicinity is used to anchor the massive tents, and one of the taller normal trees be the center core of their chiefs tent. The tents themselves are made of their leftover hair, mane and fur, cloth and whatever animal fur or skin they can find.


    So what do we do with the elves and centaur?


    Watch them. Ive instructed my beetles to stay away from them, and since both elves and centaur are at the forest''s edge, its still fine for now. But once they grow, I will need to make myself known.


    It would be easier to let them know now, though? Laufen thinks. If we wait too long, they might feel defensive.


    Hmmm.. true. True. Lets be proactive then. Jura, can you visit the elves?


    Certainly.


    And so Jura goes close to the elven settlement.


    Everyone is so busy working on their new ce that they did not notice Jura walk right through their makeshift gates.


    Hi everyone. He shouts, and everyone turns. They quickly panic and grab their arms.


    Who are you! Their posture is poor. These are not warriors. They are exhausted from their long walk that they just want to rebuild.


    I am from the vige of Freeka. Its a really really small vige, but thought Id still let you know we exist.


    Vige? Freeka?


    That unused trading post?


    Its.. rarely used. Juraughs, and opens his hands. Ie in peace and, know this, that a tree spirit watches over this valley. It is for his presence that a forest is now here, so quickly after the fall of the demon king.


    What do you want? A young elf quickly shout. Even amongst elves, the youth can be rude


    Nothing much. Jura smiles, and thirty warbeetles appear next to him. The elves all feel a shiver of fear. Just know that this valley is protected, and behave ordingly. Something elves should already know, in the presence of a tree spirit.


    An elderly elf appears. Ah I did not know Freeka has a tree spirit. That is a pleasant discovery.


    A younger man appears, he looks like a warrior and he nces at Jura. Are you the chieftain of Freeka?


    Juraughs. We are so few, so small, we have no need for a chieftain. But our tree spirit guides us, and speaks to us. Our tree spirit sent me to greet you.


    The elderly elf pats the younger man on the shoulder. This is our chief.


    Well met.


    How do we find you?


    Jura pauses. He did not want to answer that.


    How many are you?


    Less than ten.


    Then you should stick with us. We have more. Help us. Your warbeetles too.


    Jura shakes his head. These warbeetles, they belong to our tree spirit, and they do not listen to me. Our tree spirit, is our guide.


    The young chief shakes his head. I have never heard of elves who obey tree spirits. Tree spirits are our guardian spirits, but we, elves, are the true masters of the forests. Tree spirits will follow the will of great elves!


    Jura smiles, and he want to ask why is he running, but then decide that would ruin the rtionship a bit too much.


    Ah, you are free to believe what you please. I am here to greet, and wee you to the valley of Freeka. And warn, that the forests you see, is under the protection of our tree spirit. You are free to test our tree spirits patience and kindness, if you feel that is a hollow threat.


    The young chief winces. Ugh.


    Jura smiles, turns around and leaves with the warbeetles.


    Tense. But I have more free [subsidiary trees] now. If necessary I can ce more of them facing both the elves and centaur, so that there is always a beetle group ready to respond to any. uprising. But lets see how the centaurs are


    An elf?


    The centaurs spot Jura the moment he peeks out of the forest.


    Hi. I wish to speak to your leader.


    Two centaurs appear, one male and one female.


    We are the leaders. Speak, elf. The female one speaks first.


    I am here at the request of the tree spirit of the valley, to wee you to Freeka.


    The male one then speaks. Are you here to threaten us?


    Yes, and no. Jura smiles, such negotiations are getting easier. The tree spirit has reasonable expectations of proper conduct from the valleys inhabitants.


    The female centaur looks at the male and whisper to it. The male centaur nods, and then turns to face Jura.


    A tree spirit, you say?


    Yes.


    The male centaur nods. May we meet the Tree Spirit?


    Yes. We will arrange a day for the chiefs to meet.


    Chiefs? Both centaur ask simultaneously.


    Chief of the elves and treefolk too.


    Ah.. so there are other refugees that seek to make this valley their home. Greenery in what we thought is demon-wreckednds is a pleasant development. The male centaur turns to look at the female.


    If we meet the tree spirit, we will decide whether toply.


    Jura nods.


    Eriz, during this time is still on about the fighting happening in the kingdom. Her mistress is trying to flee too, as her protector, the prince is dead. But it is difficult to flee when she is the main suspect, and the target of widespread human propaganda.


    Anyway, Im more focused on the new valley-mates, and also wonder how to best use my additional [subsidiary tree] slots. If there is going to be tension, I will want more beetles to fight off their numbers, and I have no indication of how strong the leaders and warriors are. Maybe they are as strong as Jura, or maybe more.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 11 Week 1</strong>


    Normal tree counts grow to about 1,400, the elves and centaur did eventually cut a few trees to build their homes and other structures, but otherwise the growth rate is stable. The new trees mainly grow nearer to me, increasing the density in the middle of the valley, and I didnt want to take away the kind of sloped spaces that the centaur enjoy.


    Eriz is upset.


    Shes been crying for days.


    Her mistress stoppedmunicating with her magically, and she fears for the worst.


    Laufen on the other hand feels sorry for Roma, the baby whos away from his mother. And his body is rather weak, probablycking nutrients as he is apart from the mother, so, Laufen brings him into the bib, into the pod, where I can nourish his body and channel nutrients in via the vines and feelers in the pod.


    Romas small baby body is frail, and needs to be constantlyforted by one of thedies, and Eriz is too attached to the conflict back home to properly care for him.


    Can you do something, Tree spirit?


    Ill try Hmmm I suppose what hospital have is some kind of incubation facility.. perhaps my medical room or the bib pods can be modified


    [Secret hideout upgraded : Childcare corner obtained]


    [Childcare corner produces a special infant friendly syrup, simr to baby and milk form. Infant-syrup can be further upgraded with various kinds of materials and minerals, if avable]


    Ah! The system to the rescue!

 A meet, a gift, and a root

    A meet, a gift, and a root


    <strong>Year 73 Month 11 Week 2</strong>


    The chiefs finally meet. Its their first time in Freeka. Three from each of the three camps.


    The treefolk instantly prostrate themselves before me, and sing some kind of song, from the moment they see me. It sounds a bit like aboriginal songs, if that makes any sense.


    What are they doing? I mentally ask Jura.


    Some treefolks worship tree spirits. They are like a crazy version of elven tree huggers. Jura chuckles at that. "They are everywhere after all."


    The young elf chief nce at the treefolk and shakes his head. Its just a tree spirit...


    The elder elf next to him ribs him with his elbow, and whispers. Shh. Not so loud.


    What? It''s pathetic. It''s just a veryrge tree with magic, and absorb our elvish souls. It cant even protect itself, and needs us elves to fight for it. He speaks back to the elder, his voice is a little bit softer, despite his defiant words.


    The treefolk though ignore his words, and continue to sing their songs and hymns. It''s rather pleasing, actually, once I got used to it.


    The centaurs, the two chiefs and one older centaur that seems to be the shaman or mage of the tribe are unperturbed by the acts of the treefolk or the elves.


    Hello. I speak directly to their mind. And please stand.


    The treefolks stand. It feels like they jumped, at how fast they moved. I think their limbs have some kind of spring action in it. Not exactly.. trees.


    Im TreeTree, tree spirit of Freeka. All of you are here because Id like to set some norms and processes, on conduct between us, to minimise conflict with me, the elves, and each other.


    I spent the whole night thinking what to say, withouting off as too asshole-ish. I thought of starting it by saying I am Lord TreeTree of Freeka, but then again, I''m not a lord.


    The centaurs nod, So, the purpose of this meeting


    Is to just tell you all, I exist, and as the entire valley and forest is within my influence, I hope we can all coexist peacefully. I have no intention meddling in your respective affairs, if all of you do not meddle in mine.


    The young elf chief shakes his head. My priority as chief is the safety and survival of my people. If it suits us, but no promises.


    What are your affairs, Tree Spirit? Would it not be better to set certain boundaries of each of our territories? The centaur male instantly, with a wooden stick, starts drawing on the ground.I cant see it, my vision is after all a spiritual/magical one, but Jura helps to exin. In short, the Centaur ims the entire left slope, the Elf ims the far side of the forest and a big piece of thends after, and Treefolk a circle around the pond. Anything not covered is mine.


    At this point, I feel like a host that suddenly has guests, and now the guests are demanding a room. Their boundaries will still cross with my roots, after thest expansion of the eight subsidiary trees. And I can extend even further. So carving up ''my'' territory feels not really nice.


    That boundary drawn is nothing more than a ''designated area'' for each of you, such that you don''t unnecessarily create conflict. But this entire valley,remains under my care, as my roots extend everywhere. And no chopping of trees."


    "Uh....."


    The elf chieftain shakes his head.


    <em>Well, I want to grow the trees in the valley It wont help if all these new people are chopping down trees, right?</em>


    That, is not reasonable. You, are a tree spirit. Nothing more. What gives you the right to dictate what we do?" The elf chief stands forward. "We may need to chop some trees to survive, and we will need to hunt. Restricting us, you may as well chase us away."


    I pause. So do the centaur and treefolk. Strong words.


    The elf chieftain turns to face the other chieftains.Look. We are just dealing with a few elves and a tree spirit. I say, our needs are more important. Theres a few hundred of us! Why should this tree spirit and a few elves be allowed to say what we can or cannot do. I say we do what we want, regardless of what this tree spirit wants. It''s just a foggy old tree.


    We just started the conversation and the elf is already so hostile. Why?


    The centaur look back at the elf, and then look at Jura and myself.


    They want to see my response.


    It feels like the elf''s words is intentional. He means to provke me, to test me, and pretty much force me, so, a disy of power is necessary. If I back down now, I will look weak, and I will not be able to protect the elves and my home from their ransacking. I cannot allow that.


    Sigh. Although I know force is right, but I still feel a bit reluctant. I wish these elves did not force me. Refugees, after all.


    I felt like being nice. I mean, these elves, centaurs and treefolk, they are all refugees, fleeing from the non-human ughter in their home kingdoms. But this sort of entitled behavior is unwarranted, unreasonable.


    This is my home and these are my people.


    No. I say no.


    A [root strike] shoots out of the groynd, and it flies just next to the elf chieftains head. The force of it root creates a loud swoosh, and the elf chieftain falls down onto the ground.


    Huh. The elves react in shock. They probably did not expect that, seeing how the elf chieftain''s reaction is a mix of shock, horror, and probably fear, a sudden realisation that I could kill him. I think.


    If that is meant to be a test of strength, I think I passed. The root strike made all of them sweat.


    Jura, though, smiles. He stands, and opens his two hands. Our tree spirit here has survived many creatures, including demon champions. If you think you could just walk in and do what you want, in this valley, you are wrong.


    The centaurs share an awkward, ufortable nce. The three treefolk instantly prostrate themselves.


    The elf chieftain stands again. How dare you! He feigns arrogance, defiance, but from my vision, his spirit is uncertain, his body shaking.


    Should I hit the head, this time? I mentally transmit into all of them.


    He gulps. Everyone also gulps. The centaurs take two steps back.


    The elder stands in front of him, trying to cover for him. "No." He holds up what looks to be a wooden buckler, as if that would stop my roots.


    The roots cane from anywhere. You cant protect him. In fact, I can hit anyone in this valley.


    They both gulp. Everyone probably realise that if they make enemies, they wont leave this valley alive.


    Jura then stands up and walk to the elf. We understand that you are refugees, and there are many of you. We want to help, and we want to share. But you cannot just march in and demand things from the caretaker of thesends. We can let you stay, but on our terms.


    The elf chieftain grunts. Ugh! And he walks off.


    The elder nods. I apologise, he is young and only wants the best for our people. I think I will convince our chieftain to obey your rulesand I will try to convice him that as the tree spirit here, this is your home and we are... guests. We.. we can decide on the rest of the detailster. For now we will stop any chopping of trees. We will speak again when everyone cools down. As you know, winter is soon to be on us, and travelling now is a hazard. May we stay through the winter at least?


    Jura smiles and nod. He then turns to me. Is that okay?


    Fine. You all can stay, as refugees, but if I see any unpleasant behavior or actions from your people, I will not hesitate to take what I deem necessary."


    The centaurs nod, and I can see their bodynguage is nervous. We believe that is a good suggestion. We will meet again.


    The treefolk rise from their kneeling position, and walk backwards, their heads still bowing. "As you wish."


    And they leave for their respective areas.


    That did not go very well. I mentally sigh.


    I thought it went wonderfully. Jura shakes his head. Power is sometimes a great way to enforce peace. I think the chiefs, all of them got the message, that we are not one to be messed with.


    For a peaceful coexistence, to be forged by power and fear?


    The people need a uniting force. Force.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 11 Week 4</strong>


    No news from the other camps or further out, but that''s fine. Trees are growing even more, and I just crossed 1,600 normal trees within my roo. It seems my growth rate slows down in winter.


    The winter cold is starting to bite, and all the elves, centaur and treefolk are hard at work, gather food, hunting, and for the treefolk, collecting fruits. The animals are spawning, even in winter, and apparently some smaller forest foxes and small bears has reappeared again. The refugees try their best to hunt, with some sess.


    Still, theyck proper storage facilities, and so the food may notst them that long. Perhaps some of them have food preservation skills and abilities, and if so, their chances of surviving winter would be better.


    Jura too, asionally hunts animal for food, and thanks to everyones efforts, we are going into winter with a surplus in our food store, and new warm clothing.


    Anyway, the presence of these newly spawned animals, I wonder how are they just created? And whether they have a soul.


    So, out of curiosity, Jura captures a few of the new animals for my [bib]. In fact, I would really love to see how centaurs and treefolk look in the bib. But.. next time.


    Eriz stopped crying, finally. Her mistress is still not contacting her. But, she got tired of crying, or maybe she just had enough of venting.Roma is responding well to the infant form, so much so ,the elves are also giving it to Lausanne. Adding olives into the child-syrup maker produces a kind of nutrient infused syrup, so I think this machine just creates baby-friendly food, with whatever given to it. In fact, Romas weight stabilised and is starting to regain some of his lost weight.


    Now that its cold, Emile, Laufen and Belle got down to preparing some warm clothing using a mix of cotton and animal wool, kind of like a basic jacket, first for the kids, andter for the adults.


    They spent so much time at it that they got [Tailor] as a skill. Laufen cried when she got the skill, as it reminds her of anotherdy in the vige that used to make all the clothes.


    So, the start of winter is probably pretty pleasant. The production of the cotton and olives reduced substantially in thest week, but quite a lot of cloth and olive has been made, and for cottons some of them are left unharvested.


    <strong>Year 73 Month 12 Week 1</strong>


    Tree growth is really slow this week. I think only 50 trees sprouted in this cold weather. In fact, its pretty awesome that they still sprout despite the biting cold. Its not freezing or snowing, yet, but I think a bit more it will. At this slow tree-growth rate, I think my estimated time to reach the [soul forge] is going to be dyed.


    On thest day of the week, it starts to rain. Cold, cold rain. It rained the whole day, pouring water into every corner of the valley, and some parts of the valley start to flood.


    And with it, cold winds, so everyone stays indoors during this time. For the area immediately around me, my roots are able to quickly absorb the excess water and so theres no flooding, but still, its an unpleasant environment, so everyone gathers in the main [secret hideout].


    Because the main tree is the safest, in a way. But I have confidence in my subsidiary trees, they are allrge, thick, solid trees, and they share my buffs.


    I wonder how the others are doing Eriz sits about. I mean the centaurs and all they just got here and it''s already winter. Its probably tough.


    Shes the most sympathetic to the refugees, being one who assists her mistress on such matters prior to this. And perhaps helping refugees is how she wants to repay her mistress.


    Jura suddenly snap his fingers. Did we just harm them by stopping them from chopping wood? They they might need it for firewood!


    These elves have it good. The [secret hideout] and [customisable branches : external rooms] are temperature controlled and contain natural venttion, and even water drawn from the roots, and so they are quitefortable and warm all year round. As a result, they have little need for firewood. Any cooking they need to do, is with collecting dried branches, which regrly drop from trees, and they have a healthy stock of that.


    Elven and treefolk societies generally try to avoid using firewood, except when really necessary. When they do, its usually via a farming method where only branches are cut off. As a result, their conventional sources of warmth is either energy crystal, heating metals or oils from the trees, either peanut, cashew, palm or olive oils. Furthermore, thick, mature trees, are able to retain heat quite well, so the homes built within them need minimal heating.


    Ah. I pause.


    Oh.


    I mentally check on the three camps.


    The treefolk seem fine, their bodies naturally able to withstand rain or winters without much additional heating. From what I can observe, they used their natural abilities to shape the trees into a hut-like structure, and smaller shrubs into fences, and that seems to be adequate, for now. They dont seem to really fear the rain, and are quite fine with being outdoors. Of the three camps, the treefolk seem to think rain is normal, in fact, some of the treefolk are still walking around in the rain.


    The elves, also use a kind of wood-magic to bend the trees into housing, but their constructions are structured differently from the treefolk. They also try to shape trees of the forest, into their dwellings. As the forest is rtively young, the size of the trees, and their trunks are small, unlike my [subsidiary trees] which spawn naturallyrge that they can fit a dwelling, or multiple beetles.


    As a result, the elves are not well protected from the rain. So they huddle together in thergest of their mixed tree-houses and tents. Using whatever fur and water-resistant clothing to cover themselves, some rain and wind still gets into those shelters, and they look ufortable.


    The centaurs, their massive tents are able to provide shelter from the rain, and simrly, they are also a little cold. From my tree-vision, some of them are running inside those tents, in circles, to keep themselves warm. The location they picked to perch their massive tents seem to have little issue with the deluge, as the slopes means water run downwards, not into their tents.


    Do you think they need food?


    Hmmm. I dont know. I look at the camps, and see their spiritual presence fluctuating. Maybe thats a sign of weakness? But then, everyones presence fluctuates.


    Doubt it, theyve just moved here for a month, If anything, what they have is barely enough to get by, and they probably have not built any cold cers or chambers. Eriz muses. Refugees may have some skilled builders but they need resources and tools, and time.


    Should we help, if they need it? I pose this question to the 8 elves now gathered. Of course, the manner of aid should also be carefully considered, but to be fair, we only have a surplus of dried branches, fruits, cloth, oil and potatoes. The meat supply is rtively short, as the animals are rtively recent appearances.


    Lausanne, is the first to answer. Yes! Heroes help people. And I would like to help!


    Ah, this child got her head in the right ces.


    Eriz too, while rocking Roma to sleep, They are refugees, and my mistress would have helped.


    Emile and Belle both nod as well, I suppose a bit of support will help smooth things out between us and them? I mean... we do have quite a bit of surplus, with the cotton clothes and all...


    Jura and Laufen nod. Very well. A bit of generosity is also a show of strength.


    Then it is decided. We help, a bit.


    How do we deliver all these things there in this rain Emile points to the cloth and food. It is a concern if these things get wet.


    I think I can do something about that a bit of wood-forming magic will do. Using [Wood shield] but point them upwards, it acts as a massive umbre, and so the elves can then load some of the extra cloth, small bottles of olive oil and food onto the cloth bags at the side of the beetles. There are 3 beetles assigned for transport and utility duty, equipped with cloth bags andpartment at the side.


    And that, is how my first aid convoy went out. Beetles carrying cloth, olive oil, some potatoes and fruits, covered by wood shields acting like a massive umbre.


    Hello chieftains. Jura arrives at the edge of the centaur tents. They seem surprised to see Jura pop out of the forest.


    Yes?


    We would like to offer a gift, to help your people tide through this first difficult winter.


    The two centaurs, the leaders ride out and see the beetles.


    These are


    Cloth, some food, some dried wood branches, and olive oil, which you can use to maintain a small fire for lighting.


    The centaurs pause.


    Jura starts unloading them, cing them at the side of the tent. Its a gift.


    The two centaurs share a few whispers, before nodding.


    Jura departs once all the goods are unloaded, then returns to the main tree, the beetles cargo reloaded, and once again, set out for the elves.


    The elves instantly draw their weapons the moment they see Jura and the beetles.


    What do you want! The elf chief shouts, defensive. He brandishes a big sword, and wears armor.


    Jura smiles, his sword sheathed at the side. Im not here to fight. We have some gifts for you.


    He didnt want to argue with the other elves, or talk, really. The elf chieftains probably going to argue and shout, so he just unload all the cargo, ce them at the side, say what they are, and then leave.


    The elf chieftain looks shocked, but then the other elves shamelessly start to grab the items. Survivales first, pride, can be decidedter on.


    Lastly, Jura made a simr trip to the treefolk. The treefolk nod, and smile. I believe we have little need for such items, we are well used to rain and cold weather, due to our heritage.


    Jura nods. I see, but it is only fair that we leave some for you as well.


    Actually Actually we have a request to make, but it didnt seem appropriate to request it in our meeting previously.


    Which is?


    A few of our children are sick from the long journey, and wed like to know if the tree spirit has any healing items. We are willing to trade what we have for it.


    Jura pauses, I.. I need to check.


    Oh, healing fruits? Sure sure. Thanks to [winter resistance], I can make fruits all year long.


    Later on, Jura returns with a basket of healing fruits, and the treefolk promptly administers them to the young treefolk.


    It seems the long journey causes the younger treefolk to suffer from some kind of movement-sickness, a problem that goes away naturally for the more mature treefolk. Its nothing fatal, but it causes a bit of vomiting and slows down their natural growth. Still, as parents, it still saddens them to see their child being weak, so a simple healing fruit is all that is needed to fix it.


    As a gesture of thanks, the treefolk elder passes a small wooden box.


    This is?


    Inside the wooden box is a root.


    Its a medicine. Helps boost a persons strength. But only take it if youve never taken it before, else its not so useful.


    Ah....


    Jura returns to the main tree, with the box of medicine.


    Have you seen this before? He shows it to everyone else.


    Its a root?


    How do we eat it?


    Yes Thats what the elder says, but weve never eaten it before.


    Eriz looks at it curiously. Ah.. its looks like a some kind of herb.


    Oh? Herb? I would like to make that!


    At that point, the root goes into the [bib] pod for analysis. And after an hour, I gain a level.


    [Youve gained a level. Level 116]


    [Essence collection upgraded]


    [Essence infusion unlocked. Essence-infused fruits, leaves and barks now avable. Essence-infused subsidiary trees now avable]


    [Bib : Analysis of specimenpleted]


    [Specimen is Low-grade ginseng root, 2 years of age. No special enhancements. Provides small permanent boost to disease-resistance and stats]


    [New unique tree ability obtained]


    [Limited-series Tree-type unlocked]


    [Magical ginseng nt]


    <em>[Ginseng nt is limited to 3 growing nts at any one time (can be increased with level). The qualities of the ginseng depends on the age of the root, overall health throughout its life, essences infused, mana infused, materials infused, the environment, astronomical conditions etc. Ginseng roots, when consumed, give permanent boosts to various stats, resistances, skills, mana or abilities. Permanent Effect diminishes with subsequent use.]</em>


    [Warnings]


    <em>[Cultivating ginseng will slightly increase monster spawn rate]</em>


    <em>[Ginseng nt does not share any defensive or support buffs of the main tree.]</em>


    <em>[Ginseng does not work on Trees]</em>

 Snow, Wolf and Lab work

    Snow, Wolf and Lab work


    <strong>Year 74</strong>


    <strong>Month 1, Week 1</strong>


    Cold. Compared tost years warmth, it is much more cold this year. Perhaps it is the demon kings influence that led tost years warmth, but whatever it is, this year is cold.


    And so, the rain gives way to snow.


    Only three normal trees are added to the valley in this snowy weather. Three. And I could sense everything is less active in this snowing weather. The energy I receive from my subsidiary trees is half a PU, the energy generated by normal trees drop to a fraction of what they were. I suppose myself and the subsidiary trees are considered evergreen trees, therefore we can maintain a portion of our energy output. In this cold weather, it jusy doesnt seem like a nice time to test out my new [ginseng tree].


    Of the three camps, the treefolk are best suited for the snow. They seem to have a kind of quasi-hibernation state where their bodies slow down tremendously and in exchange they gain a wide range of defensive buffs. In fact, I would really, really like to look under the bark of those treefolks.


    The elves and centaurs group and gather together at their biggest camps, and burn branches for warmth. The centaur elder seems to have some kind of ability that allows him to fully extract energy out of the branches, such that their fires burn longer. The one of the elven men uses some kind of ability to keep warm air circting within their temporary building. Among the refugees, some possess other cold resistance abilities, and this allow the elves and centaur to tide through the difficult weather, especially the biting cold at night.


    I am sure some of them will trade their goods to stay in this warm, cosy rooms. Eriz said, while reminiscing her time in the city. In pces and cities, there are dedicated butlers and maids who possess the ability manage room conditions, to thefort of their lords. Some mayors and lords too have a kind of [soften weather] effects which reduces their citys heating and venttion requirements.


    Well, they had to piss treetree off, so thats not happening. Jura said. Its already very generous of TreeTree to send gifts and let the elves stay.


    Are we chasing them away? Lausanne asks.


    I pause. Well, I think they should go. The elves, at least. The elven chief is probably not happy that I attacked him, and I have no clue whether the rest of the elves harbor the same sort of aggression, still, I have to be wary.


    They tried to threaten us, Lausanne. If they are bad people, they should go.


    To prison?


    No. Go away.


    The cold brings about new creatures, from further away. White wolves, and horned deers, perhaps antlers. The white wolves, seeking food in the cold and snow, a pack of them, about ten of them. They arerge, slightly smaller or about the same size as my already rhino-sized warbeetles, and equipped with simrly huge fangs and ws.


    I try tomand my beetles to intercept, and a warning pops up.


    <em>Beetles suffer significant movement and attributes penalty in snowy weather. Insects are not adept at winterbat. Half of your beetles are in a dormant state and cannot be woken up.</em>


    Oh man. Previously it was just rain, but if it snows, this happens? Oh well, at least I learn about this now.


    At least Im producing essences of winter and snow.


    Back to the white wolves, it seems they spawn in the wild, beyond the valley.


    And they spot the centaurs. Food.


    Watching through my various subsidiary trees ced throughout the valley, I feel like Im witnessing a documentary, of a pack of wolves fighting with centaurs. The centaurs, their leaders fight their best, but these wolves are huge, and some of the centaurs fall from their ferocious swipes.


    It urs to me that maybe I should help. And I think I want the experience. And a specimen for the bib.


    [Root strike]


    [Root strike]


    Two root strikes fly out of the ground, through the snow, and into the belly of thergest of the wolves. The pack leader.


    It growls in pain, the root strike clearly hit, and shatters a few bones and punctures a few of its organs. The second root strike hits a part, and this second hit actually prates the wolfs rib cage and instantly kills it.


    The sudden death of the wolf leader sends the pack into a panic, and they flee.


    As the remaining white wolves flee, I notice one particr wolf falling behind, suffering from injuries. Great. For the [bib]!


    [Constrict]


    My roots sessfully capture the injured wolf, and a paralysing jab knocks it out. And I send a few of my active beetles to collect that paralysed wolf.


    Experience gainse from killing, but also from learning. Although less, I would not be surprised if there are bookworms out there that are reasonably high leveled. One way nobles have an edge over the poor, I suppose, as their means of gaining levels is wider, through literacy, and learning through books.


    Other than that, each of the camps keep to themselves.


    <strong>Week 2</strong>


    Its still snowing heavily, so I turn my focus onto more academic matters.


    The white wolf in my bib.


    This white wolf does have mana spring in its soul, but it is smaller than any of the humans or elves, though stillrger than the smaller foxes or other animals captured.


    Rtively, Me is like the Niagara Falls, a regr human is like a small waterfall, a normal animal is like a pipe of water. This white wolf, is like a water from a fire hydrant.


    Next is the body. The soul and the body is a symbiotic rtionship, a feedback loop. So, a strong soul usually leads to a strong body, and vice versa. But, in the case of the wolves, their bodies are strong, robust, and full of natural energy, yet a small, almost non-existent soul lives in it. Its amon theme, I think, perhaps a feature of non-intelligence, or their designated status as animals or monsters?


    Strong. Attice of magic protects its bones, and ws. And then, some little sparks of energy in its muscles and joints. A kind of residual mana? I recall seeing something simr in Juras hands, and also Mes hands, but theirs is almost negligible.


    I zoom in on it.


    Nothing. Maybe I dont have the right tools or ability to identify it, because I feel magic of some kind. As I look at the jaws and their teeth, I get a simr feeling. There is something here that I have not yet figured out.


    Ah well. After going through every part of the wolf, I decide to leave it inside the bib under sedation.


    And put Jura under theb.


    Juras body now no longer has the lingering effects of his trauma, but he says he hit a limit. A teau, and all the monsters he is fighting etc is no longer giving him any new levels, so to speak. Under the soul grading, Jura is rank 6, and he is currently level 65, his familiar level 35, after the familiars upgrade.


    His body is strong, and his soul too. At first, nothing seems wrong. The body, the muscles and bones all look strong, healthy. Well, except the left hand.


    But as I continue to watch how the energy from the soul spring instantly gets drained by the body, I believe Juras intuition is right.


    The soul, is capped out. The amount of soul energy it produces is just enough for it to be at the current level, but no further. Like a country with an electrical power shortage, the country needs to find ways to have more efficient use of energy, or produce more power.


    How do we change this?


    The wisp twirls around. The elf can have an awakening, and find his soul ranked up.


    That, can happen?


    Of course. He can consider going to a quest out of his league, struggle and emerge triumphant. Such acts of heroism and pushing against limits are rewarded. The ranking system you possess is just an estimate, after all, but reality is an exponential curve, and it is possible to climb up that curve.


    Huh. Still, that implies nothing much I can do at this time.


    With his strength, it will be quite a long time before you can do anything to his soul.


    Me butts in. Upgrade. Body?


    Hmm.. That means I get ahead of the soul - body feedback loop, and try to first upgrade the body, hoping that somehow drags the soul along.


    Hmmm.. How do I upgrade the body? Stimnts? Surgery? Or maybe I should try fixing his left hand first. I wonder whether the natives of this world have techniques to upgrade to body, and actually, how does the ginseng interact with the soul & body?


    <strong>Week 3</strong>


    Less snow. Yay!


    Some of my beetles wake up from their dormant state, so only a quarter is still dormant.


    More trees! From a low of 3, I am now back to about 10 additional normal trees per week. I should make preparations for spring, and so I ask the elves to help by collecting any seeds they see, and use the beetles to help spread the seeds around.


    The elves, with not much to do in the cold, spend most of their time working on some of the cotton.


    Jura, spends his time tinkering with the damaged airship from the Sh kingdom adventurers, and by some fluke, identally dismantle what appears to be the power source of the airship. A basketball-sized crystal, the demon-residue daemolite.


    Its the first time I see it, so, naturally, into the [bib].


    <em>Magical barrier exists. Analysis unable to proceed.</em>


    Eh.


    The rest of the small airship is made with mostly simple metals and wood. Its really this magical crystal, and awork of enchantments and runes throughout the structure that gives it flight.


    Perhaps by damaging its enchantments, it therefore loses the ability to fly?


    The runes and enchantments are iprehensible to me, sadly.


    <em>Enchantment familiarity missing. Language not understood. Understanding of runic markings required</em>.


    Ah man. The bibs ability to analyse non-biological items is rather crap. Maybe I can develop a materialb someday.


    The three camps still keep to themselves. Some of the hunters from both the elves and centaur do continue looking for food, foraging and hunting the rabbits, or small rat-like creatures that now also live here.


    This creation of animals is interesting, and Ive been trying to catch it happening, bt so far I failed. Every time I try to take in the granr view of the entire valley, so that I can watch how these animals appear throughout the forests, through the vision from all subsidiary trees, I get a massive headache. If I keep it up, Ill identally lose consciousness, and wake up a dayter.


    The closest I got is a rabbit that somehow crawl out of the snow. So, even if I could see, perhaps the system that spawns these animals have ways to avoid notice.


    <strong>Week 4</strong>


    A freak snowstorm on day one, and after that, sunny! Snow is melting.


    My mistress is still alive! Eriz shouts and jumps happily. Your mommy is alive! She hugs Roma and jumps. The baby cries.


    Oh?


    Shes managed to escape with the rest of them and are headed here. They slipped past thest of the human settlements and the Kingdoms hunters! So maybe a week or so!


    Laufen smiles. Thats good.


    So where would you go after this?


    Eriz pauses. What do you mean?


    I mean since once your mistresses here, you all should have some ns, right?


    Uh I think we n on staying here. Eriz rubs her head. Can we? Ill let the mistress know that we have to obey your rules, and you are in charge. Maybe.. maybe a spot somewhere in the valley?


    Jura rubs his head. No no. TreeTree is in charge.


    Emile and Belle nod. Maybe this is like rebuilding Freeka?


    How many of them?


    Uh she did not say


    Ah. More.. refugees to deal with. Okay, fine, Ill have to handle this better than the earlier elves.


    <strong>Y74 M2 W1</strong>


    The tail end of winter. Tree growth is recovering, and this is the focus from now on. I want to hit 10,000 trees by the end of the year. I mean, it sounds like a big number, but if there are one tree for every 5 meters, an area the size of one square kilometer would have 40,000 trees. And the world of Earth have somewhere around 3 trillion trees.


    So. 10,000 trees. The beetles are busy spreading seeds or spare branches they can find, and then I channel all my mojo to boost the growth rate.


    Its actually an urge, and I get better at it. It even feels easier as the winter lets up.


    What are you doing, TreeTree? Lausanne is the one who asks, all dolled and wrapped up in thick clothing. Laufens not letting her go out without winter protection.


    Growing trees. A lot of them.


    Oh. I like trees.


    Why?


    I like fruits. They are yummy. And I like leaves. They give shade.


    Ah.


    I dont recall telling the elves about the [soul forge] but oh well. I suppose they suspect something.


    The refugees and the mistress should be on their way, soon.


    [Your Subsidiary Tree skill have leveled up. Subsidiary tree limit increased to 120]


    [Secret hideout - bib upgraded. Autopsy table and precision tools obtained. Pods increased to 10]

 Mistress and the kingdom

    Mistress and the kingdom


    <strong>Year 74 Month 2 Week 2</strong>


    The mistress and her band of refugees arrive. About 400 strong, half warriors, half escapees,prising a mix of humans, elves, dwarves and centaurs.


    Eriz, quickly stepped in to mediate. I think she probably saw the early scuffle with the elves and want to other elf group and want to avoid a simr conflict.


    In fact, once they are right outside, she ran out to meet them, before they enter the forest.


    I think she knows I can observe them, once they enter the forest. They spoke at length, and of course she took Roma with her.


    Think they have good intentions? I ask the elves.


    Nah. I dont think they got good intentions. Jura shakes his head. They just want some cover for a while, and probably cover them from their enemies.


    But they know your secret password.


    So? When we designed it, its not meant to give free ess to few hundred people.


    True.


    In the end, the rest of the refugees wait at the forests edge, and only Eriz, Roma and five othere in.


    Two elves, two humans, and a dwarf.


    One of the elves is ady, and I do sense something different about her.


    She approaches the edges of the trees, and she is the one who speaks first.


    I am the leader of this band of unfortunate refugees, here to seek the protection of the guardian of this valley.


    And why should I?


    We offer you our services, our goods, our knowledge, those that we can give. And we will keep our distance from you and your affairs.


    And?


    We just seek safe passage, and protection from the kingdom that seeks to hunt us down.


    I want no part in your conflict.


    The mistress Yvon sighs. I understand, but please, help us, Tree Spirit. There is no where we can turn to, and if you push us away, we may as well die. An army ising our way, and were too weak to outrun them.


    You lure an army here?


    She gulps. No. When we realised, we were already almost here...


    And you stille here?


    We had no choice. There is no where we can go


    Why should I not leave you to die?


    Yvon takes a deep breath. Because


    Enough. Eriz. You lured them here, so you have me in this.


    She pauses and she kneels. Im sorry. I felt they.. Its their best chance of surviving. The humans are ughtering elves by the thousands, and theres no openly-nonhuman friendly territory in anywhere near the Sh Kingdom except.. Except here.


    I sigh.


    It feels like Ive been led into this conflict.


    How many ising?


    Six hundred or so, mix of knights and archers, on horseback.


    Hmm.. if I leave these refugees out there, will they let us go? Fact is, I do have three groups of non-humans already living in the valley, and if they are really hunting down all non-humans, they may very well just set the entire forest on fire.


    Maybe something I can handle, if they dont have someone at the level of the heroes.


    I mentally reach out to Jura, and hes been listening in.


    Its not much of a choice. I think we can punish Eriz, this leader of the refugees and whoever lured them hereter, but the fact remains that a small army trailed the refugees all the way here and would highly suspect that this forest is the non-human base of operations. As we already have other refugees.


    If we defeat this army, whats stopping arger army froming here?


    Thats true. If we can somehow pull of a feint, like distract the army and lead them to somewhere else


    These refugees cant outrun this horseback-army.


    True. And, the army may not be a conventional force. They may have mages or specialists amongst them, since they are chasing after this group. Can you see them, TreeTree? Jura pauses, sits down and tries to think.


    I try to reach out to the furthest of my trees, and my roots. I put one [subsidiary tree] in that direction, and it extends my vision slightly.


    And another [subsidiary tree].


    Spotted. Six hundred horseback men. I couldnt tell much though, but if a conflict is necessary, I could drag them into difficult ground. They probably are not aware of my abilities as a high level tree spirit, and would march past trees without suspecting anything.


    So, I nt about twenty additional [subsidiary trees], all of them with [warbeetles], spaced and spread out in that direction, such that it maximises my root coverage.


    The army pass the trees. No action as expected.


    The moment we epted the first group of refugees, I guess we already have taken a stand in this conflict. Jura sighs. Let me march to the three refugee groups, and ask them to participate inbat.


    Hes not exactly right. The moment I taken on the promise to protect these elves, when Freeka is destroyed, I have made the choice, to protect this valley. An army marching on us, is therefore an enemy, especially a human army thats going to be burn up this area.


    Offer them.


    Huh? Jura turns. Offer?


    If they are willing to participate in this battle, I will consider lifting restrictions and conditions on their stay here. This is their opportunity to show their worth to me in this valley, and earn their right to stay.


    Juraughs. Hah! A tree spirit truly is wise. To make these refugees fight! Jura nods and then goes off.


    I then turn to Eriz and Yvon.


    Get your men ready forbat. I have, very reluctantly, decided to join this conflict. Eriz, Yvon, and whoever suggested all of you toe intobat, your punishment will be decided after this battle.


    Yvon pause, and she nods. Very well, if we live to see tomorrows sun, Ill take the punishment.


    The three camps, the elves refuse to participate. It seems theyve already decided to leave once the weather improves. The treefolk and centaurs both agree, and send about twenty men each. Jura himself, and also about a hundred or so men from Yvons group is also getting ready. The rest, the woman, children all hide in the forest.


    The army approaches.


    Those stinking rebels, is that their hideout?


    Forest. Hah! Its so predictable that it is a forest! Elves!


    They should choose a cave or something.


    Chatter. They past by a few of my subsidiary trees. Im watching them, looking for special individuals.


    I dont feel so good.


    What, you feel like pooping? You can poop on the elvester.


    Did Lord Rovas say we can take prisoners? Elvendies are hot.


    No. He said kill everyone. No survivors. Cant leave any of these rebel scums to breed.


    Ah man.


    I hate this armor. Whyd they insist we wear military uniform anyway?


    Were legit now. Deal with it. A burly manes around and smacks a few of them with a cane. We closing in. Mages, get ready.


    A woman rides next to him. Our target is Yvon, Prince Gns corruptor. It is she who led him into this foolish non-human love affair.


    Shes hot?


    Shes got a way with words.


    Really?


    Shut it. We cant let this group escape. If this is their base, let''s take it all out.


    Okay boss.


    Hmmm They just passed the secondyer of trees.


    They will try to fight in the forest, though.


    No. We burn the forest. Anti-elf tactics 101. Why go into the forest and fight on their terms? Set the forest on fire, and we attack whoeveres out.


    Funny, they just walked past a few trees. They should have attacked the trees, then.


    They have centaurs and dwarves, right? And they can run to the other side?


    A handful. Not enough to make a difference. Another group has already went ahead, the other side of the valley.


    Ah! Such genius!


    Mages, gather up, and cast a few fireballs into the forest. Lets burn this forest to the ground.


    Great. Thats the cue Im waiting for.


    Of the six hundred, about twenty step forth, and they start to channel some kind of fireball. And right when they start to channel,


    [Poison Field]


    [Root field]


    Roots surge out of the ground and release a kind of toxic fume into the air. Its not fast acting, but would work.


    Then, twenty root strikes. All at the mages.


    I hit 18. Killing them instantly. Their armors, though metal, didnt hold up very well. Two remaining had some magical instinct, and manage to break their fireball-chant in time, to dodge the surge.


    Druids?


    Their horses panic, as the roots and the poison is ufortable. They want to run.


    [Root surge]


    I only have two use of this ability per day, but its very useful as an area attack. Sharp roots emerge in the area around four subsidiary trees, and so there are roots attacking about half of the enemy force.


    What! The root surge thoughcks the punch each individual [root strike] have. I reckon they are about a quarter as strong.


    Some of the men activate their defensive abilities, sessfully blocking off the surge. But as an area attack, about a hundred or so died, so thats pretty good.


    Run guys! Well need toe back with a bigger army! One the surviving mage shouts, using some kind of magic to boost his escape. Whoever is protecting them is a very powerful druid. Perhaps one of the great elven archdruids!


    That actually need not be said. Some of them are already running, when the [poison field] and [root field] popped up.


    Well, I cant let mages run, though. So I shoot a few more rounds of [root strikes], and I kill one. Thest surviving mage uses a string of magical nullification spells. Hes hurt, but not dead.


    That cursed elf woman! Shes got a backer! Must be one of the elven nations secretly meddling in our countrys politics!


    Retreat!


    I try a root strike at the leader. It hits a magical barrier, breaks through it, but then a metal shield blocks the root strike.


    You wont get my head that easily! He shouts, and he activates a few magical and physical defensive abilities, then as he is about to turn back, a shout came from the forest.


    Charge!


    Yvon and the refugees charge out of the forest.


    Honestly, if you ask me, that is a stupid decision. Whyd she and the refugees charge out of the forest?


    Well, since shes charging, I activate all the warbeetles hiding in the twenty subsidiary trees. Sixty warbeetles appear and charge into the chaotic mess that is the Kingdoms army. The beetles kill a few, but with the stronger, more experienced soldiers, its an even matchup. After all, these soldiers have skills, abilities, and probably some enchanted equipment.


    The leader though, smiles and shouts at Yvon. Ah, you subus! Decided to appear and fight eh?!


    Yvon pulls out a sword, uses some kind of ability, and she vanishes. Only to reappear a secondter, right in front of the army leader and attempt a stab.


    He blocks, and his magical barrier is broken. Hah! Not so easy! He pulls out a sword as well, and leaps out of his horse.


    Both Yvon and the army leader enter into a sword-fighting match as they trade blows.


    Meanwhile, the rest of the refugees and the warbeetles fight.


    At this point, I stop attacking and observe the battle.


    Shes pretty good. Juraughs, still sitting at the side, not joining the battle.


    Arent you going?


    Soon. Im just waiting for the trigger.


    Which is?


    That woman. Shes going to try something.


    She charges up some kind of ability as Yvon and the leader are fighting. Well, sorry, Im gonna have to ruin the surprise. Two root strikes impale through her body. She yells in pain.


    AGHHHH.


    Both Yvon and the army leader turn to see the woman with one root through her chest, and another through her tummy.


    The army leader looks at Yvon furiously. Which country is helping you. You treasonous beast.


    Yvon shakes her head. None.


    Then exin this root magic.


    Yvon pause. I cant. I didnt know of it either.


    Lies. Again.


    The army leader activates some kind of ability, and starts shing at Yvon at high speed. She, in response, activates some kind of ability as well, and they are back at a stalemate. Him shing, and she parrying, dodging sessfully.


    She pants, her breathing heavy.


    You cant beat me. You know it.


    I can try. Vengeance demands it.


    Heughs. I didntnd the killing blow, mind you. It is not I, who killed Prince Gn.


    But you were there. And so you must die. Yvons sword glow in a greenish hue.


    Oh? The army leaderughs.


    I thought I saw a few chances for me to throw a [root strike], but eavesdropping the conversation is a lot more interesting.


    Yvon disappears into a whirl of greenish light, some kind of sword-dance ability. The army leaderughs, glows in purple and he too disappears in a purple-glow, and the two appear as sparks for a good few minutes.


    And when they both reappear, the army leader look unscratched, whereas Yvon has cuts all over her body.


    See? You cant beat me, and I will make you join that Prince Gn soon.


    Yvon shakes her head, and forces herself to stand.


    Wheres that druid of yours anyway? Ran out of [root attacks]?


    Well, I still have about fifty to spare. But Im interested in watching. My beetles and the rest of the refugees, still fighting, few of the beetles killed, and they manage to hunt down thest mage. So, with the mage out of the picture, Im actually letting the rest of this y out.


    About this time, 40 additional refugees join the battle. The treefolk and the centaur. They waited for a chance, as they did not want to join the fight until Jura did.


    Oh, treefolk. That exins the [root attacks]. The army leaderughs. Ill ughter them after I kill you.


    Not if I have anything to say about it. Jura steps in front. Jura.


    The army leaderughs. Oh? Im Waysorious Moffard. Also known as the Purple de.


    Jura bows, Pleased. Allow me to join this battle, as Ive been robbed of my prey. Well, I killed thedy Jura wanted to fight, so


    Well,e.


    Jura grins, and activates some kind of ability, covering his body in ayer of wood.


    They trade a few blows, and Jura jumps backward. His wooden armor had multiple scratches, but he lives.


    Ah, Im weaker with the sword. But thankfully my defense is a lot stronger. The wooden armor regenerates, and the scratches disappear.


    Waysoriousughs. That armor of yours is strong, but if thats all you got, you wontst.


    At that point, Yvon steps up, her body fully healed. Well, what if its both of us?


    Waysorious pauses. Ah Jura activated a healing ability before they started fighting.


    He looks around, and sees the rest of his men dying, or fleeing. He then startsughing maniacally.


    I see. I see. Ill be back, you cursed witch.


    Yvon quickly attempts to stab him, but in a sh of light, he disappeared.


    AGH! Should have known he carries a ring of escape with him!


    Huh. Theres item like that, eh?


    And once the captain leaves, the rest of the soldiers did notst very long. It seems without his presence, some buffing effects that he had fade away. Whoevers still fighting is quickly killed by the remaining warbeetles, Yvon, Jura and the rest of the refugees.


    So, the battle ends.


    The refugees strip whatever equipment or items from the soldiers, and pile the bodies up to burn. Yvons bunch of 200+ refugees lost about thirty or so men, whereas the 40 treefolk and centaurs lost none. All thanks to a great element of surprise, rootstrikes, and warbeetles.


    Warbeetles have a [taunt] ability with tends to cause nearby enemies to attach them first, and that tanking effect help minimise casualties. Add to the confusion from the rootstrikes and root surge, the army seem to be concentrated on fleeing more than fighting.


    Centaurs and treefolk, thank you for your participation in this battle. With this, Im willing to offer you full rights to your designated areas, and also such that each person may chop 1 tree, per year. Ration your wood ordingly. Treefolk may trade your wood-rights, if you do not need them, with centaurs, but notify me beforehand.


    The centaurs and treefolk nod, and return to their homes. Theyre d that no casualties in their bunch, but they join the battlete. . Iter overhear that the sight of roots surging out of the ground is rather scary. From afar, it looks like the earth itself decided to fight them. Which reminds me, maybe I should have a giant-worm of my own, like the demons. A subordinate giant worm or centipede would be nice.


    As for Yvons group, they quickly bury their dead, and heal their wounded. Yvons frustrated though, not that I care. Her punishment is due and Jura delivers the message.


    You survived. Now face punishment. Jura speaks, in a small gathering.


    Yvon sighs. ... no way out of this?


    Speak to the Tree spirit.


    Later that day, after all is done, Eriz, Yvon both stand right outside the main tree.


    So what punishment are we facing?


    Eriz. Did you know youre putting everyone at risk by luring them here?


    Yes. But it is the best decision, I think.


    You. You intentionally wanted to get me involved in this.


    Yvon shakes her head. Uh to be honest, I didnt fully believe Eriz when she said theres a Tree Spirit able to protect us. And from my point of view, we had to escape the humannds. Wherever we go, we are going to be hunted, so, since my son is here I thoughting here made sense.


    She looks at Jura, and Jura shakes his head. Go on.


    Erm.. whatever it is, I didnt realise there is a forest here, and I didnt think that they would suspect this forest is a hideout for rebels. On hindsight it is obvious, but when we are just trying to sessfully escape, we.. we didnt think that far ahead. So we decided to take a chance on whatever Eriz said..


    I sigh. How should I punish these people? Shes trying to feign innocence, and that annoys me even more.


    How?


    At this point, the wisp appears in my mental realm.


    Take her soul.


    What?! I mean, what? Like.. how does one do that?


    I mean, make her surrender her soul to you when she dies.


    I can do that?


    Yeah. You can mark her soul, with a special process. She has to consent to it, of course, and recite a long phrase and agreement to mark that wills her soul to you.


    That that somehow feels a bit extreme. And, I didnt know I have that kind of ability?


    That sounds like what a demon does, I mean, take ones soul on death?


    Well. Its actually the same thing. The contracts in essence are the same, but demons took the ideas to the extreme of course.


    Why would I want her soul, anyway?


    Well, all the souls you see are marked for their onward reincarnation or whatever the gods have nned for their next phase, and stay in the realm at most for a year, usually six months. But if a soul agrees, they drop out of that process and belong to you for a thousand years. And during that thousand years, you may use the soul as you see fit.


    Like?


    Well.. anything.


    I shake my head. Sounds exactly like what a demon or devil does. Not exactly what I thought a soul tree or Spirit tree should be doing. I mean, how does it work?


    What else are you not telling me?


    Or if you think taking away her soul is too.. much, tell her to give you a few of her levels or her skills.


    What. Another bombshell from the wisp. This.. wisp, is hiding things from me.


    Ah, well, its actually a fairlymon ability amongst the ancients, high nobles, blue blooded royalty, and high level magic smiths, artificers and crafters.


    Huh?


    There are restriction by the origin of your power, of course, and in your case, the person surrendering the levels must be at least level 20, and they can surrender no more than 20% of their levels, and no more than 20% of all skills.


    Okay, wisp. Infodump here, but this sounds pretty important. I turn to Eriz and Yvon.


    Rest. I will decide your punishment in a few days. If you attempt to flee, I will kill you. And the refugees.


    They gulp, but they nod. Having seen the roots, they probably realise I could kill them. Once they leave, I go back to my [soul realm] to the Wisp.


    You and I, are going to have a long conversation on what else you have not been telling me.


    Oh, I have plenty of others, but the information I can release to you is dependent on the progress you make on the [soul forge], and if you want know everything I know, you need an active soul forge.


    Can you tell me more about these soul contracts and surrendering of levels and skills.


    The wisp bobs around and then pauses.


    Making a deal for the soul ismon throughout history. When a desperate man sacrifices everything to protect his family, he is making a request to the heavens or hell, or whatever natural aspects watching at the time, in exchange for his soul. It is then up to the nature aspect to decide whether they want the soul, and bnce the costs of assisting versus the benefits.


    Huh. Simplify?


    Granting souls is supermon, and not forever. As a soul or spirit tree, having souls that wont move on is very useful. Just think of it as an employment contract.


    Cant I just make her work for me?


    Well, thats harder to enforce than having a contract carved into her soul, no?


    Oh. True, it''s like having a ve that cannot defy you. Well, that is nice, but is that a good punishment?


    Death feels too... cheap.

 Punishment & Soul Forge

    Punishment & Soul Forge


    <strong>Year 74 Month 2 Week 3</strong>


    Spring begins. Beetles are out spreading seeds.


    Ive finally decided on the punishment for Eriz and Yvon.


    Thanks to your selfishness, Eriz, youve permanently dragged us into this conflict. This is despite our hospitality to you these past months. Your punishment is that you are to surrender your soul to me, and to serve us for the rest of your life.


    My my soul?


    Yes, your soul. You put us at risk, even when we helped take care of Roma. For putting our lives at risk.


    She pause, and shes too stunned to respond.


    Then it is Yvons turn. Your punishment is that you will now have to protect this forest for the rest of your life. And Ill enforce that by not having you leave this forest. If you do try, Ill kill your people. In exchange, Ill allow your people to share and stay in this valley with me, though, as youre probably aware, I have rules that I want followed.


    She stops.


    I did not think taking your soul is necessary at this point, and I am of the opinion that yourbat and management abilities will be useful to manage theing refugees. But, I will be watching you closely.


    Yvon pauses, thinking. After about five minutes, she sighs, and she then nods. I can ept that. I guess she figured to have me as a protector of the refugees is worth the cost.


    She dragged me into this conflict, I may as well make the most of it. If this is going to end up into a war, Id better have more bodies to throw at the enemy.


    I do want to fight the Sh Kingdom, so this elerates this entire process. But I was hoping for more ndestine, stealthy methods, by way of sneaky subsidiaries trees, but, oh well.


    How.. how are you going to take my soul? Eriz looks puzzled.


    A magic ring appears around her, an ability I didnt know I had until recently.


    [Spiritual Contract - Judgement]. Its essentially a soul contract, but in the form of a judgement. Demons, devils and the dark gods get a lopsided version known as [Unfair Contracts], which is unfair, but, less robust as a result. It has also sneaky abilities like concealing terms and conditions, but all of these result a reduction of the ability grade to a lower-tier (rtive, of course).


    ept.


    She shakes. She looks at her mistress, and then back at Jura, whos watching her. I.. I..


    Are you testing my patience, Eriz?


    I wonder whether there is<em>undue influence</em>in this world.


    She gulps. I...Im sorry. Is there any other way?


    No. For the fact that youve dragged me into this conflict, and the kingdom knows of this forest, youve made life difficult for me. Therefore, this is an adequate punishment for you. You could have told your mistress to meet you elsewhere, but here we are.


    Yvon tries to defend her subordinate. Her soul its too much isnt it? Cant she protect this forest like I do?


    No. Her soul, or everyone dies. I probably would not actually kill everyone, but an ultimatum it is.


    Eriz cries. And she cries for a while.


    She nces at Jura, but Jura shrugs.


    After she finished, she epts the punishment, and the magic ring around her glows, expands, spins around awhile, and then enters her body.


    It is done.


    <em>[Eriz Mafoss soul is now leased to you for 1,000 years. Soul lease willmence on death]</em>


    Lease? Isnt that like renting?


    Uh She looks around. I think shes preparing for something more gruesome and painful.


    And after a while, she looks at Yvon.


    Am I still here? Eriz seems to think she will die instantly.


    Yes. Yvon nods, and she too looks puzzled


    Thats it? I dont feel anything different. Have you taken my soul, yet?


    Oh, not now. When you die, Eriz. I wanted to say, so dont die, but then, Im sure she knows that.


    Now that her sobbing stops, she looks at her mistress. Oh. OH! Thats all?


    Y''know... Im starting to think on-death is not that great a term, after all it still means this person gets to act out her life, for the remainder of her days, (which is by no means shorter). Its a painless punishment, nothing''s changed, unless they care about their soul.


    Oh well, I guess Ill take levels next time. Though having seen Yvonsbat abilities, having her around would be useful against the fighters this Sh Kingdom may deploy.


    For the soul part, yes. Also, from now on, you serve me.


    <strong>Year 74 Month 3 Week 1</strong>


    I love spring.


    Thanks to the hard work of the beetles and the regrowing bounty mojo, the normal tree count in the valley surged to 3,800. Thats a huge climb, but I am guessing the season of spring counts to that. If this continues I might hit 10,000 a bit faster than expected.


    Other than that, nothing of particr concern happened. The Kingdom does not seem to be sending anyone at us, yet.


    As for the refugees, Yvons group of refugees set up camp along the right side of the slopes. All the refugee camps start building more permanent structures now that winter is over.


    The centaurs, now given a certain allotment of trees that they can chop down, start to construct basic houses, which resemble stables. Some of them engage in wide scale nting, of a nt known as shrub of the fours. Largely inedible to anyone but centaurs, minotaurs, satyrs and their kind, its their staple food. It seems centaurs can survive on this nt alone, and once the nts start to grow significantly, I would like to analyse them.


    The treefolk are incredibly fascinating to observe. Their abilities resemble an inferior version of mine in many ways. They enjoy being in the sun, and clearly their abilities are affected by the season, their steps faster, their skin and body more vibrant. Their feet has some ability to connect to the earth, drawing energy, nutrition, and even mana. The treefolk use their innate affinity to trees to weave the branches of trees into more structures, and it seems this is their preferred way of construction, bending trees into shape. Its likerge scale bonsai sculpting. I suspect they have the ability to boost tree growth as well, but I will ask them someday.


    Yvons elves, being the most exposed of the bunch, start with building a mix of houses and fortification from the earth. Stone walls, stone houses, I am quite amazed at the speed which they manage to build with the rocks and dirt. They had to cut some of the trees down for the rest of the materials, but with outburst of trees in spring, the loss is eptable.


    Thest group of elves, are split. A group, about three quarters, are leaving. They only want to stay through winter. The remaining quarter are going to join Yvons group.


    No matter.


    <strong>Year 74 Month 3 Week 3</strong>


    No movement from the Sh Kingdom. We initially wonder why, but the olive oil traders came. For olives, of course.


    War breaks out. Kingdom of Nung, Kingdom of Takde have dered war on the Kingdom of Sh. The civil war and ughter is an opportunity, a weakness, so both of them are trying to take a bite out of the Sh kingdoms territory.


    Well, thats a wonderful coincidence.


    Some cash change hands, and olive oils, sold.


    The merchants guild would be trying to sell information about me, no? Yvon pops out at the trading post.


    Ah the mistress herself. The merchants grin. Well, the kingdom is upied now, but they are offering good money to find out who is backing your rebellion.


    Oh, any leads? Yvonughs.


    The merchants guild have our own theories, but if you mean to share


    Yvon shakes her head. How is the guildmaster doing?


    Ah, he is fine. No one would dare touch the guildmaster of the merchants guild, even if he is half-minotaur, if that''s what you are asking.


    Yvon nods. That is good. She then hands the merchant multiple letters. I take the merchants still offer delivery services, even to me?


    The merchant smile, grab the letters, and shove it into a box of some kind. And some coin changes hands.


    I take you know the terms.


    No worries, its to the other kingdoms.


    Ah.


    Sorry Laufen butts in. Do you mind helping us buy some things?


    Like?


    Oh, one of my friends want exotic fruits and books about trees. Can you help us procure some, well pay you.


    Ah, Ill look out for it.


    <strong>Year 74 Month 4 Week 1</strong>


    The young chieftain and the elves left. I am at 5,300 normal trees. The surge is down to an awesomebination, the hard work of the beetles, this wonderful season of spring, and better mastery of this bounty ability I have.


    Within the inner circle of subsidiary trees, I finally felt confident enough to start growing my first [ginseng tree].


    Life for the refugees are starting to stabilise. With homes built, their focus turns to defense, and preparing for winter. Potatoes, and all the other nts.


    [Subsidiary tree leveled up. You can now have 180 subsidiary trees]


    <strong>Year 74 Month 4 Week 3</strong>


    I spread more subsidiary trees, further out, as a form of surveince. And this is when I notice my increasing inability to manage such a vast area of [subsidiary trees]. Its too far.


    So, although the [subsidiary trees] are giving me vision, its not functioning as an early warning system, and I cant camp there to watch over it personally. Theres a hill a distance away, and I would like to somehow get my hands more unique minerals and materials.


    The essence production at this point is still slow, because most of my energy is focused on growing trees, which now touches 6,000 trees.


    Other than that, there are more refugees, more non-humans, and they all join Yvons camp. I think about 200 of them. It seems Yvon knew they wereing, and have prepared extra houses and buildings to house them, so Yvons side is bing quite lively. There were some centaurs among the new batch, which went on to join the existing centaur group instead, but its a small bunch, only about 20-30.


    <strong>Year 74 Month 5 Week 1</strong>


    Spring is almost ending, and it seems the growth of new trees start to slow down again. It is now about 500, per two weeks, so I stand at 6,500 now.


    To support the elves, centaurs and treefolk, Ive created subsidiary trees that produce cotton. The deal is that they shall pay me 20% of the proceeds, should they be sold to traders. But if they make it for personal consumption, no tax.


    Yes.


    I am taxing the refugees. I call it, the cotton tax.


    In addition, treefolk, centaur campsmit to provide 30 warriors each to the valleys defense. Yvons group naturallymit the most, being thergest. They put 200 of their people for the valleys defense. They mostly focus on the small monsters and creatures that spawn naturally in the region.


    And Jura, being the chief coordinator andmunicator of the valley, gains a new ss.


    [Envoy] (working title)


    <strong>Year 74 Month 5 Week 2</strong>


    More refugees. Seriously. The invasion by the two kingdoms seems to have disced even more people, and more death. I know of the death, because with my wider reach, Im collecting more souls. My soul realm is filled with little sparks of light, of humans, of non-humans, all these souls making the journey to the other world. They will stay, for about 6 months to a year, before moving on, so the constant death is currently adding a lot of little lights to the soul realm.


    It is good that you are approaching an active [soul forge] soon. The wisp bobs around.


    Tell me about.. Other soul-manipting creatures. I get to the point, I have questions, I ask.


    When you get a soul forge.


    Ah Id like to sigh in frustration, but I cant. So, do I have a limit on how many souls I can store?


    Nope. Soul realm can store as many souls as you can possibly have.


    Hows that even possible, doesnt that break some rules or something?


    It it just does. The wisp cant answer, but oh well. Magic. Like how the [secret hideout] is far bigger than my actual tree.


    <strong>Year 74 Month 5 Week 3</strong>


    More refugees. After 2 weeks of more refugees, Yvons group is touching almost 800, and they are epting some humans as well. At first, my initial response is to reject, but then their location, at the edge of the valley, and the assurance of Yvon and her group, Ive relented. More bodies to throw back at the Kingdom is good.


    So, Yvon, and a lot of the earlier elves and humans now take the role of enforcer, and they seem to havee up with some kind of norms.


    They also have an unofficial name for their growing part of town, which is located a bit further from where Freeka is.


    New Freeka.


    At first, they wanted to name it after their benefactor, Prince Gn, so the name floated about was Gnsburg, but I rejected that idea, as it steps on the history of this ce, of Freeka.


    So its fine then. That new settlement they are working on can be the new town, and the area my main tree is will be the old-town of Freeka.


    And I gain a random level, after almost 6 months of not gaining a level.


    [Level 117]


    [Timber-farm]


    [Produce average quality timber, at a much faster speed]


    Ah.


    <strong>Year 74 Month 6</strong>


    A small scouting party from the Sh kingdom spotted. Their enmity with Yvon has not ended after all. The skirmishes with the Nung and the Takde are just minor distractions, Sh is one of therger states in the region, and they have sufficient resources to hold both fronts, and still pursue their vengeance.


    For Yvon, this came as a disappointment. Their earlier hopes of making peace in thisnd, is not going to be as easy as they initially hoped.


    Anyway, I decide to let Yvon deal with it. If they are to make a life in this valley, they gotta show they are up for the challenges, so they captured the scouts, interrogated them, and then killed them.


    I suppose theyll be suspecting when the scouts dont return anyway.


    Later in the month, the traders came along, trade some oil, and brought us some exotic fruits. It seems the olive oil prices went up slightly during the wars, so we were paid a little more, though the merchants share is obviously higher.


    It seems the Shs im over our valley and a few other territories, is disputed by the Nung, that abandonment during the demonic wars renders the Shs im moot. The past few months consists of a mix of skirmishes, and high level diplomatic meetings, and so the dispute areas has been dered a temporary no-go zone.


    But thats ending, as neither is budging from their im, so Sh ising. And so is the Nung.


    Ah, peace is but a temporary lie, the oue of two nations bickering with words.


    [Harvestable products upgraded. Papaya and grapes obtained].


    Normal tree count : 7,800


    <strong>Year 74 Month 6 Week 4</strong>


    More refugees. Yvons group is expanding their walls, a secondyer of walls is being built to protect the additional houses now. With the help of timber, some of their earlier buildings are being rebuilt taller, more dense.


    Yvons group is actually fairly talented. One of them, was actually a [Mayor], has taken the role of mayor of New Freeka, and he is in charge of construction and absorbing the refugee influx. With him are few [Councillors], and [Paperworkers], experts at setting up and managing paperwork. It seems they even got started on making some paper from all the branches and leaves.


    Another of Yvons men is a [Military Trainer], and shes in charge of managing the defensive aspects.


    I suspect the whole conflict stems from prince Gns skilled retinue, and this somehow threatened the elder prince.


    [Skill obtained : Growth surge]


    [Creates patches of normal trees, shrubs and grasses. Affected by weather and seasons]


    <strong>Year 74 Month 7 Week 2</strong>


    Theres a fair bit of movement at Yvons side. People moving in and out. Other than that, everyones getting ready for another round of winter.


    The elves, Laufen and all do drop by each of the camps, though I keep watch whenever they do. Last thing I want is a kidnapping.


    Though they are new and are strangers, it makes them happy. They are in a society after all, and elves who stay alone for too long lose that social connection.


    Especially the kids. There are more kids to y with, kids, their age. Lausanne in particr found another girl her age, and they y catch in the small town of New Freeka. In New Freeka, multiple [subsidiary trees] keep watch. These are so that I am can look and keep myself aware what''s happening.


    But, I am struggling to keep track of so many things happening at once. Especially now that it grows to almost 1,200 people, not counting the treefolk and centaurs.


    <strong>Year 74 Month 7 Week 4</strong>


    Army spotted, 10,000 strong. They bear the gs of Sh. A proper army, swords, armors, knights. And mages.


    They march towards New Freeka, and as they approach, one man on horseback yells. We demand you surrender!


    No!


    I have insufficient root strikes to kill that many people. At best, I can take out about 1,000? And that leaves 9,000 men.


    The refugees are worried, of course. Its arge force. They talk about running, but Yvon somehow convinces them to stay. The past months they have built a wall to act as a defensive fortification, preparing for this day.


    10,000 is a lot, but not all need to die. If I can get a hit on the leaders, and deliver a visible smacking to their morale, perhaps they can be convinced into fleeing.


    I think the core group of about 400 are professionals. The rest look like conscripts.


    Mages?


    I had in mind, simr strategy, to the earlier fight. Take out the mages first, but they did see how we fought the first time, so they might know that we would go for that.


    And indeed, theres no obviously visible mages, all of them wear armor,so, the suspected mages are those wielding staffs or sticks. They will probably show themselves once the battle gets into close range.


    The army closes in. Theres not many horses this time.


    The refugees field about 800 fighters in total, 700 from the camp itself, and 100 from centaurs and treefolk.


    Arrows start to fly, and the enemy leader activates a shield barrier, deflecting the arrows. Some of the arrows though, are from actual archers, with shield-prating abilities, so some still go through. The treefolk use their ability to throw rocks and boulders at the army, and their size and energy us able to pierce the shield.


    10,000, mostly soldiers? Something is not right.


    They enter into some kind of turtle-ish formation to reduce the impact of the projectiles.


    And they get nearer.


    Around the walls are my [subsidiary trees], and they are walking past them now. I take this chance to take a closer look.


    Mages. I know some of them are, but with the bodies nking and blocking, I cant seem them very well.


    A few of the refugees are mages, and two fireballs fly towards the army, smacks right into a magic barrier.


    Its at this time, a long range projectile smashes into the refugee mage, killing him instantly.


    And I quickly turn my attention to them.


    Far away theres 3 men, one holding a long barrel gun, a sniper? But its a lot more crude, made of forged crystal, and it fires magic bullets. Another look like a mage, with the whole wizard gear. And thest man, is an old man in knight armor. He looks somewhat like a lord.


    Did you spot any archdruid?


    No.


    10,000 men is overkill. Its probably those treefolk.


    The old man nods. I wouldnt count Yvon out just yet. Shes probably got something in her sleeves. The fact that she so brazenly set up a physical camp here, suggests she has some kind of backing.


    The sniper shakes his head. Seriously, no unusual mana signatures.


    The wizard shrugs. Maybe shes just overconfident. Or just tired of running.


    Maybe.


    Sniper turns his barrel around. All these trees are annoyingly tough. He fires, and the projectile pierces through one of my subsidiary trees. But it slows the crystalline projectile down significantly, and softens the blow.


    The wizard pauses, seemingly realising something. [Detect Presence].


    He pauses, and turns to the Lord. We should leave.


    The Lord looks dumbfounded. Huh, why? Dont we have good odds?


    I sense an ominous presence that stretches this entire valley not something not something an archdruid can do. The trees they are looking back at us. The wizard points at the trees. I feel them watching us.


    The Lord stares. How sure are you?


    These trees has a faint killing intent. This is no ordinary forest.


    Hmmm.. that exins why the refugees are stuck. They dare not venture through the valley. So they may as well make a stand here.


    We might still be able to defeat Yvon and her band of rebels. But whatever else its here its not going to fall to us, not to what we have here. If Yvon is somehow working with or trying to control whatever lurks in this forest, we may not stand a chance. Its a trap, milord.


    The Lord pauses, and looks at the sniper. What do you think?


    I trust his judgement. If he says we should leave, we should. He fires another shot, this time intentionally hitting one of my subsidiary trees. It punctures a whole through the subsidiary tree, and sends a jolt of pain through me. Normal trees would explode on impact. I agree that this forest has secrets. Ill need explosive weaponry.


    The wizard nods to the sniper.


    It is best I report this to the wizards guild. A deployment of a muchrger group of wizards may be necessary.


    The Lord nods. Very well. There is no shame in retreating to fight another day. Call the army back. If this is a trap, we will not fall for it. We would be better ced if we can tap some rangers and shamans for the next fight.


    And so, the army of 10,000 halts its advance, and retreats.


    It is surreal for the refugees, who thought they would be goners, or lose most of their people. The casualties on both sides are rtively small, about twenty to thirty, and for Yvon and group, this was a huge victory.


    [Skill : Haunted tree upgraded to haunted forests.]


    Ah. Did I just scare away an army? I am pretty sure the army cannot kill me, but I probably wont be able to kill all of them too.


    Still, it looks like they will be back with a vengeance. So I need additional countermeasures.


    <strong>Year 74 Month 8 Week 3</strong>


    10,000 normal trees reached!


    Firing up [soul forge].


    All of the trees in the valley, abruptly emit a faint glow, and it scares the refugees.


    And I feel power surging into me, my roots, all of them overflowing with power, energy gathered.


    And then a huge thunderbolt from abovends on me, like a constant electrical connection. It causes everyone to jump, and the secret hideout shakes like it is experiencing an earthquake.


    The ground shakes. My entire body of tree glows in a bluish light, the thunder, like a chain linked to the sky above, shakes, and flickers.


    What the hell is going on? Jura asks. Tree Spirit are you okay?


    They dont know.


    The treefolk seems afraid. Is the tree suffering through a magical crisis?


    The centaurs wonder whether this is some kind of divine punishment.


    The normal trees push more energy through the roots, and all of that energy flows into the once-inactive [soul forge].


    A spark, a small blue me pops out and dances in the middle of the soul forge. The soul forge actually looks like a massive circr jar, and now there is this blue light emitting from within.


    And then, a shockwave. The outer barks of my body is shredded by the bolts of lightning, as they hop in and out of my body, like a short circuited set of electronics.


    [You gained 4 levels.] [Level 121]


    [Skill obtained : Magic suppression : All hostile magic abilities below tier 3 are absorbed]


    [Skill upgraded : Root surge. Covers a wider area and use limit increased]


    [Skill upgraded : Subsidiary tree increased to 250]


    [Soul forge : Blue] is active.


    [Soul forge : ForgeTree.


    The physical realms link to the soul forge]


    [Soul forge abilities unlocked]


    <em>[The power to repair, mend souls. To strip souls apart, and put them back together. The ability to add souls to your abilities, familiars, items, trees. The ability to push souls to their limits, and beyond. The ability to rank up a soul. The ability to fuse soul fragments whole, and create artificial sub-souls from ordinary soul fragments]</em>


    The wisp shakes, and he splits into three wisps.


    Two then circle around the soul forge, orbiting it.


    Youve done it. An active soul forge.


    Where do I start?


    I suggest, given your now expanding reach, is to have assistants.


    Okay, lead the way.


    Not all souls are suited to make the journey to the afterlife, the aether dimension whether all souls return.


    Souls, though extremely durable, do fracture and crack, and decay from the presence of the outside world. Some souls are torn by the magic of men, between life and death. Some souls are stuck, lingering, seeking vengeance or salvation. Whatever it is, some souls cannot make the journey. And for these souls, they decay into fragments.


    But it is not the end. Eventually, in the eternity of time, enough of these fragments will pool together and form a soul-body able to make the journey into the afterlife, where the administrator of souls can restore them, and send them onwards, to continue the eternal duty of souls. To reincarnate into the next life.


    A soul forge assists in this repairing and renewal process. It fuses the fragments of ordinary decayed souls, into a soul body, and the soul body then makes the journey to the afterlife. But, it leaves behind a frame.


    An artificial thing, not possessing the limitless, self sustaining life force of a soul, but yet, close enough.


    To use an analogy, the soulprise of a car (an outeryer) and a driver (an inneryer). The decayed souls are broken cars, unable to continue its journey to the other side. The soul forge, forges the broken parts of multiple broken cars together, such that together they can make that journey. But, once that journey is made, the inneryer disappears, but the outeryer remains.


    This outeryer, is the artificial-soul. Like a person without heart, it is close, but not the same.


    And with this artificial soul, we, upgraded one of my very first abilities.


    [Soul-forge is fusing autopilot with an artificial soul].


    [Autopilot has transformed into Forest Mind, Level 1]


    [You may now name Forest Mind.]


    Trevor. I wanted Treevor, but never mind.


    I am Trevor, Level 1 Forest-Mind. Greetings Master TreeTree.


    It speaks!


    I can handle the administrative, defensive and organisation aspects of the valley on your behalf, and as I gain levels, you may select the skills and abilities I gain. Please assign me a duty.

 Bear and Beetle

    Bear and Beetle


    <strong>Year 74 Month 9</strong>


    It is as if I am ying a strategy game, and now I unlocked the radar and now have minimaps, live indicators, numerical representation of all the things going on before, with much better details.


    An example would be normal trees, previously I have a data indicating how many trees is connect to me via roo, but now that data is a lot more granr, like how many of those trees are producing seeds and fruits, the average age of trees, the estimated fertility of the ground, and estimates of how many trees will be added.


    The merchants are spotted southwest, sir. Yes, I think I prefer sire over master.


    And my rm system.


    Good.


    The elves are on their way. With the olives.


    There are certain things innate to Trevor, things that do not need to be taught, because theye naturally. Things like tree management, boosting growth rate, checking for new foreign objects, managing mining and essence extractions.


    Master, I gained a level.


    Yes good. And he is level 5 now. Heres a limitation with artificial souls, though.


    Artificial souls start off with a level limit of 20 and to break that, I need to upgrade the artificial soul, or fulfill certain set criteria.


    As they get upgraded, their abilities grow, but ording to wisps, so will their tendency to misbehave. So, in a way, artificial souls generally be less stable as they grow. But, this is also influenced by various factors, such as the skill of the soul forger, the power of the soul forge, and various other unknowns.


    Another, is that Trevor, leeches off on my knowledge, and fuses it with its innate knowledge of tree-stuff. So, while it can handle forest rted matters superbly, it struggles to even talk aboutmunicating with its inhabitants. In fact, thatmunication it has with me, is due to the fact that it is synchronised to me, and therefore can ry its message to me specifically.


    So in a way, an assistant no one knows about. Well, doesnt matter to the elves, does it?


    How about me? Me pops by. Her soul is damaged by the journey, but I have used the soul forge to repair her back. Still, it is not aplete repair. It seems I will need to find additional upgrades for the [soul forge], to fully get back her power.


    I I havent thought of how to best use you. And you are due for reincarnation, no?


    Oh I spoke to Nobuost night. He said I can stay for 1,000 years before I return.


    Whos Nobuo?


    Oh.. the reincarnation god.


    Huh. I thought his name is Mozart? Or are there multiple reincarnation gods? Why?


    Oh he assumed my soul was destroyed by the demons, and would take a longer time to get back into the system, so he didnt arrange a subsequent reincarnation for me yet, so he says I can hang around for a 1,000 years.


    Thats awfully long for him.


    Oh, time flows differently in the aether realm, its like super fast there. Mes soul bobs around.


    Really. Well, I suppose its like saying flies have short lives, and perhaps to these gods, our lives are like flies.


    Trevor, any suggestions?


    No sir. Souls are not my area of expertise.


    Would you like abat role?


    Mes soul spins. No. I did a lot of fighting with the stupid demons, so I can help with defenses if you need it, but something more domestic?


    What do you like?


    I like dancing, I like kids. I used to volunteer as a kindergarten assistant, and maybe ying games and stuff.


    Ah anything else?


    Me seems slightly annoyed. Why cant you just pick something. Cant I change if I dont like it?


    Hmm.


    Wisp, is the soul forge fusion reversible?


    For artificial souls, no. The disentangling process will shred to soul-frame (outeryer). For normal souls, yes, but the normal souls have a cooldown period.


    You are right Me, looks like you can change if you dont like it. I was afraid that its an irreversible effect, in which case a mistake would be terrible.


    Aaaahh. I see I see. Well, I do like exploring ces, eating food, talking to people. You know, like, be a tourist. I think that would be nice.


    A tourist eh. I cant create human bodies, so too bad. At most I can make a wooden puppet wait. A wooden puppet might be a good idea.


    Is that it?


    Hmmm I also like to draw, and paint. And hang out with my siblings.


    Sorry, I suddenly thought of it.. dont you miss your family or whoever where you came from? I suddenly miss my nephew too.


    Me pauses, I do. But like I said, time moves differently for different ces.. Rtivity, interdimensional timespace and all that mumbo jumbo. This 1,000 years is not going to be a 1,000 years in my home. Nobuo say he can send me back, without my memories, to the exact moment before we had the bus ident, and that ident didnt happen. ording to him, the only thing I will get from this world once I return is strange, unusual dreams.


    Ah.


    Yeah. Things will be back to the way they were, and all I get is a dream.


    Like primary school essays eh. Where you wake up and realise it''s all been a dream.


    Exactly.


    Do you like doing research?


    No.


    Hmmm How about you pick something?


    ...I dont know.


    ...seriously?


    Yea.


    Any ideas? I look at the actual Wisp, and he turns around. I take that as a no.


    Ah. Can you just be my secretary then?


    Sounds lewd. No.


    <strong>Year 74 Month 9 Week 3</strong>


    There are patches of [subsidiary tree], with grapes and papaya in all the different refugees groups, as a form of dietary supplement.


    The refugees of new Freeka swelled to 2,000, boosted by the victory over therge army. So, New Freeka is bustling with activity, as they try to cater to the needs of a growing town, with Yvon and her group of advisors as the unelected leader. Most of the new refugees are mostly escapees, as the war with the Nung and Takde continues to devastate that region ofnd.


    I bring troublesome news, Tree spirit. Jura nods, and sits in one of the tables in the inner circle of trees. He sips on the tea made with tea leaves, and then continues. Yvons group is nning to send a delegation to Sh. To negotiate a truce, for coexistence.


    Oh. How is that troublesome? Is it not worth trying?


    The refugees themselves though, do not think that is a good idea. Many lost friends, family to the brutality of the Sh kingdom, like us, enmity is not going to ept a truce. Personally, I think Yvon still wants to coexist peacefully with humans.


    Hmm.


    So the mood amongst the refugees is a bit conflicted. They are aware their options for revenge is limited, but feels injustice and dissatisfaction at peace.


    And?


    Some of them think you should decide. Whether truce is a good idea.


    Yes. And besides, do you think Sh kingdom is going to hold on and honor a truce?


    Well


    So a truce is a good idea, because it buys time. It gives us just cause to retaliate.


    Jura pauses, and then nods. Yeah. Maybe.


    Now that its decided, I turn my attention to artificial souls.


    Thinking of making another? The wisp asks, clearly knowing my thoughts.


    Yes. But I have much to think about considering I have only sufficient fragmented souls to make 4 more, for now.


    People die, and over the eternities you will gather thousands, maybe millions of souls. Life in this world is so fragile after all.


    Ah true. Do these artificial souls die?


    Yes, if they get destroyed.


    Kinda likeputers then.


    It is then we direct our attention to the [forge tree], arge tree located on the outer ring of my circle. ck in color, as if the tree itself has been scorched, its split into five from top through the middle of the trunk. At the bottom, there''s a big ck hole into a pitch ck screen.


    And Jura gulps, he steps in.


    [Soul Forge activating]


    [Merging artificial soul, tree familiar and essences of earth and 50 essences of bear]


    [Familiar has transformed into a Bear-shaped Tree Eidolon, Level 1. You may name it.]


    Bamboo.


    Jura walks out of the soul forge feeling a bit dazed, wondering what happened. It is then that a smoke like thing start to appear, out of his skin. And it then umtes, spins and swirls, then transforms into a bear made of branches twirled and spun together.


    Hi. A loud, hoarse voice breaks the soft rustling of the forest.


    Jura jumps. What?!


    The bear takes a few step and stands on two legs, like a grizzly. I was once your familiar. With the blessings of the tree spirit, I have now transformed into an eidolon.


    Eidolon?


    Well, Ill let Jura figure it out.


    Next, is arge giant warbeetle. The soul forge took a whole day to merge a warbeetle with an artificial soul, but when it is finallyplete, arge warbeetle emerges.


    [Warbeetle has transformed into Beetleknight, Level 1. You many name it.]


    Horns.


    Master. It speaks to me telepathically.


    Great. Horns, you shall lead the beetles.


    As youmand.


    [To assign more artificial souls, additional trees needed]


    Ah. It seems each of these artificial souls derive some form of control and energy from me indirectly.


    [You obtained a beetlemander, each tree with [insect warriors] has expanded to 5 beetles per tree.]


    [You leveled up. Level 122!]


    [Poison field upgraded]


    Ah man, I was hoping for some greater AoE abilities. Between all the other boosts and support I get, I have probably sufficient root strikes and root surge to probably kill 2,000 men if all die at a single root strike, and the remainder will depend on the beetle army I have.


    But if arge army of 10,000es along again, the citizens of the valley are done for.


    <strong>Year 74 Month 10</strong>


    Traders came by, and bring news and money.


    Sh is winning the war against both Nung and Takde, so they may soon turn their attention back to us again.


    Traders came by for another load of olive oil. It seems it''s a rather popr product, that they ask the elves whether the olive oil production could be expanded, and they only say, Maybe.


    New Freeka is growing, and a big inflow of refugees resulted in a growth to almost 3,000. Food is a problem, and so they engage in widespread hunting, but Yvon directed them towards the open fields and shrubs, where some animals spawn.


    We need food. Winter is here soon.


    Jura pauses, Food?


    Can the tree spirit help?


    Tree spirit is not the solution to everything. Jura shakes his head.


    Yvon and another of the senior New Freeka leaders look at each other. Surely he can do some things?


    Jura pauses. Hmmm


    Perhaps help with some fruits?


    Fruits don''t grow in winter. Lie, some fruits do grow in winter. Especially with my [winter resistance]. Perhaps some day I will even get some [Greenhouse] like ability. Sounds like a farming game then. Perhaps sprinklers too.


    Would I be a farmtree then?


    Hmm.. I will speak to the tree spirit.


    Yvon nods, Please. If the refugee situation grows even further we will have a food crisis over winter.


    Then why are you still epting more?


    I cant. I made an oath to the gods when we started this fight, before this, to ept the non-human refugees, to offer safe haven to those who seek us out.


    Ah.. a gods oath? Jura asks.


    Yes. To Morya.


    Ah. Not Gaya?


    Yvon didnt answer. And Jura takes the hint.


    Hmm


    So, please ask the tree spirit for help.


    I will ask. Just as Jura is about to walk away, Yvon stops him.


    Also can the Tree Spirit create a tree in New Freeka? We can cater an area where a quite sanctuary can be made.


    Oh. Why?


    The refugees have spiritual needs. A ce for prayer, ceremony, and faith.


    Jura nods. Ah I see. I will speak to the Tree Spirit.


    It seems Yvon and team still cannot identify which tree are actually my [subsidiary trees]. [Camouge]?


    Oh well.


    Can you let us know the tree spirits decision tomorrow?


    I will try.


    Later, once they left, Jura sits on a wooden stump right outside the secret hideout.


    What do you think, you heard what they say?


    I pause.


    I suppose if we do assist, they may soon expect it annually. There must be a cost to it, so they must bear some kind of price for assistance. Power and abilities should not be given freely, as there are consequences.


    Potatoes. Offer them potatoes. But ites at a price. I demand a magical item in exchange.


    Jura pauses Ah what sort of magical item.


    The amount of potatoes I will nourish, depends on what magical items they offer me.


    Oh.


    As for the tree for New Freeka, I am fine.


    Ah.


    Hows the eidoloning?


    Jura stands and then suddenly, a wooden armor surrounds him, and that armor looks like a grizzly bear, his arms with ws made of wood.


    He takes a few steps, and his posture and gait that of a giant bear.


    This is my new form. [Ursa Mode].


    Ah, so how is it?


    Not bad,I feel stronger, faster. But without a real opponent I will not really know how well it performs.


    Get Yvon.


    Jura pauses. You want to show this to her?


    It is fine. Not as if she can do anything about it.


    Jura nods, leaves for New Freeka and inform Yvon of the decision. Later that evening, a clearing is made in New Freeka, that has been designated as space for a subsidiary tree.


    And indeed, overnight, a tree appeared in the middle of that space.


    <strong>Year 74 Month 11</strong>


    The artifacts offered were uninteresting. Rings, daggers all with mild enchantments. The possessions of the refugees are not spectacr.


    Or perhaps they are not hungry enough to offer what is truly valuable.


    But they did offer quite a few, about thirty, so as a result, they received about 3,000rge potatoes, which spawned right next to their town.


    This level of precision, is made possible by Trevor.


    Other than that, this month is quiet. The cold ising again. Winter is starting.


    Lausanne, now almost 6, is starting actualbat training since she really still is holding on to that hero idea, and Brich, Wahlen respectively are old enough and yearn for social contact that they demand to move to New Freeka, even though Laufen has been a great caretaker.


    I guess even elves go through that teenage rebellious phases.


    Belle and Emile though, seem to remember the destruction a lot more vividly than the younger kids, so they are staying put.


    Maybe they want to do work other than doing olives.


    Jura shrugs, and lets them go. I give both Brich and Wahlen a regr tree familiar, just for protection, and Trevor will help me monitor them.


    Elsewhere, my beetles explore a bit further, just to get a sense of what''s out there beyond the valley. Once again, made possible by Trevor and Horns.


    Beyond the valley, further down south is the ruins of Moton. Where I once stayed. It seems after the demonic wars it never actually rebuild.


    Even further south, is a region under the Nung kingdom, known as Rufas, and it is where the regions temple of Gaya lies. Rufas is also a border city with Sh, and Moton in times past has frequently changed hands between Nung and Sh. A small town with little defenses, they often just surrender when threatened. I suspect the temple of Gaya I once was, is here, but I cant be sure. Perhaps there are many, and I wonder whether the caretaker and Gewas body is still there. Rufas isrge, heavily fortified, and I have little insight to its interior, beyond a spying beetle.


    To the east and west arerge fields, now popted with wild buffalos, goats and some animals. There are also monsters, but they do not attack the regr animals.


    On the eastern side, as we go further, there is the ruins of multiple different forts. Some are being rebuilt, but most remain ruins. The damage and ruins looks fairly new, and the fields are littered with the dead.


    After that, the eastern terrain deforms even more, and it looks as if the area has seen some really serious demonic battles.


    At that point, the beetle return. It seems that''s as far as they would go from home. It seems there is a range in which beetles would go, even with Horns extended range support.


    On the western side is first the fields, then some regrowing forests, and then some more ruins. And then, mountains. Some hot springs, then somekes, and after that, a chain of active volcanoes.


    On the northern side is where the demonic rift used to be. Its still mostly barren and the beetles are frequently attacked by rather fearsome monsters that appear here.


    Horns advised arger squad of beetles, should I intend to actually explore the areas closer to the demons.


    <strong>Year 74 Month 12</strong>


    Winter. Potatoes. Beetles sleep, even Horns is operating at half strength.


    Winter is even colder thanst year, but thankfully most of the refugees are well prepared now. With some decent housing, heat retention from thicker walls and a good stockpile of firewood, all the refugees are having a much morefortable winter.


    The centaurs, over this whole year has constructed multiplerge tents, with multipleyers of cloth and skin that helps slow down heat loss, and also built, with the aid of the treefolk, some drainages to help manage the rain that urs frequently during the winter months. Potatoes, of course, as a reserve food.


    The treefolk apparently also have a habit of storing food underground, apparently they have a kind of magic that makes a kind of fermented vegetable. Its their version of the winter cache, using cabbages mixed with all kinds of chilli and vinegar.


    Oh, and during this month I gained an additional food variety.


    [Harvestable crops : Apples]


    [Winter resistance upgraded.]


    The essence generators extract all sorts of essences, from the surroundings. So now that my roots extend the entire valley, it seems it extracts from all the deaths in the valley.


    Essence generator produces, in varying quantities :<ul><li>Essences of seasons (Summer, Spring, Autumn and Winter)</li><li>Essences of the animals that die in the valley (Bears, foxes, Deers, Birds, Insects, Spiders, Rabbits, Squirrels) (This type of essence is the most abundant)</li><li>Essences of elements & weather</li><li>Essences of events, of fighting</li></ul>


    As for the material extraction from the roots, as with the various upgrades and dedicated subsidiary tree for material and mineral extraction<ul><li>Iron</li><li>Copper</li><li>Small quantities of gold and silver</li></ul>


    <strong>Year 75 Month 1</strong>


    Snow. Cold, cold snow.


    Jura had a few sparring matches with Yvon. Yvon is stronger in pure swordfighting, due to her past experience as the right hand of Prince.


    But then, once Jura activates the [Ursa Form], his speed, strength and natural defenses shoots up, and Yvon is no match.


    Bear form? A summoners ability? Or perhaps a beastmaster?


    Ah I have no clue. Juras being honest. I doubt Bamboo knows that much about his abilities, too?


    Hmmm.


    Other than this, the delegation from Sh has returned. One of them.


    And the leaders all rush to meet him.


    Mdy, the Kingdom has agreed to a truce.


    Everyone is happy, but then this is too easy, so they ask further.


    What.. what are the terms?


    We are to take in all of the non-humans in the Kingdom. We have to pay apensation of 10,000 gold coins a year for the next ten years.


    Yvon pauses All?


    Ten thousand gold coins?


    They are extorting us, these terms.


    Yvon pauses, Any more?


    Your life, madam. They want your head.

 A leyline and wines

    A leyline and wines


    <strong>Year 75 month 2</strong>


    Yvon agrees to the truce, with a few modifications. Her deathes after two years of peace. She did not see herself as being that valuable, that her life mattered more than the security and safety of the non-humans she swore an oath to protect. In fact, she felt it is a fitting way to die, a martyr''s sacrifice, a trade of her life for 2 years of truce.


    The second modification they proposed, is to have the gold payment reduced, paid quarterly, and the first paymentmencing after a year of peace.


    The Sh Kingdom epts the modified terms.


    Why?


    One, is that they still manage to get rid of all the non-humans under this truce n, and giving this space for Yvon to integrate the non-humans is ideal. In fact, it is probably their main goal, to create a human-only environment. There is racial tension, and getting rid of these "troublesome" elements is worth it for Sh, from a unity perspective. If they want to create a united kingdom, this may be one way to do so. The loyalties of these non-humans are always suspect, even though there is no evidence showing nonhumans as more disloyal than humans.


    Money is hardly an issue for a wealthy nation like Sh, and perhaps there are factions within Sh who sees additional benefits of getting rid of the non humans. Sh no longer has to maintain multiple prisons, detention camps, armies and soldiers to patrol theirnds. In fact, to be able to reduce their logistics load and manpowrr needs is probably what they want, so they can direct this resources to their currently ongoing conflict with the Nung and Takde. Its a concession they agree to make, to deal with what they see as a rger" enemy.


    As for Yvon, the very fact that they still get to kill her, even if after 2 years, without having to resort to a war, is a save for their military. They get to focus on other fronts, and gives them just cause. In fact, the fact that she agrees either way, is as good as an admission of guilt. So, even if this New Freeka decides to wage war someday, Sh is the one that is right, the neighbouring kingdoms less likely toe to Shs aid, and they will be able to use overwhelming force, and even underhanded methods, without losing support of the humans


    Thinking it through, Yvon may have signed herself and New Freeka for a tough truce deal. But, this is a positive oue for her, as she gets peace, and she can better ensure the safety of the nonhumans.


    Anyway, it is a decision Yvon makes for New Freeka, and it is probably a good decision. For me, I am initially a little peeved, but then as I ponder the issue, perhaps this will allow me the better investigate the culprits of Freeka''s destruction, and focus my vengeance. After all, if they have less reason to suspect and enter into battle with us, I can keep my abilities hidden, unknown, and I can use that as a surprise attack. If they realise someone is constantly using roots to attack, they may well chop all trees down as a defensive measure.


    Also, the traders also bring news of the demon kings corpse. The location has been discovered, but approaching the daemolite has proven to be exceptionally challenging, as the locations gravitational field has been disrupted, and so the entire area is floating in the sky. Add to that, the ce is crawling with fire elementals.


    But most importantly, the traders brought something I have been trying to find for a long time. A register of recorded spirits and magical ces in the region. And a rudimentary map where the nearest magical leyline is located.


    Leyline!


    I want one.


    The nearest one is actually near the ruins of Moton, so Horns investigates, as Jura refuses to leave the valley. The beetlesquad took about three days to get there, and to discover that it is actually a small dungeon.


    Dungeon eh.


    Conventional thinking, Ill need to break the dungeon core to get to the leyline. But I wonder whether it''s possible to hijack the leyline without having to mount an assault on the dungeon In either case, having confirmed the location, I start spawning [subsidiary trees], in a line. This process took 60 [subsidiary trees], as the gap between each tree is about one and a half kilometer, and now I have a string of subsidiary trees that form a link all the way up to the dungeon.


    Somehow, this reminds me of those strategy games where I sent a scout in a straight line, cutting through the fog of war...


    The dungeon is pouring out a tonne of monsters, mostly low level ghouls, zombies and skeletons. The beetles and Horns have to constantly fend off the group of marauding skeletons and zombies, but with a subsidiary tree nearby they are able to regenerate and hold back the horde.


    This is where I discover I have... a problem. My warbeetles are big, the size of rhinos, but the dungeon entrance is big enough of for only three of them side by side. And having so little space also means the beetles lose a few of theirbat advantages, ie their charge attacks. They do have very strong armor, but if there are stronger monsters in the dungeon, these beetles are kinda sitting ducks.


    Sire, suggest we stay put and control the area for now. Horns telepathicallymunicates. As an artificial soul linked to me, he can transmit his message to me directly, though hecks any mouth that is capable of speech. So, even though he understandsnguage he can only speak to me.. and the other artificial souls.


    We can set up defensive positions? Trevor asks, also interested in this new expansion.


    Its a dungeon Me pokes her head in, seeing what I see. It seems she is able to share my vision not sure how she is able to do that.


    Outside, in the open, the beetles can crush and ram the undead easily, and render them useless.


    But as an experiment, I sent a few beetles into the dungeon anyway, and as expected they die once they are trapped. Dungeons with their narrow passages are not the best ces for oversized beetles.


    So I need a different strategy.


    [Achieved long distance connected roots. Unlocked new skill : Far-reaching roots]


    [Subsidiary tree has leveled up! Limit expanded to 400]


    <strong>Year 75 Month 3</strong>


    The truce between Sh and New Freeka signed. Refugees. Expelled.


    More than 3,000 new refugees came this month, and New Freeka soars to 7,000 in poption. Massive construction happening, but thankfully its spring, so a huge surge in new tree growth by myself and Trevor, and also the dedicated timber farms (which produce no energy, as all of its energy is used to create more wood mass) means ample supply of wood.


    The new people are a mix of elves, centaurs, dwarves, and some humans, as there are some families where the humans intermarried with non-humans. Mostly humanoids, as they are the most eptable to the humans, but still not enough. Yvon and her team are busy, and they build additional town expansion right next to the valley.


    The forest, is off limits to the newers, as there are monsters appearing. Insect types, but they generally hunt are animals. It''s also to prevent the newbies from offending the rules that has been set up, but of course, there are those that try anyway, so that''s when the warbeetles scare the shit out of them.


    Anyway, back to the undead dungeon. Stalemate still ongoing. I cant get into the dungeon, but they cant get out either. Using additional [subsidiary trees], I created a defensive line outside the dungeon, and any of the undead that appear is instantly killed by Horns and team.


    Horns hit his level limit of 20, and I am sad. Hisbat and support skills are quite interesting, but nothing useful in tiny.. dungeons.


    How do I upgrade their level limits?


    For who? Different unit types have different.. things. Wisp bobs around.


    Let''s say Trevor? Trevor also has hit his limit.


    A forest mind would require a brain.


    Huh.


    [Unlocked special tree type. Root-Brain Complex. Requires special minerals to grow. Special minerals required are 10 x Blood Crystals, and 50 x fresh animal heads]


    The wha?


    Guys. I got a task for you. I tell the elves.


    As you wish. Jura found some of his skills upgraded recently, and strangely, it makes his behavior.. a little weird.


    How about me? Can I help too? Lausanne asks, she follows Jura everywhere these days, he is herbat mentor after all.


    Uh depends whether youll be in danger.


    Itter emerges that the blood crystals can be bought, and isnt exactly overly expensive. But Jura will have to raise some money for it, so we need to either earn it or get it via other means. The olives sold is a good sum of money but insufficient to afford blood crystals.


    Is there any loot from the dungeon you found?


    Loot?


    Things that are dropped by the monsters or creatures.


    I I dont know. I cant actually see it that well. Trevor, Horns, is there? My vision is mostly on things, living, things, or creatures and items made of mana. Inanimate, manaless objects appear as outlines, and frankly theres so many of these objects I cant tell if they are any different.


    Yes, sire. Theres some of the items dropped by the zombies and skeletons. We didnt pick them up, as we dont have hands. But they look like ordinary items, sire. Horns! Tell me next time!


    Well, Iter sent Emile and Belle, with a protective group of beetles to pick up the loot. It turns out zombies, skeletons do drop some low quality loot, but, loot is still loot, and they can be sold for cash.


    And then I realised I asked the wrong question of the Wisp.


    Uh.. how do I upgrade Horns? I mean, if I do want to do more things around the valley and the region, Horns is the best candidate


    The wisp pauses. Hmmm. I dont know actually.


    Stumped, I think this is a deliberate challenge. The system wants me to figure it out myself, so, when Horns returns to the valley, he goes into the [bib].


    Under the microscope, the warbeetle knights body is unlike any other.


    The body is dry, ky, and there is a tiny spring of mana in the middle, which I think is from artificial soul. Unlike normal souls who pour out clear mana, the mana from this spring is light blue, as if somebody mixed a flour and blue colouring into it.


    The body, the vessel of said blue mana is dry, and cold?


    [Body - mana typepatibility is low. Body absorption ratio is low]


    Ah, the bib has tooltips and indicators.


    I focus on the spring, and another set of tootips emerge.


    [Mana generation ratio hampered by low synchronisation with external environment]


    Ah.. looks like a lot of work needed. I dont recall seeing so many tooltips, or is it because of the upgrades? Or soul forge? I think I could use ab assistant, so i wonder whether I could fuse the bib and an artificial soul?


    Ah. Maybe I should do that next


    Anyway, back to the body, I recall there is a freshness, a softness when I look at Mes body. It seemed like the mana pours out of the spring, and the bodyps it up. Even all the other bodies I have seen, the bodyps up and absorbs all the mana it produces.


    Is this because I forced this creation? That the body does not absorb this foreign soul suddenly thrust into it?


    Ah if that''s the case, do I need to introduce a phase of introducing the artificial souls mana to the vessel before performing the merge?


    [Soul forge annex added : Mana soaking facility, andpatibility tester.]


    [Bib upgraded. Additionalb tools obtained]


    Ah.


    Sounds like the answer is yes.


    Still, I have a problem now. Horns, the body and mana has lowpatibility, so how do I fix it after the fact? Is there some kind of medicine I can make? Or maybe I need to find some way to modify the body so that it absorbs and bes morepatible with the artificial soul it houses?


    Ah. Never mind. At the way things are going, I will find out.


    I want artificial souls, and assistants. And that leyline.


    Trevor, how many trees are we growing this month?


    On track for almost 2,000, sire. At the current normal tree count stands at about 13,850, at the end of the month.


    If 10,000 can support 3 artificial souls, would 20,000 support 6?


    Sire we require some precious gems. Like emerald or topaz or diamonds.


    Huh why?


    The roo will hit max load at 20,000, and needs to be upgraded. There is an energy transmission capacity, and these precious gems can be used to upgrade the roots.


    Ah. Like power cables?


    Damn. I have so manypeting priorities! Can I mine these minerals somewhere?


    Are there any mines? Or locations where this is avable?


    The map says there are some abandoned mines nearer to the demon rift. No data avable on the resources avable or whether anyone lives there.


    Hmmm.


    How much of these gems do you need?


    10kg worth, in any mixture, sire. It is sufficient to upgrade the main 8-directional roots that form the backbone of the root. We are already consuming copper to upgrade the existing rootworks.


    Fine lets send Horns and the beetles there.


    But how about the dungeon?


    Ah true. Damn it. Can I get the refugees to do it?


    Hey, I am still trying to get money for the blood crystals, so I am busy. Jura shakes his head, and hes not keen on the dungeon, or the mines, either. Hes just nning to sell all the loot.


    Laufen, Belle and Emile are not fighters, so they are out too.


    But try to buy them, like blood crystals?


    If we produce more olive oils, maybe we can buy them?


    I think it wont make a dent. Such gems are expensive, no?


    As they discuss, Hey, Trevor, whats considered a precious gem?


    Emeralds, diamonds, topaz, rubies, pearls, aquamarine, ga, almost anything crystalline.


    Ah. I wonder how Trevor knows such things, sometimes.


    I leech off your knowledge, sire. When we are created, we take a snapshot of what the [soul forge] thinks is relevant to our roles, and periodically we get additional knowledge from you, and the Wisp.


    Wait, are you saying the soul forge is sentient?


    The wisp suddenly pops up. No. The soul forge, has a certain categorisation of information that it needs for the each kind of role, ie,bat, support, administrative, magical, social. Your memories and knowledge is also ssified into such categories, and the forge will match those roles to the knowledge.


    How about you? I mean, the wisp knows shit I dont, so it muste from somewhere.


    I have inherited knowledge, granted to all wisps of soul trees. From the nameless mother herself.


    The nameless mother.


    I wonder whether I can meet her.


    Maybe I should dig really deep, maybe shes hiding deep underground in the heart of the.


    <strong>Year 75 Month 4</strong>


    Yvon and the leaders of New Freeka came to beg for aid. Their poption now boomed to 10,000, and they have a problem feeding and housing, even with the massive building they are doing. There seems to be some observers from Sh, to ensure the truce terms areplied with.


    Well, their problem is multifold really. Housing, food, how to make money for their truce obligations, and how to control such arge, restless and unhappy poption.


    As they live on the periphery of the forest, building, farming on thends that is not yet forested, I leave it to them. As long as they do not encroach on the forest, I can allow space for Yvons group.


    I offer my soul. Yvon kneels, begs, really. Anything, tree spirit. At this point, you are the only one that can offer us hope.


    No. I mean, one soul, to aid so many refugees? What does she take me for, a charity?


    Then, her entire council of fifteen men kneels. We offer our souls as well. We have fought long and hard together, for the dream of Prince Gn and Lady Yvons non-human state. Here we have a great chance to achieve it, and with the powers of a great tree spirit, we can achieve it.


    16 of your souls, for more than 10,000 refugees?


    Yes.


    <em>Is that a good trade?</em>I ask the wisp.


    <em>No idea.</em>


    The sixteen kneels. Everything we have to offer, and our remaining lives. Please, to house, to feed, to protect a fledging city, a great tree spirit can do more than we can.


    Uh well, that is cause your levels are low? If one is high level enough one would get tremendously OP abilities, do they not?


    No. Not good enough.


    They look at each other, and decide to go back to New Freeka. New Freeka, at 10,000 sprawls the entire southern valley, essentially blocking off ess to the forests which I live in.


    Ah, no matter.


    As the [Ginseng] grows, it seems, stranger, more powerful monsters spawn in the forests. Things harder for the Beetles to defeat, on some days,rger groups of monsters.


    <em>[Ginseng has reach stage 1 maturity. You may direct its next stage of growth.]</em>


    Stage 2 growth choices are :<ul><li>Mana growth and mana pool size (Your mana will reduce by 1% for the entirety of the stage 2 growth period)</li><li>physical stat growth (Tree growth reduced by 5% during the entire growth period)</li><li>Grant unique skills (Stronger monsters will appear during the entire stage 2 period)</li><li>(Environmental choice) Grants title [Survivor of the valley]. Title provides high-tier natural regeneration, and increased defense.</li></ul>


    <em>[There are twenty stages to the ginseng. Each sessive stage increases monster spawn, and stronger monster types, who will try to consume or destroy the ginseng tree.]</em>


    Uh.


    Uh.


    Is this a [protect the tree] minigame?


    I picked [unique skills], because why the fuck not.


    <strong>Year 75 Month 4 Week 3</strong>


    The stalemate continues. There is a dungeon I want to invade, and yet I suck. And repeatedly attempting to charge into the dungeon seems to have created stronger zombies and undead, so if I want to get to it, I better attack with a strong force able to wipe it in one go.


    Meanwhile, [Far-reaching roots] increase the distance between the [subsidiary trees] further, essentially doubling it. I am now trying to explore alternative means of locating the stuff that I need to.. grow.


    Back at the ginseng tree, a couple of strong monsters appeared this month, they killed a few beetles before they are defeated, so I increase the beetle defending it to 50 beetles.


    The treefolk and centaur are rtively content, being like suburbs to the booming New Freeka.


    Yvon and group returns again for another round of begging, and once more, I turn them away.


    And yet, in New Freeka, it seems quite a few people, elves or humans or dwarves, pray to my [subsidiary tree]. And talk about their issues. Some of these refugees has taken on the role of a priest, limiting and controlling the sessions each one has to talk to that subsidiary tree. Even though I do not respond.


    Strange, but I suppose faith is needed even when ones a refugee.


    Some of these humans and dwarves have a culture of praying to the deity that controls thend they live in, even though they may not be a devout believer. Its an animistic kind of approach, to worship thend, but it is charming.


    [Special tree unlocked : Tree of Prayers]


    [Tree of Prayers has a calming, rxing effect on its surroundings. Has the ability to passively soothe andfort. Comes with a naturally calming background music of rustling leaves and wind]


    Oh. This is like that time when Brich and Wahlen y hide and seek.


    <strong>Year 75 Month 5</strong>


    A massive tiger attacked my [ginseng tree]. It killed 30 beetles, and managed to pull the ginseng tree out of the ground.


    Then Trevor alerted me to the sudden attack.


    And I killed it with multiple root strikes.


    [Ginseng tree has been killed]


    Dammit.


    Well the ginseng tree is still lying on the ground, but its dead. This, fragile little thing.


    Well, Iter had Laufen brew it into a soup, using tiger meat and ginseng. Kind of like traditional asian herbal soups.


    And had all Jura, Laufen, Emile and Belle eat and drink the soup. Tastes like roots.


    They reported feeling strange, but nothing else.


    Maybe not so quickly? Or the ginseng is too young?


    <strong>Year 75 Month 5 Week 2</strong>


    Yvones and beg for something again. This time, for us to create grapes. The [Harvestable crops : grapes], and the idea is that they will make wine with it, to raise enough money to pay the terms of the truce.


    Good idea, really. So what''s the offer?


    My soul. I am marked for death anyway, so take my soul.


    Soul for a farm of grapes? It''s quite a good deal.


    50 grapes trees.


    Only?


    50 confirmed grape trees, and I will use my abilities to boost a dedicated patch ofnd of 4 acres for grapes for the next 10 years.


    Hmmmmmm.


    Your soul for a grape farm.


    One of her advisors shake her head. No. Its too little.


    How about 10 acres.


    12 acres then. But I get 10% cut of all wine sales.


    Okay.


    The deal is done. [Spiritual contract - barter]pleted. The denizens of New Freeka builds the necessary grape trellis for the grapes to grow.


    As agreed, 50 [subsidiary trees] designated under [harvestable crops] to produce grapes, in an area 10ac wide, the rest of it just ordinary grape vines, boosted by me and Trevors growth mojo.


    A wine industry in New Freeka. Fairly innovative of them, wanting to make high value items for sale.


    [Level up! You are now level 123]


    [Skill : Reinforce defensive structures obtained]


    Huh. How is that supposed to be a skill I learn at level 123? Sounds like crappy.


    <strong>Year 75 Month 6</strong>


    The New Freeka peeps work fast, using the grapes produced from the [subsidiary trees]. The first batch of wines has been made, and undergoing testing and tasting. One of the senior leaders, an old man is apparently a wine connoisseur and he has skills in [winemaking], [wine-ageing] and so on. With his abilities, wines age three times as fast, and more resistant to spoge. The [timber farm] produces a few variety of fragrant wood types, which are usable as wine kegs, and apparently can imbue additional texture and taste to the wine.


    Huh. I kinda feel sad that I am a tree now. When I was a programmer I did drink asionally, to feel better about my stagnant career.


    Maybe I should get them to pour some on my roots. I might still taste some


    Though I doubt alcohol has any effect on trees?


    <strong>Year 75 Month 6 Week 3</strong>


    Thanks to the booming New Freeka now at almost 15,000 nonhumans, and more expected, theres now a constant flow of merchants, and so, the first set of the wines are given to them free as samples, for them to bring back to their hometowns and cities, hopefully entice some nobles or wealthy merchants to support the products.


    In either case, this burst in growth, means Jura can sell the loot collected, and the olive oil can be sold once ready. Benefits of an active market.


    But, we still dont have enough money for the crystals. To create the [root brainplex].


    How does a Tree game or manipte the economic system of this world anyway?

 A line to the leyline

    A line to the leyline


    <strong>Year 75 Month 7</strong>


    With additional 2,000 normal trees added to the valley per month, I hit 20,000 normal trees this month. Thanks to this, it also triggers Trevor to gain a skill called [Explosive Regeneration], that he can use once a month. It allows for a sudden regrowth of an entire forest area, from damage. The valleys trees are getting denser, and wider, but really, Trevor providing oversight allows me to focus on big picture stuff. Its kinda like that moment where you can delegate menial tasks that one dont like to a robot.


    The higher tree count also grants 2 additional artificial souls. But I have yet to think of what to do with it. I do have the bib assistant idea, and going by the way how Forest Mind helped tremendously in research, I suspect a bib assistant may end up being an automated testing system, which is cool. Its like having a science officer reporting back with new stuff every now and then, kind of like those RTS games, where we select something to research, pass a few turns and ping!


    How about me? Oh. Me. I sometimes forget she exists, since she goes to sleep very often. Apparently non-physical souls like herself has the option to put herself into stasis, or a sleep mode.


    You actively reject every idea I put to you, and you still ask me for opinions I could use a secretary, but Trevor might get jealous. Or do they? I frankly have not understood the degree of sentience these artificial souls disy.


    Because I really, really just likezing around. I have done a whole lot of thinking and this whole hero thing is bonkers. Maybe Max would be a hero, but me, no.


    You do have a sense of good and evil, do you not? The gods selected her, so she had to. Or maybe the hero power kind of messed with her mind a bit. Not beyond the gods ability to cause her to feel a strongpulsion to fight evil...


    That''s cause of my upbringing. I have great parents But driving myself into doing hero things, all this fighting demons and monsters no. I rather be a bartender or an artists. Alexis would have been a teacher, or a scientist.


    Too bad shes dead. Too bad they are all dead.


    Ah yea. Me makes some kind of noise that sounds like frowning. I wonder whether the rest of them where are they.


    If they had a simr experience like you, maybe their souls are still drifting around.


    Me pauses. What.


    I mean, your soul got shredded and damaged so bad that you cant even move to the next world. And somehow you followed the familiars here Your friends are there with you, so its not strange if their souls got shredded too, dont you think so? So, because they have no real attachment to this world, maybe they end up just.. Floating around or something...


    Though, this poses some interesting thoughts about the nature of the fragments that I receive when these heroes die. What exactly am I getting, when I get the fragments? Their soul, or something of an attachment or extension of their soul?


    Hmmm Mes spirit bobs around in the soul realm. She does that when she is bothered and has something.


    What are you thinking?


    Can you make an altar?


    An altar?


    Yes, yes. Altar.


    Uh okay. Iter had the elves do it, since my ability to manipte stone and rock is fairly limited.


    It is a simple one, created next to the site of the Tree of Prayer. Essentially its just a t rock like a prayer or offering table, and a few rocks stacked on top of each other into a totem?


    Is there a priest amongst the refugees?


    Huh. Where are you going with this?


    I met a priest once, who said that its possible to offer a prayer to the souls of those still wandering, to lighten their load, to send them away. Im hoping to pray to my friends souls, so they find sce and peace, so they. They go peacefully.


    Huh.


    I ry the request to Jura, and Jura then asks Yvon for it. They need some time though, as there are a lot of new refugees and they do not have a register of their respective jobs.


    You want to pray so they can move on, eh?


    Yeah. Thats the least I can do, to help them along, no? They are my friends, I wouldnt want to see their souls stuck wandering this stupid war-crazy world anyway.


    War crazy, eh?


    You dont think so? Me sighs. Somehow I heard that, even though shes a floating light. I didnt realise it when Im alive, but this world is obsessed with fighting.


    An output of the world they live in. Demons, monsters, if your world had creatures like this, you would invent weapons to kill them too.


    I wish it isnt.


    Bet plenty of people do too.


    Other than that, the refugees are doing surprisingly well. With the first crates of wine sent out for deliveries, it seems they are making good progress on winemaking. I got to give them credit for their entrepreneurial spirit, making such goods.


    The stalemate with the dungeon continues, but if the refugees ask for help again, Im gonna ask them to help raid the damn dungeon. They can keep the loot, for the money, but I want the core. Ive actually yet to decide what to do if I get it, but I want it.


    Lausanne follows Jura everywhere these days, and even though Jura is initially reluctant to take her as his apprentice, her persistent and cuteness somehow won through his old mans heart. He is ageing, after all, and I suppose people mellow down as they age.


    TreeTree


    Huh, yes. Jura jolts me out of my overhead valley vision. Yes


    Its Lausanne.


    Oh. What about her.


    Shes shes not talented. But she keeps trying.


    That''s good. I like hard work.


    No. Its bad.


    Eh? Why?


    Jura pauses, and walks a few steps around my main tree, takes a deep breath, and then sits. Combat, or fighting requires talent. It''s the way of the world, learn to fight to your strength, not pursue an idol whom you can never match.


    He sits.


    Think about. If you are good in fighting with a sword, you learn to fight with a sword. If you have talent to be a mage, you learn magic.


    Hmmm


    So, what I am trying to say is Lausannes wasting her time, by doing what she isnt naturally disposed to doing. But, I dont know what else to teach her.


    That seems kind of fatalistic. Me pops out, she says to me. Do people of this world believe that they should only hone their talents?


    Jura continues, unaware of Mesment. Maybe I can test her for other things, and teach her for self defense, but perhaps she is best suited for more nonbat chores, like her mother...


    Ew. Me groans.


    So TreeTree, can you talk her out of her silly dream of bing a hero? She may lose her life pointless pursuing a dream that is erm. . futile.


    ...


    Isnt she too young? How does one know of talent? I retort.


    In most societies, by age of 6 it is already possible to identify what one is talented in. And Lausannes case, shes disying a totalck of talent in fighting.


    I didnt like this conversation. At all.


    Please TreeTree. Im trying to look out for her, so I think she needs to find something else to do. Something with a better use of her time. One does not teach a fish to fly, or a bird to swim. Lausannes trying, and I too admire that hard work, but itll set her on a path she is not meant to walk.


    Really.


    Ill Ill think about it.


    I feel terrible even saying it, but I want to speak to Lausanne first, even though shes just a child. I want to hear her thoughts, and I think its not right, just because one isnt talented, doesnt mean one cannot pursue their dreams. But I do recognise Jurasment, that if she is ssed in a way that does not fit her natural abilities, that is a bad thing as well.


    What do you think, Me?


    No. The girl has the right to do whatever she wants.


    Even if she can do better elsewhere?


    Yes. And cant you help her along?


    When Lausanne returns hometer that evening, I speak to her, as sheze on her bed. She gets her own bed now, now that Brich and Wahlen has moved to New Freeka, where they found work.


    Lausanne?


    AH TreeTree! She rolls, and squeezes a bolster.


    Hows your training with uncle Jura?


    Its hard! But I like it!


    Really? Do you ever wonder you should be doing something else?


    <em>Youre really asking her?</em>Me pokes in.


    I like it. I want to be a hero, that can save everybody! A hero must know how to fight so I can protect everyone! Did Lausannes experience with how the reincarnated heroes create this sort of desire? Is it because she still does not fullyprehend the nature of the heroes divine gift?


    I see I chickened out. To tell her to stop, I just dont have it in me.


    Is this my idealism, that will somehow cross with the reality and cruelty of this world?


    Good. Encourage her!


    Ah. Is that not making it worse? Maybe she will realise as she grows older.. this is perhaps a phase.


    Me stops You.. youre kicking this problem down the road.


    Look, we dont know what the future holds. Maybe Jura is right, but maybe he is not. I think it is too early to tell.


    Hes wrong.


    Maybe. I hope so. But what if he isnt? This world can be brutal. And mistakes are costly.


    Shes six. I didnt know what I wanted when I was six.


    Lausanne leans back. You know, Uncle Jura says I should learn how to do other things. And I think he is also right. Do you think theres a way I can learn everything? But mommy say I should not be greedy.


    I pause.


    Me pauses, and after a brief moment,ughs.


    Shes right. Do you have any skill?


    If hmm.. maybe my [dream tutor] then?


    Then its settled!


    The little episode I had with dream tutor also led me to wonder whether I could fuse an artificial soul and dream tutor, creating a teacher character. Of course, I only have 2 slots, and if anything, I have to think about them carefully, since Im unlikely to be able to upgrade the [roo] so quickly to support the higher normal tree energy transfer, even though I can still grow the trees without any inhibitions.


    So much to think about.


    I wonder whether trees losing their leaves is a result of overthinking.


    <strong>Year 75 Month 8</strong>


    A dungeon raid.


    Yeah. Yvon exins, the group gathered is about 150 strong,prising the best fighters, mages and healers the entirety of the valley has to offer, even Jura, who after some convincing, finally agree to participate.


    Even adventurers are not spared from the whole non-human eviction notice. Sh is not taking chances, all non-humans, no buts, no exceptions.


    In a way, adventurers have it better than the other refugees, since their skills are needed everywhere, and some neighbouring nations are willing to ept non-human adventurers into theirnds. They are skilled, mobile, usually self-sufficient, and are already somewhat nomadic, so this eviction hardly stung. If theres one less country, theres still many others.


    Are you our employer, mistress Yvon?


    Yvon pauses I guess you can say so. Our goal is simple, grab the dungeon core, and if we cant, destroy it. The dungeon core, whether whole or broken, as you know, is worth a fair bit of money, and will help us with our truce obligations.


    The gathered fighters chatter, prepping themselves for the raid, and then off they went, into the dungeon.


    I had no idea what happened the moment they went inside, but I waited, my beetles outside in case anything happened.


    To be fair, I could not do anything if shit went down inside, but hey, I could cover them externally. Dungeons, from what I can sense, have simr space distortion abilities like I do, so just because I have them surrounded, does not actually mean they are surrounded.


    So, in a way, all I could do is pray?


    A full day and a halfter, I get a ping. Through Paws.


    Master, the dungeon core has been obtained, but the dungeon-space is crumbling. It seems that after the dungeon core has been dislodged from the dungeon itself, the barrier that shields the dungeon from the space beyond disappears, so Paws is able to then telepathicallymunicate with me.


    How much time do you guys have?


    No idea. We might be trapped in here.


    Oh no youre not.


    The entrance to the dungeon starts to vibrate, shake, like an earthquake is happening.


    Are they going to die inside? Me seems worried, starts to butt herself in.


    How far are you guys?


    Its a lot deeper than expected. Itll take us at least 3 hours to get out of the main chamber.


    No. This isnt going to work. At the rate the dungeon is crumbling, they wont make it. Hmm.. what can I do, what can I do?


    Ah.


    [Roo attempting to connect to dungeon-space]


    Trevor, help me out here.


    Yes sire. Synchronising roots into the walls.


    With the dungeon core out of the way, the invisible barrier preventing me from spawning [subsidiary tree] within the dungeons area of influence and entrance is also gone, so I spawn a few trees next to the entrance, and on top of it, and guide my roots into the dungeon.


    It sort of works.


    As the roots mix in with the walls that is crumbling, it seems the roots are taking over the distorted spaces, giving it the stability it needs.


    [Energy draining. Passageways reinforced] It seems some of the energy generated by my normal trees and subsidiary trees is used to support this additional dungeon-space. It feels like a magically supported structure, centered around the dungeon core, which draws additional energy from the space and also the leyline beneath it. Now that centerpiece suddenly disappeared, so its as if an electrical circuit is without electricity, and oddly enough, I aming in as the backup power source.


    The vibration is stopping. Paws pings, and as my roots reach deeper and deeper into the dungeon, I soon cross paths with the escaping adventurers.


    The walls Yvon says, now I can hear her, as my roots now cover the entirety of thebyrinth.


    Dead. Theres dead bodies. Adventurers, not all survived. As they stream pass, I see some carrying some injured, some carrying the dead.


    My roots can now extend into thebyrinth. You guys can calm down now. I speak to Jura directly, as hees into range. Hes fine, bleeding in some ces, but rtively speaking, unscathed.


    He immediately slows down and tells everyone that the Tree spirits roots are now stabilising the dungeon and so itll not copse.


    And with that, they took the chance to turn back, and retrieve the dead bodies for a proper burial.


    Yvon too, has gotten her hand on the dungeon core, which she will let me examine in my [bib] first, before she arrange for a sale on the magical artifacts market.


    <em>[New structure obtained : Root Dungeon]


    </em><em>[Root dungeon, leftovers of a dungeon that happens to be stabilised by the roots of a tree spirit. Does not spawn monsters or loot.]</em>


    <em>[New skill obtained : Root-tunnels]


    </em><em>[Root tunnels, as what the name says, are tunnels made out of roots. Good for smuggling, transporting, and various tunnel things.]</em>


    Sadly, the dungeon core is unscannable by my [bib]. Its a biob. Not a everythingb, so dungeon cores dont register. So, oh well.


    But anyway, thats not the purpose of me getting the dungeon core. Thats the prize for Yvons group, as they get to sell it, of course the agreement is such that some of the proceeds go to the Treefolk, Centaurs and Jura who also contributed to the expedition.


    The objective for me, is the leyline.


    And so, with a few subsidiary trees now above the leyline, I extend my roots, attempting to reach for that leyline. Well, its my first exposure to a leyline, so I dont really know what to expect, but ording to the Wisp, its like some kind of 4th dimensional thing, so it pops up in some ces, disappears, and then pops up somewhere else, but still all part of the same line. Every time it pops up, the things in its way would then be influenced by it, and thus forming things like dungeon cores, and the dungeon cores then anchor the aetherline, such that they dont move elsewhere, though whats more likely to happen, is that a new dungeon core would often re-appear nearby.


    <em>Leyline connection initiated</em>


    And I felt dizzy instantly. Its as if I drank a whole keg of alcohol and the entirety of its punch just hit me in one go. Is this magic-intoxication?


    Yes. The wisp pops in. At least you didnt knock yourself out yet, but you are quite high leveled, so this is to be expected.


    <em>Leyline connected. The subsidiary trees above the leyline is merging The three subsidiary trees has merged into a Special Structure - [ThreeTrees Of Mana]</em>


    <em>[ThreeTrees of Mana]


    </em><em>[Created when one subsidiary tree couldnt handle to energy of a leyline, so three of them merged. An artifact of the leyline, this structure serves as the conduit of the leyline, so protect it, as it is your connection to the leyline, in ce of the dungeon core. Serves no other function]</em>


    ThreeTrees. Did the skill just did what I think? And seriously, why did they make that tree so visible. Its like, a big blue tree growing out of nowhere, telling everyone of its presence.


    Come on, first the ginseng tree, now this. The system is trying to paint me as a target. Or is this some kind of subliminal messaging the system is saying, that trees are always targets, and we should always protect our trees?


    Uh I feel the dizziness slowly drain away from me, and my mind starting to regain its senses. Then, even more updates!


    Leylines are awesome after all.


    Due to the additional energy types supplied, [Soul Forge - ck unlocked].


    <em>[Soul Forge - ck allows for the conversion of undead spirits back into regr soul, reversing the effects of necromancy, and the removal of the dark energies of a soul]


    </em><em>[Additional repairs of damaged souls now possible]


    </em><em>[Creation of Soul Harvesters now possible]</em>


    <em>[Soul Harvesters]</em><em>


    </em><em>[Some call them the grim reaper, some refer to them as valkyries, these are travelling collectors of souls. They extend your soul harvesting reach, and can be directed to specific ces, such as battlefields, graveyards to collect souls. Souls collected are of a higher chance to contain transferable experience]</em>


    <em>Due to the presence of two colors, the following fused abilities are now avable.</em>


    <em>[Nightmare collectors]</em><em>


    </em><em>[A special ghost type that steals nightmares]</em>


    <em>[Memory collection]


    </em><em>[Using the dark arts, a small % of memories of the dead will be converted into skill essences]</em>


    Im already losing the leaves on my branches thinking about so many things, so now I have more to think about. First of all, the soul forge has different color types, which supply different types of abilities. I have blue and now ck, and thats like pure control deck archetype, isnt it? But Im a tree.. So does that make me a blue-ck-green deck?


    Anyway, lets ignore that little snippet about trading cards.


    How many colors are there, and if I am to hazard a guess, the ckes from the fact that this is specifically an undead dungeon, so theres probably some linkage. If I go to the volcano, do I get red? And a magical des or something, do I get green?


    <em>Adds to to-do list.</em>


    Next, is to further repair Mes soul. This second repair didnt do much, other than allow her to stay awake and active more often. Also, Im really tempted to fuse her soul and a soul harvester. Shed be a valkyrie! Or a ghost! But she said nope, Ill think about it.


    She should be a nightmare collector then. Kinda of the saw guy, no? Or is that the guy with the spiky nails. Once again, she vehemently rejects the idea.


    Im a cute little girl. I aint bing your haunted ghost.


    But cute little girls make the best scary ghosts!

 ThreeTree Defense Initiative

    ThreeTree Defense Initiative


    <strong>y75 m9</strong>


    The month starts with rain. Rather heavy rain, though nothing damaging, as there is natural drainage within the valley itself. As the clouds dump water into the valley, the roots rejoice, the trees, all crave water, so, the rootsp it all up, absorbed by the growing number of normal trees and subsidiary trees, and it sated, for a moment, the valleys ever increasing demand for water.


    For New Freeka, they had to work harder. Yvon and team had to quickly repair and setup additional drainages. They expanded so quickly to amodate therge quantities of housing, that the existing drainage is just not adequate. Flooding urred in a few spots, but with some construction type magic, temporary drainages could be built rather quickly.


    The centaurs had some tents run off in the sudden downpour. Again, because one lives on hills and slopes, they are trading off flooding for mudslides and rockslides.


    Still a few of the refugees drowned at the sudden sh floods. Nothing like a bit of death and destruction to teach a lesson about infrastructure nning, as morbid as it sounds. And after the event, theres usually some kind of death ceremony, a burial or cremation, or for the first time, I witnessed a real oddity, the death ceremony of a treefolk, where the treefolk is cut up into many pieces and served as a kind of soup, for the kin to consume.


    For our loved ones live forever in us, and as a part of us. We are treefolk, and we carry the memories and lives of those who passed away before us.


    Strange, but I suppose the ceremonial, ritualistic aspect of life is very much well preserved.


    Lately, I have been getting more prayers. It''s a bit like the conversations I used to have in Freeka, with the elves, where they woulde and sit next to me and talk. Its got to do with the [tree of prayer], and their belief that [soul trees] are a way ofmunion with their ancestors, or gods, or whoever they worship.


    So, in some societies, a [soul tree], a [shamanic totem], or a [spiritual rock] has a simr function as a church, or a temple. Like some kind of merger between druid beliefs, and conventional religion.


    Oh tree, oh tree, make me rich, and make me free.


    Huh, a refugee praying for money. As if the trees have the power to grant fortune. Actually, you do have some limited power to do so. The wisp interjects, and I brush him off. Im not going to make somebody rich. Else Id have people praying to me for winning lottery tickets.


    Oh tree, oh tree, let me be free of my stupid husband.


    Ah one of those. Do I have powers over domestic happiness? In some ways, if you are creative, you do!


    Damn it, Wisp.


    Oh tree oh tree, make us safe and stop all of this running. Let us find a home, where we can live in peace of the rest of our lives.


    Themon prayer of refugees, sick of running away, and finally finding a ce to stay. I totally sympathise, I recall being evicted as a tenant and thats a horrible experience.


    Oh tree oh tree kill the humans. Kill those who make us go through this suffering.


    Ah, the vengeful too. Such is the anger, from those who lost their families, or friends. Vengeance is amon prayer topic, after all, refugees all have plenty of grievances from the experience they go through.


    And, my [Tree of Prayer] responds to such energy, absorbing some of it and converting it into [Essence of Mercy], [Essence of Hope], [Essences of Anger] and [Essences of Vengeance], and in doing so, it also helps to reduce that anger and emotion in those who pray. That said, the rate of conversion is really low. Perhaps as it is just a prayer, the energy within that prayer is minimal.


    Or maybe the absorption ratio improves as I level up this skill. Who knows. Maybe I should consider merging a [Tree of Prayer] with an [Artificial soul], maybe thatll create a [Tree-priest].


    This month, ths traders also bring in slightly concerning news about Sh, their ongoing wars with the Nung and Takde Kingdoms.


    Sh is winning, and so Nung and Takde now form a coalition, with possibly other nations that have historical grievances with Sh. Of course, in Shs eyes, this is treated as an esction, and Sh is now trying to get its own allies in, so there are hints of a bigger regional conflict brewing. If additional nations join into the war, New Freeka may end up being smack right into the middle of the war, instead of being on the other end of the battlefield.


    This is of little concern to me, if Sh gets owned in a battle, thats not my problem. Bit, this worries Yvon, so Yvon and her council scrambles to send people to all the nearby nations to dere some kind of neutrality to this conflict. New Freeka, as a young nation, still trying toply with its truce terms and safeguard its new citizens, is deeply concerned with any disruption to its growing trade, and food supply.


    Personally, my ideal oue is for the battles to be fought around me, without affecting me, such that I gain the souls from all this conflict.


    But this conflict also exposes the [ThreeTrees of Mana], as its a big blue shoot me sign in the area. Its huge, its obvious, and it does nothing else. Its also quite far from me, as that is where the leyline is


    At this moment, I am uncertain whether anyone will react to the presence of the [ThreeTrees of Mana], perhaps the nearby nations will ignore it, perhaps they will think its some kind of strategic asset and seize it or anything, really.


    So, if a conflict does happen, protecting the ThreeTree will also be something I need to do. If the nations turn hostile, defending it is my priority.


    I mean, theoretically speaking, the location of the ThreeTrees of Mana is already contested territory. Abandoned during the previous demonic battles, itsst owner is the kingdom of Sh, but historically that plot ofnd has changed owners a few times. Unlike the valley of Freeka, which is somewhat-legally, under the truce arrangement, a part of this new nation of New Freeka.


    Even if Yvon manages to get some kind of neutrality dered for the valley, that neutrality would likely not extend to this newly imed area of mine. In fact, it may even be seen as a hostile act from New Freeka for iming that dungeon. So, I may have invalidated the truce already!


    But! I would not part with the leyline. Thats fact, so if a battle does pop up, I will defend it, and unfortunately for the New Freekans, Ill have to drag them into the battle if I have to.


    Ah, so many moving variables though so many ifs. If only i have eyes and ears into all the nearby nations...


    Hah.


    Youre overthinking. Me pops up, poking her head into my thoughts.


    Why? Ill end up dragging the refugees into battle which is a bit too bad for them. So I should be thinking about what to do next carefully, no?


    It didnt happen yet, right?


    Thats not how I see it. Not nning for things is how I got into trouble thest time, I should do better, right?


    I think youre getting a bit too into that whole long termist tree thinking.


    Uh, and thats wrong because?


    Uh how about the here and now? Ohe on, dont tell me that.


    Its reality that I have to n a bit more into the future. Im a tree, I cant just wing it.


    I also discover that Me did experience some change from the additional repair from the [soul forge - ck]. She gains a bit more awareness of my thoughts, and to some extent, knows what I think. Its unnerving, as I dont enjoy having my mind read. But she denies it, she just says she has a very good innate sense of what my thoughts are, but shes not reading my mind.


    But all souls do get their minds read.. A little. ording to the wisp, a soul tree can very well read and rummage through the memories of the souls that pass through it, if certain conditions and abilities are met, and this exchange is mutual. Of course, for most souls, this doesnt really matter because when they reincarnate, they forget them. Heroes however retain their memories, and if they carry knowledge of a soul tree into their next life, that makes them rather dangerous. Frankly, the mechanism is still confusing. Apparently some reincarnation gods will wipe the memories clean, but some dont.


    Someday if I meet Mozart again, I need to ask him about this memory wipe thing. How does it even work...


    Ah.


    Me, so, what would you do? If this war happens, my leyline is under threat.


    Fight them off then.


    So you agree with me.


    No. How does anyone know that bunch of trees is anyway rted to New Freeka anyway. Most people cant even tell two trees apart!


    Mes spirit bobs around and twirls.


    So, act as if the two sides are separate unrted camps. So find a way to delink the two, visually. If they look different, nobodys gonna suspect the two tree groups are rted. Dont you have some kind of ability to make it as if they look different or you dont? Some [camouge] or [illusion] skill? And do you have a way to remove the straight line of [subsidiary trees] that, so that its not so.. Erm.. obvious?


    I pause. Thats a good idea. When were you this smart? Youve always given me the happy but slightly mentally retarded hero girl.


    Uh. Im a designated reincarnated hero. I get like super-boosts to my intelligence stats.


    Really!


    Yes! Apparently all of us heroes get like tactical genius as a perk.


    Really, that sounds like rubbish. I dont recall them being tactically smart at all, and in fact, often rely on their cheat ability to get out of tough situations.


    You sure dont act like it all the time.


    Me pouts, Okay I lied, theres no such perk! But I mean, I can think if I want to. Were not exactly idiots.


    Then?


    Thats me rejecting the need to work hard, and refuse to think too hard through my solutions. I live life with the pareto theory. If 20% effort is sufficient to get an 80% score, Ill do it, and leave the 80% effort for fun stuff. Anything that pops up, I wing it with my natural talent and ability.


    Mental p please.


    I mean, thats the best you can do. Cut the connection, and if they are under attack, defend it. They might not even pay attention, and the location of battle may not even be there, and youve just prepared for nothing... So, do what you can, and then not worry about it.


    Fair, fair. Are you still considering my offer as a secretary?


    No.


    Trevor, did you catch Mes suggestion? Are you able to alter the look of the forests around the ThreeTree of Mana?


    Yes sire. The energy and mana from the ThreeTrees of Mana contain certain specific aesthetic variations, courtesy of the [soul forge - ck], that we can apply to the florae in that locality.


    Good, next is, how about that hiding the line of trees that link this valley to the leyline?


    We can create [subsidiary trees] that are mostly hidden underground, like a kind of small tuberous nt, with only a small shrub appearing above. That way, while there is still a portion of trees that is above ground that can be spotted, they would not stick out as obviously, and can be easily disguised by a thick overgrowth of other shrubs and weeds. But the trade off is that they lose their [customisable branches] function, and our line of sight in that area is significantly reduced.


    Well, its worth it, I think, so do it. Ah things are going smoothly!


    Yes sire. As youmand.


    Wisp, your turn. Are we able to merge an artificial soul with the [ThreeTrees of Mana]? The logic of me doing this is simple. If it can level up, itll be stronger, and with some sentience, that ThreeTrees can defend itself better.


    No. That is actually a connection with your [soul forge - ck], so you cannot merge it. Its like a forge trying to forge itself.


    That makes sense. Fine, so I need some kind of defensive unit at that location then


    And I turn to Me.


    Since you have so much to say mind being some kind of defender?


    I like talking with you. No thanks. I like being here a lot more.


    Come on, youre the best! Besides, you can still talk to me-


    Master. Trevor and Horns both butt in.


    Yes?


    Riders spotted on the horizon, heading towards us at speed. They will probably close in on the Treefolk vige soon. They all have rather significant magical presence.


    Ah, how strange. Its as if they are advertising they are powerful mages to everyone, so, I hover over to check it out, as they pass by some of the [subsidiary trees].


    How far is it? I hear them say, riding. Its a group of 5, all on horses.


    No idea, but its ahead.


    The horses are exhausted. And I am out of [vitality restoration].


    Well arrive by nightfall. Hang in there, horses. One of them pats the horse, trying to encourage them to keep riding.


    Should we interfere? Trevor asks.


    Wait. Watch. I think they are not hostile, at least, not yet.


    They soon arrive at the forest, but the treefolk was not their focus. They head straight to New Freeka, and demand to meet the leaders. Are they some kind of magical emissary?


    Thanks to a [subsidiary tree] right next to the meeting ce, I could somewhat eavesdrop on the conversation.


    Hi, who are you people? A man asks, one of Yvons inner circle, and one of those involved in the dungeon raid, he is armed and stands in front of the rest of them. Hes the first to appear from the leaders house.


    We are representatives of the King of Baroosh. Wee in seek of a great healer, wizard and magician, to aid our ailing princess.


    Oh. Theres no- The man was about to respond.


    Yvon steps ahead, signalling the man to let them keep talking.


    The Baroosh man, the leader of the five of them, continue. The Princess, is gravely ill, and we seek the aid of the great healer, toe to our capital and heal our Princess.


    Yes we heard that. But why would the great Barooshe to our town in search of such a great healer? Surely the great cities have far more talented mages, wizards and priests


    Ah I am afraid the disease our Princess has is unique. Our great oracle, has a vision, that here lies the cure, the solution to that disease.


    I am afraid there are no such great healer here. Yvon shakes her head. You may ask every one of us, if you do not take our word. You may walk and explore our town, and knock from door to door, but we know not of any great healer or cure.


    The man pauses, perhaps thinking of some kind of retort. Hmmm Is that so never mind. May we rest in your town for a few days or weeks? Perhaps, among the refugees are some hidden genius in the art of healing.


    Yvon smiles, Certainly, please do feel free to make use of our guesthouse.


    Later in the guesthouse, the Baroosh men talk. Once again, courtesy to a conveniently ced [subsidiary tree], I can catch some of the conversation.


    Is she lying?


    No. My [truth detection] did not trigger, nor did my [detect false statements]. They are being honest if they say there are no great healers here.


    Hmmm. Maybe they dont know.


    Exactly. This ce is a hive of refugees, so many that run here, a few thousand of them. Some of them may be hiding their talents, and the leaders know not of their talent.


    But Sh never had a great healer either


    Indeed it is strange that the oracle guides us here.


    You know how oracles are, they will answer your question, but it may be because our question is not correct. One of the men speak, while munching on some potato sd. Maybe its a trick answer, and we need to look for something else.


    Whatever it is, we cant go back without the healer. Well get our heads chopped. We start our search for the healer after we rest tonight.


    <strong>Year 75 Month 10</strong>


    My ginseng tree got attacked by a flying creature. It pulled it out of the ground before a root strike struck its head. So once again, I had to restart my ginseng tree. My constant failure to cultivate and protect my ginseng tree reminds me I still have a problem with airborne monsters. Maybe I can get flying leaves as a weapon, kinda like Pokemon.


    Right?


    Or shoot seeds as a projectile, like a rapid fire machine gun in PvZ. I already have fruit bombs, sounchable fruits would turn them into fruit-artillery and fruit-k cannons? Come on system, give me something simr or a skill like that?


    A fruit cannon. A seed cannon is fine too. Something to shoot at all these flying stuff thats starting to really bug me.


    System? Give me a skill, please?


    [Insect warrior variation unlocked : Web-trap Spiders]


    [New customisable branch option : Web-trap spider nests. Home to 3 web-building spiders.]


    [Web-building spiders have little directbat abilities except for their poisonous fangs, but are able to build webbings between your trees,ced with paralysing poisons and build trapping cocoons]


    Uh.


    Not exactly what I wanted, but, I suppose a spider able to build traps is still better than nothing, so I designate one.


    A spider crawls out, and its really rather tiny, about the size of a small dog. Each of the spider can build and maintain three sets of webs, so, one branch, has three spiders, and so, nine webs.


    The first spider quickly demonstrates its ability, building a massive web between the branches and trees, about 10 meters across and wide, and it counts as one web. For anti-air, its not exactly ideal, after all, if a dragon or something came up, a trap like this isnt going to work, is it?


    Ah, a tree cant pick the insects to decide to live in it, so fine, webs and spiders.


    Theres a spider! Jura shouts, and pulls out his sword. He just came out of the hideout and is surprised to see a spider so near the main tree. I guess having a bunch of webbings right above his head kinda shocked him too.


    No. Stop. Its my minion.


    ...really?


    Yes.


    The girls are not going to like it. At least the beetles kind of look like a giant armor, but this spider looks like a fuzzy monster. And its dark brown and ck.


    I frankly did not realise its creepy.


    EEP!!! Belle screams when she too steps out of the hideout, and spots the spider.


    Its my new minions. They are my anti-air defense.


    Can we not have them near here, at least? Laufen too,es out, after hearing Belle screams.


    Hmmm I mentallymand the spiders to build their webs higher up, perhaps between the canopyyer of trees. That way they donte across the refugees or elves so often, except for the ginseng tree area, which I will cover in multipleyer of webs. Just to prevent airborne monsters from pulling the tiny ginseng tree out of the ground again.


    With that, the spiders hide away on the tree tops, and the elves go about their way. Except Jura.


    Paws has been rather talkativetely, since he hit level 20 and capped out.


    Oh, how is he? A bear made of wood appears next to Jura.


    I am fine, master. I recently acquired this wood-form summon, which allows me to take this rather weak form, but at least I can act independently.


    Yeah, hes been telling me about having to upgrade as a eidolon, to unlock more powers...


    Yes, master TreeTree. Paws walk up, and stands next to the [Forge Tree], and as he does, a prompt appears.


    <em>Paws, Woodbear Eidolon has reached his level cap. To upgrade (ie to Level 30), the following options are avable :</em><ul><li><em>Blue - Armor path - 50 small copper ingots & 5 medium red rubies needed</em></li></ul><ul><li><em>ck - w path - 50 small iron ingots & 5 medium onyx needed</em>.</li></ul>


    Ah.


    For artificial souls, they start off at level 20 cap, and if I have a single color soul forge, I can unlock one upgrade, ie, level 30. Each extra color increases the upgrade by one, so, if I have all the necessary resources, I can upgrade twice, to level 40.


    It seems, the colors of the soul forge represent somethingcking in the artificial souls. Each color adds an affect, and makes a more robust artificial soul.


    TreeTree?


    Im afraid we need to acquire some resources, can you get 5 medium red rubies and 5 medium onyx, and a lot of copper ingots?


    Jura pauses, Is this like the blood crystal thing?


    Yes. Where are you on that, anyway? Ah yes, Trevor too, needs an upgrade. All 3 of my first artificial souls have reached level cap.


    Its being shipped here. After the dungeon raid Ive gotten enough money to buy it, but the trader says the supplier is really far away, so itll take some time. Maybe next month well get it.


    Fine then. Are the visitors bothering you?


    Yeah. They seem to be looking for some great healer or some great magical cure, but we dont know of any. But they are still here, iming that their oracle never lies.


    Should we be afraid of them? Lausanne then pops out, asking the question to Jura.


    Well, not really. But Baroosh is one of therger kingdoms around, at the same level as Sh, so they are a respectable force. Making allies of them would be ideal for Yvon and gang, but we really do not have healers to offer. Juras response is actually meant for the elves, but Its also an education for me, because the names of all these nations kind of slip past me.

 Tree uses heal

    Tree uses heal


    Year 75 Month 11 Week 2


    A great battle broke out in the conflict between Takde, Nung and Sh, and a great, cursed spell was cast. One that sacrificed the lives of 25,000 soldiers, and with it, created an exceptionally harsh winter in that area and beyond.


    So powerful, that spell that summons a vortex, a magical vortex of ice and frost, and then, the region transforms into a snow coverednd, one of blizzards, snowstorms, and strong gusts of wind.


    That spell, extends to the entirety of the valley, overnight, from what is normally a light rain, into to snow and ice. Thick snow, a terrible cold snap. A few of the smaller streams froze.


    This stunts the growth of the regions crops, already reeling in the earlier mild winter.


    Everyones prepared for winter, so a huge stockpile is already there. Even New Freeka, their efforts to vastly expand their farnds and crop cultivation meant they are facing this intense cold with at least a few warehouses and silos full of harvested, preserved vegetables and grain. What was meant to be their solution to a migrant surge, bes a solution for exceptionally bad winter, though I wonder how long this stockpile willst.


    Since it is great battle, I figured that there must be a lot of death, a lot of souls still lingering in the battlefield, so I decide to send my many [soul harvesters] there. They are like faint ghosts, and so they can travel really far, but itll take a while for them toe back. I think, with the soul harvesters, they expand the range of my soul absorption to almost the entire continent. Which is massive.


    Massive!


    Also, the group from Baroosh expanded, after about 2 weeks.


    I am disappointed, apprentice. A wizard steps through the portal, escorting the sick princess, and followed by a healer and a pdin. They are surprised by the sudden cold, but theye well prepared and put on thick jackets and shawls. I suppose their princess waited a bit too long.


    My sincere apologies, teacher. We have tried to ask every single one, and yet we could not find one that we think, has potential. Thats why we asked the oracle whether the healer had moved or went away.


    Excuses. The wizard is old, he has flowing white, wrinkly hair, and a typical wizards hat, with a pointing tip.


    The man bows, and doesnt respond.


    The princess follows behind. Shes got a very faint presence, and her steps soft, light, and the healer supports her every step and movement. I also notice the healer using some kind of potion on her, at regr intervals, especially when she starts shivering.


    The wizard talks with the existing group for a while, and then he stops.


    Well, lets find that healer. He casts some kind of strange magical spell, and then from a small metal case, a magical arrow appears, and it starts spinning in circles. And it keeps spinning. It even points downwards at times.


    The wizard then pauses, and looks at the man. The man looks equally dumbfounded.


    This The wizard seems stumped, and the pdin, steps up next to him.


    Wizard, whats the meaning of this.


    This artifact is the pass of oracles], it links and augments the oracles ability, so that we can locate whoever or whatever the oracle learns


    Get to the point, wizard. Why is it flying everywhere?


    I I dont know. Yet, the wizards initial confusion turns into a strange smile. The earlier group look puzzled.


    Whatever. Its cold. Lets continue this conversation indoors. The princess cannot take this weather for very long. The healer insists, and they retreat to the warmth of their guesthouse.


    So Whats with this cold? The healer asks, as he tends to the frail princess in the guesthouse.


    Aftermath of the Sh wars. Someone used a great blizzard vortex spell, with blood sacrifice


    The wizard though, seemsser focused, analysing thepass of oracles. It spins everywhere, and it might as well be absolutely confused.


    Any ideas, wizard? One of the men finally dares to ask the wizard.


    Maybe, maybe thend is a nourishing factor. I will need to test it out.


    Thend? This freezing ce?


    The wizard ignores the man.


    And the wizard runs outside, and then starts casting a few spells, spells which I could not quite identify or observe. He did that for a good half a day, constantly casting spell after spell, though, nothing in particr seems to be happening. At this point, Im feeling a little bit defensive. A wizardes to New Freeka, and starts using a whole bunch of spells that feels a little too close forfort, so I keep watch.


    A group of high powered people in search of something, and casting weird spells? That is just ringing all the bells.


    Thats really odd.


    Whats odd. One of the men, who seems to be the wizards apprentice of some sort,es out to apany his master.


    The readings, andpass, it all points through this entire valley, and yet I dont detect any kind of magical presence from the earth, or is it muffled? Or suppressed somehow because of this stupid blizzard effect on the weather of this entire ce?


    The apprentice shrugs, and shakes his head. I did tell you this ce is rather unusual.


    That cannot be. Magic still flows in this entire valley, and yet there is something that also envelopes this valley, like arge piece of cloth hiding furniture


    If it is so, then the healer picked the best ce to hide.


    No. I doubt the healer knows. There is more to this. Tell me, any magical structures? Is there a holy relic of artifact here?


    You know, if you say its the entire valley, that kind of reminds me. Some of the people here worship a tree, you know. You want to go and see it?


    The wizard nods, At this moment, there are few other leads. Lets go.


    So they brave the snowstorm, thats actually almost perpetual now, to go to the [Tree of Prayer], the courtyard now coated in ayer of white snow. Which, actually isnt the only color of snow, surprisingly. In some parts of the world, theres a kind of magical aberration which turns snow into different colors, like green, or blue, or yellow, or purple, anyway, I digressed.


    So, this is a tree they pray too. The apprentice said.


    The wizard then casts a spell. [Detect Magic].


    And nothing happens.


    Hmmm


    And then, the wizard pauses, and casts [Firespark] at the Prayer Tree.


    And it nothing happens.


    Theres a hostile magic suppression aura here. Its present throughout the entirety of the valley, thats why a few of my spells seem to be not responding, particrly those of the probing type. The wizard exins to the apprentice.


    But it is no denser here, so I doubt this tree is the source of it.


    Huh, maybe thats because the tree is everywhere. The apprentice shrugs. I hear the locals say the entire forest belongs to the tree that rules this valley, and entry is at our own risk.


    The wizard smacks the apprentice. So, that sounds exactly like where a healer would hide. Did you check out the forest?


    Yes we have, master. Theres just a whole load of trees and a lot of monsters.


    Oh. Wait. At this point, their earlier conversation about the magic suppression rings a bell.


    Is that me? When I leveled up and unlocked the soul forge, I did get an ability called [Low Tier Magic suppression]


    The wizard looks at the apprentice, shaking his head. Anyway, lets do more tests on the type of suppression here, whether it is tier-restricted


    He then casts, [Fire]. One again, nothing happens.


    Then, he casts [Blue-fire], and this time, a blue meball appears in his hands. Hmm tier 4 spells are not suppressed.


    So does this mean we can find the healer?


    I think we already have a good clue. Whoever powerful enough to create a tier 3 suppression aura throughout this entire city is probably the one able to heal the princess, or would at least know the person that can heal the princess.


    Yup.


    These guys are looking for me! Ah, so this is interesting, if that is indeed the case, I think I could use this as a bargaining chip, and so, I quickly summon Jura to exin the n.


    And the next day morning, despite the snow outside, Jura and Yvon went to the guesthouse.


    Oh, Lady Yvon, what brings you here?


    Ah, I have good news for you all. I think we finally discovered who the healer you were looking for.


    Really? Have you been lying to us the past few weeks? The apprentice is not happy.


    Yvon shakes her head. I thought you were referring to a person.


    What?!


    The wizard though cuts the apprentice out.


    Never mind that. The princesses first. Bring us to the healer.


    Not so fast. Jura pauses. There are a few things the healer wants to know, and wants from you, before the healer is willing to have a look at your princesss condition.


    Name them. Quickly. The pdin and healer insists. The Princesss condition worsens by the day.


    Jura hands a list I had him write, and he passes it to them. The pdin and healer look at it, and then passes to the wizard. This is extortion, isnt it?


    Jura smiles. I could tell he is enjoying it. Its the terms the healer propose, in exchange for his aid. You can choose not to. And he did say, if he cant improve the princesss condition, he wont take payment.


    Fine. Well give these things. Great powers do note cheap, after all. The wizard says. Bring the healer here.


    Good. But I am afraid you have to go to him.


    All of the Barooshians look at each other, but then, they nod. Its not as if they have a choice. So, together with the princess, all of them venture out into the snow, and make the slow walk through New Freeka, into the forests.


    Where are we going? They did not like walking in the snow.


    Well reach there soon. Anyway, whats the princesss diseases?


    I am afraid even I dont know. All we can do is keep supporting her body so she doesnt die. The healer shakes his head. Its almost as if her body wants to kill itself.


    And then they arrive at the main tree, where the beetles and spiders are sleeping, dormant.


    Eh


    Wait. The wizard turns to Jura. A spirit tree? Its as if he struck a realisation.


    Yes. This spirit tree rules over the entire valley.


    The wizard nods, That exins why thepass is confused I am guessing this massive spirit tree extends its roots everywhere.


    Bring the princess inside. Jura says.


    The healer carries the princess, and Jura then stops the rest of them. Im afraid I can only allow the healer into the tree from here. The rest of you must wait outside. The trees rules.


    The wizard pauses, looks at the pdin, and the rest of them nod. Fine. I can trust a spirit tree. And so, the frail princess is escorted into the [bib].


    Once I start examining the princess using the bib, its immediately apparent what her problem was.


    As with all living beings with mana, there is a spring in their body, and in the princesss case, that spring, is almost entirely destroyed. That spring appears like a regr fountain to most, but the princesss spring is charred, dark and the structure around it has somehow turned into rubble. Theres still some mana flowing out, but its irregr, inconsistent, and at times, corrupted. And when the corrupted mana flows out, it interacts with the body and creates a rotting effect.


    Its as if the tap that supplies water to a body is broken, and because of that, while there is water flowing out, it is polluted water, and that polluted water poisons the body.


    The body tries to fight back that corrupted mana, and as a result her body turns blue, kind of like a mana-gangrene.


    So, I look deeper. My bib is of a higher level now, so I get more visibility, tools, and even popups to exin what I am looking at.


    She did something forbidden, or perhaps, not her level to do. The Wisp somehow pops up. All this points to an attempt to summon a higher power.


    Oh?


    As I look into the spring, a small indicator appears. [Outer-shell destroyed]


    Huh. Outer shell destroyed? This seems to mean she is like the reverse of an artificial soul, or perhaps, simr to Me previously. A regr soulprises of an inner and outeryer, an artificial soul only the outeryer. So, she had somehow managed to do destroy her entire outeryer?


    Hmmm This is really strange, and I ask Jura to ask the men what did the Princess do.


    The Spirit Tree wants to know what the Princess do. She has somehow destroyed arge part of her soul


    The wizard and healer seems really shocked, and they turn to each other. The healer starts first. The Princess wasst spotted in the wizards tower, what was she doing?


    The wizard stares back. I.. I dont know. She was going through the ancient tomes and then


    At the same time, I kept looking into the Princesss body, and then I discover another thing. [Exposed to void mana]


    What the hell is void mana?


    Oh, I can answer that one. Its raw mana form. Primordial mana, so to speak. Its the most powerful of mana types, but the most dangerous. The normal body of mortals is not fit to handle void mana. Even heroes can handle it in small degrees, thats why they only get the second tier form, star mana. If one distils and processes star mana further, one would then get the normal kinds of mana.


    Heh, this sound like the big bang, and then the formation of stars, and then the heavier elements? If mana is an element that exists in the birth of the universe, its akin to primordial quarks, and then they would form protons, neutrons, and electrons, and those would then fuse into regr atoms.


    This surely begs the question, why would this Princess somehow be exposed to void mana?


    Ask them what was the tome that the princess was studying? I mentally speak to Jura.


    The wizard pauses. I think she was looking into a tome on


    He stops.


    I dont think its relevant. Can the tree heal her or not?


    The healer and pdin turn to face the wizard. I think it is relevant. What was the Princess actually trying to do?


    She might be looking at a tome about otherworld heroes and theories on how to summon them. Its one of the crazy tomes left by the Mad-Hero, Arsene Emir...


    The pdin then grabs the wizards hand. What? Why is the Princess allowed to be anywhere near to a tome by the mad-hero?


    I was doing research on it, and I didnt realise the Princess snuck in.


    Excuses! So all this was your fault, wizard! The pdin is rather mad.


    Well, I let the Barooshians continue their argument, as I turn my attention into figuring out what can I do about this Princesss damaged soul.


    The soul forge would be able to fix most of destroyed outeryer, but the exposure to void mana is going to be harder to remove. In a way, its like Mes [demon poison], but, only from another source, a more raw source.


    It took about another hour, but Ive looked at all I could, so, Jura and the healer helps to carry the Princess to the Forge Tree. She rests inside a tform inside the forge tree, and once ready, both Jura and the healer had to go out.


    As I attempt to repair her damaged soul, I got a prompt that some items of the Princess needs to be sacrificed.


    Does the Princess have any items or personal belongings that she cherishes?


    The Pdin takes out a small hairpin, and passes to Jura, and Jura throws it into the Forge Tree.


    Not enough.


    Another one.


    The pdin checks his backpack, and the healer checks a bag that contains the princesss belongings, and pulls out a smallb. Her mother, the Queen, gave her theb.


    And into the forge tree it goes.


    The logic of it is essentially, to repair a soul, especially one still in a bodily form, one would need to harvest remnants of the persons souls, that are sometimes residing in their cherished items, to then use it and patch the soul. Its like soul-organ-transnt surgery, but with personal belongings. Unlike Mes case, whos not constrained by a body any longer.


    So, the quality and rtionship one has with the item, determines the value for the repair. And theb qualifies. In fact, theb itself is sufficient, so the hairpin flies back out.


    Theb itself will do.


    And its melted by the [soul forge], and it then fuses into the princesss body. And while a snowstorm blows outside, in the immediate vicinity of the [forge tree], multiple lightning bolts rain down on the forge tree itself, each creating a connection of lightning to a branch.


    This is rather scary.


    Ive never seen anything like it. The men,, waiting in the snow, watching lightning strike the forge tree multiple times, whilst their princess is inside.


    And about an hourter, Jura and the healer goes inside the forge tree to retrieve the princess, and put her back into the [bib] for monitoring.


    Under the [bib], the spring itself has been repaired. But, an indicator still exists on top, still saying [exposed to void mana]. Im unable to remove this status, as I dont have enough power to do so. It seems that I need ess to a few more soul forge color types before I can.


    At least I actually get to see an exnation of what it does.


    [Exposed to void mana - will have asional nightmares of otherworldly horrors. Overuse of mana will result in fainting. Cannot use mana potions, as will result in a void-mana ring, and will cause hallucinations and seizures]


    And indeed, it seems this is as far as I could go, so the Princesses out of the bib, and back to the worried Barooshians.


    The Spirit Tree says this is all it can do. THe princesss body should not be killing itself anymore, but she will still have nightmares, and do not give her mana potions. Overuse of mana also will cause fainting.


    The princesss hands, and legs, once blue in color, now gradually regains some color, and she no longer feels an intense weakness and pain through her body, so much so she is actually able to talk.


    ...food. Thats the first word she said.


    The healer and pdin quickly take out, from their pouches some kind of bread for her to eat. They seem happy, because she is visibly recovering, and so, rather than eat in the snowstorm, they walk back to the guesthouse to rest.


    What did you do back in the tower?


    I I tried to summon a hero. It seems the princess had not been able to hold a proper conversation, or even exin what happened because of the intense pain she was in.


    WHY?


    I I I wanted a hero to be my husband. Rather than that stupid old duke.


    Ah, at this point I stop eavesdropping.


    Their conversation went on about Barooshian court politics, international rtions, political marriages and power bnce stuff, which frankly is not my cup of tea at all.


    Later on, they all used some kind of portal magic to return to Baroosh. They say they will find some way to deliver the promised goods.


    [You leveled up! Level 124!]


    [Subsidiary tree limit increased to 700]


    [Bib leveled up] [External Bib unlocked. Customisable Branches can now create bibs!]


    [Winter resistance upgraded]


    [You learned a new skill : Winter-adapted crops]


    Ah, so I gain crops that can grow in this stupid snowstorm.


    Year 75 Month 11 Week 4


    Despite this horrible cold weather, the traders delivered the blood crystals. And once they did, I quickly got to it. Ah, thanks to the new leyline and soul-forge color, I also discover theres a new upgrade choice for Trevor as well.


    [Trevor, Forest Mind Level 20]


    Upgrade choices -


    [Blue - Root-Brain Complex. Requires special minerals to grow. Special minerals required are 10 x Blood Crystals, and 50 x fresh animal heads.]


    [ck - Skull Shell - Requires special minerals to upgrade. 10 x Bone of a wyvern, 1 x heart of a lion and 50 x Bones of a lizard]


    Huh. Oh well, lets go with the immediate upgrade. The blood crystals and the heads of the animals were put together in a pile, and then, I trigger this upgrade. A few dozen roots appear, and drill into each of the heads and then the blood crystals, creating a rather messy haze of blood in the area. They twist, they turn, they tangle, and sparks fly. Its a bit like watching a dozen snakes mate, with fireworks.


    And when its done, a brainlike jumble of roots is formed. Its really just roots folded and twisted many many times until it looks like a brain.


    [Trevors level limit has been increased to 30]


    [Trevor has gained a unique passive ability - Hives Guardian]


    [Hives guardian - gains limited control over the lower tier monsters and beasts that spawn in the valley. Does not override their natural instincts]


    Ah, fairly useful then. But then, as I turn back to my usual view of the valley, I noticed some changes. The interface is now more game-like? And the minimap extends further, and theres moreyers to the views avable. The granrity of the view is also much better, and I can see more colors.


    If you desire, master, I can customise the views for your viewing pleasure. Each of the trees in the valley send back a ton of data through their roots, and its a matter of processing them into usable information. With this upgrade, my processing capacity has increased! I will be able to provide better alerts and better forecasting ability!


    Sadly, the area of effect is centered around that new [Root-Brainplex], so the further I go, the data avable shrinks. But it is still sufficient to cover the entirety of the valley. When I go as far as the ThreeTrees of Mana, the data avable in that region is close to none. And stillcking in terms of defenders.


    Therefore, it is time to create my 2nd forest mind, one for the ThreeTree of Manas area, which I will call the Southwest Forest.


    [In order to house your new forest mind, three subsidiary trees will be merged]


    [New Forest mind has been created, do you want to name it?]


    Dimitree.


    Greetings, master. Dimitree responds, with an ent. Is that intentional? Well, if it is, please continue. Russian/Ukrainian voice presets please.


    Youre tasked to defend my connection to the leyline, and the vicinity of the Southwest Forest. Ask for help if you foresee difficulties.


    Acknowledged.


    Afterwards, I set up a few dozen subsidiary trees in the area, all with warbeetles, and ce them under Dimitreesmand. Still, because of the freaking unnatural cold, theres practically no army movement in the region. Instead, this harsh winter brings a lot of deaths to the region. Even in New Freeka where theres housing, its insufficient protection, and the Treefolk had to construct additional barriers, and actually start a fire indoors to keep themselvesfortable.


    So cold. I feel like my branches are getting frostbites.


    It''s just your imagination, master.


    Year 75 Month 12


    The cold just gotten colder. Some parts of the terrain turn almost ice-like, as if its an eternal winter. If such a spell is possible, and I think it is, this feels very much like it.


    I suppose this is how Arendelle feels when Elsa did her winter thing. I think Elsa would be a rather fascinating reincarnating hero.


    Nothing much happens this month, because everyones just really trying to wait out the cold. The effect of the spell, added to the natural turn of the seasons make this so crazy cold, the elves all end up hiding in the [secret hideout], where its warm and temperature controlled.


    The New Freekans, attempt to build underground structures at this time, as a way to get a bit morefort out of this ridiculous weather.


    Year 76 Month 1


    Well, I thoughtst month was cold. This month, it somehow proved me wrong, as it got even colder. There were days where all that happens was ice flying in the air, as any water freezes instantly.


    It even causes my tree barks, that are normally winter resistant, to feel brittle, and ky.


    Sincest month, myself, Trevor and Dimitree use our abilities to support the rest of the normal trees, so that the cold dont kill off the trees in the forest. They are already in some kind of winter-hibernation mode, but this excessive cold would normally kill them. Even in this magical world, death by cold is still possible.


    Itll be bad if I lose my normal trees, so this is when that energy is consumed, from [tuberous storage], to create a warm flow of nutrients and energy, supplied to the normal trees, prevents freezing, and kept them alive.


    This little episode with high-tier magic also reminds me of my vulnerability to such powerful magics. If say somebody cast a [meteor] or a magic of that calibre, what countermeasures do I have? I mean, a way of saying is, if I am a tree stuck in the st radius of the Tsar Bomba, what do I do?


    [Winter resistance upgraded]


    [Winter-resistance aura obtained. All trees connected via roo are more resistant to the effects of cold and ice. Beetles and webspiders also gain some winter resistance]


    [Warm Winter Fruit obtained. A fruit that helps to keep the body warm]


    Uhh that helps a bit, I suppose. With the winter. But not the tsar bomba. Or wait. Is the system saying this is the magical equivalent of a nuclear winter?


    This winter is unbearable. We need to do something. The vigers are now trying to get Yvon to do something about the winter, but, what can they do?


    Good news is, theres absolutely no fighting in this sort of weather. Sort of bad news is, people are still dying. (Bad for them, not me) So, my soul realm is packed with souls, souls that are due for their reincarnation within the next 6 months, from the returned soul harvesters, and just generally, from all the death in the vicinity.


    And from the fragments of the souls harvested, I obtain quite a fair of interesting essences, and my first [Experience Seed], a product of the [Soul harvester]s ability. The experience seed is used to create a [Level Fruit], each seed, to create one fruit. The effect is to increase ones level by one, up to the level cap of said person.


    Yes. A fruit equivalent of rare candy.


    BUT! The creator of said level fruit (me), cannot use it. Again, it is simr to that soul contract where I take a persons level away, or where they surrender their experience to me. Itll get converted into [transferable experience], which can then be processed into [experience seeds] and [skill seeds]. In fact, even [skill essences] can be further processed into [skill seeds].


    A single level isnt much, for those the lower levels. But I would imagine such an item being more useful and valuable to those at high levels, since its harder for them to level.


    Year 76 Month 2 Week 1


    The cold is letting up. By a tiny bit.


    Its still snowing every day, with some days having ice storms. Not fun. Again, I am burning through my [tuberous storage], trying to feed and support the forest such that it doesnt freeze to death.


    Ive actually gotten a little positive out of this. I mean, at least its just ice, right? I can still keep the trees alive by giving them warm energy by consuming the stored energy. Its kind of like winter and summer, you can constantly addyers of clothing to keep yourself warm, but its kinda hard to strip down to cool yourself down, when the air itself is cooking you.


    If say the entire air is cursed from a massive heatwave, I would need to find ways to cool down the forest, and I think the only way I know at the moment is to pull up cool water from deep beneath the ground. And theres not much of that. THeres a fair bit of thermal energying from deep beneath as well.


    This is despite Im being fire-resistant, but, drought or prolonged heatwave? Im not sure.


    Maybe I need to find some kind of cold-water source, from far away. A massive root then supplies that cold water from there, to regte the temperature of the valleys trees.


    And the opposite would be, to find a hot water source?


    Maybe that volcano that Horns surveyed a while might be able to supply that.


    All this talk about the cold


    What.


    I dont feel it.


    Thats cause you are blob? A floating soul with no ability to sense temperature?


    But some of the souls were telling me about how cold they felt. Or maybe thats just their final moments, carried over


    Wait. You can talk to the souls? I didnt know why I had the impression that only hero-grade souls can talk, but I suppose Im wrong.


    Uh only some of them. There seems to be a few that still retain their ability to talk but all they do is repeat the same thing. Kinda like machines.


    Oh. This soul thing can be confusing. Why can some talk, some cant?


    Anyway, New Freeka is in a state of emergency. Food supplies are running low, as they did not expect such severe weather, and much higher consumption of their stockpiles. That, led to rather ingenious solutions, as some of their farmers actually have rather interesting skills. One such ability is indoor farming, and that led to multiple greenhouse being built, and a few attempts at underground homes.


    Speaking of underground


    Dimitree, have you taken over thebyrinth? The leftoverbyrinth of the dungeon, now supported by roots, located in the Southwest forest.


    Yes. The innerbyrinth remains warm, though the entrances are covered in snow.


    I think I could propose that as an alternative location for the refugees to live, protected from the cold. But it is too far, the journey there takes at least 2 days, maybe more in this snow.


    Then, there is the old tunnel, left by the giant demonic centipede. Its located quite deep underground, so as to minimise tremors and detection, but because of its rtive depth, I have found little use of it. But now that I have the [root tunnels] ability, I can think about creating more feeder tunnels to connect to that big underground tunnel.


    Suggestion.


    Speak, Trevor.


    There are certain kinds of vegetation that grow in tunnels. We can grow those there, would provide additional energy output. Variants of [Subsidiary trees].


    Theres no sunlight in there, can the [subsidiary trees] survive?


    Not trees more of fungi.


    My powers extend to that of fungi?


    Uh.. no. But if we extend our roots into the underground cave, we can create an environment for symbiotic fungus to grow, which can produce energy.


    Hmm is the output worth it?


    No. Fungus produce miniscule amounts of energy, but it has the effect of creating the base of a ecological system that supports certain kind of farmer ants and insects.


    Hmm. Underground fungus.


    But I do want ants. I think ants would be interesting warriors.


    Are beetles insufficient? Horns then poke in.


    Ah that is not my point.


    There are many kinds of beetles. I am sure you could have some kind of facility to research beetles that would help.


    [Bib - Beetle unit research tree obtained] [This massive tree allows research and development of various beetle types, such as flying beetles, armored beetles, poison beetles, firebeetles, waterbeetles]


    Uh.


    Yes. I think beetles are better than ants.


    I get the point, Horns. But I still want ants.


    No. Beetles are the best. We are already sharing the space with spiders. Please do not neglect us beetles.


    Ants?


    Beetles. We have dungbeetles. We have dancing beetles. We have colorful beetles. Beetles are superior.


    I sigh. Okay.

 T-ree-search

    T-ree-search


    Year 76 Month 2 Week 3


    How long is this stupid blizzard going tost?


    Forever, until someone manages to disable or dispel the vortex?


    Not forever, such magics have a natural decay to them. Over time it will go away, but we are talking about years


    Troubling news, from Yvons informants and diplomats. None, not Sh, not Nung, not Takde has imed responsibility for using a blood sacrifice spell, and in fact, all of them are now not-so-secretlyunching their own internal investigation into the cause of this catastrophe that brought severe blizzards to an area the size of a country. All three nations are affected by this massive spell, and all three capitals within range, though, Sh, being thergest of the three nations, are least affected.


    Well, to be honest, if that was all there is to it, its not really that troubling. I mean, a hurricane is a country sized disaster, no? Nobody jumps when a hurricane or a massive earthquake rattles the world, right? (Though I may be wrong a perpetual hurricane would be equally horrible).


    The troubling thing, is some of the more sophisticated intelligence ims that it is a secret demon cult at work. A cult that aims to summon, and to control the demon king. They call themselves the Circlebreakers. A demon cult, that, as the rumours start to emerge, manipted the nations and took advantage of the massive battle to somehow sacrifice at least 25,000, to test out some kind of blood magic.


    I mean, it sounds bonkers. I mean, which nation would want to publicly admit it used such a drastic measure, one that involves blood sacrifice? So naturally all of them will deny involvement, even if they did do it. Besides, I presume everyone in that battlefield is dead, and any evidence they can gather by magic, is being corrupted and distorted by the presence of that blizzard magic vortex, and with each passing day, the evidence vanishes. Perhaps if some of the souls and spirits can talk, I can find out a bit more, but until then, this theory sounds absurd.


    So. I still think of the countries did it. Or maybe a mix. One of the countries coborated with the cults to activate such a spell.


    Anyway, those are distant affairs, that unfortunately affects me. Goes to show that turtling strategy doesnt work when there arerge area of effect spells and abilities.


    The merchants are quick to adapt, though. Money really has ways of making the world go round, even in magical worlds.


    This month we had the first visit of the cold-resistant caravan. Essentially, they are a delegation of about a 100, with dedicated mages and special carriages that are magically reinforced to provide protection from the cold and snow weathers.


    Of course, the goods are expensive. They need a markup on such special services after all.


    Oh well.


    The Barooshians though, the wizard at least, came back to New Freeka. With the agreed rewards, most of them the upgrade materials I need for the root system, and also for Horns, Paws.


    Apparently, the wizards punishment, for exposing the princess to forbidden magics is exile. And the delivery to New Freeka is hisst task by the King.


    Surely, the wizard cannot take responsibility for the princesss recklessness? But such are feudal societies, you get your ass handed to you even if you dont have anything to do with it.


    Surely we would wee a wizard like yourself to our town Yvon is quick, to bring him over to her side.


    He sighs, nods, reluctantly epts Yvons offer of hospitality. I guess I will stay for a while.


    And they soon get him to work on some kind of anti-cold weather spell.


    Meanwhile, I am expanding my territory towards the volcano that Horns surveyed. Most of the beetles are inactive in this weather, and that''s a weakness with having insects.


    But as we approach the volcano, my subsidiary trees are slowly dying, so I could not extend them further. This is despite my own heat resistance, but the death is not due heat alone.


    The surroundings of the active volcano is filled with sulphur, and there are activeva flows, forming rivers in the area. And, at every eruption, a st of energy sweeps out from the caldera, and the shockwave creates a gust of wind. All this, cumtively, create a hostile environment for the trees.


    One of the external bibs (only one so far), next to inner ring, had a menu prompt. Kind of like those alerts when I unlocked a secret mission.


    [Bib research option unlocked : Volcanic adaptation. Estimated time required, 3 months. Materials needed to start research, 100 pieces of sulphur]


    Uh. Okay! Now Id like to check all the other kinds of environmental adaptations...


    That kind of put my ns to use trees to crawl into the volcank on hold. Thankfully though, the area around the volcano is still rtively warm, such that I can still deploy my beetles, and task them to venture into the volcano area to harvest the sulphurous minerals.


    At about the same time, I created two beetle research tree, to research winter adaptation. Its annoying to have so many of my beetles going into hibernation in this weather, and I was hoping to have some beetles which have ability to function in the cold.


    It is really hard to do much when my beetles spend so much time hibernating in their cosy trees.


    Year 76 Month 3


    The nations are now starting their work on dispelling or weakening the blizzard vortex, with spring returning, the intensity of the blizzard is reducing slightly.


    Slightly. Because it is still snowing.


    And that means crops are not growing. Luckily for the New Freekans, their indoor farming experiments are working, so they now intensify their efforts to build additional indoor farms, in an effort tobat food shortages. But, the cold also means my timber farms are not as productive, so they very quickly used up the entirety of the timber farm...


    Weve got a problem. Food supply is low, we probably have enough for another month, and the indoor farms are not producing enough food.


    Hunt. We hunt for the foxes and winter creatures.


    Okay. Let''s do that, but we are talking about almost 25,000 people in New Freeka, are there sufficient meat to feed that many?


    Maybe not, but better to have meat than not.


    Some of our watchtowers spotted arge group of yaks, that spawned that would be ideal for us, their furs can serve as warm clothing for the men.


    Yvon pauses, nods. Fine. Take a 50 men and go hunt.


    The warrior nods.


    Still, we need other food sources, meat is good, and we still have storage perhaps the truce is suspended?


    Huh. The hell with the truce, Lady Yvon. Sh wont be able to retaliate in such circumstances.


    Sh may well figure out how to dispel this magic. Another of Yvons advisors chime in. Though, depending on how we word it, we can perhaps get some leeway


    Yvon ponders that for a while, Can you arrange someone to visit them to convey our intentions to suspend the truce requirements, given this disaster?


    Certainly.


    Back to topic. Food. Food and warm shelter. We had 68 of us die of coldst month. We need to get a solution, or something to stave this cold off until summer, hopefully we have some nts growing then.


    The discussion is held in one of therge halls in New Freeka, all the leaders are invited. Itprises mostly of Yvonsrades back when they were with Sh, but they have also gradually brought in the refugees to join the leadership team. After all, with 25,000, voices of rebellion and dissent will rise quickly, especially when it is cold and, people are hungry.


    Can we buy them?


    The merchants do sell food, but their prices are extortionary. They know we need it.


    Still, if we have to


    Then we will. But let that daye only when we have exhausted other means our coin is our hard earned money.


    We should set up our own merchant corps, get out there and buy food from the unaffected nations.


    Yvon nods, That is a good idea, though the merchant guilds wont like it that we bypass them, but theylle around. Anyone willing to volunteer to lead this task?


    A few men and women raise their hands, and Yvon nods.


    This level of eavesdropping is partly facilitated by Trevors upgrade, which allows him to process the dataing from within the valley and New Freeka in greater detail.


    So, one group to hunt food, one group to buy food. Anything else? Magic?


    Would Baroosh be able to send help using that portal magic?


    Uh that is worth exploring. Yvon nods, and assigns Eriz to the task.


    Alternatively, is there no magic spell that create a warm barrier to keep out such cold?


    Hmmm as far as I know, we dont have wizards at the level of entire towns here. We have been doing them at the building level but the spells expire rtively quickly. Indeed, there are mages, using their spells to create fire, or generally warm up certain ces. But spells like thisst short periods, sustained by mana, and they do run out.


    The warming effects of certain skills, such as [Comfortable house] or [Slow burning fire] that some of the refugees have,st abit longer, but that does not work on arge scale and cannot house everyone.


    Does does the will of the forest have any way to aid us?


    Ah yes, Will of the Forest. Its one of the ways the refugees havee to refer to me, after the recent assistance of the potatoes. Apparently, those who visit the [Tree of Prayer] are those that would end up using this particr phrase. They have been seeing my presence in their sleep, of a tree that somehow appears in their nightmares, and eats them.


    Yvon did not respond.


    I mean, the Will of the Forest is the one that somehow manage to heal the princess, perhaps it has some way to aid us?


    Yvon sighs. As you all have known, and I said this that day The Tree Spirit does not give its aid freely. There is a cost to borrowing its aid, and is there anyone willing to sacrifice their souls for it?


    Ask the elves. The will protects them, perhaps they can figure out a way to sway his views? One suggests, referring to Jura, Laufen and the elves.


    Or Miss Eriz? Eriz was protected by it?


    Eriz shakes her head then. The tree has punished me for bring all of you here, back then. I doubt it would listen to me now.


    If enough of us prayed to it, perhaps it might? That is what the churches tell their believers to do in times of hardship.


    Ooooo the religious kind.


    To be honest, my ability to support the valley is also rtively limited. First of all, there is just too many of them. 25,000 New Freekans, and even with my new [winter resistant crops], I can grow about 2,500 winter-resistant potatoes a day, and that is enough to make maybe 1,300 meals per day. That still leaves a huge 23,700 guys without food. I mean, I think I am already pretty awesome to produce 2,500 potatoes per day.


    And add to that, fruits. I have the warming fruits and the winter resistant healing fruits, which only my main tree can produce, and I can produce about 100 each for the two kinds of fruits. That is maybe another 100.


    If I had the entire valleys trees, then yes, I can then tap on the normal trees to create food but now, the normal trees in the forest are consuming energy, not creating them.


    So yeah.


    This weather is horrible.


    Perhaps they can make use of the tunnels. Trevor suggested. Maybe they can grow mushrooms in there.


    If they have the right kind of mushrooms. And dont they need time?


    True. Mushroom as fungi, they benefit less from your bountiful growth effect.


    Well, looks like the New Freekans are on their own. Too bad for them.


    Beetles near the volcano report they have collected sufficient sulphur to start the research into [volcanic adaptation], which, I do. Immediately.


    Thankfully research still functions under such cold.


    Trevor. Are there ways to research winter resistance?


    As your forest minds, we are able to perform research with the aid of [external bibs]. Though, our research functions are rtively limited, and a dedicated research-focused artificial soul will be needed for high-tier research.


    Oh?


    So if I assign you to do so, does ite at the expense of anything?


    Yes, if you assign us to perform research on any of the external bibs, our ability to support the valleys growth will be impaired by 10 to 20% per research topic. As you have already selected [volcanic adaptation], I am already using 15% of my avable energy.


    I see. What other research options do you have?


    Well youll have to tell me. Theres no list to choose from.


    Hey, that''s not how I expect games to work. There should be clear tech trees, not I think of something and the bibs figure it out


    Uh that''s how it works in real life. Inventors do that. Me chimes in.


    You want to volunteer? Can I fuse you to a bib? I actually know the answer already.


    Fine, why not you work on winter adaptation as well.


    Sure


    Oh.


    My [ginseng tree] died from a pile of snow that somehow fell onto it and crushed it.


    Dammit. <ul><li>


    Beetle winter adaptation stage I - 2 months remain</li><li>


    Tree volcanic adaptation stage I - 3 months remain</li><li>


    Tree winter adaptation aura - 3 months remain</li></ul>


    Year 76 Month 3 Week 4


    I had a visitor. An uninvited one.


    Hmm. A strange man appeared in my inner courtyard one day, right in front of my original main tree.


    How did this guy get here? Right in front of me?


    Strange. He holds a strange stick in his hand, and it bends towards me in a certain way. It looks like some kind of prospectors stick, or a diviners item. Perhaps simr to thepass that the Barooshians have.


    He looks up, and I see he is alone, but he has a big cloak and hoody kind of set up, like an assassin. Somehow, if I had skin, I would get goosebumps, something about his presence just scares me.


    I get a feeling that he is perhaps a Level 100 assassin or something of that nature.


    I wake Jura, whos asleep at the time, and hees out, armed and ready. Hello?


    The assassin dude nces at Jura, and shrugs. Sorry. I think I got lost. Do you know where New Freeka is?


    No, you didnt. Jura says. No one stumbles into this inner courtyard from being lost. This inner courtyard is actually specially guarded and protected, with the effect of my [illusion] and [camouge] ability. So, walking here from being lost is close to nil, so by way of elimination, that means he is deliberately here.


    The inner courtyard has the [forge tree], the [root-brainplex] and the otherrge upgraded subsidiary trees, that is converted into housing. He nces around, looking, his eyes trying to find something. Perhaps someone other than Jura?


    The assassin dude smiles. Yes, you are right. I happen to be looking for heroes. Do you know of any?


    Juraughs, and decide to joke to lighten up the mood. None here. Theyre all dead. You gotta wait till the gods summon them again.


    Well, that''s what the gods want the public to think. The assassin looks at me, and the stick keeps bending in a strange way. He keeps the stick into some kind of magic pouch and takes out a different kind of item, a metal divining ball.


    Eh? Jura exims, he is alert, but he too, can sense the tremendous pressure from the man before him.


    The metal ball doesnt react. Hmmm.. no heavenly blessing, so you certainly are not a hero


    Uh of course-


    The assassin turns, and suddenly Jura falls to the ground. Alive, but it''s as if his leg suddenly lost strength.


    Two very tiny needles almost instantly pierced his legs, and it isced with some kind of poison. But before Jura could scream, or I could do anything, the assassin is right in front of him, and taps a strange golden metal rod into his head.


    Sorry, this wont kill you, but itll make you forget all about me, and this entire thing.


    And Jura falls to the ground, unconscious, but I detect that he is still very much alive.


    I calcte my chances, and specte that my chances of killing this person is slim.


    I feel this assassin probably could dodge my root strikes easily, so, even if I tried, I think it would take multiple shots for it to work. I would need an AoE ability to get him, or some way of slowing him down, if I want to hit him on my very first strike.


    The assassin then looks and walks around my main tree. Hmmm The otherworlder locator points here though meh. Too many false positives with all the things the heroes leave behind.


    I continue watching, I suppose he might try something on Jura, but, my instincts tell me to wait. Juras unconscious body shakes a bit, and the assassin walks over.


    Ah yes, its still freezing cold. He covers Jura in a thick nket that he pulls out from his pouch. Sorry.


    He looks around. Then he gives a big sigh.


    Guess he did note here then. Dammit.


    He lifts his fist against the sky and shakes it.


    And the assassin vanishes. Just like that. Without a trace, and despite me and my roots covering this entire valley, I did not pick up his presence since then. I still wonder how he just slipped in and out of the entire valley like that.


    Apologises master, I have no idea how he slipped past all our detection and patrols. Trevor apologise, but I cant me him. He could walk in a straight line at me and I still wont see himing. That''s just how absurdly powerful his ability is.


    A skill, obviously. Very, very high leveled stealth and camouge. But add that to our list of weaknesses. I somehow suspect my own [camouge] and [illusions] also worked on him, so he didnt suspect much.


    He feels like a friend, though. Me speaks.


    Really?


    Year 76 Month 4


    All good over here. Dimitree reports exining the status of trees in the Southwest Forest. The cold is less severe there this month, benefiting from a strong warm current.


    New Freeka managed to buy some food from neutral nations, so they staved off a bit of the hunger situation. And as the seasons change, a bit of the cold and snow from the bloodspell is counteracted by the natural warmth of the spring.


    Still snowing, so the crops are still not growing.


    I also, learned that actually I overestimated the refugees dietary requirements, as they actually have skills which make them better able to withstand cold and hunger. Some of them have skills like [Minimal Diet] or [High efficiency body] or [Endure hunger] which allowed them to make the most of what little food they have. Their experience being on the move, frequently with little food as well, given the survivors these skills which made them tougher.


    Some of the most impressive of such abilities, possessed by a refugee, [Ascetic diet], survives on one meal per week without looking worse than a normal person.


    In fact, if the refugees possess such abilities, my potatoes actually would be able to feed a lot more than I initially calcted. Perhaps by a multiple of 5 times.


    Its hard out there Belle sits, all snuggly in her bed. TreeTree, is there not much we can do to help them?


    Well, there is, but let them figure it out themselves.


    I think some of the refugees are jealous. Emile exins. They wonder how we can still be sofortable here and not extend a hand to them. They think we are being selfish


    Wahlen told me they have been getting weird stares, and some of the men actually cursed them openly


    Huh. Well, Ill let it slide, but if any of them make a move, I will not hesitate to punish them. I mentally make a note to Trevor to put increased surveince on Brich and Wahlen, who now live in New Freeka.


    It is the way of the world. Laufen sits with Lausanne, working on some cotton clothes. Our luck, that TreeTree watches over us.


    Well, some of them were driven out of their homes too, so they feel that they have suffered much. Belle responds, shes really cozy with a thick nket wrapped around her. Its actually warm in the room, as the main hideout and the nearby subsidiary trees have temperature controlled spaces.


    Lausanne then pouts. Treetree, maybe you should help them. Give them potatoes? I think they will like potatoes.


    Hmmm. I dont want to assist them so easily. Aid breedscency


    But they are in need. Heroes help people, no?


    Hmmm Well, how do I tell Lausanne that I honestly do not care about the New Freekans all that much. Sure, they are useful, but thats about it.


    How is your practiceing, Lausanne? I try to change the topic, after all she has been receiving [dream tutor] from me for quite some time.


    Oh it''s okay. I have been learning a lot, and those dreams where I learn strange skills is really really cool.


    Why cant we get those dreams Emile and Bellein.


    Because Lausannes young mind is surprisingly receptive to it.


    We are not old!


    Uh I mean her mind is still growing, so the skill-dreams seem to work better.


    Then Lausanne nods, and she runs around for a while.


    TreeTree are you going to help the refugees? Ah dammit. I thought children easily forget the topic? Why does she recall it so well.


    Uhmmm, Lausanne, I cannot use my powers so easily, and there is always a cost for any other ability that I use. If the refugees ask for help, then, depends on what they offer, then I will consider it.


    Lausanne pauses, and somehow she nods. She seems to ept that power is not something used so freely. Maybe you are right. Uncle Jura likes to say that power needs to wait for the right time.


    Heh, that is surprisingly insightful from Jura. Perhaps that new [diplomat] job has given him new mental perspectives.


    They must first, help themselves.


    A few dayster,


    Tree spirit. Me speaks to me, her voice is serious. The Wisp is next to her, and we are in the soul realm.


    Hmm.


    I have a strange dream, or well, maybe its not really a dream. But like some kind of mental whisper. But I think it means something. Something important.


    Important? What could be important. Oh well, let''s go with it. So tell me.


    I I saw Alexis.


    Okay. What about her?


    Shes not dead.


    Oh. That is good I suppose.


    She somehow my prayers to the heroes reached her.


    Hmm, then again, that doesnt sound good.


    Her body is currently consumed by demonfire, after she used [Fireform] to avoid the destruction of the demon kings core She is battling it every moment now. It seems the demonfire, when there is sufficient amounts of it, it gains some kind of consciousness.. or some kind of innate instincts


    Oh okay. Doesnt sound good, but so? Shes really far away right.


    And... erm I think the demonfire that consumes her body thinks that a hero is still around, and so It thinks the source of the prayer is a hero.


    Oh no. I mean, I kind of figured that is what Me meant. It is just, just so typical ofmunications to lead to such actions. Shes headed this way.


    I mean, how does a demon know where to go, but I guess there are ways for that to happen.


    ...yeah.


    When will she get here?


    I dont know.


    Uh. What else did she say?


    Not much She mumbled about how she is a fire elemental, since her shes stuck in her fire-body form and that firebody is controlled by the will of the demonfire


    Well. Shit?


    Hmm, lets see what measures can I take against a fire-crazy demon.


    Spaizzer next chapter 28 march. ill try not to bete..

 A valley burns

    A valley burns


    <strong>Year 76 Month 4 Week 4</strong>


    Fire elemental and a perpetual blizzard. Not exactly what I imagined to face, but here I am.


    The demon-fire Alexis arrived a lotter than expected, I initially thought she would arrive perhaps within two to three days, given the heroes overwhelming cheat powers, so I scrambled to prepare myself to face a hero, but then again, her body is controlled by demonfire, and that demonfire isnt exactly intelligent.


    But yes, her arrival is easy to spot, as the demonfire is a lot more shy. Despite a snowstorm that engulfs everywhere we can see, her glowing, ming body just shines through all that snow like a lighthouse in a storm. Her body is a huge glowing fireball shaped like a woman, she reminds me of a female version of the human torch, or perhaps phoenix, but there under all that fire is something that looks like a solid core.


    And, she arrives with a bang, shooting fireballs and firing beams of fire throughout the entire valley.


    This is the monster the tree spirit warned us about? Yvons immediate reaction is well, shock.


    After Me had the revtion, I quickly cascaded the alert down to the people, that a probably powerful monster ising our way, so that they can prepare. But I would realise all my preparation was for naught.


    Jura nods. Yeah. Some kind of fire-creature.


    That is a whole lot more than just fire-beast.


    Alexis floats in the sky, surrounded by a dark, maroonish fire that rages violently. The remnants of the demon kings fire, it looks unaffected by the effects of this magical blizzard, or even if it did, whatever effect it had is probably miniscule.


    Yvon looks back at Jura and shakes her head. Whatever that is, it is flying. Theres very few ways to engage that thing, unless ites down to the ground. Our arrows are not going hurt it, and I doubt fireballs from our mages will either!


    As Yvon and Jura discusses, Alexis clearly does not consider them threats, instead she still continues to shoot fireballs at the forest and st up a whole bit of the valley, one fireball at a time. The first impact vaporises any snow or ice that is built up, and the second impact instantly sets the normal trees on fire.


    Indeed, given the monster is... A fire elemental, the best option is to use opposing elemental weapons, or some destroy the elementals core.


    So? Jura looks at Yvon, he enters into the bear-armor mode, a ck-colored wood wraps his entire body, and it makes him look at a giant bear, and he leaps intobat, charges in the general direction of Alexis.


    The fire elemental notices, and directs the fireballs at Jura. And each time, he activates a wooden shield to parry those fireballs, the shields, are only able to absorb two fireballs, so Jura had to constantly re-activate the wood shields.


    Well, how are you going to hit it? Yvon wonders, and activates a magical arrow. The fact that its a fire elemental meant Yvon quickly reorganised the team she prepared for this. Not everyone is suitable to face a high-tier monster of this sort, so some of the guys retreat back to New Freeka, and set up defensive positions.


    Juras bear-shaped legs contort, the wood armor twirl into a spring-like structure and propel him high into the air, close enough toe into contact with the fire elemental


    And he gets sted with a point nk inferno, it exploded right in front of him, and he gets chucked super far away into the ground, the wooden armor, already ck, but now charred and smoking. The impact is enough to knock Jura out, but thankfully, not kill him, as the armor took the most of the damage, as I sense Bamboo going offline. But I think hell probably need to be in bed for a few days.


    Jura! Yvon shouts, but she quickly turns back to face Alexis, who now notices the rest of the men, and retaliates with a few more fireballs. I activate my [wood shield] to protect them from the fireballs.


    Well, that went horribly well. I think to myself, as I activated multiple wood shields to block the fireballs. Their effectiveness is pretty good, blocking multiple hits before getting destroyed.


    Master, they wont be able to harm that monster. Trevor quickly summarises our problem. True, with enough wood shields I can significantly reduce the damage Alexis deals, but we cant hit or hurt it that much.


    And this is when I notice Horns, charge towards the monster. For the master!


    Uh. What?


    I shall defeat the foe!


    I think he somehow forgot that he cant fly, so I am not sure what possessed him to attempt such a move, and what is he attempting to do.


    Whats he doing?


    I think he may have some skills, master.


    Really. Lets see it, but I think hes gonna lose. Alexis is a hero, and that fire is from the demon king itself...


    Horns charges towards Alexis, his beetle shell coated with some kind of resin, which is actually pretty good at absorbing the fireballs. And then when he finally gets beneath her, he digs into the ground, and shoots spikes at Alexis, from his shell.


    [Spike-attack]


    Oh. I didnt know he can do that.


    But, its too-low-tier a skill, and the spikes burn up before they even actually harm her body. And so, Alexis lobs a few fireballs at Horns.


    And he would have been crispy fried beetles if not for a few [Wood shield].


    Retreat, Horns. Not your match-


    Alexis waves her hand and shoots out a continuous jet of blue fire, and it incinerates everything it is path, including the wood shield. I instantly try to activate a few more shields to protect Horns, but its not good enough, the blue me burns through the wood shields rather quickly, and also burns half of Horns back body before he manages to run out of range.


    Master- I failed- And I sense Horns going offline. Hes probably not dead yet, but Ill need to repair him after this.


    Its fine. Hibernate mod.


    Yvon, very smartly, chooses to retreat all the way to me. I guess the fact that she survived so long out in politics is no fluke.


    Were no match for this monster.


    At this point, I know. Alexis has a fire aura that burns any lesser object that gets near her, and she almost limitless quantities of fire-type magic, and that blue me is really powerful.


    Any suggestions?


    No sire. I think our chances against is quite slim. Even now, her very presence is melting all the snow into water, then steam, and then the trees are catching fire. Its ridiculous how she can be a one-person weather changer.


    Is there really no way we can reach her? Me sighs, she feels upset that Alexis is burning up the forest, and she has created a path of destruction that leads her right to me.


    [Root strike]. A root flies up to her, and it hits her. The damage is low, as the fire aura incinerates the root partially, and so reduces the impact.


    I thought I could do a repeat of my earlier strategy by using multiple root strikes, but then I notice that fire soon regenerates the damage. The root strike barrage would need to deliver a fatal strike, or I may just be wasting time.


    Me, tries the friendship route, and so she prays, and attempts to mentallymunicate with Alexis. To convince her to stop attacking it


    I try a few more [root strikes], just to be sure, and like the earlier ones, it does hit, but the damage I deal is not much. I throw a few fruits at her just to be sure, but they burn up midair, without achieving a thing.


    Yvon, can you evacuate the elves? And stay out of this. This is not going to be easy, and I suspect the mages will be useless.


    Ah yes. Certainly. Yvon quickly take the elves and run. A few fireballs go their way, but I block it with the [wood shields]. The [shield generator] trees also have been trying to block the fireballs, but not as the shield generators are independent of me, their strength is inferior, and can only block 2-3 fireballs.


    Shes in there, and she says shes in great pain. Me actually manages tomunicate.


    How?


    Its a thing heroes of the same generation can do. A kind of telepathic link in short distances... Anyway she cant help us, the demonfire is too strong, and her soul is too weak to resist or take back her body.


    Okay, no friendship-no-jutsu route.


    Alexis burns up a few more of subsidiary trees, and sends a few fireballs direct at my main tree, and it explodes right on my trunk


    My historical experiences with fire has made me very resistant to them, so the fireballs dont even leave a scratch on my main body. My main body, unlike the skill extensions, enjoy the full benefit of my [Tree Heart], and this prompts Alexis to aim blue mes at me.


    And they dont hurt. The blue mes cant burn me either.


    This seems to be a stalemate. She can burn up the entire forest and I will still be standing. And I cant hurt her.


    This oue is not what I want, so I need to find a different strategy.


    Irritated, Alexis sends out a wave of fire from her body, and pretty much burns almost all the normal trees immediately around my main tree. The subsidiary trees, forge tree and root-brainplex share quite a bit of my fire-resistance abilities, but the me is strong enough to let Trevor experience pain.


    Master I dont feel so good. Trevor is housed in the root-brainplex and the blue fire is slowly getting to it. It inherits a smaller % of my godly fire resistance, and would be invulnerable to most fires. Except one from a hero, or a demon king.


    Shut down and hibernate. Horns, you too!


    Acknowledged. Rather than lose Trevor and Horns from the constant barrage of fire, its better to pull their artificials souls back from their bodies, and house and hibernate their souls within me.


    This isnt ideal. I shake my head, Alexis is still sting the forest, and Im doing my best to block as much of the fireballs as I can. Which works, and as a results, irritates the demonfire Alexis more.


    Me shakes her head. Alexiss trying to take back control, but its not working. The demonfires will is too powerful.


    At this point, the elves have managed to evacuate to the rtive safety of New Freeka, and its just me, the spirits, and Alexis. Yvon managed to haul Jura away from the battlefield as well.


    Its strange, to be feeling so hot when just a bit further away, its the cold blizzard. Too bad I cant channel the blizzards power and direct it all at Alexis.


    We cant defeat her. Me sighs. All you can go is stall her, but shes free to run elsewhere.


    I pause and I try to think.


    If I cant defeat her, then, I will attempt to contain her. The logic to me is simple, she cant hurt me, so if I contain her such that she cant hurt anyone else, thats a win too!


    Alexis lobs a few more fireballs and releases multiple fire-waves, and what is once a green valley turns into a zing inferno, with me, the sole untouched tree in the middle, as the blue me is strong enough to burn even those with higher fire resistances.


    Whats your n? Me asks.


    Well, remember my extremely crazy demon and fire resistance? I am going to exploit it.


    How?


    I am going to eat her.


    [Constrict] x 30. 60 roots and vines shoot out from my main body, and attempt to reach out to Alexis firey body. Thanks a bit to her target being me. which I suppose is due to her sensing the presence of Me, or perhaps those fragments of heroes, she is now really close to me, trying to burn me.


    Im not sure whether Alexis gets the point that its not working, but hey, if all it wants to do is keep trying, go ahead.


    The fjre work to a limited degree on the roots and vines. Her fire aura burns up a few strands of roots and vines, but there is enough of the constricting vines and roots to form a thick. I had taken inspiration from Horns body to coat the roots and vines with ayer of fire-resistant resin, and as they touch her fireform body, some of them burn.


    With the resin-coated fire resistant around her, I begin to pull, and manage to grab her me body, and pull her towards me, into me.


    You actually going to Me looks surprised.


    Eat her ... Yes. I am.


    Alexiss body seems to panic, and so released a continuous stream of blue fire, and even stronger ck fires, but closer to my main body, the root and vines fire resistance increase, so, shes trapped. Fireballs after fireballs explode as I pull her ever closer.


    Alexiss body now almost touches my trunk, and she releases a huge chain of fire-waves, the acts of a drowning man, iling, in an attempt to escape, but she still could not break through her vines. However, that fire scorched the surroundings, the forge-tree and the root-brainplex burned, the ground charred ck.


    Then, as she closed in on the trunk, the main body of my trunk open up, reveals a bib pod. And the vines push her inside into the bib. The demonfire attacks the bib, and now, I feel like Im in a sauna. Or like an arctic monkey sitting inside a hot spring in winter.


    That doesnt stop Alexis. She keeps trying, releasing wave after wave of fire. Perhaps she thinks my resistance is due to an extreme regeneration and so I will run out of mana, or somehow she hoped that the fire will eventually get through.


    But it doesnt.


    I am kinda thankful that its only power is fire, and so its only response to any threat is to burn the shit out of it. I mean, if it had Alexiss brains, shed probably try lightning, or perhaps ice. So yeah, when youre a hammer, all you can do is hammer.


    This is insane. Me says, clearly rather amazed to see Alexis dragged into me.


    Well, it works.


    And I begin the next step, trying to battle the demonfires presence. Its strangely familiar. Like the [Fires of Baal] that used to burn on top of my trunk, the fire even feels rather pleasant. This time, Im not the same tree I used to be, and so I will defeat the demonfire myself.


    My mana, and I draw on all the mana I have, from the leyline, from the normal trees, from the storage, from everything, and with it, I flood Alexiss body with my mana, and, drive out the demonfire and the demonic mana that now runs through her body.


    It is like attempting to do a blood transfusion, to drive out the dirty demon blood and rece it with my clean blood.


    Unbeknownst to me at this time, from New Freeka, by putting Alexiss body into me, it seems like the entire valleys trees appear to be on fire. The heat generated from the trapped demonfire, is released through my roots, my branches, like how a kettle vents out hot steam, and throughout the valley, my branches and roots would periodically spit out the trapped demonfire.


    And, from afar, my main trunk is like a furnace, theres reddish glow from within, that trapped demonfire, a fire inside a paperntern, and thissts for weeks as I battled.


    Single-mindedly focused on beating the demonfire, I had no idea what happened other than my long,borious battle for control of Alexiss body


    I kept at it, and continuously flooded her with my mana, and gradually, I made progress. Like my experience with the hellhounds, on how they, after I overwhelmed its body with my mana, it transforms into a woodhound.


    Everything I had, I poured into Alexiss body. Though I doubt I can take control of Alexis, my theory is that its all I need to drive out the demonfire.


    After a week, I gained ground, and pushed the demonfire, perhaps by half. The demonfire tried, and gave its all, releasing all the fire it could and tried to destroy me from within.


    After the second week, even more progress, the fire-elemental form is starting subside, like a body thats finally stopped burning. And in my bib, I begin to see something resembling a soul again. Its ck color body, a charred body, is starting to emerge from what was once a body almost wholly made of fire.


    But that doesnt look good for Alexis, as it means she is probably going to die anyway.


    So, as I fought the demonfire, I also now begin to look into her body, and see a spring thats tainted red, burning. A body thats parched, cracked like a baked dirt, like ake that is drained of water. A bloody red mana that flows out from everywhere, and my mana flowing into it, slowly pushing it out into the beyond.


    And after the third week, I finally drowned the demonfire with all the mana I had.


    I won.


    <strong><em>Year 76 Month 5 Week 3</em></strong>


    You did it Me nods.


    The demonfire is gone. Finally, and Alexiss got her body back. Well whats left of it. Could not have happened soon enough, as all the ejected heat from the demonfire meant the entire valley is literally like a minefield. Any second a tree would emit fire or hot steam, so all the inhabitants of the valley tried to stay as far away from trees as possible.


    But this meant the treefolk had to go out in the open, to New Freeka.


    Anyway , Alexiss body has been in the fireform for too long, and her physical body ispleted burnt, and now it is crumbles right before our eyes, like a copsing sandcastle. It is evidently not an ability that is meant to be used for so long...


    Help me, connect to me.


    What?


    Please. Just do so. Alexis coughs, her body, even though theres no demonfire anymore, is no use.


    To be honest, something strange about that request. But I did, my roots and vines enter her body and attempt to provide her with nutrients, the way a feeding tube would. But her body is a goner, unable to receive nutrients anymore.


    And then Alexis mumbles something a spell that I couldnt quite understand. It causes her body to crumble, then turns into a paste, and then, it mixes into the vines and roots in her body. And that vines and roots mixes with the rest of the bib, and that pod transforms into a chrysalis of some kind.


    What


    <em>[New subordinate consciousness, hamadryad Alexis detected]</em>


    <em>[Integrating]</em>


    <em>[Integration failed]</em>


    <em>[Soul condition is in extreme damage. Extensive repairs required]</em>


    <em>[Attempting to repair using soul forge]</em>


    <em>[Soul forge is offline. Expected downtime 2 weeks.]</em>


    <em>[Subordinate consciousness will be put into stasis]</em>


    <em>[Alexis has died]</em>


    <em>[You gained a fragment. You have 67 fragments!]</em>


    <em>[You have gained 4 levels. You are now level 128!]</em>


    <em>[Bib upgraded three times! Bib resistance to attack increased. Bib modification options increased! Soul-forge-linked abilities increased!]</em>


    <em>[Constrict upgraded! Vines now are able to drain mana and lifeforce! Vines now able to ensnare magical creatures]</em>


    <em>[Natural Mana Overwhelming upgraded!]</em>


    <em>[New tree variant obtained : Carnivorous nts]</em>


    <em>[New ability obtained : Heat transmission root systems]</em>


    <strong><em>Year 76 Month 5 Week 3, a dayter</em></strong>


    With Alexis defeated, I can finally take stock of the damage. And its quite bad.


    From all the fireballs, and the inferno that raged afterwards, the valley lost about 7,600 normal trees, and about 100 of my subsidiary trees. Both the forge tree and the root treeplex is damaged by the blue me, and need about two weeks to regenerate their damage. Horns is also in a kind of repair mode, and is holed up in one of the beetle subsidiary trees, recuperating from the damage.


    Trevor is also offline, and itll be two weeks before hes back on, so my range and detection ability is back to what it once was.


    The elves, and New Freeka, and most of the refugees stayed far away from the forest, and so when it finally stopped, everyone looks incredibly cautious. Of course, I went and check on the elves first, and find Laufen, Jura and gang resting in one of the rest houses.


    Its finally stopped. Laufen looks out the window, noting that the fires had stopped for a full day. And with it, that means the snowstorm is going to return as well. From snowstorm to zing inferno, and now back to a snowstorm again.


    Yeah. Juras awake, but his entire body is suffering from burns. Hes recovering though, as the healers tend to his wounds. Wonder how TreeTree is doing


    The monster is inside TreeTree? Belle nods, If so, do we still want to go back and stay there, if TreeTree is still there?


    Laufen nods. I trust that TreeTree will take care of us, and keep the monster separated from us.


    Hi. I mentally speak to the elves.


    OH! They all shout in delight!


    What I missed?


    Laufen paused, and then soon borate how the entire valley is on fire for a good three weeks. The heat from the burning forest helps warm the entire area, but also makes it dangerous for anyone to get near the forest as theres all the periodic firebursts from my roots and trees.


    But other than that, all else is normal, as the refugees are still hungry and cold, so I turn my focus back to the forest.


    Im still around, boss. Dimitree speaks, reminding me that hes spared from the damage because he is just so far away.


    Ah yes. Great! All well in your part of the world?


    Yes boss. Youve been draining a lot of mana for the past three weeks, so were on low-activity mode. Now we can get back to our usual routine again.


    Well, thats good, so I then turn to the research trees. A few of the bibs were damaged during the entire battle, and with me draining all the mana, and Trevor being out ofmission, the research on the volcanic and winter adaptation is all suspended.<ul><li>Beetle winter adaptation stage I - 2 months remain</li><li>Tree volcanic adaptation stage I - 3 months remain</li><li>Tree winter adaptation aura - 3 months remain</li></ul>


    Dimitree, can you continue the research? I mean, I do have another forest mind, so he can continue the research, right?


    Certainly. Please create a few bibs in the Southwest Forest? Ah yes, that makes sense, as theb should be near to the Forest Mind for it to conduct research.


    Once Trevor wakes up, I wonder whether it''s possible to get both of them to do research. Does that speed things up?


    Spaizzer


    Anyway, some exnation of the elemental resistances. TreeTree enjoys extremely high fire and demon resistance from his 66(67) fragments of heroes that forms his "tree-heart", but the resistance does not extend 100% to his subsidiary trees, or his skills. Depending on the type of sub-trees, or skills, some of them get 75%, some get 50%, some (like the ginseng tree), gets none. There''s also a small distance modifier (ie a subsidiary tree really far away doesn''t enjoy as much resistance as a subsidiary tree right next to the main tree). There will be future skills that alter this, of course.


    And... indirect vore? I only realised after I finished writing, then I had to add the carnivorous nt skill. Venus flytrap iing.


    Also, I''m early. Yay? I hope to do next chapter around 4th or 5th April.


    Thanks everyone for reading and supporting, and thanks to my new patreon, Jacques L!

 Hot water

    Hot water


    Year 76 Month 6


    The past 2 weeks kinda zoomed by, as I focused on restoring the damage from my battle with Alexis. The valleys damage is severe, some of the blue mes continue to burn, so I had to find ways to put them out, such as throwing a pile of dirt at it. The residual fires did end up burning a few more trees, but eventually I got to them, thanks to snow.


    Ah, good to be awake. Im back, seems like Ive slept


    Yes Trevor. Time to fix our valley. Indeed, our valleys heavily damaged by the fires, and Trevors restoration abilities will be much needed.


    Trevors presence sends an update to my entire point of view and interface, and more data floods in. He is clearly getting into it, I could sense him checking on various trees and quickly using his abilities to regenerate some of them. Well, this fixing thing will take some time, since the cold weather is making it hard for us to do much.


    Next, I checked on the elves. They are back now, living inside the [secret hideout] once more. I think they actually just miss the warmth of my [secret hideout], where the temperature is always constant, and there is always some fruits or potatoes to eat, and they were delighted when I told them they could return to the [secret hideout].


    The girls are exceptionally happy to get their beds back, and quickly snuggled in.


    Ah I am so tired of this cold. Belle jumps on her bed. So d that my beds still here!


    The blizzards gonna just get stronger after this. I wouldnt want to be out there. Emile sighs, I hope the rest of them are doing okay. I feel kinda bad hiding infort here.


    That sucks. But oh well? Belle shrugs. Its kinda amazing that all this is undamaged despite how crazy the fighting was.


    Thats partly because the [secret hideout] is pretty much fire resistant?


    Meanwhile...


    New Freekas new hunter corps and merchant arms, they sessfully acquired food, in exchange for furs, and wines. The underground and covered farms are also in full swing, as more and more of the refugees acquire skills necessary to manage their underground and indoor farms.


    But politically, things are not going so well for New Freeka. The three nations resume their mudslinging, as talks break down on who is responsible for the blood sacrifice blizzard spell.


    So, Sh has came up with a strange ultimatum to New Freeka. Side with the kingdom of Sh, and the truce conditions are waived. Choose not to, and bear their wrath.


    This is an insult. The advisors say.


    I know, but what choice do we have? We have no military power to stand up to Sh. Yvon sighs.


    But they expect us to forget that we were expelled from them? That we were massacred, our long escape from Sh, and the countless lives lost as they go about their bloodthirsty ways?


    ...


    Our people will insist we have a bit more spine. The advisor shakes his head, and try to convince the rest of the advisors. They too feel really mixed about this.


    Is the lives of our people less important than some principles?


    How do we know? Sh may well be the one that cast the spell, then if we side with them, we would be wrong too!


    If so, the answer must be to insist that Sh prove their innocence, then we stand on their side? One of the advisors suggest, and its quickly attacked by the other advisors.


    That still wont go down well with the people. Remember, we are expelled from Sh, many of us. Now they demand us to stand on their side? Even if they are truly innocent in terms of this ursed spell, I, and I speak for many others, cannot ept it. Wed rather go to war with Sh.


    But war, leads us to a lot more death, and thats what were trying to avoid. We shouldnt go to war and put our peoples lives on the line? Another advisor says. Our people are tired, and are finally starting to rebuild their lives here. Do we want to throw them into the fire again?


    Tough choices, for the New Freekans, so they could note to a decision.


    Year 76 Month 7


    Me!


    Alexis!


    The two girls jump happily when Alexiss damaged soul is finally received its firstyer of repairs. I had to wait for the forge tree to recover, and some of my energies to return, before I could get to fixing her and knocking her out of stasis. Like Me, the damage her soul has taken is enormous, and it speaks of the incredible resilience of souls that after ayer of repairs, she is already able to speak. The kinds of damage is a mix between Mes and that princess who experimented with void magic, so I am more than able to repair quite a bit of the damage her soul suffered, but theres still some which needs different colored soul forges to fix.


    Ill hug you if I could. Alexis shrugs, her soul now appearing in my soul realm after the repairs.


    Meughs, I dont think ethereal spirits can have hugs.


    Yeah I feel a lot better after the tree fixed me. None of that crazy demon voice anymore.


    Mes soul bobs.


    The demons have been reading my mind.


    Well, thats a bombshell that came from nowhere.


    That means they know what I know. Of gods, of our technology, of home.


    Oh. Nothing worse than the magics of this world has to offer.


    I doubt its their first time. Me shrugs. Heroes has been summoned to this world time and time again, pretty sure a few times demons have captured heroes before.


    Alexis sighs, Well, thats out. Feels good to finally say it. Seems to be a sigh of relief, of a weight finally released from her shoulders. Having my brain read all the time isnt a pleasant feeling.


    Well, youre sort of dead, so I doubt thats any better?


    Id rather be dead, honestly. Im really relieved that the tree spirit is able to defeat me, I initially fear being the vehicle for more of the demons destruction.


    Well, luckily, I have just the set of abilities to counter you. I jump in.


    Yes. Interesting set of operations youre starting here. Alexis muses.


    You like it?


    Its not bad. Alexiss spirit bobs around.


    See, someone appreciates it for a change.


    Me shrugs.


    Anyway, what spell did you use in the end?


    Oh Its a reduction-to-spiritual-form spell, something I learn from being stuck in the fireform for too long, since my body is disintegrating, and then a merge-self spell.


    Merge? Thats when I realised Alexis might have tried to hijack my body.


    Yeah. I tried to merge with you, but your soul is far too strong, and instead I got absorbed...


    Dont do that ever again.


    Ah Im sorry. I just wanted to still somehow live


    Anyway, I still have to figure out so alternatives, so I speak to the wisp, separately. Wisp, any way I can control what the souls do against me?


    Well, in their soul form they have no ability to harm you, at least directly. They are after all souls that exist with your soul realm, and the soul realm is a contained other space. Once confined and merged into a vessel, their ability to harm you depends on the vessel.


    Hmmm lots to think about there.


    But, there are safeguards you can perform, such as entering into a soul contract. Such act will constrain their actions for the next 1,000 years. Ah yes, I am an idiot, but I suppose I have to, if I ever want to give them a vessel.


    Theres a vessel already developing inside the pod, which thedy Alexis used. It seems to be a woman made out of wood, but will be some time before it is ready.


    How? I mean, howd Alexis do that?


    Her spell managed to only take control of the pod, and so she used it to be a cocoon to grow herself a new body. But because her magic is decayed, the new body that is growing is now under your control. I therefore take a chance to have a look at the body shes growing, its essentially a body made of wood. But the limps, and the joints are all made of some kind of soft vines.


    [Hamadryad Body - Developing]. The body is made from the nimble wood of a soul tree, and the soul that lives in this body derives energy and life support from the soul tree. So, the body will die when the soul tree does.


    Hmm, but at least this body aligns hers and mine, as she dies when I do. But then, she could just hop bodies, and she might still try to take over me, rather than be attached to me. For now though, shes still in my [soul realm], so I need to think of some precautions. She failed previously, but thats because her body and soul is in terrible shape. If shes in her best shape, might she seed?


    Alexis. I return to the twodies, who are happily chatting away.


    Yes, tree spirit?


    Do you n to stay in this world? Or do you n to move on. The soul realm is where souls prepare for their onward reincarnation after all. If she leaves, then my fears will be less.


    Ah if what Me tells me is right, I might see Nobuo in the next few weeks. Theyre a bit slow to catch up on such matters. Ill see what he says first, but I think Ill stay.


    Oh. Thats a disappointment.


    Because the price of my failed attempt to merge with your body is that my soul is now subordinated and shackled to you for a thousand years.


    And just to be sure, I checked.


    [Alexis]


    [Status : Soul-contracted to TreeTree]


    Ah, so the variant of her attempt to merge with me, ends up backfiring and turning it into a soul contract. Thats rather weird.


    So I go back and ask the wisp more questions.


    Can a body have two souls?


    Maybe, but one is always the master. In your case, youre the soul tree, and youre the undisputed master of your own soul. Thedy is reckless to have attempted to take over as master of your body, after all, there is nothing in the world that can remove a soul tree able to manipte the souls of others, from its own body.


    Nothing?


    Nothing. Even a god cant touch a soul trees soul, until the soul tree dies, in which your soul then bes any other soul. Think about it, how can a being able to repair, create, and upgrade souls, lose control over their own body to another soul? The power to manipte soulses from the soul trees innate structure, and to kick you out involves tampering with that innate structure.


    Hmmm. But you said early she could harm me?


    Well, yes. She can cast spells at you, and physically attack you if they desire to. Both Me and Alexis, if they arebined into a vessel, are their own persons, and they can attack you if they choose to. But chase you out of your own body is not one of the things they can ever do.


    Ah, I misunderstood a bit. I suppose that changes the types of precautions I have to take.


    Hmmm...


    Year 76 Month 7 Week 2


    Everyone is busy doing farming, especially of the underground or indoor type. Those that cant are busy hunting. Its going to enter into the really cold months soon, and if the magic behind this snowstorm does not weaken, itll just mean colder days ahead. So, although there is the threat of a re-esction of the war between the three kingdoms, the people of New Freeka are just single-mindedly focused on preparing for more harsh winters.


    Its really the only thing on most of the peoples minds.


    On my side, I do my part by growing potatoes. I mean, I can grow a lot of potatoes, so thats what I do. And those fruits of healing and warming fruits as well, which I get the elves to store in the secret hideout.


    The elves, purchased vinegar from the traders, and use them to create pickled fruits, so these pickled fruits, kept inrge wooden containers, are what they store for winter. It seems the effectiveness of thea healing and warming reduce by half, but in exchange we get much more longersting fruits that dont rot so quickly.


    By now, the valleys damage from the fires are gone, but of the many trees destroyed, only 20% rejuvenated. After all, the weather is too cold for trees to grow.


    It seems that there is actually a few groups of wizards attempting to dispel and weaken the blizzard, after all, for some wizards, this is a chance to level up, try to do something that few other wizards have done before, at the same time earn some good brownie points with the rulers of the three kingdoms.


    I hope they are sessful, this stupid winter has gone on for far too long.


    Fear not, master. The winter research is going on well, and once that is done we will be able to regrow even more trees. Trevor and Dimitree both try tofort me, but I still feel a bit annoyed.


    Aside from that, my soul harvesters return! I get a lot more souls, it seems the winter is really killing a lot of people, so I have enough to create one more artificial soul. The only problem is, I dont have enough power for it.


    Year 76 Month 8<ul><li>


    Beetle winter adaptation stage I -pleted!</li><li>


    Tree volcanic adaptation stage I - 1 months remain</li><li>


    Tree winter adaptation aura - 1 months remain</li></ul>


    Ah yes. My beetles can move now. With the first stage beetle winter adaptation, I notice the beetles now have some kind of internal-warming system, where there is a some kind of warm sap which gets pumped to their joints and limbs to keep it warm. However, the sap is produced only in the [subsidiary trees - beetlenests], so they have to periodically return to the trees to restock on the saps.


    This gives them an effective operation time in winter of about 2 hours, which isnt that great, but, at least they can move and function in winter, which is a whole lot better than them sleeping in their nests!


    I wonder if this gets taken to the extreme, would the beetles actually gain functional hot blood pumping hearts?


    Interesting stuff you have there. Alexis is a lot more nosy than I expected, shes extremely interested in the kinds of research and actions Im taking, and thanks to the repairs shes gotten, she and Me can both be nosy.


    Still, the fact that she tried to merge with me makes me a little defensive around her.


    Youre feeling suspicious of me because of what I did before I died. And I can understand that, and I would like to apologise again. But, let me be useful to you, after all, there are still many ways you can use me.


    Well, in this respect, Alexis actually wants to be useful, but Me just seems rather happy loitering around. But you know, this little incident does make me wonder how loyal Me would be. Paranoid. Me chimes in.


    Yes.


    But so long as we are in our soul form, we are stuck. Here, as souls, we have no ability to take action. But, if we are to earn your trust, you need to first invest that first leap, to let us be of assistance to you.


    Well Alexis is right there. Ah, its a risk I have to take, all I can do is task my artificial souls to keep an eye on them, and use the existing spells and contracts to keep them under control. But for now, I will put that idea off.


    The weather is experiencing some oddities. On one day, the weather suddenly got better, but then it got a lot worse the next day. I suspect its the wizards trying to meddle with the magic of this snowstorm.


    The New Freekas are still busy digging in, buildingrge storage facilities to store the hunt, and they have even started curing meats so that they can be stored for longer. To be honest, I think this blizzards proving to be a boon for them, because they are developing more unique food storage abilities, which wouldst them through future hardships.


    Politically, they have yet to decide who to side with on the whole Sh ultimatum, and thats gotten them a rather stern warning letter from Sh, who insists that they pick a side, and do so soon. Or else.


    Anyway, as I turn my attention back on the elves.


    How are you feeling?


    Better. I started work on Juras wounds after the elves returned to the secret hideout, his wounds are mostly a whole lot of broken bones, and a bit of burn marks. Bamboo, being wooden armor that protected his body, absorbed most of the damage from the explosion, but that meant Jura still had to deal with the fall damage.


    Good. His burns are now fully healed, but what is left is the broken bones. The bones have fused together, but are no in the healing process and will take some time before they regain their past strength.


    I foresee Jura should not join in anybat rted activities for at least 2 months, or those repairs may break.


    Year 76 Month 9<ul><li>


    Tree volcanic adaptation stage I -plete!</li><li>


    Tree winter adaptation aura -plete!</li></ul>


    Hell yeah. My trees are growing in the muthafooking winter. With thepletion of the winter adaptation aura, trees near me all gain some resistance to winter, and are now able to grow in it.


    This means a return of growth!


    This feeling of finally being able to grow after not growing for so long, kinda feels like being able to taste food after losing your taste buds for weeks. Ah, how glorious it is, to be able to grow after being stunted for so damned long.


    At this point I do realise that I am somewhat a growth addict. I really enjoy watching another patch of snow covered dirt have a bunch of green shoots, which then transforms into proper trees. And the central trees, those closer to me, are even able to feed energy back to me.


    Its kinda like being for sick for so long, that you kinda forgot how being healthy felt like, and now, woosh. Hell ya.


    Grow grow groww!!!


    Is the tree always like this? Alexis asks.


    I think hes gone a little crazy. Me shrugs.


    Also, there is still the volcano thing. The first stage of the upgrades means my trees can now approach the volcanic area without dying, but I am still a distance away from the volcano itself. There are however,, ake that is being warmed by the volcanos magma, and since the valley does need some hot water, I ce a few subsidiary trees next to it, and activate my heat transmission system. Its essentially a kind of root system which pushes the hot water from the heatedke to the valley.


    [Secret hideout upgraded! Hot water now avable]


    [Hot volcanic bath obtained!]


    Oh. Did I really have to go that cliched route of getting a damned onsen inside my own secret hideout?


    Although there is some transmission loss. Its good enough such that I could get the valleys trees a bit warmer too, so theres a bit of steam and mist now emerging in the valley, as the hot water interacts with the cold weather above it.


    [Youve acquired the skill : Mist]


    Oh.


    I like hot springs. Alexis shrugs. Now I want a physical body.


    Me too. I havent had one in ages. Me alsoments.


    Which one, the hot springs, or the body?


    Why not both?


    Are these twodies going tomentate on all my actions and achievements?


    I find their banter amusing, master. Horns too finally recovered from his injuries, and he too shares a bit of the winter upgrades, so like the other beetles, he has a sap in his body that acts as a heater. Will they be useful?


    Anyway, the main volcano itself is still further in, and to get there I need to work on my next stage of the volcanic adaptation research, which also involves getting more materials from the volcano.<ul><li>


    Beetle winter adaptation stage II - 6 Months remaining</li><li>


    Volcanic adaptation stage II - 8 months remaining. Requires 200 x sulphur. </li><li>


    Tree winter adaptation stage II - 8 months remaining</li></ul>


    Ugh, I think the higher stages are going to take more time, or so Ill need to increase the number of bibs working on them in the future.


    Assign me. Alexis volunteers. I volunteer to do research.


    Her dryad body is fully developed by now, and if Im not mistaken, is designed with herself as the temte, and so its going to be making her a dryad, which then undertakes research in the bib. Ill think about it.


    Ohe on. You can cast spells on me if you want to keep watch. I wont do strange stuff, I swear! Alexis pleads.


    Hmm


    Year 76 Month 10


    Oh, more growth. I love growth.


    This resurgence in growth is most keenly felt by the New Freekans, who are amazed to see the bigger trees sprout even in this snow, and it applies to the potatoes as well. Thanks to my newfound powers, the potatoes produced daily increased to 2,000! Double! All because of winter resistance!


    And I hide all my potatoes, using beetles as my carriers. There is really no need to let the New Freekas know there is a huge stockpile of potatoes underground.


    This makes me think of the poor chap so many years ago, that ask me for a healing fruit but I could not give him one, because I still didnt have winter adaptation back then.


    Ah, well.


    Speaking of which, when did the demon king die again? About 3 years ago? Is there going to be a 10 year gap this time?


    Generally 10 years.


    Was not asking you?


    I know, but I want to answer it. I think shes a bit of a smart alec, and maybe a bit chunni. And I think its important. When I was researching the ancient text, it seems the 10 year cycle is just a rule of thumb. There has been asions where the demons choose to dy their invasion although the supposed time is up.


    Thats a whole lot more long winded than I thought it would be. But I suppose it would be useful to know, somehow.


    I still dont know why though, and what exactly does the otherwordly demons want.


    Huh. What do the demons want? Dont they just behave on instinct and act out their directive to kill all lives?


    I mean, so far the demons from the other worlds cant be reasoned with, so we dont actually know what they want unlike the local demons. Oh there are factions in the demons too, well, when I think about it, it figures, creatures of evil are not equally evil or evil in the same way.


    Anyway, back to the growth thing, with the warm waters from the volcano, areas where the hot water is released turns into a bit of an oasis in the cold, and the area there is a bit more fertile. The hot water is also mineral rich, so I notice the potatoes I cultivate are a little bitrger and different in color.


    Actually, master, if we use the minerals extracted by our roots, and infuse them into the potatoes, we can achieve a simr effect.


    Yes, thanks for reminding me that I have a huge pile of minerals I did not use and indirectly hinting I am a dumbass. At the same time, maybe this is why I need all these assistants, I clearly am not making the most of my resources and abilities.

 Research Trees

    Research Trees


    <b>Year 76 Month 10 Continued</b>


    <b>So. </b>


    Now that things are returning back to normal for me, somewhat, is to focus on the volcano. The volcano clearly is a point of great interest to me, as it generates so much heat and energy, something I would need for my valley.


    But, the next phase involves defeating the magma monsters that spawn near the volcano, and protecting my trees. And from the initial skirmishes between the beetles and the magma monsters, they didnt do well at all. It takes about 5 beetles to beat 1 magma monster, because the magma monsters are able to burn the beetles when they get near, and the beetles attack by ramming the magma monsters with their horns.


    So, bad matchup, really. And thats one problem I need to fix. I cant manually go in and use root strike on the magma monsters. Okay, actually I can, but its just that, if I do that personally then I dont have time to do other stuff, so I need the beetles or whatever solution Ie up with, to be able to act somewhat autonomously.


    Horns, any ideas?


    Research fire resistant protective shells, and magical horns, for more power!


    Thatll take 3 and 6 months, master. Trevor giving the numbers, But thatll dy our other research on further enhancements to the trees resistances.


    Ugh. I want all the research. This feels like ying those games with huge tech trees and you just want to choose all of them avable options, because in some ways, you do need them all. Rmendations?


    We could spread out our time on both of them. Trevor and Dimitree said in unison. But itll be a 2 month dy for the other 2 projects.


    No. I want them too.


    So, the next step is more forest minds, but clearly I am limited in this aspect.


    Are you willing to consider my help, now? Alexis speaks up.


    ... Ill think about it.


    <b>Year 76 Month 11</b>


    Winter! Well, its ratherfortable this winter, thanks to the hot water piped from theke, and my new winter resistance aura.


    The New Freekans are doing well, fortifying themselves and they did manage to build up arge stockpile of food. It seems their indecision led to Sh denouncing the truce, and now they even use the New Freekas of coborating with the enemies. So, the truce is off!


    But, even though the truce is off, it did not descend into war directly. After all, Sh is still tied up in their conflict with Nung and Takde, and the winter also severely impairs their ability to wage any assault on New Freeka. Its actually a norm in the world, that war is dered but actual fighting does not happen until some timeter, and for certain human nations, there are even rules of engagements that the rulers follow, or they find themselves having awarded cursed titles, for falling out of favor of the human war gods.


    Gaya, apparently, is one such god that demand certain rules of engagement. That battles are fought on open fields, each battle starts with amander leading the charge, there is clear publicly dered casus belli behind the conflict, and that arge prayer is held before eachrge war.


    Strangely enough, despite how restrictive it sounds, Gaya as a god, participates rather directly in terms ofrger conflicts, often grantingmanders tremendous gifts. It is said that if heroes, the singr most powerful humans in the world failed, they would turn to themanders of Gaya to defend the world, though, in reality, there is still a huge gap in their power. Gods in the world interact with it in a few ways, one through gifts, and there are rules around such gifts, that all gods follow, even the dark gods native to the world.


    Well, I partly learned this from Alexis, because Alexiss first acts whening to this world, is actually to figure out how to go back, so she went on head on diving into books on gods, magic and all that. But of course, there are restrictions on going back, and one of those restrictions, ced by the <i>million-headed hydra</i> that watches over earth, is that the souls return clean. In short, they return without their powers or memories, though they may still experience dreams which reminds them of their past lives.


    So back to war. The New Freekas are of course annoyed by the development, but knowing that Shs engagement wont happen so soon, they decide to fortify themselves, to prepare for theing conflict. Despite the cold winters, New Freekas poption is a respectable 35,000, and so, they have the ability to field close to 13,000 fighters to the battle, which is a decent fighting force.


    Sh may easily sent 50,000, or perhaps 100,000, but they are a farrger state with morepeting priorities, and an ongoing war with the Nung and Takde. So unless Sh really provokes them, they may just let this little conflict carry on for a bit more.


    Yvon though, is still trying to avoid war, so her negotiators now are instead focusing on whos the real culprit of the Blood Blizzard, which, increasingly, is pointing towards the acts of a terrorist group that infiltrated the senior army leadership of all three nations, in order to carry out such arge sacrifice.


    In short, even if they did find who was behind this, the emerging fact still points to all three nations contributing to the blood blizzard, and none of the three nations will want to implicate themselves in the spell, so the wars just going to go on.


    So too bad.


    This week, I converted one of therge [subsidiary trees] into a training room at Lausannes requests. The weather outside is now far too cold forbat practice, so their swordfighting practice goes indoors.


    Shes going to turn 8 soon, and despite her earlierck of talents, she somehow managed to pick it up. Perhaps through abination of [dream tutor] and [powerlevelling], she did acquire sufficient swordfighting skills to have simple spars with Jura.


    And she has also started to gain levels. There seems to be some kind of barrier from gaining levels for very young children, but this level barrier is inconsistent, and varies across races. Out of curiosity I had her dip into one of the bibs, just to check on her. I had a theory previously that young children, where their spring that connects their body to the soul, and vice versa, is not yet fully mature, then that person is unable to gain levels. I mean, prior to this I could not even have an assessment of Lausannes estimated soul rank, but now I could.


    And my intuition is right. Indeed, her spring, the fountain which produces mana now has a consistent shape. This raises a big set of questions, as in, what exactly influences the size and shape of the fountain? I also have a few thoughts about this, one is whether all souls are the same, but there is some other thing which acts as the link between the soul and the body, and that then influences a persons full potential, or, if the souls are different, then there should be a way to manipte and change the qualities a soul have.


    Master, your using my root-brain to augment your theories again Trevor grumbles. Ah yes, it seems I sometimes unknowingly tap into the processing power of the trees to think. But this has the effect of taking away processing power from Trevor, which then impairs his performance. Think of the root-brainplex as aputer processor, and if Im using it, Trevor cant.


    I should have more root-brains. Its logical, no? Ie from a world of quad cores and more. It would be fascinating if I somehow stitch all these root brains together into some kind of collective super-brain, no?


    <i>[Special project unlocked]</i>


    <i>[The Grand Mind Tree - significantly boosts tree-rted research output, and grants wider understanding of soul magics. Gains additional psychic-type magical abilities]</i>


    <i>[Requires 10 x root brainplexes, and 1 ton of gold and 1 ton of quartz crystals. Once all prerequisites areplete, construction will take 1.5 years]</i>


    Ah. My own supeputer. Well, kind of.


    Alexis, youre redundant if I get this.


    Noooooooooooooooooooo. Alexis sighs, but then she pauses, But youre not going to get it so quickly. Itll still take time. So, assign me to a bib, please? Youre going to have to wait probably 2 to 3 years before you achieve it. Maybe more.


    Shes right though. Its going to take a while. Construction of the root-brainplex itself requires<i> 10 x Blood Crystals, and 50 x fresh animal heads</i>, and so 10 root brains means a whole lot of blood crystals, and that means money, which we probably do not have.


    Youre right, Alexis. But I still dont really trust you, so, Ive decided that I will merge you with a bib someday, but you will be watched and observed.


    Thats okay. I rather tinker in the biological structure of trees and beetles than being stuck in this dark and dreary ce. Cant you do something about how gloomy your soul realm is? A bib it is then.


    Its a transit lounge for souls to reincarnate. Not helpful for it to be a pleasant ce to be. I cant have too many souls not wanting to move on. Well, to be fair, the souls only linger around for 6 months to a year, and after that they will move on. The soul realm, whether pleasant or not has no influence on this.


    <i>I got side tracked again.</i> I mumble to myself and resume watching Lausanne. Her bodys really young, after all shes only 7 turning 8. All the dream tutor has given her a rather varied set of skills, and so shes actually pretty versatile as a person.


    She still wants to be a hero, buttely shes starting to understand that theres a gap between herself and the true heroes that could change the world with their power, though somedays, she still believes she can stand up there. Shell have to gain a lot more levels if she wants to. Only with levels, can she even think of standing up to a hero, whos blessed by the heavens.


    TreeTree, do you have powers to you know make me stronger?


    I do. The ginseng tree, and it grants a permanent boost. But the problem is that they just keep dying, usually after their first unlock. If I grow a ginseng tree inside me, maybe thatll work. And it doesnt help that they die within two to three months in this cold weather, so Ill have to wait till the wizards actually manage to weaken or dispel this cold weather, before resuming my renting of my 3 ginseng trees.


    I do, but youll have to wait.


    Okay! Ill need all the help I can get! Lausanne raises her hand, like hurrah. Uncle Jura says heroes are super super strong, and Ill need all the blessings the world can give me to be as strong as them.


    Hmmm


    Thats actually possible. Perhaps throughout the world there are various permanent blessings, simr to ginseng trees. If a person could gather enough of them, they could be as strong as heroes.


    I think I should go on a journey someday, with Uncle Jura and mom. To get those blessings.


    Thats a good idea Lausanne


    Juras healed, but his bones still need to fully recover. So hes just doing simple exercises, and relying on Bamboo to provide training to Lausanne. Bamboo and Jura actually manage to achieve some kind of bond, and Bamboo now manifests itself as a flexible wooden arm for Jura, so Juras back to being two-handed.


    Kinda like a prosthetic, but with a summon. Quite a cool oue actually, I frankly didnt think of that. Its not as good as a real arm, of course, but as workarounds go, its pretty good since Bamboo and Jura as a familiar has a mental link.


    Bamboo is due for upgrade too. Yes, So is Horns.


    I think ill go on a journey when I turn 15. Thats when they say were old enough to start travelling. Then Uncle Jura can go with me.


    I nod. Lausanne talks to me a lot and that means she listens to my thoughts about the future. Strangely, I think this means Ive influenced here to think about what she wants to do, unlike the rest of them who tends to look at things at a shorter time frame.


    Hows Brich and Wahlen doing?


    Theyre working in New Freeka. I think Brichs working in a shop selling potato breads.


    Ah Wasnt she doing something else. Ah well. Not everyone has ambitions of the grand kind, and thats not a fault.


    Wahlens working in the treasurers office as a administrator. Hes learning how to read and write too.


    Literacy. Its a mix and match in this world, most of them time it is taught by a vige elder in the small viges, and to some extent it is a valuable skill, useful in government matters and trade. Some cultures have stronger emphasis on reading, some less. Elves surprisingly do not have much emphasis on writing and reading, as their long lives tend to mean they will pick it up over the years. They also seem to favor oral traditions, having an appointed old one in every vige to remember the traditions and ceremonies. Certain subtleties that the written word cannot capture.


    I should learn to read and write too. A hero must be smart!


    Knowing how to read does not make you smart, Lausanne.


    Is it? But at least Im not stupid!


    Not knowing how to read does not make you stupid.


    Less stupid. She mumbles. I can work if I know to how to read and write. Good for travelling.


    Good point. Writers are useful, they are often paid to write letters and messages. Some writers double up as messengers, and sort of mailmen, and this is usually a rtively good way to gain admission into a merchant association or guild. Ever thought of being a merchant? Thats a good way to travel the world without involving yourself in too much fighting.


    A hero as a merchant? Lausanne slumps, but then she is actually thinking about it.


    Yeah. Why cant heroes be merchants?


    Shes seriously thinking about it.


    To be fair, I havent heard of a merchant hero before. Their neutrality kinds of make it hard for them to y the role of a hero, which has to take a side.


    Lausanne, rest times up. Practice. Jura calls, and he picks up a wooden practice sword and shield. Thanks to Bamboos augmented limb, he can now teach Lausanne the standard sword and shield method of fighting.


    A hero as a merchant Its still on her mind, but then she stands and rejoins Jura in the middle of the training-tree. Essentially, its arge empty room in a tree.


    As Jura and Lausanne resume their regr practice, I then turn my attention to the volcanic area once more. Some of the magma monsters are getting a little bit aggressive and I have to periodically kill them to protect the subsidiary trees there.


    The volcano is an active volcano, its caldera partly blown apart, so theres a part where there is liquidva flowing out of it. As is the norm in the world, this leads to magma monsters spawning, and from what the beetles have seen further inside, there arerger magma monsters closer to the caldera.


    So far, they are territorial, so they dont seem to attack us if we do not approach.


    Master, it is time I get an upgrade. Horns suggests. Hes fully recovered now, so he is due for an upgrade, since he capped out at level 20 earlier. Bamboo too, so I took the chance to review their upgrade requirements.


    <i>[Horns, Level 20 Beetle Knight]</i>


    <i>Upgrade options avable : </i><ul><li><i>Blue - Baron Beetle - 5 x blue crystals, 30 x almostplete skeleton of arge animal


    Gainsmander effects, which grants nearby beetle increased abilities </i></li></ul><ul><li>ck - Beetle Dark Knight - 10 x obsidian rocks, 20 xrge ws


    Gainsbat skills</li></ul>


    <i>[Bamboo, Level 20 Woodbear Eidolon]</i>


    <i>Upgrade options avable : </i><ul><li><i>Blue - Armor path - 50 small copper ingots & 5 medium red rubies needed


    Gains defensive abilities</i></li></ul><ul><li>ck - w path - 50 small iron ingots & 5 medium onyx needed.</li></ul>


    <i>Gains offensive abilities </i>


    <i>[Trevor, Level 27 Forest MInd]</i>


    <i>[Will be unlocked at level 30]</i><ul><li><i>ck - Skull Shell - 10 x Bone of a wyvern, 1 x heart of a lion and 50 x Bones of a lizard</i></li></ul>


    <i>Gains a ghostly projection</i>


    All these upgrades impose a lot of resource requirements. So Ill need more resources.


    <i>You require more minerals. </i>Dimitree chimes in, with a russian ent. It reminds me of a wraith. Or is that a terran goliath?


    Ah yes. Youve been taking in a bit too much of my game references.


    Ah whatever. If I want these resources, Ill get them from New Freeka.


    ---


    The tree spirit demands what?


    The advisors look concerned, when Yvon shares my resource demands with the rest of her council.


    Blood crystals, gold, quartz crystals, copper and iron ingots, rubies, onyx, blue crystals. Yvon repeats, but she clearly understands their concern.


    One of Yvons closest advisors then rifies, its more of a request than a demand, right?


    Yvon shrugs, Im not too sure if I understand the tree spirit correctly, but I think it sounds more like a demand than a request.


    Should we? One of the advisors look really worried. It feels a bit like extortion.


    I believe most of you have seen the Tree Spiritsbat abilities, and its incredible abilities throughout this valley The recent hot water spring around the tree of prayer is a recent addition.


    Its hard though, those goods are not regr stuff. They are jewels or crystals. I mean, even the cheapest of those are the blood crystals and the quartz. The trees asking for a lot.


    Well, the recent burst in natural growth, and the hot water in the valley helped us alot too.


    And it quickly seems clear that its divided into two camps, one who thinks that my demands are reasonable given my assistance to their survival, and theres a bunch who thinks its excessive and they should only give what they can manage.


    Yvon mostly stayed out of it, asking the council to decide, as her soul is contracted to me, she says she is not a neutral party to the decision.


    Of course, from my point of view, I know that these people need a bit of <i>encouragement</i>.


    So I decide to withdraw all the hot water piping into the New Freeka, and so in this cold month, they had a really cold week.After that week, they met up again and agreed that it is best not to offend me, so decided to support my demands. I think between Sh and me, theyve decided to be on my good side.


    <b>Year 76 Month 12</b>


    [Monsters in. Youve gained a level. Level 129!]


    [Youve gained a new skill : Training Treehouse]


    [Training treehouse improves experience gain, skill gain chances, and reduces injuries significantly]


    Uh. This sounds like an extension of my training room. Seriously, this system leans heavily of the nurturing, growing side of things, but really sparingly, grants me offensive abilities.


    I suppose if I want to work around the tree, I need to think like the system. If I was designing a system for a tree, what would I think about?


    My suspicions is that a system in which a soul tree is at the center of, focuses on a few core principles. Again, this is just a theory that I have, based on what I experience so far.


    <i>Grow, nurture and endure</i>


    This is the first, core principle with any tree. The logical driver behind any tree is to grow, to expand, and so, I should get a wide range of abilities that promote growth, and allow me to endure wide variety of damage, and still recover. And with it, the ability to support young things, and also build an ecosystem with the tree as the foundation.


    <i>Enhance and adapt</i>


    A tree that expands would need to adapt to various environments, and react to the challenges that are unique to this world. This is the evolutionary, research side of what I suspect is a natural inclination. If trees are unable to react in a world where magic is native, then trees would quickly go extinct. So, I believe the trees in this magical world have natural adaptation abilities superior to that of our world, and the system supports them.


    Then, theres the <i>Soul abilities</i> which arise as a soul tree. These are not natural tree abilities, but exist because I am a <i>soul-rted </i>kind of entity, and so the system has to grant me abilities that are natural for a soul-tree to have.


    Thinking along these lines, if I intend to get more offensive abilities, it would grow as a result of working towards more enhancement and adaptation, as a result of a tree being forced to defend itself.


    In other words, to game the system to give me offensive abilities, I must put myself into a situation where self-defense is a required adaptation.


    Now how do I go about doing that


    Never mind, I quickly upgrade that empty training room into this training treehouse, so that Lausanne can benefit from it.


    Oh, and I begin to test out those carnivorous nts that I got.


    They function more like traps, really, and they spring out to eat anything about the size of wolves. Which is pretty good. But, the drawback is the digestive period is quite long, so essentially, if a huge swarm of demon houndse along, theyll be full very quickly.


    So, useful under certain circumstances, but its use in arge scalebat is probably limited.


    If anything, what I would need is a firebreathing tree. I mean, imagine it, if a tree can breath fire, or even poison, that would be pretty useful. And such options are indeed avable on my research options.


    Being frustrated at how slow my research it, I eventually decide to take a chance on Alexis.


    If you try anything funny, I will kill you.


    Understood, but I am soul-contracted to you, so dont worry about it. Were aligned, trust me.


    I cant. But Ill give you the opportunity to prove me wrong.


    I initially would have preferred Me, but the soul-contract is an additionalyer of protection I have, so after some thinking, its actually better to use Alexis first. If Me gone rogue, I may find that I have less means of retaliating.


    [Initiating soul forge]


    [Combining Alexis with an external bib]


    [Combining]


    A bolt of thunder strikes the forge tree, and from it, emerges a glowing blue seed, its asrge as a dog, and it floats over to the external bib that Ive chosen, and that blue seed embeds itself in it.


    [Alexis has sessfully merged with an external bib!]


    [Alexis is now aboratory spirit, level 1]


    <i>Huh</i>.


    Oh wow. She mumbles, she manifests herself as a glowing blue ghost inside theboratory. Theres so much data so much data.


    Uh.


    Im fine. Im fine! This is amazing. She seems to be looking at some kind of interface, tapping into my stored records of all the bib scans I have done in the past, including herself. Even my own records are here. Ive never realised what youve been looking at!


    At this point, I decide to just observe her for a while.


    This is amazing.


    The external bib which she now possesses, and is part of her, is actually a tree with a hollow interior, filled with pods, and various equipments for testing. It has a transportation system, in which a beetle delivers any of its required materials, for research.


    Your visual way of representing the soul and the body-mind connection is incredible. Ive read books on the theoretical basis of magic, and how the souls interact with the body, but this this is mindblowing. Its amazing how intuitive it is, representing it as a spring and a field which that spring nourishes. All those magical theory books make life difficult by oveplicating the terminology and using difficult to understand words. This. This is concise!


    Oh. Okay. Shes really dived into the deep end. I honestly didnt think of it as that unique, but I suppose humans with no ess to the [bib] would find it that way.


    Alexis, are you okay? Me asks, sounding a bit concerned.


    Oh more than okay. This is amazing. This is exactly what Ive been trying to find when I was trying to research magic! You should see this.


    You know I dont like that kind of stuff. Me shrugs.


    Ah yes, but Im fine. Im really fine.


    Me sighs, I sometimes forget how much of a nerd you can be.


    Hey! Alexis floats and looks at other stuff. The representation of the demons presence as a parched fire with a dried field is also fascinating. It seems to imply the demonic energies is antithesis to our own, and opens up so many options on how we can counteract their presence. Whats this, a data set on our star mana and those floating vases pouring out star mana? Holy cow, this is like mindblowing too! What else do you have!!! Alexis is constantly floating about the bib, looking at more and more interfaces.


    Me turns to me. When she reads a great book, she cant stop talking about it. I think shes in that phase again.


    Me! Seriously! This information can advance magic research by decades!


    At this point, I decide to cut in. Alexis, your task is to research the beetles, and the countermeasures necessary to conquer the volcano. Dont get side tracked.


    Ah yes, yes. But can you give me a week, let me just have a look at this huge pile of data you have. Im sure theres some other amazing stuff in here.


    No. I will not tolerate disobedience on your first day of as a bib spirit. Get to work.


    She sighs, and then she nods. Okay okay. Ill do it, but give me daily free time alright. I work 8 hours a day, alright. The remaining hours are mine for rest and my own activities. I really want to look at all these data!


    12 hours. And you will be monitored.


    Ah fine. I know. And she gained a level. Although her gods blessing is lost when she died, she still retains quite a fair bit of perks, one of which, is the experience perks. <ul><li>Beetle winter adaptation stage II - 4 Months remaining</li><li>Volcanic adaptation stage II - 6 months remaining. </li><li>Tree winter adaptation stage II - 6 months remaining</li><li>Beetle volcanic battleform - 3 months remaining (mayplete earlier)</li><li>Beetle volcanic defensive armors- 2 months remaining (mayplete earlier)</li></ul>


    On the New Freeka front, they had an envoy from Nung and Takde. It seems that Nung and Takde now wants to aid New Freeka in their resistance against Sh, but the person sent by Nung is slimy beyond belief, so Yvon and the advisors found it hard to agree with them.


    There are no good guys in this war between the 3 nations. All of them have their own goals, and all three wants a piece of each other, though Nung and Takde are now allies as a result of their mutual enemies.


    Under other circumstances, they would probably attack each other.


    So, once again, New Freekas council cannot decide. They dont really want to turn down their aid, but at the same time, these 2 nations arent the most upstanding and honest of nations. Well, one of the key skills a leader needs to have, is to decide. Sometimes picking a choice is more important than evaluating which one is right. But Yvons style seems to be more concerned on whats right. She has a need to be morally correct, at least from her perspective, and that clouds her ability to sometimes make tough, probably cruel decisions.


    Ah well.

 Volcano Expeditions I

    Volcano Expeditions I


    Year 77 Month 1


    A new year begins. Still as cold as ever though, not like the wizards gotten to the point of weakening it yet. There is still a fluctuation in the coldness, so I suppose whoever they sent to undo that cursed spell is still tinkering with it.


    That little moment with Alexis and the whole database of my past research brought up a point about my data ess rules. As a tree, I share the information freely with my artificial souls, and all the bibs, so it initially seemed natural for me to do the same. In fact, I did not even think about this data security issue until Alexis did what she did.


    But I guess its a bit toote now. Oh well. Shes doing alright as a research spirit though.


    I think Im near a breakthrough. Alexis mumbles. I think Ive figured this thing wholeb work thing out. All I got to do is press some buttons and theb itself will just keep trying differentbinations of materials to change stuff.


    Shes already level 10 as ab spirit. Its rather unfair how these hero-reincarnators still retain some of their perks, even after death.


    Alexis floats over few beetles, each in one clear pod with a light green liquid, kind of like how most people imaginerge ss preservation cylinders to look like. Theb itself does most of the work, as in, doing changes to the beetles which it experiments on, and then producing the results for Alexis to then interpret. The length of the research essentially is an automated number crunching exercise, derived from an estimate of x% likelihood of a favorable oue divided by time taken per test per bib.


    In a way, since were on the security topic, its really like a machine trying to break a password by trying to key in abination.


    Therefore, by adding Alexis, a sentient mind of the mix, Alexis can look at the data and make educated guesses, which narrows down the options the bib has to crunch to, so were more likely to make progress on a research topic.


    So, when a bib is tasked to research volcanic endurance, itll try differentbination of trees, and then see what works. As such, my own guess is that providing the correct environment, and sufficient resources would actually enhance the research output of the external bibs.


    Its a lot more mechanical than I thought it would be, its really all about looking at all the output and datasets and just deciding where to go as a next step, and the bib just does it for you most of the time. Alexis frowns. Now that shes a spirit confined in the bib and its immediate surroundings, people can see her, and they see her as a blue apparition which haunts the bib.


    What are some of those words Me frowns.


    Mumbo jumbo. Alexisughs. Really, just talking about research results and choosing whats more likely to work based on the testing results. I know you understand it, dont act dumb.


    No no. Me sighs.


    Youre just trying to avoid my fate of being made into a research spirit, arent ya? It isnt so bad, actually. I get to float around and look outside of the tree. Have you noticed how starry it gets at night?


    Me didnt answer.


    The moons are gorgeous at night, and one of them never truly turns dark. And I think the other ones on some kind of 3 month cycle, instead of the 1 month were so used to.


    Well the moons are different after all.


    Me, seriously. Take a leap, do something, see the world with me. Again. Dont just hide there in thefort of TreeTrees soul realm...


    No...


    Alexis pauses, and she floats up to the top of the bib tree. She sits on one of the branches, and she looks out. Well, the sunrises going to be gorgeous. There are some things I cannot see, given the limitations of my tree vision. And what I cannot see, those in my soul realm cannot see either.


    I too wish to see how the sun rise truly looks, instead of an augmented version pieced together by the collective data formed through Trevor and Dimitrees gathered sensors and receptors throughout the valley.


    Maybe I should actually have eyes.


    [Eye-Tree Stage I research option unlocked - 24 months needed]


    Whoah. I mean, the word itself kinds of scare me, and I try to image myself a tree with eyes. No matter how it stilles out as a little freaky, probably the kind of stuff that belongs in a lovecraftian epic.


    Heh. Why dont just give me the eye tree, but I suppose certain kinds of abilities now go through research. I mean, Im a bit confused actually, does the system actually have a way of saying what I can research, or what I can get through my skills.


    Theres discussions that say leveling grants skills on a random basis. Essentially theres a big pool with skills in it, where skills you are more likely to get have a higher probability, and then you essentially draw. Research, is what happens when you fail to draw the skill you want, and as a constion, you could still work towards the skill?


    Anyway. Mysteries of the system. For all you know, its just one person up dare deciding what to give me, and what not to, and just rolls a die every now and then for the fun of it.


    Year 77 Month 2


    Strangely, I think the wizards seeded. On the eve of the 2nd month, a strangeck of cold sweeps through thend, and the cold didnte back.


    Its probably just a reduction, not aplete removal. Trevor spoke. We can still faintly detect the presence of the spell, just in much lesser amounts.


    Huh.


    Probably a reduction in the power of the spells effects, so the valley being so far away experience a significant improvement.


    You know, if you have someb that focuses on magic, you could find out" Alexis butts herself in.


    Its a bib, with magical sensors that focuses on living things. Its not a magicb.


    Okay, but why not make a magicb? It will help, since there are so many magical unknowns out there.


    "Its not as if I desire for a magicb, then I will get a magicb."


    "Research?" Alexis taps a few screens in the bib.


    Alexis floats onto the middle of theb, and uses a skill, [Research nner].


    "We''ll need to first unlock material testing, then materialsb, then into magic-attunement, and then into magic-sensitive equipment, and then a basic magicb. Probably about 1.5 years worth of research. But you''ll get materialb within 6 months!"


    I''m thinking.


    "What do you say? I think it''s a good idea!"


    I''m thinking.


    "After your volcano research. I want to be able to secure the volcano first."


    "Aww man,e on. I think magic can help you fix the volcano problem too."


    "No. Biological solutions first. I have Horns to help me manage the beetles if I can get those upgrades."


    Alexis sighs. "Okay" She pouts and she goes back into her bib-tree. Somewhat-unnervingly, this bib-tree derives its energy from Alexis, not me, and so it gains new equipment and abilities as and when Alexis levels.


    Alexis is now level 14, and her most recent skill is [Probability charts], which produces an estimated likelihood of oues for a test, before actually going for it. In short, her skill simtes testing, a bit.


    Her bib-tree has a small chamber which functions as her personal room, where there''s a bed that actually interacts with her spiritual form, so she can sleep. Actually, the entire bib-tree seems to be able to react to her as if she of a solid, real person, and at the same time, she can switch it off, and then pass through things.


    Alexis goes back to her room, and decides to take a nap instead. Maybe shes not that happy with my decision.


    Anyway, now that the snow stopping, its a great chance for me to boost my growth!


    GROW!


    Expand!


    I think my tree instincts are driving me a little crazy.


    EXPAND!!!


    Yeah.


    So we have more trees. After losing close to 7,000 trees to Alexis, thanks to this months returning warmth, and my newfound winter resistance, were back up by 3,500 trees. So yes, more trees. MORE. TREES.


    The trees are also now starting to feed energy and resources back to the [tuberous storage].


    [Tuberous storage upgraded.]


    [High density tubers unlocked. Tubers will be naturally upgraded]


    Oh. Yay? They store 2 units of energy now.


    Back to expanding, and food!


    And so, I decide to try my luck with the damned [ginseng tree], again.


    Alexis, can you also keep watch? The ginseng trees right next to the bib, with a lot of beetles and web spiders protecting them.


    She covers her head in a pillow. Didnt hear you.


    I know she did, and I know she will. Because her soul-contractpels her to.


    Anyway, New Freekans are happy. Warmth means a return to regr farming, stockpiling, and less burning through their stockpiles.


    Yet, its also bittersweet, because the opportunity for Sh to now attack them is returning. The winter sort of gives New Freeka a natural terrain deterrent from war. Even in a world of magic, not everything runs on magic, and so terrain still has huge influence on logistics, resources, and even petty things like warm clothing and all.


    The council decides to reject the Nung and Takde offer, as theyve decide to state that they have no im in this war, and would prefer to stay out of it. Its a way of not pissing Sh too much, as this gesture would suggest that New Freeka is genuine in not participating in any conflict.


    ---


    If Baroosh were to endorse New Freekas independence, do you think thatll go well? One of Yvons councillor speaks to the exiled wizard of Baroosh, they seem to be rather close acquaintances, perhaps, even friends.


    Knowing my king, I doubt thatll ever happen. He has never endorsed or supported any allied nations, what more one as far away as New Freeka. He is not a man of many friends, and believes each nation should stand on their own strength.


    Ah


    But I suppose you could convince some of the lords to lend some assistance from their private armies. The fiefdoms themselves act mostly independently of the king, anyway


    The councillor nods, Ah. Ill need to get this message to the trading corps, lets start with a trade.


    Thats a good idea. By the way, I heard about the Tree spirits demands


    Yeah. Its kind of extortion, isnt it?


    I dont see it that way. Strangely enough, I nowe to view the Tree Spirit as the guardian beast of this valley, and supporting it is probably the best insurance you can get against Sh.


    Really? You think the Tree spirit is willing to step in? From what I hear from Lady Yvon, the tree spirit is flighty, inconsistent, and acts rather irrationally at times.


    Such are beings of another ne, their minds are different.


    True. Cant expect it to think like we do.


    And I doubt it ever will. Its concerns are different, and my view is, New Freeka best aligns itself to the tree spirits desires. I think from the fire-demon encounter alone, the tree spirit demonstrates far greater destructive power than it usually lets on.


    Hmmm. Some of the councillors will find that a hard pill to swallow, since we are supposed to be an independent state, not a puppet of a tree-spirit.


    Convince them not to see it that way. Think of the tree-spirit as a potentially friendly dragon. It has its own thing going, generally lets you do what you want, and if you make it happy enough, it can sometimes help you. Perhaps get the treefolk chieftains to speak to them, they revere the tree spirit after all, as their deity or somekind.


    Itll just sound like preaching. The other councillors will hate it. Maybe you should speak to them.


    You know well enough, that they look at me with the same eyes of suspicion. I am an exiled wizard from another country, what weight does my words carry?


    The councillor sighs. There must be another way.


    Maybe you dont actually need to give the tree spirit actual jewels, you know.


    Huh?


    Its a tree spirit right perhaps all it wants is a nearby location that contains those jewels, even if its hidden or buried under mountains of dirt and rock. Or, maybe, it doesnt even need it in the processed, polished form we are so familiar with. I highly doubt it wants it for the same reason as our nobles and royalties do. Maybe it just wants raw jewels. So be it if its mixed with rocks and whatnot.


    The councillor rubs her chin. Thats actually a good point, and worth rifying with the tree spirit. Weve gotten so used to Noble''s expectations to have jewels in a certain condition, that I didnt think that a tree may not need it in a simr state.


    Certainly, raw unprocessed gems are worth far less than processed ones, which need special equipment and skilled gem craftsmen.


    Yes. Tell Lady Yvon, we would require more information. If we can glean an understanding of the tree spirits intent, we can act ordingly.


    Year 77 Month 3


    "This room is awesome." Lausanne jumps. Apparently she levelled up.


    "Indeed." Jura nods, holding a set of wooden weapons. "The passives to your training reminds me of the effects of a skilled military drillmaster. Such rooms would be useful in any preparation for war.


    Lausanne blocks the wooden sword, shes gradually getting better at all thebat skills that Jura is passing on to her, and Jurasints has been getting less. It seems the term,te bloomer is real, or perhaps its just the influence of [dream tutor], constantly feeding thebat-skills to her.


    They practice for about two hours. Alright, enough for now. How are you feeling?


    Sore! Lausanne talks about her muscles aching from all the blocking. Juras pulling his punches, after all Lausannes only just turned 8, so her physique isntparable to Jura, who had years and years of training, and has a body of an adult. Lausannes at least 10 years away before her body could stand up to Jura at full strength.


    Jura passes her an ointment, made of preserved healing fruits. Laufens experiments in preserving the healing fruits granted her some basic [ointment-making] skills, as it seems the juice from the healing fruits mix with the vinegar to form some kind of basic pain-relieving liquid. Its not a potion, though.


    Lausanne sits on one of the chairs in the training room, and applies the ointment to her sore joints.


    I expected to find you here. Laufen walks through the door.


    Hi mom. Just finished practice


    I spoke to some of the merchants in town, and found out theres a proper [teacher] for Elvish writing. Do you want to?


    Lausanne nods, Oh really. Good. Can hee here? This training room has training boosts, maybe I learn better here.


    Ill ask the teacher about it. Anyway,e, we need to go work on the olives, now that were finally getting some fresh batches.


    Aww man Lausanne pouts.


    Jura pushes her along, making hand motions, chasing her away.


    -


    Next stop, volcania. Okay I came up with that name, but the volcano area is a mouthful, so I decided on Volcania.


    Volcano research isplete, so I task Alexis to research more volcano-rted countermeasures.<ul><li>


    Beetle winter adaptation stage II - 1 Months remaining</li><li>


    Volcanic adaptation stage II - 3 months remaining. </li><li>


    Tree winter adaptation stage II - 3 months remaining</li><li>


    Beetle volcanic battleform -plete!</li><li>


    Beetle volcanic defensive armors-plete!</li><li>


    Beetle - anti-magma weaponry - 3 months remaining</li><li>


    Beetle - basic magicalnces - 6 months remaining</li></ul>


    With thepleted research, the beetles near Volcania gained a special armor and their head changed significantly, such that its enveloped in the new special armor. With these changes, 3 beetles could take on one magma monster.


    So, with the improved status, the beetles attempt to head further, closer to the volcano, and find a bit more information about the inner volcano


    Failed.


    Too many magma monsters.


    Undeterred, I create more subsidiary trees, all designed as beetlenests. Each beetle-nest houses 5 beetles, and with an additional 30 subsidiary trees, I send therger beetle army into the volcano.


    And still failed, because theres just way too many of those magma monsters inside.


    Fine. If its a game of numbers, I am a tree-spirit with the ability to spawn multiple subsidiary trees.


    So I spawn another 70 subsidiary trees.


    [Subsidiary tree limit increased to 1,500]


    Hell yeah. Power to the tree swarm. Im an invasive species of trees about to take over this volcano!


    Horns, you takemand of the beetles and do some recon, alright?


    Got it boss.


    The next few days, Horns mounts several expeditions into the inner volcano area, only to encounter stiff resistance fromrge swarms of magma monsters. It seems, the inner volcano area is crawling with giant magma monsters,rge enough to be buildings on their own. Magma golems.


    If not for their ratherck of horns, they would actually look somewhat demonic.


    We cant get past the magma golems, they are far too powerful.


    I see. It seems the upgrades are still insufficient to take on therger monsters. So I will have to wait for more upgrades.


    "If Alexis could do some research"


    "I am already doing them."


    "Ah yes."


    "It''ll take time, even with my skills." Well, she''s not lying, and I foresee materials to be my next bottleneck, as higher tier research requires exotic materials, which will be harder to get.


    An expansionary approach is necessary, at least to secure additional materials that I will need. My current [root extraction], [mineral refining], [essence harvesters], reactivated now that I no longer have to be in "winter" mode, are producing iron, copper, and a few othermonly found materials, and for essences, themon ones. The nightmare and soul harvesters brought me two [experience seeds], so I have a total of 3 now. It seems this is an incredible rarity, a gift that even kings desire. A fruit that guaranteed a level? That''s worth a ton, and I think it is something I should use to make a trade some day, for something of equally great value.


    "I wonder whether I can detect the demon king''sing" Alexis muses, tinkering with theb. "You sure you don''t want magicbs? And sensors?"


    "You still hung up about it?"


    "Yes! There''s so many things I want to know. Can we reliably predict the demon king''s arrival? Is there a magical fluctuation in the world that we can pin on? What are the kinds of magic that create the demon rifts? Don''t you ask yourself those questions?"


    "I do, but my priority is the volcano."


    "Why?"


    "Because it is a volcano. I want to expand there, I want to gain the volcano''s powers. My instinct tells me a volcano, as a natural force of nature, is simr to a leyline."


    "...okay that makes sense." Alexis pauses and then floats onto some branches. Her bib grew over the month. It added another branch which houses more pods, smaller ones, which is used to run smaller experiments, which then helps to speed up the entire research process.


    "I mean, that''s what I think. My gut feel is there are natural energies in the leyline, magic of the world, and perhaps I need to find ways to tap it. Gain new research. Perhaps its raw form is not so easily essed as a leyline, but it is a kind of ''native'' leyline. So I want it, happy? Help?"


    "Huh." Alexis pauses, and I think she buys my exnation. "So you want some kind of permanent establishment on the volcano, which allows you to tap on its strength like some geothermal power nt?"


    "Yes." Well, yeah.


    "At least I now understand your obsession with the volcano. And I see why it takes priority over magic sensors."


    "Good." I am a tree spirit, and gaining more powers for my soul forge is logical, I could even say its something that drives me.


    [Research nning]


    "Ah."


    "I checked. Its not clear yet, I can''t see a clear path to it, but it seems having [magma tolerant roots], [tremor resistance] and [natural energy harvesters] seem like the few basic precursors to collecting energy from volcanoes. What else you need its still unclear."


    "That''s a good start, we can start work on that after we are able to reliably expand and hold a position on the volcano. We are in this for the long haul."


    "Still, you''re not worried a demon king pops up and ruin your project? I think he''s about 5, or 6 years away? The first of the rifts should open within the next few years."


    "I am betting on the chance that he spawns on some other continent. Demon kings don''t always appear in the same ce."


    "Then?"


    "The heroes wille along and save the day. As they always do. I hope."


    Alexis sighs. "I guess you have a point. Even heroes just gears in this system. That just keeps churning. So much for heroes."


    "I think heroes are a stopgap measure, to solve the demon king problem." Well, that''s how I see it. Maybe the gods hoped some heroes be so powerful that they could beat multiple generation of demon kings, but so far, that has not happened. The best is a generation of heroes surviving 3 demon kings, ording to Yvon''s knowledge of history.


    "Has it always been this way.?"


    "Ask the gods." I mean, thats really the way, right?


    "They don''t say shit. The reincarnation gods know nothing about the history of this world. All they know is the gods of this world ask for reincarnators, their job is to give it to them."


    "What''s in it for the gods. What''s their stake in keeping the world this way. Can''t gods just snap a finger and make things back?" My personal guess is, they can''t. Perhaps their abilities of intervention are limited. So they resort to heroes.


    "I have no idea."


    Year 77 Month 4


    I am Level 129 a few months ago. When am I getting the next one?


    So, I decide to go to the volcano and [root strike] on a lot of magma monsters. And it proves to be less effective than I thought it would be.


    I mean, they still destroy the magma monsters in a single hit, but near a golem, it still took like easily 15 shots of the root strike to kill it.


    And thats way too much.


    I wonder whether its because my super effectiveness against demons, so I previously did not feel my root strikes were that weak, or is it these magma golems have special defenses against root strikes. Might just be a passive that goes, ''reduce damage from nature or tree based sources by 50%''


    Or perhaps its some ''pierce damage reduction''.


    Or perhaps I am really so weak.


    "You know rather than constantly theorise what exactly is the problem, you could just consider to use [inspect]?" Me suggested. "That''s what Alexis would do."


    I pause.


    I feel like an idiot.


    Idiotree.


    I mean, its seriously basic, no? Use inspect on monsters. I even have the inspect skill.


    Have I been a tree for too long that I forgot such basic monster hunting basics?


    Did I losemon sense somewhere along the way?

 Starsoul

    Starsoul


    <b>Year 77 Month 4 (continued)</b>


    [Inspect]


    Dammit.


    The magma golems have pierce resistance, nature element reduction, and physical damage reduction. So, all those skills together mean my root strike is less effective as it would be on any other monster.


    Less effective, but still, 15 root strikes.


    Okay, actually any other monster of a simr ''tier'' would have skills and passives that provide a simr level of resistance. It''s how higher tier monsters, just like how higher level people, are exponentially stronger because the cumtive effects of stacking different abilities.


    So any other monster of such tier would be as difficult, in their own ways.


    "So..."


    "Research more weapons of course."


    "May I suggest killing the golems anyway?" Horns butts in. "You know, because they killed so many beetles, I would like to see them die."


    Ah.


    "I would like to have vengeance, master."


    When did he learn the concept of vengeance anyway.


    "You know what, yes. Let''s go hunt golem. I need the damn level."


    And off I went. I spent the next few days attacking every golem I see with root strikes, and then crawl up to another golem to continue.


    Its kinda like how a zerg base uses creep colonies to get close to the enemy, and then attacks them with then sunken colonies. And I did that, many, many times.


    Spawn subsidiary tree near golems, unleash a rain of root strikes, kill golems, repeat.


    And I see Horns crying in joy. Seriously. I think he gets enjoyment from having a bigger badass kick the butt of the badass that kicked his butt. Actually, I have no idea whether that is a cry or a shout because it just sounds really insecty.


    Anyway, kill golems.


    And after maybe about 50 golems, I level up!


    [You gained a level! You are now level 130]


    [Upgrade initiated...]


    The entire valley shakes, as a thunderstorm suddenly appears out of nowhere. Lightning hits each and every subsidiary tree, and each and every branch on my main tree.


    Is this like the starting sequence of some superhero transformation?


    A whole opens in the sky, and from that darkness, massive ck lightning strikes my main tree.


    "What what is happening?" The elves seem afraid, as that massive ck lightning continues to strike my main tree.


    "I suggest all of you leave, for a while."


    Indeed, they all ran as fast as they could to the town of New Freeka, and well, it seems they too can see what''s happening from their distance, because there seems to be a massive hole in the sky.


    "Any idea what''s going on?" I ask the rest of the souls and the wisp.


    "Not a clue." Alexis shakes her head. But she looks rather amazed by it. "And how are you still talking when that ck thing is striking you like that?"


    "Uh. Good point." Am I supposed to feel pain or heat, or I don''t know anything?


    Lightning after lightning strikes down on the trees, but yet they don''t do any damage. It''s as if they are just making a connection.


    Is this the fate of trees in the storm?


    "Are you evolving or something?" Alexis asks.


    "Yeah. I think."


    "Ah man. Level 100?"


    "Ah secret." I think some things should be a secret, no?


    The lightning continues, and then, all of them stop. The hole in the sky widen a bit further to reveal something that looks like a rift, a small fissure in space.


    And a ck lightning emerges,rger than any other, and it zaps my main body.


    [Void energy collectionpleted]


    Oh.


    Oh now I feel pain. It feels like every single part of my body is cracking, like a snake trying to change its skin, or a sea creature recing its shell.


    The branches, barks, trunks start to swell, and the leaves all drop from my main tree, leaving me looking like a bare but bloated looking tree, all the bark expanding to reveal cracks and seams, like, stretchmarks.


    [Upgrading]


    And then those cracks expand, as a newyer of skin emerges from underneath, a glossy dark colored bark. This cracking, expanding, and then the olderyer falling off happened throughout my main body, and it took about 2 hours.


    The hole in the sky is gone, but the ground is still constantly rumbling as my body expands. I believe the same is also happening to my roots, and that causes the ground to constantly shake for those two hours.


    And then I''m done!


    [You have now transformed into the starsoul tree.]


    <i>Starsoul tree </i><ul><li>able to tap and ess to the wisdom of the past, from exposure to ancient bones and fossils</li><li>gains ess to a special type of leaf able to collect starlight and produce star mana in small quantities (maximum amount of leaves capped), also gains ess to a star mana storing organ and special star-mana abilities</li><li>stats improved, various collection, various skills upgraded</li><li>Soul management and ess rights and restrictions unlocked</li></ul>


    Ah yay?


    Star mana.


    As I read that update,ing across that word, I just had to pause, and take a moment to realise what just happened. Star mana, the supercharged fuel of the heroes. And I can make them.


    In small quantities, perhaps iparable to that of the heroes, like that massive amounts that Alexis used to have, a gift she now lost, since she died. An odd thing, of course, since I thought heroes can resurrect with the right spells, but as it turns out, its only a gift that unlocks under certain conditions, and it expires when the demon king dies.


    Anyway, star mana. I can make them I can make them.


    What does this mean? Have I taken a small step towards being a hero? One chosen by the gods to do battle with the demon king?


    I I can''t wrap my head around that. I am a tree, and if a demon king, if Alexis''s description of its power level is true, I am still very far away.


    Just because I have star mana does not make me a chosen hero.


    So no. I dont think so. And somehow, a part of me rejects the idea of fighting the demon king... so that is also not the path I want to go. It goes against my natural strengths as a tree.


    I am a tree. And a tree is a nurturing, protective force.


    So how do I use star mana? Do the other great spirit trees have star mana too? I think so, maybe with star mana they manage great escape feats like an entire vanishing forests.


    Star mana. A great power. And a secret.


    <b>Year 77 Month 5</b>


    A small branch grows above me, at the very top. A few leaves of them, almost ck in color, the star-leaves. They are even shaped like stars . A secret experiment in star mana gathering, and Im excited to see what I can find at the end of that path.


    Then, I move my attention to the research happening through the bibs throughout the valley.


    Well, beetle winter adaptation isplete, but its not cold anymore. Maybe I should direct my attention to volcano research as well, together with Alexis?


    Right now, with Alexis, Trevor and Dimitree, we can do about 6 research topics concurrently.


    Hmmm indeed, volcano is the biggest priority at the moment.


    The resistance the volcanos inner area is indeed much higher than expected, so we do need stronger, or at least, more specialised beetles to counter the stronger magma golems.


    Giant beetles.


    Thanks, Horns.


    Golems are big. If beetles are big, beetles can win.


    Thats a good idea, sire. Our small size is a weakness, arge beetle may be a good solution.


    Trevor, youre agreeing with that idea? Giant beetles?


    I do believe Horns is right to suggest that, and he has thebat experience to support that sort of view.


    How giant are we talking about.


    As big as the golems.


    Are there some biological rules in this world on the size of insects? I mean, there should be a limit, right? Though I kinda felt stupid, even my current warbeetles are the size of rhinos. So actually, I think theres probably no rules on that.


    Uh probably if we had the right materials andponents, a massive beetle would be possible.


    Alexis, any input?


    Sure. Once again she uses her [research nner], and I think I see her smirking at the corner of her face. A short momentter, she nods and shees over to join the conversation.


    Presently, there are no obvious paths to beetles the size of golems.


    Giant beetles, maybe half the size of the golems? Horns sound a little sad.


    Ah, I wasnt finished. But beetles about half the size of golems is possible. We would need to research enhanced exoskeletons, and enhanced interior structures, and then we would be then able to research arge-beetle-pod, and then arge beetle.


    Large beetle.


    Not giant, but bigger than what it is now. Sorges a good word.


    Horns nods furiously.


    Seems like everyones keen on the idea?


    I still think magic is better.


    Giant beetle.


    Yes, sire. Giant beetle is a good path. I believe massive warbeetles can do a great deal of damage on the battlefield.


    Very well then. Lets go with it.<ul><li>Beetle winter adaptation stage II - <iplete</i></li><li>Volcanic adaptation stage II - 1 months remaining.</li><li>Tree winter adaptation stage II - 1 months remaining</li><li>Beetle - anti-magma weaponry - 1 months remaining</li><li>Beetle - basic magicalnces - 4 months remaining</li><li>Eye-Tree Stage I research option unlocked - 22 months remaining</li><li>Enhanced exoskeletons - 4 months remaining</li><li>Enhanced interior structures - <i>not started</i></li><li>Large beetle pods - <i>not started</i></li></ul>


    Well, I already have 6 concurrent research topics, but next month I can add enhanced interior structures to it once the volcanic adaptation and anti-magma weaponryplete.


    Anyway, with that, I then return my attention to the elves and the New Freekas. The evolution I underwentst month, that one day of a great ck lightning storm fade from memory of the elves, after all, to them, its just one of those scary days, and to them, I do not appear any different than I did before.


    Thats because of [camouge]. My true appearance is unseen by anyone, except the artificial souls, and Alexis.


    A sense of gradual normalcy is returning, now that the effect of the blood blizzard is slowly fading from the air itself. Crops massively growing throughout the farnds, and the valleys trees are surging in number, surpassing the number of trees destroyed. For New Freeka, it is war preparation time, as Sh issued a formal war deration, and they consider New Freeka as an enemy nation, as a result, all direct trade routes between Sh and New Freeka is cut, legally.


    And then posturing, nasty letters threatening, demanding the surrender of Sh.


    Which are all ignored.


    Although that is the collective decision of the senior leaders, the councillors, leaders of the standing army and the higher ranked mages, it still a stressful, highly worrying for them. The town is now fully gearing up for war, their magic builders working overtime, building massive walls and other defensive positions.


    Guards, on full alert, and all visitors of New Freeka thoroughly screened, as there are also fears of assassinations.


    "Jura, its not a good time." Jura stands in the middle of the council room, Yvon and the rest of the councillors around the table.


    "The tree spirit wants an update on the demanded jewels, which was agreed earlier."


    "We are in a state of war, Jura." A councillor stands.


    "And the tree spirit is your best chance of defending New Freeka sessfully." Jura res back at the councillor.


    "And what exactly would a tree spirit bring to the table if Sh invades with arge army?" The councillor responds. "Some trees? Potatoes? Hot water?"


    Yvon almost intervenes, but another councillor next to her stops her.


    "Fact it, the tree spirit has been making demands, and where we believe it is a mutually beneficial trade, if the circumstances allow it, we will support those demands."


    The councilwoman next to Yvon leans in, and whispers. "The tree spirit needs to know where we stand. Its about time we make it clear our position to its representative."


    Yvon sighs.


    "But, these are tough times. Resources, whatever we have, is all focused on our existential threat, the Sh Kingdom, who recently threatened to wipe us off the map. We need all our resources into more men, more weapons. Not the whims of a tree spirit who ims ownership over the entire valley."


    Jura listens and thenugh. And heughed like a maniac.


    I think Juraughed for a good three minutes before all of the councillors, all of them staring at him like he is some kind of a madman.


    When he stops, he looks at Yvon. "Ah Yvon, are the councillors aware of the extent of the tree spirits powers?"


    She paused, before responding. "I did tell them."


    "What did you tell them? Perhaps your knowledge too is iplete."


    "Uh, tree spirit has the powers of an archdruid, many very powerful healing powers, some ability to repair soul damage, abilities to absorb fire, abilities to control beetles, abilities to create hot water, spawn various trees and use root attacks, ability to boost growth rates and spawn different types of trees."


    Jura nods, "Not bad, but let me ask you. How many beetles does the tree spirit control?"


    "300? Maybe 400?" Yvon answers.


    "Any other guesses?"


    "700?" A councillor decides to humor, and says as a joke.


    "As more recently advised, the actual number is about 3,000. Lead by beetleknight."


    The councillors all stare at each other.


    "Tell me, if 3,000 beetles go to war, how many men would Sh need to field?"


    One of the army leaders, a captain, sitting in the councilroom does some mental math. "12,000, perhaps 15,000."


    "Do you all believe for a moment, that New Freeka can protect itself from the tree spirit''s wrath? Should those 3,000 beetles turn against you?"


    The councillors look at each other.


    "Would 3,000 beetles be an existential threat, I wonder"


    One of the councillors stand, "Are you threatening us?"


    "No. I believe from the Tree Spirit''s point of view, you all, are threatening him, by challenging his dominion over the valley. So councillor, you better retract such words, and pray the tree spirit does not hear it directly."


    The councillor pales, and sits.


    "Yvon, I believe you recall the agreement when the tree spirit consented to your new settlement in New Freeka."


    One of the older councillor stands, "That our presence is at the tree spirit''s grace and mercy, and we are to acknowledge the tree spirit as the rightful master of the valley. We are not to encroach on the forests more than the tree spirit allows."


    "It is but a phrase, no?" Another councillor, a younger one from the refugees, stands, "...such phrases exists in the founding documents of many nations. A formality to acknowledge a benefactor."


    "Not when the phrase refers to that of a Tree Spirit, an actual magical being who resides and controls the valley."


    A silence in the room as everyone stares at each other.


    "Back to the jewels. I have been authorised by the tree spirits, to let the council and everyone else in the room know, the jewels, are meant to fulfill the evolutionary requirements of the beetle champions, and various other beasts that live in the depths of the valley''s forests. Obtaining them will further enhance thebat abilities of the beetles."


    "If we get it. Can the tree spirit lend us his aid? With those 3,000 beetles?"


    "Yes. He is prepared to summon the 3,000 beetles, deploy whatever other beasts he can gather from the valley to do battle, and various other abilities at his disposal. But, only in a defensive battle against Sh or any other attackers, and not an offensive attack."


    That''s simply because it''s easier to control beetles when they are nearby, as Dimitree and Trevor can both assist in coordinating the beetles movements.


    "We we need some time to discuss this."


    "You''ve been given a week to talk it out, but the tree spirit expects a positive response."


    "...acknowledged."


    Jura walks back to the valley with an air, a kind of smugness around him. I think he is rather pleased how that went.


    Also, Jura understated the number. I told him 3,000, but actually, with my most recent evolution to a starsoul tree, the maximum subsidiary trees I have increased to a mind boggling 4,000. So, with 5 beetles per subsidiary tree, the actual maximum beetles I can deploy, in a 100% beetle allocation would be 20,000.


    But of course, I am not going to have them all beetle-trees, since I do need essence harvesters, material processors, crop producers, bibs, homes from the elves, surveince trees and so forth, so the actual number of ''free'' trees is about 2,500, so that still represents a massive army of 12,500 beetles.


    There are already about 2,000 beetles full time defending the volcanic area from the magma monsters, another 2,000 in the south forest around Dimitree and the leyline, and another 2,000 hidden throughout the valley and its forest, the actual deployable beetle force is 6,500.


    And I like to have some unused subsidiary tree capacity, to spawn additional subsidiary trees as and when I need to, as am emergency response to any possible changes, or to reinforce new areas when necessary, so that would mean setting aside about 400 trees.


    So, 4,500 beetles is the actual end number. 900 subsidiary trees.


    "How did the discussions go?"


    "I believe it will be positive, TreeTree."


    "d to hear that."


    "Bamboo is asking for an upgrade."


    "I am aware, but it needs those jewels."


    "Ah. Yes. I guess I have personal interest in wanting those jewels too." Juraughs, I think he is rather happy.


    -


    Back at the meeting room...


    "Do you think he is lying?"


    "I think not."


    "3,000 beetles. That''s a massive number."


    "Indeed, my initial projections factored in 400 beetles in any defensive fight against Sh." Two army advisor''s turn to take the stand, captains, both of them.


    "How does this change the battle?" A councilman asks.


    "A warbeetle, as Jura refers to them, is actually equal to 2 elite soldiers. Sh would have to deploy specialised forces to deal with the warbeetles, as their thick armor and massive horns make them difficult to kill using regr weapons. Its possible to swarm one of the warbeetles and then attack its weakness, their joints and the gaps between their armor, if they are scattered throughout the battlefield, but at 3,000, there is a very low chance of catching any of those beetles alone."


    "Captain, I understand none of the technicalities ofbat. What I want to know, is what does that mean in a war for us, and would the price of the jewels be worth it?"


    "I believe, if the numbers are true, it is our number one chance of beating Sh, multiple times. 3,000 warbeetles essentially means Sh must field at least 30,000 men, just to even hope to have a good chance of winning against the warbeetles alone."


    "You said 12,000-15,000 in the earlier meeting with Jura, and 2 elite soldiers in your earlier sentence."


    "I fudged the numbers with Jura to understate the value of the warbeetles."


    "Then the 2 elites?"


    "Sh''s conventional armypositionprises of 1 elite for every 10 regrs. 30,000 men is then reflecting 3,000 elite soldiers and 27,000 regr. Its what I would need to deploy if I am asked to defeat warbeetles of that number. And mages. At least 100 mages."


    Yvon pause, "Remember our first battle here against Sh? The one lead by Waysorious Moffard, the Purple de?"


    "Ah why?"


    "The beetles back then hides underground or in the trees. They then spring up behind enemy lines."


    The captains nods. "If so, that makes their defensive value even higher, and I believe there isn''t much to discuss. I strongly request the council fulfill the demands, and get assurances from Jura, and the tree spirit that those 3,000 beetles will assist us. I would pay 10 times the demanded amount to get the defensive services of 3,000 warbeetles."


    The councillor look at each other, before they eventually nod. The wizard of Baroosh nudges thedy next to him. "As I predicted, the Tree Spirit is truly the guardian beast of the valley."


    The councilwoman turns and shake her head. "Certainly, even I underestimated the number. You''re right, I should have brought it up earlier."


    The wizard smiles smugly. "d to be proven right."


    The councilwoman shrugs, "Ugh."


    <b>Year 77 Month 6</b><ul><li><i>Tree - Volcanic adaptation stage II -plete</i></li></ul><ul><li>Tree - winter adaptation stage II -plete</li></ul><ul><li>Beetle - anti-magma weaponry -plete</li></ul><ul><li>Beetle - basic magicalnces - 3 months remaining</li><li>Eye-Tree Stage I research option unlocked - 21 months remaining</li><li>Enhanced exoskeletons - 3 months remaining</li><li>Enhanced interior structures - 4 months remaining</li><li>Large beetle pods - 6 months remaining</li><li>Beetle - anti-magma armors stage 2 - 12 months remaining</li></ul>


    Its time for more volcano-smash. With the volcanic adaptation and anti magma weaponry, the odds of beetle vs magma monster is now 3 to 2. So, with the 2,000 beetles in the area, I attempt another round of volcano invasion.


    And yes, Im a little bit closer. With upgraded weaponry, we can easily take on the regr magma monsters and im additional territory, since less beetles is needed to sessfully defend one area, but I still cant hold the areas with the massive magma golems, so I have to avoid those areas, but thats about it. Im a step closer, and the trees in the volcanic area are ck, reddish in hue, reflecting their adapted trunks and roots, which are highly heat resistant, and able to extract their resources from the dried magma that forms the earth around the volcano.


    Progress, but now consistently holding position against the magma golems will be the next hurdle for an actual volcano base, and then to move on to finding ways to extract the energies from theva beneath it.


    A part of me realises, thats probably the point I do need a magicb of some kind, since extracting magic fromva is probably out of the scope of the bib. Oh well. Alexis will be happy then.


    And, the first batch of the jewels from New Freeka arrives. And a request for a demonstration of my 3,000 beetles?


    Hmmm. I guess seeing is believing.


    Spaizzer


    <strong>rifications onbs.</strong>


    I spent quite a bit of time thinking about thebs, and about what they can or cannot research.


    So, for bibs, their research essentially is only on physical attributes, physical properties, and biological adaptations of nts, and living things, ie, how strong their skin is, their size, shape, what they are made of, what sort of operating environment their most suited in, the range of that operating environment (ie tolerance), the size of their horns, or roots, or leaves etc.


    What the bib cant provide, are skills and active abilities.

 3rd skirmish of New Freeka

    3rd skirmish of New Freeka


    <strong>Year 77 Month 7</strong>


    "I got to level 20 yesterday."


    Jura pauses, and looks at Lausanne. Laufen''s next to him, and the little girl then says.


    "I got a passive ability, its called [Blessed by a Soul Tree]."


    The two adults nce at each other. In a way, they are now like her father and mother, and there''s a mix of pride, worry, and confusion when Lausanne says she hit level 20.


    Most children never level so fast, at most around level 5 to 10 at age 8, and it is most likely due to the presence of my continuing involvement, the constant essence infused [dream tutors], [powerlevelling], and most recently the upgraded [training tree].


    "Well, what does it do?"


    "Erm it doesn''t say much, it just says I''ll get certain blessings?"


    "TreeTree, any idea?"


    Well, the first thing that is clear when she gained that ability, now I can see her much more obviously than everyone else. It''s as if she glows in my vision, she''s got a constant tooltip hovering on her, that just screams, ''look at me''.


    "Well, rather than conjecture, would you mind going into the bib and we can all find out?"


    "Yeah. Good idea."


    As Lausanne walks to the bib inside the secret hideout, Laufen and Jura both look at each other.


    "She''s growing very quickly." Jura said with a sigh. "I fear for her."


    "Me too. But I feel I should be proud. It is what Ric would have wanted for his daughter, to be strong."


    Jura pauses and then he nods. "I suppose so. Ric would want his daughter to bepetent, even though he himself wasn''t much."


    Laufen ribs Jura. "Hey."


    "I mean, his talents were in being a vige chieftain. Combat was never his strong point."


    "I suppose it''s TreeTree''s influence then."


    Well, I have been giving Lausanne every singlebat rted essence I generated through [dream tutor], so, it did, over a long period of time, give the necessary improvements in her understanding ofbat tactics.


    Lausanne walks into the pod and the vines wrap around her body, she goes in, and I take a look.


    "May I?" Alexis asks, and I shake my head.


    "Sorry, let me have a look at it first."


    Alexis sulks. "Okay"


    And well, frankly Lausanne''s body is normal. She is a regr elf after all, though I could see right next to her usual soul spring, there''s a small flower.


    [Blessed by a Soul Tree]


    [Due to long term exposure to Soul Tree''s abilities the body is naturally epting of its influence. Grants additionalpatibility with various Soul Tree abilities, spells, and skills, and so theyst longer, and has stronger effects]


    "Oh. Sounds okay." At this point I think this isn''t much, and I can''t see anything else being different, so I let Alexis in on the view.


    "Hmm." She too, looks at Lausanne''s young body. Her soul spring is normal, and the watering out of it is clear, and smooth, her body is well, normal, the shores covered in a thinyer of grass nourished by the mana from her soul spring. It looks like there is still some ways to go.


    "It''s generally normal." I say, "The skill isn''t much."


    "I think its not a bad skill."


    "How so?"


    "I think her growth rate will be even faster, since it means your training room, dream tutor and powerleveling will be more effective on her."


    "Oh. That''s a good point."


    "You have ns for her, don''t you?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "I mean, you have been investing a lot of your essences into her, more than any other elf. It feels like you want her to be something. Or are you preparing her for something?"


    "Huh" Well, frankly, I didn''t know why either. Somehow I got sucked into the narrative that Lausanne wanted to be a hero that I just went along with it. But thinking about it, I think I think its worth trying.


    "Maybe a hero will be too hard, to stand at our level she would need ess to a lot of star mana, gain the various divine blessings and unlock a cheat ability."


    Well, yeah, duh, that''s way too high a wall. Its like trying to climb Mount K2 after a sessful hike up a gentle hill. I am not a fool to send Lausanne up such unreasonable walls.


    "But I think creating a champion is a good idea. Reach the level of the demon champions, I think that''s a realistic target. Perhaps she can get there when she''s 30? I think she needs to learn magic next, a magicb will do so."


    Ah, Alexis trying to sell the magicb idea again. To be fair I do appreciate the need for one, once we make progress with the volcano. But I''ll keep that to myself for now. "You want to be her tutor?"


    "I don''t mind. I think I''ll gain different skills,pared to all these research linked abilities I have now. It will help that I regain my magical abilities somewhat."


    And I feel a little threatened by the idea of giving Alexis magic again. She did, though it is not her, burn down slightly less than half of the valley.


    Oh.


    Volcano upation is at a stalemate. I will attempt again, once we unlock therge beetles, twice the size of rhinos, hopefully then the odds are better. At present, it takes about 200 beetles to kill one single magma golem, and I only have 2,000 in that area. 200! And there are a lot more than 10 golems. I am hoping the odds change to about 10 or sorge beetles versus 1 golem, then the chances of a sessful upation of the volcano increases.


    Also, back to New Freeka.


    They asked for a demonstration in exchange for the jewels. And well, lets just say they have never seen 3,000 beetles march out of the forest before.


    <strong>Year 77 Month 8</strong>


    "Sh ising. With a force of 50,000 men!"


    "Huh."


    "That is quick." Jura mused, but to be honest, I think I know why that happened, and it id also why I held my cards back.


    I suspect there is a mole within Yvon''s council. Or maybe close to them, there is a Sh informant.


    I don''t know who exactly, but among the 25 of the senior leaders, all of them are talking about the beetles. Apparently none of them could keep their mouth shut after seeing 3,000 beetles, and somehow this news got to Sh, who obviously feel highly threatened by 3,000 beetles. Maybe they now saw me as a threat they needed to crush, and crush me before I got even stronger.


    "Well, it could be there is just some kind of surveince magic happening." Alexis though posits a different theory. "As far as I can tell there are no scrying countermeasures or spell barriers in New Freeka, except the forest itself which gets some scrying protection your massive [camouge] and [mist] ability."


    Jura on the other hand thinks that, "I think they just wanted to fight New Freeka and this is a convenient time, since they are still in the stalemate with Nung and Takde. I doubt they know about the beetles. The traders and merchants I speak to, seem to says Sh has been itching for a fight for some time, since the blood blizzard is significantly weakened. They just want find aomeone to suffer for the punishment and misery of the blood blizzard."


    "50,000 men. What are our odds?"


    "I think we can win." Jura shrugged. "But it will be a hard fight. And it also depends on who is the general."


    Well, during this time Trevor pings me personally. He is my surveince officer anyway.


    "I see the enemy army in the outermost tree rings. I don''t think they are suspicious, as they left the outer trees untouched. Also they have siege weapons, master."


    "Are you sure no suspicions? Or are they just ying the part?"


    "Any mages?"


    "Yes, sire. I counted a mage corps of at least 1,000. There are multiple individuals exhibiting a rather strong presence as well."


    "Okay, bring me there."


    "Certainly."


    With that, my vision zooms to the iing army. Thanks to my wider coverage of subsidiary trees, I have trees really far away now, and Trevor even went through the process of decorating each tree such that they look like natural growths in the area.


    And indeed, arge army is marching,prising mostly foot soldiers of about 40,000, some cavalry, about 2,000, and the rest being a mix of the mages, healers, siege weapon operators, and their elite forces.


    "New Freeka has spotted us." Onemander rides up to the man that looks like the chief of this army, thanks to his borate armor and uniform, and a long flowing magical cape.


    "Good. It seems we can go with our initial ns for now. Bombard the town with our siege machines, mages, and force them out of the town, into the open where we can ughter them." Another man rides up to the general, and the general just smiles.


    Heh. I have the countermeasure for that.


    "We spotted the beetles that Waysorious fought during thest battle."


    "How many?"


    "500, perhaps? They are really well hidden within the trees and only our rangers can spot them with any uracy."


    "I recall Waysorious suspects the presence of an elvish archdruid."


    "You agree with that assessment, General?"


    Ah, the chief is a general.


    "Lord Rosul''s earlier expedition ims the presence of a living forest. His wizard, says there is a presence that stretches the entire valley."


    "I I never heard of that." The men around the general seem surprised.


    "Its something Lord Rosul shared only with our senior leaders, and it is why we have been treating Sh with such caution. And why there are 1,000 mages."


    A realisation appears on all the senior leaders around the general. Perhaps they suspected 50,000 is overkill.


    "Yes, now that the battle is near, it is time I tell you the actual strategy of this army."


    "The King and the high council suspects the presence of a magical beast, something like a great earth tiger, or a king grandbeetle, that Yvon has somehow managed to convince into an alliance. It is likely to be a defensive pact, else Yvon would be more offensive in her dealings with us. The recently observed magical phenomena in New Freeka from our spies support this. A firestorm, then countless ck lightning, all points to magical beasts, of a very high tier, that likely to have experienced a high level evolution recently."


    A gulp.


    "Now now, we''re going to try to talk to it. First."


    It is then a ranger appears, he looks really old.


    "This is Master Ranger, Faly. He''s very good with magical beasts, he has the ability mune with magical beasts], [locate magical creatures], [beast talk-no-jutsu] and [charm magical beasts]. He''ll sneak into the forest first, and find the magical beast. Our invasion of New Freeka is only after he gives us the signal, if he can convince the magical beasts to withheld or ignore their defensive pact. Else, one of the alternatives is that we will have to bomb the shit out of the forest as well, then fight the beast. But we will weigh our chances when that happens."


    "Siege weapons against magical beasts?" A captain asks.


    "Not ideal, but if we have to fight it, we best weaken it first. High tier magical beasts are powerful, but siege weapons and magic will still hurt."


    "Now that we are near, what do you think, master Faly? Confident that you will seed?"


    "I think our chances are good. There are magical creatures, I sense a few in the forests, my senses tell me of a fairy of some kind or a forest sprite. Charming fairies will be a huge challenge, but I think I can seed in convincing it to break the pact."


    Ooh. Ranger. Interesting


    "How will we know?"


    "Faly will fire a re. Green re for go, red re for bomb, blue re for run."


    "Run?"


    "If the magical beast is a lot more powerful than we currently suspect, we better retreat than attempt an invasion. No point wasting our lives, right?"


    "What if there''s no re?"


    "Then we wait. We wait for a week if we have to. Communion with magical beasts is going to take time, and we will give master Faly the time to talk. But after 10 days, and Master Faly is alive, we will expect a re. If Master Faly is dead, we will run. But that''s unlikely, right?"


    Master Faly grins. His face is really wrinkly.


    "Run?" One of the younger captain asks.


    "Of course. We must know exactly what we are facing. I will take calcted risks, but magical beasts are a category of monsters that is best dealt with by powerful adventurers." The rest of the men nod, the general is a highly conservative man.


    -


    Faly made his way towards to valley, under the cover of various stealthing abilities, such as [hidden amongst trees], and other such effects, which makes him close to invisible to other men trying to spot him except the tree itself.


    So, yeah, I see him sprinting, alone, into the valley, despite his age, he is still clearly a high level ranger and has the stats and abilities to back it up. And as he got closer, I noticed he would stop every now and then to use some of his abilities.


    Strange the reading is confused. He touches the trees, some of which are subsidiary trees.


    As he makes his way into the valley, hees across a few beetles. The beetles, though they spot him and attempt to attack him, he has a skill, where when he just lightly touches them, they fall into a kind of sleep. I think thats a kind of disabling ability he has.


    He has an ability to make us docile. Horns is shouting in my mind. We must kill him! Kill him! He is a threat! Threat!!!


    On the other hand, Im very curious about this Faly, and I want to see exactly what hes got.


    Horns, go hibernate. Beetles, retreat as well.


    With that, the beetles quickly hide and stay out of his way which the ranger noticed.


    Huh. The beetles are gone. Its watching me, eh? A Kingbeetle with some kind of domain abilities? Or a fairy with ''dewatch''?" He says loudly. I think he wants us to know.


    He walks closer, his senses are sharp, and as he follows, it leads him right up to the main tree.


    "Huh." He looks around, wondering what he is seeing. "The beast is asleep?"


    And he then turns his eyes on Alexis''s bib. He nces up and down, and then he uses an ability, [Identify]


    "A forest spirit of the academic kind?" His face pales somewhat. "Something''s not right"


    [Eye of the Ranger]


    He looks around, and looks puzzled.


    Then he looks at my main tree.


    "It''s not a magical beast" He withdraws his arrows. "Now, this is a lot moreplicated."


    At that moment, I too use [inspect] on him, and it gets repelled. It seems he has some kind of skill protection.


    He lifts his bow and arrow, and aims it at the sky. It''s going to be a re. I wonder whether he is going to bomb the forest, but then again, I have countermeasures so I wait and see.


    "I won''t fire that yet if I were you." Jura steps out of the main tree, ready forbat.


    "Oh." The ranger looks like he is about to shoot, but then decides not to.


    "So, who are you, and why are you here?"


    "Hmm." The ranger pauses. "May we settle this over a cup of tea, instead?"


    "Oh, tea?"


    A set of 4 chairs and table magically appear before the ranger, and he sits down. Then he starts to brew a pot of tea. "Yes, tea. Clearly the proper way to speak to magical beasts is invite them to tea, no?"


    "Magical beasts?" Jura''s turn to be confused, but somehow, he sits down on the chair.


    "Worry not, elf. The tea isced with a fragrance that magical beasts will enjoy, but does nothing to us. I mean you no harm, so here, I''ll drink it. You can use [identify] and [detect poison] too, I won''t feel offended." He swaps teacups with Jura, and takes a sip.


    Juraughs, "So, ranger. What magical beasts are you speaking of?"


    "The forest spirit there, and the beetle lord hiding somewhere in that tree." The ranger points. "And these trees right around me." He then points to the [root brainplex], and then my main tree.


    He then pauses and he shouts.


    "I know you are watching. You can join me for tea if you want! They''re good stuff, made with the tender young tea leaves collected from the Sifar mountains."


    "He''s dangerous, sire. We should kill him." Horns shout in my mind. "We should!"


    "I agree. But I have my curiosity piqued, so I will humor him and watch what happens."


    "I feel a bit of a headache." Alexisins. "I think he used some kind of skill on me. Sucks when I lose some of my magic resistance"


    Hey, you retained your overpowered ability to level, that counts right?


    Anyway, we focus back on the little tea party between Jura and the old ranger.


    Jura, actually decides to take a drink.


    "So, old man, what do you want?"


    "I work for Sh. And I am here to help with General Akbar''s destruction of New Freeka."


    Jura, strangely, didn''t react to the news. I think his diplomat levels has been rising and such news just doesn''t faze him anymore. "Oh. Why?"


    "Well, Sh and New Freeka is at war. I, am a servant of the King, a soldier of Sh, so I am here to help Sh win."


    "I see. And so how does that lead you to this little forest?"


    "Well, can you not interfere if we attack New Freeka?"


    "Unfortunately, no. We have an agreement with them, and they are under our protection."


    "Why? Perhaps there is something we, Sh, can offer you."


    Jura grins, "Ah well, do you know the tale of the original vige of Freeka? I still remember the day, almost 7 years ago."


    "Hmm, has Sh transgressed Freeka in some way?"


    "Well, yes. Sh''s army burnt this vige, killed a whole lot of elves living here, and if I remember correctly, the soldiers skewered the bodies of the dead onto this tree behind me. Those who survived fled far and wide."


    He pauses. "...ah. I see that''s how it is. Surely it is time for bygones to be bygones"


    Jura''s face contorts. "I still remember the faces of those burnt the death. The screams, the shouts. The loss of the vige scarred me, haunted me for years, and it is only with great blessing that I stepped out of that shadow."


    He sips a bit of the tea.


    "So I believe I am not wrong to say my grudge, rightly, runs deep."


    The old ranger sighs. "The acts of a vast nation like Sh cannot all be attributed to the nation. There are many actors in any country, and not all are aligned in terms of our values and principles."


    "You''re an old man, I''m sure you have seen many battles, and know very well, such statements does nothing to my grudge. A grudge, anger, and hatred is not something a talk can relieve. And now you, and thatrge army of yours are here to destroy New Freeka, does that not sound like Sh intends to repeat of that incident?"


    The old man pauses, and nods. "Well you are right. But, in war, there are no good sides, only victory matters."


    "It is as you say, only victory matters. This is not the first time Sh has tried this, and we won the previous 2 battles. Do you think you can win this one?"


    The old ranger nods. "Indeed, that is why 50,000 warriors are here."


    "Well, you''ve made your intentions clear, so, you may leave now."


    The old ranger grins. "Well, I am deep within enemy territory, do you think I will leave without taking out all of you?"


    [Root strike]


    That''s the moment a few root strikes surge from the ground. He dodges, and shoots a few explosive arrows, but a few wood shields block them.


    I follow up with a few more, as Jura, transforming into his Bamboo-armor form, gives chase. Trevor releases a poison field that covers the entire forest, and frankly, there''s no chance of him running.


    Unlike the assassin from before, I know exactly where he is, because his [hidden by trees] ability don''t protect him from a tree.


    He runs, and simultaneously fire numerous magical arrows at Jura.


    "General. This is Faly. Please arrange bombing of the forest. Bomb the forest. I repeat, bomb the forest now, I am engaging with the inhabitants."


    He runs into some spiderwebs.


    "Ah dammit" It seems the spiders'' [hidden presence] natural ability is a bit harder for him to detect.


    He cuts through the webs, but it slows him down enough for a root strike to hit him, which is parried by a small buckler shield. I suppose its magical since it actually manages to absorb the impact.


    "Ah, roots." He ducks from the arrows Jura shoots at him, but that gap allows Jura to catch up.


    "So, why not stand and fight?"


    "I reckon we are about the same level, but given my skill mix, I will lose." The old ranger shrugs, "So no."


    He smashes a potion of some kind on the floor, and it releases a bright light and then a thick smoke. A shbang, essentially, and it stuns Jura briefly.


    A few arrows hit Jura''s wood armor, and the old ranger resumes fleeing. "General, where are the bombs?" He messages. "No. You do not have to worry about me. I''ll find a way out."


    And so the siege machines and the mages get in position, and they start to hurl rocks and spells at the forest.


    "They started the bombardment..." Yvon looks from the new walls they built, but as they brace for it, they notice the curvature of the projectiles drive the boulders and fireballs toward the forest.


    "Uh"


    "The forest"


    Right before the projectiles are about to make impact with the forests, my [subsidiary trees], of the hundred or so designated as [shield generators], kick in to action.


    Massive wood shields surround the trees, so the boulders and ordinary fireballs just collide against the shields, and leave some scratches and burns on the shields. I mean,pared the demonfire powered fireballs of Alexis, these fireballs and boulders are really basic, so, some damage is taken, but well within our limits.


    The army tries again, and the second, third volley of attacks simrly left only some damage on the shields.


    "What do you mean the bombardment is not working?" The ranger shouts through his message, as he flees. He seems to be getting caught in more spiderwebs as his concentration strays, but he is much faster than Jura, so Jura struggles to catch up.


    The old ranger is halfway out of the forest now, and frankly, I don''t n to let him live. So, the moment he slows down, as a bit of spiderweb catches him, I would unleash a few root strikes at him.


    And it would be blocked by that small buckler, or some other leg guards that he has, or the magical chainmail he has under his shirt.


    Nothing fatal, but its wearing him down. Each of my root strikes are filled with paralysis and poison, and the entire forest is releasing a kind of poison, a mix of Trevor''s abilities and my [poison field]. Its nothing lethal, especially over such short periods, but every little bit of the poison and paralysis is slowing the ranger down.


    And he takes in some antidotes, which rejuvenates him momentarily


    Another volley from the siege and mages. No effect, thanks to shield generators.


    "General, its not working. Strong wooden barriers are blocking our attacks around the forests and those shields can take hell of a beating.."


    "Ahhhhh!" A slight panic in the camp, as a group of beetles, about 300, emerge behind, attacking the siege machines and mages. They manage to destroy a few siege machines, but it is a trained army, some soldiers are already onsite to protect them and so they quickly reorganise. The mages redirect their attacks on the beetles instead. Each beetle, with their thick armor and the recent volcanic adaptation (which grants tiny amounts of fire resistance) can endure 1 fireball, so the mages need 2 shots to kill them.


    Additional fighters rush to protect the mages and siege machines, and the numbers are sufficient to overwhelm the 300 beetles. However it is enough, as that dyed and distracted those ranged attacks, and gives Trevor and me some breathing room to regenerate some of the weaker [shield generators]. There are some variation in the enemy, siege machines operated by higher levels men, and some stronger mages, who ordingly deal more damage.


    Back to the old ranger, Faly, I send more spiders after him, and he demonstrates hispetence as a forest ranger, cutting through the spiders as if they were nothing. But he is increasingly exhausted, and he realises it, knows what the n is.


    Every time he slows down, a root strike would appear somewhere, and I know I am gradually wearing him down.


    "Going somewhere so soon, old man?" Jura finally catches up again.


    "Tell me, those root strikes, from you?"


    "Ah. No." Jura attempts to sh his head off. He ducks.


    "That''s a shame." He somehow dodges and put some distance between himself and Jura, and throws some small knives. It hits the wooden barriers around Jura, and then explodes. "They''re not going to stop, are they?"


    It knocks Jura back a little. "I really hate explosive attacks. Keep getting them." He jumps and tries to close the gap with the old ranger, but the old man is still too fast. "And no, you''d be a fool to assume those root strikes will run out."


    He shoots a few arrows, but Jura gave me the opening I needed, two root strikes fly towards him as he tries to aim midair. He manages to react in time, but the root strikes breaks his shield buckler and armlets.


    "...oh dear." The old man flinches from the impact of the root strikes, and he smashes into a tree. Before he manages to recover from the impact, I quickly activate [constrict].


    Vines emerge from tree he''s on and entangles his legs, and then injects a poison through his skin.


    "Oh no." He then realises he is done for, as the vines quickly wrap around his entire body.


    Jurands right in front of him. "Well, looks like the bombardment stopped. I think they are busy now."


    "Kill me." The old man said, "As a soldier, this day wille eventually."


    "Oh? That''s not for me to decide."


    He stares at Jura. "You deny me this right?"


    "Ohe on. Your country burnt my vige and you want to y honorable? Please, did you somehow think I am in charge?"


    "Then who is?"


    Jura thinks for a while. "I almost answered you there, but, that... is a secret."


    A root appears, with the strongest paralysis and sleep poisons I have, and stabs him right above his heart, through the damaged chainmail. With that, the poisons spread quickly, and he loses consciousness within a few seconds.


    -


    The mages and soldiers, after a long 2 hour battle, defeat the group of 300 beetles but with quite a few casualties.


    "General Akbar, Faly lost consciousness." An adjutant reviews the magical artifact linked to Faly''s arm.


    "What." The general is deep in thought.


    "Should we resume bombing?" Another of the general''s assistants ask.


    "My gut feels tell me it is no point. You saw those shields, they take just a little damage from regr attacks and ordinary fireballs. We''ll just wear ourselves down doing the same thing. Get the mages to group together for a [grand fireball], and fling some oil barrels into the forest."


    Well, that''s no good.


    So before that happens, I activate my attack. Multiple tunnels appear throughout their camp. It''s a function of my [root tunnel] ability, and from them, thousands of beetles stream out, horns zing, charging into the soldiers.


    From above, they appear like a horde of ants that just got triggered, and a ck tide sweeps out of those holes.


    Then, [root field], [poison field] and then [root surge]. The field of roots slow down the soldiers, the field of poison weakens them, and the sudden surge of a wide area skewering of sharp roots from beneath the ground kills hundreds of unprepared regr soldiers, while harming some of the elites.


    "General, we are under attack! By a massive beetle force!"


    "How many?"


    "Maybe three thousand? It''s throughout our position and I have not gotten a good count, even our lookouts are under attack and they''ve not responded-"


    Before he finished the sentence a root strike emerges from underneath the camp the pierces the man through the chest, sshing some of his blood onto the general''s face.


    The general is armored with enchanted gear and probably has numerous abilities to protect himself, so I decide to first pick off the rest of his men. It''s probably too much effort to kill the general now.


    He draws his sword and lifts it up, and it glows with lightning. And he then pierces the ground with it, and I feel some electrical zaps. It stings a little, maybe like a small numbness. But no matter, I have plenty more to go.


    Another adjutant runs over, "General, the siege machines are under heavy attack from the roots emerging from the ground, and almost all of them has been destroyed."


    Together with Trevor and Dimitree, we unleash multiple root strikes on various positions of the enemy army, picking on the mid-tier ''elite'' forces, who are stronger than regr soldiers, but has limited defensive abilities against multiple root strikes.


    "Retreat and stay away from trees!" The general shouts, with some kind of skill, carries his message to his entire army.


    "General, our elites are falling-" Another root strikes pierce this assistant''s legs, but fail to deliver a lethal blow.


    "I know, the enemy''s targeting those stronger than the beetles. This is a trap, and the longer we stay the more we are going to lose." He shouts, and activates some kind of skill.


    The skill spreads out to the entire army, all the soldiers, those lightly wounded and even the heavily wounded, experience a sudden rejuvenation in their energy, their bleeding stopped temporarily although the wound remains, and their steps turn intorge, quick strides, unhindered by the [rooting field] or the [poison field].


    They retreat.


    Our kills, mine, and those of the beetlesbined, is probably about 3 to 4 thousand, though many, many more are injured. The beetles got most of the kills, and also suffered the most casualties, as I focused on the mid tier forces, and I think I got about 400 or so kills.


    Frankly if the battle went on, it''ll probably result in heavy casualties on both sides. The beetles are less effective than I expected, and that''s due to the general''s passive buffs for his entire army.


    They flee for as long as the general''s abilitysted, and that brought them quite far from New Freeka.


    And for now, the battle is over. I think the general will return with more firepower, but that is a worry for another day.


    [2 levels gained! You are now level 132!]


    [You gained a new skill : Serpentine Rootstrike]


    [Poison field and rooting field upgraded]


    [Shield generators upgraded]


    Oh. Best part of any battle.


    Spaizzer


    Layers


    description


    additional notes


    soul core


    the true immortal entity that gets reincarnated and lives life.


    artificial souls do not have this core


    core shell


    inner soul


    memories and very few skills are stored here, and depending on the condition of the soul, this means some ppl get reincarnated with them. most inner souls do not survive the reincarnation process, so in the case of heroes, special protective measures by the gods are necessary


    soul contracts are at this level. memories of spells and rituals are here.


    inner soul & outer soul barrier. reprsented by the soul "shell"


    outer soul


    where experience, levels gained are stored. produces life force and mana. Some rare skills are stored here. Titles are stored here as well. Also contains a blueprint of the soul spring


    demonic soul contracts exist at this level. heavenly blessings also exist here. level caps also eexost at this level due to restrictions in the size of the outer soul of artifical souls


    soul-inner body barrier. Represented by the "soul spring"


    takes life force and mana, and releases it into the inner body. may have certain filters or amplifiers which alter lifeforce and mana released into the inner body. Most learned abilities exist here, as something (either a brick, a runic alphabet etc etc) on the soul spring.


    destroying the soulspring is like sealing one''s abilities, as it means the body''s production of mana and life force slows to a trickle, and the skills learned are "disabled".


    inner body (mental and spiritual realm)


    a personal ''space''. this is the "mana pool" and the "life force" pool. its usually a mix of both, and the size of this grows together with levels, amd also the experienced gain. Some passives, curses, abilities exist in this space.


    gods may create special "wellsprings" that grant extra mana. certain personal tragedies and burdens, nightmares will also manifest here. familiars, summons, eidolons make a connection at this level to borrow, or share the mana and lifeforce with the host


    inner body and physical body barrier, represented by the "shore"


    absorption challenges manifest on the shore. it may suggest why certain organs are more adept than others, as it takes in more lifeforce naturally


    Certain skills, such as disabling abilities exist in this level. Such as disable-hands, or "chakra sealing" abilities here. Mana drain from enemies creates leaks at this level.


    physical body, represented by thend which borders the shore.


    the part which actually interacts with the outside world. experience, foods and what the person experiences in life is then absorbed here, and it is then carried by the inner body to then be absorbed by the outer soul


    physical damage taken here


    skin (physical body - external)


    external environment

 Extending vines

    Extending vines


    <b>Year 77 Month 8</b>


    <b>Few days after the battle</b>


    First things first, loot. Since the beetles did most of the fighting, New Freeka had no right to any of the loot and remains, so, the beetles collected all of the remaining armor, weapons and stuff, which is stored in my [tree-asury]. Ill trade them for something someday, though, there seem to be some magical items in there


    Next, is my prisoner. Frankly, I didnt think hes going to talk, and actually, I personally didnt really feel like interrogating him, which I feel is a waste of time. After all, Sh is an enemy and were ying defense. The things he can tell me, my prediction is, will be quite worthless.


    So, I didn''t waste time interrogating Faly, as my interest in him was more academic in nature. After stripping him of his remaining magical items and storing them in my [tree-asury], I turn to my main objective.


    Drugged with all kinds of paralysis and sleep, I put him inside a bib where I can investigate him, and eventually, I will suck him dry with my vines and feelers. I liked to see how a high level person looked under the hood, just topare. I have seen the heroes, Jura, Yvon, and now I have this ranger, and I wasted no time, to have a look under the hood.


    And there are some notable differences, mainly in where the mana and life force is strongest. The eyes, nose and ears are more pronounced than others, probably due to his need to be sensitive to his surroundings, and his soul spring, with all the stones around it,bined to create a nice fountain. Taking a good look at the fountain, there''s a kind of wooden frame around the fountain, in between the stones, and as I reach out to touch the stones, little tooltipse up, telling me what skills he has.


    And I try to yank the wood and stones that has this. I mean, its just something I always wanted to try, but did not do with people whom I consider my allies. I had always wondered what could happen if I took one of those rocks out.


    So I yank it. And it doesn''t move. Ah well. I keep trying, but instead it just hurts the ranger. It seems its magically "tied" and "intertwined" with the soul, via some kind of force.


    So I stop, and rest of a while. Maybe I just need more power.


    And after drawing a bit more mana and energy from the trees around me, I try to yank a rock on the fountain, again. It shakes, and I could tell that sense a huge amount of pain, but he remains unconscious and strapped in. Thank goodness of paralysis.


    The rock shakes, but then something pulls it back again. Its as if Im trying to pull a piece of metal away from a very powerful ma. I could, a bit, but then the ma pulls it back once my strength lets up.


    Uh.


    Not working. Borrowing the root-brains for some processing power, I calcte that the amount of energy I need to break that maic pull of the soul spring seems really really really high, so I decide its probably not going to work no matter how many times I try. Maybe this is like the atomic bond of souls, thats why I need shit amount of energy to break it.


    Its only if youre trying to break things. Fixing things is a lot easier, since those same forces work with you. The wisp, whispering his wisdom. Thanks dude.


    Well, I let the ranger sleep a day inside the bib, and then I resume testing the next day.


    Theres been quite a few other things I wanted to test, and it so happens I have a high level person whos body is suitable for it.


    Once again I enter the persons inner realm, and this time, I flooded the body with my mana. Its been something Im curious about since I did it with the hellhounds, and then with Alexiss body when shes contained within me. What if I did it with a living normal person, what happens then?


    His body vibrates intensely, struggling in the bib, as my mana, like a green tide, washes into the inner realm.


    [Specimenspatibility with injected mana is low. Specimen body is resisting. Prolonged exposure may result in mana poisoning]


    Ah. Did this happen before?


    Anyway, I keep it up, I still want to see what happens. The body ils inside the pod, kinda like a fish struggling to escape from an octopus.


    [Specimen body is experiencing mana poisoning]


    Okay, lets see what happens when I heal him.


    [Mana poisoning reduces magic and ability effectiveness]


    Really? I try injecting his body with the healing liquids from my [healing fruit], and also the [paralysis poison]. A conundrum, I suppose, but the healing just repairs damage, but does not cure the status ailment.


    [Mana poison is still in effect. Specimen bodys organs are starting to suffer damage].


    Heal? But I notice the healing is slower.


    Two full days passed, as I constantly drown the rangers body with my mana. Hes not dead yet, because one of the vines continue to supply his body with nutrients and air to stay alive, so I can continue to observe whats happening.


    Im actually curious, does the body actually gainpatibility over time? Or does the body continue to naturally reject my mana?


    [Specimen bodys organs are failing.]


    Ah. Heal?


    [Healing effectiveness is significantly reduced due to high levels of mana poisoning in the physical body. Specimens body is dying.]


    Oh.


    I couldnt stop it. The decay in the body is surprisingly quick, as the mana poisoning somehow makes to body turn on itself. Its as if the body is rejecting itself, and strangely, I kept watching. A part of me was like, this is a rare opportunity to witness death under a microscope, and some.


    And where I paid attention to most was the soul spring.


    I see thend surrounding the river andke that forms the persons mana start to break apart, as if a great earthquake is shattering them into small pieces, then the water in that river andke start to leak out into the nothingness, and it reveals a crumbling riverbed of some kind, filled with unusual marks. I couldnt see much, as the crumbling went on rather quickly.


    I wonder is it because he is dying too quickly.


    But I didnt wonder long, because i had to focus. I want to see what happens to the soul spring then.


    As the crumbling riverbed closes in on the soul spring, the spring starts to dry up, the height of the spring falling and eventually, stopped. Then, the rocks and the structure surrounding the soul spring start to break up too.


    This is something I waited for, so I reached out to it, and tried to grab hold of the rocks. As I touch them, they vanish, and poof-ed into dust. All of the rocks did.


    And all thats left is a bare, empty hole floating in the nothingness, as all thend and riverbed has crumbled away, the background changed into that of a bare emptiness. In a way, its like a ck hole sitting solitary in space. Perhaps at that empty whole, there was once a star, a soul here once.


    The soul has gone. The wisp whispers to my imaginary ears again.


    I see.


    [Youve managed to salvage some of the decaying skills! Due to the decay of death, the salvaged skills are of a lower quality than the original skills possessed]


    [Youve received the following, which can be used to create [seed-infused skill fruits]!]


    [ss seed - ranger] x 3


    [ss seed - beast tamer] x 2


    [skill seed - archery] x 2


    [passive seed - spark of brilliance] x 1


    Oh man. All these skill fruits are useless to me. But I guess Ill find use for them somewhere. Maybe Lausanne.


    [Youve witnessed death as it happens in the inner realm]


    [Familiar contracts upgraded - skill salvaging chance increase!]


    [Bib upgraded - post-mortem equipments, death sensors, death-dying equipment and body preservation added!]


    Hey. Thats something good. Finally. The physical body of the ranger stops iling, like a puppet with their strings cut off. Lifeless, the body is pale, greenish from the damage of the mana poisoning over the past few days of experimentation. Iter arranged for the corpse to be burnt.


    Meanwhile, the victory over the Sh army had made a lot of New Freekan devotees. A few days after the victory, they held some kind of feast in the courtyard of the [tree of prayer], where the leaders of the New Freeka thanked their lucky stars and the protection of the valleys spirit for their victory.


    It has free food, drinks, dances and performance, some kind of prayer and worship led by the treefolk, things like that.


    I mean, well, I feel somewhat ttered, that the citizens think that way, but the words of the leaders do feel quite hollow. Despite all the praise of their guardian and the so called will of the valley, they somehow manage to worm in a word or two on their supposed contributions.


    Perhaps its a thing with politicians, even in this world.


    <b>Year 77 Month 9</b>


    "Tree Spirit." Yvon speaks, it is rare for her toe alone to the main tree''s courtyard, but the fact that she did, means, probably there are changes in the way things are organised in the New Freeka council.


    She presents jewels, and other items I had previously requested, stored in some kind of a magical bag.


    "As you requested."


    "What is it, that you want?" Jura sneers. "For Lady Yvon herself to deliver the jewels, surely there is more to just delivery."


    "The freeloader!" Horns shout in my mind. Only to me, of course.


    Even I know that.


    She sighs, and nods. "It is as you say, Jura. After the victory over the Sh force, we have been receiving letters, messages, and envoys."


    She then shows a few of such letters, and passes them to Jura.


    "Some of the smaller nations nearby are greatly impressed, by our sessful defense. And would like to form some ties."


    "Freeloader!!! And now they take credit for the beetle''s sacrifice!!!" Horns shout. He''s not too happy that beetles were the one who suffered the most casualties, as it will take a month or two to regenerate their numbers.


    Jura somehow seems to be synchronised with Horns, and he sneers, "Such opportunistic behavior. Only after such a grand disy of power that you get offers."


    Yvon nods, "That''s how anyone would see it, but look from their perspective. They wouldn''t dare anger a country the size of Sh, so naturally, they would avoid any association with us. But that changes when that 50,000 army retreated. Now, we are like a new power in the region, a force able to stand up to Sh, and so, these smaller nations now view us more positively."


    "Us? Us? They had no casualties inbat? Put your men inbat, then you can say us!" Horns is rather grumpy I think. He''s not too fond of the New Freekans, mainly because he feels some of the dead beetles did not have to die if New Freeka lent some help.


    I mean, I personally think the beetles are just a self-replenishing mob, but Horns clearly cares for his hive.


    Jura sneers again, also somehow synchronised. "I don''t appreciate the ''we'' and ''us'' being thrown around. New Freeka did absolutely nothing. We only assisted once we found out they were first targeting the valley."


    Well, Jura''s hiding some details about our own chequered history with Sh there, but hey, he''s the guy with the [diplomat] job.


    Yvon gives out a long sigh. "...indeed. And that is why I''m here. We are in an awkward position, as New Freeka is clearly relying on TreeTree''s ability for defenses to hold Sh off, and yet to the outside world, our neighbouring nations and Sh don''t know that. They are under the impression that New Freeka is the one controlling all the forces."


    "Master. They are freeloaders!" Horns, I think you need to stop shouting. I get it.


    "Then rify. Tell them New Freeka did nothing, and it is the valley''s protector who did." Jura retorts. "You do not want to overstate your military prowess and face the consequencester."


    Yvon sighs, "I wish it was so simple. But the people of New Freeka too, wants to believe that the tree spirit is on our side."


    "Yvon, you, of all people, should know that TreeTree cares very little of New Freeka. It''s a transactional arrangement, one out of favor. It is about time you let the people of New Freeka know as well."


    "I.. I can''t. I can''t snuff out their hopes like that. The tree spirit, is their newfound pride, their source of stability in this world. If I tell them that, I I am afraid a riot may break out."


    "Then crush it."


    "Permission to let them run riot. Then we may have beetles running riot too!" Horns interjects in my mind.


    "Even the councillors want to believe it, and they want to believe that TreeTree will protect them. It seems it is my mistake, for being vague and unclear about the real rtionship of New Freeka and TreeTree."


    "So?"


    "I erm can TreeTree officially be our guardian and protector?"


    "Shameless!" Hornsmentates "Freeloaders and these beggars want to demand our masters protection?!"


    <i>Oh shush now.</i> I''ll think about it.


    "What do I get in exchange?" I spoke into both their minds, and Yvon pauses.


    "Uh our loyalty?"


    "Rejected. I care not for that, and you have no way of ensuring loyalty. I demand servitude. I have need of minions to carry out my demands."


    "Uh"


    "Make Jura and the elves royalty of New Freeka. Jura and Laufen will be my two spokespersons, they will y the role of as the new joint rulers of New Freeka, and the rest of you as advisors. From henceforth, the one who rules will be Jura and Laufen. All citizens of New Freeka is so acknowledge their position as your new joint monarchs. They will be the voice of my will, my elven avatars."


    Jura seems surprised by that, "TreeTree, that" I think he didn''t expect that, but seriously, I have been wanting to give Jura direct ruling powers for some time. The arguments and issues we had with New Freeka over the past few years, especially thest few months really solidified that view, that Jura deserves a seat at the council, such that my demands are heard and known, my needs are respected andplied by these people. Unlike the treefolk, who seem perfectly content living in their small viges, or the centaurs who are simrly happy to have their hillside slopes, these New Freekans have been creating the most problems.


    Yvon herself too seems shocked, and her mouth just gasps, a little too dumbfounded to respond, and she takes a few deep breaths will just staring at Jura and my main tree before she finally manages to respond.


    "Ah we we are founded to be a council, a collective rulership, such that everyone has a say. To to return to a monarchy would be against against our founding principles. It the council and the people will not ept it."


    "Then be gone. New Freeka stands alone." I respond, not like I really needed them. Its really more of a mutual coexistence since they have the ability to partake in trade to acquire materials that are not avable locally.


    "Ah. Please wait, Tree Spirit. Let me have some time to discuss this with the wider council. Such a crucial decision, I alone cannot make this decision. I will summon a meeting immediately."


    Jura too seems to be taken aback, "...ah, TreeTree we may need to discuss this."


    "Later." And then I turn to Yvon. "Go, gather your council."


    Ah and so Yvon runs back, leaving the jewels behind.


    "Horns, we got the jewels already, lets break your first level cap."


    "TreeTree, wait. About that proposal earlier, to make us king, are are you serious?"


    "Yes." Well, not really, but if New Freeka agrees to it, I dont mind at all.


    "Please reconsider." Jura shakes his head. It is a position Im not willing to bear, a weight I cannot carry.


    "I must have my position heard and respected on New Freeka. Lets see what they are willing to give.


    Jura gulps. Surely there is room topromise with them, something that does not involve usurping the entire ruling council? Even I think that sounds a bit too much, although theyve been absolutely deadweights in the past two battles with Sh.


    Well, I am willing topromise, but lets see how sincere they are in their counter-proposal.


    -


    Meanwhile, Yvon quickly gathers her council for an urgent meeting.


    The Tree Spirit wants to make Jura and Laufen monarchs? Kings?


    Yvon gulps and nods.


    No absolute monarchs and kings! Quite unanimous, the decision from the councillors, none of them want to have a king over their head, and New Freeka models itself after the elvish republics.


    Then we lose our protection. Were all on the walls when the battle happened. Youve seen the fury and damage the Tree Spirit can bring.


    I still cant help but think this sounds a lot like a criminal gangs extortion. One of them says.


    The tree spirit has no reason to help us, so quash that thought. Yvon res at the rest of them. But at the same time, I too, disagree with having a king over our new nation. It is not something our people wanted, and I believe most of them are happy with the way things are.


    New Freeka organises itself into multiple districts, and each district elects 3 councilmen to the high council. So, in a way, there is a fair bit of representation by the people, which does help in making the locals feel somewhat connected to their rulers. Its a partly-democratic structure, though the title of councilmen does often seem to pass from father to son, due to the familys influence, even in such a young state.


    Then


    So, what are we willing to give? Yvon.


    Give?


    Look, if we are to negotiate this with the Tree spirit, we better be prepared to offer some meaningful concessions, or give some rights away. Without the Tree Spirits protection, New Freekas chances of survival is rather slim. The Tree Spirits annoyance at us was very clear in that previous meeting, I frankly do not want to have that annoyance turn into outright hostility. I hope everyone now understands why this meeting is so urgent.


    All the councillors nce ufortably at each other.


    Unfortunately, I agree with Lady Yvons assessment, and so


    King is totally out of the picture, the people like the leaders the way it is now. Even if the tree spirit turns against us, I think none of our people will agree to having a king.


    If we tell them this is to secure the Tree Spirits protection


    No. I know our chances are slim without the Tree Spirit, but we are a sovereign nation. If we agree to have someone else rule over our heads, thats against what we have fought for all this while.


    Oh cut the political bullshit. We didnt fight a bit. One councillor says. All the fighting so far has been done by the Tree Spirits minions.


    I meant the fighting figuratively, as in.. our struggle so far. Anyway, are you on our side or the Tree Spirits side? You really want a king to rule over us?


    Thats not what I meant. We must know what exactly we are dealing with here, and to do so, we must recognise we are very vulnerable. The other councillor rebukes. Its a messy argument, with a lot of side conversations.


    "So, so, can we have some consensus? I believe it''s clear we will refuse having a king. But are we willing to give Jura and Laufen a seat, and ordingly, authority?" Yvon tries to steer the conversation back to the topic. These councilmen tend to go off tangent sometimes.


    There is an awkward look among everyone, as they shrug. It took one of the more daring councillors to finally say, "Yes.", then all the others started agreeing.


    "Fine, now that we agree to give them a seat, what will be their authority? Remember, it must be something concrete, with actual powers, else the Tree Spirit will not agree."


    "Then what are we willing to give?"


    "Administrator of the valley? Forest master?"


    "The tree spirit won''t ept that. It''s no fool. Its already master of the valley, and does not need us to grant it that sort of authority. It muste from something only we can give. Our men. Our money. Ability to directly intervene in our affairs. "


    "Fine, lets go about giving Jura and Laufenbined voting rights over the military, diplomatic affairs, they also get a share of our tax collection as ''tribute'', and smaller voting rights on domestic, trade, and policing."


    The councillors went about debating the finer points of the proposed rights and powers of Jura and Laufen, as politicians are often inclined to do.


    "Okay, so those are their rights and powers, but how do we give it to them without making the rest of the poption feel that this is something arbitrary and without basis? As it is, some districts are already uneasy over their representation, and are demanding for more councilmen."


    One of the rare centaur councillors then speak up. "I believe, the treefolk worship the Tree Spirit, do they not?"


    The councillors, turn, mostly out of surprise.


    "If so, we can follow how some elven kingdoms have special positions for the senior members of the church."


    "Are you suggesting elevating the tree spirit to a god?"


    "In principle, yes. From the powers we have seen, he is might as well be a local deity. So, a spokesperson of a local deity surely can be given a formal position in the ruling council, with special rights reflecting the local deity''s influence in the area."


    "...ah"


    "There is precedent. The Dwarven Nation of Prummash far north gives the Great Forge Serpent''s chosen a special position in their advisors council."


    "What matters is then how we convey this decision to the people"


    "If the tree spirit epts it."


    "If it doesn''t?"


    "...we''ll have to figure it out."


    And with that, Yvon''s meeting is over, and Yvon returns to meet us, this time with 6 other councillors.


    "So, have you agreed?" My voice speaks into their mind.


    The 7 exchange nces before Yvon takes a gulp, and she steps forth. "Tree Spirit, we we are truly humbled that you''ve assisted us during the defense of New Freeka, and our words cannot describe the gratitude we have for sparing us from the bloodshed of battle."


    <i>"Ah the freeloader has finally learnt gratitude, eh?"</i> Horns seem to be happy.


    "Spare me the flowery words. I take you''ve decided not to ept my proposal." Ive been in enough meetings to know that what starts flowery often ends in a refusal.


    They pause. I wonder how I sound in their minds sometime.


    "Ah we we have a counterproposal. Something that would be more aligned to our own founding ideals. We would propose to create a special religious role for both Jura and Laufen, whereby the Tree Spirit is elevated to that of a local deity."


    Jura pauses, he seems to be thinking.


    "In this way, Jura and Laufen gains a position as the Voice of the Tree Spirit, which will have simr rights and authority to that of a religious leader. As the Voice, they will have significant authority, in areas of the military, diplomacy, and external trade. We alsomit that our military will be split into a few divisions, with one third of it will be under themand and rule of the Voice, and to enforce the demands of the Tree Spirit, within the framework of authority that the Voice has."


    Ah, hmmm, a third of New Freekas forces.


    They will be given a special name of your choosing, such to differentiate them for the regr military.


    Theres a silence, perhaps for a few seconds, before Yvon continues.


    And we will formally now set up a new institution under the Voice, and we will contribute a sizeable portion of our tax collection to this institution, which will also fund the force.


    Oh, and tax revenues too. A third. Of all tax revenues and collections. I speak into their minds, and they freeze. The 7 councillors exchange nces, and then they nod.


    Yes. A third.


    Anything else? At this point, New Freeka is willing to offer a third of their military, and their tax money to me, so, Im actually quite satisfied with the offer.


    Uh Yvon shakes her head. Thats all we could give?


    Well, in terms ofnd, I do control the valley, and thats been my right since day one. New Freeka only controls the un-forested areas further south, therge farnds, and the town itself.


    Never mind.


    An awkward silence. Perhaps they are waiting. Even Jura, he looks a bit worried.


    I agree to it it, in exchange for my participation in New Freekas defense. My thoughts behind this is fairly simple, I do intend to somehow rule over New Freeka eventually, but at the same time, I do realise that putting Jura, as King over New Freeka is extremely sudden, and most likely, the New Freekans themselves, the 50,000 o non-humans are going to resist it, and I would have a rebellion on hand.


    Not that crushing it wont be an issue, but that would dy my ability to gain the necessary resources to further upgrade the rest of my artificial souls and research.


    So this sort of transitory arrangement helps, and I think it will give Jura and Laufen the necessary experience needed, let them learn about managing a town, before ultimately usurping the entire New Freeka. Itll be easier to boil the frogs of New Freeka gradually, so let them get used to having Jura as a member of their ruling ss, before, one day, taking over them entirely. Ruling the New Freekans by proxy isnt a bad idea anyway, at least the nitty gritty of people-management is left to the appointed proxy, and the world would look at the town, not at me directly.


    And really, the tax revenue will help. I can buy more jewels. And weird artifacts. Im really eager to test out that ability I gotten when I evolved to a [starsoul tree].


    -


    <b><i>A few dayster</i></b><ul><li>Beetle - basic magicalnces - <iplete</i></li><li>Eye-Tree Stage I research option unlocked - 18 months remaining</li><li>Enhanced exoskeletons -<iplete</i></li><li>Enhanced interior structures - 1 months remaining</li><li>Large beetle pods - 3 months remaining</li><li>Beetle - anti-magma armors stage 2 - 9 months remaining</li><li>Fruit bombs - increased range and power - 3 months remaining</li><li>Tree - volcanic adaptation stage 3 - 18 months remaining</li></ul>


    Ill need to start working on the volcano again. The enhanced exoskeletons grants the beetles stronger, faster bodies, but at the expense of consuming some of my harvested metals and some essences, and also longer regeneration time if they die, while the beetle magicalnces, even though Ipleted the research, is not immediately usable as I need to obtain some kind of mines, before they can be infused into the beetles themselves.


    Ah.


    So I do need a mine, preferably with one that will supply me with non-ordinary resources, such that I can further upgrade the beetles. There is a natural limit on how I can keep upgrading them with ordinary items, without giving them the ability to level via an artificial soul. Also, at the rate of my mineral harvesting from the earth, I have sufficient metals to support only 4,000 beetles with the enhanced exoskeleton.


    So lets recap.


    Guys, what are our priorities? I call on my artificial souls for a meeting.


    Take over the volcano! Kill all the golems! Horns say. Hes just had his upgrade as a [Baron Beetle], increasing his level cap to 30. The upgrade grants the beetles around him extra strength, armor and speed. Still, its not sufficient to take on the golems. They are just far toorge and tough.


    And?


    Locate additional minerals, resources and leylines. Trevors turn. Were actively sending some beetles to scout on the faraway locations.


    Upgrade? Spiders, fruits, healing. All require upgrades.


    Thanks for the reminder, Dimitree. We do need anti-air. That reminds me, where the hell did I leave that airship from Sh?


    Were you not working on it thest time then you broke it apart and then dumped it into your treasury? I think you got stuck when the bib couldnt look into the materials or decipher the runes. Thats Trevor, digging through my memories faster than I can remember it myself.


    Really? Was it that long ago? I try to dig through my own mind Oh god, its already 3 years ago. I think Im also getting more forgetful.


    Trevor, can you do me a favor and help me track all my outstanding tasks.


    Certainly. Ill create a task manager in your interface.


    And a calendar.


    ...will do so.


    Then mark when the date of the 10 year anniversary from the demon kings death. I want a countdown timer in my interface. I fear I may forget, as I move onto all these lesser missions.


    Spaizzer Oh I got more patreons! Thanks so much! To celebrate, this chapter is early (it''s not a week yet), and I''m working on a few side stories, and will beposting them real soon!

 Side stories 1: Alexis and Meela

    Side stories 1: Alexis and Me


    Side stories - Alexis and Me


    Sometime around Year 77, Month 9.


    Looking at the skies again? Mes soul pops up in Alexiss mind. It seems theres a kind of sharedwork that exists for all the souls and artificial souls under TreeTrees care. Perhaps its the [roo]s ability.


    I always do. Alexis sits on the branch of her bib, from the outside it looks like a veryrge tree, but inside its filled with all sorts of unusual equipments. I really like the sky. Its orangey today.


    I can somewhat imagine it. Isnt it nice, not having to run here and there, fighting all the time, just to gain levels?


    ...its not a bad change in pace. But her face is a bit sulky.


    But its not enough for you, isnt it?


    Alexis looks up, theres a small orange cloud floating overhead. ...yeah.


    Why?


    Alexis shakes her spiritual legs. For those not attuned to magic, shell appear as a wisp, a faint blob of blue light on top of a branch, for those with the right affinity to spiritual magic, she appears as a young girl, but ethereal, that is bonded and lives in that bib. She is, in a way, the bib, and this ethereal body is just a form, a projection from that bib.


    I always thought wed survive. Like heroes in all those stories. A happy ending for all of us.


    Eh? Youre the one doing the most research and saying wed all most likely die. The rest of us were just winging it.


    I mean, I had the data staring at me, telling me otherwise, but a part of me still, truly, believed in that fantasy, that all things will end well.


    Youre just like all of us after all. Perhaps theres a smile somewhere in there.


    ...yeah.


    Alexis looks up again, the sun is gradually setting, and theres just a few clouds. One of the moons is already visible, its glow is faint, but as the sky darkens, itll get clearer, and clearer.


    I I thought of what Id do after the war. After the demon king.


    Oh?


    Id go on a holiday. A world tour, properly, this time. Not our rushed city-to-city killing big monsters kind of tour. Take the time to hike the highest mountains, and see the unchartednds, explore the world


    That sounds like being an adventurer.


    Alexis pauses, and blushes. Ah.. yeah. I guess it does. But here I am, stuck here serving the tree spirit as a research assistant.


    Hey, thats what all of us end up doing, if were still at home. Working in dead end jobs.


    They bothugh. Well, thats a good point. This is a dead end job, isnt it?


    One that you have to work for 1,000 years.


    Man, thats depressing to think about. And look at me, Im this tree.


    You should ask for a holiday. Ask for normal employment terms, leave days and sick leave.


    Uh I highly doubt soul contracts has allowances for leave days and sick leaves. Alexisughs.


    Eh, I think everything can be negotiated. Perhaps some kind of arrangement can be made. Look at Yvon, shes still out and about even though theres a soul contract in her.


    Thats cause shes not dead yet!


    Ahhhh Mes probably making an embarrassed face. She doesntprehend soul magic all that well.


    Anyway. Im stuck here. And TreeTree doesnt trust me.


    Of course he doesnt. You tried to take over his body. Now that I think of it, hes being generous to give you this dead-end job youreining about.


    Its my survival instincts!


    Yeah yeah.


    An awkward silence.


    We probably should talk about something less touchy.


    Yeah.


    What were you thinking of doing after the war, Me?


    Me? I didnt think about much, but I thought Id be a princess. Have high-tea in some fancy pce, eat dessert, walk in pretty gardens and stuff.


    Doesnt that mean you have to marry some prince?


    Uh I suppose so. Ill have first choice, wont I? Im a hero after all.


    And doesnt that mean you have to.. You know sleep with them?


    Me pauses, I didnt think of that. Id pick a handsome one with no body odor then. But yeah, Id like to be a princess. This is another world, and being a princess like those fairytales would be something Id like to do.


    But itll be you thats rescuing the prince, because youre the hero, and hes not. Hell be the dude in distress!


    Whats wrong with that?


    Uh nothing, but its strange I guess.


    Youre kooky, Alexis.


    Uh. You too, Me.


    You know, I still really like one of the princesss gowns. Its so pretty. Remember Princess inas of the Faroah isles? I really liked her sea-shell dress during the reception they threw for us. It really captured the essence of a mermaid.


    All I remember is her trying to hit on Max so hard. She was really trying to give herself to him.


    Oh I remember that. What, were you jealous? Wait. You liked Max?


    No I didnt! But I just remembered how ridiculous the princess was. Alexis shakes her head. All the touching, and flirting its just so horrifying to watch. Its like a train crash in slow motion happening.


    But shes really pretty. And if Max doesnt have [immunity to charms], hed fall for her.


    I dont think its the charms though. Alexis shrugs. Notice how none of us ever eyed any of the good looking men or women we meet throughout our journey? I think its the effect of the [hero] title. Until our quest is done, we wont be sidetracked by such stuff.


    Oh man. Me sighs. Did that mean I missed all the good men that could have been in my life too?


    Maybe. You couldve been a princess, if youre not a hero.


    Oh well.


    "It''s not fair" Alexis sulks


    "Huh?"


    "We spent years fighting demons, hunting them throughout the world and we killed the demon king. And what did we get? No special reincarnation from the gods. No post-battle reward, to thank us for our sacrifice, those years of constant gruesome fighting. Isn''t the gods just using child soldiers in a way?"


    "Uh. I never thought it like that. I thought it a privilege, a responsibility for those with our gifts. And we are no longer the teens we once were."


    "Just a few years, Me."


    "..."


    But we have a second chance here. Were still in this world. We can still reap the rewards of our sacrifice.


    Mes spirit bobs. I dont like the sound of that.


    No. No no no. I mean I dont have to be trapped in this dead end job forever.


    The soul contracts on you


    Maybe TreeTree can release me from it. Then we can travel the world.


    Uhwe can travel the world if we wait 1,000 years. We could just go and sleep in the [soul realm], and wake up 1,000 yearster.


    You can do that, I cant. So these 1,000 years will be a lot longer for me. If I have to keep doing research for the next 1,000 years I might go mad."


    "Well, talk to TreeTree? A bit of honesty, and maybe you can achieve something big for him. Then he can free you from your contract."


    "Huh. I certainly dont n to serve- Alexis winces in pain, its an intense one and sends Alexis into a kind of fidgeting shock.


    Oh dear. You triggered it.


    The painsted for a good 10 minutes, Me, a floating soul, could only watch as her friend is in intense pain.


    Ugh man that was a bad headache. What was I saying? Where was I? What were we talking about? Alexis finally recovers from the pain, and seems to be having some kind of amnesia.


    Me pauses, before deciding not to remind Alexis of the discussion. Oh nothing, we were just talking about dresses. Remember Lady Alice''s silver bling dress...


    Spaizzer heres a short story since i got more patreons. yay

 Side stories 2 – Lausanne

    Side stories 2 ¨C Lausanne


    Side stories


    Rx, and be focused. TreeTree whispers into my mind.


    A small wolf. Thats my real opponent today, and I felt a bit intimidated by idea of fighting a small wolf, as my first non-sparring opponent. But its a monster that appears all the time in the forest, so TreeTree says, its probably the easiest one around.


    Still, not easy for me. Its still bigger than me!


    It growls, baring its fangs


    At the back of my mind, I know TreeTrees watching. So is Horns, the giant fighting beetle, and maybe Jura somewhere. So I try to rx, but, its different.


    Theres real anger in the wolf, a real ''presence'' of true hostility. Perhaps its hungry. It growls again, and it changes its posture, and it looks at me with those angry eyes.


    I look at the spear in my right hand, and the dagger in my left. I practiced for this. I practiced a long time for this, and so, I believe I can do it. I have in engraved in my mind thanks to so many dreams of me just swinging the spear and the dagger.


    No, I must do it.


    A hero must do, what a hero musts.


    The wolf charges, our eyes meet. My grip on the spear tightens, and I wait for the moment. It feels instinctive, Im one with the spear, its a small one, so I cant use a full sized spear yet, but its enough.


    The wolf enters range.


    And it pounces.


    I duck and instantly activate my ability [Powerstrike], it feels natural, like the times I practiced with Horns and Jura. The spears tip pierces through the wolfs hide, and it whimpers in pain.


    Our eyes meet, as the wolf tries to take a look at the stab wound, blood sttering out. And I see the pain in the wolfs eyes. This might be the moment it dies. And it whimpers, one of sorrow.


    Like a dog.


    A part of me wavered that instant, and my spears direction shifted slightly. Its enough to change it from a fatal strike, into one that will only leave a deep cut.


    The wolf falls behind me, but because its not fatal, it manages to get up, and then run away, leaving a trail of blood dripping onto the dirt floor as it flees.


    And yet, I didnt give chase.


    I froze.


    My mind somehow reys that real pain in the wolfs eyes. The whimpering voice, that almost dog like sound.


    Youre okay? TreeTree whispers.


    I I couldnt do it.


    A part of me curses myself then. Is this how my dreams of being a hero ends?


    Am I not meant to be a hero? Heroes kill monsters!


    The first time you draw blood says a lot. Jura walks over, still holding his bow and arrow, ready if the battle went bad. How do you feel?


    I Im disappointed. Im angry. Why couldnt I do it? I look at Jura, and he smiles. His big hands holds me on my shoulders, and gives me a shake.


    Why are you disappointed?


    Because heroes are supposed to y monsters! But I failed. Didnt you tell me that some heroes started fighting monsters when they were 6 or 7? Does that mean I cant be a hero?


    Jura shakes me again.


    Are heroes mindless fighting golems?


    No I mean, heroes are supposed to be like gods in the battlefield, no. The power of the heavens made flesh, the fury of a hurricane made into human form.


    So, why are you disappointed? Is it really the right thing to feel?


    Uh


    The question is this, why did you have to kill the wolf?


    Because its a monster?


    Why do you have to kill monsters?


    Because monsters hurt people?


    Did it hurt you?


    Well, not yet.


    So why do you have to kill it?


    Because it could hurt me?


    Then youll be killing everyone.


    Its very likely to hurt me and shows aggression? If I didnt, I would be hurt.


    Good point, but in this case, youve wounded it and chased it away. Is that sufficient?


    Uncle Jura, you''re giving me the moral answer again. I can sense it when youre lying and don''t believe what you say. Im young, but I know it when I hear it. Uncle Jura will kill anyone that even scratches us, maybe only TreeTree can stop him.


    Jura shrugs, and rubs his head. Heh. Well its actuallyes with experience, young Lausanne. When you meet more people, and meet more monsters, you will be able to better judge who do you spare, and who do you kill.


    So that was the morally correct answer? I think the standard education that all elves, all parents try to give, is to be morally just. But I live in a world of wars, even 8 year old children like myself know the morally correct is just words. I live, in a world where might makes right. Where heroes can order nations, because their powers give them that right. Where demons can crush nations overnight, because their might is stronger.


    Jura pauses, kneels next to me and rubs me on the head. Yes. I have to tell you what is morally correct to do. When you deviate from them, you must be able to answer to yourself, why did you deviate from what is morally correct. I may not truly believe in them, but that is because I know what is important to me."


    Well, a hero should do what is morally just. Do they? Maybe there are other ways of thinking. Or I am trying to take the easy way out?


    I sometimes think being a hero is really hard. All these types of justice, fairness, how do they think about these kind of things in the heat of battle?


    --


    A weekter, I asked TreeTree to let me fight the forest monsters again.


    I thought long about it. I mean, its hard to think about it. Im only 8, and I get headaches when I think for too long, and when I do, I feel like going to the yroom and just y with my wooden toys again.


    So, why do you want to fight again? Jura asks. Maybe a part of him wishes I stop this hero dream of mine, I sometimes still hear Uncle Jura say that when he talks with mom.


    I don''t know. I just want to. Maybe I will get better."


    "That''s not a good reason."


    "I just want to." I insist.


    "Just because you want, does not mean you can get." Uncle Jura frowns, and gives me that look when I am being a bit difficult.


    "Okay. But I still want to fight monsters. I want to level up, gain experience."


    Jura sighs, and he probably knows I''ll run to the forest myself anyway, since TreeTree''s always there looking out for us. "Fine, be careful."


    So I found another small wolf to fight. There are lesser animals, like those giant rats or big squirrel like stuff that live in the forest, eating whatever fruits and leaves that grow here.


    This time, I want to beat it, but, maybe I don''t have to kill it. Do I still get experience that way?


    We spot each other, and the wolf sizes me up. I think thats what its doing when it eyes seem to roam.


    "Hello wolf. I''d like to fight you."


    The wolf growls. Well, I growl back. Naturally my growl isn''t really threatening.


    It enters into abat stance, so do I, my spear and dagger ready.


    It charges, again, same movement like the earlier wolf. Somehow the animals have movesets that we can learn.


    I duck.


    [Powerstrike].


    But this time, I aim somewhere in the side. It won''t kill it instantly, but it''ll do some harm.


    The wolf winces in pain, and my dagger on my left hand swings in, andnds a few cuts.


    It swipes, and its ws manage to scratch me.


    <em>"Ow!" </em>That really, really hurt. I''m bleeding, a gash right on my left arm, from my wrist up till my elbow, and its bleeding.


    Pain. I feel like my entire left hand stings. Mom won''t like that. I better get back and hope it doesn''t fester.


    The wolf is injured too, the cuts and the stab from the spear is causing it to bleed. I think it did to me.


    "Lausanne, are you alright?" TreeTree speaks into my head.


    "Fine, bleeding. Can you help meter?"


    "Okay."


    The wolf charges, trying to take advantage of the time I am still talking to TreeTree. But my instincts, born from years of dreams, and constant practice, manage to react in time, and so, I duck, and stab the wolf again in the abdomen with my short spear.


    It whimpers, as it falls onto the dirt floor. And it''s voice weakens. Its defenseless, the 2nd stab drained its strength, and it could only limp.


    It still looks at me. This time, its eyes a mix of anger, and fear.


    Should I kill it? I wonder to myself.


    My left hand is bleeding, bloods dripping, and yet, my grip on the dagger remains. The wolf takes two steps back, limping.


    Should I? It hurt me.


    What would a hero do? Depends on which hero, isnt it? Some would kill this wounded wolf, some would spare it, if it shows no further hostility.


    If I were a hero, what would I do?


    My eyes meet with the wolf again. It growls at me as it steps back.


    I think Ill take its life.


    I thrust my spear at the wolf.


    A loud ng.


    My spear, blocked by Juras sword. He pushes my spear back, turns, and then shoos the wolf away, and lets the wolf slowly limp off.


    Lausanne. He turns, and notices the bleeding on my left arm.


    Whyd you stop me, uncle Jura? Why did he block my spear?


    I think youre not ready to take a life yet.


    Is it? Why?


    Because you are not. Now dont argue with me and lets go back to TreeTree and get that gash patched up, before your mommy nags me for not looking after you.


    I sigh. Oh well.


    -


    <strong><em>Stats page </em></strong>


    Lausanne Ric, Level 20 (cumtive)


    Elf girl, aged 8


    Elf warrior (Level 11)


    Skills <ul><li>Powerstrike</li><li>Basic evasive steps</li><li>Spear experience- medium</li><li>Dagger experience - low</li><li>Basic pain endurance</li><li>Improved reaction - basic</li><li>Shadow Stab</li></ul>


    Viger (4 levels)


    Skills<ul><li>Disease resistance - basic</li><li>Cottonwork - basic</li><li>Olivework - advanced</li></ul>


    General (5 levels)


    Skills<ul><li>Basic endurance</li><li>Advanced reading and writing -mon tongue</li><li>Blessed by a soul tree</li></ul>


    Spaizzer


    Okay, next regr chapter... next week!

 A New Order

    A New Order


    <b>Year 77 Month 10</b>


    Laufen, Jura, Belle, Emile, Lausanne, even Wahlen, Brich came back. They meet in the main room in the secret hideout, seated in a circle.


    I called everyone here to discuss the announcement from the High Council. Jura starts their meeting, the high council announced the arrangement a day ago, after formalising the necessary amendments to their rules andws, to incorporate the existence of the new positions and institutions.


    How could we not? Wahlen shrugs. Everyone in my workce is talking about it, and asking me whether I get anything"


    Jura sighs, "First of all, you might have heard the story, but let''s just go through why this is happening. TreeTree, has decided that he wants arger role in the affairs of New Freeka, since TreeTree has been tangled in multiple battles due to New Freekas hostile rtionship with Sh, and providing free protection withoutpensation or representation isnt what TreeTree considers to be an ideal arrangement. This will give TreeTree the greater ability to choose the battles it fights, and avoids those it doesn''t want to participate in."


    "But isn''t that what tree spirits do?" Brich asks. "Tree spirits raised by elves protect their cities and capitals? Are they not benevolent spirits of the earth that protects the inhabitants and their surroundings?"


    "Thats a story often passed down, but the truth is not so simple. We do not know what price does the elven nations pay to their tree spirits, in order to obtain their assistance. If there are, I would think they are secrets of the kings and the royal court. Perhaps the Tree spirits of those nations owe the elves some kind of favor too. We cannot use the charity of other tree spirits as an expectation of TreeTrees demands and conduct."


    The other elves nod, prompting Jura to continue.


    "A healthy ecosystem must have everyone ying their part. A New Freeka that does not contribute back to the system is not productive to the entire valley."


    "Ecosystem?"


    "Yeah, a word from TreeTree. It means the system of how each individual and creature in the valley interacts with each other."


    An awkward pause.


    "Ah. Back to the announcement. TreeTree decided to appoint me Supreme Counsel, and Laufen as Vice Counsel, of the newly set up Valtrian order. Now, what this means is that, both of us are now part of the high council of New Freeka."


    "Some of them say its a power grab." Wahlen voices out the rumors from the ground. Theres plenty other such thoughts and rumors passing around...


    "In some ways, it is." Jura nods. "Fact is, a third of all tax collected are now under our control, and so is a third of the militia. A skeleton group of administrative staff and treasury has been assigned to assist the Valtrian order as well. And that is a heavy burden we now have to bear, to fulfill TreeTree''s will"


    Another moment of silence, as everyone digests the meaning of this change. Its big, since the 7 of them are named as the ''Selected'', special individuals that TreeTree hasmanded to be specially protected. In time, this may mean having guards assigned to each of them.


    "Any thoughts?"


    Wahlen grumbles, "Uncle Jura, to be honest, I I dont really care what TreeTree wants to do. I am trying to move on, actually. We lived years under the TreeTree''s care and protection, like refugees, like war victims, and now, there is a town that springs up next to Freeka, one of nonhumans like us, that we can return and now live a life as regr people again. A life, simr to the past, before all this destruction. I even have a job now and friends!"


    Jura pauses, and he looks at Wahlen. "TreeTree"


    But before Jura could continue his response, Wahlen already continued. " I understand that all this is actually possible because TreeTrees presence and protection of New Freeka. But this pronouncement does make our life a little bit moreplicated.


    "I understand. After living so long in the shadows of war, all of us would really cherish these moments of normalcy and calm"


    "I would like to continue having anormal, like everyone else. Live a life in a town, work Being a part of the ruling elite is something that never crossed my mind." Wahlen and Brich moved to New Freeka to work and live some time ago, and frankly, I can see why.


    Its disruptive for the life youve tried to rebuild in New Freeka, but please, bear with us. Theres bigger things at y here. Jura nods. Ill try not to disrupt your life as much as we can., so you can still live some of that normal life. But things will change, and not everything will remain normal.


    Wahlen sighs. I suppose that will be all I can ask.


    Its Brich''s turn to speak. "Were going to be special, isnt it.


    Laufen nods. "Yes. A strange twist of fate, but we are now a special group in this valley..."


    Well, with some reluctance, the 7 elves epted their fate.


    The announcement was rather confusing to the popce of New Freeka, but to most of them, its something they soon forgot, since, reorganisations at the top happen frequently, and for refugees who lived through changes of power, such things aremon. Every time a King changes, theres bound to be some restructuring.


    So, the new organisation of the season, is the Valtrian Order.


    That''s the name I came up with, just abination of the words ''Valley'' and ''Tree''.


    <b><i>A few dayster, </i></b>


    "Greetings." The exiled wizard of Baroosh visits the inner courtyard of my main tree, surprising Jura whos taking a rest, a little overwhelmed from the sudden influx of matters requiring his attention.


    "Ah, wizard Madeus."


    "I hear that you are hiring, <i>Supreme Counsel." </i>The wizard smiles, and bows.


    Jura coughs at the title and the bow, perhaps the wizard is mocking him. "Ah yes."


    "Well, good. Allow me to get to the point. I would like to offer my services to the Tree Spirit."


    Jura coughs quite hard, and I think he''s choking. After a few coughs he recovers, and looks into the wizard''s eyes. "Surely, you jest."


    "No. I mean it. I would like to offer my services to the Tree Spirit and the Valtrian order, and its something Ive been thinking for days since I found about the whole Valtrian orders setup."


    Jura could not answer, so he just pauses.


    "epted." I didnt let Jura say more.


    I do have need for a mage''s services, so the fact that hees and offers it, is very much wee. Whether he has the right motives, that can be sorted outter. As it is, I needed someone as a counterpoint to Alexis, to share knowledge of the magicks from a different source, and Alexis, as a foreign hero,cks the nuts and bolts of magick, since her power over magic is likely to be innate, something of a gift arising from her cheat power. A regr mage like Madeus, would likely have a more robust understanding of basic magic, as he has to explore it in bits and pieces since young.


    The wizard staggers back, not spoken to me telepathically before. "Ah Apologies. It is just a surprise to hear the voice in my head so this is what Yvon and the councillors hear when they speak of the Tree Spirit."


    "Wee wizard. We have much to speak about. Jura, can you please summon the captains of the existing Valtrian order. I wish to speak to themter."


    Jura nods, and leaves, his cape fluttering as he walks. He has a special uniform made for him, one that identify him as Supreme Counsel, and everywhere he goes, a few of the Valtrian guards would apany him. There would be ns for a new set of uniforms for the Valtrian guards, but that is a lesser priority, so for now, their uniform remain as it was.


    "So, wizard. I believe your name is Madeus?"


    He nods.


    "Alright. Madeus, wee to the team, and first of all, as a tree who doesnt get to go out much, my knowledge about the wider world is really limited. So tell me, what do you know about the wider world? And heroes. And of that void magic the Princess encountered."


    He pauses, and stops. "Thats a lot to go through, but are you referring to my research back in Baroosh?"


    "That, would be a good ce to start." I lead him, using the vines, to one of the subsidiary trees'' external rooms. Since some of the elves moved out, it has been repurposed into more of a study for Lausanne. Shes out now, so we can use it. Im hoping to make a library here someday.


    "Back then, I am researching on the magics of the heroes so I collected various books and writings left by the heroes of the past. One of such items is the Mad-Hero, Arsene Emir, which obsessed on summoning more of his friends."


    "May I ask why?"


    "The Kings curious about the origins of their power. By discovering how they are summoned, perhaps we could gleam a hint."


    "Oh?"


    "Kings, in the case of the High King of Baroosh, is a very old man, he is close to a 100 this year. So, he has met many generations of heroes, who went on to y the demon kings. When he was only a teenager, he met a hero who appeared in the Baroosh, freshly summoned by the gods. Our king offered him shelter, and spoke to him at length, and came to understand that the heroes alle from another world way unlike our own. But, at the back of his mind, he really wanted to know where the heroes poweres from, and whether, just whether, theres a way to gain that power for himself."


    Well, okay. The High King of Baroosh just kind of went up in the list of threats, but somehow the wizard still talks of him rather reverentially.


    "Well, the hero didn''t know much, only knew that each of the gods give a few heroes their blessing, and as such, that generation, there were ten of them, scattered throughout the world. Anyway, the point is, the King seen the heroes when they are freshly summoned. The hero he met then, his name is Andrei, had the power of bending earth, such that everything was drawn to him, or away from him. He could make things heavy, or light."


    Uh Madeus, are you going off tangent?


    "When the King met thest generation of heroes, he was rather disappointed. Their powers are still amazing by most measure, but yet,pared to Andrei the Earthbreaker, there was just toorge a gap. So, the King wondered whether theres a mistake in the summoning of heroes."


    "Well, the heroes still beat the demon king, did they not?" I think heroes should be judged on whether they beat the demon king. Thats their purpose, right?


    "The point I tried to make to my King, is theres just too many different types of heroes. Consider the story from 220 years ago, there was only a single hero summoned. And a single hero, became Emperor Taksa Moor Nungsari. That heroter is the founder of the Darmoon dynasty, whichter splintered into the Takde, Nung, Sh, the now destroyed Moras and Fikris kingdoms."


    I think you didnt answer the question isnt it? Sounds like theres nothing much, other than history. I mean, so what if? If my own experience serves as a guide, it could be their attempted extraction of souls didnt work that well, maybe the truck that supposed to hit the bus missed and the rest of the passengers survived.


    "Well, yes. Madeus slouches, his head downcast. My research got nowhere. It seems a lot of it is on the individuals, and some strange stroke of luck. And its not as if the lesser number of heroes is always stronger than when more heroes are summoned. For every theory I came up with, theres always some other incident that proves otherwise.


    Okay. So heroes are random. Actually, does he know about star mana?


    "Yes. If theres anything that I actually did find, is that heroes are getting younger. And I have no idea why.


    "Huh?"


    Okay thats absolutely a letdown. I was hoping to gain some insights into heroes and the demon king, but looks like Ill have to try elsewhere. Never mind, since he seems rather knowledgeable of history, lets try a different question. "Anyway, since we are also talking a bit about history. is there a time before heroes?"


    The wizard sips his tea and thinks. "Uh there is supposed to be a time before heroes and demon king but it is millenniums ago and we dont have any records."


    "When is the first documented demon king?"


    "We also don''t know. There was a demon king, Demon King Amadeus, that destroyed close to 80% of the world, and with it most of the world''s written records. So the information predating Demon King Amadeus is scarce and the word of mouth stories are not reliable."


    "Fine, tell me about Demon King Amadeus, how did the world defeat it from such a horrible state?"


    "Uh the legends of that era is not very consistent, it did happen about many thousands of years ago There are a few theories the most believed one is that a group of heroes were summoned in the scattered inds, and theyter defeated the Demon King."


    "Has any other demon kinge close to that level of destruction?"


    "Not many, but a few notable demon kings did destroy at least a few continents each. That we know of, Amadeus is sessful enough to destroy all the continents"


    Hmmm "Why didn''t the heroes stop them?"


    "Again, we have very little knowledge. My own understanding is, its a case of the heroes being summoned toote, and needed time to get stronger. In quite a few cases with other demon kings, overconfident heroes tried when they are not ready and got killed."


    Howd the world recover from something like Demon King Amadeus?


    Uh Id think theres survivors, just a lot of them in hiding. And the heroes that defeated Amadeus went out to defeat two more demon kings, so the legend goes, so that gave the world some time to recover from the extensive damage But all this is really word of mouth, since written records during the era is really really rare. We don''t really even know whether the destruction is really that extensive, since the records from that time of reconstruction is very rare.


    "Has there ever been instances where heroes were summoned twice?"


    "...not that I know of, but possible?" Madeus seems totally clueless on this. Fine.


    "Fine. Tell me about this 10 year demon king cycle." I mean, thats something that I wonder about. Why 10 years?


    "Oh. We have no idea why. Perhaps its some quirk in the stars. Its not a rule though, theres been exceptions a lot of times, and we have no idea why either."


    Okay, not helping. Lets try other kinds of questions. "Why did the world leave all the fighting to heroes? Why not the locals? Are there nobody at the level of the heroes?"


    "Uh its its just the way it always has been"


    "Really?"


    "But I would think it''s really really hard. Even ying a demon champion needs very high level fighters and mages."


    Once again, not helping. Is there some level wall or ceiling that exists for the locals, that the world must rely on external powers? "Hmmm. never mind then. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, I will borrow your knowledge of history more."


    "You are wee, consider it a proof of my sincerity." Madeus nods and takes a sip from the wooden cup.


    "Anyway, why do you want to serve me?"


    "When you managed to undo the damage suffered by the princess, I realised that you must be a great and powerful being. To serve a great being is a privilege, an honor, and I hope to be part of that greatness. Maybe, the greatness would rub off a bit on me." Ah, a glory chaser. Hmmm.. Ill need to watch him a bit more carefully.


    "Hmmm, greatness may not be something I can offer. I can offer you fruits."


    Madeusughs, as a bowl of fruits appeared before him. He smiles, grabs one, and bites.


    <b>Year 77 Month 11</b>


    An envoy from Sh came, bearing strange news. One of unconditional ceasefire. A truce. Surely, such an offer soon riled up the entire high council, who are outraged, happy, greedy. Pretty much everything.


    It is the first time Jura seats on the high council, with his 33% voting rights on such matters, and a right to veto certain decisions.


    "We have the advantage, we should demand reparations from Sh!" One of the councillors said. They are afraid, now they want a truce!


    I grow tired of war. Another councillor asks, Perhaps we should just take it.


    No! Sh has caused us a great deal of harm, we should not take it withoutpensation!


    As they argue, they eventually settled into two camps, a group demanding extrapensation, another saying to ept.


    So, Yvon, as the chair of the high council, turns to Jura. Supreme Counsel, as representative of the Tree Spirit, would you have any words to add?


    "Tree Spirit is of the view we should ept it. Ongoingbat is not productive for the valley, there are bigger concerns


    My first concern, is the demonic rifts. Those should start appearing very soon, as those happen well in advance of the demon kings arrival.


    But Shs not exactly a trustworthy country to deal with? We could ept the truce and theyll break it!


    So? We do not have any offensive capability at the moment. A truce is good for us, since it allows to trade with Sh.


    With that, the truce is epted, since Juras voting rights meant almost all of the councillors have to oppose Jura to get anything through. Of course, this is rather shocking to Shs envoy as well, who expected a rejection, and was rather prepared to die.


    <b>Year 77 Month 12</b>


    Heres the man you asked me to find, tree spirit. Ill leave the room now. Jura bows, and leaves the old man standing alone in the small room, right next to the [Tree of Prayers]. Its a special room, as its more of a courtyard, with one tree in the middle, with sunlighting in from above. Its winter, so theres some snowing in.


    The old man, a half elf, looks around and shrugs. Whats this


    And I speak into his head. Hello, Wesley.


    He pauses, and tries to see whether theres anyone else in the room. Is this some trick? Or magic?


    I give him some time, and after a while he stops.


    Fine. Whore you?


    Im TreeTree, the Tree Spirit of the valley.


    He rubs his chin. Huh, so there really is a tree spirit. So, what can I do for you?


    Id like you to help conduct some ceremonies for me. Something a person like yourself, a former priest, can do.


    What kind of ceremonies?


    Simple ones. I have a few in mind, for the dying, for death, and for births. Laufen will assist you, but she is not fit for the role of a master of ceremonies. Are you keen?


    The man pauses, Whatd I get?


    A fair pay, amodation. And some tea to help with the aches you have. Additional things can be discussed.


    The man paces, and walks around the courtyard a few times, clearly this is something hes thinking much about, until he pauses and asks. Which god am I praying to?


    None.


    His face is that of shock So what rituals are we actually doing?


    Ill let you know, but first, are you keen?


    -


    The first of the ceremonies happened a few dayster, one of the older folk in New Freeka passed away. In New Freeka, the poptionprises a mix of elves, dwarves, centaurs, treefolk, half-elfs, some lizardmen and quite a few more others, though elves form the bulk of them.


    So, theres many ways of going about the corpse, such as cremation, burial, magical deconstruction, petrification or transformation into a statue. The presence of magic adds arge variety of possible ways a corpse can be sent off.


    Anyway, thats just how things are elsewhere.


    Whats this? An elderly woman, the deceaseds wife asks, as the corpse of the old man is brought in by some of the guards on stretchers.


    Wesley smiles, a calm, reassuring smile from years of training as a priest, and he warmly greets the elderly woman, New Freekas weed the Tree Spirit into its fold, and, this, is one of the many ways the great tree has given us his gifts.


    Its arge open space, and theres a curved, bent tree, as if the tree grew up, then sideways. Along its trunk, there is arge opening in it, filled with greenish liquid. Multiple flowers dot the side of that trunk.


    Wesley nods to the guards, and a few of the men assist to ce the corpse of the old man slowly into the opening.


    With this, the dead will be one with the Tree Spirit, his soul on their journey to the world beyond.


    The corpse slowly sinks into the thick greenish liquid, and for effect, the flowers around the trunk start to bloom a bit bigger, and a pleasant, calming, soothing scent is released into the room. Theres even some wind and rustling sounds, to add to the moment. And when the corpse fully sinks and disappears into the green liquid, the flowers glow slightly.


    The family cries for a good hour, as Wesley speaks to each of the family, giving them a blessing. He then picks the flowers from the side of the trunk, and passes one to each of the family members.


    What happens to the body?


    It is now with the Tree Spirit, and has found peace, atst. Wesley says, and somehow, its probably due to his past [priest] levels, its really convincing. These flowers contain the essences of your deceased father, and they willst longer than normal flowers, but they will too fade after a year. Think it as a reminder, of he who has now left us.


    The elderly woman nods, Is there something more permanent, perhaps a marker that we can get? To remind us of our beloved?


    Wesley smiles, and he touches the trunk. And from the greenish liquid, a small bone floats up. He carefully picks it up with a special spoon, and ces it in a ceremonial wooden bowl.


    Ah yes. This, is the condensed bones of your father. Keep it as you wish, or make it into something. The elderly woman epts with tears in her eyes, and after a bit more small talk, the entire family leaves.


    Wesley breathes a huge sigh of relief.


    Its the first time this ceremony is shown to the citizens of New Freeka, and even the guards themselves have not seen it.


    Howd it go? Wesley asks, and only Laufen remains inside the courtyard of death. Theres some proposed names on the courtyard, perhaps to call it the Garden of Return, to signify ones return to the Tree Spirit. I quite like it, but Im still pondering for other names before finalising it with Wesley and Laufen, since Laufens going to y arger role in the rituals and religious aspects of the Valtrian order.


    Good.


    Is that really the bone of the deceased?


    Yes.


    Ah, good. Ive not lied then.


    Whatd both of you think of the ceremony?


    Wesley sits and smokes some kind of rolled leaves, and he nods. Its easy. I believe the tale will spread soon, and more families will ask for this ceremony.


    Any views on how to improve it?


    Laufen shakes her head. I like it, but let me sleep on it a little. Maybe Ill get some ideaster.


    Me too. Im so nervous doing it for the first time, all I want to do is just get a hang of it first.


    Very well, its a good first time. Go get some rest. The both nod and leave the courtyard, and I return into my soul realm to have a look at the results of the ceremony.


    The deads soul is in good condition and a state of calm. Reincarnation to the next world is going to be quite a breeze. Its actually an interesting modification of the elven tradition of burying the dead next to the soul trees, and instead go for the route of direct absorption.


    Well, thats fine, but my focus is on collection, so I check my log.


    Ah man, no seeds. Well, at least theres some essences


    This ceremony, is actually derived from that little experience I had with both Alexis andter Faly, and that exposed tree trunk, is really a modified bib pod. The idea I had, is really rather simple. I want more of the seeds that came with Falys death, and Im really keen to try and get more of such seeds by way of absorbing the corpses of the dead, and the dying.


    By giving the citizens, the families a pleasant experience, Im hoping to get fresher dead, and with that, a higher chance of harvesting whatever I can get. A part of me feels a little tiny bit bad for desecrating the dead, but the bulk of me feels its totally fine, since, Im ying the religious role here! And besides, theyll just end up burning the body, so thats not exactly any better than what Im doing.


    Well, the next ceremony is something where Laufen ys a bigger role. A birth, and babies. In some worlds, there are rituals like baptisms, or flower baths, or special chants, to bless a newborn.


    Children is our future. And my future.


    "Congrattions on the baby." Laufen bows and shakes the hand of the young mother, the father next to her watches. The little infant cradled in the mother''s arms cry a little, and the mother quickly shakes and tries to soothe the baby.


    "Ah what can we do for you?"


    "As the Vice Counsel of the Valtrian Order, I''d like to present a small present for the family, for the newborn."


    Laufen hands over a basket, containing a few bottles.


    "That bottle contains a special liquid made from the sap of the Tree Spirit, it will boost the infants strength and vitality. Itll also help with the cold weather." Made using the [Childcare corner]''s special syrup, mixed with some essences, some minerals, it should give a good boost to any weak baby, and gives a shot of warmth to help the baby tide through winter.


    "That other bottle is something for the sick babies, if they have a fever or a cold, or just don''t look too well." Well, I had something given to Roma back when he was a tiny baby, so this is the same thing, bottled up. Made from [healing juice] condensed into a thick gooey sweet syrup.


    "Thatst one, is if the baby''s hungry but the mommy''s out of milk." It''s a thick preserved juice containing a mix of nutrients, meant to temporarily tide over the child''s hunger. Again, made from the [childcare corner].


    "Ah" The father and mother seem rather surprised, but the father seems afraid to receive, as is normal for gifts. Perhaps theres some expectation of payment, or some kind of subtle extortion, as refugees often encounter in their journeys.


    "It''s free, a gift with no strings, its something the Valtrian order wants to do for the children born of the valley." Laufen bows, and then she starts to walk out, she shes a warm, motherly smile before she walks out. "Please let me know if you have any challenges with the child."


    Well, although Laufen''s official title is now Vice Counsel, she''s not exactly keen to participate in the political kind of activities, so, as with all quasi-religious, militant organisations, there should be someone to spearhead the public service, charitable, social elements of the organisation.


    Laufen''s duties are to organise the gifts for the newly born, set up a creche for young children and babies within the Valtrian Orders space, an orphanage for the orphans, and a kindergarten andbat oriented school for the older kids. Charity and such social services "soften" the image of the Valtrian order, and cultivate have a generation with favorable views of the Order.


    Theres a lot of births, on average, about 5 to 7 per day, so Laufens got many homes to visit. In time, Emile, Belle and the workers will also y the role of delivering these gifts, but for now, the 2 youngerdies are helping out as her assistants.


    Some of the parents would outright refuse the gifts, and thats fine. Its given at nopulsion, and Laufen herself would not push, after all, parents have the right to choose what they give to their infants. Gradually, though, this is helping to build a positive reputation for the Valtrian order, and build public support for this new entity that suddenly emerged.


    -


    As part of the transition to the newly setup Valtrian order, arge patch ofnd around the Tree of Prayer has been transferred over, so a bit of construction work is going on to build all the facilities required, though we had to prioritise of the burial services first, which is fairly easy since its mostly just setting up the space for the tree.


    Also, Id also like to have the Valtrian order earn some ie independent of the tax collections, in order to fund all the other ideas I have in my head for my gradual takeover of New Freeka.


    One of these ideas is to set up a clinic, or a healing chamber of some kind, using the bib, and the medical juices. With this, I could charge adventurers, soldiers and whatnot a fee for using my healing services, simr to how it is for other healers all around the world. This wont be much, but itll help subsidise the cost of staff.


    Next, would be to sell some special products. Ive got some in mind, perhaps the ginseng, if I could make them of an eptable quality, they would probably sell for a good price. And higher quality crops, directly to the market. But that would involve dedicating some of the [subsidiary trees] for that purposes. Or a special series of olive oils for ceremonial use and sale. I think that could sell, since people love enchanted stuff.


    The processed, preserved healing fruits is also a potential product, but whether its a worthwhile venture may depend on the price.


    I also have my ability to make wood products using my wood-shaping magic, but I think thats probably not a good use of my time unless I can make them automatically.


    Additionally, the beetles could go and kill monsters and bring back some loot for sale.


    Oh wait. Myrge beetle-pods are ready too. <ul><li><ul><li>Large beetle pods - <ipleted</i></li><li>Enhanced interior structures - <ipleted</i></li></ul></li></ul><ul><li><i>Fruit bombs - increased range and power -pleted </i></li></ul><ul><li>Eye-Tree Stage I research option unlocked - 15 months remaining</li><li>Beetle - anti-magma armors stage 2 - 6 months remaining</li><li>Tree - volcanic adaptation stage 3 - 15 months remaining</li><li>Roots - Volcanic mineral harvesting - stage 1 - 5 months remaining</li></ul>


    I had an epiphany one day, which is, theres sulfur in the volcano, shouldnt that allow me to make sulfuric acid? Would I be able to have fruits with highly corrosive acid in it? Or beetles that spit acid? A ranged unit?


    As a result, I just had to conduct research on the ability of my volcano-adapted subsidiary trees roots to safely absorb sulfur through their roots. I think that would be the first step in acquiring any sort of ranged unit. So, Im going to haverger beetles, hopefully ranged beetles, and also flying beetles, acidic corrosive beetles.


    Plenty of variation in the beetle family. Of course, this makes Horns rather happy. I still havent figured out how to get that step from Sulfur to acid, but Ill figure it out once we get there. Perhaps itll be some kind ofrge segregated tank where the sulfur is processed.


    Oh well.


    I think Im starting to have a bit more things going on than I can handle.


    Ah.


    I think I need help.


    Time to create another artificial soul.

 Tree wants more trees

    Tree wants more trees


    <strong>Year 78 Month 1.</strong>


    An eruption.


    A fine way to start the new year, really.


    The damned volcano erupted and destroyed every single thing near it. Close to half of my beetles failed to escape, so they died, all buried under debris, dust,va, rocks and well, all the other things that volcanoes tend to spit out.


    I mean, I sorta figured that volcanoes, especially one still pumping outva would be somewhat dangerous, but I guess after not seeing any major eruption, I thought its one of those stable volcanoes. To some extent, I guess Im a littlecent there


    But still, why didnt my roots sense anything? Dont volcanoes have tremors or minor quakes before going off like that? Or does the magic in this world messes with such processes?


    Oh well, this is a minor setback, a bit of dy to my volcano expansion ns. If life went too easy, Id probably think something bad is gonna happen real soon. Probably pushes the ns back by a couple of months, to let the environment settle down and also rebuild my forces, since I do need to regenerate the beetles before attempting my assault on the magma golems, that spawn closer to the now partly exposed caldera. Im rather eager to test out the newrge beetles inbat, since they are bigger, and have bigger legs and horns, to see how they perform against those golems.


    So, I turn my attention to the next few things I have in mind.


    In New Freeka, theres a massive hall with a few [external bibs], and Jura is helping to guide the Valtrian soldiers. The hall itself is filled with animals and nts, gathered from the region, an exercise we startedst month.


    The men were sitting idle, so, we sent them out on missions to collect different kinds of nts and animals. As many as they could find, whatever theyve not seen before, or whatever they notice thats different from New Freeka, and bring it back. Thanks to this exercise, Im now going through all the nts and animals theyve brought back. 5 bibs, side by side, and the soldiers, under Juras supervision, help to put all the specimens in.


    After the analysis, some soldiers are tasked to bring them to a patch of emptynd and pass them to a different group, those with [farming] or [nting] skills, for them to nt.


    The intention is fairly simple, theres ack of nt diversity in the valley, and that needs to be addressed. Secondly, Im hoping to somehow unlock more [unique trees], like the [ginseng trees], such that I can produce new items. Third, new species of crops would lead to me having more [subsidiary tree - crops] variety.


    And now, I have the manpower to push these guys out on a regional harvesting mission.


    The process of analysing the nts took 5 days, and the animals another 4 days. The reason I asked for the animals, is actually just to throw off whoevers watching us, but its a waste to not analyse the animals after collecting them, so after the animals were scanned by the bibs, theyre ced in an area thats meant to be a menagerie.


    [New crop species unlocked - Wheat, Jackfruit, Light Corn, ckpotato, Rye, Red hops, Blueberry, Fireberry]


    [New Tree type unlocked : Common herbal bushes. Bushes containing a wide variety of herbs. Herb varieties appear at random]


    Hows the registering along?


    Itll take some time, Supreme Counsel. The young man, a junior [herbalist] bows when responding to Juras question.


    Its something the Tree Spirit wants done as soon as possible. This is a big task.


    Well, actually Trevor and Dimitree already built aption of the nts we now have in the valley, and their characteristics that they can identify using the data from the bibs. But, I had Jura hire a herbalist to start work on a physical copy of a register. Just topare the kind of information a herbalist would normally take down, and one prepared by my tree-minds.


    The young man bows. Im honored, and I can tell it is an important exercise.


    The herbalist, together with the gardeners and other farmhands, will be the ones managing the garden in thepound of the Valtrian order. Its one of those odd jobs.


    As for the animals, Ive left them to some of the rangers to care for. In the town of New Freeka, there are some rangers, and some [flock tenders] or [herders] that have some skills with animals, so they are the ones looking after the collection of animals.


    Its not a perfect match in terms of skill and job ss, but oh well. Maybe theyll gain the ss someday.


    <strong>Year 78 Month 2</strong>


    The Valtrian Order separation exercise this month. The military force thats transferred to us is a little toorge to my liking, and theirpetencies a bitcking, so, like whatpanies do when their staff size is not optimal we have retrenchments!


    I kinda feel like walking up to guys and tell them, Youre fired!


    But thats not exactly a nice way to do things.


    Jura and the captains identified those who are not so good at their jobs, based on their performance during the collection exercise, spoke these non-performing soldiers whether they have other secondary talents they want to share, whether they want to take part in the other roles happening in the Order, or take the money and go find another job.


    I mean, if Im going to be hiring herbalists and all those other specialists, I need money, and money isnt free, so, gotta reshuffle them around. Priorities!


    One must cut away the rotting branch for a new one to grow. Of course, there is plenty of crying, plenty of anger, and plenty of cussing.


    Maybe some retaliation.


    "Ivy."


    "Yes, master."


    "Monitor those we have fired. See whether they do anything unusual. Let me know if there are any attempted retaliation, but do not interfere unless I instruct you to."


    "As youmand."


    My new tree mind, and unlike Trevor or Dimitree who has responsibility to watch the valley and the forest, Ivy''s task is focused on the Valtrian Order, observing the citizens and reporting any unusual matters. I also task her to y a hidden watcher, on all financial transactions and trade transactions.


    Watching the movements of some 3,000 to 4,000 employees of the Valtrian Order is aborious affair, even if there are trees everywhere, and Ivy pretty much has little capacity to do anything else


    A part of me feels like I have be that which I hated in my past life, the "big brother" who intrudes in on everyone''s privacy, that overly micromanaging boss that looks through everything I do with a fine-toothedb, but this is a magical world, and I have to pick the bigger baddy here.


    Curbing corruption, finding traitors take priority here.


    Even in their somewhat-perilous situation, people will find ways to cheat, or steal, to take a little more for themselves. So, I thought I would be ready, since I know about it and know it exists. Nobodys innocent. But Ivy''s report still stunned me. The extent of it.


    All of the employees engage in at least one minor misconduct.


    It''s usually rtively small, like a coin or two per transaction, or a little slip of coin to move up the queue in the burial services. Some soldiers would steal utensils from the mess hall, and bring home for their family. Or intentionally tearing a piece of uniform so that they can use the cloth for something else. Or administrative staff stealing paper or writing equipment.


    I sigh. When Ivy first reported the extent of such things, I just froze. But before I couldsh out in anger and kill all these people.


    "Were you expecting saints from these former refugees? The fact that they adapted to a new way of life so quickly is already admirable. Me sometimes dispenses a bit of wisdom.


    Well, true. This world has no proper regimented education system to teach a sense of morals, and parents trying to survive probably have a different set of morals than me. If there is, there isnt enough time or stability for it to really sink in, since the world gets hammered by the demon king every now and then. If theres anywhere with a proper education system, its probably in those cloud cities, or the moving giant-turtle inds, or the walking towers of the great deserts.


    I wonder how many years of formal education to the citizens of New Freeka have? Ah, some other days worries.


    Ultimately, I decided to just have the worst offenders retrenched, and decide to just put up with the minor infractions among the rest. Perhaps some day I would get a group of morally upright employees, but for now, this is the cards I have.


    Should I continue monitoring them, Master? Ivys not fond of the task, but she still obeys me.


    Well yes.


    Its taking up most of my processing ability, master. Filtering through all thenguage and smalltalk is really challenging.


    Ah. Well


    Fine, will it help if you restrict the scope to within ourpounds and just the area around them?


    A lesser area would mean less to monitor, yes it will help a bit. But I estimate itll still use up 70% of my avable processing power.


    Unfortunately Ill need someone to watch these guys please bear with it. Maybe itll get easier once you gain some levels.


    As youmand, master.


    <strong>Year 78 Month 2 Week 3</strong>


    The firstrge beetles emerge from their pods. The volcano kind of started to stabilise, so I send therge-volcano-adapted beetles on their first missions. This is why they are created, after all. They easily dispatch any of the lesser monsters that appear, but their first encounter with the massive magma golems is disappointing.


    Though they now have the size, they stillck the necessary firepower to take out the golems. At least they can take three punches from therge golems before dying, unlike regr beetles, who just get squashed underfoot.


    ording to Jura and the data gathered from the adventurers guild in New Freeka, magma golems are considered monsters for adventurers around the level 50-60, and with suitable gear. A person with suitable skills could possibly take one out at level 40.


    Given that my regr beetles are a match of soldiers around level 20-30, I guess therge beetles still need a lot more upgrades to give those magma golems a good fight.


    Ah. Back to the research queue.<ul><li>Eye-Tree Stage I research option unlocked - 13 months remaining</li><li>Beetle - anti-magma armors stage 2 - 4 months remaining</li><li>Tree - volcanic adaptation stage 3 - 13 months remaining</li><li>Roots - Volcanic mineral harvesting - stage 1 - 3 months remaining</li></ul>


    Following the acquisition of the various new nt species, I had both Dimitree and Trevor attempt to use their abilities to improve the nt diversity in the valley. To some extent, the valley in both sides isrgely dominated with my type of tree, though at least the ThreeTree of mana grants some visual varieties.


    I may need to look up some pollens and bees, and flowering nts as well.


    Oh well.


    Well, at least with the improved inflow of gems and rare crystals, Ive managed to upgrade the [roo] to support arger capacity of tree-energy. The upgraded roo will take up to 100,000 normal trees, which also means more artificial souls. Id probably like to make some more tree-minds, to take some load off Ivy, since the task of monitoring so many people is a monumental task.


    TreeTree. Ive got a proposal.


    Huh. A proposal from Alexis. Well, lets hear it.


    Ive been talking to Me, and Im thinking of using the bib to make a body. Not a full flesh and blood kind of body since its clearly not at that level, but, Im thinking of experimenting with Treefolk corpses, as a transition between regr sentient species, and well trees.


    Huh.


    Well, my theory is that Treefolk exists as some kind of magical evolutionary-in between, between a tree, and regr humans. So, looking at treefolk is a good starting point to figure out what are the magical mechanics within their body which allows them to do what they do"


    So youre asking for my permission to do this experiment?


    Yes. The goal is to be able to create flexible wooden uhm armors, as a vessel for souls. I think she meant robots. Huh, she wants to create a body for herself, well, there is still that dryad body that''s formed from her corpse Maybe she forgot about that already?


    "I am rather fond of the treefolk. They give me no trouble, have shown willingness to defend the valley when instructed, and have been polite and respectful whenever contacted."


    "Ah so that''s a no?"


    "I will ask the treefolks for their permission. Conducting autopsies on the dead should be approved by their kin."


    "...that makes sense." Well, Alexis seems to understand that, at least. "Ah, there is also one other thing"


    "Huh?"


    "I am thinking of expanding. I''ll need space and materials and some of your beetles."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Ah, I reached level 30, and I have this new skill called [Locational Survey Tools]. It allows me to take control of a few beetles and ce research equipment on them, and this will speed up research on environment-resistances. Kind of making a a research-oriented scout out of the beetle. I can operate 2 at any one time."


    Hmm. Actually I think that sounds a bit like the Moon Buggy, but an actual bug! Or perhaps the Mars Rover. Fascinating. She''s going into the whole science route, which makes sense as a spirit haunting a massive research bib. Would a flying bug with this be essentially a flying science vessel?


    "Fine, you get 2 beetles. Let me know of the materials."


    Alexis ps her ghostly hands in joy. "Thank you."


    -


    The treefolk chiefs visit a few dayster. Three of them, one from before, and two I have not met. It seems their number has increased over the years, as immigration brings more and more treefolks to the valley.


    "It is an honor to be summoned by the tree spirit..." The three treefolks prostrate before me I had forgotten that treefolks revere tree spirits. "Your presence bathes the entire valley in a warm energy, that fuels our health and gives us strength."


    Wait, do my powers work on treefolk? Why does he talk like it does?


    Holy cow, if it does that opens up a big, no, giant can of worms I need to explore.


    "You feel my presence?"


    The oldest of the treefolk, the one I met before, still prostrating on the floor, is the one to speak. "We always have, the energy and radiance through the roots, each step we take, we feel your growing dominion. Even in the depths of winter, we feel and share in the warmth through our rooted feets."


    Wait, is he trying to just suck up to me? Hmm Anyway, let''s get down to it.


    "Ah the reason I wish to speak to you, is to talk about the dead and the deceased. I''d like to first understand about cultural norm, where the body of the deceased treefolk is normally split into many parts, some as tools, some as fertiliser, and some as ornaments is this, an unbreakable rule, and is there any taboo around giving it to me for my studies?"


    The treefolk chieftains all share a nce, and then it is the same elder treefolk, he raises his head to respond. Its a cultural practice, most families will want to keep their deceased family members bodies, to assimte into their own. If you want a body we would have to provide one without any family members, as I doubt any of our own would part with it. Every bit of a treefolk should be recycled.


    I see. Interesting. Very well then,, that will have to do. And you can stand up now, youve prostrated long enough.


    Im not sure whether Vice Counsel Laufen has ryed our message previously One of the other treefolk chiefs speak.


    Oh, what is this about?


    Its regarding the recent gifts to the young children. While the rest of the poption do benefit from it, we, the treefolk, do not really benefit from them.


    Ah. So, is this aint?


    Were wondering whether we we can get something more suited for our young saplings.


    Oh. Customer feedback. Now why didnt Laufen tell me about it. When was this message delivered to Vice Counsel Laufen?


    The three chieftains look at each other, Uhst week perhaps? When she came to deliver a gift for our newest sapling.


    Speaking of Treefolk mating and childbirth, theyre actually really interesting and different from the rest of the humanoid races, although they also have humanoid like appearances. Theres actually a few ways treefolk mate, and it depends on the male, female, or whether the treefolk is a hermaphrodite, ie contains the mating organs of both. In short, treefolk retains their own nt-like mating systems, yet, also incorporate the mating systems of humanoids.


    Their avable ways of mating include actually having intercourse, a form of pollen-fertilisation where the female organs open up for the male organs to fertile, or oddly, and perhaps unique to treefolk, is via third parties, usually an insect or a carrier, like a bee or a butterfly that carries the fertilised pollens from the male organs to the female, who then, if he/she judges the pollens to be suitable, then allows it to fertilise him/her. Apparently its taboo for a treefolk to self-fertilise, for the hermaphrodites, but in times of great disaster, it is permitted to keep up the treefolk numbers.


    Theres also another external variant of mating, in which the female organ produces empty seeds, something like an unfertilised egg, which, she can leave in a specified location for any interested male treefolk to then leave their seed. Most sub-species of treefolk are able to producerge quantities of such unfertilised eggs, and the decision to either go for an external or internal mating variant is a choice of the treefolk, whether the female wants quantity, or quality, because internally-carried treefolk will emerge much stronger, bigger, and longer lived. If the male or female is strongly magically attuned, internal mating and carrying the baby within the female also has a higher likelihood of passing off the magical talent to the child.


    The only nt-like reproduction system not retained by the treefolk is the grafting or cutting methods, since the soul cannot be severed in two. Only one part of the body will retain the soul, and the part without the soul will wither away without the sustenance of the souls presence.


    So, given their huge variety of ways in which a baby is carried or the condition of which a new sapling is created, I could see why the humanoid childcare center is not suitable.


    I mean, I would have to figure out how to adapt-


    <em>*ding*</em>


    [New subsidiary tree type unlocked : Treefolk Incubation Pods. A subsidiary tree filled with multiple pods, used to incubate and nourish fertilised and germinating external seeds]


    [New subsidiary tree type unlocked : Treefolk Nursery. Makes sapling-friendly nutrient rich foods. Can also make special sap for pregnant treefolk mothers or females to boost quality and health of their fetus or eggs]


    Uh. Dammit.


    I keep forgetting how much the system likes these kind of stuff. Im even betting theres extra points because they are treefolk. Maybe Ill also get new bib equipments when I put the treefolk under the bib.


    At least I have something. Chieftains, Ill have something for you soon.


    Spaizzer


    Shorter chapter as I''m out of ideas. *faints* Also, hope the part on treefolk-reproduction doesn''t creep you out.


    natural disasters happen, well.. because they do. I mean, a volcano or earthquake, or tsunami, or wildfires, well, shit like that happens, don''t they, especially when you talk about timescales of years? what is remote bes certain over the ages. I should add a supervolcano eruption someday. There should be at least one somewhere on their world.


    Thanks for reading!

 Three names too many

    Three names too many


    <strong>Year 78 Month 3</strong>


    "This volcano thing is going to take a lot longer if you don''t find some other kind of powerup."


    "Huh."


    Alexis''s modified drone-beetle made the journey to the volcano. Her research tree has a root that transformed into some kind of garage like structure where the beetles are stored and modified. So, that''s the first of many bombshells.


    "Although yourrge beetles can take a few punches, the magma golems are way way stronger than yourrge beetles. I estimate you need at least 10 upgrades before you get anywhere near defeating then with 3rge golems. The gap is just toorge. If I estimate the golems as level 60 threats, yourrge beetles right now are about level 35, and if each research upgrade gives 2 levels worth of strength, you would need easily 10-15 upgrades, just to be at equal rank, not considering elemental and type weaknesses."


    I''m sad. A tree conquering a volcano. Say it again. A tree conquers a volcano. Man, that just sounds absurd.


    "I rmend finding alternatives. Something to breach the weaknesses. Find an elemental type that allows a good counter. Water or cold type? Or even wind."


    I totally didn''t hear that. I am just too wrapped up in sadness. Maybe my approach is wrong.


    What if I am not looking to conquer the volcano, but absorb it?


    Can I terraform the volcano? Alter the surroundings?


    "So, as I was saying, magic would help. Think about it, a magic-casting beetles."


    "Huh." Oh wait, Alexis was talking. "Sorry could you repeat, I did not pay attention."


    She sighs. "I mean, you need magic. Or water. Acid''s not going to work on the magma golems. Its its just uh you know, science? Water. Spells."


    Okaaaaay. But damn, there must be other ways about it. Or would it be better to just focus on one area of the volcano, like a safe zone? "Ah. Any other observations from your probe?" The information I have is from what I can see via my subsidiary trees and maybe she sees something else.


    "Uh The mana density is quite high but I can''t seem to figure out what''s wrong with it. Its not a pleasant kind of mana" Ah yes, mana, the weird thing that everyone''s soul produces and also produced by things like leylines and certain objects. From the bodies I have examined, there are certain ''colors'' to each mana, and it seems mine is primarily blue, which is why its the first color I unlocked.


    The colors, type of mana, and the quality of it have tremendous influence on the way it feels and behaves. In a way, the description by mostmon mages is that mana is like air. There is stale air, good air, bad air, smelly air, dry air, wet air.


    I wonder in this world, does mana take the form of some kind of special atom? Don''t you ever wonder what is mana at its smallest unit? And why does the soul produce it? Does the soul maintain some kind ofw of energy conservation?


    "Hey, hey, if you want to have theoretical discussions you can do it with me." Alexis vents. "I like those kind of topics too. And seriously, do you have a problem staying focused on any particr topic? Stop hopping to other trains of thought all the time."


    But they all deserve to grow? These thoughts, they are worth exploring. So I do.


    "Focus. Back to the volcano. You need magic, and the right elements. Do you have anything? The spiders and the beetles are not ideal, obviously since they are weak to fire."


    Well, other than myself, I can''t think of any.


    "So, magic! Doesn''t have to be pure magic, but imagine beetles with a magical cannon that shoots water. Or spiders that create a freezing field. Flying beetles that releases water like the fire rescue nes. Oh wait. You might not know what that is. But you get the picture?"


    "Hmmm"


    "Ohe on, you want this volcano or not. You do it your way it''s gonna take a lot longer."


    Ah. Alexis is pushing her magic agenda again. "Let me think about it."


    <strong>Year 78 Month 4</strong>


    The treefolk-specific saps and nutrient foods are super popr, indeed it augments some of the key challenges treefolk face during pregnancy. The main thing is, treefolks, as the pregnancy gets more mature, ideally should stay put, their feet firmly rooted to the earth. This allows them to draw nutrients, mana from the earth to feed the growing fetus within their wooden bodies.


    But, being stationary for months is not feasible in an environment where non-humans, like treefolk, are consistently hunted by others, so to be safe, they had to constantly migrate and move around to evade their hunters. This leads to nutrient shortage, their bodiespensate through consuming the parent''s nutrients to feed the fetud, and so, weakens the parent.


    Their children are generally weaker, though the most recent few children are in much better shape. No longer having to run, and have a rtively stable valley to stay in helps a lot in the quality and overall health of the treefolk children. Perhaps more than any other race, they need stability, and a familiar environment to mature properly.


    "The treefolk''s loyalty is probably the highest amongst all the nonhuman races, followed by the Centaurs. If we are to admit members into the Valtrian order, we can create a special group for them."


    "Isn''t that species-ism? That is the root of future discord though, the other races will dislike their special privileges."


    "Is it not a waste to make the most of their abilities?"


    "If we go down the path of making the racespete with each other, that will not go well. Right now New Freeka is dominated by elves, followed by the centaurs, if they startpeting, that will further entrench the existing rifts among the races."


    "Why do you care, master? They are disposable, are they not?" Ivy retorts, and I wonder where she gets that angry persona from. Is it from observing people for too long? "All of them are slimy, at least, the treefolks no so slimy because their material demands are different." Ivy hit level 10 a few days ago, and amusingly, her skill at level 10 is [Citizen File], using her constant monitoring of the citizens to build a "dossier" on the people. It takes effort, and a few months to do it, but Ivy''s got time.


    I gulp, if I could. Ivy''s right, they are disposable. In therger scheme of things, loyal servants are more valuable anyway. I should get more loyal servants. Better a loyal servant than 100 fighters who would stab me in the back.


    The Valtrian order is stabilising, as the processes around the birth and death, and the quasi-military force regains some semnce of structure after my earlier retrenchment exercise. l


    ..


    The new leadership team meet in Jura''s new office in the center courtyard of Valtrian Order HQ. All rooms are covered with vines and trees, such that I can always monitor them, even the toilets.


    Jura, Laufen, Madeus, three captains, two herbalists, two administrators and a master of ceremonies.


    Three captains of the Order, the military arm shrunk to only 900 strong, each captain a leader of a group of 300. Two herbalists, they lead about 100 workers to cultivate and maintain the various herbal gardens and farms around the Valtrian order, and produce herbal medicines and ointments. Two administrators, responsible for treasury and purchases, funds, and payment of sries, managing an administrative staff of 50.


    The master of ceremonies, a position I wanted to give Wesley, but he declined, iming he isn''t interested in paperwork, so instead another priest was roped in to take the role. Somebody had to sort out the nning of the deaths, and all the paperwork around them. Almost all of them, except one administrator, are elves. I had hoped for a bit more variety in the Valtrian leadership.


    It''s a weekly meeting, for everyone to get updates on the ns, and matters, this is where everyone speaks to me.


    "The councillors are not too happy with the retrenchment exercise, Tree Spirit. Many of themined to the councillors and demand their positions be reinstated."


    "Tell them that they are free to let Jura know that they can challenge a beetle to a fight. If they prove they will be more useful in battle than any of my beetles, I will give them their position back, and a small reward."


    The three captains nce at each other awkwardly.


    "In fact, please put up a notice. Let this be known."


    The captain that brought it up shrugs and nods. I think he regrets it. "Ah."


    "The acquisition of more herbs and nt varieties is ongoing, and the peace ords with Sh is recently finalised. That means we will see more movement of nonbatants, especially from the various magic councils of Sh."


    "Watch them carefully. They will be spies. Sh will take this ''peace'' to gather information on our true depth." Well, the truth is, I would probably get Ivy to watch them too. She''s getting better at spying on people throughout New Freeka.


    "Would it not be New Freeka''s military to do so? They may think we are taking unnecessary action that may provoke Sh."


    "New Freeka''s unreliable, and the leaders arepromised. And if getting caught spying would provoke Sh, I prefer to think of if as a warning."


    "Compromised? Really? Who?" One of the captains ask.


    Jura jumped in. "Secret. But the logic is simple enough, once the leaders saw the beetles, Sh attacked..."


    "Ah" Separately I turn to Ivy, "Do you have a file on the captains? I feel they are suspicious as well."


    "Yes I already have some observations... They''ve not done anything big so far, but they do have some suspicious activities One of them, from conversations gathered, have human rtives in Sh, and all three do write letters, delivered via the merchants to other countries."


    One drawback, the written word is a bit harder to spy on as our visual quality is a bit low-resolution. One of the reasons I wanted the Tree-Eye ability. "Can we get a copy of the letters?"


    "Difficult. Will need Jura to do so, but we do not have trusted agents in the merchants group, so it will be rather tough to do so discreetly." Ah, that is something we need to fix, and the fact that Ivy exists as a tree-mind means she''s my eyes and ears, but not my hands and legs.


    Meanwhile, the leadership continue with their discussion. Typical leadership mumbo jumbo. Funny how people in positions of power always end up having discussions about structure, and ns.


    "Okay, updates." Jura steers the conversation back to regr matters like finances, hiring, what''s the n for the next week, updates from the New Freeka High Council ("NFHC").


    "There is a travelling group of druids, they seek permission to go through ournds, the NFHC has agreed to grant them the right of passage and to go about their restoration work."


    "Huh, didn''t those nomadse here before?"


    "A different group. Just keep a lookout for them."


    "Travelling to barrennds and returning greenery, surely there are better uses of their talents." One of the captain jokes, the mood is a little bit more cordial. The earlier banter between the leaders are getting better, Jura''s diplomat ss really helps putting others at ease.


    "All you think about is fighting, everything else is pointless to you. Maybe it''s part of their ss requirement. Some jobs have certain aplishment barriers, perhaps druids are like that." Another captain pokes his colleague.


    "Do mages have aplishment quests, Madeus?"


    "My mage ss doesn''t. Or perhaps, not yet."


    Jura looks at the few pieces of paper before him. "Ah I think we are straying off the agenda again. Anything else?"


    "We have some responses to our request to hire adventurers to bring back exotic nts, from the faraway continents. The message we got is that they will arrive in a month, and demand that their payment be ready."


    "Yay." I like that.


    The captains frown. "Is this the best use of money?"


    Jura grins, "Fun fact, the tree spirit gets more powerful with every new type of nt he encounters. So, it''s worth it."


    "Anything else?"


    The master of ceremonies raises his hand and nod, "I have a proposal. The Tree Spirit should have a divine title."


    "A divine title?" Almost everyone asks in unison.


    "Ah, in various sects and religions, there are often special titles to refer to the minor deities and heroes, something that cements that person as a divine being. Currently, referring to the Tree Spirit as the Tree Spirit is clunky and awkward, and makes the prayers and ceremonies a bit less proper as religions tend to be. A divine title is a gesture to recognise Tree Spirit''s special position in our society. Like how some refer to god as God."


    Jura scratches his chin, "Are you asking the Tree Spirit for a name or title?"


    "Ah, I am thinking... of having the senior leaders group together and do a study, on the proper ways to venerate the Tree Spirit. A few of the faithfuls shared their troubles, that the Tree Spirit as the Tree Spirit does not differentiate it from the many other tree spirits in the world. The masses, those who pray, must know and be assured that their prayers are going to the correct and true Tree Spirit."


    "Ah That''s the kind of thing only a priest will think about."


    "So perhaps we can spend some time to think of a name-"


    "<strong>Aeon</strong>."


    The master of ceremonies immediately kneels before the small tree in the center of the room..


    "Ah, truly the Tree Spirit is divine, Tree Spirit already has a divine name. Kneel before Aeon, everyone, for we are the first to be graced by Aeon, with his divine title."


    The rest of them look at each other, probably wondering what the hell is this guy trying to do, but decides to go with the flow that the Master of Ceremonies created and so, kneels. Even Jura and Laufen join in.


    "Oh, to the great and mighty, protector and watcher of the valley, we offer our prayers and thanks to thee, o mighty and powerful, Aeon."


    If I could rub my head I would. But I really liked the name Aeon. I think Aeon as a name deserves to be much than just the name of a chain of supermarkets.


    One of the captain rub his head, "Is it pronounced like.. Aye-on? Or Aye-yon?"


    "I ept both pronunciations."


    -


    <em>[Hidden Conditions checks met]</em>


    [Special skill obtained - Possession of the devoted]


    [A special familiar contract with a chosen devoted believer. Limited to 5 at any time]


    <strong>Year 78 Month 5</strong>


    Things are rather quiet in New Freeka and the valley, and I think that is a good thing.


    Alexis is right. I need a different approach if I need to hold the volcano. The inner volcano is filled with giant golems, who are clearly still leagues ahead of therge beetles. If the location is bad, the golems could easily hold off my beetle horde like a wall made ofva. So, while the various research continue, Im thinking of other methods. She''s right that beetles are a bad matchup, even if this will annoy Horns.


    Anyway, lets talk about New Freeka. This month I received a magical cactus, some kind of coconut variant, and a gourd shaped fruit which is often used to store foods due to its magical preservation qualities, so that goes into the bib.


    [Skills acquired]


    [Cactus defense system]


    [New crop type acquired]


    [Milk coconut and brownwood gourds]


    [Subsidiary tree limit increased]


    Other than that, for the Valtrian order, things are pretty much the same. Training, scouting, purchasing and trading, and the birth & death rituals continue. The popce of New Freeka adapts to the new routine, and a new set of uniformed group in the town. Jura and the team decided on a dark brown color, like the tree barks, as the Valtrian Order''s "color", New Freeka uses blue.


    The druids came. They didn''t seem too interested in the valley, it seems the druids got some kind of messiahplex that drives them to seek out sick trees and damaged environments, so their stop in New Freeka is a really brief one, just to resupply.


    It''s peaceful. I even manage to sessfully protect my ginseng tree and make itst past their first year. And that''s nice for a change.


    <strong>Year 78 Month 7</strong>


    "Practice." Lausanne grumbles. As Jura now has responsibilities in Valtrian Order, the time he has for Lausanne is significantly reduced, and she often seeks him out for practice sessions, even in the quarters itself.


    In his ce, the captains and men of the Valtrian order often be Lausanne''s sparring partners, and in a way, its good for her.


    Lausanne, now level 25, is actually better at the sword than a regr soldier, who''s usually only about level 20-30, but having their levels dispersed over various skills.


    "For a 9 year old she''s pretty much a genius." The captainsvish their praise on Lausanne, though Lausanne just shrugs. Of course, the captains don''t know is I''ve easily used 400 to 500 essences collected throughout the years, to build up herbat sense through [dream tutor], [powerlevelling], [learning aura], and most recently [training room].


    "Perhaps that''s the other thing you should be doing." Alexis''s really bored these days, when she''s not using her 2 probe-beetles, she tries to make conversation with me, or everyone else. "Maybe you can train an army of super-warriors."


    "Heh. It''s too early to tell how far Lausanne will go. She''s currently my test subject, to see how effective the abilities are. But if it works, Ill consider it."


    You should train more than just Lausanne. You can thenpare the differences, perhaps each of the different individuals as your test subjects. Vary them a bit, then you can see what influences their growth and whether there is an actual limit.


    Youve been thinking about this kind of thing, havent you?


    Im a research spirit floating around, stuck to my tree. Whats there to do other than tinker with myb equipment, and think about such things? Is it wrong?


    Ah not, thats not what I meant


    Then what do you mean?


    You know what, I think you have a point. I agree that I should have a few test subjects, to see how the training thing works, and fully explore the limits of these people.


    Of course, that means Ill need to find ways to consolidate and upgrade all my training rted skills, such that I can distribute the resources to more people, other than Lausanne alone. Part of the reason why I focused only on Lausanne, is because I have no idea how effective my abilities are, and how it actually affects Lausannes growth, so I just went all in. The problem with [dream tutor], and [learning aura], is that the effects are really small, but they do umte over a long period of time. It isnt as if Lausanne bes super amazing the next day, and Ive been using [dream tutor] on her since shes 5? Maybe 4. I forgot.


    Since shes got that special skill, well, use your seeds as well. Im really eager to know what they do.


    Huh, Im confused now. Should I focus on Lausanne, or train more people?


    Both! You can focus on Lausanne since shes got that unique skill, but you do need other people as a base case. Its really basic, you cant draw conclusions on a sample of one. More samples, more robust conclusions! So diversify! Expand your sample size!"


    You know, the validity of your methods are distorted by skills and abilities.


    Those are outliers and variables that we can adjust for. Thats normal! I think Alexis is talking a lot like a scientist, and I think its part of the job.


    Me, do you think shes talking like a scientist?


    She talks like that all the time. Its normal.


    Hey!


    But Im not disputing the essence of your argument, and I agree with the idea of having more test subjects. Well, its time for me to get Laufen to work on the orphanage.


    Wait. Youre experimenting with orphans? Alexis didn''t like that though.


    Who else do I experiment on? Do you see any other young children I can run some tests on? You think the rest of the New Freekans willing to give me young children to test on?


    Id like to say that its ethically wrong to use your abilities on young children who are unable to decide and give consent. You know what, testing on young children now feels eerily simr to trying to train orphans into war machines, so I take back my earlier statement. Please don''t test on young children.


    This is a magical world, and frankly, I am not doing them any harm. When you feed a child a supplement, you want them to grow strong, but did the child give consent? When you force him to eat his bitter medicine, did he give consent? As long as your intent is to help them, I think its fine. And with orphans, as the Valtrian order is the caretaker and guardian, we are empowered to make decisions on their behalf.


    Me tries to break up the argument by butting in. Alex think positively! Maybe TreeTree can make Batman! Thatll be cool. I think a lot of superheroes are orphans or lost their parents. Superman too! So I think its a good idea. You wont abuse them, right? Right?


    Alexis pretty much facepalms, I dont think TreeTree knows what Batman is.


    Uh, I do, but I keep my mouth shut. Well, no permanent pain, I suppose Frankly I dont know, theres no progress without pain.


    Hmm

 Naming deficiency

    Naming deficiency


    Year 78 Month 8


    Valtrian Orders Orphanage for young children is up and running, all we needed was a building where we could build rooms, and then employ people to take care of the kids. As a rule, I insisted that the children we take in are less than 12 years old, such that. Those older are able to find work and can live on their own, in this world, for humans, 13 is quite a normal age to start holding some kind of semi-permanent job, either as an apprentice, or some kind of live-in worker, and this norm is also seen in the other non-humans.


    In New Freeka, connected to the orphanagerge building is a few subsidiary trees, two of which are [training rooms], for teaching and sparring. There would be quite a lot of young orphans in this world, after all, with so much war and ughter going on, it is only a norm that families are often broken. Anyway, my intention is to train these orphans, those willing, into warriors for the Valtrian Order, and so the remaining Valtrian Order soldiers are regrlying to give the young kids some simple lessons. In a way, it acts as a feeder into the future Valtrian order guards.


    For monitoring and tracking, one of the subsidiary trees is a bib, with multiple pods. The decor is intentionally bare, and I had the herbalist use it as a medicinal room, to mask the true intent of the pods, which is to take magical snapshots of these orphans progress over the years.


    Feedback in terms of the orphanage is mixed, and even from the orphans themselves. Many of them are living in empty, abandoned homes, some taken in by the people of New Freeka. Some orphans themselves resist the structure and rules that an orphanage have, and prefer to continue living on their own.


    Well, my view to Laufen is, dont force the kids. If they want to live on their own and think they can and know better, go ahead. Either the world will teach them a lesson, or they will truly show their mettle.


    Out of the towns poption of 50,000 or so elves, dwarves and centaurs, about 500-1,000 or young orphan children, but not all want to stay in this new set of quarters, so its often the really young ones. There are also families who cannot or are unable to raise their children, so they surrender their children to the orphanage.


    Oh well. Im not going to be the moral police, so whatever men and women choose to do with their lives, thats their problem. Ill take the kids, and Ill use them.


    The good thing is, it puts some jobs on the table, as the orphanage hires a lot of workers, to cook, to care for the orphans, to teach, and some retired, elderly men also help out as trainers.


    The thing about old people in a world with great and frequent destruction, is often they are quite high leveled. Being on the run for decades must have given them a lot of survival rted skills and actual [skills], either they are good at fighting, good at running and hiding, or good as improvising and making the most of what little they have.


    Ah well, I guess there has to be some truth to the old people being awesome trope after all.


    -


    Eat this. Lausanne stares at the green fruit right in front of her. She picks it up with her tiny hands, and she shakes it.


    It does not look ripe.


    Its not meant to be ripe. Eat it. Its a green fruit, made out of the passive seed, [spark of brilliance]. Its small, the size of a grape. Its lime green, and from my point of view, it has a faint green glow to it. Its my first time creating a fruit out of the seeds.


    Uh okay. She starts to chew on the small fruit.


    She walks a few steps, her mouth chewing.


    Okay I ate it. It tastes sour, but its not horrible. Is this some kind of new fruit you want us to sell, TreeTree?


    No. Its a special fruit. Just for you.


    Huh. If its a special fruit, shouldnt it be sweet and really yummy? Its quite sour, and I can still taste the sourness on my tongue... Lausanne downs a cup of water, probably hoping to wash off the taste.


    Not all things in life are meant to be sweet, my dear Lausanne.


    Is that some kind of word of wisdom I should remember?


    Perhaps.


    Is this why you called me here, TreeTree?


    Not just this If I could smile, I would. Lausanne, would you like a special familiar contract?


    Lausanne immediately nods, Yeah sure. Special in a good way, right?


    Yes.


    [Lausanne has epted the special familiar contract. 50 star mana consumed. 1 star mana will be consumed per month].


    Star mana. I have 300 star mana at the moment, thats the maximum number of star-mana storage organs I have, and with the current maximum number of star-leaves, I produce 30 star mana a month.


    Oh wow. Is this like Uncle Juras Bamboo? She activates the familiar, and then tworge twisting roots emerge from her body, and they transform into a wooden sword and shield, Lausannes current favourite fightingbination. Whoah it responded to me! Can you hear it TreeTree?


    I cant. Well, the familiar doesnt have an artificial soul, but it probably has a kind of programming to it, like an animal?


    Well, it just says, sword and shield mode. Lausanne grins. But its cool. I can tell it things in my head! The wooden sword starts transforming into a whip.


    Huh. That is pretty cool.


    And it can change shape! Lausanne tries out the whip, and it works like a rope too, allowing Lausanne to pull herself forward. I can use this to swing from branch to branch too! Like the monkeys!


    Dont let your mom see that. The idea of a young little girl swinging around like Tarzan is probably going to make Laufen have a headache.


    Ah yes ah yes. Sorry I got excited. The two roots can transform into various shapes, but there are certain limits to the size and length. Its kinda cool that they dont drain my mana as much as the normal familiar too!


    Ah, I suppose thats the benefit, stronger, more flexible, but cost less. I suppose the star mana that I give it is supports it?


    Thank you, TreeTree. This is nice.


    Good. Let me know if you get any skill notifications tomorrow.


    Okay! Well, the next day, Erm I didnt get a new skill, but one of my skills transformed.


    Oh, which one?


    Its the [Blessed by a soul tree]. Its now [Blessed by a soul tree - advanced].


    Huh Well, thats amusing. Now shes even morepatible with my abilities I hope she doesnt eventually transform into a tree.


    Well, the cool thing is, the roots are a bit longer and bigger now. I think it makes my familiar stronger! I see, so the special familiars effects are going to be less impressive on the other guys. Now I want to know whether I can fuse this special familiar with an artificial soul.


    Lausanne shows off her slightly bigger sword and shield, its wood, of course.


    Im gonna go practice. Dont tell mom Im in the forest.


    Well, Lausanne did try to be a monkey, and shes using two roots like vines, to swing herself from tree to tree. But only with the bigger trees, since the smaller trees dont have enough clearance.


    Oh dear, what have I done.


    Year 78 Month 10


    Demon king preparation status check.


    The demon king appeared Year 70, Month 4.


    The demon king died about 5 years ago, around Year 73 Month 3 Week 2


    Going by the 10 year gap between demon kings, that means I should have at least about 5 years left. 5 years is a good amount of time, but halfway there, its time to discuss the matter again.


    So, the next demon king should be about 5 years away, we wont know for certain, but thats the approximate time range. What should we do? Well, the audience is myself, my treeminds, Horns, Alexis and Me. Ill have another discussion with the Valtrian peeps next time.


    It depends on the type of power the demon king has.


    We wont know until he appears, and wed be running out of time if thats the case. What are the normal,mon powers a demon king would have?


    Extensive destruction abilities, and demonic hordes?


    So okay, how do we prepare for that?


    Hide? Theres really no way we can fight back unless we have the powers of the heroes, and running is out of the option.


    Agree, hide. So that means we need to figure out a way to make use of the tunnels and the abandoned dungeon as some kind of shelter, and build barricades and strong gates.


    Uh, I think thats missing the point. TreeTree, youre massive, you cant hide.


    Thats fine, but its more for everyone else around me. I think I can take whatever the demon kings horde can throw at me except the demon king himself.


    So what are you going to do if the Demon King himselfes for you.


    Well think about it then. For now, lets work on the n to hide.


    How about the [ThreeTree of Mana]? We cant hide that. Its DImitree who brings up his part of the world. If necessary, we need to build a massive wall around it, one that even the demon king cant destroy?


    Thats impossible, if theres one thing the demon king doesntck, its destructive firepower.


    The elves say there are other trees who manage to somehow make their forests disappear. How do we do that?


    Thats hiding. And well, thats a good point. If theres an ability to temporarily warp the valley into pocketspace, thatll help.


    Ive got no skills anywhere near that level, though I suppose [secret hideout] is like a slow step on that path? Perhaps someday, Ill get the ability to create a massive secret hideout that includes myself in it. Though thats probably going to make my mind melt, because the secret hideout is inside me, but Im inside the secret hideout. So whats inside what?


    Cant the demon king detect such abilities? Seems kinda odd that an incredibly powerful monster like itself would allow such things to happen


    ...Are demon kings sentient?


    I have no idea. It has a certain kind of intelligence, but sentient no one has evermunicated with it.


    -


    Year 78 Month 12


    Winter.


    With volcano project hitting a slow spot, I decide to try other projects.


    Tapping on the Valtrian Order''s growingwork of contacts, I am now aware of three faraway sites that I want to explore.


    Further up north, some movements of the ground revealed a previously covered massive hole, that goes really, really deep. It''s as if somebody dug a hole vertically down. Its currently spitting out many different kinds of snake-monsters and snake like creatures, which is why I suspect it is likely to contain some kind of magical source. That said, my data is quitecking. Currently being extensively attacked by adventurers, as the snakehide seem to fetch good money, and also its a newrge dungeon, so plenty of adventurers are trying to make their way down. Travel time by beetle is 2 weeks.


    2nd, in one of the regions near the Nung-Sh border, theres a few dungeon-like areas. Theres no detected leyline, but there are still a lot of monsters appearing in that area. As the area is rather sparsely popted and heavily damaged from all the battles, there''s not much adventurer attentionpared to the snake-hole, but the presence of multiple dungeon entrances and unusual monster do hint at a dungeon. If so, I want the core. Travel time by beetles, 2 weeks.


    3rd site, is a deep into one of the nearby kingdoms territories. Ake with seems to be inhabited by magical beasts and strange, unusual nts. Rumoredly, magical. 3 weeks away.


    My first choice is the one with the potential leyline, but that means I have to deal with the adventurers. Still, leyline is too good to miss out, so Im going to start my subsidiary-tree-expansion to that location.


    The dungeon-like areas, if I do attempt those, would be for the cores. Its a good reward financially, and Id like to study cores in much more detail, perhaps there are variations to cores between dungeons. If a core is sentient, or has the potential to be, I would like to attempt using an artificial-soul on one. My suspicions are they would work simr to a root-brainplex, and that would be something fun to test out.


    The drawback is the active warzone. Sh and New Freeka is at peace, the Nung-Takde & Sh War is still ongoing, with the situation at a stalemate. It seems they are periodically still fighting battles on a few fronts, though both sides are not trying anything bold to end the war. Its an odd state, skirmishes here and there, even though trade routes have been strangely re-opened. Id like to scout out the location, so I n to have some beetles in the location, just to find out where these dungeons are.


    As for theke, it doesn''t seem to be that much of a problem, just far away. New types of nts is always wee, if magical and potentially rare nts, even more, ans this seems more appropriate for a small strike force. Send the guys in, get the strange nts, and get out. Simple, suitable for a covert strike team of beetles.


    I want to go.


    Huh?


    Take my probe-etle there.


    Is that a name you came up with? Sounds like something you stick up an arse. Who do they call that again is it endoscopy? Oh wait. It sounds like probiotics! The kind of weird bacteria shit those multi level marketers try to sell!


    It sounds better than scout beetle, doesnt it?


    Which one?


    I have two probe-etles, I want to see theke. And the giant hole in the ground.


    Fine.


    Yay. Me~ Do you wanna go? You should totally consider fusing with one of the beetles, then we both can still go travel. You can be my probe''s bodyguard!


    Wait, you can see through the probes?


    Uh, yeah. Its called a probe, right? Of course I can see through the probe.


    "I don''t want to be a beetle. That''s disgusting." Me probably is frowning. "I''d rather be a tree."


    "I take offense to that statement." Horns chimes in.


    "Awwe on. We finally get to do some travelling!"


    "I rather like the rtive peace and safety here. I might get attacked as a beetle, and people will hate me, I can''t cope with that!"


    "Me that''s a lie and you know it."


    The two girls seem to be arguing, but it''s rather friendly kind. So I ignore them.


    -


    One of the merchants brought garlic and ginger today, apparently really popr with nobility for cooking.


    [Crop variety - Garlic] added. You can now produce essences of garlic and garlic vored woods, fruits and saps.


    [Crop variety - Ginger] added. You can now produce essences of ginger and ginger vored woods, fruits and saps


    Ooh that''s gonna stink some people. I wonder whether they have stinky fruits in this world like durians? They should, right?


    But you know, this recent about garlic and ginger gave me an idea. I have the ability to produce fruits, vegetables and herbs. What if I set up a market, and sell my produce? Or even better, set up a restaurant? I''m not sure how many restaurants they have in New Freeka, but certainly, if I have the ability to procure and produce unique types of vegetables and fruits, that would give me a unique selling point!


    I could make special ginger-ginseng soup. Or fried potatoes with garlic, herbs and spices


    "A restaurant? You need cooks though. A chef!"


    "But it could work!"


    "You girls know any recipes from where you are from?" All I know is how to cook instant noodles with eggs.


    "Uh I might. But honestly"


    "If I get an ability to create a [Tree-kitchen] or [Res-Treerant] I''ll fuse you to it."


    "Does that mean I''ll be stuck in a cooking game forever?" Me seems frightened by the prospect. Oh wait, did they not know I can reassign them, because their souls are stronger than the artificial souls?


    "I think a beetle is still better."


    "But a cooking tree sounds like an appealing idea at least. It could even end up a case where I could be the spirit that runs a hotel and restaurant. It''s like those cooking simtor games!" Meughs.


    Alexis looks a bit concerned. "Me, are you sure you want to be a" Her dreams of travelling with a beetle bodyguard fading away...


    "A hotelier! And master chef!"


    "Wait. You''re not serious." Alexis facepalms, only, she''s a spirit so all she could do was soundlessly smack herself with her ethereal hands.


    "Maybe one of your [subsidiary tree] with a room. I can probably acquire the job as [chef] and [innkeeper]."


    Alexis looks horrified. "Me, if you fuse with a tree you can''t get job levels, job levels are for humanoids only! My skills so far are all because my creature-type is research tree spirit. So no!"


    "Eh. TreeTree, can you make a tree decorated with multiple hotel like rooms, kitchen, dining and cafe area?"


    "I I can try." Huh, true, forcefully decorating a tree such that I get a different tree type. That''s like the yroom and training room, it might just work.


    "Okay TreeTree, I, Me Adams have decided on my career path! If you can make one where I get the right type, then I''ll fuse with it."


    "Me, you serious?" Alexis''s flying up and down. "You won''t even know if there are tourists? We have no data on tourism and travel traffic! How do you know it''ll work out? How many people even eat out?"


    "What''s the worst that can happen? I''m a tree! It''s not like I''ll starve to death if the hotel and restaurant fails."


    "Me!" Alexis shouts.


    "It''ll be fine, Alexis. Of all the options offered to me, this actually seems like fun! Chef and hotelier! That''s a whole lot more interesting than looking at ab all day. I could even open branches! Hotel-tree branches! Getit? I could be a moving tree hotel. Or a popup store! The wandering treehotel-restaurant! Maybe even add a convenience store!"


    Alexis ms her head into the trunk of her bib. It doesn''t really hurt.


    "If trees can move, then I could be a coconut hotel & restaurant tree by the beach!"


    Hey, that''s an interesting idea. Giant treants, but is actually a walking hotel.


    "TreeTree, can I name my hotel and restaurant? I can, right?"


    "Uh, sure." Hey, Me wants to be useful, if naming rights is all she wants...


    "I''m gonna call the hotel, the Me! And the restaurant, the Fried Mee! And if there''s a Cafe, it''s gonna be the Cafe Mette. Oh TreeTree, you should totally get coffee beans."


    Alexis smacks her face into the trunk, multiple times. She''s not feeling any pain, I think she''s just doing it to vent her frustration with Me''s inane choice.


    "Alexis, you can name yourb too. I''ll give you an idea. You can name it, A-Lab-is. It''s like your name, but with ab in it. Or Labalex. That''s cool too."


    ---


    Spaizzer br>


    AN: Me''s been spending too much time with TreeTree.


    Also : no chapst week of june. im travelling!

 New businesses

    New businesses


    <b>Year 79 Month 1</b>


    Roots, the subterraneanwork of trees. Through it, I am connected to the tens of thousands of trees within my valley, and beyond.


    These roots, they cover vastnds, serving as the forests backbone, carrying information, minerals, essences, and mana. These roots, they go through many kinds of soil, so they pick up the subtle shifts of the mineralposition, and, a feature of my various subsidiary trees, act like little sensors, collecting measurements.


    When it rains, when it snows, when the earth shakes a little, when theres a bit of shaking, through [roo], the roots and the subsidiary trees all collect data. Data, which my root-brains, Trevor, Dimitree, and Ivy feed on. Vibrations, humidity, magic. Together, all these sensors form a vast array, and so, we can now triangte the sources of tremors, and unusual magics, to determine direction.


    Some trees in the distance would feel it first, a tug, a pull. Thenter more trees pick up on the tremor.


    An earthquake. A minor one. Even the volcano gives out little warning signs, the small tremors before it starts to erupt, when some part of the volcano starts to spit outva. This ability could have saved more beetles, if we had it a bit earlier.


    Its Trevors newest skill addition.


    [Tree-iangtion]


    Crunching all the data, to tell me whats happening in a distant location, without having to actually be there.


    If we had magic sensors Alexis is about to start with her usual marketing of magicbs.


    Lets start materialbs first. I understand thats a prerequisite to the development of magicbs?


    Ah.. erm.. Yes. We would need to have the ability to analyse materials, and develop mana-sensitive materials, then only magicalbs.


    So lets do it. What do I need to get to materialbs? Once we have that Id like to analyse that dismantled airship, again.


    What? Really?


    Yes. Ive decided to get magic sensors. I imagine that would be very useful if we had another case of that super-blizzard.


    Alexis nods, Ah yes. So, material research first?


    Yes. Get to it.


    Sure. Alexis looks awkward, she floats around, a part of her happy, yet a part of her quite confused. ...What made you change your mind?


    Was I changing my mind? I thought I just wanted more time to mull over whether thats the right direction for us.


    Alexis seems like she is about to bark some kind of retort, before she seems to realise ...do tree spirits normally take so long to think?


    Hmmm. No?


    Well, it makes sense, that is amon kind of myth associated with tree-people that they tend to be sluggish and take forever to decide. Alexis is talking to herself now. "It''s like that council of trees in LoTR. Took them forever to decide, didn''t they."


    Huh. Is sheining that I took too long to decide? But at least I did decide, no?


    Ah never mind. Starting material testing and treeb varieties.<ul><li><ul><li>Eye-Tree Stage I research option unlocked - 2 months remaining</li></ul></li></ul><ul><li><i>Beetle - anti-magma armors stage 2 -pleted</i></li></ul><ul><li><ul><li>Beetle - anti-magma armors stage 3 - 3 months remaining</li><li>Tree - volcanic adaptation stage 3 - 2 months remaining</li></ul></li></ul><ul><li><i>Roots - Volcanic mineral harvesting - stage 1 -pleted</i></li></ul><ul><li>Roots - Volcanic mineral harvesting - stage 2 -pleted</li></ul><ul><li>Roots - Volcanic mineral processing - stage 1 - 5 months remaining</li><li>Materials testing - stage 1 - 3 months</li><li>Treeb varieties - stage 1 - 12 months</li></ul>


    Research is taking longer, as earlier predicted. Magic is going to be necessary, and though I have to take precautions on who and what gets ess to magic, I''m starting to lean on the side that it''s an eventual step I have to take, one way or another, I cannot face the threats this world has with one hand behind my back.


    A necessary risk.


    I will have a long conversation with both Me and Alexis, on magic, on the sorts of magic I will give them ess too, though with Me, I have less ability to control her. My hope is, they would be able to give some contribution to the defense against the next demon king, as they have more experience in magic as heroes.


    Meanwhile, New Freekas having a small boom in terms of growth. The era of peace, and the reputation of stable, secure food supplies attracts more refugees, even from the other nations, not just Sh. A busy time for the council of New Freeka, and theyve been hard at work, to expand their town premises, prepare new farnds. More people, more food, more homes, public services need to be expanded. Of course, there''s usually a need for refugees to ''buy'' their way to ''public'' services, such as the right to use some of the new housing.


    At the same time, theres been more focus on security and screening, so the NFHC hired some of theid off soldiers to work as guards. Ivy says some of the councilmen feel a need to bolster their forces, now that they are actively threatened by the presence of the Valtrian order as apeting political power, what more, with Jura and the Valtrian orders secure, legally protected position.


    A faction in the council emerged which wants to assert ''independence'' from the Orders growing influence, and this faction somehow managed to coerce Yvon, such that she voluntarily resigned from her position as the chairperson of the council. Her position has been tenuous and under scrutiny for some time, as it''s an open secret by now, that her soul is contracted to me, and that leads to a whole lot of corridor whispering and rumors about Yvon being promised''.


    But to theyperson unfamiliar to the nuances of New Freeka politics, her statement to the public atrge sounded voluntary enough.


    Im resigning from my post as chairperson of the New Freeka council, with immediate effect. Ive led and held this position since New Freekas founding, and finally, after almost 5 years, I believe this fledgling nation is in safe hands, and I can finally hand the reins over to someone else, and spend time with my son.


    How sweet. Spend time with Roma, whos now almost 6 years old.


    The pressure to counterbnce Juras growing influence meant the person holding New Freekas chairperson role had to more than independent. In other words, against the Order, against me.


    Frankly, its just silly political struggles. Arge faction within the councilmen themselves understand this, after all, they know I can crush them. So they are left in this ufortable situation where they yearn for to be the ruling group, but acknowledge that without me, they have nothing to rule.


    Anyway, silly silly things, these jostling for ''authority'', as long as nothing unreasonable happens, Ill let them be. Ivys got all of them monitored, and retaliation wont take much time at all.


    Lady Yvon. Jura was one of the few she met after her voluntary withdrawal. I heard the news, frankly, its disappointing, but the Tree Spirit expected it.


    Sheughs, Hah, well, thats life.


    Jura shrugs. So, really, retirement as a mother?


    Why, do I not look like I have motherly desires?


    Juras turn tough, and he takes a small alcoholic beverage and offers it to Yvon. Frankly, no. Youre the warrior-queen type.


    Yvon sips on her little drink. Well, to be fair, it has some truth, I admit feeling a little jealous that Romas a lot more attached to Eriz than me. For all these time Ive been trying to get this town in order, Eriz has been more like his mother, more than I ever have. So yes, a bit of it is a desire to make up for what I have failed to do.


    "Really? I really didn''t see you as the actual mother type, though most of New Freeka regard you as the ''mother'' of this city." Juraughs, he offers his small cup of alcohol and the two cups meet softly. They both take a sip.


    "Anyway, my times up. And time management has never been my strong suit. There''s never enough time to do right by New Freeka, or by Roma."


    Times never enough. Ites with the job. Look at me, or Laufen. Both of us are so busy these days, we only have a bit of time to spend with Lausanne and the kids. I try to make dinner happen, at least we still meet up Lausannes been bugging me forbat practice every time we meet.


    Oh yes I have heard a few captains sing praise of her talent. Shes really good for her age. My son''s not showing any interest yet, though.


    Well, may not be a bad thing. Laufen constantly worries shell injure herself. At least Romas just ying chase, or spending time with wooden toys. I just hope Lausanne doesnt find someone who doesnt know how to hold back and injure herself from practice.


    You know, I could offer to spar with Lausanne. Yvon nods. Now that I have free time.


    Jura smiles, I would appreciate that. It will be good for her growth, that she fights someone with a different style.


    So I take that as a yes?


    Yes, yes. Please tell Lausanne youre her new sparring partner.


    Yvon nods, Great! Their cups are both empty.


    Jura leans forward. Ah, all of you, can you leave? The guards nod to Juras instruction, and so they leave, leaving Jura and Yvon alone in the room.


    Huh. Something important?


    Yes. Ill cut to the chase, really. Its about Roma. Is he rted to the royalty?


    Damn. The Tree Spirit saw through that too? Yvons fist smack her other palm, and Jura just shrugs at her statement.


    Does the Kingdom of Sh know about it?


    I sure hope not. We forged a fake marriage arrangement with one of Galens knights, one of the other elves. It also helps that Roma does not manifest any of the human traits yet, so no one will know whether hes part-human until hes much older.


    But he will, it''s only a matter of time before he asks of his own heritage. How many know of this?


    Maybe 10?


    That is too many. Where are the 10?


    I I dont know.


    In which case, you better start preparing Roma. If youre lucky, he gets forgotten by the Kingdom, as just one of the many bastards royalties have. If youre not, theres going to be a group out for his head.


    Well, now that I have some free time, looks like I should get started on his practice.


    Jura nods. You should. He needs the ability to protect himself. Youre good, but you wont be able to stop all of them.


    Can I count on you to protect him?


    Jura pauses, and shrugs. Maybe.


    Yvon smiles weakly. Ah well.


    If youre going to start preparing him, then have him practice with Lausanne. I can permit ess to the Training Rooms, or use the one near the Main Tree.


    I will. Thank you.


    Take care, Lady Yvon.


    Yvon nods, and she leaves.


    The rooms empty, and so Jura leans back and he speaks out loud. Its quite obvious hes talking to me.


    Royalty. As you predicted.


    Its obvious, isnt it? She sent her baby so far away with protectors. If its not royalty, I doubt shed take such precautions. Its such a cliche.


    I thought its just a motherly thing to do, to keep your child out of harms way. But Im happy that she offered to practice with Lausanne. Thatll really help me and Lausanne. If only the others show any interest in learning how to defend and protect themselves.


    Theyll be fine. So long as they remain in the valley, the beetles will look out for them. What do you think about her recement?


    Smart, but a little greedy. The position he takes isnt one he truly believes in, hes only taking it because it allows him to be in a greater role. I believe hes just saying what everyone else wants to say, but dont have the guts to say. A mouthpiece for the anti-Order faction, so hes going to try to stonewall a few of our initiatives.


    Well, it is normal in politics. The opposing party will try their best to stop us. As long as its not too annoying, let it be. If you run into trouble, let me know, Ill crush them.


    Jura nods. I figured you would say that. Oh yeah, my [diplomat] and [warrior] sses merged yesterday night. Its now [Warlord].


    Sounds like an upgrade.


    It is. I feel stronger already. Cumtively Im level 80! I think its due to your influence


    Great. Well, its good that Juras getting even more powerful. All that [powerleveling] and [learning aura] helped, after all.


    He sighs, and its a loud, long sigh. TreeTree. I think I think this is my limit.


    Huh?


    I can feel it. Even though my sses merged, I have a sense, a feeling in my chest. That this this is as far as I can go. My body and soul is at its limit of growth.


    Strange words. Do people not grow, gain levels, as long as they push themselves, fight monsters and gain experience?


    Well, in theory, yes. But other than heroes, most of us teau at some point. For those who are not so gifted, we would experience multiple teaus. Thats why Im worried for Lausanne, too. She might be doing well now, gaining levels and all, but there is a point where our body, our souls reach a teau.


    Well, I think Jura did mention something simr in the past, but it didnt register as something significant in my head.


    We are not born heroes, and so, we have a limit. They say


    I cut him off then. Rubbish. Are you sure youre not just feeling tired and start mumbling? Rather than talk about limits, take a dip in the bib and let me have a look at whats going on. Come back to the main tree.


    Ah


    Jura somewhat reluctantly put himself for examination.


    And first things first, I notice the arrangement of stones near and around his mana spring. The core of the soul is different fromst time, I recall it looking like a few scattered mounds of rocks around the mana spring, but this time, those mounds are shaped like a proper wall around the spring, a bit more like the ranger. Theres a better structure and organisation to the rocks and stones. I suppose this is what the ss merger did to theyout of the rocks.


    Next, I looked at the mana generation, it is healthy, and quite good, doesnt look like theres any blockage or dark spots that suck up his mana. The springs spewing out mana very well, the supply of mana or life force is good. Not as much as the heroes, of course, but its healthy for someone like Jura.


    Then, I look at the body, the bodys healthy too. Juras not a young man anymore, by elven years hes a middle aged man. Despite that, the bodys in good shape, hes strong, hes fit. The shores on the body is taking up all the mana the body can offer, and there are no blockage to the mana flow to any part of the body.


    Hmm, so why would he feel like this is his limit? Is this something not on the mana? I draw on the power of my [soul forge], and channel it to my main trees bib pod, hoping to have a look at a bit more.


    With the [soul forge]s power, more data appears. First, the rate of production of mana from the spring, and then the passive mana consumed to sustain each level and skill. Its denoted as two bars, mana produced and mana consumed.


    Is this the mana were familiar with, or another kind of mana? Alexis asks, shes also looking Juras body.


    Well, as it turns out, it sort of is, the normal kind of mana. Each person produces a certain amount of mana, but it is allocated into two pools, active and passive. Active goes into the persons actual mana pool that is used to cast spells and activate skills, Passive is directly consumed to sustain the bodys stats, power and all the other passives. The passive, ismonly referred to as the bodys vitality or life force.


    It is the data finally answers the question.


    Juras vitality is maxed out. And his bodys consumption of that vitality is also maxed out. Though nothing is wrong with him, he is right to say something is wrong. Its like a car thats already pushed to the limit, and can go no further. A car that hit its speed limit.


    Sounds simple enough, can you tweak the soul such that it produces more vitality and less mana? It sounds like he doesnt really need that much mana as a warrior. Maybe some of his skills and abilities consume them, but I think a higher level would be better. Or maybe, you could just give him an upgrade? I wonder whether you could upgrade souls.


    Its something I want to think about. There may be other ways to go about it.


    Tweaking the soul, well, I could, but I need to be very sure it works. The soul forge, if used incorrectly, can cause great damage.


    <b>Year 79 Month 2</b>


    I finally got the skill. We needed to decorate a [subsidiary tree]s customisable rooms with beds,plete with partitions, segregated washrooms, a reception area and a dining area.


    [Tree Lodge]


    [A tree with a whole lot more space than it looks! Each tree lodge has 10 rooms, a restaurant, a cozy lounge, a reception, and a kitchen, all while looking no bigger than any other tree! Needs to hire workers to work]


    [Limited to 5, and each lodge must be a distance away from the other nearest lodge]


    Uh. Odd, it''s the first time a tree skill has a minimum distance requirement. I cant cram all the tree lodges in one ce?


    Me, I got the skill. I can make you a tree lodge already. Well, once its fused with Me, the slot would free up again. Mes her own person and she doesnt use my tree lodge slot. Its like Alexiss own independent bib-thing, which is now a weird crazy looking tree with lots of vials, tubes and other contraptions, and strange blobs flowing up and down its side. It''s so weird that I have to use beetles to guard it.


    Awesome. I had ideas for names again. Want to hear it?


    What?


    Hotel Treevago. Hey, I know that joke. Do they alle from the same generation? Is there a kind of speed difference in time between this world and ours?


    Alexis facepalms. Me, thatsme. And it sounds kind of wrong. Like a bad reproductive disease.


    Meughs. I know, its a joke. Im probably going to call it something a bit more proper. Perhaps, the Faraway Home-e.


    Thats not much better!


    The palms, then? I think theres a luxury hotel by that name, isnt it?


    The palms but were not at the beach!


    How about the Pinewood?


    Oh, okay, the Pinewood sounds better. Alexis puts her spiritual fingers on her chin. She''s thinking rather seriously.


    "Or the Oakwood. I think that sounds quite ssy as a hotel."


    "Me, you sure you want to be a hotel?"


    "Hell yeah. Alexis, stops questioning my decisions, I know what I want to do."


    "Ah, I know you won''t change your mind. Fine, fine. You''ll need to hire workers and you will need money. And where can you get it?"


    "TreeTree, can I get a loan? You''re rich, right? I''ll pay you back when I start to make money."


    "Okay. 30 gold for now. Consider it my investment."


    Alexis smacks her head. "TreeTree, you''re being awfully generous."


    Great, thanks TreeTree! Lets totally do this. Uh.. but wait. If the soul forge merges me with the [Tree lodge], does that mean I take the position of the current Tree Lodge? Thats not a great location, I would prefer one right in New Freeka!


    Ah hmm.... I mentally connect to the soul forge, and then, a little prompt appears. Alexis and the Tree-minds didnt have this issue since they are located right next to me, so after the merging isplete I can just spawn them there. But New Freeka outside the range of the soul forge so I have to use the Carrier Drone.


    [Carrier Drone. After a soul is merged with an object, skill or person, it can choose to be a deployable egg. The carrier drone will then carry the egg within it to the desired location, where it will spawn into the merged structure! But beware, the carrier drone is vulnerable, and destruction means death to the cargo as well.]


    Once again, the system to the rescue." A little too convenient, but hey, that''s life.


    And so, I initiate the soul forge. Mes soul leaves my [soul realm], and into the forge, together with the [Tree Lodge], which melts into a greenish like liquid, and the soul forge then spins the two together. Me''s soul takes the form of a white light, and together with the greenish liquid, it mixes into a mild green light.


    Lightning strikes at the branches of the [Forge Tree], making an electrical connection to the heavens above, and it periodical pulses, and the thickness of the lightning increases.


    And the spinning within the forge speeds up intensely, as more power and mana are drawn through the roots. Activating a soul forge result in a lot of mana and energy flowing through the roots, especially from the leyline, it feels like having a whole lot of water flowing, spinning around me, like I am stuck in a whirlpool.


    Zap! Onerge lightning strikes the [forge tree], and then, itsplete. The merging is done.


    A small greenish egg appears from the forge tree, containing a sleeping Me as a hotel-spirit-tree.


    A drone beetle appears, its bodys hard shell open to reveal something resembling a small but very long limb, it lifts up that small egg, the size of a dog (its rtive), and ces it in apartment on its body, then the shell closes.


    Wow. It even has a little storage space.


    Imand a dozen beetles to quickly escort the drone to the marked ce in New Freeka, a ce Me chose beforehand, where she wanted the hotel to be. It''s nighttime, and Jura has already made arrangements for the beetles to enter the town premise. Once the carrier drone arrives safely, the drone beetle starts to dig itself into the ground and it starts to melt?


    Its melting? The body of the carrier and the egg liquefies into a greenish goo and it seeps into the ground.


    Whoah. Alexis is quite amused by it. "Magic?"


    "I.. I think so?" Well, I have no idea. I don''t know how the deployment works either.


    Its actually an empty plot ofnd, owned by the Order, and now, a wall starts to appear around that plot ofnd. The ground starts to expand, actually, inte upwards, but still entirely covered in earth.


    Its still inting, and the inting earth starts to take the shape of a cuboid block made of dirt and roots. Its like somebody took a hardened cube of earth filled with roots and ced it where the empty spot once was.


    Then suddenly, a sign appears on thatrge mound of earth, on the frontage that faces the towns streets.


    Under construction. Grand Opening in soon!


    Me, you there? Alexis asks, a little worried. Me''s her only friend.


    Yes, but Im very busy! Me replies back, Ill let you know when Im done! I got tonnes of options before this thing opens!


    And Me vanishes, merges into the wooden block, and she didnt speak a word for the rest of the month.


    The odd mound of earth, that strangely manages to remain cube-shaped draws a whole lot of curious onlookers, but most people didnt think about it too deeply. Just one of those strange things that happen in a world with magic, oh look at that strange earth-block.. Must be some magical shit happening in the Valtrian Order, again. Compared to trees that spit fire, rtively mild as weird things go.


    Shes busy in there." There''s some kind of noisee from that wooden block. I think it sounds a bit like construction work, but it''s a tree-structure, there would not be actual construction going on. Maybe it''s just some kind of sound effect.


    Running a hotel isnt going to be easy, and afterzing around for so long, itll take some time before she gets the hang of it. A, Alexis is worried. Hey, take your time, alright? Yell if you need help, I''ll try to help out."


    Me did not reply. The noise is getting louder.


    Alexis sulks. Me, you''re okay, right?"


    "She''s in there. I can feel it. Just give her space."


    "Okay Me, let me know if you need anything alright."


    Me didnt respond. But I think the message got through, she said it so many times, she''s almost nagging.


    --


    Is it something youre working on, TreeTree? Well, I told Jura to set aside that plot ofnd for me, but I didnt really tell him what exactly itll be, so now that theres a cube of dirt there, he had to ask.


    Sort of. Its going to be a project by Me.


    Me? Is that the hero? Oh wait, Jura didnt know about Mes soul. Even when hes in front of Alexiss bib, all he sees is a glowing blob, and not Alexiss ethereal form. So, hes not spoken to them at all.


    Come to think of it, nobody knows about Alexis and Me''s second life as a soul.


    Now I hope they don''t identally expose themselves as former heroes. Announcement No chapters next week. Taking a break.

 Looking out

    Looking out


    <b>Year 79 Month 4</b>


    Oakwood hotel is finally ready to open for business!


    Mes block of wood revealed itself to be a mountain wooden-lodge-like structure, the logs that usually make up the lodge still part of arge living tree that forms Mesbined body. Shes the lodge itself, a living structure, and her present appearance, which Me says its a cosmetic choice. She described it as ying in a sandbox, a game where she could choose the decor of everything... I cant help feel like its some kind of mobile game thatmuters love to y, to earn points, unlock decors...


    Inside, fifteen rooms! Me beamed, she takes the form of a treefolk-ish creature within the hotel, her legs constantly melding and merging with the floor itself. This treefolk-ish form somewhat resembles her human self, but her skin color and texture is that of walnut-colored wooden bark.


    Youve got a physical body! Alexiss most impressed, probably because she unfortunately takes the form of a floating spiritual ghost whos surrounded by levitating vials, tiny petri dishes and other simr sort ofb equipment.


    Cool, right? Im like a treefolk, only. well I cant step more than 10 feet away from the hotel.. Unlike Alexis, shes been flying around the entire valley, asionally scaring some of the townspeople, who sees a glowing blob flying around.


    Ah, dont worry about it. Im sure its a level thing, like me. Im stuck to the bib at lower levels, but now that Im level 34, I can travel quite far ! Or ask TreeTree to help! The range limitation doesnt work if you tap into TreeTrees [soul realm]. But Im not sure whether thats because Im soul-contracted to him though...


    Its then the wisp pulls me into the soul realm. Ah, I may have forgotten to exin this. A tree spirit has the ability to share and connect souls together, and its this ability that allows all the souls a tform to speak and interact, and through it, they can see what you see. The [soul realm] is that tform, and its independent of where their physical locations are. I believe the locals would refer to it like being in a mailing group.


    Well, I know they can see what I can see, but I suppose it didn''t ur to me to wonder why Alexis, Horns or Bamboo are able to share their thoughts, while they are out there travelling. I suppose its like a video conference facility for souls.


    Or do you still have the skill? The [heroic meld]? Did you see your status? Alexiss spiritual body floats over Mes little wooden lodge, exploring the rooms. Me spent a lot of time arranging the decor. Its rather... cozy?


    Nah, almost all my skills are gone and no longer have the [hero] job. Im level 1 all over again. All I have left is [Goddesss Blessings]. Me shrugs, she''s got a wooden body to properly shrug now.


    I was wondering whether our circumstances would be different, but looks like Death removes all our skills.


    Well, I really dont mind starting over. Ill get a tonne of skills running this hotel. Im gonna be awesome! Me smiles and walks around. Besides, now that Im restarting, Im better able to think through my levels and skills..


    Good luck, Me. Hope you dont get strange skills like [Compendium of research failures], and [emergency shutdown].


    What were you looking at that the system made you get a skill like [emergency shutdown], were you trying to clone dinosaurs?


    ...a bib of giant dinosaurs. Alexiss not insulted, rather, shes rubbing her spiritual chin.


    Mes turn to shake her new tree-head. I gave you an idea, oh no.


    We have giant beetles. Dinosaurs are just giant lizards, or giant birds.


    "I like that idea." I chip into the conversation.


    "You know what dinosaurs are?"


    "Uh didnt you say giant lizards or giant birds?"


    "Oh, yes. Yes I did say that. Never mind me, Me, how''s the hotel?"


    "It''s a ''lodge'' at the moment. I think there''s going to be an upgrade at level 30. Strangely, I seem to be able to see what sort of upgrades to the lodge are avable between now until level 30."


    "Howe?


    "I have no idea." Me shrugs. But I need to start recruiting workers to man the kitchen, the reception and the restaurant. Im nning to hire all treefolks, toplete the feel of the lodge. An inn by the treefolk. TreeTree, is that something you can help me with? Ask perhaps Jura or Laufen to put out a recruitment notice?


    Sure. Youll need to give a lot more details though, like.. Whats your pay and working hours like?


    Oh. Can I talk to someone? Maybe some of the locals?


    Ill ask Jura toe see you. Also, are you still going to call yourself Me, or youre going with another name?


    Me pauses, and she makes a thinking pose. Good point. Should I still call myself Me, and would that get me in trouble?


    Depends what you want to achieve, Me. Do you want people to know you were once a hero? That said, I doubt everyone will associate your name to you, because well, its really quitemon to name their children after heroes. If me, Im not going to call myself Alexis, Ill go with a different name, maybe... Ritz, or Ambrose.


    Me ps her two wooden palms. Ive got an idea! I will call myself M. Lady M.


    Alexis smacks her head. Me.


    I will be referred to as M, Alexis. You can call yourself A.


    Ugh.


    Dont you think Lady MA is a ssy name? I think it is, and it fits my role as the Lady of the Hotel. Aaaaaaaaaaanyway, TreeTree, I need your help! Can I speak to Jura or the rest of the Valtrian Order? And are there any permits or permissions I need to get?


    If I had a head to shake, I would, but I could only lightly sway my branches to indicate myck of knowledge about New Freekas bureaucracy. But I can give a hand, I do want to see her seed. Ill arrange someone to meet you.


    Great. Id like to know before I identallymit a crime or infraction, or have to pay unnecessary bribes.


    Bribes?


    Uh, its actuallymon. The nobles throughout this world ask for bribes all the time. Even enforcement agents regrly ask for money. I heard from so many innkeepers and cksmiths throughout our journey


    At this point I turn to Ivy, Any idea if it happens? Well, given Ivys earlier bombshell that everyonemits some kind of crime, Im thinking, of course bribery happens.


    Paying small sums of coin, to avoidplete, thorough legal enforcement? Yes. One of the moremon transactions to ur is intentional understatement of tax collections, in exchange, the enforcers get paid.


    Ah. Does that happen to our people?


    Yes. Ive ignored it as the coins exchanged is minimal. Im not shocked. Im not shocked. People here do what they got to do. Thats just how it is.


    Uh.... I did recall telling Ivy to ignore most of the petty crimes, so I guess she ssified this as petty.


    It lubricatesmerce, and my calctions indicates most traders would be bankrupt if they had toply with the actual tax rates and the full extent of thew.


    Thats a problem with the New Freekan Law, is it not?


    Perhaps, its heavily inspired by wherever thewmakers are from, so the mismash ofws give rise to a whole lot of loopholes and possibilities for abuse, and ispounded by the fact that the justice system refers most rulings to the high council, of which thewmakers themselves are the judge.


    Ivy, has New Freekas justice system always been so screwed up?


    I think it functions rather well. Theres a clear acknowledgement of authority that flows up to the councillors, and the people understand that, so they obey the councillors demands and whatever the city tells the people to do. The councillors role as the adjudicator and arbitrator of peace is incredibly important to ay the citizens fears and address their needs, even if it oftencks justice, it is a kind of order which the people heree to ept and respect.


    Really?


    Indeed.


    Isnt there a written document? A constitution? What were they updating when they revised it to include the Valtrian order


    Constitutional documents only list down the major items. The key issues and matters which the High Council want to have formally documents. But outside of that, the Councillors issue promations all the time, and their decisions over time get stitched together into an informalw. Furthermore, punishments for nonpliance is not specified, so thats left to the jurisdiction of councillors.


    Ah. Whatever, Ive gotten a little sidetracked.


    Now to get Jura to send some people over...


    <b>Year 79 Month 5</b>


    Me eventually hired some treefolks, paid some taxes for all the necessary permits, and got started with business. I just kinda let her do her own thing then. Theres really no need for me to interrupt and watch over her all the time. I feel I can trust Me, so Im gonna let her y her sim-hotel while I do my shit.


    So, I turn my attention on my own priorities, my big 3 threats. Demon king, other nations, and monsters. In dealing with demons, I can fairly be confident in my own abilities. With other nations, Ill need the assistance of the people around me, so Juras levelling challenges is something I need to find out how to help him, and with monsters well, Ill just let that be.


    Actually, looking at it, Ive reduced the rtive threat level of monsters generally. So far, Ive not yet faced any truly difficult monsters, though we do have golems who are territorial, but as a threat, I think their territorial, camping nature makes them less of a threat than I initially expected.


    Its demon king and the other nations that are the most immediate threats.


    Looking at the other nations, Im rtivelyfortable with where things are at the moment. I have arge army of beetles, and that should be able to deter the threat of any small armies.


    For the demon king... hes about 4 years away, and Ive asked Madeus to do more research on when the rifts will start to appear. He says its usually 2-3 years before the demon king itself, so I might have only another 1-2 years of peace before were back to war with the demons.


    -


    Master, were at the north sinkhole. Horns delegation of beetles, Alexiss probe finally arrived. Ill soon start deploying [subsidiary trees] to the location, once theyve surveyed the area and find where exactly I need to go. The sinkhole is massive, and I really wonder how no one found it all these while, but then again, its probably just magic. Theres multiple entrances that lead down into the sinkhole, and the area around the entrance are now filled with camps. One of therger entrances even has a small town that caters to the adventurers needs, clearly run by opportunistic merchants trying to purchase the collected materials. Apparently, snake-skin and snake-bile has various uses, some of which can be sold for a huge amount of money.


    Which location should we pick? All the entrances are taken by the adventurers, and honestly, well attract unnecessary attention. We are after all, a delegation of beetles, and the adventurers will immediately assume we are hostile.


    Horns, suggestions?


    Somewhere further away. Were beetles, we dont need to use the ledges, we can climb down the vertical walls just fine.


    Good point. Alexis nods.


    If needed, I could use my roots to form new ledges for the beetles to crawl down, or even the roots and vines as a kind of rope for the beetles to climb down. So, after a bit of scouting, we pick one side of the hole where theres already some shrubs and trees. That way the beetles and trees blend in naturally.


    Could you spawn a bib this far away? The sensors the probe has isnt as good as the ones on the bib.


    Oh, why?


    The probe-etle can connect to it to amplify the sensors


    Fine, the trees are some distance away. Just hold position for a day or so, spawning the roots to reach such distances takes time. So, what kind of monsters?


    Snakes? I see snakes. And spiders. A lot of snake-like slithering monsters. Theres a lot of them down there. A lot of big ones too. And colorful ones. Horns, once again, with not exactly helpful descriptions.


    Alexis looks at them, I wonder whats attracting the adventurers...


    The usual, I suppose? Money, glory, power. Looks like money? Anyway, Im here for power. Once I get the trees there, then well start exploring the sinkhole too.


    -


    Meanwhile, in New Freeka...


    [ss seed obtained - Dark Knight x 1]


    [Experience seed obtained x 1]


    Huh! Its a joyous thing, to find an unusual seed from a death ceremony. Since this ceremony started, Ive processed about 300 dead bodies, half of it from in old age, the other half from injuries, fatal work idents, murders and fights. Most of them do not produce any of such seeds, but so far, about 6 bodies, or about 0.5% seems to produce something, either a skill seed, which is the mostmon, or a ss seed.


    The rarest seed, is the Experience seeds. It makes sense, since they give a level.


    Essences though, are a whole lot moremon. Almost all dead bodies, when absorbed produce a few essences. Usually simple essences, like essences of knife, or essences of lesser courage, or essence of water, but unlike seeds, essences are mainly used for infusions, their effects mild.


    Whos this half-elf man? I ask the priest handling the ceremony, after all, for this dead man to give me a [dark knight] ss seed, he cant be ordinary. Theres a young boy, looks to be a half elf, and an old grandma next to him, attending the rites, and strangely, they dont feel like family. The man who died looks to be rtively middle aged, in his 40s, and the cause of death is a stab to the heart.


    A recent refugee from Nung. Got into a scuffle with some of the guards and one of the guards stabbed him to death. Came with the boy and the grandma, in the same caravan, so the old grandma and the kid came to pay respects. Apparently the kid and the man shared some kind of connection, so the kid insisted toe... Thats all I know, sadly.


    I see.


    The priest picks up thepressed bones, and passed it to the young boy. Here, something from that man, for you.


    The boy nods, and keeps it. Thank you. Ill take good care of uncles remains.


    Is anyone looking after you, kid? The priest smiles at the boy.


    Ah, Im living with that granny there... were working for a bakery now.


    Ivy, can I ask you to start surveince on this young boy and the grandma? Hes ticking quite a bit of the potential hero tropes.


    Im a bit overwhelmed at this point. Theres too many neers to the town... Im struggling with 6,000-7,000 people simultaneously. Ivys got a massive list of people to watch, at this point, all the politicians, all the guards, and then the Valtrian Orders people.


    Well, Im out of artificial souls. Ive collected quite a bit of soul fragments but not enough, not yet. Ah well... drop monitoring some of the Orders people then, those who do not appear to be undertaking any high risk or suspicious


    Okay.


    Ah, I got quite a bit of ss seeds. Ranger, archer, soldier, merchant, trader, and various other trades. So dark knights a rather... unique ss type. sses are avable only to the humanoid races, monsters or the monster-like creatures usually dont have sses instead they have racial or type levels. A person can gain as many sses as they want, but depending on the race, only some of the benefits from the active few sses manifest.


    So... dark knight.


    Whats a dark knight?


    Oh, knights who tap on the power of darkness? Knights who fight at night? Night knights? Jura shrugs andughs. Sorry TreeTree, Ive never heard of it.


    -


    Research status :<ul><li><ul><li>Eye-Tree Stage I - <ipleted</i></li><li>Beetle - anti-magma armors stage 3 - <ipleted</i></li><li><i>Beetle - anti-magma armors stage 4 - 24 months</i></li><li>Tree - volcanic adaptation stage 3 - <ipleted</i></li><li><i>Roots - Volcanic mineral harvesting - stage 2 -pleted</i></li><li>Roots - Volcanic mineral processing - stage 1 - 1 month remaining</li><li>Materials testing - stage 1 - <ipleted</i></li><li>Treeb varieties - stage 1 - 8 months</li><li>Magically attuned materials Stage 1 - 6 months</li></ul></li></ul>


    [Basic Tree-Eyes obtained. Limited to 10 selected trees. ce on trees to obtain multidirectional vision. Can actively look through two sets of eyes at any one time, view limit can be increased with root-brainplexes.]


    Oh, I have Tree-Eyes, and obviously, I put one on my main tree, and save the rest. Ill need to think where to put the trees properly, since its limited.


    In terms of research Ive decided to relieve Trevor from active research duties, so that brings my concurrent research topics down to 4. Thats because the valleys growing, and Trevors energy and focus is needed to manage therger valley. The forests now extend far beyond the valley itself, and there are now multiple patches. Total number, 94,000 normal trees, some 480,000 shrubs and bushes, about 5,000 subsidiary trees, so he needs his full processing power to handle such arge valley, even with his higher levels.


    Next, I cycle through my domain. The volcanos activity subsided, but were not attempting any invasion into the inner volcano for the moment. Although the beetles are tougher, thanks to more anti-magma armors, it doesnt resolve the golem problem. The golems are still too powerful, and deeper still, we spotted arger golem. Theyre not aggressive until we encroach on their area, and so, for now things remain as status quo. I do intend to have more researchpleted, a different army type and have more tools at my disposal before attempting my next invasion of the volcano.


    Then, the ginseng nt. Im on a good streak, its the longest continuous time Ive protected the ginseng nt, and so its starting to attract stranger monsters. Together with arge army of beetles, both Dimitree and Trevor ying the role of the rm and surveince system, weve held off many greedy, ginseng-stealing monsters. I hope Ill get something for Jura to use, since ginseng, like herbs, are supposed to be good for supplementing vitality. Between Level Seeds and Ginseng, I think Ill be able to push Jura up to the next level, but first, I need to make sure the Ginseng works. I fear that giving Jura the levels, without the vitality to support it may weaken him instead.


    Emile and Belle, as part of the Orders many business ventures, run the various crop factories and processors, such as the olive press, the cotton factory, the herbal juicemakers, the fermented or dried fruits and healing fruits. A plot ofnd near my main tree, and another near the outskirts of New Freekas town has been converted to grow all the different kinds of crops that the Order needs to operate these business ventures. I was hoping Brich or Wahlen can participate, but they seem content with their lives as ordinary elves living in New Freeka.


    Speaking of business ventures, the New Freekans for now still make the wines for export, one of their most sessful ventures so far, that even Sh buys from them. Their master winemakers apparently gained quite a few levels from this project, and is even famous regionally. It helps they have the right kind of levels and skills, since theres a farmer with skills focused on growing high quality fruits, and also infusing them with a certain kind of vor, so together, they made wines that have interesting taste profiles.


    I still wonder whether Yvon thinks its worth it to trade her soul for grapes, but hey, shes got lucky with Sh calling off the truce terms and instead offered an unconditional truce.


    Shes supposed to die and then I can use her soul for my own schemes! Oh well. Shell die eventually. Wars, demons, diseases. Something will eventually get to all of us, and I think shell get killed somehow. Eriz too! Eriz is still working as a maid and minder for Yvon, even though shes so free now that she doesnt need a minder.


    Yvons routine now mostly consist of practicing, teaching Roma various things, and then sparring with Lausanne. Other than that, shes at her home in New Freeka, idle, receiving visitors, mingling in public spaces with an adoring popce, she is to some, the mother of the nation, the de facto Queen.


    TreeTree, can I ask for something? Lausanne drops by after her usualbat practice. Thankfully, shes gotten over her Tarzan phase, and shes not swinging from tree to tree all that often, except for practice.


    Hmm?


    This special familiar... is there a price I have to pay? Like... mom used to tell me, few things in the world are free... so... Im just wondering whether theres a catch.


    Huh, why? Surely its not a statement like that, that prompts this sort of question.


    I see it in my dreams when I sleep these days. There are days I forget that were separate... things. Its like... its like its me. Part of me. And its strange. Some days, I know what the vines are touching, I feel it, I feel like the vines are like my fingers. Its... really really strange and a bit scary.


    Uh... Is that supposed to happen? I have no idea, I think it might be an ability that the special familiar has. Do familiars meld with their hosts? Dont worry about it Lausanne. The familiar means you no harm. I lied. Im not sure, but I think the familiar should not have such side effects.


    Alexis butts in during the conversation. And whats that familiar powered on? It feels familiar. Like... a kind of familiar mana signature...


    Magic. My magic.


    Alexis shrugs. Is it?


    Okay, I believe you TreeTree... but if someday I want to remove the familiar, is that possible? Can the familiar contracts be cancelled? Lausanne, of course, cant hear Alexiss voice.


    Yes, yes. I can take the familiar back, so dont worry. Hows practice? Is Yvon a good coach?


    Lausanne pauses, and then she shes her usual big chubby smile. Okay TreeTree. Oh, Lady Yvon, shes good, but I think Uncle Juras a better fighter. Well, Jura did gain more levels, and his recent ss-merger makes him really formidable.


    Oh. You dont like fighting her?


    No, not that. I like her. I just have not gotten used to how she fights. Its... a different style. But I mean, Uncle Juras a better fighter in a... erm.. A bigger way.


    Well, you should get used to different styles of fighting. Heroes need to fight all sorts of monsters.


    Lausanne nods. Oh yeah. I didnt think of that. Youre right TreeTree, I should adapt to different styles!


    She walks into the yroom now turned study room, and she grabs a small bag of wooden toys, some small kid-sized wooden swords. I think she intends to distribute them for the kids in the orphanage, now her friends. Im going to train my friends, is that okay?


    Sure, dont go easy on them.


    Lausanne frowns, her lips pout. Uhm, I cant. Theyre really weak, so I need to train them slowly. TreeTree, do you think one day you can use your powers on them too?


    Well, Alexis did suggest arger sample size. Maybe? Ive been monitoring the orphans for some time, and all of them, so far, do not show anything... extraordinary. The regr checks using the bib in the orphanage didnt indicate whether any of them would be special, but then again, Lausannes not special either.


    So Im in a bit of a dilemma. Lausannes where she is now, a genius because of years of consuming essence, dream tutor and powerlevelling such that she gained knowledge. If Lausanne is ordinary, then what if the others are special? But my dilemma isnt really potential, but... maybe, I think whats really stopping me from trying is trust.


    For Lausanne, she has been with me since she was a baby, and that strong bond, is why I have invested in her, and she is my guinea pig. Maybe someday shell betray me, when she finally goes and see the world. But still, its a mutual benefit. I learn something, and Lausanne gets stronger.


    So, for these other kids... If I start young, and mold these children, maybe I will build such a bond with them too.


    Most of them. Maybe, just maybe, I could link it to the familiar , such that all of them must take the familiar contract, and the familiars would then also help to monitor them? Act as my eyes and ears, such that I can learn more about these children, and in turn, build a stronger bond?


    <b>[Skill upgraded : Symbiotic extension]</b>


    <b>[Skill learned : Minder-Familiars. Maximum Minders, 20]</b>


    <b>[Special tree type obtained : Dreamers Treehouses]</b>


    Lausanne, would you have any of your friends who would like to... have a familiar?


    -


    -

 Seedlings

    Seedlings


    Year 79 Month 6


    I chose five.


    5 young girls, around age 6 to 8 from the orphanage for the first batch of the minder-familiars. I''ve decided to use the minders in batches, so I can spread out my sample size over time. Why girls? No real reason for girls, it just so happens that Lausanne''s friends or ymates are mostly, mostly girls.


    Their reaction to having a minder-familiar contract is mostly shock, to them, all they can see is ''familiar''. The status as a ''minder'' is hidden, duh, else they probably won''t ept it. Amazing, they said. But these are young girls, their magic just starting to bubble out of their tiny souls.


    I had conditions, of course, things that Laufen helped me exin.<ol><li>


    Regr dips into pod. Twice a week, so I can track changes to their body, and their soul.</li><li>


    They have to stay in a subsidiary tree I ced next to orphanage quarters. It''s got room and beds for 20 children, though they are all densely packed together like a dorm. This is because my [dream tutor] only works when they sleep either next to me, or inside ''me''.</li><li>


    Practice. Once they ept the familiar, they will go on a structured education and training programme, so that they bepetent soldiers.</li></ol>


    I have 20 slots, so I n to split them into 4 batches, using the first 5 as a guinea pig and refine the process as I go along. There are things I want to identify, such as how does the essence use influence the creation of ''skill'' blocks in the soul realm. By looking at them frequently, I hope to gain some idea about how effective are essences, and how much do I actually need to use for it to start having an effect.


    For the education programme, I task Jura to appoint some of the Orders militia, to start these girls on simple exercises and drills. This world does not shy away from sending young children to fight wars, I think it''s better to train them before they get sent to their deaths.


    The girls take to training and education with much enthusiasm. Showing up promptly and listening to the various trainings and teachers intently. It''s a small, focused ss. One teacher to five girls, and its drawn out of my personal budget. The Order''s budget allocates a discretionary sum to me, that I can do whatever I want.


    Anyway, the girls are really enjoying the structure, which is I find that quite strange, as I remember being a rebellious young child in my youth, but for orphans who never had structure, a wee change of pace.


    -


    Next, following up on the hole. Further down, theres a bit of a space-warping present, simr to almost all dungeons and to some extent, my own [secret hideout].


    Dungeon? Horns suggests, as the small squad of beetles venture down the hole.


    Magical presence is fluctuating, seems rather consistent with the presence of a dungeon core of some kind.


    Not a leyline? I ask.


    Doesnt seem like theres magical energies of a leyline, do you detect any?


    Well, sadly I know the answer is no. When we conquered the earlier dungeon, the presence of the leyline is clear. My roots, as magically insensitive as they are, could pick it up, because of how overwhelming the leylines presence was, once you go underground. None of that overwhelming magical presence here... unless its somehow magically concentrated and hidden.


    A core, then.


    Its deep, I think. Alexiss probe walks down the cliff walls. Some snakes and flying creatures start to engage the group of beetles, which the beetles fight off sessfully.


    Master, are you able to ce your trees on the cliffs?


    Further up, yes. But once the dungeons influence touches the cliff, no. Theres a barrier, in which my subsidiary trees cannot pierce. I can use roots though, to create a path.


    At this point?


    Im afraid thats in the dungeon, already. Good thing is, I can see into the dungeon, because unlike the earlier dungeon, its not blocked. Perhaps this dungeon didnt learn that sort of ability? Or not all dungeon cores have the same kind of power?


    Ah, could you put a tree right at the very edge, and then lower a bunch of vines down? Something for us to grab on if we need to jump and fight.


    Ah.


    The beetles have no problems walking on the cliff walls that lead deep into the darkness below. The darkness itself doesnt scare them either, their vision is naturally adapted to all light levels. But fighting while trying to grip onto the walls is not so easy.


    ...your presence is getting faint, master. Horns say.


    Hmm... Im still connecting to my probe. Looks like my connection is stronger than yours. Its just really crazy dark down here.


    Tell master Ill talk through you. Horns say to Alexiss probe, Hornsmunication is also a kind of telepathy.


    I know. I can stillmunicate, but that means youve got to protect me.


    Snakes. These snakes have rough scales, perhaps it helps them move and hold onto the jagged cliffs. Some of these snakes are like nagas, part-humanoid, with four or six arms, and a long slithering body that helps them navigate the cliffs. The nagas are tough opponents to fight, and easily they can take on five or six of the beetles before dying.


    TreeTree, your beetles are not suited for dungeon battles. They are tough, and their bodies strong, but their way of charging and fighting is not really appropriate in this environment. I would say only Horns with his skills is suited.


    What are you telling master?


    Nothing.


    After another 2-3 hours of descending into the abyss, theyve decided to stop and retreat, as the attacks from the snakes be relentless.


    Master, I suggest a full scale invasion of the hole. Maybe 5,000 beetles, and 50 of therge beetles, all of us go into the abyss and attack everything we see. The dungeons structure is deep, and wavy further down, and there are a lot of monsters, but unlike the earlier dungeon, its still big enough for arge amount of beetles. Arge attack force will work a lot better than a small elite squad.


    I agree with the assessment. This dungeon seems to favorrge, wide caverns and hallways. Ideal situation for arge force to just march in."


    Very well. Let''s do it. Horns, you''re in charge."


    "Ayy! This beetle army is gonna kick some dungeon core backside! Beetles will be the very best!"


    A weekter, the adventurers nearby are treated to the view of a massive army of beetles descending into the abyss. It caused a massive panic, but as the beetles did not attempt to engage the adventurers, cleverly, the adventurers took the hint and left the army of beetles alone.


    And Hornss suggestion is working like a charm.


    Within three days of the invasion, like an unstoppable tide of destruction, the beetles charge in and flood the dungeon, the army of beetles ughter all the snakes that has the misfortune of being in its path, and cleared most of the dungeon and most importantly, reached the core.


    The wideyout meant arge force could prate all the way in, even if we were outmatched one to one. And the space allowed our superior numbers to gang up on the individually stronger snakes.


    The core is trying its best to defend itself, spawning and summoning as many snake monsters as it can, but with 3,000 beetles left, and despite 2,000 beetles died fighting all the snakes and snake-like monsters, its unable to muster an armyrge enough to fight back the tide of beetles.


    Bring it back. Horns and the army arrive at the core room, and with a strong nudge from the giant beetle, the dungeon core rolls off its pedestal.


    And that, is how we beat the dungeon.


    I found it quite funny, because actually what the dungeon core needed to do, to sessfully defend against our invasion, is to choke us off, but strangely, this dungeon cores design choice was wide open spaces,rge openings, big walkways. Big spaces, big walls, all allows for arge force to rush in and clear everything. Perhaps its an architect with a thing for big spaces.


    And why snakes?


    Ah, perhaps the dungeon core rolled the dice and got snakes.


    With that, the army of beetles return with a dungeon core, taken from its home. Strangely, without the dungeon core, the deep hole continues to spawn snakes, although to a lesser frequency.


    Dungeon core. Arge circr crystal like structure, about the size of a basketball. I recall the earlier one beingrger though. Or are there many variants? Perhaps its not something with a standard size.


    What are you going to do with it?


    I would like to study it of course. But between now and when I get that magicb, its going to sit in my [treeasury]."


    ...fair enough.


    Other than that, the beetles also brought back some interesting abyss vegetation.


    [Tree-type obtained : Cave Trees]


    [nt-type obtained : Deep Moss]


    [Special Tree-type obtained : Cliff Bonsai]


    No levels for me, sadly. Horns and Alexis did get some levels. Sucks being a bystander.


    Year 79 Month 7


    Tree Spirit, an audience please. Yvon came marching to my main tree, alone. She didn''t seem very happy.


    Yes?


    Whats your ns with the orphans? I heard from Lausanne that youve given them familiars and started them on some kind of training.


    It is as you heard, training. I intend to train them into warriors.


    Warriors? Is that all there is to it? Surely there is more going on, what with the strange things you have been asking them about?"


    Hmm, she''s being rather aggressive. What are you alluding to? If you have something to say, get to it.


    Yvon takes a step back, but then, she quickly adjusts her posture, such that she faces me head on, her eyes stare at my tree trunk. What I hear is, theres constant dipping into your... pool. That healing pod thing, with all of your feelers. So, I want to know, its not just training, are you also meddling with their bodies? Are you... altering them? And are your meddling with their minds as well?


    Meddling, yes. Altering, maybe. Well, yeah. I do n to meddle. That''s the whole point.


    Yvon shakes her head. That... thats not right. These are children.


    You see to think there is a reason not to select children. Wrong. It is because they are children. Children can be easily molded, shaped. Their minds are flexible, receptive to change. And seriously, why now, Lady Yvon?


    Yvon pauses. Maybe when Lausanne starts to tell her what Ive been doing with the 5 girls, it just flicks a switch. Why? What do you mean why? Is it not something wrong to start using children for some kind of war plot? As your future war potential?"


    Many nations do so, choose young children and prepare them for war, in some cases from the day they were born. What I want to do, is simr. If you ask me why, ask all the nations before, and present, why. Fighting, war. Destruction. Its a way of life in this world. Preparing these children for that way of life, so they, we, have a better chance of survival as a whole, is there a fault?


    Yvon nods, It it your altering of their bodies and minds. Would it be something that would be irreversible? Such that they may lose their ability to have children?


    As I currently n it, no. And seriously, you would know better that the whole matters more than the individuals. Some must be sacrificed, and experience pain, for the whole to seed. It is, as I said, strange,ing from you, Lady Yvon."


    Yvon''s face isplicated, a mix of worry, perhaps disgust, and fear. Would you deprive them of a childhood, of friends? Would you iste them, make them... inhuman? Would this sacrifice that you ask of these young girls, would it be too much for them?"


    "Maybe. Maybe this burden is too much for them. To sacrifice their childhood to be my warriors, too much. But there is no one else, Yvon. These orphans yearn for a purpose in life, and I give them one. To answer a greater calling, to fight for me. For the valley. For all of us."


    "That..."


    I suddenly find it strange, that you are concerned for these young girls. I dont recall you being so caring of orphans, when you were in a position of power, so these wordsing from you.... Sounds... hollow.


    Yvon''s eyes are a bit watery, is she trying to pull the cryingdy trick? Sadly, I am a tree and such crying antics do not trigger a protective urge within me. Yes, I didnt do what I could. I had the power, yet, I was too crippled by politics, too confused by all thepeting priorities. But now, I still had to speak up, I heard what Lausanne said these girls will go through, and I fear for these young souls. You send them into a life of only war."


    And so what? This is how the world is. Why do you want to speak up? Are you doing so to satisfy some kind of conscience that you suddenly discover you have?


    Uhm. No. I am trying to care for these young orphans. They deserve a life better than war, now that we are at peace. I think she lied. And that''s hogwash, really.


    Peace? You mean this peace that we have because our overwhelming might suddenly scared the shit out of our opponents? This is no true peace, Lady Yvon. It is a peace built on fear. A fear our power. And if you know better, this peace is maintained by power. Lady Yvon, if you truly care, and want to care, I would like to suggest you participate in their molding as warriors. Be their support, then. These young girls, they will need a matron to watch over them, to guide and advise them where I cannot. To be a wise elder to these sheep, our future warriors.


    She froze, and her eyes twitched. Again? You... you want me to be a part of it?


    Yes. Since you suddenly have a conscience,e, join the training. Join me in shaping our future warriors. Our... future generals, our future knights. Perhaps you can then see for yourself, what I am trying to do.


    Ahh....


    So? Or was your earlier words just... something you wanted to get off your chest?


    Yvon finally nods. Ill do it. Ill help you with these girls."


    Good. Make them strong, we will need their strength one day.


    ----


    Alexis, do you have any results from the treefolks study?


    Ah yes. I got the dead treefolk and Im starting my investigations... so far nothing, but Im mainly interested in the kind of flexible muscle-wood that they have on their joints. Their body is fascinating under scrutiny, its both nt-like yet they also form muscle-like structures. It''s like somebody just blended a tree and a person together to create a treefolk. Replicating that muscle like structure would mean we could make stronger creatures overall."


    "How long so you need?"


    "ording to [research nner], probably 12 months just to understand the treefolk''s bodily structures. There''s a lot to unpack. The treefolk''s brain is also interesting and worth another 12 to 24 months of study, and I reckon would have a benefit to your [root-brainplex]."


    "Are they not amunal mind structure, like forests are?" It is said that forests form an intelligence through the interconnected roots, each tree a neuron. In this world,rge, ancient forests often appear to have a will of its own, and over time, this will often pools together, and creates a [spirit tree] or [soul tree]. One of the many ways tree spirits are said toe to existence, naturally.


    "Not exactly. Though treefolk have a head, their brains are actually distributed throughout their body, kind of like jellyfish. It''s like a neuralwork, but with a fewrge hubs in the head, the heart..."


    "They have a heart, yes?''


    "Yes. Well, their heart is actually more like this main vessel through their body that runs from their leg to their head. In a way, its like arge muscled pipe..."


    "Ermmm... never mind the details."


    ---


    News for a distantnd, as Nung, Takde and Sh eventually settle on a peace treaty. Though culprit of the massive blizzard still atrge, the blizzard itself has been sessfully dispelled, and the weather returns to normal.


    That said, ground zero of that spell is now a quasi-dungeon area, the presence of such blood sacrifice distorted the area such that it spawns zombies and monsters. It will take some time for the remains of such magic to decay.


    So, trade gets rerouted around the now cursednd, and the three nations reach a kind of awkward truce. Still, that means less [essence] for me from this battlefield.


    Further out, my travelling [soul harvesters] continue to bring back more souls, more [essences of death], more skill type [essences], throughout the entirety of this continent, death remains a constant thing. Many small battles, many little monster attacks, little rebellions here and there. More death, more essences. And that is good for me.


    One good thing about this peace, is now I get more knowledge about our neighbours. And as more and more such little snippets filter through the grapevine, I learn interesting things, like, there is a vast sacred forest on the edge of Sh''s capital, where the kings hunt. Or near one of therge cities of Nung, there is arge mountain where people im ancient giants wander.


    Well, personally, I think it''s time to take the war to Sh. They may be at peace, but I still have a small score to settle.


    The Sh kingdom''s capital is really far away, so I have to undo my subsidiary trees that stretch to the abyss. It''s the furthest I''m going, if I measure the distance in beetle, its about 2 and a half weeks away, so I am going to need a lot of subsidiary trees to create a line that connects the entire distance.


    It''s a process that takes about 1,500 subsidiary trees, to create a line to bends with the terrain and eventually, the capital. I make it a point to hide the presence of the trees from in slight, such that they appear "natural", and this endeavour took me the whole month, every day, putting a tree, altering its appearance, and then moving on.


    And there it is, the capital.


    [Skill upgraded : Local roo ess upgraded. Longer distance between subsidiary trees unlocked]


    [Special trees type obtained : Root Ry Trees]


    [Max Quantity of Ry is Level x 5]


    [Root Ry are special trees with the dedicated purpose of expanding your rootwork. A single root Ry can create a simple rootwork that extends 10 x the diameter of a regr subsidiary tree. Does not have other functions. Looks like any other tree. Appearance is customisable]


    Year 79 Month 8


    Sh''s capital. It goes by many names throughout its history, many kings have changed its name. The most recent name of the capital is Ransh, after the King''s beloved but deceased wife, Queen Rani.


    Next to the capital, is a forest, Sh''s Royal Grove. In fact, mostrge kingdoms maintain a grove or a forest, for the purpose of having some supply of highly valuable herbs or nts, for the manufacture unique potions or medicines. Some temples, such as the temple of Gaya''s headquarters also has arge forest which it cultivates for its own use.


    Now that my chain of subsidiary tree has finally made the long connection needed to arrive here, I pause for a moment to take in the view.


    It''s arge capital, not as populous as it used to be after the non-human exodus, but still, there''s a lot of humans in this city, perhaps 400,000 to 500,000, maybe more and the city sprawls to amodate itsrge poption. There are two rivers that run through the river, and it merges further down, and this splits the capital into three parts.


    The central southern chunk, where the pce, priesthood, mages and wealthy mostly live. Infrastructure is good, the roads paved, security is top notch and patrols are regr, staffed with the best behaved men. It''s a ce where, to be frank, people behaved nicely, because of the overwhelming presence of the royal guards, and the Archmagus. It''s home to the official trader''s market, though in reality it''s more of a hipster market catering to the needs of the wealthy and elite.


    Then there''s the east side, where the army''s main quarters are, the river ports, and the warehouses. This is also where the Royal Grove is. There''s not that many dwellings here, as space is few and far between, the Royal Grove off limits.


    Then the west side, arge nd where most of the citizens reside. Sprawling, messy, and infrastructure spotty, its the definition of arge city where the ns failed to keep up with the poption growth. As a result, its a space where citizens often take things into their own hands, so there are multiple enves where there''s some form of ''local rule''. Vibrant, energetic, and a space of constant change, the supervision from local authorities minimal, so long as the tax monies continue to flow into the right pockets. Half of the merchant corps exist here, and the true trader''s market, where the trade volumes are high, and the shouting constant.


    How do I know this? Well, it was not hard for Jura to ask a Sh merchant to speak of their capital at length. Apparently, the merchants are incredibly proud of the peon''s market, one of thergest markets found on in the region.


    It''s a nice city.


    A shame, really.

 Side story: Lausanne 3

    Side story: Lausanne 3


    Side Story - Lausanne 2


    Some time after the orphanage started...


    Wheres the captain? We want the captain. The boys shout.


    Theyre busy today. Im here to be your practice partner.


    Youre not a soldier, you''re just a little girl, no, worse, you''re a noble. The young boy used. Youre one of the nobles, and we dont want to practice with you.


    Im not. And whats wrong with practicing with me? She didnt understand it, shed never been a noble. Her father may have been the vige chief, but he passed away and the vige was destroyed. Growing up rtively sheltered from kingdoms and their societies, shes not too aware about the negative emotions associated with nobility, even though Jura and Laufen did tell her about what nobles usually did in other nations.


    I know you! Youre a noble, and we dont want to practice with you.  The young boys shouted, some of them really unhappy. The rest of the boys didnt like her too, they all looked at her with a look of disgust, which made her feel a little sad.


    She didnt expect this. Laufen and Jura asked her to help out at the orphanage, to help teach the other children, those about her age, be their sparring partner for a while. The captains are out on a mission. Why are they so nasty to me? Im just trying to help. She wondered, but she didnt understand their hostility. Uh


    Donte here acting all high and mighty because of your mother!


    What? Where did thate from? Why? She just couldnt answer. Isnt mom the one who sets up this orphanage? The boys start going out of the hall. Lausanne started to feel that her presence is unwanted by these boys.


    All she wanted to do is just practice some sword fighting, since uncle Juras busy. He said, help out at the orphanage, practice some basic moves with the kids in the orphanage, good heroes do that sort of work all the time. And I agree, I want to be a good hero.


    But why do these fellow children, who are just around my age, treat me with such hostility? I didnt even say much, all I did was walk in, say Im helping out with the sword practice, and then this huge tirade of insults.


    One of the caretakers at the orphanage, notices the insults and rushes into the training room, the caretaker, an elderlydy walks to Lausanne and pulls her to one side of the room before it esctes into a fistfight. Forgive them, Miss Lausanne. A lot of them have a lot of animosity, a lot of anger, so when they see a young girl their ageing in to teach them, they they cant deal with it. Please,e this way with me.


    Theyre really angry at me. Lausanne nods, her eyes look at the wrinkled face of the elderlydy. She holds Lausannes arms, and leans in to speak to her with a warm, grandmotherly voice.


    Its aplicated feeling, these boys, theyve got things to deal with inside them, and so these boys want, no, they have a need for respect and recognition, a yearning to learn ''real'' skills. So when adult soldierse and practice with them, they feel they they are respected.


    Hmmm... so they dont want to practice with me because Im a young girl? Even if I have real skills? Lausanne sighs. Theres nothing much she could do with those kids who are bigger, if they dont like her. Ill have to tell uncle Jura and mom about itter.


    She looks at the caretakers, most of them elderly women that mom hired to help run the orphanage. Theres about 200 kids in this ce, of various ages, and many of them are here because they lost both their parents, mostly during their earlier escape from the ughter of Sh. The group earlier is around aged 9-12.


    Shes sad, but she did promise Jura to help, so she asks for something else to do. Maybe if there are other girls? Uhm well, Uncle Jura did ask me to help out. Maybe I can y with the younger children? Any girls I can y with?


    Ah yes, okay. Girls... girls... Thedy smiles, and she leads Lausanne to another room where theres about 10 to 15 young girls, probably 4 to 6 years old ying catch. Its a rtively empty room, they dont have many toys, so they mostly y with each other. Maybe you can join this group?


    Hi. Lausanne smiles, theyre all younger than her, and a part of her feels happy. Its nice that Im not the youngest for a change.


    They smile back at her, and they wee her into the game, ah, this groups a lot more pleasant, she thought to herself. Maybe theyre too young to feel much animosity, or perhaps these group is a little sheltered. Its a simple room, a few chairs, but its well lit by natural lighting, thanks to multiplerge windows, thin streaks of sunlight filter through the leaves outside. Theres a few wooden blocks here and there, but thats about all the toys they have.


    A small girl with a short bob-cut walks up to Lausanne, Hello, elder sister. Im Jien. Shes shorter than her. Lausanne smiles and give her a hug.


    Im Lausanne. Can I y?


    Okay. What do you want to y? We usually y catch. Or we throw the blocks back and forth.


    Okay, lets do that.


    They yed together for the rest of that afternoon, until it was about evening, and she learnt their names. The biggest girl there is Sammy, shes about six. She doesnt know when her birthday is because her parents both passed away when she was still a baby, and thats actually fairlymon among those who live there. Because the girls dont know whos the eldest, thus, they go with the biggest.


    Jien is probably a year younger, like the rest of the girls, their parents died. Or maybe somehow got separated. Most of them arent very sure whether their parents died or somehow got lost, but this detail doesnt bother them much.


    Lausanne felt happy after an afternoon of ytime, and felt, maybe she should help them out. I should ask TreeTree for some more wooden toys. I remember we have a lot in the yroom.


    -


    Did you practice with the other kids?


    No mom. They didnt want to fight with a girl. They wanted the captains.


    Oh. Laufen nods, she puts down the reports that the other employees prepared. Shes got a lot of assistants these days, as the head of the public services. She honestly didnt like paperwork all that much, but there still needed to be reports, to tabte spending, ie and these are still made by actual administrators, or the priests. Why? Laufen squats to look at Lausanne eye-to-eye.


    One of thedies said its because they want to fight with an adult. Lausanne sulks. Maybe its because Im not good enough.


    Laufen gives Lausanne a hug and then starts to pat her daughter on her head. No, no. Im sure its not like that.


    "Thedies told me so. The boys said they want the captains."


    "Lausanne, my dear, they don''t mean it. I am sure they like you."


    Lausanne shakes her head. "Mom... They don''t."


    "Really?"


    "Really." Lausanne''s face is serious, and a bit sad.


    "Well, they will like you someday."


    Lausanne shakes her head. "Hmph." She leans in and gives her mom a kiss on the cheeks. "Good night, mom."


    "Sleep well, don''t let it bother you."


    Lausanne shakes her head. Maybe it will bother her that night.


    -


    Some timeter...


    "Thank you for practising with me, Lady Yvon."


    "Wee. I always look forward to sparring with such a talented young girl."


    They both give each other a quick bow, and they start their practice spars. Simple swings and strokes, moves meant to warm the body and ready for the real thing. Yvon is still leagues ahead of Lausanne in terms of skill, but Lausanne''s growth is outstanding as she is almost level 30.


    "How''s things?" Yvon asks casually, ducking a horizontal sh, and then parrying a follow-up horizontal sh.


    "TreeTree''s starting a small ss of students. He calls them his chosen warriors."


    "Huh?"


    "Yeah... he says he ns to train them, and maybe give them special powers like mine some day, but before that he needs to prepare them."


    Yvon blocks a flurry of shes, and retaliates with a body m. Lausanne though activates [Evasive steps], and manages to avoid it.


    "He says maybe he''ll have to fix them if they''re notpatibleter on. Like how he uses his powers to cure Uncle Jura''s curse..."


    "Really, why does TreeTree want to do something like that?"


    "Hmmm... he didn''t tell me a lot, but maybe, maybe he just likes us to grow? He says he wants to watch our growth closely, though, as he''ll be using some kind of ''essence'' on us though."


    "Essence? Isn''t that like condensed energies?"


    "I don''t know, Lady Yvon. But TreeTree says he has a lot of essences and some other things like his minerals and mana that he wants to use."


    "On the girls?"


    "Yeah. He told me it''ll be good for them."


    "Did you get those as well?"


    "Uh... I think so? I frequently have dreams where I am training, or where there''s someone teaching me things. And TreeTree tells me to dip into the pod every week too."


    "And your mom is fine with it?"


    "Mom thinks TreeTree knows what it''s doing. She says its how I get so good at fighting."


    "Wait. You are not naturally talented at fighting?"


    Lausanne smiles. "If you ask Uncle Jura, he''ll tell you I was absolutely horrible at it when I started. But TreeTree''s been helping me by giving me these... dreams."


    Lausanne blocks a few more shes from Yvon, and tries tond a kick.


    "Dreams?"


    "Yah. It''s like I''ll take a nap at home, and TreeTree''s feelers will somehow touch my forehead, and I get the dreams."


    "Tell me... more." Yvon charges, and unleashes a flurry of shes. Lausanne tries to parry them, but fails to parry a few, so she takes a hit from the wooden de.


    Lausanne staggers back from the impact. It hurts but she has pain resistance. "Oh... it''s different every time. Sometimes, it''s like there''s a voice in my head, and we would talk. About things, about a topic. Sometimes itsnguage, like I''ll get a lesson on it. Sometimes it''ll tell me about people, about ces..."


    Yvon listens intently, they take a break.


    "Some dreams are really really fun. It''s like all these colors, and all these images, of really strange things, weird monsters-like things and shapes, but they don''t attack me. It''s like I''m on top of a mountain and fell down."


    "That''s like a vision. A.. hmm. A hallucination."


    "A what?"


    "Never mind, continue."


    "Oh, then likest week, I had a dream where I was fighting a giant demon. I had really strong powers, and I had to use those powers to fight the giant demon."


    "Fighting demons doesn''t sound like a fun dream." Yvon shakes her head, and takes a drink from her bag of water. "Anyway, continue?"


    Lausanne nods, and they both step back into the ring. "Well, I think TreeTree''s trying to teach me something."


    "Sounds like he''s making elite warriors."


    Lausanne smiles. "Well, he''s just helping me be a hero."


    Yvon frowns, Lausanne ducks, and jumps sideways to avoid a bunch of shes. "Is it? I''m not aware he did so much to you."


    "Oh, he''s been fixing my body too, like repairing a bone here, a bone there. And he''s got like this thing which can help strengthen the bones and muscles too. It''s all in the green pod."


    "I am starting to think the green pod isn''t all that it seems..."


    "That pod is amazing, Lady Yvon. It sustained a hero suffering from a demonic curse."


    "It did?"


    "Did Uncle Jura not tell you? One of the previous generations of heroes was afflicted with some kind of curse, and TreeTree kept her alive until a cure was found."


    "Before we came..."


    "Yeah, yeah! I was still a tiny toddler then. But I do vaguely remember ady constantly being in the pod."


    "Alright, let''s stop." They had some more basic exercises just to cool their bodies down. "How are the girls receiving this news?"


    "They''re excited. It''s the first time they get chosen for anything, so they are thrilled when they got the familiar contract. They''ll need to sleep in a special tree, and have regr dips in the pod. It''s like they''re going to be transformed into something amazing, so all of them really, really want it."


    "They should be careful. Tree Spirit probably has his own ns for them, and may not be what they think it is."


    Lausanne smiles, "We believe in TreeTree. He''ll help us."


    Yvon sighs. "I... I''ll need to speak to TreeTree."


    Dreams, physical alterations. Hallucinations. Need to consume strange liquids. It all sounds a bit like what tribal shamans give to their warriors to whip them into a war frenzy, or the work of some alchemist testing out strange potions. She had heard rumors of creatures that give strange mind-altering substances to enve minions, though it didn''t seem like TreeTree is doing it, she needed to be sure.


    Yvon''s one of the modernist elves, who have a rather defensive, cautious view of Tree Spirits, that Tree Spirits aren''t exactly domestic animals that can be tamed, unless one happened to be a hero who focused on spirit control.


    The modernist elves believe the benign, friendly myth of the tree spirit is actually a unique characteristic of the Great Tree Spirits of the Elf cities, and one should not assume all wild tree spirits to be simrly benevolent. Like the dryads, faeries and other forest spirits, these avatars of nature share amon trait, that they are asionally ephemeral, flighty, fickle, and maniptive. Though often their goals are aligned to what most elves desire, they should also be treated with caution, for the fury of a tree spirit is often not apparent, subtle.


    Lausanne though, didn''t think that way. To her, TreeTree is friendly and all he is trying to do, is help.


    In their own ways, both of them are right.

 Treetalks

    Treetalks


    Year 79 Month 9


    "Did you hear? One of the mage guild''s private gardens near the Royal Grove, was robbedst night! A lot of valuable herbs and nts were lost."


    "Oh? Any idea who are the culprits?"


    "The mages suspect a mage, so the royal guard has been deployed. But there were no traces. It''s as if the nts all just... vanished into the ground."


    "Can''t it be just some thief with a magical bag? Or some kind of nt-maniption artifact?"


    "I think it''s just an unhappy mage taking revenge. There''s a lot of politics going on in the mage guilds. This is just a reaction to the mage''s council votes!"


    Ransh.


    It''s arge city, and there are a lot of high leveled people around. Strong adventurers, powerful generals and mages. Their very presence permeates the air, and I asionally pick up the effects of their skills, despite me being mostly magically-insensitive.


    A direct confrontation is not ideal, not with the distance penalty I suffer at long distances.


    This might be the first time I have ''seen'' a city, Moton and New Freeka can''tpare to the scale and sprawl of a capitol city.


    It''s also the first time I encounter ''enchanted'' roads. Around the capitol, these road has some kind of ''anti-vegetation'' effect, and as a result I cannot spawn my subsidiary trees near them. Even underground, the capital has a sprawlingwork of sewers and tunnels, and they are strangely, also, ''enchanted''. I suspect its the effect of some masonry skill, or builder''s skill which prevents decay and damage to these structures, because logically, using magic on sewers just didn''t seem to make much sense. These enchanted sewers prevent my roots from spreading that deeply, and so that greatly limits the extent of my spread.


    In the city, multiple structures, such as the army''s fort on the riverbank, are enchanted with strong defensive magic, which I am yet able to identify, but I presume to be a kind of ''warding'' magic. The magic on the fort walls create a forcefield that repels my presence, and prevents me from cing subsidiary trees and also stops my roots from approaching.


    I frankly don''t know all of these, whether its skill or magic, either. Or whether its the powers of a local Lord or King which grants such passive benefits to the city which he or she rules.


    These protections, magic or from skills, are clustered mostly around the old Castle, the pces, the eight forts around the city, the mage''s main towers, the old cathedrals and temples to the gods. The usual ''ces of interest''.


    All of these, together with theyout of the river, meant I have very little ess to the inner city, where all the royals are.


    Still, there must be something I can do.


    First, is the Royal Grove, which, despite its royal statuscks magical protection. I guessed that unlike the ces where the royals live, the Royal grove isn''t worth much protection. So, I extend a few subsidiary trees into the forests, and soon discover that it''s earth does have some magic. There''s also a lot of new herbs and nts that I have not seen.


    The royal guards and rangers, are always on the lookout, for monsters, or for thieves, but when they spot a new tree, they just go, eh. All I need to do is disguise my tree look like a small shrub, and I can slip through the patrols like nothing.


    The best reaction I got from a ranger, "Oh, when did this tree pop up?" And then promptly proceeds to ignore that tree. Like, not even an investigation?


    In fact, the most legit confrontation I gotten, is from a woodcutter. I had attempted to expand into the new part of the city, where all the regr citizens live. But the presence of a tree just stuck out like a sore thumb in the messy, dense mess that is the west side of Ransh. So, a woodcutter came up to my tree that popped up at the edge of town, without any hesitation, chopped me down.


    Chop. Chop. Chop. And timberrrrr.


    My subsidiary tree fell just like that. I bet that woodcutter had like special [woodcutting] abilities that makes my tree''s defenses absolutely useless. Those poor subsidiary trees didn''t stand a chance.


    Maybe that axe is enchanted to be super effective against trees. But honestly, other than the woodcutters, no one really notices an unusual tree in a forest. I mean, I am discounting the fact that anything green just sticks out in a ce filled with houses, roads and shops.


    Does this world not have tree-monsters? Nobody disguises themselves as a tree trunk? Does this world not have ninjas?


    Anyway, the Royal Grove, and, as my [subsidiary tree] connects to the other trees and the earth, I get a notification.


    [Gained a passive buff. Connected to an enchanted forest. Herb effectiveness increased by 50%.]


    Oh. Funky. Enchanted it is.


    "What''s your n?" Alexis asks, she''s obviously a huge fan of seeing new ces. "I''ve been there, that city. But we''ve only stayed a few days. It''s nice, looking at the city from your point of view."


    "Hmmm... I n to first gradually infiltrate the capital, have trees and vines throughout the city... then, I need to find the culprits. I want to know whether themanders that ordered the burning of the vige, are they still alive?"


    "That''s it? If they are alive, do you n to kill them?"


    "Hmmm... I guess so. I should kill them."


    "Is this for revenge? I mean, they burnt down the vige, so its revenge, right?"


    Revenge, yeah, I think so.


    Actually, that''s a good question.


    Why am I doing this? Am I just carrying the fury of the burning of the vige of Freeka in my heart? Kind of silly that I am asking myself this now that I have made the entire journey here. I even invested all these subsidiary trees to establish a connection, a chain of trees that span a country.


    So, that question prompted me to think about what exactly I want to achieve, and because I could not answer the question myself, I turn to the elves. My fellow survivors, the 7 elves that suffered the consequences of the army''s brutality.


    "Lausanne, what would you do if you found the one responsible for killing your father?"


    "p him. A few times."


    "That''s it?"


    "That bad person, he made me grow up without a father. It is a bad thing, bad people do such bad things, to me. But, it is so long ago, I was still just a small baby, I do not know what happened. So.. somehow, I''m not really, really angry. Maybe angry, but, it''s not really, really, burn me up kind of angry, you know? I should be angry at these bad guys, because they did a bad thing, but, but it''s not in here, you know?" Lausanne points to her heart, or is it her gut?


    She has a point, shes a baby, shes not seen it happen, though she suffers the consequences of it. But thats been her life since.


    "So are you angry?"


    "I think I am. But not much, really. Maybe mom will be really angry. Wait. I should be angry. I am angry."


    "You... don''t sound that angry."


    "I am angry because a group of bad person did bad things to us. But, that''s it, I guess, I am angry because I should be, but not angry because I feel it like a fire in my heart."


    Okay, confusing.


    Laufen.


    "Laufen, what would you do if you find the man that ordered the burning of the vige?"


    Laufen sat, and she just kept quiet for a while.


    "Laufen?"


    "I heard you, TreeTree. I... I need to think. I just did not expect such a question from you, suddenly."


    Oh. Laufen kept quiet for a good 15 minutes, maybe an hour? Just alone, thinking. I honestly didn''t notice the time.


    "Honestly, TreeTree? I don''t know what I would do. Maybe I will kill him? Or maybe not. But me... I... I think I probably won''t be able to do anything. It''s been so long, TreeTree... I. I don''t know."


    Laufen looks really ufortable, and she sits down on therge chair in her office.


    "They took my friends, my husband, my home, from me."


    "So you will retaliate?"


    "Yes. Maybe yes. But, but I myself, I tell Lausanne not to let it cloud and consume us, that this is a cycle, of how the world renew itself... The world is full of this, you know, killing. People always kill each other, they always find excuses to. If its not humans, itll be royalty, or money, or territory. We have always been killing, or getting killed. I sometimes wonder whether maybe it would be demons that got us instead, if its not the army."


    "I''m confused, Laufen. Why are you talking about that?"


    "Me too. I don''t really know what I will do. What I should do? I like to think we have all moved on, we seeded in rebuilding our lives. A part of me takes the stand that living a good life is the best revenge. That not to be consumed by vengeance is the way to move forward with life."


    Laufen pauses, and takes a deep breath.


    "But the loss, somewhere, it still hurts. When I look at Lausanne sparring, I wonder what Ric would have said. When we celebrate her birthdays, I wish Ric and all others to be here."


    She looks really sad then.


    "But does my sorrow, my sadness, allow me to seek vengeance? I know, Casshern once told me that when you''ve lived through so many years of death, you learn to ept it. But I can''t. So what should I do, TreeTree? What''s the right thing to do?"


    She stretches.


    "Like I said, a part of me thinks the right thing to do, is to forgive and forget. But I don''t want them to entirely get away scott-free either. I feel like a statement needs to be made. I''m so torn between those two feelings! TreeTree? I want both. I want to let go. Only with letting go I will have inner peace. But I also want to have vengeance, a statement, some way of pping these idiots for fighting us when their attention should be demons."


    Well, I can actually share that emotion. I too thought I knew, but now that I am at the point where I am able to retaliate, I actually don''t really know what I want to do with Sh.


    Do I proceed to ughter the Sh Kingdom? Many of whom are simrly unaware of the evil their militarymits? Or should I just focus my goal on the true culprits? But let''s say I do find the true culprits, is death the right punishment for them?


    "Jura, what would you do if you find the culprits behind the burning and ughter of Freeka?"


    Jura leans back on his chair. "I would have the true culprit stripped naked, hung upside down in a public market, and starved, whipped and burned for a few days, but without dying, without sleep."


    "Huh, why?"


    "Because he deserves shame, and pain. For someone who crossed me personally, I feel to just let the person die is too lenient, too light. He should experience my terrible days, when I was hiding, running, my skin still scorched by the mes that engulfed the vige, my feet bruised, the bottom of my skin bleeding but I had to keep running, all of us ran like crazy for days. So yeah, he should have a taste of that."


    "Okay..."


    "But you know, now that I''m the Counsel of the Valtrian Order, I can understand how it got to that point, why the military did what it did. The burning. Even if I disagree with it."


    "Jura?"


    "I mean, look, a King exercises his authority through his institutions, and his subjects. What good is a King if there are no subjects that obey hismand? So, when a King gives an order, there must be a weight to it, that citizens learn to obey them. We clearly disobeyed the order, so we were punished. Sure, the punishment on us is really extreme, but then, I sometimes wonder, if the punishment is light, who would put their lives on the line and fight for the King? I have heard of death for traitors, death for those who desert the battlefield. What we did is simr, no? We refused to fight when we were clearly asked to."


    I think theres more to it, so I let Jura continue.


    Eh, its just some things I think about, sometimes to rationalise why such a tragedy happened. Its... its a way of coping, to try and understand why it happened. A part of me learns toe to terms with that reality, by epting that we deserved it.


    Well, dissecting and rationalising is a way of coping?


    Sometimes, maybe thats just fate. The way the gods of this world continue to y their games, and we are just puppets.


    Jura stretches on his nicefy seat. Its custom made, after all, he is the Counsel of the Order. He kicks his legs a bit, and then swings his two arms around. Theres no one else in the room, Jura doesnt actually like having other people in the room when hes working. Besides, hes a Level 80 [Warlord], if somebody can kill him, the guards probably wont stand a chance anyway.


    But you know, despite all of that, I saw my friends die, so I think I really would skewer the guy. Cut him up, and hang him for all to see. But then, Ill probably look like a vengeful person, and public vengeance isnt something other elves appreciate.


    So... will you kill him or not?


    Oh yes, I will kill him, throw him in the gutter. Let no one remember him. And be done with it."


    Heh. Well, I somewhat like that, but then again, I feel death is too cheap. Doesnt death feel too cheap?


    Life is cheap, so death should be cheap. Always has been. But I just want to settle those loose ends, and be done with it. Weve got the living to worry about, future enemies to think of, rather than enemies of our past..."


    "You... sure?"


    "No. I think I will only know what I will do when I hold the executioner''s de, and the culprit''s head on the chopping block. Maybe those deep emotions wille back."


    Hmmm... somehow those answers didnt satisfy me all that much, so I end up speaking to Belle and Emile. I too ask both the girls the same question, about what they would do if they find the person who asked for the burning of New Freeka.


    Honestly, I kind of got over it, and epted that the gods let it happen. Been what, 9 years? Belle scratches her head.


    Emile simrly looks confused. I think those humans are evil, but theyre mostly dead, right? Have you been thinking about it, TreeTree?


    Eh...e on, none of you care about it anymore?


    Uhm... Shs so far away, and were just regr elves, looking to lead regr elven lives. For me, Ive not thought of vengeance at all, the only thing on my mind is to return to normalcy, which we have! Belle smiles, its nighttime, and she sits on her bed. And now we have you to protect us, so that wont happen ever again. So, I won''t do a thing."


    Ah...


    I agree with Belle, I think after the first 3 years or so I stopped thinking about the ughter. Having a job and a new town like New Freeka, we feel normal again. Well, our actions will not bring back the dead.


    Seriously, these two girls can be a little too happy-go-lucky, even with the destruction. Well, theres Brich and Wahlen.


    Wahlen sits, Erm... I would kick the guy in the groin. And publicly cane him.


    Brich scratches her cheeks for a while, shes a young adult now, Id have him apologise. For ordering such a hateful, horrible thing. I want a sincere, heartfelt apology. And then I will p all of them. And yes I like Wahlen''s idea. Cane, cane them. Cane them! Use the biggest whip and cane their butts until it bleeds."


    Ah an apology, thats a good point. An apology, a remorseful one would be good. But if I find the guy, how do I even get an apology out of them?


    What would you do, TreeTree? Brich turns the question around. You were there when it happened too, you watched the vige burn, you saw the rest of them die to the swords and fires, while we hid inside you.


    I, I actually dont really know. Im still thinking what I should do. I am confused now. It seems because these elves lived actual 9 years while the past few years didn''t feel all that long to me. They seem to have mostly moved on, which, I suppose makes me happy. But then...


    The two girlsughs, Even the wise tree spirits can feel anger and know not what to do, eh! TreeTree, what do you feel they deserve?


    I...


    I think I must have vengeance. But what kind of vengeance?


    What would satisfy this itch? This little scar in my heart?


    I look at Ransh. My vision is iplete, as my [subsidiary trees] can only see so far. The location of my trees isn''t very strategic, unlike how New Freeka is a town built around and with trees, so what I can see and hear is limited.


    Its been so many years, if I want to be specific about my vengeance, can I even find the person responsible?


    What if the guys dead?


    What if, something already killed them?


    Where should my vengeance go, then?


    Feeling stumped, I focus on my usual activities. Which is, finding more types of trees to investigate. It really wasnt really hard for some beetles to sneak in using the [root tunnels], especially in poorly defended ces like the mages garden. It isnt even the garden with the most valuable herbs.


    The real prize, I think, are those within the usual suspects, the multiplerge garden within the pcepounds, a few other gardens in the threerge templeplexes, and those gardens that are actually in the mages guild.


    Its not easy to infiltrate a city as a tree, what more with its generally enchanted paved or tiled roads, and theres really very little vegetation in the town area, except for little spots, little gardens here and there. Doesnt help that because its a city, demand for wood is high, so theres frequently a lot of workers going around the city to harvest trees.


    That meant, I have to frequently regenerate my [subsidiary trees], else Id lose a connection to the trees I have inside the Royal Grove.


    Strategies, anyone? For both the vengeance, and for the maintenance of trees. I ask my artificial minds


    Obtain military records. Commands to burn a vige should be recorded somewhere? Unless their recordkeeping is horrible. Ivy''s the first to suggest the obvious.


    How do we do that, none of us can read, so if we do, itll be with the help of the elves. And I predict the records will be kept in the main military instations, which are magically protected. Sending beetles there is unfeasible as well. The beetles won''t be able to beat the high level individuals in these instations."


    Ask? Dimitree''s views are more... direct.


    How, and who? We have no allies in Sh.


    The New Freekans are formerly from Sh, they must have allies. They are all migrants after all. Perhaps they even know the structure of the army, and bureaucracy inside out. Ivy responds, she does know their background quite well.


    If so, would they not be able to know who would have ordered such an action?


    "The fact that they don''t means its notmon knowledge."


    Feeling like Im getting stonewalled, I speak to Jura again. Perhaps he has some ideas about the ways to proceed.


    Jura muses. I have an idea. Lets just ask Sh to surrender the officer responsible for the burning, We are an independent nation now, and if they see why were not exactly favorable to them, they will appreciate that this is something they can do to repair that rtionship.


    Did his [diplomat] levels make him think of such an idea?


    Don''t worry about it. Let me handle it, we will send out the request, TreeTree. Ive been wanting to give the New Freeka High Council a jolt for some time


    Year 79 Month 10


    The request came from the Valtrian Order, directly from the Counsel. The letter, with the Valtrian Order''s official seal, went out to Sh''s envoys, and then to their King.


    The letter, which is written with unnecessary legalese and noblesse verbose, can be roughly summarised to :


    Dear King of Sh,


    On year so-and-so, one rogue toon of the Sh''s army murdered the vigers of Freeka, and set the entire vige on fire. We humbly request for the assistance of the Sh Kingdom to investigate this gruesome ughter and turn those responsible over to New Freeka, such that these criminals may face justice for the murder.


    Jura, Counsel


    Laufen, Vice Counsel


    Signed and marked with their personal seal, along with the Valtrian Orders.


    The informalworks abuzz with chatter, trying to figure out what this letter really meant.


    How many people know of the burning and ughter of Freeka? Certainly not much, evidenced by the sheer cluelessness disyed by so many.


    With so many deaths in the world, such things are just a footnote, not worth a mention. Why should a vige be any different?


    Why did the Order bring this up? Is this request really something to remediate an offense of the past? Is the Order testing Sh''s resolve and sincerity for peace? Or will Sh''s refusal to assist be the precursor of future war?


    It is the task of various envoys and diplomats to sieve out the true intent behind a request, to separate fact from propaganda.


    Even among the councillors of New Freeka, theres a whole lot of guessing, and subtle questions, trying to figure out what Jura and Laufen wants. Laufen just shakes her head, smiles and says, Oh, please redirect any of your questions to Jura.


    Jura himself just smiles as he responds to the questions from the other councillors Its something close to our hearts, we lost so many friends and family then. With justice served, we can then face the dead with peace of mind."


    ---


    Anyway, I leave that aside for now. Justice should be precise, after all.


    I turn to my 5 new recruits, the 5 girls, a coincidence, I swear. I gave them a special title, the Valthorn Initiates, because they will be the thorns. It''s kind of inspired by the old saying, rose among the thorns, only, these roses are going to be the thorns. A part of me feels like I have unintentionally made this into an equivalent to those game of training little shipgirls.


    Anyway, I am digressing. Their training is... slow. Firstly, these girls have a lot on their minds, as they have to get used to me speaking to them every now and then.


    The dreams via [dream tutor] that I have been giving them also made them a bit unsettled, even though its just dreams made from [essences of sword] or [essences of spear], regrmon essences that I frequently collect from my [essence generators], or from [soul harvesters] and [memory collection] of the dead. It seems these 5, they see different things despite getting the same kind of essences, and their ''trainers'' are somebody they don''t know. The dreams'' lengths are also different, one girl says it felt like she''s been practicing for hours, another says hers felt like just minutes of talking.


    Then, is the routine. They are all excited, and eager, wholeheartedly embracing the change, but it still takes some time to get used to it, and their young bodies can''t take the sudden change, even with my biopods feeding them nutrients. The extent of the workouts and education pretty much overwhelmed them.


    Even stepping into the biopods is scary, their first time dipping usually apanied with struggling against the vines and feelers.


    So, slow progress it is. Maybe it takes a while, like a small sapling, I cannot rush their growth. Strengthes from true understanding, and a strong foundation. It is like nting, the amount of nutrients, sunlight and water must be just right, else you would kill the nt.


    So maybe I need to adjust my expectations.


    Spaizzer Thanks for reading, and thanks formenting. I have been getting ideas for other fics while thinking about this fic, and so sometimes I feel like taking a break to write those ideas. But then, I think about the many readers expecting to see TreeTree kick some ass, so I end uping back to write this.


    Actually, that was just a rant about how I wish I struck a lottery so that I can spend more time writing all the fics I want to write. But I probably will still work, at least part time.


    My ideal work hours would be a 3 day work week. I find working and dealing with annoying clients, bosses and colleagues, surprisingly inspiring, writing wise. I sometimes take inspiration from my colleagues, who are assionally brilliant and at times, evil, backstabbing sonovabeechs. I also salute the multiple hats some of my bosses have to y, mediating silly interdepartmental politics.


    Anyway, that was a long author note. I hope you like this story. I wrote this story with a very very rough outline of what I want to write, so there''s a huge amount of filling the nks to get to those ''checkpoints''.


    Fun fact, I started writing this story after my r18 tentacle monster story got rejected.

 Wasteland

    Wastnd


    Year 79 Month 11


    A group of druids recently applied to New Freeka, they would like to open a Druid''s House in the town. From what I understand, they were invited by the councillors, perhaps in an attempt to use the druids to counter my presence.


    Indeed, using the druids'' power over nature is a good strategy. If I were faced with a Tree Monster, I would find ways to weaken the opponent or find a hard weakness.


    But it''s been a long time since I faced a druid, and my levels are much higher now. So, I really look forward to my future interaction with druids, I too want to know where I stand.


    The elves once spoke of a reincarnated hero, Roana, who controlled tree spirits and nature like the back of her hands. I wonder whether I would bend to her will, if a hero like thates around. These druids, they would be a fascinating entry level test case.


    "Wouldn''t that mean druids are using some kind of mind control on trees?" Alexis wonders aloud. "I didn''t think of it before, but it is a kind of mind control, isn''t it? The taming of beasts by a beastmaster is simrly a kind of mind control if beasts are sentient, intelligent creatures."


    "Well, I wouldn''t know, but they can try using it on you, since your physical body is that of bib, which is a tree. Then you can be a test subject, and we can find out exactly how it works."


    "Eek. You are right, they might! They totally could." Alexis gasps, her hands to her spiritual face. I need to gain more levels!


    I suspect I would have some resistance to such mind control or tree control, perhaps as a function of my levels. I would think mind control has a level modifier.


    Ah well, still, I let the druids settle in, order both Ivy and Trevor to keep watch, and watch each other. My fear is that they may notice Ivy or Trevor''s presence, and then attempt to control them instead. These 2 are of a lower level than me, so I would think the chances of druid skills working would be higher.


    Other than that, Me''s hotel seems to be doing okay. She''s gotten customers and she''s spending money on decorations and materials. A few of her hired treefolks act as her runners, they do all the buying and collecting for her. I think she mentioned she ns to add an extra wing to her lodge.


    Then, the Sh issue.


    Sh Kingdom responded with a ''holding'' letter, saying they will look into the matter, and provide an update when they have more info. Essentially, the diplomatic equivalent of ''I have no idea what you are talking about so I need time to find out.''


    Which is fine, I doubt people remember things like that, especially so far away, so I focus on gathering more intelligence on the Sh Kingdom. I too need to know a bit more about Sh, its people, its structure and its defenses, should I choose to attack them.


    [Inspection], as a skill, doesn''t seem to reveal much of the enchanted tiles and roads, other than they have been enchanted. It seems its more tailored to monsters, so perhaps I would need either higher tier of inspection, or a more specialised inspection skill to discern the true nature of these roads.


    Stumped, I turn to experimentation, I found one of these enchanted roads in a quiet, less travelled part of the capitol, far from the city itself, where I could ce a few subsidiary trees near the road.


    And I did my experiments on the road. No matter how I tried to make something grow on these tiles or rocks, the nts just wouldnt grow.


    I then attacked it with my roots, and, its much, much tougher than any regr rock. It took a few hits, then it starts to crack and break.


    So, conclusion one, its resistant to most kinds of attack, but not indestructible. Either that or these roads have some kind of nt-source damage reduction.


    I would like to meet the person who build all these roads and structures.


    Perhaps we could talk to the locals in New Freeka. I believe one of Yvons confidantes is a builder, of the magical kind. Ah yes, the group that uses magic to build houses, perhaps they might know a bit more about these kind of enchanted roads. Maybe all these builders know one another, like some kind of builders guild? Or perhaps, contractors association?


    Must be my luck, Counsel Jura. One of Yvons followers, now also one of the councillors of New Freeka. So, what do I owe the honor of being before the few true natives of the valley?


    Jura grins and taps on the chair, Ah, nothing too serious, I asked for you to borrow some of your... knowledge. Ive got some questions, tell me about... construction-rted skills and abilities.


    The rooms empty save for the 2 of them, both seated on a chair. Jura has a pot of tea, made from my younger, tender leaves. Its still steaming, theres a small firestone under it, used to keep food warm. The councillor moves, adjusts his body slightly. Hes a man of average height, but his build is bulky, stoic, but since his election to the council, he changed a builders attire for something more formal.


    How strange, may I know why? The councillor leans forward, he didnt touch the tea.


    Im thinking of building a new building, so I thought I ask an expert on what kind of crazy skills would a builder have. It would help me in assessing what I can build, and how long it takes. So, tell me about the great builders of our world."


    The councillor pauses, smiles a little to himself then shakes his head. Surely there''s more to it, Counsel. Well, there were no builder-heroes.


    Jura sips on his tea. Oh, that''s something I didn''t realise, I thought there were heroes from almost all the sses. But then that''s another conversation, I want to know about builder type job sses today."


    Firstly, there are all kinds of builder-rted job sses. There are the entry level versions of the job such as the draftspersons, the regr workman, and there are the stronger variants, the architects, the foreman, the master-builders. Their passives run the gamut from weak, to incredible. A true master-builder could turn build a house out of hay that can withstand a typhoon, a house out of wood that would never rot or spoil, a wall that can withstand a dragons me, and roads that could speed up the domains trade.


    Am I right to assume the materials are the same, or do these master-builders use their skills to change the materials?


    Yes, and no. A builder, a farmer, a cksmith, they all have skills, and these skills influences the materials they work with, and it persists until the materials are unmade. A nk of wood processed by a master-builder, can be many times stronger than one made by a regr builder, just like a cksmith can work with metal to make a sword multiple times stronger than the work of a regr apprentice.


    But then what happens when the maker dies? Do these skills disappear?


    You really are a warrior, Counsel Jura. It is basic knowledge that nonbat skills have longevity. The effect of a nonbat skill persists longer, than the burst-one off nature of active,bat skills. The great castles of yore, made by the master artisans, the effects of their skills on the shine of their walls, the foundations and strength of their ramparts, they remain till this day, with little decay, even after the death of their makers.


    Jura rubs his chin and hair, looking a little embarrassed that the councillor called him out on his cluelessness on such things. True, else they wouldnt be handing down enchanted artifacts and heirlooms. Ah, but let''s say I want to know about roads and walls. What kind of skills youve seen that work on walls and roads?


    Thinking about building walls around the Order, Counsel Jura? Where do I start? Think about it, there are Kings with powers to create temporarily nigh-impervious, indestructible fortresses and walls. Kings who amplify the effect of roads on travel in their domain. Or mages who can enchant walls with defensive buffs. Highway markers that speed up travel on those who travel along them...


    Ah fine, Im asking about builders?


    We would have many kinds, most builders worthy of building anything more than a wooden house would gain some variant of the skills [Enduring construct] or [Low-maintenance structures], so that theyst longer, and need less upkeep and repairs. I would think walls and roads would gain the effects of such skills.


    Are there dedicated road-builders in the world? What kind of skills would they have?


    Yes, of course there are, the world''s skills are as vast as the stars in the sky, but... I dont know their skills? Im a magic-augmented builder, I construct things using earth magic, and sadly I have not met a true road-builder."


    And well, that was all the councillor was willing to share and Alexis had a post mortem.


    A metaphor I would use, is that these passive skills are like... paint. They stay on the object until they are removed. Well, Alexis is willing to share her views on such things. Usually, the benefits of such skills is that they are close to perpetual, they usually can interact and stack with other such passive skills, and the drawbacks is that, theyre not that strong.


    So, whats your take on whats happening. Why the roads resist me?"


    Youre a pest, I suppose. I doubt the road knows how to differentiate between a tree and a weed, so it just repels all of them. Have you seen roads destroyed by roots that grow underneath them? Roots destroy buildings and roads, so, I would expect any good builder would want to prevent his things from getting destroyed..


    Fine, lets say what youre saying is true, then how about New Freeka? Why dont the roads that are built now, in this area, reject me, if such passives are somon?


    Maybe because you''re part of the native ecology, so the buildings built here are used to your overarching influence and do not regard you as an invader. Or maybe your main body is so overwhelmingly powerful in this area that such skills dont work in close vicinity to you. Or maybe you have some kind of ability invalidating all these skills. Frankly, could be a million things."


    "I learnt nothing from that conversation."


    Alexis chuckles, "I am d to have wasted your time."


    Ah well, I turn my attention to the herbal varieties found in Sh, theres little spots of greenery throughout the city, the issue is clearly, getting there, because of all the roads and buildings that impede my progress.


    The Royal Groves actually rather boring, other than being enchanted. The herb varieties are mostlymon, but they are more effective. Theres some herbalists and druids that regrly tend to the grove, mostly just healing sick trees and stuff like that.


    So, back to New Freeka.


    Year 79 Month 12


    New Freekas poption is close to 60,000. A wave of new migrants, apparentlying from the north.


    Theres another conflict emerging there, between two countries, and its a in old war, apparently over ady. Turns out, princes from both countries fell in love with the samedy, and now theyre fighting some kind of war over her. I mean, seriously. Cant they just have a duel or something?


    And its winter! Whyd they pick winter to fight a war anyway?


    Its warmer in their part of the world, a strong warm current and breeze keeps their two shore countries warm, so their winters are... pretty much feels like fall. So they can still fight.


    Ngeh. Well, food supplies are doing well. The Orders rituals for births and deaths are bing something of a tradition, which makes me happy, because more deaths means more essence for me to feed the 6 young girls that are now in my training regine. ording to data provided by Laufen, about 2 in every 5 deaths are now taking the Orders melt-in-a-pod method of disposing the corpse. Of course, the actual name that goes out to public is more... pleasant. Euphemisms, euphemisms.


    The poption boomes with its own challenges.


    Clean water. Sewage. Public health.


    Previously, the Councils workers dug wells, and with some magical help and cksmith tools, made pulleys and pumps that brings out water from the ground. At 60,000, even with close to 100 wells throughout the entire city, there are still long lines, and the water levels in the wells are running low, so newer wells have to be deeper.


    And that exposes one huge w in choosing this valley as a spot for a town. Water. Unlike a ce with arge river, or argeke, there are a few small streams through the valley, and unless the council is willing to dig really deep, providing clean water to 60,000 is going to be a challenge.


    The local builders constructed deeper and deeper wells, and alsorger, deepertrine pits. Apparently, one of the ways poop and sewage is processed in this world is via magic, and strangely, the temples of the world usually y a big part in water and sewage.


    One of the abilities the priesthoods and nuns learn, is an ability called [Purify] and [Cleanse], which works on people, and also works on sewage and water. So, the city actually pays priests and nuns, or those with the relevant [cleanse] skills to regrly process thetrine pits.


    The poop gets converted, via magic, into regr dirt. Magic is amazing.


    The process of cleansing thetrine needs to be done quite regrly, else the poop will start to contaminate the groundwater. Again, the priests then use [cleanse] on the wells to sanitise the water.


    So, there really is a thing like [purified] and [cleansed] holy water. I wonder whether they feel like a quack when they sell such things to regr citizens.


    Inrger city, there are high level [cleaners] or [mages] who can do simr functions, or in some cases, meaning the wealthy, powerful cities, use artifacts that process or dpose sewers. In certain elven cities, their poop is usually processed by a kind of poop-eating worm, which, apparently, enjoys poop and pee as its main food source. Centaurs and lizardmen tribes tend to spray a kind of yeast or powder, that converts these poop and pee into fertiliser, which leads to an odd behavior of them having multiple outhouses in their farms, but strangely, these centaurs here don''t have such habits.


    Treefolk dont have the issue of poop or peeing, it seems their bodily wastes just... evaporates from their body, or gets discharged via their legs into the earth.


    The fact that magic and magical monsters exists gives a wide range of options on how to process such issues. I wonder how dorge dragons deal with their poop? And do they poop midair like birds do?


    Anyway, enough of my constant off tangent ponderings. Poption consumes resources, and also produces waste, both needs to be managed. Assimting this growth, and managing it as part of the valley''s overall poption while bncing and caring for the health of the valley''s florae is my personal duty as the Tree Guardian of the valley.


    With Trevor''s constant replenishment of the valley''s resources, and my powers of growth, the valley''s treecount is growing steadily. Lately, though, the growth rate is slowing again, partly because of consumption, from arger poption.


    I have [Timber farms], which, the Valtrian Order sells to the local businesses, who then make furniture, build houses, and other products. Increasingly, demand is starting to catch up to supply. The speed in which these timber grows is easily 10x, maybe more than that of a regr tree, as a regr seedling reaches maturity within two months, yet, there is a size limit to the farm.


    The idea of stone beds, or stone furniture is unappealing to the citizens, even centaurs prefer wooden furniture to stone. Perhaps there is something unappealing about purely-stone homes. Centaurs, for example, cultivate small patches of a certain grass, which, when dried, are woven into rugs and paddings, for them to lie on, and these woven rugs and carpets are a must have for any centaur dwelling.


    At first, I was unaware of this, but it seems as New Freeka''s "economy" and "safety" stabilised, the centaurs started yearning for little luxuries, and mixed cotton rugs and carpets start to proliferate. Which meant, a market for the [Cotton]. Sadly, Laufen says its a breakeven business, as the selling price barely covers the cost of processing and paying workers to work on the cotton, and then making the carpets. I think this cotton business needs industrialisation.


    There''s probably a better way to process the cotton, and I vaguely recall studies and visits to the textile museum. So, even though a machine like that must exist, and should exist, I''m no master of mechanical objects.


    So, I can''t recreate it. Maybe there''s some magical solution someday.


    Oh yes, where was I?


    Poop. And water.


    The reason I am also rambling about poop, is some of the ordinary, normal trees ''feel'' sick. My main tree, roots, and subsidiary trees are almost-immune, due to the effects of my skill, [rhizofiltration], so it doesn''t absorb all the other shit, literally, that gets dumped into the ground that contamonated the groundwater.


    But, my fellow normal trees, normal as they may be, are sick! And, sick trees grow slower. And some may eventually die. That is bad.


    Dead trees, is a big no no. I feel for my fellow trees.


    Year 80 Month 1


    With data from the root sensors on subsidiary trees spread out throughout the valley, and also the city area, Trevor helped to map out an ovey indicating the pollution problem.


    I firstly need to know how bad is the poop situation.


    The source, is of course the city.


    There are multipletrine pits, which the frequency of sanitisation by those responsible has been a bitcking. The priests and workers are supposed to cleanse the pits once every three days, but it is an incredibly unpleasant task, so they only do it once every two weeks.


    That meant some of these sewage umted, and the extra period for it to stew in the pit meant quite a bit managed to contaminate the ground. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the [cleanse] spell is range-limited, so it didn''t cure the sewage umted deeper in those pits.


    The first issue is like I said, the priests are not doing their jobs. They generally view this duty as demeaning for these self-proimed servants of god, to literally [cleanse] the filth of others. Even the priests, those in the Order''s employ, abhor the task.


    "I hate that part of the job." A priest would routinely say.


    So, usually the most junior of priests, those who possess the skill, would be sent on the toilet duty.


    That meant the strength of the [cleanse] skills are poor, because skills scale with le els, and because of how deep and massive thetrines are, to amodate 60,000 citizens, the skills of these low level [cleanse] just won''t do. At most, it just creates a superficial clean and dryyer on top of the rest of the sewage, deluding the priests that the job is done.


    But I have no cleaning skills myself, even if I do have the ability to filter such toxins and other unfavorables out.


    "Huh, the most senior priests on toilet duty? No, no amount of money will make that happen. We are servants of god, not the city''s sewage cleaners. The fact that we send our most junior priests to do it is good enough!"


    The task is seen as dirty, disgusting, and demeaning. Money won''t fix it.


    "Can we import the worms? Or the cleaning artifacts?"


    "Artifacts are ridiculously expensive. As for the worms, I will reach out to the Elven kingdoms whether they are for sale. Transporting those worms will need special arrangements, as they rarely survive outside their sewage-environment." Jura''s rather amused by the sanitation issue, he didn''t really feel it. In fact, most of the citizens are not even aware of the contamination of the groundwater, since these things reach deep, not float up above.


    Trevor''s map of subterranean water flow indicates the groundwater flows toward the valley, so as thetrine pits tend to be close to the forests edge, the New Freekans are lucky that their own drinking water is clean.


    Perhaps if somehow it stinks up the entirety of the town, then it would make them realise the gravity of the situation. Or maybe I should somehow reverse the flow of groundwater such that their wells get contaminated with poopwater?


    Ah, maybe I shoudn''t be so nasty.


    Solutions, solutions. Relying on the priests to constantly use [cleanse] on poop and sewage is not exactly what I consider a scble and reliable solution. These priests are going to hold the skill as some kind of "ransom", eventually, if they discover what it means to the regr trees. And the idea of having an army of priests going around town sanitising all thetrine pits in a big city just feels..me.


    So, I need some kind of natural solution, something I can manage. Something that I can ''create''.


    "Jura, are you familiar with nts that survive in sewers or other such wastnds?"


    "Uhmmm... no. But let me get the herbalist?"


    "We do not have any nts that are capable of surviving in sewers." The herbalist responds to Jura''s question. "Most nts have a natural state, and while these differs slightly, I am not aware of any nts that survive in entirely sewers. We do have nts that can somewhat tolerate sewer waters, though."


    Hmmm. How about algae? Fungi? There must be something that lives in sewers. I recall trees destroying sewer pipes back home because the roots are drawn to them, so the trees must have some tolerance for wastewater.


    I find it strange that the normal trees here are unable to process the sewage. They are native, they should be adapted to native waste from the native poption. Is it because the type of toxins or minerals in the sewage?


    "What dorge cities with their waste?"


    "Other than what I told you, no clue. Honestly, sewers are not something I pay attention to, and our vige is so small a few pits is sufficient." Jura shrugs. He''s really quite amused by my recent fascination and questions around waste and he doesn''t really get my frustration with dying trees. Trees die all the time, they say, can never heal all of them.


    Which is true.


    But I am a tree, and it offends me that I let a fellow tree, to die from something as stupid as sewage intolerance.


    "Are you even sure its sewage?" Alexis shrugs. "Not a bug? Or sickness?"


    And that is how I ordered the beetles to gather multiple wastewater samples from all the differenttrine pits.


    [New beetle species unlocked. Dungbeetle]


    "No, fuck you, TreeTree. I am not analysing poop." Alexis absolutely resist letting the poop anywhere near her. "I am. Not. Touching. Poop."


    "TreeTree, why are the beetles carrying poop?" The elves ask.


    Analysis, duh.


    "Can the poop not drip everywhere in the hideout?"


    Uh.


    Despite much resistance, I eventually got the poop into the bibs, for analysis. I do feel disgusted, but only mildly. I think saving the rest of the trees to be a farrger and more important goal.


    I doubt my feelers and vines feel a thing when they prod and dig into the poop. Well, they do feel kinda moist and sticky.


    But it''s just poop. I''m pretty sure the dirt all around me was poop some point in their long, ever changing lives.


    [Testing in progress]


    I suppose faeces and poop are considered biological matter, as the bibs run through a range of tests. It took some time to actually know what''s happening since there are so many tests to run, for so many different samples.


    I need a ''control'' group.


    "You want our poop now?" Jura, Laufen and the elves are all appalled by my request.


    "Yes. Fresh samples. Just to measure change in fecalposition versus that of thetrine. All of you are healthy, clearly, so your fecal matter should be, too."


    "Uh... how do we give it to you? Poop inside those pods?"


    Hmm. The pods aren''t meant for pooping.


    [Bib upgraded. Bib now has multiple extra rooms, functioning as a ''toilet'', ''bathroom'' and others for collection and harvesting of biological wastes]


    "Well, you poop in this ce, that looks kind of like an outhouse, and the bib will do the rest."


    "E." The elves are generally quite disgusted, but still, they eventually did proceed to do their business in the special poophouse, designed for collection of their poop.


    "Why are you so disgusted? Don''t some societies use cow manure as fertiliser?"


    "Uh... its still poop."


    Anyway, poop or not, the tests must go on.


    And speaking of fertiliser, would minotaur poop be fertiliser too? Since they are like part cow? Or do I need some kind of bacteria to degrade the poop first? Have I seen a minotaur?


    Tests. We need more tests. The culprits are still unclear, of what exactly in poop that causes the trees to feel sick. Could it be some kind of disease transmitted via poop? Is it some kind of metal? Some kind of mineral, or some kind of bug?


    I need to get to the root of the problem.


    So, more tests. One of the other things I started Alexis on, since she refuses to look at poop, is to look at the filtering nature of roots instead.


    My body, due to [rhizofiltration] that I learned long ago, is able to filter out all these bad things, whatever they are.


    There should be some membrane like structure to the roots, either that, or the skill creates some kind of filtering/extracting effect.


    If I can do it, maybe there is some way to filter the poop, and ring-fence thetrine pits such that their contamination is contained, and perhaps in the future I would find some ways to convert these waste into something more usable, like fertiliser.


    As of now, the contamination is spreading, ongoing, as people continue to poop and pee every day, so the first step is of course, containment. The source of these pollutants need to be restricted.


    Research status :<ul><li>


    Roots - Volcanic mineral processing - stage 1 -pleted</li><li>


    Treeb varieties - stage 1 -pleted</li><li>


    Magically attuned materials Stage 1 -pleted</li><li>


    Beetle - anti-magma armors stage 4 - 17 months</li><li>


    Materialbs - stage 1 - 6 months</li><li>


    Magical sensors - 6 months</li><li>


    Normal Tree - Root filters stage 1 - 6 months</li></ul>


    Year 80 Month 2


    Did somebody nt all these trees around all the outhouses? It makes it feel like Im doing my business out in the jungle or something.


    Must be the druids.


    I think its the tree spirit. Hes a bit fond of meddling after all.


    Its kinda creepy if you say it that way, is the tree spirit watching us take a shit?


    Uh... I doubt tree spirits are interested in us taking our shits, though. I mean, only perverts like that kind of stuff, and we arent exactly the most attractive old men around.


    Its a fetish for some people? A fetish for trees?


    E.


    E.


    Anyway, I had to implement a stopgap measure. I couldnt get the priests to do their jobs, and Im not inclined to threaten them, because it reveals a weakness about me.


    So, I decide to surround the most of thergertrine pits and outhouses in New Freeka with [subsidiary trees], and use my roots to then form a subterranean wall, to block the fecal matter from leaking into the wider valleys groundwater.


    I cant process the shit, but I have to deal with the shit. So, blocking the shit is my temporary measure. The findings from my first round of analysis of the collected samples reveal that theres no particr culprit.


    The problem is, well, theres just a whole damn load of shit. Theres a lot of minerals that are generally not-well epted by trees, theres also a whole mix of fungi, bacteria, and other stuff, all of which the normal trees normally can tolerate in small quantities.


    Small quantities. Normally.


    Its not a result I wanted.


    Well, I suppose you could have some kind of waste-treatment nt, before its discharged? Like, you know, split the sewage intoponents and treat them separately? I cant seem to recall the water treatment process though... Alexis rubs her head.


    Never mind, focus on researching the roots. Thats probably going to help minimise the damage.


    Im guessing its going to be something like filtering, sedimentation, adding chemicals to kill bacteria or take out certain types of metals. I also cant remember the details, its been so many years since school, and honestly, I wish I could google wastewater treatment, and find the answer. But then, even if I did, Id have to find ways to develop actual skills or tools, suitable for the growing city.


    For now, the poop is contained by the roots of my subsidiary trees, and because there is just a whole load of poop, even my subsidiary tree''s root filters asionally fail and it absorbs some of the poop, and it makes the subsidiary tree weak and sickly, which Trevor or myself have to step in and use some of our tree-healing powers.


    Important lesson. Skills can fail.


    And because the roots kind of stop the poop from escaping the pits, the pits get filled up faster, so the city has to build more of these pits.


    Ugh.


    Not. Sustainable. They can''t constantly be digging new pits all the time.


    I need to figure out a way to dpose the poop.


    "You could maybe erm... separate theirponents? Then store them separately? I think some nts can consume or extract certain kinds of elements in the wastewater sludge."


    Thus, I ordered some beetles to bring back some of the trees near the sewers of on the outskirts o Sh. Sh''s got a vastwork of underground sewers, some of which pipes their waste for disposal somewhere further, far from the city.


    There, the beetles bring back different types of nt samples, collected from near the sewer outlets, and the sewers itself.


    For my bib''s analysis.


    I wonder whether I can make a nt able to eat poop.


    -


    Meanwhile...


    "I... I want to drop out." One of the girls say, she''s tired and frustrated, even if she is making progress. "It''s too hard. So much fighting and some much studying. I... I can''t. I can''t do this."


    "But what will you do, then?" Another of the girls ask. "We don''t get chances like this, we''re just orphans..."


    "Er..." The young girl doesn''t know. She only knows she didn''t actually want it as much as she did.


    Lausanne nods, "It''s intense. If you really want to drop out, please let Tree Spirit know. It''s fairer for everyone, so that someone else who wants it can try it out. Let''s not force yourself, I think now you know what you truly want."


    The young girl cries and covers her face with her palms. She doesn''t know what to do, actually. Yvon sits next to her. "I spoke with the Tree Spirit, if you drop out, you will return to being a regr orphan, so you can still stay. But you will lose the benefits you have, like the stipends you get."


    The girls, get some pocket money for their participation. I thought its fairer that way, since this is like an apprenticeship or internship. I thought of it as being a reward for their hard work, since their routine is literally a whole lot ofbat and studies, some eat, sleep, poop and repeat. Rest days are few and far between, perhaps a day in a month.


    Honestly, my expectations were not very high, but I wanted dedication, and a disy of effort from the girls. They need to at least, try.


    "Are you sure?" Yvon''s sort of their counselor. I think she''s probably suspicious of my activities, and doesn''t trust my intentions, but because of that, she''s taken a personal interest in the girls and is now quite close to the girls, acting like their mother.


    Or maybe Yvon''s just bored.


    "I... I don''t know. This is so hard. My body hurts everywhere, and I feel overwhelmed. I''m tired. I thought being a warrior, a fighter would be nice, and I''ll be those super cool adventurers who defeat monsters and all. I just didn''t expect the work to be so... so... much. I don''t even have much time to y anymore."


    Yvon taps her on her shoulder. "I understand, this programme is rough. I told Tree Spirit as well, that its extremely intense, but he insists on it being this way."


    The young girl sobs. Her friends give her a hug.


    "If you are sure you want to drop out, we''ll go and see the Tree Spirit."


    She nods.


    The next day, I cancel her familiar contract, and she loses her status as one of the Valthorn Initiates. I am down to 4 girls.


    Though she cries, I think she''ll be happier just as a regr person.


    Ah well. Not everyone makes the cut.


    This is a good thing, the future batches, the girls will now do some self-selection and only those who truly want it will participate.


    Year 80 Month 3


    Sh has yet to provide an update on our request, though from the intel sources Jura has, it seems they are discussing it in great detail.


    ording to the grapevine, it seems that they want to find a scapegoat for the incident, someone rted but junior they can throw under the bus. If that really happens, I would be very disappointed, but for now, more intel gathering.


    After that string of conversations with the elves, I feel a bit magnanimous. I wonder whether I should look past this incident, and maybe, what I do next should not be out of vengeance.


    But I should still send a message that such actions have consequences. Even if the consequence is 10 yearster.


    Please. Take care of my children and my wife. Protect them from the demons and these monsters too.


    I recall feeling angry, these humans, killing the elves, when there are demons out there. Something as scary and overwhelmingly powerful like a demon king, and yet the Freeka vigers all, ughtered and burnt alive.


    If I descend into a war with the Sh again, would I be doing what they did to me? Fighting amongst ourselves while a demon threat awaits?


    It''s not going to be long. This month, I begin to feel strange fluctuations in the star manas, and they make my leaves tingle. It''s a familiar feeling, like that strange dream I had before the previous demon king. I feel it, the looming presence of the demons.


    The first of the many demonic rifts will soon open.


    Spaizzer its chapter 50, so lets have a chapter full of shit.

 Druidic Conflict

    Druidic Conflict


    <b>Year 80 Month 4</b>


    I have my first materialb. It ''deconstructs'' what I insert, into its underlyingponents, and the level of deconstruction is proportional to the energy supply and the level of the materialb


    I insert a wooden nk.


    First, it strips any skills out of it, and there are many skills. They appear as little blobs of light, and most of these ''skills'' appear as ''unidentified''. I know the blobs represent skills because one of those blobs is actually readable [Fine-cut wood], and so, I draw the conclusion that all the blobs are skills. Besides, what else could those formless blobs be?


    After that, what is left, is raw ''unskilled'' wood in the shape of an ordinary nk. Theb''s energies, slowly, breaks the wood apart, strand by strand, strip by strip. The nk peeled off,yer byyer, along the grooves of the nk.


    Then, the separatedyers, or strips, gets further broken down, into smaller pieces, almost little specks. After that, it splits up into its constituentponents, like bubbles of air, blobs of water, blobs of... unidentified things, it appears like a piece of nk is sh-dried and drained of all fluids and air bubbles, and then, one of thestponents is... mana? Or maybe that life-force thing that the souls generate.


    First revtion of the day, unlike our world, mana actually exists as part of things, even things as simple as wood. Maybe mana reces one of the primary fundamental forces? Or does it be an additional fundamental force?


    Somehow, I think I shouldve known this.


    Anyway, the remaining strips of dried, airless, manaless specks can be further broken down. But, I need materialbs of a higher level...


    "Well, do you want to further develop materialsbs, or work towards magicbs?"


    "I don''t know. It''s kind of cool that it break things down to theseponents. And actually, I can use it to analyse the poop samples."


    "Ugh." Alexis rolls her eyes at the mention of poop, and she floats away, back to doing her own thing. She''s busy anyway.


    The materialsb takes the form of a single tree outside my inner circle of subsidiary trees, its appearance like any other, but its internal structure contains multiple little bubbles which store the separated materials. It''s power-intensive, draining quite a bit of energy from the normal trees, with each ''separation'' process. I suppose its kinda like thosebs where they spin stuff until they split apart.


    Anyway, back to the poop samples.


    I use the materialsb to test out the poop samples, and... well, the first thing that surprises me is that theres also some blobs of skills. Unidentified of course, but, seriously, who uses skills on their poop, either that, or its... some kind of passive that gets applied? Rhetorical question.


    Moving on, I run the tests through few more different samples of poop, and then seriously, quite a few of them have skills. All unidentified. At this point, Im wondering whether its unidentified because I dont know them, or whether because the amount of it is so small that I cant tell it apart. Maybe the ability to identify it because the quantity of skill is too small?


    The poop splits apart to moreponents, like water, air, and the type of materials that make up the poop... and also... mana? Oh great. Theres mana in poop too.


    Now that the poop has been drained, dried, and it starts to break apart and easily separate into different kinds of metals, without requiring much energy. What''s left is a collection of mostly unfamiliar metals, and some of the usual iron, copper and stuff.


    Is this normal?


    Deciding that I probably need a bit more of each type of metals to be identified, I break down more of the poop, including some fresh samples from the elves, and once I got about a handful of each unidentified metal type, at different ratios.


    Next, I ask Jura for any professionals that may be able to assist on such samples.


    Ill probably need help identifying these metals... Theres about thirty small tes of different metal types on top of Juras desks, all from splitting up the poop samples.


    A cksmith, and a merchant came along. Its rather easy for Jura to ask for help, these people are here to curry favor anyway, he''s the Counsel, he could give them big deals someday.


    The two quickly went through the samples, easily identifying them. All of them are just some kind of local metal mineral, our worlds equivalent of sand, or tin, or iron, and stuff like that. This worlds metal types dont exactly match ours, since they do have iron-like things that are stronger, and also some that are weaker. Variants, but different metal types.


    Maybe they are alloys?


    Metals and elements in this world exist in a spectrum, rather than distinct types in my world... or I think they have arger, more granr version of the periodic table? Alexis is nerding out, shes paying attention to the descriptions given by the merchants and smiths, and then ask. You should buy some books, then I can exin this better."


    You can read?


    Uh. Yeah? Why won''t I know how to read? Wait. Did I know she can read? Ask the merchant whether anyone published any guide or summary on the metals and minerals of the world.


    I ced an order for three different tomes on materials and resources found in the world. I wouldn''t want to make basic research from scratch, there should be some body of knowledge already in tomes and books.


    Back to the poop analysis, that material-breakdown of knowing what the metals are kind of did... nothing? Though the merchants are able to identify the metals, it still doesn''t give me an idea whether those metals are harmful, or beneficial to the nts, since their knowledge is more of use for trade, and metalworking. Also, I can''t rule out that theres most likely an optimal level of each metal, and exceeding that would result in some kind of poisoning, and a deficiency may result in stunted growth and other kinds of problrm.


    So, theres to be more studies. More tests. I ordered the beetles to take samples of the dirt throughout the valley, around healthy trees, and around sick trees, topare theposition of the dirt in the ground. Maybe theres some minerals appearing in different ratios which may lead to something more conclusive.


    Frustrating isnt it? Theres no skill that just tells you whats wrong, other than somethings wrong.


    On the contrary, I feel happy that at least I need to use my head. And because of it, Im getting you, Trevor and Dimitree to run more tests.


    Ugh, I was just thinking, wouldnt the druids know the answer?


    Asking the druids... Hmm... thats a good point. Lets use this chance to test out the druids abilities.


    So, with a bit of backhanded string-pulling, Jura managed to get the newly settled in druids to pay a visit to a small patch of sick trees, somewhere on the edges of New Freeka. What do you think? I was told somethings wrong with these trees, but I cant tell what.


    Theres four of them, all of them look middle-aged, dressed in robes and they kneel over the ground. They all have a wooden staff of some kind.


    [Natural diagnosis] A druid calls out, and his wooden stick glows. A spirit-like wisp appears and enters the ground, and then after a while ites back out.


    Hmmm... the wisp tells me there seems to be groundwater contamination. The grounds concentration of metals are all too high. Particrly Whitetin and Green Iron.


    Oh I know that- Eh?!


    Another of the druid touches the ground, picks up a bit of dirt and tastes it. I think he used some kind of skill there, but I couldnt quite make out what it was. He looks a bit puzzled, and then he spits. Agreed. Groundwater contamination, likely to be from the city. Counsel Jura, I suggest we move all the trees somewhere a bit further away.


    Cant you heal the trees or the ground?


    We could, but usually the sickness wille back after about a month, unless you find a way to stop the groundwater contamination. The earth itself is contaminated, due to exposure to the city, healing the trees is just a temporary fix.


    What do you normally do in such cases?


    We move the trees. Theres usually no way of convincing the popce from changing how they live, just for the sake of some trees. The druids shrug. Trees are just... resources to most normal people.


    Jura just nods, looking around. The druids continue to touch a few of the normal trees.


    So... do you want us to move the trees, Counsel?


    I dont think its necessary, though. Another druid speaks up. They are just mildly sick. At least, they look better than they did a few months ago.


    Jura shakes his head, Well, leave them here for the time being. Well know if things get worse if they start dying. Thanks for your time, druids. Jura passes the 4 druids a bit of coin to thank them for their time.


    As the druids and Jura walks back to New Freeka, one of them asks, Counsel, may we have an audience with the Tree Spirit? I understand you speak to it often.


    "Oh, why?"


    "Erm... well, we are druids, we make it a point to meet and greet with the tree spirits of thend. Kindaes with the job-ss."


    "Ah... that is a druid thing, no?"


    The druids grin, "Yeah, kind of."


    I see, Ill have a word with the Tree Spirit."


    In the meantime, I am still trying to process what I just saw, ie, the druids actually have skills able to diagnose the problem, without the need for experimentation. And why do I not have a simr skill?


    I have a few theories on this, but I think I want to see what they are up to.


    As for the waste situation, its sort of under control. With my subsidiary trees'' roots acting as a barrier and filter, the sewage''s leakage to the greater valley is now limited.


    The druids clearly can identify the problem, though their solution was meh. Moving the trees is a solution, but. I don''t like being moved, and I think the trees won''t like it too.


    Personally, I think its not really an issue about meeting the druids, but I had to prepare, so I called Madeus and the Orders top guys back in for exnations on the druids. Ill get straight to the point, Ive met druids, many times in fact, but I don''t know much about them. So lets start from the beginning, what do they do, what are their powers?


    The leaders stare at each other, and they shift a little ufortably.


    One of the priests goes first, Theyre tree-lovers? They tend to go around healing thend after the destruction left behind by the demon king. The druids are famous as the major supporter of the Restorers.


    They can summon trees and animals, use wood magic, earth magic, and water magic. They also usually have some animalpanions as well. The captains pretty much reciting the norm, sounds like the usual myth around druids. Did the makers of this world somehow started off as dungeon masters?


    Anyone know the specifics of their jobs? Like... what do they do?


    When I was a young child, a druid came and gave simple tips on farming. He tried to teach us the power to boost fertility and speed growth, but none of us picked it up...


    Fine, clearly they have some ability to have earth and restoring powers. Are they like some kind of generic mage but with more of a focus on earth, wood and water? I ask.


    Madeus nods, Close, though pure mages like myself think druids are... erm... a bit of a hack, since druids mostly borrow powers from their surroundings and neglect their own physical and mental training. So, druids pick their battlefields, such that they have more power and things to tap on, but thats kind of predictable.


    Okay, they have some kind of connection to the surroundings too. Anyone knows the history of druids?


    Everyone shakes their head. Some say they learnt it from trees. Some say they learnt it from treefolk.


    Fine, how many types and groups of druids are there? Who exactly are the druids in my valley?


    Theyre from the far southeast, and they are under the Hutan, one of the threergest groups of druids. The other two are the Tarimba and the Mulfic. The three druidic councils are just... well, kind of like guilds. They are separate but work together formon goals, like, restoring thend, and focused on training. The councils themselves are neutral, but their druids are free to work with any kingdom they want, though they generally speaking, most druids will avoid participating in the kingdom-wars.


    Okay. What do they want?


    I dont know, really.


    I think theyre just interested in you, Tree Spirit.


    What do they want with me?


    Everyone shakes their head.


    Trevor, Ivy, whatve you got?


    After my discussion with them, I consented to the meeting a dayter.


    <b><i>Next day,</i></b>


    The four druids, they came without their apprentices and assistants. They came fully in their druid-ish attire, that include some kind of headwear that resembles an antlers horns, or a wolf headdress, borate and fancy carved woodstaffs, armor and all the rings they can wear.


    Dressed forbat, druids? Jura chuckles, well, Jura himself is dressed up for the purpose. Sword in hand, armor.


    It is but a tradition of druids, to show our best to the tree spirits, especially when we face the tree spirits true body. One of the druids say, but he looks nervous. My see-ing eye notices the subtle shaking in his hands.


    The four stand in the inner circle of subsidiary trees, before my main body. Jura on one side, I have Horns hidden in the corner, but I think they can sense his presence.


    They look around, and they sweat. They whisper a bit, so softly, or perhaps a skill, that I couldnt make out what they are saying.


    State your business, druids. Jura prompts the guests to start.


    The four gave a small bow, We are druids of Hutan, one of the many caretakers of thend and those who live on it, protectors of the forests and trees, and we... em... humbly, seek an audience with the great... Tree Spirit of the valley, as we...e to seek an understanding of the needs, and wishes of the Valley and its true guardian.


    Flowery greeting. I chuckle, they sound like they practiced it.


    <i>They sound nervous. </i>Alexis whispers into my mind.


    Their body is tense. They might be up to something. Ivy advises.


    The four druids eyes start to have a green glow, and I felt my defensive instincts kick in. Tree Spirit, wee in seek of your name and hope to gain your blessing. Oh well, my roots are ready to strike at any time.


    Oh? Im TreeTree. <i>What kind of blessing?</i>


    The four druids nce at each other. I think they gulped, but Im not sure.


    Is that all youre here for, druids? Jura sounds a bit amused.


    No... wed like to acquire the Tree Spirits blessing.


    Uh... What blessing.


    The four druids share a nce. Surely the Tree Spirit is testing us, we mean <i>THE </i>blessing.


    Well, Ive got no idea what you are talking about, so exin what this blessing is. I really dont know what blessing means, yet the four druids seem to take the question a bit... negatively? They dont seem particrly keen on answering the question.


    One of the druids step forth, he looks to be the youngest, but his staff and headgear the most mboyant. O great Tree Spirit, the aspect which we ask, we will give our share in return. We offer our services, and that of the druid council of Hutan which we represent. Our oath, as druidsmen, as guardians, toe to your aid, should you ever find yourself in peril.


    <i>Okay, but whats an aspect? </i>I wondered then. So you introduced the concept of blessing and aspect, can you exin?


    The first one kneels, both knees on the ground, his staff embedded in the ground. I felt a bit of magic swirl around me, it feels kind of pleasant, so I didnt feel a need to react. Iter would realise this was when I made a mistake, I should have stopped them there and then.


    The second druid steps forth, standing next to the first. O great Tree Spirit, behold the oath of mortals and the true mother, a promise as ancient as the world. Give us your aspect, and we shall give you ours. Green glowing lines start appearing throughout his entire body, and then he kneels. The green glowing lines then flows into the ground, and forms a greenish glowing circle around the four druids. It still feels rather pleasant, and then I noticed Im starting to get a little sluggish, like Im drunk.


    Ivy, Trevor? I try to prompt my tree-minds to help, but then I notice all of them, including Alexis are in a daze. Theyre struggling to fight off whatever the druids are doing.


    What are you doing? Jura and Horns notice, so they quickly jump in, attempting to break the ritual or spell, whatever that is. Theyre both unaffected by the effects of the ritual. Maybe because it only work on trees?


    They charge in, but a barrier of some kind repels them, pushing both of them far back.


    Despite feeling like I had too much alcohol, like a happy drunkard, I managed to collect my will together to activate my anti-magic aura, which sadly doesnt really work on that barrier or the ritual that they are using.


    Still feeling dizzy, I pull my mind together and I used root strikes on the two druids. A glowing wooden shield magically appears and blocks the root strike. The third druid steps forth.


    O great Tree Spirit, for thend requires us, requires all of us, all of our worship and care. The third and fourth druid are both covered in green lines, and this time, I notice that their familiars are out. Two massive wolves, also covered in simr green lines and a small wood-like bear appears.


    Im starting to shake off that drunk-feeling, just a minute into the ritual, and so I unleash more root strikes. One of the druids calls up arge half-wooden totem with a beetle-head, and it creates a shield that blocks my root strikes. Each strike, puts a crack on the totem, instead of the shield, and the totem needs about 5 to 7 hits to crack.


    Meanwhile, Juras easily stronger than the two wolves, yet despite how much pain or damage they receive, they just keep getting in his way, the two wolves really determined to stop Jura from interfering with the rituals. DRUIDS! What is the meaning of this?! He shouts, while trying to shake off the two wolves.


    The druids focus on their ritual.


    Two minutes into the ritual.


    O great tree spirit, we seek your power, toplete our oath to the true mother. The fourth druid steps forth, and both of them enter into a kneeling position as well, just as the earlier two did. To protect the four druids, more familiars and creatures appear, two tiger-like creatures, a cat, and the owl. They are allrge, easily the size of an elephant, their bodies covered in the green lines, and their job is to block Horns from entering the circle.


    The two wounded wolves, now gets backup from the tiger and the cat. Jura then unleashes some kind of sword-skill Ive not seen before, and it instantly dices up all the four animals.


    Yet, the druids not done. Another wooden staff appears, this one has the head of a tortoise, and it glows. The glow restores the diced up animals, and makes them whole almost instantly.


    Three minutes in.


    The four druids are mumbling, singing some kind of hymn. Whatever ritual this is, its really quite fast. They certainly prepared for this.


    The totem cracks and breaks apart, as my root strikesnd a few hits.


    <i>TING</i>


    Its then, I got a notification.


    [Four druids have each entered into a non-canceble Druidic Aspect contract with you]


    [New familiar contract type obtained : Druidic Aspect Contract.


    Druidic Aspect contracts allow druids to use lesser versions of the masters abilities]


    [Youve received 8 Druid ss seeds]


    <b><i>EH?</i></b>


    The glowing green lines on the four druids fade, and along with it, so does the barrier. The four kneeling druids stop kneeling, and one of them almost jumping, We did it!


    Its not over yet. We still need to run! The one druid clearly realise their not out of the woods just yet, and so they quickly start to run.


    <i>You four are not going anywhere! </i>A wall of roots appear around them, and the four druids attempt to use their druid powers to interfere with the roots... but it didnt work. Not this time.


    But the root strikes got to the familiars and skewers all of them.


    Jura, charges in, Hes furious, and the druids attempt to dodge.


    Dont kill them, yet. I mentally ping him.


    Oh, I am gonna interrogate them before I do.


    Maybe I should torture them.


    Hang them on trees in the city for attacking me.


    The tip of Jura''s sword close in, now on one druids neck. Take a step and Ill cut it off.


    All you four wanted was this... druid-style familiar contract? I ask aloud.


    I think I have a massivemunication problem with the natives. Why do so many of my encounters with the natives end up like this? Why didnt the druids just ask nicely?


    Seriously. I like to think I am a reasonable person, I can be negotiated with!


    Right?


    Do I have a sticker somewhere that says, <b>Pushover</b>. Just take whatever you want. written on me?


    Jura, his sword still at the druids neck. Answer the Tree Spirits question.


    One of the druid nods. Yes. We made a contract for the Tree Spirits power. It-


    Sigh.


    I honestly didnt know what you mean by blessing. Why didnt you just have a bit more patience and exin? All of you wanted this familiar contract-like thing? This is the blessing?


    One of the druids mumble. ...yes?


    <b>Ugh!</b>


    Im annoyed. I''m sad. I''m angry.


    The roots form a cage, trapping them all, thorns and barbs close in. They attempt to use their druid powers to move the roots, but its not working.


    The four druids, realise how much deep shit they are in, immediately all four of them kneel, no, they literally prostrate themselves on the ground. Our sincerest apologies O Great Tree Spirit! We... we thought wed never get a chance to get this close to a Tree Spirit of your level of strength! We apologies for our... recklessness. Please dont kill us!


    What sort of stupid assumption is that?


    ess to the true body of all the great tree spirits are heavily restricted and controlled, and here we are, four mid-ranked druids getting the chance to meet a great tree spirit, we had to jump on the chance! One of them, started to justify what they did. His hands and head was on the ground, prostrating. We thought we would never get a chance!


    <b>Fools!</b> If I could yell like a viin, or an evil angry emperor, I would. Give me one good reason why I shouldnt kill all the four of you right now.


    The cage''s roots closes in, the thorns on the roots make little cuts, but nothing lethal.


    I mean, howd they think theyd get away with it? Come up to me, use this ritual-style spell, which gives them some level of protection, but do they think they can run away from me? Seriously. My roots span the valley, even if they seed, Id still be able to kill them.


    They would have to knock me down for at least an hour, or two for them to even give themselves a chance.


    We... we really mean no harm. We really mean what we said during the ritual, we wille to your aid should you see it, us and the Hutan.


    Rubbish, I can protect myself as it is.


    We... we offer you our services. Well revoke whatever arrangements we had with the councillors! Anything!


    I still n to kill all of you. Not good enough. One of the roots pretty much pokes the druids skin.


    I... We... we can arrange the archdruids to provide you with unique items. We can arrange for you to be in contact with other spirits!


    Oh.


    Other spirits.


    The druids pick up on my pause. There are other great tree spirits too. We... the druid council of Hutan, our senior archdruid is in contact Guardian Tree of the Elf Capital, and also the Giant Lilypod Citys Spirit. If we tell them about you, we can make some arrangements for the spirits tomune.


    Well, meeting other simr tree spirits is something I always wanted.


    Please, please spare our lives and forgive us.


    I recall the four of you say you are but ordinary druids. How can you arrange for us to meet with the other spirits?


    We cant, but our archdruids can. I... Ill do my best, no, Ill give everything to arrange for it. Please, dont kill us.


    Hmmm... Fine.


    I suspend your punishment. On a few conditions!


    All of you will remain under house arrest in New Freeka and the valley. Make any attempt to leave, and all of you will die. If you need to, call for more druids toe assist you with all the necessary arrangements for me tomunicate with the other tree spirits. If any of you try anything funny, all of you die. You all will remain in Freeka as my guarantee, until contact with the other spirits are established. If I dont have contact with the other tree spirits within a reasonable amount of time, of perhaps 3 years, all of you will die. And I want you to cooperate with me fully, and you will revoke your arrangements with the councillors. Doublecross me or attempt to use any kind of ritual or spell on me ever again, and I will not hesitate to put my roots through all of your skulls.


    The four druids breathe a sigh of relief. Certainly, certainly.


    Go.


    After I let the druids go, I called for a meeting again. I wanted to know whats causing all these people to react so recklessly in front of me.


    Why did the meeting unfold in that manner? Iined to the audience, the senior leaders of the Order, and when Jura exined how it went, Madeus pretty much facepalmed.


    To be fair, your main tree is really intimidating and scary. Even walking in the woods feels intimidating. The priest seems able to rte to the feeling.


    Lausanne walks in and out without a problem.


    Lausannes not a good example.


    Its the Orders Captain that offered a bit of honesty. Counsel Jura, Lady Laufen and Lausanne are natives, and so they are oblivious to its appearance, but for the rest of us, being before your main tree is like standing before a council of monsters. The presence of the various ghosts and wisps around your main body, the crackle of magic radiating from every root, branch and leaf, how the surrounding trees feel like a prison... those strange trees around you, or that few trees that look like theyve been burnt and charred by thunder... Seeing it for the first time, had nightmares. Its a ce for monsters, for... gods. The druids probably panicked, overthink, and probably did what they thought they wanted to do.


    Oh.


    Well, theyout of my main body is surrounded by the two tree-minds and their [root-brainplex], the soul-forge and all its extensions, thebs and pods, and then a ring of subsidiary trees, home to the beetles and spiders. The canopy is covered in webs and vines, and because of the effects of [soul forge : ck], there are all the [soul collectors] floating around. And maybe Alexiss body as well, which appears like a deformed mutant tree.


    Fine. Next time, all meetings will be held here. Only those truly deemed worthy will face my main body. I guess thats why ess to a tree spirits main body is restricted, if they are all simrly high leveled, their presence is going to be incredibly intimidating.


    Now Im really curious what the other tree spirits are like.


    <b>Year 80 Month 5</b>


    Back to the sewage issue. Containment by way of subsidiary tree works, for now. Long term solution is still in progress. Broadly, the idea we have, is to use nts and algae to digest the sewage. I cant help but feel that Im a tree, so all solutions I develop must involve trees, kinda like how everything looks like a nail when Im a hammer.


    So, I let Alexis take the lead on the nt samples, so she conducts research on all the different kinds of collected nt samples. The hope is to develop some kind of poop-processing hybrid nt. There are some nts with slight tolerance, so the idea is whether that tolerance level can be amplified such that the nts are able to obtain some kind of resistance.


    Theres promising results from algae and trees, but as with all research, more time and more samples needed. Well, its just time. I have plenty now.


    Meanwhile, Trevors in charge of the materialsb, with a focus on creating filtration systems, whereby the different elements of the sewage is separated. Different nts have different tolerance of elements, and if there is no single sewer-eating miracle nt, then itll have to be multiple nts working together. To do so, splitting the toxins is critical!


    At the same time, Jura and the Order lobbies the Council to actually build a proper sewage system. The sewage system will then connect to a sewage tunnel, and that tunnel will move all the sewage to a designated spot out of town. That spot will be where my future sewage-processing <i>nt </i>be located.


    Jura phrased the argument to the council using pride as the main emotional hook. I admire that.


    How can any self-respecting capital city still rely on primitive poopholes? Can you call yourself a developed nation? If New Freeka wants to be respected as a kingdom, it got to have a proper sewer. Think about all the adventurers it will train, all the secret passageways it will create!


    Sewers are a source of revenue! A source of jobs and experience for newbie adventurers! No more poopholes! More time for priests! Less regr [cleansing] needed because the poop can pile up out of town!


    And so the Council debates the New Freeka Subterranean Sewage Project.


    <b>Year 80 Month 6</b>


    Demons.


    News of their presence spreads, through the merchants, throughmunication spells, through artifacts.


    Demons, humanoid demons. They are humanoid, and yet have appendages that resemble weapons. Some in the form of spears, some in the form of swords or axes. They also seem to have particrly strange behaviors, building fortresses and camps, which, never done in recorded demon king history.


    The news of the multiple rifts sends all the nations into high alert. When did the rifts appear so quickly?


    Unlike all other asions, the number of rifts are significantly more.


    TreeTree, youll protect us, right? Lausanne asks.


    Yes, Lausanne. But if you had to fight them, will you?


    Lausanne pauses. Shes 11 now, and itll be another 9 years before shes mature physically. If I can, Id like her to stay out of it. Yes. Im not as strong as Id like to be, but yes, I will protect my family and friends.


    Good. I dont think shes ready yet. But sometimes, youve got to throw them into the water.


    Spaizzer


    Thanks for reading andments!. This chapter''s tough for me.


    Anyway, we''re moving into the next demon king era, so, there''s going to be more POVs from other ces, whom probably won''t interact with TreeTree.


    Also, I want to thank gryphon or Author RJ who made this cover for me.Sphere by AuthorRJ Gryphon

 Skillsets

    Skillsets


    <b>Year 80 Month 7</b>


    We need to talk about defenses. The council gathered in therge meeting room, some of the councillors sigh. First up, we need walls, and more soldiers.


    We already have walls.


    Not enough. The newsing from those near the rifts are quite concerning. The meeting is led by Yvons recement, a guy called Arza. Hes been in the job for some time now, but really, he''s just a very clever coordinator and spokesperson for his faction of councillors.


    The other councillors look at him quizzically. Is there something thats on your mind, council leader Arza? Council-leaders an informal title, since all in the council is theoretically equal, but theres always one taking a chairing role.


    Yes. Demons. Our defenses are inadequate for demons, with their numbers and their strength. We need to urgently improve our defense.


    Walls dont work against demons. Theyve got crazy numbers, and theyve got thoserge monsters.


    Not this time. The newsing out from the nations facing the demons is that they are like... Arza pauses, and then he takes a deep breath. They are like us. Theyre using our tactics and strategies.


    Thats absolutely crazy. Are we talking about demons? One of the councillors. In recorded history, demons have never adopted our tactics.


    Arza nods. I think its crazy too, but, but... its our chance to bolster our military. We needed this excuse.


    You mean...


    Arza pauses, and whispers. Weve lost the druids. Weve got to find something else, and this is it.


    Ah. Then we must!


    Well take this excuse to raise taxes, and train more soldiers and mages. We need the Orders money, and this is a good excuse to force them to coborate. If they dont, well shame them publicly for being selfish!


    I see!


    But doesnt... wait. Why would that work, Council Leader Azra? The Orders strength is the Tree Spirit, no? The tiny militia and force they maintain is just nothingpared to the amount of warbeetles they can deploy.


    Indeed, so we have more to gain! We need to use this excuse to adjust the revenue rate that the Order gets, so heres the message I want everyone to spread. The Orders not spending enough on defense! We need the money to defend the city!.


    AH! So the idea is to make the Order seem like they are spending money on frivolous things like collecting nts and animals, gifts for babies and doing unnecessary rituals!


    One of the councillors object, I wouldnt talk about the rituals. Theyre quite popr among my electorate, and many find them meaningful. Stick to the collection of nts.


    Agree, wouldn''t this move backfire?


    Maybe, but we must be subtle about it then. First, we need to expose how the Order spends their tax money, and then tie it to our defense needs. Show the people that they are not doing what they can to defend the city."


    "Uh... they have beetles, Councillor Azra."


    "I know, then we must exin to the people that beetles are not trustworthy! We need our own strength! The strength of our people! Inspire them not to rely on a secretive power, like a tree spirit. We don''t even know whether it will protect us when it really matters, or will it only choose those it cares about!"


    "Ahhhh!"


    "Think about it. We embed a belief innour people that we must rely on our own mortal strength, with powers within our control, ideally, with us, the councillors in charge. We represent them, whereas the Tree Spirit is unelected, and it is a magical being, not mortal, not one of us! Now we suffer the whims of a magical creature! Where is our dignity?"


    A murmur around the councillors, mostly in agreement.


    "So, we must have more walls, more soldiers, more mages. We may not be stronger than the army of beetles, but I''ll be damned if we are beggars, begging for mercy and protection from a magical creature!"


    "Our founding documents say they would protect us..."


    "Myths! Tell the tale of when the great cities who suffered the wrath of dragons who no longer wanted to protect them, tell the tale of the city who fell when the sacred beast turned on the royal family!"


    "Isn''t the message of that story about doing good because the royal family was evil?"


    "Doesn''t matter! It''s about self-reliance, strength! We were refugees, and if we fled Sh to be subservient to a magical beast, what good is there?"


    "Councillor Azra, is this something your faction thought up?" One centaur councillor speaks, an independent in the sense that he is unaffiliated to either the Order or the ''independence'' faction. That''s partly because his voting district alsoprises the slopes of the valley, where the ''rural'' centaurs live rather happily.


    Azra pause, "Well, yes."


    "I agree on the need to bolster the city''s own strength, with more soldiers. I also agree on the need for more defensive walls. Yet, among the centaurs, treefolk, and even the lizardmen, Aeon''s presence a reassuring force. So, tone down the rhetoric, it will backfire on your faction''s election chances."


    "Hmph. We''ll see about that. But more importantly, d to see you agree with our need to improve our own military prowess."


    The centaur shrugs.


    ---


    Meanwhile, the druids...


    The [Druidic Aspect] familiar is clearly a double-edged sword for the druids. On one hand, they get to store about 3-5% of my power, depending on their own level, for their own use, but, because of the link and how its magically entangled with me, I can see them clearly, wherever they go in New Freeka, kind of like how Lausanne glows like a lightbulb in my overview of the valley. In other words, I can observe them through the Aspect.


    The Aspect steals their experience and mana too. I did recall that the familiars take a portion of the experience too, which is why I level up when the contracted warriors die, but in the Aspect''s case, the ratio is even more skewed. I can also see their skills, and also mark 2 skills of my choice as "targeted" for collection on death. Oddly, there''s a time counter on those marked skills. I think it means it takes some time to ''mark'' the skills?


    So much for ''blessing''. Are the other tree spirits also secretly taking skills from their believers? After all, how would they know that their blessing is actually not free? But if so, why do the tree spirits not give it freely?


    <i>[Aspect contracts are limited to Level divided by 10. You are allowed up to 13 Aspects]</i>


    Ah. Limited again. Just like familiars, which I can give out about 132, since I am level 132, or the [Possession of the devoted], which I can give 5. I suppose there is an mana-maintenance cost to it, which is why these are limited.


    These 4 druids just used up 4 valuable slots. But they are called druidic aspects, so only druids can use them?


    [Druidic Aspects can be awarded to druids, herbalists, farmers and gardeners (and variants). Can also be awarded to Treefolks, with no job ss requirements.]


    Confusing! System, you need a massive cleanup!


    Anyway, I did somewhat regret letting the druids go, and I do realise I am not very good at making high quality decisions when I am in a spot. The druids could read my interest in meeting the other spirits and managed to therefore save themselves.


    So what do I need to do?


    Being able to make good, high quality decisions? That''s something I need to try to do, but if I fail, what should I do then?


    "Honestly, I wanted to help you but their spell made me feel so drowsy and weak that I couldn''t."


    But hey, should I kill and drain the druids? Ah, well. I thought of looking, studying and learning from them first, since I have them under my custody.


    "Pods." The druids gulp. "Go in."


    "Are... are you nning to drown us?"


    "You are not making much progress on arranging the meeting. It''s almost 3 months. IN."


    "The archdruid ising, he... he needs to assess the situation. Please don''t do this!"


    "<b>IN</b>."


    The vines and roots pull the druids inside, and all four of them are now in the bib pods. They struggle a lot for adults,pared to my four girls, who are getting rather good and used to the bib. One of them even say it''s quite rxing.


    Under the scope, the druids body is actually rather ordinary. They have a spring like any other, and a collection of stones around the lifespring, which are the skills and levels of the druid. What''s quite unique, are the animal-head shaped stones, which are the ''link'' between the druid and their animal followers.


    Then, the Druidic Aspect. The Aspect takes the form of a vine-like nt, it grows and makes a space around the Spring, and its vines and roots spread around the stones, growing into the gaps between them, like a well that''s partly abandoned and now reimed by nts.


    Some of the stones around the spring have more vines around it, but most of them just have little roots at the sides, like little climber nts.


    The Aspect''s main body, arge central flexible ''trunk'', is like a parasitic nt living on the wellspring of his soul. On the aspect''s nt body, there are threerge gourd-shaped organs, and from a little prodding it reads.


    <i>Aspect''s storage organ. Stores energy from the main body.</i>


    Strange.


    I think back to Lausanne and Jura''s souls. In Lausanne''s case, the familiar appears like a separate nt in the shape of a sunflower, growing at the side of the well, but it doesn''t have vines or feelers growing like crawlers on the well. Instead, her special familiar has a strange swirling portal.


    In Jura''s case, the eidolon Bamboo doesn''t even appear as a nt in Jura''s soulspring. Instead, there''s something in the shape of a Bear Statue that has a small waterspout on its mouth, and it''s located outside the Soulspring. It seems the rtionship of the druid''s familiars would be simr to Bamboo, since they too appear as statues or stones?


    I wouldter discover, from the druids mouth, the druid''s familiars actually not familiars, but actual animal spirits, which have agreed to be theirpanions. These animal "spirits" are actually somewhat simr to artificial souls. They form from the collective energies of many animals of their kind, the remnant outer shells of animals'' souls. Druids, and beastmasters have an ability to ''separate'' the outer shells of their in animals, through a ceremony of some kind, where the inner soul is sent forth to reincarnate, leaving the outer shell in their service.


    That said, it is also possible for druids, beastmasters to form lifelong bonds, a kind of ''soul contract'' whereby the animal serves them for as long as they live. These sorts of bonds are rare, but also way more powerful.


    It''s also why the animalpanions of druids and beast trainers are usually able to independently gain levels, due to them retaining a part of their ''souls''.


    Back to the 4 druids, I decide to let them be. The Aspect''s presence in their soulspring is fascinating, and is something I want to watch.


    So, rather than let them do as they please, I task them with training my 4 Initiates and Lausanne.


    The 4 young girls are doing well, though I should be looking for 5 more new ''recruits'' soon. They are now about level 10, and have gained basic proficiency in the usual sword, dagger, staff and shields.


    They are just 6 to 8 though, so they practice with wooden weapons, and with wooden dummies in the [training room]. That forms the bulk of theirbat practice, on top of spars against each other.


    Still, a very long way before they can enter battle. I would reckon they need to be at least 12 before they would fight any real battle.


    The [minder] familiar keeps me updated on their levels, the moment I focus on them, a game-like panel appears, and shows me all the skills and levels their mental state of mind, whether they are happy or sad or stressed, and also their health, whether they are hurt, or healthy.


    It''s helpful, and allows me to tailor my [dream tutor] and the nutrition I am feeding them, like when they are stressed or frustrated, I would have a bit of that calming fruit tea on the menu.


    Lately, my control of [dream tutor] improved. I still can''t control the exact specifics, but I can use the [essence of summer] in dream tutor so that they get rather pleasant ones, like beaches, warm suns. Things to help them unwind


    I also regrly talk to the girls, but they are young, so its usually silly things, like how far does a tree see, or how high do I go.


    <b>Year 80 Month 8</b>


    More rifts spotted.


    Apparently there''s a few rifts near Sh but they are on the other side, so it''ll be some time before they get near me. Their army has been dispatched to deal with the demonsing out from the rifts.


    So far, only heroes have the power to close rifts, so, the rifts remain open, and the army stations a garrison force near the rifts to fight the demons thate out.


    "If only we have our star mana powers again, then we could close the rifts." Me pops by after so long.


    "Do you want to go back into battle?"


    "Ugh, true." Meals shrugs, she''s gained a lot of levels since her hotel started operations one and a half years ago, so like Alexis predicted, her mobility increased, though she still mostly stays back in her hotel.


    "But maybe we can help, somehow..."


    "We are stuck here, what do you have in mind?" Me''s body is like a treefolk, and frankly, it takes quite a bit of effort to figure out she''s not a treefolk. She has a dress that''s formed from wood, and for her, changing attires meant changing how the wood''s shape around her body.


    "Hmmm... maybe we should try to help the next generation, perhaps research? The materialsb should count for something, right?"


    As they discuss, I turn my attention to research.


    <i>Research status :</i><ul><li><i>Beetle - anti-magma armors stage 4 - 10 months</i></li></ul><ul><li>Materialbs - stage 1 - <ipleted</i></li><li>Magical sensors - <ipleted</i></li><li>Normal Tree - Root filters stage 1 - <ipleted</i></li><li>Metal hyperumtor trees - Stage 1 - 12 months</li><li>Phytoremediation process - basic - 12 months</li><li>Dedicated Filtering ckwater-nt - stage 1 - 6 months</li></ul>


    Looking at research, we had some normal trees gain filtering abilities, and this allows them to reduce the effects of the poop-contamination.


    But the materialsb is more of a properties kind ofb, which identifies theponents, the qualities of materials and also in ''distilling'' the different types of materials. It looks like there are further upgrades, which allows me to design specific materials and forge special alloys, but that''s a whole lot further down the road.


    Next, is the magical sensors.


    The magical sensors are instantly installed on my materialbs and gives me a reading of the mana flowing through the air, and theposition. Mana has many types after all. It also detects spells and area of effect skills. Together, with sensors in multiple materialbs, they form an array able to triangte sources of unusual activity, like sudden surges of energy in the air.


    At first, there''s a whole load of false positives. Spells are being cast daily, in eemany battles throughout the world, some not very far away. Adventurers of New Freeka constantly travel the region, ying rogue monsters and bandits. Or priests and healers a in Madeus'' academy for the junior students.


    All of these false ''positives'' had to be removed.


    So, we had to set a very high threshold, to remove all the lesser spells from detection. My assumption is they probably won''t be much of a threat.


    "TreeTree, can we help the next generation of summoned heroes?" Me asks, "Alexis has some ideas, and she thought, well, we need your help."


    "Hmm, honestly, I''m not sure why I should help the next group of heroes... From what I hear, heroes are pretty dangerous. They have a whole.lot of magical power and are extremely idealistic."


    "But isn''t protecting the world from demons aligned with yours? Protecting the valley means also protecting it from demons?"


    "They certainly ovep, but what are the benefits of helping the heroes?"


    "Uh... Protecting the valley?"


    "Honestly, if it''s just demons, I don''t need heroes."


    Alexis pauses, "True... But would you permit me and Me to aide them?"


    "Hmmm..." I can''t control Me, since she is her own independent soul, so... Frankly if she did, and its not against me, I won''t stop her. "Fine."


    "Great!"


    <b>Year 80 Month 9</b>


    An uneventful month in the valley.


    Training, practice, observing the druids and citizens. Eavesdropping on conversations about battles from far away, against the demons.


    The humanoid demons are appearing everywhere, and the battles are getting more and more intense.


    Unlike all recorded history of demons, this time, the demons have brought a special item that spawns demons, and it takes the form of a camp. Larger variants have been spotted in ces where towns and viges used to be.


    And so, it could be said that overnight, all mortal wars ended, as the focus turns to face this new era of demons.


    Demons used to be a ''continental'' affair. Only a few rifts would open, and when they did, it''s usually not far from each other, at least, until the demon kinges.


    Not anymore.


    And for me, the big question is, why?


    Why did the demons, after what seems to be years of taking the same strategies, finally trying this sort of carpet-bombing technique?


    <b>Year 80 Month 10</b>


    I chose another 5 children, this time, 2 boys. Overall, due to the rtive peace in New Freeka, the number of new orphans is trending downwards. Still, idents, fights, and death is inevitable, and there''s also migrant orphans.


    In certainmunities where there is no capacity to support another orphan, it is better to send them off to a ce where they will be cared for.


    Anyway, the first four girls are around level 12, the highest level is level 15, with 8 levels in [soldier]. This job ss thing is fascinating, and more for me to learn.


    As for Jura, hes still at level 80, and stuck.


    Well, which is why today, I harvested a 3 year old [ginseng nt], leaving 2 others to continue maturing.


    [3-year old magical ginseng root]


    [Permanently improves lifeforce (faster mana, stamina and health regeneration]


    So... how do we use this? Jura holds the ginseng root, even though its 3 year old, it actually looks like its a 100 year old ginseng root from my old world. I think its a mana, and probably my influence and bounty.


    Do you want me to cook it? Me offers, theres a cookhouse in her lodge.


    No. Im trying something more direct. Please step into the soul forge.


    Uh, okay. Jura looks at the lightning-burnt tree, and then steps in.


    I thought about it for some time, and essentially, what I want to do, is try to inject the ginseng into his soulspring. It sounds like some kind of cultivation novel when I describe it like that.


    And so, I attempt to start up the soul forge, and start the merging process...


    I got an error message when I put the ginseng roots in.


    <i>Ginseng roots needs to be further refined before can be used in the soul forge. Refining requires ess to an essence concentrator.</i>


    Essence concentrator?


    At the same time, the soul forge is still active, Juras still inside, his body sleeping in a special altar within the forge-tree. And a prompt appears.


    <i>Do you want to remove some of Juras skills or job-sses? Doing so will free up lifeforce to learn other skills, or gain levels. Removed skills have a chance to be converted into skill seeds. Skill seeds made this way cannot be re-used on donor.</i>


    Eh.


    I suddenly recalled the day, some 6 years ago, when the Wisp told me about surrendering of levels and skills.


    Why didnt it work when I captured the ranger?


    Its called surrendering. If Juras willing, you will be able to remove skills he dont want. And as I recall, you partially seeded since you received a few skill seeds and ss seeds. The conversion odds are higher if its a voluntary surrender of the skills.


    Huh, so surrendering skills isnt exactly all bad either. Is this like pocket monster game again, where you unlearn a move, and somehow theres a chance the move you unlearned gets transformed into a TM? In a way, the souls ability to support the persons level and skills is limited, and this ability technically... technically allows minmaxing. Can a hero surrender his hero ss or blessing?


    Whates from the gods, can only be removed by the gods. Announcement


    Travelling. Family. Really tired. Unable to write as much as I want. T_____T


    Also, I''m trying to build a spreadsheet to keep track of what I want to happen in the next phase of the demonic wars, means, things like names, ces, kingdoms etc, and crunch some numbers etc. I''d like to have that ready before I start the next few chapters, so Im foreseeing some dys, since I can''t work on this as much as I like.


    Thanks for reading!

 NOT A Chapter – NOTIFICATIONS COMPILATION – SKILLS AND LEVEL

    NOT A Chapter ¨C NOTIFICATIONS COMPILATION ¨C SKILLS AND LEVEL


    Skill Category Skill Name and effects Dates skill learned or upgraded Notes Alexis''s Hamadryad Body [Hamadryad Body - Developing]. The body is made from the nimble wood of a soul tree, and the soul that lives in this body derives energy and life support from the soul tree. So, the body will die when the soul tree does. Year 76 Month 7  ARTIFICIAL SOUL UPGRADES [Unlocked special tree type. Root-Brain Complex. Requires special minerals to grow. Special minerals required are 10 x Blood Crystals, and 50 x fresh animal heads] Year 75 Month 3  AURA - DEMONSUPPRESSION [Obtained skill : Lesser demon suppression aura] Year 72 Month 5  AURA - MAGIC SUPPRESSION [Skill obtained : Magic suppression : All hostile magic abilities below tier 3 are absorbed] Year 74 Month 8 Week 3  Autopilot Autopilot Year 1 Month 0  BIOLAB [Secret hideout - bib upgraded. Autopsy table and precision tools obtained. Pods increased to 10] Year 74 Month 2 Week 1  BIOLAB [Bib leveled up] [External Bib unlocked. Customisable Branches can now create bibs!] Year 75 Month 11 Week 2  BIOLAB [Bib upgraded. Additionalb tools obtained] Year 75 Month 3  BIOLAB [Bib upgraded three times! Bib resistance to attack increased. Bib modification options increased! Soul-forge-linked abilities increased!] Year 76 Month 4 Week 4  BIOLAB [Bib upgraded - post-mortem equipments, death sensors, death-dying equipment and body preservation added!] Year 77 Month 8  BIOLAB [Bib upgraded. Bib now has multiple extra rooms, functioning as a ''toilet'', ''bathroom'' and others for collection and harvesting of biological wastes] Year 80 Month 1  Bib / Secret Hideout [Secret hideout - Bib upgraded] Year 73 Month 1  Bib / Secret Hideout [Secret hideout - bib, upgraded. Additional pods now avable.] Year 73 Month 1 Week 3  Bib / Secret Hideout [Secret hideout - Bib upgraded] Year 73 Month 2 Week 4  Bib / Secret Hideout [Secret hideout : Bib upgraded. Pods increased to 5.] Year 73 Month 8 Week 3  Communication / Visual [Limited Telepathic Communication] Year 55 From Indra Communication / Visual [spirit vision] Year 55 From Indra Communication / Visual self awareness Year 58, Month 1  Communication / Visual [calming voice] and Year 70 Month 8  Communication / Visual [Local roo ess] Year 71 Month 5  Communication / Visual [Create Roo Node]]. Year 71 Month 6  Communication / Visual Local rootness ess upgraded Year 71 Month 8  Communication / Visual [Symbiotic extension unlocked] Year 72 Month 12 Week 4  Communication / Visual [Basic Tree-Eyes obtained. Limited to 10 selected trees. ce on trees to obtain multidirectional vision. Can actively look through two sets of eyes at any one time, view limit can be increased with root-brainplexes.] Year 79 Month 5 RESEARCH SKILL Communication / Visual [Skill upgraded : Symbiotic extension] Year 79 Month 5  CROPS & PRODUCE [Customisable branches : Harvestable Products obtained. Options are : Cotton, Maple Syrup, Oranges, Olives. Expanded options will be avable with higher levels, or when new types of fruits are studied in the bib] Year 73 Month 5 Week 2  CROPS & PRODUCE [Harvestable crops : Apples] Year 74 Month 12  CROPS & PRODUCE [Timber-farm] [Produce average quality timber, at a much faster speed] Year 74 Month 5 Week 3  CROPS & PRODUCE [Harvestable products upgraded. Papaya and grapes obtained]. Year 74 Month 6  CROPS & PRODUCE [winter resistant crops] Year 75 Month 11 Week 2  CROPS & PRODUCE [Warm Winter Fruit obtained. A fruit that helps to keep the body warm] Year 76 Month 1  CROPS & PRODUCE [New crop species unlocked - Wheat, Jackfruit, Light Corn, ckpotato, Rye, Red hops, Blueberry, Fireberry] Year 78 month 1  CROPS & PRODUCE [New Tree type unlocked : Common herbal bushes. Bushes containing a wide variety of herbs. Herb varieties appear at random] Year 78 month 1  CROPS & PRODUCE [Crop variety - Garlic] added. You can now produce essences of garlic and garlic vored woods, fruits and saps. Year 78 Month 12  CROPS & PRODUCE [Crop variety - Ginger] added. You can now produce essences of ginger and ginger vored woods, fruits and saps Year 78 Month 12  CROPS & PRODUCE [Milk coconut and brownwood gourds] Year 78 Month 5  CUSTOMISABLE BRANCH [Obtained skill : Customisable branches] Year 72 Month 10  CUSTOMISABLE BRANCH [Customisable branches options expanded] Year 73 Month 2 Week 4  CUSTOMISABLE BRANCH [Customisable branch option unlocked : Shield Generator] Year 73 Month 3 Week 2  CUSTOMISABLE BRANCH [New customisable branch option : Web-trap spider nests. Home to 3 web-building spiders.] Year 75 Month 10  DEFENSIVE [Ironbark], Year 55 (estimate) not specifically mentioned, but familiars have simr skills DEFENSIVE [Defense], Year 55 (estimate) not specifically mentioned, but familiars have simr skills DEFENSIVE [Wood shield] Year 55 (estimate) not specifically mentioned, but familiars have simr skills DEFENSIVE [Wood shield upgraded. Year 73 Month 2 Week 4  DEFENSIVE Steelwood barrier obtained] Year 73 Month 2 Week 4  DEFENSIVE [Skill : Defensive dome obtained] Year 73 Month 3 Week 2  DEFENSIVE [Skill : Reinforce defensive structures obtained] Year 75 Month 5  DEFENSIVE [Shield generators upgraded] Year 77 Month 8  DEFENSIVE [Cactus defense system] Year 78 Month 5  ENCHANTMENT - HOLY [Obtained skill : Lesser Holy Enchantment] Year 73 Month 2 Week 1 From RAJJIV NUNG ENERGY STORAGE [Tree ability : create tuberous storage] One tuber for every [customisable branch]. So for a total of 40 potatoes, given that my main body grown and has 10 customisable branches now, and 30 for each of the subsidiary trees. These standard sized potatoes is also now my standard unit for energy. Year 73 Month 4 Week 2  ENERGY STORAGE [High density tubers unlocked. Tubers will be naturally upgraded] Year 77 Month 1  ENERGY STORAGE [Tuberous storage upgraded.] Year 77 Month 1  ESSENCE [Essence harvesting obtained] Year 70 Month 11  ESSENCE [Essence collection upgraded. Essence mastery and generation obtained. Customisable branch options now include "Essence generator"] Year 72 Month 12 Week 4  ESSENCE [Essence collection upgraded] Year 73 Month 12 Week 1  ESSENCE [Essence infusion unlocked. Essence-infused fruits, leaves and barks now avable. Essence-infused subsidiary trees now avable] Year 73 Month 12 Week 1  ESSENCE [Essence collection upgraded. Extraction rate and speed improved.] Year 73 Month 8 Week 3  ESSENCE [Memory collection] [from Soul Forge - ck] [Using the dark arts, a small % of memories of the dead will be converted into skill essences] Year 75 Month 8  FAMILIAR [Familiar Contract]. Year 52  FAMILIAR [Tree Familiar abilities upgraded] Year 73 Month 3 Week 2  FAMILIAR [Familiar contracts upgraded - skill salvaging chance increase!] [Youve witnessed death as it happens in the inner realm] Year 77 Month 8  FAMILIAR [Special skill obtained - Possession of the devoted] [A special familiar contract with a chosen devoted believer. Limited to 5 at any time] [Lausanne has epted the special familiar contract. 50 star mana consumed. 1 star mana will be consumed per month]. Year 78 MOnth 4  FAMILIAR [Skill learned : Minder-Familiars. Maximum Minders, 20] Year 79 Month 5  FAMILIAR [Aspect contracts are limited to Level divided by 10. You are allowed up to 13 Aspects] Year 80 Month 4  FAMILIAR [Druidic Aspects can be awarded to druids, herbalists, farmers and gardeners (and variants). Can also be awarded to Treefolks, with no job ss requirements.] Year 80 Month 4  FAMILIAR [Four druids have each entered into a non-canceble Druidic Aspect contract with you] Year 80 Month 4  FAMILIAR [New familiar contract type obtained : Druidic Aspect Contract. Year 80 Month 4  Germinate Germinate Year 1 Month 0  Haunted Tree [haunted tree]] Year 70 Month 8  Haunted Tree [Skill : Haunted tree upgraded to haunted forests.] Year 74 Month 7 Week 4  Healing [Healing fruit] Year 56  Healing [Nourish] Year 69 Month 10  Healing [Healing powers upgraded] Year 72 Month 12 Week 4  Healing [Healing fruit upgraded] Year 72 Month 3  Healing [Healing vines upgraded] Year 72 Month 3  Healing [Sr-healing] Year 72 Month 3  Healing [Nourish upgraded. Year 72 Month 9  Healing Life support unlocked. Year 72 Month 9  Healing Suspended animation unlocked] Year 72 Month 9  Hibernate Hibernate Year 1 Month 0  Illusion [Camouge & illusions upgraded] Year 70 Month 11  Illusion / Defensive [Mist] Year 76 Month 9  Inspection [inspect] Year 56  LEVELS Level 14 (+13 level) (From Indra''s death) Year 55  LEVELS Level 15 (+1 level) Year 56  LEVELS Level 16 (+1 level) Year 57 Month 11  LEVELS Level 17 (+1 levels) Year 58 Month 1  LEVELS Level 18 (+1 level) Year 58 Month 6  LEVELS Level 19 (+1 level) Year 58 Month 7  LEVELS Level 20 (+1 levels) Year 59 Month 1  LEVELS Level 23 (+3 levels) Year 59 Month 4  LEVELS Level 35 (+12 levels) (from death of 3 familiar-contractees) Year 59 Month 9  LEVELS Level 36 (+1 level) Year 65 Month 2  LEVELS Level 45 (+9 levels) (from death of Andy Schulon) Year 67 Month 11  LEVELS Level 47 (+2 levels) Year 69 Month 10  LEVELS Level 48 (+1 level) Year 70 Month 1  LEVELS Level 63 (+13 levels) - Destruction of Freeka Vige Year 70 Month 11  LEVELS Level 64 (+1 level) Year 70 Month 11 (next few days)  LEVELS Level 50 (+2 level) Year 70 Month 8  LEVELS Level 65 (+1 level) Year 71 Month 3  LEVELS Level 66 (+1 level) Year 71 Month 4  LEVELS Level 71 (+5 level) Year 71 Month 5  LEVELS Level 86 (+15 levels) - Defeat of Demon Champion (assisted) Year 71 Month 8  LEVELS Level 92 (+3 level) Year 72 Month 10  LEVELS Level 100 (+8 levels) - defeating the demon giant centipede Year 72 Month 12 Week 4  LEVELS Level 87 (+1 level) Year 72 Month 3  LEVELS Level 89 (+2 level) Year 72 Month 9  LEVELS Level 101 (+1 level) Year 73 Month 1 Week 3  LEVELS Level 116 (+1 level) Year 73 Month 12 Week 1  LEVELS Level 104 (+3 level) Rajjiv Nung''s death Year 73 Month 2 Week 1  LEVELS Level 110 (+6 levels) vs 3 Demon Champion Year 73 Month 2 Week 4  LEVELS Level 114 (+4 levels) Death of Demon King Andraas + Familiar EXP of heroes Year 73 Month 3 Week 2  LEVELS Level 115 (+1 level) Year 73 Month 7 Week 1  LEVELS Level 117 Year 74 Month 5 Week 3  LEVELS Level 121 (+4 levels) (soul forge unlock) Year 74 Month 8 Week 3  LEVELS Level 122 (+1 level) Year 74 Month 9 Week 3  LEVELS Level 124 (+1 level) Year 75 Month 11 Week 2  LEVELS Level 123 (+1 level) Year 75 Month 5  LEVELS Level 129 (+1 level) Year 76 Month 12  LEVELS Level 128 (+4 level) (ying Alexis''s demon form) Year 76 Month 4 Week 4  LEVELS Level 130 (+1 level) Year 77 Month 4  LEVELS Level 132 (+2 level) Year 77 Month 8  MAGIC - WOOD [Bind] Year 71 Month 10  MAGIC - WOOD [Bloom] Year 71 Month 10  MAGIC - WOOD Wood magic & creation - A wheel pops up in my mind, at the center of it a leaf shape. There is a lot of greyed out skills and menus that grow out of that wheel. Year 71 Month 8  Materials Roots - Volcanic mineral harvesting - stage 2 - Year 79 Month 5 RESEARCH SKILL Materials Roots - Volcanic mineral processing - stage 1 - Year 79 Month 5 RESEARCH SKILL Materials Materials testing - stage 1 Year 79 Month 5 RESEARCH SKILL MINERAL EXTRACTION [Mineral extraction upgraded.] Year 73 Month 8 Week 3  Offensive [Root strike]. Year 70 Month 1  Offensive [constrict] Year 71 Month 2  Offensive [Root strike range extended] Year 71 Month 4  Offensive [Poison field] Year 71 Month 5  Offensive [Rooting field] Year 71 Month 5  Offensive Root strike range and quantity upgraded Year 71 Month 8  Offensive [Obtained skill : Super anti-demon root-strike] Year 72 Month 10  Offensive [Fruit-attack] Year 72 Month 4  Offensive [Root Surge] Year 72 Month 5  Offensive [Constrict significantly upgraded] Year 73 Month 2 Week 4  Offensive [Absorption significantly upgraded] - via vines/bibs etc Year 73 Month 2 Week 4  Offensive Corrosive Fruits Year 73 Month 3 Week 3  Offensive [Skill upgraded : Root surge. Covers a wider area and use limit increased] Year 74 Month 8 Week 3  Offensive [Poison field upgraded] Year 74 Month 9 Week 3  Offensive [Constrict upgraded! Vines now are able to drain mana and lifeforce! Vines now able to ensnare magical creatures] Year 76 Month 4 Week 4  OFFENSIVE Fruit bombs - increased range and power -pleted Year 77 Month 12 RESEARCH SKILL Offensive [Poison field and rooting field upgraded] Year 77 Month 8  Offensive [You gained a new skill : Serpentine Rootstrike] Year 77 Month 8  Passive [Mineral augmentation obtained. You may use the metals obtained to strengthen your [subsidiary trees], and [insect warriors]] Year 73 Month 8 Week 3  Passive - Environment Tree - volcanic adaptation stage 3 - Year 79 Month 5 RESEARCH SKILL Passive - Tree [Minor winter-resistance] Year 59 Month 1  Passive - Tree Rhizofiltration - This is a passive skill. Will extract minerals and other items via roots, and automatically filter out negative effects in the ground. Year 71 Month 8  Passive - Tree [Winter resistance upgraded] Year 74 Month 12  Passive - Tree [Winter resistance upgraded] Year 75 Month 11 Week 2  Passive - Tree [Winter resistance upgraded] Year 76 Month 1  Passive - Tree [Winter-resistance aura obtained. All trees connected via roo are more resistant to the effects of cold and ice. Beetles and webspiders also gain some winter resistance] Year 76 Month 1  Passive - Tree / CONNECTION BASED [Gained a passive buff. Connected to an enchanted forest. Herb effectiveness increased by 50%.] Year 80 Connected to enchanted forest in Ransh ROOTS [Achieved long distance connected roots. Unlocked new skill : Far-reaching roots] Year 75 Month 2  ROOTS [New ability obtained : Heat transmission root systems] Year 76 Month 4 Week 4  ROOTS [Skill upgraded : Local roo ess upgraded. Longer distance between subsidiary trees unlocked] Year 79 Month 7  ROOTS / SPECIAL TREE - ROOT RELAY [Special trees type obtained : Root Ry Trees] [Max Quantity of Ry is Level x 5] [Root Ry are special trees with the dedicated purpose of expanding your rootwork. A single root Ry can create a simple rootwork that extends 10 x the diameter of a regr subsidiary tree. Does not have other functions. Looks like any other tree. Appearance is customisable] Year 79 Month 7  Secret Hideout [Secret hideout] Year 69 Month 10  Secret Hideout [Secret hideout upgraded] Year 70 Month 11  Secret Hideout Secret hideout upgraded Year 71 Month 8  Secret Hideout [Skills upgraded : Secret hideout - healing chamber adaptation] Year 72 Month 10  Secret Hideout [Secret hideout upgraded. Extra rooms, special purpose rooms and hideouts unlocked. Customisable branches option now has "External room"] Year 72 Month 12 Week 4  Secret Hideout [Your following skills have been upgraded : Life support chamber] Year 72 Month 12 Week 4  Secret Hideout [Secret hideout upgraded : Childcare corner obtained]


    [Childcare corner produces a special infant friendly syrup, simr to baby and milk form. Infant-syrup can be further upgraded with various kinds of materials and minerals, if avable] Year 73 Month 11 Week 1  Secret Hideout [Skill upgraded - secret hideout has unlocked - Tree-asury] Year 73 Month 7 Week 1  Secret Hideout [Secret hideout upgraded! Hot water now avable] Year 76 Month 9  Soul & Spirit Collection [Spirit Collection upgraded] Year 70 Month 11  Soul & Spirit Collection [Soul absorption upgraded. Soul realm unlocked] Year 72 Month 12 Week 4  Soul & Spirit Collection [Obtained passive skill : soul grading] Year 73 Month 2  Soul & Spirit Collection [Soul Tree range greatly expanded] Year 73 Month 3 Week 2  Soul & Spirit Collection [Soul forge : Blue] is active. [The power to repair, mend souls. To strip souls apart, and put them back together. The ability to add souls to your abilities, familiars, items, trees. The ability to push souls to their limits, and beyond. The ability to rank up a soul. The ability to fuse soul fragments whole, and create artificial sub-souls from ordinary soul fragments] Year 74 Month 8 Week 3  Soul & Spirit Collection [Soul forge : ForgeTree. The physical realms link to the soul forge] Year 74 Month 8 Week 3  Soul & Spirit Collection [Soul forge annex added : Mana soaking facility, andpatibility tester.] Year 75 Month 3  Soul & Spirit Collection [Additional repairs of damaged souls now possible] Year 75 Month 8  Soul & Spirit Collection [Creation of Soul Harvesters now possible] Year 75 Month 8  Soul & Spirit Collection [Nightmare collectors] [A special ghost type that steals nightmares] Due to the presence of two colors, the following fused abilities are now avable. Year 75 Month 8  Soul & Spirit Collection [Soul Forge - ck allows for the conversion of undead spirits back into regr soul, reversing the effects of necromancy, and the removal of the dark energies of a soul] Year 75 Month 8  Soul & Spirit Collection [Soul Harvesters] [Some call them the grim reaper, some refer to them as valkyries, these are travelling collectors of souls. They extend your soul harvesting reach, and can be directed to specific ces, such as battlefields, graveyards to collect souls. Souls collected are of a higher chance to contain transferable experience] Year 75 Month 8  SOUL CONTRACTS [Spiritual Contract - Judgement]. Its essentially a soul contract, but in the form of a judgement. Demons, devils and the dark gods get a lopsided version known as [Unfair Contracts], which is unfair, but, less robust as a result. It has also sneaky abilities like concealing terms and conditions, but all of these result a reduction of the ability grade to a lower-tier (rtive, of course). Comes with Soul Forge  SPECIAL - MANA [Natural Mana Overwhelming] Year 73 Month 2 Week 2 used to capture woodhound SPECIAL - MANA [Natural Mana Overwhelming upgraded!] Year 76 Month 4 Week 4  SPECIAL BUILDINGS - ROOT DUNGEON [New structure obtained : Root Dungeon] Year 75 Month 8  SPECIAL BUILDINGS - ROOT DUNGEON [Root dungeon, leftovers of a dungeon that happens to be stabilised by the roots of a tree spirit. Does not spawn monsters or loot.] Year 75 Month 8  SPECIAL PROJECTS - OUTSTANDING [The Grand Mind Tree - significantly boosts tree-rted research output, and grants wider understanding of soul magics. Gains additional psychic-type magical abilities] [Requires 10 x root brainplexes, and 1 ton of gold and 1 ton of quartz crystals. Once all prerequisites areplete, construction will take 1.5 years] Year 76 Month 11 OUTSTANDING SPECIAL TREE - CLIFF BONSAI [Special Tree-type obtained : Cliff Bonsai] Year 79 Month 6  SPECIAL TREE - DREAMER''S TREEHOUSE [Special tree type obtained : Dreamers Treehouses] Year 79 Month 5  SPECIAL TREE - GINSENG PLANT [Cultivating ginseng will slightly increase monster spawn rate] Year 73 Month 12 Week 1  SPECIAL TREE - GINSENG PLANT [Ginseng does not work on Trees] Year 73 Month 12 Week 1  SPECIAL TREE - GINSENG PLANT [Ginseng nt does not share any defensive or support buffs of the main tree.] Year 73 Month 12 Week 1  SPECIAL TREE - GINSENG PLANT [Magical ginseng nt] [Ginseng nt is limited to 3 growing nts at any one time (can be increased with level). The qualities of the ginseng depends on the age of the root, overall health throughout its life, essences infused, mana infused, materials infused, the environment, astronomical conditions etc. Ginseng roots, when consumed, give permanent boosts to various stats, resistances, skills, mana or abilities. Permanent Effect diminishes with subsequent use.] Year 73 Month 12 Week 1  SPECIAL TREE - GINSENG PLANT [Specimen is Low-grade ginseng root, 2 years of age. No special enhancements. Provides small permanent boost to disease-resistance and stats] Year 73 Month 12 Week 1  SPECIAL TREE - TREE OF PRAYER [Special tree unlocked : Tree of Prayers] [Tree of Prayers has a calming, rxing effect on its surroundings. Has the ability to passively soothe andfort. Comes with a naturally calming background music of rustling leaves and wind] Year 75 Month 4  SPECIAL TREE - VOLCANIC BATH [Hot volcanic bath obtained!] Year 76 Month 9  SPECIAL TREES - THREETREE OF MANA [ThreeTrees of Mana] [Created when one subsidiary tree couldnt handle to energy of a leyline, so three of them merged. An artifact of the leyline, this structure serves as the conduit of the leyline, so protect it, as it is your connection to the leyline, in ce of the dungeon core. Serves no other function] Year 75 Month 8  SPECIES UPGRADE - ANCIENT SOUL TREE [You have evolved into an Ancient Soul Tree. The next evolution rank up is at Leve 130, if conditions and materials are met. You can still gain levels without ranking up.] Year 72 Month 12 Week 4  SPECIES UPGRADE - ANCIENT SOUL TREE Level 100 and the rank up brings change, and a lot of benefits. One of the key changes is a UI change, as my interfaces be much more organised, and menus expanded. There are more tooltips as well, and information about my skills improved. Year 72 Month 12 Week 4  SPECIES UPGRADE - MAGICAL TREE [You have unlocked the next species change, upgraded from spiritual tree to magical tree] Year 70 Month 11  SPECIES UPGRADE - SPIRITUAL TREE Evolved from normal tree to Spiritual Tree Year 59 Month 9  SPECIES UPGRADE - STARSOUL [You have now transformed into the starsoul tree.] able to tap and ess to the wisdom of the past, from exposure to ancient bones and fossils Year 77 Month 4  SPECIES UPGRADE - STARSOUL gains ess to a special type of leaf able to collect starlight and produce star mana in small quantities (maximum amount of leaves capped), also gains ess to a star mana storing organ and special star-mana abilities Year 77 Month 4  SPECIES UPGRADE - STARSOUL Soul management and ess rights and restrictions unlocked Year 77 Month 4  SPECIES UPGRADE - STARSOUL stats improved, various collection, various skills upgraded Year 77 Month 4  STAR MANA Star mana. I have 300 star mana at the moment, thats the maximum number of star-mana storage organs I have, and with the current maximum number of star-leaves, I produce 30 star mana a month. Year 77 Month 4  SUBORDINATE [Obtained skill : Summon insect warriors] Year 72 Month 10  SUBORDINATE [Armored beetles upgraded to warbeetles] Year 73 Month 8 Week 1  SUBORDINATE [You obtained a beetlemander, each tree with [insect warriors] has expanded to 5 beetles per tree.] Year 74 Month 9 Week 3  SUBORDINATE [Insect warrior variation unlocked : Web-trap Spiders] [Web-building spiders have little directbat abilities except for their poisonous fangs, but are able to build webbings between your trees,ced with paralysing poisons and build trapping cocoons] Year 75 Month 10  SUBORDINATE Beetle winter adaptation stage I -pleted! Year 76 Month 8 RESEARCH SKILL SUBORDINATE Large beetle pods -pleted Year 77 Month 12 RESEARCH SKILL SUBORDINATE Enhanced interior structures -pleted Year 77 Month 12 RESEARCH SKILL SUBORDINATE Beetle volcanic battleform -plete! Year 77 Month 3 RESEARCH SKILL SUBORDINATE Beetle volcanic defensive armors-plete! Year 77 Month 3 RESEARCH SKILL SUBORDINATE Beetle - basic magicalnces Year 77 Month 9 RESEARCH SKILL SUBORDINATE Enhanced exoskeletons Year 77 Month 9 RESEARCH SKILL SUBORDINATE [Carrier Drone. After a soul is merged with an object, skill or person, it can choose to be a deployable egg. The carrier drone will then carry the egg within it to the desired location, where it will spawn into the merged structure! But beware, the carrier drone is vulnerable, and destruction means death to the cargo as well.] Year 79 Month 2  SUBORDINATE Beetle - anti-magma armors stage 3 Year 79 Month 5 RESEARCH SKILL SUBORDINATE [New beetle species unlocked. Dungbeetle] Year 80 Month 1  SUBSIDIARY TREE [Subsidiary tree limit increased to 90] Year 73 Month 10 Week 1  SUBSIDIARY TREE [Some of your stored iron materials and essence of nature has been consumed. Six inner circle subsidiary trees upgraded. They are now able to support 3 external rooms each.] Year 73 Month 10 Week 1  SUBSIDIARY TREE [Obtained Tree ability : Subsidiary Tree] (30 trees) Year 73 Month 2 Week 4  SUBSIDIARY TREE [Subsidiary tree limit increased to 40] Year 73 Month 7 Week 1  SUBSIDIARY TREE [Subsidiary tree limit increased to 60] Year 73 Month 8 Week 1  SUBSIDIARY TREE [Subsidiary tree limit increased to 120] Year 74 Month 2 Week 1  SUBSIDIARY TREE [Subsidiary tree leveled up. You can now have 180 subsidiary trees] Year 74 Month 4 Week 1  SUBSIDIARY TREE [Skill upgraded : Subsidiary tree increased to 250] Year 74 Month 8 Week 3  SUBSIDIARY TREE [Subsidiary tree limit increased to 700] Year 75 Month 11 Week 2  SUBSIDIARY TREE [Subsidiary tree limit increased to 400] Year 75 Month 2  SUBSIDIARY TREE [Subsidiary tree limit increased to 1,500] Year 77 Month 3  SUBSIDIARY TREE Subsidiary Tree limit increased to 4,000 (During Starsoul evolution change) Year 77 Month 5  SUBSIDIARY TREE [Subsidiary tree limit increased to 6,000 Year 78 Month 5  TRAINING TREE TYPES Training Treehouse - Training treehouse improves experience gain, skill gain chances, and reduces injuries significantly Year 76 Month 12  TRAINING/LEVELLING/TEACHING [You obtained Learning Aura] Year 71 Month 3  TRAINING/LEVELLING/TEACHING Dream tutor - May use dreams to learn, and to teach. Requires a collection of spirits, memories and objects to unlock more Dreams. Essences can be used to bestow certain skills via dreams. Target must be sleeping for the ability to kick in. If sleep is interrupted, learning may not be effective. Year 71 Month 8  TRAINING/LEVELLING/TEACHING : [Powerleveling I] Year 72 Month 1 Week 4  TREE ABILITIES [tree-rebirth]. Year 59 Month 9  TREE ABILITIES [Growth surge] [Creates patches of normal trees, shrubs and grasses. Affected by weather and seasons] Year 74 Month 6 Week 4  TREE ABILITIES / HEALING [Tree saps & extracts upgraded] Year 72 Month 10  TREE ABILITIES / HEALING [Tree extracts & saps ] Year 72 Month 9  TREE TYPE - LABS [Bib - Beetle unit research tree obtained] [This massive tree allows research and development of various beetle types, such as flying beetles, armored beetles, poison beetles, firebeetles, waterbeetles] Year 76 Month 2 Week 1  TREE TYPE - LABS Magically attuned materials Stage 1 Year 79 Month 11 RESEARCH SKILL TREE TYPE - LABS Treeb varieties - stage 1 Year 80 Month 3 RESEARCH SKILL TREE TYPES [New tree variant obtained : Carnivorous nts] Year 76 Month 4 Week 4  TREE TYPES [New subsidiary tree type unlocked : Treefolk Incubation Pods. A subsidiary tree filled with multiple pods, used to incubate and nourish fertilised and germinating external seeds] Year 78 Month 2 Week 3  TREE TYPES [New subsidiary tree type unlocked : Treefolk Nursery. Makes sapling-friendly nutrient rich foods. Can also make special sap for pregnant treefolk mothers or females to boost quality and health of their fetus or eggs] Year 78 Month 2 Week 3  TREE TYPES [Tree Lodge] [A tree with a whole lot more space than it looks! Each tree lodge has 10 rooms, a restaurant, a cozy lounge, a reception, and a kitchen, all while looking no bigger than any other tree! Needs to hire workers to work] [Limited to 5, and each lodge must be a distance away from the other nearest lodge] Year 79 Month 2  TREE TYPES [Tree-type obtained : Cave Trees] Year 79 Month 6  TREE TYPES [nt-type obtained : Deep Moss] Year 79 Month 6  Tree Types - Root Tunnels [New skill obtained : Root-tunnels] Year 75 Month 8  Tree Types - Root Tunnels [Root tunnels, as what the name says, are tunnels made out of roots. Good for smuggling, transporting, and various tunnel things.] Year 75 Month 8  TREE-HEART [The Trees Heart and Spirit-Lantern], this is the heart of the tree, adorned with the fragments of 67 heroes, it gives the tree 3350% increase in experience gain, 670% extra damage against midtier demons, 335% extra damage against elder demons, partial demon armor-negation, immunity to lesser demons, damage reduction against elder demons and significantly reduce damage from fire. Year 72 Month 10 gets stronger when there are more fragments WOODCRAFTING Wood creation Year 71 Month 8  WOODCRAFTING [Woodcrafting upgraded] Year 72 Month 1 Week 1  Announcement


    So one of the problems I ran into, is that TreeTree''s list of abilities are hard to keep track, unless you were willing to constantly go back to each and every chapter and hunt for it. (I totally concede that the system is very far from ideal) So, I started this project to build a "proper" list of skills, and when they were obtained, and also the when the levels were gained, so that I can move forward with a bit more certainty, else the house of cards gonna fall on me someday.


    So this is going to be a WORK IN PROGRESS, to be updated as it goes. I''m pretty sure I missed some too, since I didn''tb through each chapter line-by-line, and instead went by -search-


    Some realisations...


    TreeTree didn''t gain levels for the past 2-3 years XD


    I feel TreeTree''s skills are limited. Alot of it is... upgrades.


    And wood magic. I think I really somehow ignored that part.

 Side Story: Akbar & the Demons

    Side Story: Akbar & the Demons


    <strong>INTERLUDES - AKBAR</strong>


    <strong>Sometime around Year 80, Month 9 (TreeTree-time)</strong>


    Every demon king is slightly different, every generation of demons, usually a variation of the previous. Schrs, inquisitors, demon-hunters have often wondered why it is so, but since these invading demons dont seem to be able tomunicate, no one knows for sure.


    Still, the inhabitants facing the demons could still observe and make a note of how subtle differences exist. The first demon rifts reveal little hints about the characteristics of the demon king they face, and the sort of battles they will have to prepare for. Usually this meant elemental and/or monster variants, like how Andraas had earth-golems, earth centipedes and fire hounds, and as time went by, its more,rger versions of such monsters.


    Spotting a demon rift is something every warrior learns by experience. Seen it, and you will remember it for life. The way reality itself warps and break, a tear in reality that links to another world, it is an unforgettable sight. The portal to the demon world.


    ...


    General Akbar. A human knight rides up to central camp, there''s about 5,000 soldiers here.


    <em>Commander</em>Akbar. The older man emphasises. Ive been demoted, and you need to remember that. Had it been in the city, you can get in trouble.


    The knight shrugs. Youre still my General. Anyway-"


    Commander Akbar frowns, and gives the knight a stern look. Get to it, what''s the status? How many demons did you spot?


    1,200. Surprisingly easy to get a count, now that they look like humans. They made something that resembles arge house or camp. Still no sight of the rift yet, Im waiting for the other scout to report back.


    Demons, making camp. Commander Akbar scratches his chin. What has the worlde to, I must see this.


    The force of 5,000 men marches towards the site of the reported demon camp, and indeed, what they saw is indeed a demon camp.


    "There it is, Commander."


    The demon camp''s surface resembles a dark reddish hue, its existence as if magic itself was forced to form the fabric.


    "What''s it doing?"


    Akbar starts counting, his eyes looking through his portable telescope, right at the demon camp. He watches intently for about 30 minutes, and then it got


    Its making more demons soldiers. Get the mages, I want a magical reading on this area right now.


    Akbars hunch was right. The camp''s location had slightly stronger natural mana and energies. Theres only one decision to make. The camp had to be destroyed before they spawned more demons.


    They crushed the 1,200 or so demons easily.


    A few dayster, back at the camp.


    The news is unsettling. Akbar pored over the newsing in from all the other continents and kingdoms. Demonic news didnt have the usual diplomatic embargo and political filters, and frankly, Akbar enjoyed fighting demons. Its just in fighting, without the bullshit of politics, or the worries over the unnecessary death of others. It allowed him to be a true military man, the only thing he had to focus on, is to crush this faceless demonic enemy.


    There are so many... Both of his aides nodded, and they looked over a rough map of the world. Its one of Akbars personal collections as a General. Akbar ces a small red g wherever they receive reports on rift sightings.


    There are multiple rifts in everyrge continent, and even in smaller continents. In earlier demon kings, the rifts were concentrated, most of the time, a single continent. Maybe two, at most, and even those, the bulk of it usually formed on one continent.


    It didnt take much for Akbar to conclude the obvious. This demon is nning to overwhelm the world with sheer numbers, by attacking everywhere simultaneously.


    One of the aides shakes his head. But, does it matter? If theye with us with that tiny force, scattered throughout the world, they won''t be a threat! And the heroes wille around and save the world when the demon king arrives Akbar frowns a little at the aide''s statement.


    Two knights and a mage walked into the war nning room.


    Akbar looked at his aides. True. But between now and the Demon King, is at least a few years. This tactic may potentially destroy the world before the heroes even appear.


    So what, we can stop them. The quantity from the rifts reported so far has been small.


    Akbar paused and remembers the demon champions. No reported sighting of the champions yet, though they often arrive before the King.


    The other aides answered before Akbar got to it. If the demons can build camps that generate more demons, their quantity wont be small for very long. How many rifts do we know nothing about? How sure are we, all these are the only rifts out there? If the rift and camp was made in a secluded area we know nothing about, they could suddenly surprise us with arge force!


    True, true.


    Hows the analysis on the camp and the demons? Akbar asks.


    The mage shifts ufortably.


    A soldier ran into the camp. "<em>Gene-</em>, sorry, Commander! The mages, they... uh... they turned into demons. We had to kill one of them."


    Akbar''s eyes widen and he stares, "When did this happen, and why did I not know about it?"


    "It just happened, General." The soldier shouts trying to catch his breath, been running. "The mages, they were just meddling with the demonic staff, and suddenly it started to absorb one of the mages! So we had to destroy the staff, and we couldn''t save the mage."


    Akbar stops, "You know about this?"


    "No, sir." The mage in the room shakes his head, but then he walks over to the soldier to talk.


    Before Akbar could ask more, another persones in. He''s a mage too and he looks younger than the other mages. "General."


    "Commander."


    "We have the report you wanted."


    Akbar res at the young mage, he''s unfazed. "What happened?"


    "ident. It is quite unfortunate that I could not save him. But we now know that the staff seeks magic and consumes it to create demons."


    The two aides pause.


    "So, my guess is should probably seek out major magical locations and dungeons, and seek to take over them."


    "But how does the demons expect to beat the dungeons with their tiny force?" Dungeon, generally, have a respectable defense force, and multiple boss level creatures within their base.


    "Maybe not immediately, but over time their force will grow."


    "We must let the world know." Akbar acknowledges. "This fact, may be helpful for the other nations."


    "Commander, we must first report this to highmand. The King will want to know before this is shared." One of the aide says.


    Akbar nods, but inside he just feels annoyed.<em>Politics</em>. He could see iting, the King probably wanted to sell this information for money. The awkward truce with the Nung and Takde wasn''t something the King enjoyed, especially since he wanted his reign to be one of glory.


    -


    And so Akbar and his retinue, returns to the capital, Ransh, leaving the rest of the force behind. The rest would continue to hunt demons, and look for the rift.


    The journey took them a few days, and soon Ransh enters their view. The massive sprawl of the city, the faint stench of human activity, the smell of the forges and factories, its a sign they were getting close. Even at night, one could see the dispersed glow from the citys lights.


    The aide cheered. "Civilization! I can''t wait for a hot bath!" The captains are relieved, one of them is from the capital, so his family is here.


    Akbar just sighed. As a military man, he never felt like he has a ce in Ransh. Earlier in his career, he lived fortresses and camps, and till this day, that is where he feels where he belonged. Ransh just reminds him of all the politics of the court, unnecessary reports to various nobles who wanted to build rapport, and bureaucracy.


    "Don''t look so glum, Commander. Let''s have some good food. And good wine! I hear there''s quite a good vintageing from New Freeka, something we''ve never managed to try before!"


    One captain nudged the aide, signalling him not to mention New Freeka.


    Akbar just shrugged, well, perhaps he shouldn''t be so upset. The capital does have a whole load of good eateries. "Well, let''s do that. I do miss having properly cooked food from a good chef."


    The group passed a damaged set of roads, some trees and shrubs. "Ah, I notified the city that we are arriving soon." The aide messaged the city using some kind of [message] spell. At this distance, the spell doesn''t cost much mana, and the message decay isn''t bad.


    Akbar''s mind is still upied, upied with the strategies of this generations demons. What will the champions bring this time? Is the demons n to split the heroes?


    He distracts himself and looks at two rings on his fingers. One made of a greenish gold, another just regr silver. "Anyoneing to greet us?"


    The aide shake his head.


    Akbar smiled. "Best news I heard all day, then." He hated the whole greeting and weing ceremony, frankly, the best thing since his demotion from General. Even his aides know how much he hated it. Lets eat some good food!


    Since they didn''t have a weing ceremony, that meant he also didn''t have to immediately go and face the King or the senior ministers. Not that the King is eager to see him.


    So, the group went for one of the many famous eateries in Ransh, this one located on themoner''s district. Despite being themoners'' district, there are many such eateries, serving adventurers, or wealthy merchants, or just some young men looking to impress a woman.


    They had a spread of grilled meats and roasted meats, mostly from the nearby farms and also some of the edible monster meats, and a few different dishes of potatoes and yam, apanied by wine. They have wine in regr wooden cups, though ss is avable as a material, it''s far too expensive for restaurants to use regrly, given how often these ss things break when an adventurer brawl happens.


    Akbar, his aides and the two apanying captains took their time and dined, their conversation began with demons, because, well, thats their job, and it was an easy thing to talk about in a dinner with colleagues.


    Most of them wonder when the demon champions will start appearing, demon champions are still the single-highest risk outside of the demon king, and theres usually multiple champions. In terms of actual destruction, the champions are probably ahead of the demon king. The captains joke about running if they ever seen one, and Akbar just nods, I would run too, if I see a demon champion.


    And they allugh. Demon champions are difficult, even a general like Akbar would need a strong mage and healer team to defeat one.


    But once all of them were progressively more drunk, the conversation turned to less serious topics, like hows everyones love life, and whether Commander Akbar will ever remarry. Or other silly things, like what some of the soldiers are doing when in camp, or stupid manliness challenges.


    One of the aides talked about his failed dates with the local girls whenever they go on expeditions, and the rest of them justughed, but they all also admire his guts for trying to date girls from all the various viges.


    As they were about to leave, two men approached Commander Akbar. "Are you Commander Akbar?"


    Akbars a little tipsy, but he still manages to turn and face the two men. The two look like in ordinary vigers, their presence honestly didnt seem anything special.


    One of Akbars aides, probably more drunk than Akbar, tried to step in. "Why are you bothering our Commander?" The aides usually a little more timid, maybe its a alcohol-fueled machismo.


    "May we talk to the Commander, just for a while?" One of the men smiled, hes polite.


    Commander Akbar looked at them, quickly nced through them from top to bottom. If they wanted to rob or kidnap him, they did not need to ask. Though, even while drunk, Akbar could easily fight off two men, and his [alert] passive did not trigger, so hes got a good hunch that these two men didnt mean to harm him. Besides, he''s got a [General] ss, and that meant he could hold two men down, easy.


    The aide''s attempt to respond on Akbars behalf, was stopped by Akbar''s hand.


    "Yes, lets talk. Back inside?" Akbar pointed back to the eatery.


    The two men nodded and they walked back, "Yes, inside is fine, but without your aides, please? Just something we want to ask you personally."


    Akbar smiled, "Let''s use one of the private dining rooms then. They can wait outside."


    "Commander, no... General Akbar." The two men sat, it''s a small room, with one round table and chairs for 6. Akbar sat opposite them. "What do you think of the demons?"


    Akbar chuckles, "They are bad, of course." What kind of question is that, anyway? Demons, causes tremendous destruction and death, cant be negotiated with, and doesnt have any useful functions. The only possibly positive thing about them is the daemolite, left behind when the demon kings die.


    "Do you think the heroes are doing a good job of fighting demons?"


    "...not as well as I think they should." Akbar spoke his mind, he had a hunch they were leading him somewhere, but hell see.


    The two men grinned, "Great. Do you enjoy fighting demons?"


    Akbar paused, and stared at the two men. Enjoy fighting demons? In what sense? "I''m sorry?"


    "Have you ever thought of joining a cause dedicated to fighting demons?."


    Akbar''s stern eyes meet with two others, the room felt heavy then. "Im afraid I need a bit more than that. What exactly is your cause?"


    At that time, a third man appears in that small private room, he materialised from the two''s shadows.


    Akbar though, still didn''t react and just took a sip out of the wooden cup of water. "I was wondering when you woulde out."


    "As expected of a [general]. Proper introductions, now. I am from the Laenza Alliance, a secret society. Allow me to do the full exnation. The Laenza Alliances main purpose is to support the heroes in their quest to defeat the demon king, and we would like you to join us in that quest."


    Akbar didnt react, he just took a good look at the man. "Have we met?"


    "Yes. But that matters little. Our issue is theing demonic conflict. We believe you''ve realised the gravity of the issue, and so we''d like to invite you to join us." He felt familiar, but Akbar couldn''t pin it down.


    Akbar sipped from the cup of water, and said. "When you say, support the heroes in the quest to defeat the demon king, what does that actually mean? You want me to put my life on the line and fight the demon king myself, together with the heroes?"


    "Well, no. You wont be the ones actually fighting the demon king. Ultimately, the heroes received the gods blessing, and only with the blessing, can the heroes hope to stand toe to toe with the demon king. Our presence in that fight would be unnecessary, we may even be a hindrance. I would say, we would be throwing our lives away.


    So what do you do?


    We, the Laenza aims to support the heroes, by, spotting them early, guide them, remove the barriers to their growth, and give them what they need to progress."


    "Barriers..." Akbar looks at the three Laenza men.


    "Politics. Bureaucracy. Think about it, these otherworldly heroes, they arrive in the world with very minimal guidance from the gods. They are lost, despite their gifts, and when they meet the locals, they need time to find their way. If it so happens theye under a nations protection, kings and rulers often have their own political agenda. Every step of the way, they face resistance and unnecessary barriers, from locals who have no idea whether they really are heroes, to politicians and rulers who seek to manipte them.


    The man paused to catch his breath, and then continued.


    Our role, the Laenza is to offset those resistance, help them discreetly, and where we can, take them away from politics. We try to be the first, or among the first to find and contact the heroes, and to offer them assistance, guidance, training. And if the heroes need any special equipment or items, or need to get somewhere, we try our best to help them along."


    Akbar sighed, it suddenly urred to him that the heroes have it rough. They start off weak at first, thrown into a world they know nothing about, they are still young and naive, and that usually makes them gullible, and nobles usually try to manipte them. It suddenly made sense how things usually did work out for the heroes, especially if there is a secret organisation that supported them in the shadows.


    "So, would you be interested?"


    "I have the feeling that you already know I would be."


    The shadow man offered his hand, "We must hear it from you."


    Akbar nodded, and they shake hands. "Yes. Let me be a part of it."


    The shadow man took out a ring with a single red stone surrounded by various smaller red stones, and passed it to him. "Drop you blood in the ring''s inner stone."


    Akbar gently pricked his finger and a single drop of blood touched the inner stone. It glowed gently, a soft reddish hue, and then, the shadow man walked over and he too pricked his finger. A drop of his blood in the same ring. The two bloods mixed and the ring released a red sh.


    "The ring, its invisible to all but the rest of us who also have it. It marks the Laenza, and is how wemunicate."


    Akbar put the ring on, and he could feel its magic mix with those of his own. The ring fitted nicely. "Intricate carvings."


    "Made by our magesmiths, from where we are from, Rhongo."


    Akbar nodded, "That is far."


    "The demons'' rift are everywhere. And we follow."


    "True."


    "Wee to the Laenza. We have taken too much of your time, Commander Akbar. We will not keep your aides waiting any longer." The three give a gentle bow, and the shadow man vanished into the shadows, again. Announcement So erm... for the entirety of this demon king season, it''s going to be about 40% treetree focused, and 60% elsewhere (my current estimate). So uh.. yeah.

 [DELETED] Records of the Demon Castle Wars – Year 80 Month 8

    [DELETED] Records of the Demon Castle Wars ¨C Year 80 Month 8


    Announcement


    Decided to DELETE this chapter. Will not be rewritten. Keeping the chapter here to keep the wonderfulments.


    <b>Northern Isles</b>


    <b>Western Theatre </b><b>(TreeTree is here)</b>


    <b>Eastern Theatre</b>


    <b>South Continents</b>


    <b>Others throughout the world</b>

 Tree Uses Heal, Round 2

    Tree Uses Heal, Round 2


    Year 80 Month 9


    The fact that Im here, means its not good news for the four of you. Ady arrived in New Freeka, and quickly found the 4 druids. Theres many otherdies looking like her, and she didnt emit any visible presence or magical energy, so her arrival didnt even trigger any of my sensors.


    A mature lookingdy, in human terms, shed look like shes in her 50s, though I suspect shes probably older. Despite her diminutive size, shes petite, her very presence sends the 4 druids into a tensebat stance.


    The enforcer... The four fumble over their staff and call out their familiars. They are right in the middle of town, and the citizens clear a space. Itsmon for brawls and fights to break out in town, and citizens generally know to just give way. When there are fights among adventurers or people of that level, everyone would just let them fight.


    Ive been busy, and I wish I couldvee sooner. But you know how it is, investigations take time... A crime would bemitted months ago, and only now the sentence is meted out. Such is the speed of justice, alwayscking." Thedy shrugs, shes dressed in a loose fitting shirt and pants, but its clearly woven with high quality materials. When she takes out a scythe from nowhere, all my rm bells start to ring.


    Shes not exactly tall, shes petite and well, probably on the older side, but the way the massive scythe swings around her, I knew shes trouble.


    An intense aura spreads around her. It even makes the subsidiary trees around New Freeka feel heavy. Its some kind of suppression aura.


    On what crimes? The druids put on a brave face, they attempt to feign ignorance in the face of thedy.


    Oh, this trick has been done many times. But fair, the one carrying out the punishment must repeat it, just so that the offender may drill it into their souls, for their next life.


    Thedy, steps forward, one small step. Her legs are small, after all.


    For lying to the council, jail time. For forcing a high-tier spirit tree to a spiritual contract, the four of you have contravened one of the core ts of the Hutan Council. And for that offense, the Hutan council has empowered me to bestow your punishment. Death.


    The four men summon their wolves, armor and whatnot, and whatever they have, all the familiars charges at thedy.


    But the battle is awfully short.


    Thedy swings her scythe, and it glows in a dark-greenish color. "[Druidhunter]."


    A dark wave spreads out, and the familiars of the druids all just turn into dust. Then, from the earth, four ck roots emerge and stab them each in the heart, killing them instantly.


    She then walks up to the four impaled bodies of the druids.


    Children, everyone, please dont watch. It is in the middle of town, and the announcement of the execution sends a lot of younger children and their parents running away.


    And her scythe beheads all four of them, their heads fall easily, like its harvesting hay. She chucks their head into a gunny sack, and then into her magical pocketspace.


    Should we do something? I wonder, and ask my tree-minds.


    Shes scary, I suggest not. Ivy said. Shes got the ability to sneak in and find the druids, and then kill them. She might use it on us."


    Well, thedy quickly went and meet Jura.


    Supreme Counsel Jura, I apologise for my sudden, unannounced presence. My name is Leithia, a conducts enforcer of the Hutan Council. Ive been informed that I may be able to seek a meeting with the Tree Spirit through you?


    No? I dont feel like I should meet her, because she''s dangerous! Jura seems unfazed though, he even manages to sitfortably in his chair, and takes a sip from his tea. Hes really into tea these days.


    I understand that the Spirit is probably apprehensive to meeting another druid, and that is fine. I would like, on behalf of the Hutan Council, to apologise for the acts of our rogue druids. It is a great disappointment to us as well, that our druids act in such manner in the face of a chance to get power.


    Jura nods, and offers her tea. Well, d to know thatws are being enforced after all.


    Indeed, I would like to assure the Spirit that we will still fulfill its wishes tomune with the other great tree spirits, and we are in the process of arranging that. Its not easy to convince other tree spirits to participate, and we will need specialised items to allow the tree spirits thoughts to be transmitted. In the meantime, the council will send someone over aspensation.


    Eh? Wait. Is there really a need for such things? Cant I just erm... chain my subsidiary trees all the way to wherever the other spirits are? Or this subsidiary tree skill is more rare than I think?


    So please assist us, and manage the spirits expectations.


    Jura nods, I think the Tree Spirit will... give some concessions on this. Though, Im not sure for how long, I will try my best to convince him.


    Leithia smiles back at Jura and nods a little. Thats the most we can ask, for the offense the councils poorly trained druids have caused.


    They both sip on the tea. Its an awkward silence, but Jura looks morefortable than thedy. "Would there be anything else?"


    Thats all we wish to say, Counsel. Ill take my leave, and will leave your town in a few days.


    Enjoy your stay.


    [Druidic Aspects failed to collect the chosen skills as the period of the contract is too short]


    [Received 24 x Essences of Druid]


    [Received 4 x druid ss seeds


    [Received 1 x experience seeds]


    Aiks. Oh well, I will have to use the essences to teach the girls then, but 24 essences might not even lead to a single skill. Sighs.


    -


    Anyway, Im happy that the druid enforcer didnt push to see me, and so I turn my attention elsewhere. Ivys still keeping tabs on her though, and as she said, she spent her time in town. Thankfully, she left after two days of eating and meeting.


    Ive decided to reward one of the girls, the one who reached level 15, by giving her a choice of the ss seeds to take, and one skill seed for [archery].


    The choice is actually just between [Druid] and [Ranger], since Id like to keep [Dark Knight] forter. I also have some random jobs, from the deceased, like [farmer], [merchant], [scribe] and stuff like that, but since the Valthorn Initiates is meant to be abat unit, itll bebat skills and jobs. They also already have [soldier], which I found quite strange, but I suppose thats the result of being trained by soldiers?


    The problem about the [druid] ss seeds, is that, the trainers are now dead.


    Cant we learn from you? The girls ask. Good question. If I was ying a game, I would think going to the ''source'' is a good way to truly learn a skill.


    But no. Druids and tree spirits understand the same kind of abilities differently.


    The way I sense andmand trees, is different, because I am a Tree, and I have ess to certain kind of senses that elves or centaurs, like these girls, do not have. So, even if our powers look and feel simr, the mechanics of how our powers work, at its core, is different. The way Imand and use [Root Strike], is different from how a druid would. I can move my roots as if they were... a button I can press.


    For the druids, they have an incantation to call on the earth and trees to obey theymands. It''s like I am the wheels itself, whereas the druids move the wheels through a steering, that goes through the transmission.


    "I am afraid it would be very challenging for me to directly teach you druid magic, though I can use the [essences] I have to give you lessons, through [dream tutor]."


    And, the druids magic actually cover a wider scope, their field extends into earth magic, water magic, some air magic, and also some animal-mastery. Whereas mine so far is rather wood-focused, and a mix of tree abilities. In a way, they are generalists.


    But you are a tree, are you not superior to druids?


    Superiors not a fair way to say things... our nature is different.


    Why? The young girls ask, perhaps to them, everyone can be ced on a spectrum from weak to strong, and that may be true from a strictlybat perspective. But there is a nuance to abilities that extend beyond pure directbat. But why, youre a giant tree with strange powers, shouldnt you be better than them?


    These young girls can be strangely naive.


    Well, theres some things you can do when you have hands, and theres some things you can do when you have roots.


    They have job sses. I don''t.


    Year 80 Month 10


    The Hutan Council sent a strange person to serve me. "Compensation", they said. Apanied by a beautifully written letter.


    An [Arborist], by the name of Zhiga.


    "Uh... why did the council send you?" Jura looks, a bit puzzled.


    "I am here to make the Tree Spirit feel better, of course!" Zhiga smiles, he''s an old man, but there''s plenty of spring in his step. Hees with a bag of tools, like little scissors, small shovels and multiple bottles of dirt.


    "Uh... after the recent incident, I am afraid that the Tree Spirit is a bit reluctant to meet new people."


    "Nonono, totally understand. I shall remain in the city and care of the trees here." The [arborist] remains in the city, with Ivy watching his every move. The city is open to visitors, it is peacetime after all, so long as he obeys the rules, he can stay in the city.


    -


    Jura had a lot of time to think. When I offered to remove some of his skills, especially those from his earlier days that he may no longer need, he... he needed some time to think about it.


    His levels and skills, experience as a viger, and also a fighter. Some of those, held certain memories to him, and may have saved his life, back in the day. Some skills made the difference between victory, or death, and although they seem weak now, they have special meaning.


    Im not sure whether I want to remove my [viger] skills... I have like.. 15 levels in them. Well, Juras overall level is 80, and itprised of 60 levels in warlord, being abination of 40 levels in fighting and 20 levels in diplomacy and administration. What if theres a way for it to merge with Warlord? Maybe I will be Vige Warlord?"


    Hmmm...


    If such merging is possible it would improve the organisation and presentation of his soulspring, but Im not sure whether that frees up lifeforce to support new skills and levels.


    Is there a way to assign a lifeforce consumption/drain value to skills and levels, because perhaps theres some skills that use up more lifeforce than others? I would imagine these skills have a slot-value?


    What if some day, Ill need those viger''s skills again? When I grow older, and I can no longer fight?" Isn''t that a long way to go?


    Uh...


    You said, I wont be able to relearn the skills?


    No, I mean, I cant use the skillseeds on you, but I suppose you could learn it on your own again?


    Jura paused, and sipped his ginger-tinged tea. Hmm. I think Im fine. TreeTree... I appreciate you trying to push me past level 80, but... I think I value my existing skills, they have meaning to me, and Im not willing to let go of them."


    Inwardly, I feel like sighing. I guess skills are like scars, they punctuate certain moments in a persons life. Jura knows what it means to be higher level. It means he can fight stronger monsters, do more, but hes somewhat decided there are certain things he won''t do, to get there.


    I can respect that, but if you ever change your mind...


    Jura nodded, "I think rather than that, maybe let''s get back to basics, and erm.. figure out how to restore my hand?"


    He flexes his wooden hand, its made using his mental link with Bamboo, his ''eidolon''/familiar. It''s been wonderful since Bamboo obtained the skill, [Extended Self], which sort of functions like a power armor, and because how frequently Jura uses it, it''s really like having a hand again.


    The challenge about lost limbs is that, well, the soul itself loses the blueprint and memory of the limb. Essentially, when healing magic attempts to heal a person''s body, it esses the soul''s, for a blueprint. That blueprint is then used as the basis for ''restoring'' the body.


    When a limb is cut off, there is a crucial period, during which the limb must be healed. After that, the soul loses the ''blueprint'' rting to that limb, and then, healing the limb bes impossible, and what''s left is a stump.


    In my earlier days, I didn''t have the soul forge, when I saw Jura, he had already lost his hand. I didn''t have any ability to heal the lost arm.


    But, I''ve changed, and altering his soul to recreate the ''blueprint'', that''s certainly something I am now willing to try.


    At least, I will first need to do some... experiments.


    -


    Animals.


    If all souls are reincarnated, sometimes as animals, I probably should not be doing this. These poor animals could be me, in my next life.


    Alexis and Me clearly felt disturbed by what I was doing, even if they understood the rationale of what I was nning to do.


    I had the Order gather stray animals in New Freeka, and those further out. Dogs, cats, deer, wolves, cows. Any of these stray animals that are injured, amputated, limbless.


    If I am to alter and recreate the limb, I need some practice.


    And then, I went to do my testing on these animals, using the soul forge to ''repair'' their souls.


    The first animal died from the magic overload instantly. A gruesome death, best not to be described.


    "What you are trying to do, seems to require precise tools, beyond just what the soul forge normally does." Alexis is curious, of course. I think she''s attracted to such gory things, even if she is disturbed.


    "I healed the princess many years ago, her soul spring wrecked. Why do you think is this different?"


    "The fact that you are doing experiments, tells me you know it is different. The princess''s spring is wrecked but the body is still there. It''s like her house copsed, but theponents are just a mess. I think Jura''s case, theponent is lost, and you are trying to rebuild it. You need to do something in the soul, so that the left arm can regrow."


    "...okay." To rebuild that ''soul blueprint'', I will have to alter the form of the outer shell of the soul.


    "Maybe something like a massive mold? Like those casts people make?"


    A mold, eh? But let''s see.


    For the second animal, I n to put the animal inside the mana soaking facility, wait for a day, and then start up the soul forge. I put two subsidiary trees with bibs right next to the [Forge tree], and attempt to use the vine-tools from the [Bib] to make the changes.


    The [Soul Forge] does have some default tools, but unlike the bib pods, the array and precision of the tools arecking. At least for the augmentation I am thinking of.


    During the test run, the vines from the [bib] burns once they enter the forge tree. It''s more like... they start to darken and turn to ash. Details are a littlecking, when ites to the [Forge Tree].


    I think it looks like I have to get something with more mana resistance. Something that does not burn from mana, or allows the mana to flow around it.


    I have some ideas there. But I will need to buy some jewels.


    At the same time, I asked Jura for his oldest belongings, ideally something before he lost his hand.


    Like the Princess, maybe his belongings have a remnant, a shard of his soul that I can somewhat work with


    "I think they all burnt down during the burning... except my sword."


    "Your sword it is then. Give it to me."


    "Uh..." It''s precious.


    "I''ll make you a new one."


    The sword went into the [forge tree], and there is some ''shards'' of his being, but because he''s been using it even after the incident, the shards and fragments in there are all without his hands.


    "Sorry, I really have nothing else."


    Perhaps these items are like loose memory cards, and contact refreshes their memory to thetest version? Or do they merge?


    "So... my sword is gone?" Well, the sword''s still there, but in order to analyse the shard I had to break it down, and unlike people or souls, the soul forge isn''t designed to put them back together. It''s quite strange how the soul forge knows what to keep, and what to break. I mean, why is it that a person inside can survive, but a steel sword gets broken?


    "Uh... kind of." It''s not that great a sword anyway. It''s really just a basic steel sword, despite the fancy design.


    "Ah..." Jura sighs. But he understood why I did it. Even now, I have an inkling of how to do it, but I still need to test it out on animals.


    Year 80 Month 11


    The merchants delivered a bunch of ores, containing various unprocessed jewels and metals.


    The idea is simple, really.


    Some of these metals should be able to strengthen the bibs and their tools, via [mineral augmentation], and together with [woodshaping], I can make the tools necessary to perform more precise adjustments in the soul forge.


    Should.


    Or maybe... can I use [star mana]?


    Anyway, that''s also worth testing. First, the ore and jewels test.


    Before the second animal test, I fire up the soul forge, put the ores in, and measure how long each of the oresst before the melt into a puddle. Some willst longer, and if so... some of them shouldst?


    Nope.


    All of them melt, some a little bit slower than others, but all melt into a puddle. Its as if they were stripped apart, bit by bit. Or maybe I just don''t have the right kind of ore.


    Maybe I should use my main body? Wouldn''t that work? My main body should be more resilient than using it via subsidiary trees.


    But I would have to move things around.


    "Can I have a forge tree inside my main body?" I ask the Wisp. The [forge tree] is created to minimise the pain of using the soul forge, thats why its... outside.


    "You certainly could, but you will feel quite an intense pain when you use it." The forge tree receives lightning and vibrates like mad when the mana spins. "It will feel a bit like when you were evolving. And you will feel like mana-poisoned, but then again you are an evolved tree... maybe you can."


    "Let''s try it anyway."


    So, in my body, within the secret hideout I set aside a space and made it into a forge tree. Ites easily, after all, I already have the tree, and this is just internalising it. [Secret hideout modified : Internal Soulforge Chamber]


    And I fired the internal soul forge up.


    *whooooooooommmmmm*


    It spins.


    It''s kinda like a really bad stomach ache, the mana spinning in my metaphorical tummy. But not as bad as I thought.


    "Uh... you okay in there?" Alexis asks. She can''t see this part, inside here, deep inside the secret hideout.


    "Yeah."


    Using [woodcrafting], I createdyers of wooden walls around the chamber, which forms a barrier, to protect myself from the swirling mana. The space here is flexible sized after all.


    And I fire up the soul forge, again.


    These protective walls, they are in a state of constant regeneration. The gathered mana, swirling, and it speeds up. As it does so, it expands and burns the protective wooden walls.


    At higher speeds, and at full power, it feels like I am surrounded by fire. Like I am in a sauna.


    But my initial theory is correct, my main body, vines and feelers are more resistant to the mana-burn, and they dost longer. Not only that, thanks to [Self-awareness], I am far more aware of what is happening.


    *zaaaaappppppppp*


    A lightning bolt strikes my main tree. Followed by a loud thunder.


    Ugh. I feel it travel down from the branch to the trunk, leaving a streak. It burns a little while, my fire resistance and healing power quickly kicks in and puts it out.


    The mana in the forge spins, and it speeds up. As it speeds up, it quickly takes the shape of a spinning ball. Time for another test, so I put an ore in with a feeler. The ore, starts to disintegrate into a puddle, levitating in the middle. My soft green viney feeler starts to disintegrate as well, as the swirling mana bombards it.


    Hmm. There must be something. Maybe just starting up the soul forge isn''t theplete process.


    I need to see how the [Soul Forge] does it, normally.


    I decide... to test it out on an animal.


    The animal is one of the many stray ones, a small hamster like animal. It lost its tail. This time, I observe it intently, instead of letting the ''skill'' do what it needs to do. And partly, being inside me also allows me to truly ''see'' it, perhaps through my skill [Self-awareness], since my vision of the separate [Forge Tree] isn''t as ''holistic''.


    And I saw it. The mana-dispensing feeler in the soul forge.


    The moment the animal steps into the soul forge, a smallyer of mana is applied to the creature by a tiny feeler, and as the soul forge starts to spin, the body is protected by the mana, funneled by two vertical magical connections, and then... the soul is pulled out of the body.


    Even the tiny hamster has a soul.


    Were you possibly human in some previous reincarnation?


    Sorry I have to do this, its for... science. May your soul move to a better ce, reincarnated into some other form.


    The soul, is in the shape of a hamster, too, it.... it doesn''t have a tail. I could see the soul, it has multipleyers, and the soul forge starts to split those up. Oneyer representing the spirit-body, and one multi-subyered spirit representing the skills and outer soul.


    Seems like all these details are omitted when looking at the [forge tree]. With the Princess or the artificial souls.


    The body, is moved aside, and the two spirityers move to the center of the soul forge.


    What do I do at this point? How do I recreate the ''tail''? I try to look back at all the other animals that the Order gathered, and yes, there were a few samples of this animal. Some of those animals had tails.


    I pull up the data, stored in my bib, and cross-checked to the body.


    Ugh. Firstly, the data from my bib is in a different format, presented in the form of the soul spring, and its extensions.


    This means my bib isn''t collecting data suitable for the [soul forge]. The way things are presented and the information is different. It''s like one is an X-Ray photo, and another is a 3D MRI scan. The information is different, even if the body is the same.


    Still, the creature is in. No point stopping. I tried to use the data I have to ''recreate'' a tail. Using soul fragments which I have plenty of, I form it into a rudimentary shape of a tail. Ugh. My difficulty in the shaping the soul fragment into the tail is partly because my feelers onlyst a short while before the swirling mana burns their tip up.


    The soul forge spins, and another lightning falls. It feels like when I touched a light switch after a shower, only stronger, more intense, and it travels to my belly, where the soul forge is.


    The tail, slowly, clunkily, merges with the spirit-body, my burning feeler clumsily trying to adjust its position, and then it merges with theyered spirit. The real body, nowes back and rejoins the spirit, and then the hamster-creature is whole again.


    The forgingplete, I put the hamster-creature back into a healing pod.


    And I use a healing ability.


    The creature''s bottom starts to heal, indeed, there is a small dot that is regenerating, and it resembles the shape of what I made. It''s somewhat mispositioned, like... the root of the tail starts a little too low.


    A rough tail shape appears, like an engorged balloon stuck on the creatures bottom.


    Then the tail expands... and explode in a massive stter of blood. The hamster-creature died instantly.


    Im sorry, hamster-creature.


    Looking at the remains of the sttered body, the cause was simple, the tailcked all the details of the blood vessels, muscles, bones that was needed in a real tail. All it had was ayer of skin in the shape of a tail, as a result of my poor drawing of a tail.


    So the healing elerated the blood flow into that tail and so when the skin could no longer take the pressure from the blood inflow, it exploded, and the creature died of blood loss.


    Ugh.


    Looks like its not going to be easy to rebuild a limb, when the soul has forgotten what the limb is like. And I wouldnt want Jura to go through that sort of miserable death.


    The barriers?


    The first challenge will be to get a good soul forge level imagery of what a hand should be. I would think I can fix this by taking a good scan of Jura, again, this time in a bib pod inside my body, using the soul forge''s power. Something of a simr resolution and detail as what I have now seen, preferably more. Maybe, create some kind of soul-forge-biopod hybrid. Maybe, if I could somehow flip the image of his existing hand, then I wouldnt have to start from scratch.


    Next barrier, a way to recreate that image in the soul forge, using soul forge. My expectation is that a full soul-copy of the limb will be extremely detailed, and would need a lot of work to recreate such a thing with soul fragments. Even if I have a lot of soul fragments, my concern here is whether I have the correct tools and means to recreate it, and how long will it take?


    Andstly, even if I could recreate the hand in a soul form using the soul fragments, I would need to figure out a way of urately joining it all together, and then heal it in such a way that he would have a functional arm. I still dont know even if I created the hand correctly, whether healing would somehow regenerate a hand with all the necessary bones, muscles, blood vessels and stuff. I have taken the assumption that magic will handle it, but I do want to minimise that risk.


    Lastly, what if there are things I don''t know, maybe there are other details that I can''t see because I am not using the right equipment.


    [Skill upgraded : Bib healing pod]


    Jura thinks healing his hand is going to be easier than breaking level 80, but I think both of these challenges are equally difficult.

 Savepoints

    Savepoints


    Year 80 Month 12


    The news of demons from the distantnds trickled in. More rifts have been spotted, but the military remains fully in control and have been suppressing the demons from the rifts, though, perhaps the military is greatly downying the threat of the demons. So, for now, our part of the world remained safe.


    The reason were all generally suspicious of the good news, is because the kingdoms are stockpiling resources, whether this is due to habit as a precaution from all prior demonic wars, or a sign of true distress, we still do not know. In past instances, trade lines get disrupted, and sources of food be unreliable, so it could be that theres really nothing, and some of these kingdoms are just being prudent, preparing for the worst.


    Still, its infectious, so New Freekas also in a mood for preparations, the council hired more soldiers, conducted extensive training for their militia and also stockpiled food. They also tried to run a campaign to smear the Orders name, especially on the way we spend money, and to some extent, it did convince the regr citizens.


    But, we didnt part with the Orders money. Instead, we decided to spend the money on new walls and defensive towers.


    This is partly because I have a good range of defensive skills, and I wanted to make use of them. We build an outer wall a short distance away from New Freeka, and its filled with trees on both sides of the wall. The skill [Reinforce Defensive Structure] created a vine-based structural reinforcement with sharp thorns on the outside of the wall, and [carnivorous nts] and [cactus defense system] as traps.


    The walls are separated into segments by defensive watchtowers. Next to that, I would have [subsidiary trees] filled with beetles, and they function as watchposts and the beetles patrolled the walls. In front of that, we ced some subsidiary trees with [shield generators], to blockrge projectiles.


    This whole thing was Trevor and Ivys suggestion. Ivy listened in on military defensive strategies from other nations, and coted the information and put forth this suggestion.


    Which I think works for therge hordes. If its going to be arge army of hounds, the wall will work swimmingly well.


    Still, the core issue with demons are their demonic champions. Like the massive golems, or therge centipedes, with opponents like that, these reinforced walls are not going tost very long.


    On that front, the n will be anti-demon weapons. Its been something Ive been hatching since the previous battle with the champion.


    Magical wooden spears, filled with all the anti-demon abilities I have, also made with damage boosting essences, and all the holy-enchantments I can get from the priests and mages in New Freeka. And I will use to cap my [super anti-demon root strike]. I even managed to weave a bit of [star mana] into it, and hopefully thatll make the difference. It worked before, so, I think itll work again.


    This time, Im going to stockpile a whole load of these anti-demon weapons, and store them. If the heroes are going toe around, theyll probably do crazy tricks like that again.


    You could make a sword like that?


    Huh?


    The anti-demon weapons you are making. Could I get one? You did take my sword... you know.


    Oh. Ah yes. I need to make a weapon for Jura. But these are wooden... spears? I show him one of the spears, and well, its massive, after all, its made for me. They are bigger than ance, and so its really heavy. It works for me, because their wooden nature means my roots merge with their other end, and this is thergest size my roots can handle. The size helps, because you could fit more spells into bigger things, without having to increase theplexity of the spell or use more magicallypatible materials, which may not work with my roots.


    He touches them, and he looks quite impressed. So this is what Madeus and the group of priests been doing for the past week... enchanting this?


    Yeah. I can make a wooden sword, but I doubt it can carry the same quantity of enchantments as theserge multiyered wooden uh.. Bolts.


    Ill take it. I would like it to have anti-demon effects too. I might need it.


    Well true. Maybe I should outfit Horns, Lausanne and the rest with anti-demon weapons as well.


    So, I went and made wooden weapons for them.


    Ooooooo this is new, you didnt show me this before. Me pokes her head when I was growing wooden weapons using [woodcrafting].


    I didnt?


    You didnt use it much, or if you did, I wasnt there.


    I used it to make toys and furniture. I made Lausannes toys with this, and the ypen is made using this.


    Oh. True,e to think of it, that exins where a lot of your toolse from. Me stares a bit too closely at the little growing sword, and she pokes it. Now that shes got a physical body, shes frequently walking around New Freeka.


    So, I made more wooden weapons, swords, spears and stuff. The process of making wood-weapons is actually quite time consuming, because for them to have aparable strength to a regr metal weapon, I actually cheat, meaning, I use irons and other metals harvested via my roots, and infuse them into the wood itself, the wood using them to form a kind of metallic frame in their structure.


    But thats not enough, so I would then infuse [essences]. I have elemental essences, strength essences, life essences, and adding essences strengthens the overall weapon. The best part of essences is that they can coexist with magical enchantments, for small weapons like a sword or a spear (rtively speaking), they can take one or two enchantments, more if I embed jewels in them.


    But since I dont have many magical enchantments, I use the only one I have, [lesser holy enchantment].


    Cool weapon. Me nods, looking at mypleted wooden sword. Its almost ck in color because of the essences used, in terms of sharpness and strength its above a regr steel sword. Its no super-sword, but eh.


    Jura tries to swing it around, and nods. Hmmm... the weight distribution feels a little weird. Probably need a bit of getting used to. But I suppose its good enough.


    He still likes his own steel sword.


    Mes also examining Juras new dark-wood sword, now that its done.


    Mika, you like swords? Jura asks, Mika is Mes name in New Freeka, and Jura thinks Mes one of my artificial souls, like Horns. Me didnt want to be known as a former hero. Theres just too much baggage, so a new name. Alexiss new name is Alix, but for now, nobody can see her except myself and Me.


    A bit. I think theyre quite cool. I generally like things made of wood.


    Jura nods, I see. It makes sense, treefolks like wood stuff too. But dont you find it weird, in a way. Its like an elf admiring a weapon made of elf-bones. I would be somewhat creeped out.


    Eh, I dont see it like that. If your entire life you were brought up that this is what your species does, you wouldnt think its strange.


    Jura pauses, nods. I see.


    The two chatted for a while, mostly talking about swords.


    TreeTree, you should fuse an artificial soul into a sword. You could make a talking-sword! Me casually said, she also takes a swing out of the new sword. Its a little too heavy for her, so after a swing or two, she gave it back to Jura.


    Eh.


    I feel like Ive had a stump rammed into me.


    Thats... thats.... actually quite a good idea. But then the poor artificial soul is stuck in a sword, and what if he doesnt want to be in there? What if the sword breaks?


    But those are minor challenges. Its an idea worth exploring. Its been 2 years since I made Ivy, so I already have enough fragments for more artificial souls, just need to check whether I have enough potatopower...


    [59,400 normal trees. 5,630 subsidiary trees. One leyline. Currently have enough power to support a total of 11 artificial souls]


    Oh. Theres really a lot of trees now, since... well.. Its peaceful.


    Now let me think...


    -


    Back to Juras arm. Well, I had Jura sit down and go for a full scan in the bib again, this time, specifically the one inside my body. And then, when he did, I pulled the power from the soul forge and used it to get a scan.


    Now that I have some idea what I need, based on my experience with the hamster-monster, Im trying to recreate that sort of data.


    And well, it works. But its a far longer scan that the usual bib, which takes about 2 hours. I had to sedate Jura and put him in sleep, since the mana from the soulforge had to scan the arm.


    To use my earlier analogy, the bib is an X-ray, and the soul-forge is an MRI, and now, the mana from the soul forge is entering the hand to collect data on how Juras existing body looks like. And because it goes section by section, it took Jura the whole day.


    When he woke up, he was not too pleased.


    I was asleep for a day!


    Sorry, didnt expect it tost so long...


    I mean... you should tell me first, I had work back in the Order!


    Uhm...


    Laufen, who came to check on Jura, smiled. No worries I postponed all your meetings and briefings to tomorrow. I figured they understand that youve got a personal life, and that involves seeing your healers. Honestly, some of those issues, I told them to deal with it themselves...


    Its just a day. I thought to myself, I sleep for weeks sometimes. and I have my 3 lovely artificial minds running things on my behalf. Looks like the Order needs to delegate more.


    Jura nodded, Fine, fine.


    Let me look through the results, Ill let you know.


    The scan is a lot more detailed than the ones from the bib pods, but its missing something.


    Maybe this too is iplete.


    So I tried putting my two scans together, the one from the bib pods and from this soul-forge powered scan. I needed some additional processing power from the root-brainplexes, so I had to temporarily tap on their root-brains for a bit more mental juice.


    Suddenly, a string of notifications appeared in my head. It seems theres a whole load of upgrades avable for the internal soulforge chamber, but will require me to build or grow certain things.


    [Secret hideout : Internal Soulforge Chamber upgrades]


    [Upgrade - Dedicated root-brainplex - to support higher resolution data-analysis of souls & storage of scan output]


    Wait. This reminds me of something I didnt finish...


    ----


    A ton of gold and a ton of quartz? And all these crystals and stuff? The men looked amazed at the order.


    Thatll cost us quite a bit of our revenue. One of the treasurers said. Well need to dig into our reserves, then...


    The Master of Ceremonies opened his arms wide, Our reserves are meant for moments like this, when Aeon calls on us to meet his demands, do you not answer?


    The men gulped. The treasurer shook her head, and nodded. Certainly.


    Go, before Aeon finds uscking.


    Year 81 Month 1


    Hows the preparations?


    Shouldnt you not care about this anymore? Jura asked, he parried a vertical sh from Lausanne and then ducked, to dodge another Initiates horizontal sh.


    I cant. You know I care. Yvon answered, shes sitting on a bench, watching Jura spar with Lausanne and the Initiates.


    Didnt see the walls? Jura jumped, and he elbowed the young initiate on the chest. The initiate wore a wooden breastte, all of them did. It makes them look a bit like a wooden knight. It cracked. The initiate is out.


    I did, but you know walls alone do nothing.


    Havent visited them? Jura ducked, Lausanne momentarily vanished and emerged behind him.


    But Jura blocked it anyway.


    Good move, [Shadow stab]. But you tend to appear right behind me, its predictable.


    Lausannes sword bent, and it curved towards Juras head. He grabbed it with a reinforced wooden hand, and with a strong yank, pulled the sword out of Lausannes hand. Lausanne protested. Its a spar!


    You used two skills, so I retaliated.


    Its a handicapped spar!


    Rest. We can continueter. Lausannes still a bit upset, but she did as she was told. Shes close to the initiates now.


    Jura walked to Yvon, and grabbed a drink from a wooden sk.


    Where were we? Oh yes, the walls. I thought you would have visited them. Didnt you?


    I did. Yvon looked at the girls. All of them are young, Lausannes the oldest at 11. The rest is between 6 to 9.


    Not enough?


    Yeah. My own sources tell me nasty things. About massive armies in the southern continent popping out of the hills, ravaging cities and setting up camps. I fear for us, whether we can survive that.


    I wouldnt worry too much. The Orders making preparations, and so is TreeTree. Hes making a whole load of preparations. Even the councils busy preparing for the demons. As a whole, were doing fine.


    Yvon paused, breathed a long sigh. Is there something underground?


    Oh? Is there?


    You dont know about it? Yvon looks puzzled. Then... is TreeTree... doing something? All these tremors and shaking. Is it not him?


    Doesnt sound like its rted to what I know, though. Jura shrugged. He motioned to the initiates. Anyway, times up! Three initiates this time. Lausanne, you sit out and watch!


    Lausanne raised a fist.


    More spars. The girls and Jura would spar a few times that day. The initiates benefited the most, since theyckbat experience. Lausanne, on the other hand, is starting to teau. Im not sure how it works, but it sure seems like there is a limit how much one can gain experience from fighting the same person over and over, even if the gap is huge.


    Yvon asked during one of the other breaks. Do you think we can beat a demon champion?


    What?


    You, and me. Yvon pointed to herself.


    Hmm... No. Jura shook his head.


    Why not?


    Have you ever faced one in battle, Yvon?


    ...no.


    I have. Were quite good. Both of us. But a demon champion... I dont think we are there yet. Not without TreeTrees powers.


    How is it that TreeTree is able to defeat demons anyway? Ive never heard of a Tree Spirit thats able to defeat demons. Its... unlike their nature.


    Jura paused. Thats a question I do not ask.


    You should. Theres something, isnt it? Maybe hes some kind of unique anti-demon variant sent down by the gods?


    This is a conversation that I dont want to have, Yvon.


    Yvon hmphed. Fine. But you are his spokesperson, you should know.


    "I am fine with other people having secrets, Yvon. I am not a young teenage elf who''s obsessed with everything anymore."


    "It''s not the same. You could lose your life."


    "Lives have been lost for far pettier things, Yvon. Let''ss leave it at that.


    Yvon sulked.


    -


    Research Status:


    Beetle - anti-magma armors stage 4 - 4 months


    Metal hyperumtor trees - Stage 1 - 6 months


    Phytoremediation process - basic - 16 months


    Dedicated Filtering ckwater-nt - stage 1 -pleted


    WIth the ckwater filtering nt researchplete, I now have a specialised tree type, derived from the trees near the sewers of Ransh.


    New Freekas sewer project is still under construction, so this tree is a bit early. Thanks to the budget reallocation to the military, the New Freeka Sewer Project is now crawling, with less than half the original workforce and artisans.


    Meh. But I didnt want the Order to fund the project, so I deployed some of these new [Filtering Trees] near the presenttrines. These trees help segregate the contaminated water, such that only filtered water passes through.


    Poop is generated daily. Daily. It grows. And it must have some way of being recycled or processed. Reluctant to use the Order''s funds, I decided to get the newly obtained [Dungbeetles] to dig a subterranean tunnel, to act as a ''wastetunnel'' for a designated spot, where the poop is aired and sun-dried. My hope is, the sun and air could kill or allow natural microbes to partially process the poop, and my future poop-processor trees will be able to do the rest.


    The [Dungbeetles] rolled the poop into balls, and over the month, they pushed massive balls of rolled-up poop to a field outside town, where they remain. It kinda resembles a futuristic art instation, a field of round balls of poop.


    Thankfully the rain didn''t break it up. Seems like the poopballs have some water-resistance.


    Or maybe I could use them as a weapon. Roll these balls of poop into the enemy, like a bowling ball.


    Oh well, this is a temporary measure, while research continues.


    -


    "Okay, we decided on helping the heroes... but what are we going to do? I am already eavesdropping on my guests, and it seems like the heroes are not here yet." Me frowned, she sat on the bar in her hotel-tree, Alexis appeared as a ghost on the other seat. There''s no one else in the bar.


    "Ive got magic sensors, so thats going to help a bit when they do appear. Ive used what I remember of our own magic to calibrate the sensors, but they keep having false rm, so Im still trying to tweak it...


    But seriously, even if we do locate the next batch of heroes, then what? Im a hotel, and you are a treeb. What can we do? Without TreeTree, at least. Hes got subsidiary trees!


    Cant you get subsidiary trees like TreeTree? Like.. Hotel Chains?


    Yes I can, but its like a level 80 upgrade. Im only level 41! And even then Im limited to 2 branches initially.


    Thats pretty fast, considering you just started... but yeah. It is a bit risky... if the demon king pops out in another year or so, and the heroes 3 to 6 months after that... Weve only got like... 2 years to gain that 39 levels. Alexis twirls a drink. It seems Mes bar is ghost-friendly.


    I can make drinks and foods that makes my guests stronger. And as part of a hotels hospitality services, I do have some healing abilities. I have a [VIP escort] unlock at level 50, but Im not sure whether thats any help to the heroes. Me looks at her upgrades. It seems she has visibility of what skills she will gain, up till level 100. Something which I have yet to figure out why, but Im guessing its part of the hero-blessings.


    Hmmm... fine. Lets do a recap, maybe we can figure something out. In terms of potentially useful abilities, I have [probe beetles], [magical sensors], [decipher runes], [copy biological ability], [life-scan], multiple versions of [heal]. Alexis said. We have a lot of healing.


    Our physical forms are both derived from TreeTree, and TreeTrees got incredible healing powers.


    Ngeh... You shouldve taken the beetle. Or the wooden body. Alexis frowned.


    But that [copy biological ability]... what does that do?


    Pretty much transnt an ability native to a living thing, to another entity. But, copying is one thing, after copying I get a [ability seed]. Then I need to create a [fruit] with the [ability seed].


    So... what can you copy?


    Native racial abilities. Like the beetles, that would be [armored body], elves, [nature-affinity], centaurs, [centaurion endurance].


    Cool! You can give that to the heroes!


    You could be right, but then I just realised, the heroes dontck overpowered abilities. Theyck...


    Experience. Knowledge. Other people to take the heat off them. True friends, not scheming nobles and greedy adventurers. People... that wont backstab them. Me sipped from her wooden cup.


    Alexis paused, and she looked up at the chandelier. Its weird having a magical chandelier on top of the bar, but its one of the aesthetic options Me has to decorate her hotel. The chandelierprises of almost 20 little glowing lights, and multiple merchants have inquired about it, to buy it from her.


    Me waited. Theres no one else in the bar, but a few autonomous Tree-servants, cleaning the rest of the tables and adjusting the chairs. Its quiet, the bars quite soundproof.


    Youre right. They dont need more power or abilities. They need friends.


    Doesnt have to be us, though. And they wont trust us just because wee from Earth, and frankly, I dont think I want to tell them that we are from Earth. Maybe... we need to narrow our scope, as it is, helping the heroes is probably out of our league.


    Alexis tapped on the bar countertop. Its ghost-friendly. True. But we do need to find them. They will be most vulnerable at the start. Itll be horrible if...


    Dont say it. Me red.


    Alexis nodded, I know.


    Your probes, can theymunicate?


    Ill find a way.


    But if they dont spawn in this continent...


    Then its out of our control. They wont be thest batch of heroes, this n can be used for all subsequent generations, if it works.


    Me nodded. Ah, true. I would have more branches by then. If I have branches on different continents, they could be like assassin safe houses, like you know, that John Wick film. I''d be a brand name, like the Continental..."


    "That, wasn''t something I would expect you to reference, Me."


    "But heroes do need a safe house of some kind. A ce to keep their stuff. I''ve got a niche I can fill!"


    Alexis frowned. "How... how about me?"


    "You... you could make weapons? Or be like those skill-editing NPCs in the safe areas?"


    -

 The path to hell

    The path to hell


    Year 81 Month 2


    Spring began. A strange structure, spotted emerging from one of the rifts in our continent. Massive, it resembles a giant walking tortoise with a castle on its back.


    Any attempts to approach has been met with stiff resistance from new types of humanoid demons.


    "Uh... what do you think?" Jura read the circr from the merchants guild. It advised alternative routes of trade. Somehow, the merchants guild''s trade routes circr is one of the best updates on the demonic invasion.


    "Sounds like a champion." Me said.


    "Arge walking castle."


    "If TreeTree could walk, we''d have a Walking Tree versus Walking Castle fight."


    "Ugh no." I groaned. "Not keen on that." Besides, I lose a lot of power and my consciousness the moment I am no longer connected to the earth, so, not exactly keen. "But it does sound like a... champion?"


    "How far is it?" Me asked.


    "Not far enough." Jura smiled.


    "ording to the circr, they predict... maybe 4 months?" The merchant guild circr came with a map, and it has a shaded heatmap, resembling a hurricane path kind of map. The merchants use this information for trade-route nning, and there''s a small disimer saying the information is not guaranteed and demonic movements are unpredictable. The merchants guild bears no responsibility for any loss or damage arising from the use of these maps.


    "Should we do anything?" I asked the group present.


    "Against demon champions..." Madeus paused. "We would need to get the temples'' aide. Else we stand no chance."


    "The Gaya temple and the otherrge temples are already mobilising their best priests and pdins to the capitols. I doubt we would get much aid from them, their resources are limited." Wesley, the senior priest responded. "And for them to aid another... uh... faith, is weird."


    Yeah, we''re kinda like a faith now, with me as the ''deity''. I still found it weird, but apparently that is what the temples say, since I have rituals, priests, and a focal point. I hope I don''t get ssified as a cult, though for now the temples ssify the Order as a ''folk-faith.'' A kind of animistic ''religion''.


    "So we are on our own."


    "Oh well, nothing different then." I have been making my own preparations for demon champions, I just did not expect it to be... a walking castle.


    Madeus then went off tangent, "Ermm... if I may, Aeon? I would like to request we offer refuge."


    "To who?"


    "Uh... somebody from Baroosh got in touch with me yesterday. The demonic forces are very close to where they are, and although the army is trying their best to hold back the demons, it seemed the presence of this monster has tipped the scales in the demons'' favour."


    Ah Baroosh. That''s where Madeus is from. They exiled him, didn''t they? Looks like he still has some positive feelings for his former state.


    "Many of them are still friends. And they want a backup n, if the Barooshian army can''t hold them back."


    "Jura?" I wanted to add some conditions, but I thought of asking for views.


    "We could amodate, but they are guests, so they would be expected to behave themselves and follow our rules." Hmm, looks like Jura has sinr thoughts.


    "Certainly, I will ry the message." Madeus nodded.


    "Back to us, what should we do?"


    "The walls are not going to hold if a massive monster like that can just... walk through it."


    "TreeTree, that... dungeon we attacked. Is it still there?"


    "Yeah."


    "Can we convert it into a shelter? And I recall there was a deep tunnel from the giant demonic centipede?"


    "The tunnel is now home to beetles and fungus, but I can make some space. The former dungeon is empty. I think there''s rats, but that shouldnt be a problem?"


    "Then it is decided. We need to start convert these 2 locations into fortified shelters. If we can''t fight, we need to hide."


    Theres an ufortable look around the group. A realisation that this is going to be it. Demons are real.


    Should we tell the people?


    Vice Counsel Laufen nodded. Yes. If this is going to be hideout, its best if everyone knows about it.


    Even those outside the order?


    Yes. Were not going to pick survivors when demonse around. Laufen insisted, before anyone could respond. Whoever gets to the shelters deserve a chance.


    The group discussed other matters, usual administrative, trade and training stuff, and they left when the sun was starting to set.


    TreeTree. The... [secret hideout], youre not willing to let anyone go in.


    Yes. As I said before, its only for all of you. The most Im willing to amodate is in the outer [subsidiary trees], and those for the people I trust. Its a risk, and frankly, after what happened with the druids, I feel I should be more careful with whoever gets toe near me, what more inside me.


    It is unfortunate that some lives will be lost this way, but I think my own self-preservation trumps that. I can''t save everyone, and I don''t n on trying.


    Laufen sighed. Im not sure whether shes happy or sad. Your [secret hideout] is probably one of the safest ces this valley has, though.


    If I still stand. But I believe the 2 options are pretty good. The tunnels dont require me, and the dungeons been reinforced. The rootworks shouldst for at least a few months before the spatial magic starts to copse on itself. Its probably a good idea to get the builders working on it.


    -


    One of the things when disaster happens, is that people pray. Its not my first time to receive prayers, but there is something about impending death that causes more people to pray. Some of these citizens pray to every god, even if they only profess to one, some, even pray to me.


    Not all behave this way, of course. Some be more devout in times of crisis, putting in a bit more offerings, going for more blessings and masses.


    But, this... behavior, lead to something thats new to me. Throughout New Freeka and the valley there are about 7 tree of prayers. One in the Treefolks vige, One up on the slopes of the Centaur camps, and the remaining 5 in New Freeka itself, mostly in the Orderspounds, thess function as mini-shrines.


    [Tree of prayer upgraded]


    [Tree of prayers calming presence significantly improved. Those around more likely to express their grievances. Tree of prayer gains ability to extract some negative emotions and converts them into essence]


    I mostly listen, after all theres no real need to interact. I think to a certain extent, most of these citizens know what they want to do with their lives, but anxiety, fear, and worries just cloud their minds, so... they need a ce to vent, to rx, to just think in peace. So, if I could talk back, thats not exactly something pleasing.


    Instead, the Tree of Prayer just bobs its branches, the leaves shakes, and asionally a small fruit will down on right on the personsp, kinda like, hey-I-heard-you-have-a-fruit. The fruits just a regr fruit, its sweet, though, so... most of them eat it, some of them actually disy it in their homes. Which is creepy.


    Anyway, the amount of too-much-information when people are poured their hearts out in their prayers and whispers is... well, immeasurable. Seriously. Elves, centaurs, treefolks, all still have their emotional problems, their professional challenges, financial and money issues. It may be a magical world, but problems are persistent across worlds.


    The [Tree of Prayers] have an odd side effect, which is... it remembers the prayers. Especially those who pray often, regrly over the same thing.


    Its an annoying side effect. Because Id suddenly remember who-and-who cheated on who-and-who and I dont need that sort of telenove in my tree life.


    I tell myself that its a public service, and it helps to keep the citizens pacified. Like my other services, the birth and death services-


    We should have more. Ivy suggested.


    Huh?


    Theyre good intel, it helps me with my dossier. Ivys like a real spymaster now. If you could create one in Ransh, that would be ideal.


    ...thats a great idea.


    On the Sh side of things, theyve finally responded to Juras letter. There was a follow up letter sent two months ago, just lightly reminding the kingdom of the official letter sent a year ago.


    So, it seems they picked someone to be the scapegoat.


    An unfortunate administrator and some of his subordinates was identified as the mastermind of the massacre, and he will be transported to New Freeka.


    A scapegoat.


    Could really be him, we have to interview him to know for sure. The prisoner convoy will be escorted, and they will arrive in a month. Jura shrugged. Well, lets see whates out of this.


    Perhaps he has a passing involvement.


    I would think so, Sh isnt that stupid to surrender someone with totally no involvement. The point is to sacrifice the tail to spare the head, so the real mastermind of such ughter is spared.


    It could be its just some Prince up there, who just goes, burn the rebels, and everyone down there just carries it out. Madeus chimed in. Its verymon for royalties to say things without actually thinking about the lives lost.


    You say that like its... an everyday thing. Me/Mika frowned.


    Yes, Mika. That is indeed how the kings and royalties are. Our role as their servants and subordinates is to understand our liege, and guess what they truly desire. We cannot always take the words of our King for what it is.


    At that point, I think to myself, that sounds like insubordination or treason.


    After all, our King has a wish, a desire, and sometimes, the words he has cannotmunicate that will, though some kings have [skills] that help with that.


    Jura raised a hand and everyone quiet down. Let us not specte, we will wait for whoever they sent. TreeTree, I must trouble you to help us in our interrogation. Would you happen to have those... tree saps from long ago? The ones that makes them... delirious.


    Of course. Ill make some. It wasnt hard to make different kinds of tree saps, regr nts make poisons and allergy-triggering saps all the time, so its easy peasy for a magic tree. In fact, I should totally infuse more magic into it.


    Anyway, back to Ivy.


    Ivy, you suggested to have a [tree of prayer] in Ransh?


    Yes master. These people seem to confess their challenges to the Tree so easily. Why go through all the trouble of spying when they are more than willing to tell a tree? There''s nothing to lose, and if anything, we gain insights into the human mind.


    ...fine. But where and how should we do it?


    New Freeka can make a goodwill gift, since they gave this scapegoat to us. Then manipte the officials to nt the sapling in a public park, which we can then rece with the [tree of prayer]. Call it the [New Freeka - Sh friendship tree].


    That sounded like something politicians do back on Earth, but I think it could work.


    I could make a sapling-sized [tree of prayer].


    And so, Jura arranged for a small sapling of a [tree of prayer], to be sent as a gift. Its sent, nted in arge vase so that the [tree of prayer] doesnt die, escorted by the [arborist]. Since Hutan sent a tree-caretaker, it made sense to call on his services for such transportation duties.


    -


    The merchantspleted their big deal, and the demanded goods finally delivered.


    Good job. Now leave them here. Wesley and the Master of Ceremonies pointed to a ce. The workers start to unload.


    Just... leave them here? The merchants stuttered. The Master of Ceremonies nodded, the jewels and gold unloaded.


    Yes. Beetles start to emerge from the woods, and some start to tug at the shipment. The merchant wanted to say something and pointed to the beetles, and the Master of Ceremonies smiled. The shipment is for the Tree Spirit, and it is time for us to leave.


    The Master of Ceremonies and a few of the Orders men start to walk. The merchants, still a bit shocked by the beetles that are pulling the shipments into the tunnels that suddenly appeared. Uhh... uhh... this is fine?


    Have you not done business for tree spirits before? Wesley grinned.


    Aaaa... of.. Of course I have. The merchant tried to straighten himself up. Procuring the gold and hiring arge escort, only to put them in an empty spot for beetles... Its a first, for sure.


    After everyone leaves, the beetles continue unpacking the goods in thework of tunnels underneath my trees. I created these tunnels recently, because realising how vulnerable I am, I wanted some of the structures to be underground, and that is.. The 10 new root-brainplexes, and the Grand Mind Tree project.


    [Grand Mind Trees construction has begun. 18 months topletion]


    Year 81 Month 3


    The updates from the merchantwork increases in frequency, especially from the Western Theatre head office. Two towns were lost in a month, arge army of demons escorted the walking demon castle wherever it went, and throughout the continent, the demons have been spotted in more locations.


    "One of our merchants were attacked. Half his convoy was destroyed, but luckily a party of riders managed toe to their aid!"


    "Are we not far away?"


    "Well... it seems the demons now have small raiding parties, targeting weak spots and gaps in the nations defenses. It''s a very... uh... kingdomish tactic."


    The raiding parties are 100 to 200 demons strong, popted by mounted humanoid demons on hellhounds.


    "Don''t Kings and many generals have some kind of [Watcher] ability?" Jura asked. "I had the impression Kings have ways of watching over their territories."


    "Well, yes, but such skills are not exactly... detailed."


    The Council deployed multiple 200 strong militia patrols, to help protect the trade routes, but honestly, I would know. My [subsidiary trees] function like my watchtowers, failing that, there''s the [roo] so if there is anything, I would like to think that I am the first to know the presence of demons near New Freeka.


    But with demons, one can never be too careful, so I spread out my beetles to a few locations around, as an additional protection force.


    This month, I added more to my anti-demon bolts and more weapons for the elves and the Order. In fact, this upied most of my time, my preparations to face the demon champions. And made a whole load more bolts and weapons.


    [Woodcrafting upgraded]


    [Skill learned : Wooden Anti-demon equipment-crafting]


    [Essence infusion upgraded]


    More! More bolts. Spears. Shields. More!


    "What if it''s the demon king?" Jura asked.


    "Then we die." If I could shrug, the demon king is as close to a death sentence, isn''t it? If the heroes can die, how can we face it? I don''t think some anti-demon shield is going to survive a nuclear explosion.


    Anyway, demon king not here yet. So that''s not something to worry about.


    "Heh. I guess we will all run."


    "Yes. On that front, maybe we should be preparing like Madeus''s friends. Tell the Hutan council druids to grant you safe passage, aspensation. Just in case."


    Jura paused. "Okay."


    "I will be fine. I want you to take everyone as far as you can if a demon kinges our way. Arrange for some kind of teleportation..."


    "I''ll speak to Madeus about it..." Jura sat on his chair. "This feels... morbid."


    "Why? Staring death in the face sounds morbid?"


    "Not that. We vigers used to live and let live. Things happen, and then we react to it. For me, having to predict what might happen and then try to prevent or prepare for it..."


    "Unusual."


    "Yes. It''s a strange thing to do. Plotting and nning. The most we n for, was when to nt our crops, and when to build houses. And even then, we defer to the wisdom of our elders or tree spirits."


    "It is the burden of those who lead, to see what lies ahead, and to guide them. Know that your actions will determine whether your friends and family lives, or dies." Is that me? Where did such TreeTree wisdome from?


    Jura slumped on his chair. "That is a mindset I am stilling to terms with. Truly, only when faced with demons I realise how heavy this burden is."


    "Everyone prepares for it. This is just on arger scale, with more yers. It was once about how much stronger you can be, but now, it is about how much stronger the Order is."


    Jura paced the room and had a sip of ginger vored tea. I think he prefers ginger tea over the other vors. Me''s been experimenting on tea vors as a specialty drink for her morning and lunch crowds, so she has funky vors like Garlic Tea, Herbal Mint Tea, Grape-Ginger tea.


    "Ahhhh." Jura stretched. It''s tiring.


    A knock and then a voice from outside the door. "Counsel, the suspect is awake." There is a small prison in the Order''spound, located beneath one of the buildings. It''s lightly guarded, there''s just two beetles there.


    The Sh''s scapegoat.


    "Yes. I ordered the burning. I was the officer in charge of the military draft for that region." He said, when interrogated. He tried to put up a brave face, but it seemed like he''s hiding something.


    Jura looked. So did everyone else, behind the bars. The elves shared a nce, and one of them, Emile started to cry. Somehow it brought out a strange emotion in her heart.


    A vine administered the hallucinatory sap I''ve prepared.


    Jura sat, facing the officer. "I ask you again, did you order the burning of Freeka."


    "Yes... yes I did." He said. Something isn''t right.


    So he went into the bib pod, for testing. Hmmm...


    His soulspring looked fine. The skills are okay... If he is lying, or being forced to, there should be something to hint at the truth. I would have to go deeper, and call on the powers of the soul forge.


    Knocked unconscious, a few beetles help to transport his body into the main pod in my main body. With it, I use the soul forge''s power to pry into the outer soul shell.


    What I saw was the usual human soul, semi-translucent, but in that soul''s head, there was a small bluish blob.


    As I attempted to alter or touch it, a strong force repelled me.


    [Blocked by Oath]


    Huh?


    It seems there''s no progress here either, and it looks like he''s not under the influence of magic.


    "Is he lying?" Jura asked.


    "I have no clue." The oath could have nothing to do with the burning. Or it could be key.


    It looks like I have to use other means of interrogation, so I subject him to some more hallucinogens and rxants.


    With my vines wrapped around him, I use an authoritative version of my telepathic voice.


    "You died." I spoke to the prisoner, now in a daze because of the crazy cocktail of hallucinogens, rxants and other stuff.


    "I... I have? How?" He asked, he iled his arms.


    "Poison. Died in your sleep."


    "Ah... so that''s what they were feeding me. Why am I looking at a scary looking Tree? Is this hell?"


    "Yes. This is the entrance to hell. You died near a Tree Spirit, so this is where you will depart to hell."


    He paused, and looked confused. "I still feel... a pulse?"


    "What made you think hell would not have a pulse?"


    "Ah... so I might not be dead?"


    "It''s amon mistake. When you die, your soul goes to this other [soul realm], awaiting reincarnation. During that waiting time, life goes on normally."


    He paused. "Uh... okay."


    "So, please wait. There''s a long queue to enter hell, so it will take some time. Make yourself feelfortable here." I don''t know how sessful this will be, but I am going to overload his body with so much of these saps that he''s going to lose his grasp with reality.


    "Heh... there''s a queue to hell?"


    "Everyone''s a sinner. So it''s naturally the path to hell is extremely crowded, and why we have demons so often. Since we are on this topic, would you like to confess your sins?" That was a whole load of bullshit but he bought it.


    He paused, and he starts to break down, shouting and weeping. I am not sure whether he realised it, but I increase the dosage a bit more.


    He started talking about how many people he killed, the people he betrayed, the families he lost. It''s kind of like we''re having a session of [Tree of Prayer] confessions.


    He talked for a good one hour, alternating between breaking down, crying, and anger.


    But then I got what I wanted. "I... It is just fair that I died this way. I sent the army to burn the vige. I mean, the Commander said that dissenters should be punished... but maybe I did go overboard. I gained levels in [Authoritarian] when I ordered all those viges burnt. I... I was drowning in joy when I gained levels. The skills were powerful too! I got a skill like [Submission], which worked so wonderfully with themonerdies!"


    Oh. I expected a scapegoat... but, color me impressed, Sh actually sent the right guy. And a scum, too.


    "But could you fault me? The Commander himself burned many viges to the ground when they rebelled against the King. All of us did. We did what we had to, to enforce order. Fear is key to maintaining control. It was either that or we would be chopped for punishing the viges too lightly."


    Hmmm... looks like maybe not. Its an institutional failure.


    "We burnt many viges. When there was a gue, we culled. When there was a suspected demonologist, we culled the viges. There is no time for proper justice, weck the resources, manpower, and even if we did, there was no way of ensuring justice was properly conducted. Every kingdom did what it felt was right!"


    Uh...


    "Maybe... maybe all of us should just burn to the ground, you know?"


    He sat, surrounded by the vines and roots.


    "I... All of us are sinners. Maybe the Demon King should just crush all of us."


    Did I overdo the tree saps?


    Uh...


    "Say, would I be able to meet the Commander here? Or is he already on the other side? How long a backlog are we talking about?"


    I definitely overdid the tree saps.


    [Skill upgraded : Tree saps]


    [Skill obtained : Condensed Tree Psychedelics]


    [Dream tutor variant obtained. Skill: Psychedelic dreams]


    [Dream tutor variant obtained. Skill: Mystical dreams]


    Announcement span>


    Putting the <i>trees</i>, in trees :) Now I wonder whether TreeTree should go all Poppy/opium War on the other kingdoms...


    Anyway,tely I have been obsessed by other story ideas, so I am thinking of taking a bit time off to write out these other ideas. So uh... maybe expect a slower frequency?

 Escalation

    Esction


    Year 81 Month 4


    The war in the Barooshian territories deteriorated. The presence of the walking demon castle greatly hindered all attempted progress, and even with high level individuals, the demons have now deployed ''knights''.


    These demons have been described as elites, capable of standing up to a level 40 elite soldier toe to toe, and are described as humanoid horned demons, usually with onerge unnaturally crimson wing. They have been seen wielding spears, swords, axes and many other types of melee weapons.


    "No rifts near our location yet." The captain borated. It''s a once every other day meeting, to gather data on the demons. They areing, and well, everyone''s feeling a little tense.


    "That''s of nofort. We are just waiting." Jura sighed.


    One of the merchants want to meet, Counsel.


    Huh. Sure.


    A merchant walked into Juras office chambers. Salutations Counsel. Ill get to the point. The merchant guilds is trying to build a coalition force to protect key trade routes, especially those that cut through the kingdoms nearest to the spotted giant demon walker. In exchange for the various nations contributions to the force, led by a group of senior military men, the merchants guild will offer preferential prices on goods well below market rates, and also the rights of first purchases on goods passing through these routes.


    You sure didnt mince words there. Jura sat and thought for a moment. How many men are you talking about? Have you spoken to the high council?


    Yes I have. They are keen, but only if the Order also participates. They will match every person you put in.


    Heh, clever of them. If the Order doesnt participate then we look like scums. Jura sat and twirled a wooden pen. Back to my question, how many men does the guild want?


    Ideally, we want high level individuals. Elites, if possible. Numbers, while it does have its own quality, is not the most suitable countermeasure against a demonic force-of-nature like the giant demon walker.


    I... I need to have some discussions. Come back in two days. The merchant bowed and left.


    Jura turned and called in the management team. Madeus, would you be keen? Im also nning to talk to Yvon. If anything, I would like both of you to participate...


    Madeus shook his head. Im having fun teaching the kids in the Orphanage.


    Well, turns out Yvon also had a simr idea. The Valthorn kids need me. Im not leaving them alone with TreeTree, not without my supervision.


    ---


    Also, now that we know quite certainly the Sh guy is the right guy, Im a bit stuck with what to do.


    Yknow, if he wasnt the right person, its not cool to drug him and make him think he died. How did you n on integrating or undoing the effects of such a powerful hallucination?


    Hmmm, I had a hunch that hes hiding something.


    He could be hiding other things.


    Too bad, Ill just make him think its all a dream. You know, like those exceedingly vivid dreams that you wake up from, wondering what in the world just happened.


    That sounds like the kind of essays I used to write for school. Me grinned.


    When I delivered the message to the elves, that he is the right guy, Laufen stormed up and went to one of the Tree of Prayers to gather her thoughts. Somehow the reality that she faced the person who indirectly caused the death of her husband made her... angry.


    I want to p him many, many times.


    Okay. So the drugged delirious prisoner is freed from his biopod prison, and Laufen pped him many times. In fact, the other elves joined when they saw Laufen started to p the man.


    You! You evil man! Our lives lost just because you felt like it! Laufen pped. I had thought that maybe you had a vendetta, but no. She pped again. We are just. Another p. Another vige to burn. Another p. The guys delirious. The overdose of hallucinogens massively distorted his sense of reality.


    Is this like purgatory? Where I meet those I have sinned and answer for them? He asked.


    Which only made Laufen even more mad. Hell yeah it is. She pped him some more. THe other elves, like Emile and Belle, both just gave him one p. One, big fat p. And thats it.


    They walked away. Because although they are angry, watching Laufens ugly chain of ps made them feel like they needed to be above this.


    All because of some stupid levels! Are our lives all so meaningless and insignificant to these nobles and lords? Laufen pped.


    The guy justughed. Hes lost it really. Yes, my dear. Yes. Actually, even lords and nobles are meaningless. We all die in the end. Everyones just out for themselves and we make life difficult for everyone that is not us.


    Laufen pped him in between those words, so its actually not so coherent. AGGGHHHH. She pped him a few more times, until she stopped and just sat on the ground, and she started to weep.


    Lausanne watched and gave her mom a hug. Mommy... its okay... its okay...


    The guys face is red and blue from all the ps, and I think its time to end it. So, some vines pull the guy back into the pod. Ill keep him for now.


    Laufen still cried, so she didnt respond to my statement. Jura just watched, and he walked away.


    TreeTree... just kill him already. Him being insane and mocking us with that insanity just makes us feel worse.


    Hmm. Well, I kinda figured hes gonna die anyway, but to kill him would be a waste of valuable mortals. He would join the other criminals on death row that Ive reserved for my soul-rted experiments.


    I mean, if the justice system says who and who is to die, might as well contribute to science while dying. Its not as if the manner of death makes a difference. Its a position opposed by Me and Alexis, of course, but they cant stop me.


    If Im going to figure out how to fix Juras arms, I need more experience with all the sophisticated meddling in the [soulforge].


    In the past month, in between creating more of those anti-demon bolts and weapons, Ive been experimenting with creating an arm, and indeed, the first thing I needed was to reverse-engineer the thing that protects a body while undergoing the forge process.


    It seems there is a specific frequency to the mana, kind of like a state in which the mana is able to hold its form despite the maelstrom within the [soul forge], and mastering this process will allow my feelers to interact with the exposed soul fragments in the soul forge.


    So, firstly, the process required the creation of more mana-tuning organs. It took quite a few tries, but its a whole lot easier once I used some of the jewels as regtors. I know this because its part of why jewels are somonly used in magic items, because precious gems and jewels have a kind of mana-storage, mana-stabilising quality to them.


    Essentially, its like a ball of roots organised along a few jewels as nodes, with two feeler ends. Kind of like arge tuning fork, and the length-width of that fork determines the frequency and spin.


    With it, Im then able to coat my feelers with an tuned mana which protects it from the effects of the [soul forge] by about 90-95%. Pretty good, I think.


    Next, was to make simple organs. Using animals as my test case, I tried to make small tails, whiskers, repair ears, repair skin.


    Most of them failed, but Im getting better at the smaller stuff. Rtively speaking.


    I judge my performance by the size of the little animals explosion when healed.


    Year 81 Month 5


    My first encounter with this generations demons. A pack of humanoid demon riders spotted passing through one chain of [subsidiary tree] that stretched up to the previous dungeon hole. The chain of subsidiary trees, with New Freeka Valley as the center, is kind of like a spider.


    They didnt attack my trees. But I moved some beetles to the area, as I watched their actions.


    These demonoids are clearly more intelligent than before. Theres a visible leader, giving some kind of instruction, in anguage I cant fathom. They are setting up an ambush.


    I watched them camp there for 5 days, until a trader caravan approached the area.


    Well, their ambush was countered by an ambush from my beetles. IT went well. Despite their intelligence, their ability to fight is just about... average. A regr demonoid is at the same strength as a regr hellhound. Which isnt much.


    Their leaders much better, it took two beetles to take him down.


    The merchants are struggling to keep certain trade routes with the demons employing such gueri tactics.


    Im impressed that demons have the concept of attacking supply chains.


    Impressed? This is horrifying. We could spot demons a mile a way thanks to their unfettered destruction! Now we cant! Thats not a good thing!


    Hmm... I think we shouldnt overreact. It seems the precautions needed will be simr to bandits, if their raiding parties are so small. A small group of adventurers wouldve been able to defeat that raiding party.


    The threat of the raiding party is small, but the thought that theres potentially sophisticated intelligence behind the demons...


    TreeTree, you said your trees spotted them?


    Yeah.


    Jura paused and sat. The captain then asked... Can we have a perimeter of trees? Would it be possible?


    Uh... no. I cant make that many trees. Four lines as it is, is almost maxed out my [subsidiary tree] quota. Unless I gain levels or the skill gets an upgrade, I dont think I can spam more [subsidiary trees].


    I do have my basic tree-eye, but theres only 10 of those.. And I want to keep those for special ces where I want to see things for myself-


    Trevor interrupted.


    Demons.


    Theres more of them. Trevor said to me.


    What?


    A pack of 300 demons appeared. North. Mostly regr demonoids, but this pack has about 10 of the captain grade demons and 1 mounted knight.


    Beetles? I look at the map, and Trevor points me to the nearest group of 50 or so beetles. Theres another group of 30 beetles further away. Okay, lets group them together.


    They wont make it in time to save that convoy if they do. What? A convoy?


    Trevor changed my vision to see a convoy of 8 carriages, and about 20 merchants. Rmend we send the 50 beetles now, and hopefully the 30 beetles can join the battle midway. Or if you want to intervene directly... with root strikes.


    Heh, Well, Im itching for a fight.


    [Rooting field].


    Roots emerge from a field of grass, and they quickly entangled the group of 300 demonoids. The leaders of the group were able to cut the roots off, and then my squad of 50 beetles arrived. Watching them fight, the beetles charge easily destroy quite a bit of the regr demonoids.


    Except the Knight, it had a ck sword and in a single sh, it cut one of the beetles in half.


    Nooooooooooooo. Horns was upset. Kill that enemy.


    The demon knight cut down a few more beetles. I recall seeing demon knights during the previous war, the demonised humans. But this knight is pure demon, and I would say hes about level... 40? Im not too sure.


    Heh. No point dying.


    [Serpentine Rootstrike].


    Multiple roots appeared and pierced through the demons, like a multi-headed hydra. The knight dodged and cut through some of the roots, but the roots, when cut down, it instead splits into more roots, which attack the knight.


    The knight cuts down more roots, but it kept breaking up into more roots. And then one root speared through the knight from the back.


    And it turns into ash.


    Huh. If the demons can create more knights at that level, the kingdoms are going to have a whole lot of problems.


    -


    Turns out, shits already pretty bad. News from the Southern Continent came, and it aint pretty down south. Another walking castle has been spotted, and theyve overran a few kingdoms. The Southern continent is essentially in a pure-war mode, every nation in the regionbining their forces, where they can, to dy the demons advance.


    These numbers...


    The captain started to read out the merchants guilds report. Are they trying to ask for help? The report had a whole load of numbers on the size of the demon armies. In the southern continent, theyve spotted six different armies with at least 50,000 demons.


    Sounds like it. The merchants guild cant formally request for aid, without the consent of the local kingdoms. At best, they will try to build a coalition, with the local kingdoms, but its something they are already doing...


    Is it normally this bad? I ask the captains. They shrug.


    I dont know, but... its sure messier this time around.


    How many have been disced? Jura wondered. Are we going to get more refugees?


    A lot. With all continents facing some demon issues, the refugees dont really have a lot of choices on where to go.


    What about the inds?


    Hmmm... sounds like they wont be able to run away from the south that easily. So if anything were still going to get Baroosh-ian refugees...


    The elven kingdoms are up north, right? Laufen suddenly asked.


    Yeah. Whyd you ask?


    If Baroosh is in trouble, how about the other elves?


    Madeus paused. I... I believe they would not be in any better shape. The demon walkers massive size and the armys not been defeated yet.


    We need to figure out how to hide. Jura pondered. Its only 6 months into the beginning of the demons, and things are already not great.


    And thats how I spent more time on the underground tunnels. The farmers did already have warmed farmhouses and underground chambers, but I didnt, and I think I may be able to do things... differently.


    The underground tunnels are humid, but no sunlight. Any nts that need to survive here would have to have long roots, and somehow have tubers that store their food in the tunnels, which the refugees can use.


    Using [root tunnels], we built awork of tunnels, with rooms, and with some wood magic and [woodcrafting], made wooden furniture and flooring to make the rooms somewhat habitable. In the event the demons overrun the surface, though, they would need a source of food and water. Its fairly easy to create roots that store some water and food as emergency rations, since I have the [tuberous storage], which, when not storing energy, can be converted into a massive edible potato, and a high-water content potato.


    Preparing for the apocalypse? Me seemed quite interested in all the preparations. I think she recently added a few underground chambers to her hotel, so I think were aligned on that part.


    Yeah. This demon king feels different


    I doubt itll be that different. Maybe its just a change in the minions. The previous demon king we faced was a floating castle.


    Alexis then butted in. I like all these preparations. Reminds me of the kind of nuclear bunkers we have, preparing for eventual doomsday.


    I should add something like that to the basement of my hotel, huh?


    Of course, if a disaster happens, a hotel must have a safe space for its guests! It should be reinforced, and close to imprable. Alexisughed, and Me nodded.


    True... I guess if I wanted to make a hotel like the Continental, it better be a battle-ready hotel.


    You can start by adding a vault, a strong room, an armory... Alexis rattled on a list of things to add.


    Uh... I think were getting sidetracked. Im trying to make habitable hideouts for the citizens, in case things deteriorate. I had to bring the conversation back on track. And if both of you want to help, help me with it.


    Alexis stopped and thought for a moment. Hmmm... itll need some artificial sunlight. Perhaps mana-powered lights, and then with it, grow some kind of vegetables under those lights?


    Oh. Thats kinda like the greenhouse idea again, but indoors.


    So, we tried it out. I got Trevor and Dimitree to help, since Im really kind of tired of doing things on my own, theres just so much to do, so many things to manage.


    We upgraded the tunnels into canister-likepartments, each canister a self-sufficient setup, with a water storage nt, fungi and nt growing area, food storage, and wooden beds. It''s has metal-reinforced wooden pirs and walls, for additional strength and toughness.


    It''s kind of like segments and sections in buildings.


    [New skill acquired : Customisable Roots]


    [Customisable Roots function like the underground equivalents of your customisable branches. Each subsidiary tree now can support one customisable branch and one customisable root. Choosing the customisable roots will shrink the [Tuberous Storage] of that subsidiary tree]


    Oh. Cool?


    "How does it look?"


    Jura and the elves looked around at the newwork of underground housing cum hideouts.


    "Just needs some more lights for additional brightness, but for a war-time hideout, absolutely luxurious."


    "The food supply may be insufficient though, since these things depend on you growing your own vegetables. But at least there is water and the potatoes on the wall are still growing..." The potatoes on a segment of the wall is still linked to the roots. It''s like the ''seed'' of the potato, so the refugees can pluck the potato and a new one will grow.


    "Good enough. I suppose next will be fortification and security."


    Alexis and Me added. "How about air? Is there sufficient oxygen down there? Venttion is super important in underground spaces! People could die from choking and smoke!"


    "Good point..." I had thought of using the nts, but the nts probably don''t produce enough oxygen.


    Could you use mana to create oxygen?


    Uh... is there a spell like that?


    [Natural Tree Ability : Water, oxygen, carbon cycle - converts water to air, or air to water. Uses mana]. Oh. Thats easy. Turns out I had that ability all the while.


    But it doesnt solve the problem if Im not there. How do the refugees get air?


    Do you have nts that create air?


    No... Maybe there are, but Ill need to find them.


    Its Madeus that gave the solution. Well get some Gems of breathing. Those gems can produce air at a mana cost, and with that we can breath. It doesnt require much mana, that ordinary folks with some magic should be able to operate.


    Thats quite expensive. Jura nodded after the Treasurer told him the expected cost. But well get a dozen. And the gems of sunlight as well, if we n to grow these nts underground.


    Ah, turns out, there are some off-the-shelf solutions already.


    Alexis paused, Can you ask for some of those gems? Ask Jura to buy a bit more?


    Our coffers are a bit low after my recent spend on the gold and jewels for the Grand Mind-Tree, so...


    Alexis frowned. I could use some of those for research...


    -


    Year 81 Month 6


    The magical sensors went crazy, across my many subsidiary trees and bibs, the array picked up multiplerge surges of energy.


    Somethings happening. Alexis is the first to be disturbed by the sensor readings. The air seemed tense, and a sudden gust of wind followed. A whileter, mywork of roots start to detect tremors from afar, the sign of a massive explosion.


    Jura, any idea whats going on? Juras oblivious to it, because, well, unless you have a built in magical sensor in your body, you wont notice it.


    Uh...


    Its Madeus, who ran in, along with Yvon, to the Juras Counsel Chambers. A massive magical explosion has been detected. The demon walker was attacked with some kind of projectile weapon.


    Oh, isnt that good news? Who did it? Jura asked.


    The Barooshian court gathered their mages and the voluntary sacrifices of a few young men and women. Its... forbidden blood magic. And it didnt work. Instead of destroying it, the magical projectile heavily injured the demon walker, and now it marched for the Barooshian capital.


    "Blood magic." Jura looked at Madeus suspiciously. "Baroosh has blood magic? And sacrifices?"


    "...there is a hidden faction in the wizarding academy studying blood magic. Secretly. But the King gave his consent to do this."


    "The blizzard may have links to Baroosh..." Me said. "What''s Baroosh''s rtionship with Nung, Takde and Sh."


    Madeus shrugged, a little bit ashamed.


    "Okay, I don''t know. But whatever it is, that magical disturbance came from Baroosh."


    The magical sensors went off again. But this time, it wasn''t from Baroosh''s general vicinity. It came from further north, from the coast.


    "Uh... any idea what''s going on?"


    We didn''t know. Until news came about a weekter, that the same Blood Magic Ritual was repeated, in another kingdom south of Sh... with more sacrifice.


    And the worse part? The second projectile missed the demon walker, and left a crater filled with an unpleasant miasma.


    "Madeus... is there a cult practicing blood magic throughout the continent?"


    "Uh... There are all sorts of cults out there, practicing all kinds of obscure magics... No one really knows, but I would say... yes?"


    "The Demon walker changed direction. It... It''s now heading south."


    "...what."


    Another magical disturbance. My sensors are starting to be quite attuned to this. It''s the same country, and they did the ritual. Again.


    "How many times can this ritual be repeated?"


    "I... I don''t know?"


    This time, we all saw it. Because the dark purple & red magical projectile flew overhead. Even with my spiritual vision I could see it, it''s a missile made of condensed magics, sacrificed lives and just a whole load of unknown energies.


    "It''s from a country called G." The array of magical sensors could now track the movement of the magical energy. A kingdom lead by a new King? There''s little I know of them, that''s not outdated.


    This third blood ritual bullet exploded at the edges of Barooshian border, apparently scrying revealed half of the castle on the demon walker'' back was destroyed. The regr demons died. But it didn''t stop the Walker.


    Oh no, it didn''t. "Uh... It''s still headed south."


    "Are they nning to use this against the Demon King?"


    Well, it turns out G and Baroosh were not alone. In the Southern Continent, a few simr spells were used, to great sess. They destroyed a demon walker.


    The Demon Walker though, now moved as fast as it could towards G. Devouring every single town or vige in its path, and with it, a growing army of demons.


    "Uh... itsing here."


    "This is insane." Alexis screamed, she used the readings from the magical sensors, and her own sensors. "It''s pretty much a magical nuclear weapon, tuned to cause immense destruction in a narrow area."


    News indeed speaks of the location of the missed shot turned into a corrupted, haunted, poisoned ce, where everything died and strange alien monsters emerged from it.


    But, despite the costs, the fact that there is a reliable weapon against these demonic walker-giants gave great hope to many kingdoms. A weapon that can fight back! So, it seems there''s widespread propaganda that the magus have discovered a potent magical spell able to defeat the demons. No longer do they have to fear the champions.


    "TreeTree, I hate you." Alexis said one evening, as the news that more such rituals are being used throughout the world.


    "Why?"


    "You were preparing for underground hideouts. Did you have a spirit vision or epiphany, that you somehow see thising? Hex Bombs?" Alexis called them hex bombs, because they leave a hex on thend.


    "Honestly no. I was preparing for the possibility that a demon champion defeats me. But this feels too coordinated, who''s teaching the process of this rituals to all the different kingdoms? The speed this ritual spread is unreal."


    "The Kings won''t hear naysayers now. They all bought the story that this spell can defeat the walkers, and they have two sess cases now." One in the Southern Continent, and one in the Eastern Theatre. People celebrated, ignoring the reality that there are sacrifices needed for each shot, which numbered between hundreds to thousands, less if the person is of a high magical power and level.


    "But one is still walking our way." After G''s two shots, they stopped. The Demon Walker''s wounded, with a strong hex on its body, but it is still headed this way.


    Deep inside, I just know that it is going toe through here. I didn''t need a messenger running inside the room, shouting.


    "Demon walker is headed for New Freeka... expected to be two to three weeks away. With an army of 40,000 demonoids."


    It''s just how it is. I am a magical tree, and somehow, I will always end up fighting demons.


    Which is fine. Demons are my natural enemies.


    I just don''t appreciate being potentially in the line of fire of a Hexbomb.


    Spaizzer


    introducing hexbombs. inspired by breath of fire


    taking a week off to write a harem story

 TreeTree vs Demon Walker

    TreeTree vs Demon Walker


    <b>Year 81 Month 6</b>


    The demonoids came over the hills, the giant walker, with the body of something resembling a mutant giant tortoise, with a castle on top. The castle consists of multiple reddish spires, with jagged edges, resembling the teeth of a monster.


    It wasnt hard to tell that it is approaching. The demonic army would cut down the trees in its path, and I could feel the walkers energy, with each step, a bit more of its energy pushed back on my ''bubble'', and cause the effective radius of my [lesser demonic suppression aura] to shrink.


    But whatever that was, it only worked on the outer area. At this distance, in this valley, the aura from my main body is strong, and here, it ovepped against whatever that demon walker emitted.


    Together, with the walker, the 50,000 or so demonoids crossed the rolling hills. By the scouts count, the army increased by 10,000, and this is due to the bases; and the walker itself, being a mobile demon production factory.


    Or as Alexis called it, a hive. Like a beehive that made more bees.


    The past 3 weeks, along the expected path of the demon army, we built a few moreyers of walls, filled with traps, and ces for the soldiers to retreat. And tunnels for the beetles to spring a surprise attack.


    Honestly, I felt confident. A defensive battle is pretty much how I can fight, and its something that Im good at. And we have been preparing for this fight.


    And when the demon walker emerged, I felt ready.


    The demon walkers spires somewhat recovered, the damage from the blood hex magic is no longer noticeable, so we presume they have some self-healing ability. Until we saw the other side of the giant walker, where arge chunk of its body glowed purple, as if it oozed a magical rot. This massive giant tortoise, with a big castle on its shell stomped, and the earth shook. Luckily, the walls held. The roots and nts helped to absorb the shockwave.


    A zaratan. Alexiss being the one with a wide general knowledge. A walking zaratan, instead of an ind on its back-


    <i>*ROOOOOAAAAAAARRRR* </i>A loud, but deep roar shook the entire valley.


    "Trivia will have to wait."


    The demon walker roared, and that signalled the beginning of this battle. The army of demonoids charge towards the firstyer of walls, into the [carnivorous nts] and [cactus defense systems].


    And the sound of wood and demon colliding became the background chorus. The demons chopped the defenses down, but not before the Carnivorous nts devoured some of the demonoids, and in doing so, gradually, but sure, reduced the number of demonoids. I reckon about 1,000 to 2,000 demonoids fell before the outermostyer is breached.


    Jura, Madeus and Yvon prepared on top of the 4th makeshift wallyer. Lausanne, Stay with TreeTree. This is not your battle, not yet.


    But my level is already in the 30s! I should be out there fighting! The youngdy protested. She too, was armed for battle, and she had two anti-demon wooden short-spears on her back.


    Shes right. Shes a valuable battlefield asset. We need her on the field, together with the girls. One of the captains said. The archers got into position. Theyve been waiting for this moment. Many had a good mealst night, perhaps in preparation of death.


    No. Not Lausanne, and not the kids. The Valthorns stay back. Jura insisted. Right, TreeTree?


    Lausanne should be fighting, but let her take one of the nks where its less risky. Together with Horns. The beetles will cover her. The beetles are all hidden in the tunnels. All 10,000 of them. But I can spare some to act as Lausannes squad.


    The demon walker roared, and the demonoids all received a boost it. My [lesser demonic suppression] is effective, and the roar merely offsets the effects of my aura.


    Yvon nodded. You cant coddle her forever. Fighting demons is a regr affair, she best get some experience-


    The giant walker had arge head, and its head resembled part-tortoise, part-dragon, it had spikes and horns and it roared, revealing its fangs. Its a different roar, the vibration was different. And that roar sent out an energy st.


    [Steelwood barrier] [Woodshield] [Shield Generators].


    The Subsidiary Trees that function as shield generators create arge wall of wood, blocking the energy st-


    *crack*


    The energy projectile from the st mmed into the shields, and it crushed the first barrier and woodshield, and then cracked thest shield.


    Okay fine. Go. Keep yourself safe. Jura sighed, turned and faced the horde of demonoids. The demon knights lead the charge against the 1styer walls. Remember what we discussed. Weve got to take on the demon knights. TreeTree will focus on the demon walker.


    Yvon nodded, and then shrugged. Though I would prefer to observe TreeTree in action, but I suppose we dont have a choice... Be careful of the Knights.


    Lausanne smiled. Okay. Stay safe, everyone. Jura gave Lausanne a pat on the head.


    You too, retreat or ask for TreeTrees help if youre in trouble. Better alive than dead.


    An armor of wood surrounded Jura, and in his hand, a dark-brown wooden sword. Theres multiple wooden spears on his back, and multiple smaller wooden stakes, enchanted to weaken demons.


    And Yvon, you can watch after the knights are destroyed.


    The demonoid horde still charged. And in one area where the density was highest, I activated [Root Surge] and skewered about 2,000 demonoids.


    The walker stepped closer, and the earth shook. It roared again another energy st, this time it aimed for the 2ndyer of walls. I couldnt stop the full power of the energy projectile in time, and this time, a section of the 2ndyer walls disintegrated, and killed about 20 archers and the beetles hiding underneath.


    TreeTree, can you stop that st? Jura asked, while running towards the army. The archers have started their volley overhead.


    "I am creating shields right in front of it, to deflect and absorb the st. That should take the heat off you. But be prepared to run if I cant stop it in time.


    Great. Jura cut down a few more demonoids in the way. He''s looking for the knights.


    A roar, and another energy st, this time, I stopped it. It took 4yers of [steelwood barriers].


    A special demon, one with wings appeared, and itnded with a bang. The explosion from its crash crushed another section of the 2ndyer of walls. And then it stabbed the few soldiers right in front of it.


    Jura, theres a winged demon elite. Look out for it, it should be on your left."


    Aye. I dont see it. Juras deep in battle, fighting some more demonoids.


    The horde breached through the new gaps in the 2ndyer of defenses, like a pipe with holes.


    The mages conjured their fireballs and spells. And the demonoids raised a shield made of their demon-matter. Since when did the demonoids have shields? The explosions from the spells still destroyed a few demonoids, but the shields reduced the damage.


    Two knights close in on Juras position. Tall, dark, and honestly quite-cool looking with that jagged-edged demonic body, one uses an axe, the other uses a spear. I should create wood knights. They look cool.


    <i>*Roooooaaaaaaaaar*</i>


    An energy st from the walker again. My shields block it, but theres still coteral damage from some of the deflected st, a part of the 3rdyer walls is destroyed. It''s using the sts to open a way for the horde. These makeshift walls arent that tough, but the 4thyer was the one we built previously. The 4th wall is tougher, and where most of the men are stationed.


    So, youre the demon knights. Juras deep in battle near what remains of 2ndyer walls, and his wooden sword glowed. Show me what you can do.


    [Speed sh] Juras sword flickered like streaks of light, and the first demon knight turned to mincemeat.


    Oh. Easy? Jura looked at the other knight, and closed in. Indeed, the Level 80 warlord crushed the level 40-ish knight within 5 swipes. Honestly using his high-speed skill is overkill.


    <i>*Roooooaaaaaaaaar*</i>


    The walker stomped, and it interrupts the archers'' and mages'' spells.


    Another energy st, and somehow I got the angle a bit wrong. The projectile deflected and made a hole in one of the valley-cliffs.


    The walker, itsrge size meant it could easily walk over the walls, and it did so. It stepped across the 2ndyer of walls. Hes entered the range where my root strikes are at full power. .


    Something hopped off the demon walkers back, andnded right in front of Jura.


    A demonoid with wings, proper demon-like horns, and a swordrge enough to to cut a cow in half, he radiated a magical aura.


    Jura smirked. So the demons now have tiers of elite forces too, eh? TreeTree, you watching this? This the guy?


    Yes. But my focus is on the Walker. My 3 artificial minds are working really hard to help. Trevor, Dimitree and Ivys manage the beetles, create root tunnels and help to activate all the the [subsidiary trees], [cactus defense system], [shield generators], and provide battlefield-intel to Horns whos deep in the fighting with Lausanne. Its a good thing I can delegate some of my abilities to them.


    Yvonnded next to Jura after killing one demon knight. Need help?


    Jura shrugged. Ill let you know. But Ill try to handle him myself, for now. I got skills Ive been itching to test out on... something strong.


    Alright, Ill keep the demon knights from meddling.


    What should we call this demon? Jura looked at Yvon, and the demon-elite looked quizzically back at them. Itsrge sword glowed red, and then ck. A ck me emerged from it.


    Demonfire, again. How nostalgic.


    The walker stepped closer. A bit more. I just needed its entire massive body entirely within range. Most of the horde of soldier-demonoids crossed the 2ndyer of defenses. Those makeshift walls really dontst very long, but it served the purpose.


    For TreeTree! Horns mentally shouted. Battle-beetles, lets go! Theres no new beetle type, its just a name Horns came up with. Its punny, he says. Wisp say their personalities take after an aspect of their creators, so I think Horns inherited a punny part of me.


    Beetles streamed out of the tunnels under the 2nd and 3rdyer of walls, charging into the mass of demonoids from both sides, and the entire area turns into a massive brawl.


    Strangely, despite the chaos of the brawl, all the demons had the sense to avoid the demon-elite and Jura, both in intense, rather high speedbat.


    The demon-elite or general could fly, but at that distance, neither could really hurt each other, It seemed that the demon-elite wasnt much of a spellcaster, so they went into a full melee.


    Jura ducked, dodged, and sidestepped the demon-elitesrge bastard sword repeatedly, often narrowly avoiding mini-explosions from the sword-st.


    Demon-generals a better name? Juras sword cut the demon-generals wings, but the wings regenerated. It roared in response, its mouth shot out a mini-projectile at Jura. And screw this. Bamboo generated a massive wooden shield in front of Jura. The wooden shield disintegrated, but it seemed like the demon-general didnt have that many uses of that projectile, since it went back into melee..


    Right above, the demon walker stepped even closer. Its feet now crossed over the 3rdyer walls easily. It roared again, this time the energy st is aimed right at the forest, right at me.


    It can sense our presence, master. Trevormented. It knows of the magical energies you are radiating.


    In my mind, I dont think so.


    [Steelwood barrier] x 5. Thank goodness I seem to have more than few hundred uses of these shield-skills per day. Multiplerge wooden barriers once again appeared to block the energy st. Four barriers disintegrated, but thest one held. Well, what do you know, my shields at this distance can stop that st.


    Below it, the beetles and the demonoids fight it out in a massive brawl. The militia and the orders soldiers keep up the volley of arrows, but in such state, theres quite a bit of friendly fire. The beetlesrge size dont help.


    The walker roared again, and... the spires on its back glowed red, another spire glowed purple. Once that started, the demonoids glowed red too, and they went into a kind of battle-frenzy, and the damage suffered by the demonoids seemingly regenerated.


    Oh. That castles an aura-machine. I mentally smack myself. Of course, the castle imparts passive buffs, like me.


    The spires started to shoot out smaller, less powerful energy sts.


    And its equipped withser-turrets. Alexis looked in amazement. Its a walkingser tank.


    For me, those glowing red spires reminded me of the Obelisk of Light.


    The blood-rituals dont look so bad now. I sighed. To be fair, without the walker, Id defeat the 40,000, even 60,000 demonoids without a problem. 10,000 beetles wouldve taken out 20,000 demonoids, easy. Clearly, for regr humans without special anti-demon skills and weapons, they would need to gather arge group of high level individuals. At least multiple level 80s.


    It really makes my multiplier against demons a great advantage.


    Madeus, together with the mages of New Freeka changed their targets to the giant walker, since its hard to avoid friendly fire with the beetles fighting literally in the trenches. Lausannes doing fine. Shes got a whip-like weapon that seems to cut through the demons like they are made of paper, and only against the knights that she needed help from the beetles.


    Weve got them held up at the 3rdyer. One of the captains said. Well, the 4thyer is thestyer of walls, and after that its New Freekas own town walls or the forest itself. Im not keen on letting the walker anywhere near the forest, since the Treefolks vige is between me and them.


    The walker stepped, and kicked the 3rdyers walls with itsrge feet.


    Oh. I kind of forgot that it could just... hit things instead of using the energy st. And it kicked again.


    And that segment of the walls crumbled. Most of the men had retreated to the 4thyer, its mostly just rangedbat, except for beetles. Some of the soldier-elites also tried to fight the demonoids. By now, the demonoids thinned to about 30,000, and Ive lost about half of my beetles. Somes losses on the soldiers or the Order, mostly from the walker. But it looks like they will have to bear some more.


    The walker stepped through the crumbled sections. It kicked the 4thyer walls with incredible force, and then, strangely, walked past the 4thyer of walls. It walked towards me. As if it knows Im there. Waiting.


    Oh, it dares to approach TreeTree? Alexis grinned. Even though TreeTree has anti-demon powers?


    It roared. My wooden shields blocked the energy st. Good. Come.


    Get as close as you need to. So I can shove all the roots I have through your body.


    Hmm, lets see whether theres going to be any coteral damage.


    Have the Treefolks evacuated?


    Let me check... yes. Trevor said.


    Most of them are now in the designated safe-houses. Those that can fight are on the 4th wall, and some back at New Freekas town walls. The demonoid armys still behind it, caught up in the brawl with the beetles, though some are trickling past the 3rd wall.


    Jura and the demon-general fought toe-to-toe, as Yvon focused on fighting the other demon knights that tried toe to the demon-generals aid.


    Juras still has an edge, but if theres 2 of them, hell be in trouble. He took a few hits, but thankfully the armor bore the brunt of it. Yvon on the other hand, focused on the other demon knights.


    At first Yvon wanted to help, but her own level is only about 60, so she changed her targets. Jura and the demon-general traded blows.


    The demon general leaped high up, half of its wings torn from an earlier well-ced sh. Itsrge bastard sword cracked, and a massive wooden fist punched it right in the body. It staggered back, and Jura changed weapon, again. The wooden swords dontst long, but he has a whole lot stored.


    So, any tricks? Juras body is surrounded by Bamboos wood-armor, and its flexible form means its also a weapon. Or are you just faster, stronger, and hit a whole lot harder?


    The demon-generals staggered, even with the aura-effects from the Demon Spires. Theres three wooden spears lodged in its body, the wooden spears are enchanted with holy magic and made from TreeTrees anti-demon wooden stakes. Its enchantment meant it drained some demonic energy out of the demon-general.


    Well, time to end this. [Speed sh].


    A sh of light, and the demon-generals body was cut in half, then it disintegrated.


    Just a faster, stronger demon knight. Id be worried if they start having actual skills. Jura did a fist, and then he realised theres still a whole lot of demons to fight.


    Good, Im going to be fighting the demon-walker now.


    Is this how godzi looks like? Its massive. Me looked in amazement. Are we going to have a monster-fight now? Tree versus demon-walker.


    Size-wise, it isrger than the earlier demon-champions. But it feels like maybe its not as strong. Or maybe theres some trade-off. It certainly doesnt feel as threatening, despite its enormous size.


    A demon champion. Ive long awaited this day.


    The special anti-demon bolts are ready. Ive gained 20 levels and many skills since Ist fought the demon champions 8 years ago, and I have more hero fragments too. I have prepared for this moment, with skills, and items. I believe I can take it, and now, to see whether I can.


    The giant demon walked, and now its on the very edges of my forest.


    And thats as far as Im going to let it go. A wall of wood shields appear in front of it.


    You shall not pass! Alexis shouted.


    Me did a facepalm. Thatsme.


    [Super anti-demon rootstrikes] x 5. All tipped with the specially-made demon bolts. One rootstrike for one of those giant legs. The roots shoot out of the ground, a dense energy surrounds each of the bolts and the edge.


    And it exploded right on the legs. The demon-walker roared, and this time, it shot out a few energy sts. I blocked three of them, but the fourth one left levelled a patch of forests, and destroyed a section of the Treefolks vige.


    Still, Im happy. The rootstrikes did what I expected it to do. It stopped walking, asrge chunks were taken out of its 5 legs. It looked unsteady, as if its going to crumble on its own weight. But it didnt.


    It roared again, this time it turned its head. Its not aimed at me, but at the 4thyer walls.


    Shit! I created the wood shields in the wrong ce, and the st vaporised arge chunk of the 4thyer walls. Some of the beetles and soldiers there were killed.


    TreeTree! Dont let it shoot at us! Jura shouted, some of the men were buried under the rubble.


    Heh, all it can do now is shoot? The spires on its back glowed and shot out red beams and it set a portion of the forest on fire. Itsrge head roared again, and sted one more energy st.


    My wooden shields caught the shot, but still, the impact caused the space right before the shield to burst into mes.


    [Constrict] Using vines, I attempt to force the head to aim only at me.


    [Super anti-demon root strike] x 5. More bolts, and this time, before it could release another round of energy sts, I took out its 5 feet. The giant crashed into the ground, and with it came a huge shockwave of smoke and dust. But its not dead yet, the spires on its back still shooting beams.


    Still, Im confident. Lets see whether it has any tricks left.


    [Super anti-demon root strike] x 5.


    More bolts. I have about 90 bolts left, and have many more super-root strikes to go.


    It struggled.


    It roared again, and more energy sts. This time, I think it used a special attack, because it sted through all of the defensive shields I had, and then blew up three [subsidiary trees] and then the energy st smacked right into my main body.


    And I felt a chunk of my bark fall off. Oh. Im still alive. Thank goodness for all the fragments.


    Well, lets retaliate.


    [Super anti-demon root strike] x 10. The hard shell around the main body shattered on impact, and a few of my roots struck whatevers inside. I think I hit something important.


    The ground shook, like something exploded inside of its body..


    Its head roared again, charging another energy st. This time, because of the poor angle, the shot went wide and flew into the sky.


    No chances. I shot out another 10 [Super Anti-demon Root Strike], aimed at the giant head. It cracked, and then the entire head crumbled.


    The spires of the castle copsed. A humanoid giant appeared in its ce. Its... body is half-hexed, as if the demon-flesh is rotting, and each step, chunks of it fall off, as if its melting. If this is what the hexbomb does, it feels like the futures gonna be quite... grim.


    Uh...


    The giant humanoid demon stepped forward, and more parts fall off. Yet, I see it struggling, as it attempted to regenerate the destroyed parts. Its an ongoing battle between the demons regeneration and the corruption of the hexbomb.


    Uh...


    Its a demon, and theres no time for caution.


    [Super anti-demon root strike] x 2.


    Two roots shoots out of the ground, and impaled the giant through its chest and what I suspect is the head. Seriously, a humanoid demon.


    And then it disintegrated, along with the rest of the demon walker body.


    Uh... is that it?


    The walker is down! The walker is down! Alexis shouted and pped her spirit-like hands.


    I mentally made a fistbump. Ive finally reached the point where I can take on a champion by myself.


    As the body disintegrated, the aura from the spires faded too. The elves, centaurs, treefolks and beetles who are busy fighting the regr demonoids, suddenly found their opponents be far weaker than they originally were. The energy that was resisting and offsetting my [lesser demonic suppression] gone, and now, they felt the full effect of the aura.


    Whats left of the 20,000 or so weakened humanoid demons fell to the might of the remaining forces. Or skewered in the flood of root strikes that followed.


    [Level up! You are now level 137! (+5 levels)]


    [Skill acquired : Healing Aura]


    [Skill upgraded : Subsidiary Trees - 15,000. Subsidiary Trees gains a share of main body''s environmental adaptations & Auras. Only applies to Subsidiary trees within 100km of main-tree]


    [Skill upgraded : Woodcrafting]


    [Skill upgraded : Steelwood Barrier]


    [Skill upgraded : Root tunnels]


    Spaizzer


    Since i finished the chapter, I thought I''d update. Anyway, it''s an easy battle for treetree.


    And yes, this fic is now one year old. YAYYY (It''s 1 year old on RR)


    On hindsight, I''m amazed I actually managed tomit a whole year to one fic. It''s not perfect, and certainly there''s a lot of rewriting that can be done, but that can wait once this fic ends. Can''t keep redoing the start, I''ll never get anywhere. XD


    Next update, expecting around 9th Oct - 11th Oct :)


    Once again, thanks for reading, reviewing,menting.

 Post-battle assessment

    Post-battle assessment


    <b>Year 81 Month 6 (continued)</b>


    "We lived." Yvon sat. "I thought that was... not the hardest battle Ive been in."


    Jura tapped her shoulder. "We still got work to do." He pointed to the many, many injured soldiers, and the dead. The energy sts from the Demon Walker still killed many, and there was a portion of New Freeka that''s sted wide open. A whole load of repairs to be done.


    "But... but... the demon walker was defeated... we deserve a celebration!" The captains said.


    Jura smiled, "Perhaps. Though I would give credit to TreeTree''s exceptional anti-demon weapons. The demon general would havested a lot longer without his demon-draining weapons."


    "But you would still win." Jura just smiled and looked at a young girl running over, her short hair fluttering.


    Lausanne ran, she''s covered in dirt, blood, and a whole load of demonic shards. Mostly unhurt.


    "Uncle!" Shended right in front of him. "I destroyed 87 demons!"


    "Good job." Jura smiled and just rubbed her head. "Hope you gain a level!"


    "I hope I gain many levels!"


    Jura smiled. "How is it, your first true battlefield experience?"


    "Oh it is a lot less bloody and messy than my dreams. I think TreeTree exaggerated how gory and brutal it is..."


    "TreeTree been giving you gory war-dreams, eh?" Jura frowned a little. Using the essences, and my own memories of wars, I could somewhat mold the general direction and types of dreams Lausanne gets. I honestly don''t know what exactly happens in the dreams, [dream tutor] is kinda like a random map generator where I put in the parameters, ingredients, and things just happen.


    "Yeah. I told him I wanted to feel like-" Lausanne then paused. "Oops."


    Yvon frowned too. "I better check what dreams the other kids are getting, it''s not good to have visions of death and destruction at that age."


    What, I need to start parental guidances for dreams now?


    Lausanne shook her head. "TreeTree is just helping, so that I know what to do when it''s the real thing."


    Jura sighed, "Anyway, not a good time to argue aboit it. Let''s get the wounded to the healers, those seriously wounded to the biopods, and the dead back to the morgue."


    There''s a lot of wounded and dead soldiers, despite my interference. About 800 soldiers, and close to 7,000 beetles still died in the fight against the demons, the soldier deaths mostly from the demon knights. But then, my new [healing aura] kicked in, and for the injured, their wounds begin to heal, even before the healers get to them. And my new aura even improves the effect of healing.


    New skill? Jura asked, noticing the unusually quick recover of his own cuts and wounds, and those injured suddenly finding their strength returning to them.


    Yup.


    The mood all round is mixed, but getting better. Some groups are upset and mourn the death of theirrades. Some are just incredibly amazed that they survived a battle against a towering giant, and of those that survived, a lot of the soldiers would gain levels from this battle.


    The citizens also got the signal to leave their respective bunkers and hideouts, and there is a big st that wrecked a portion of the city. I also had to get the mages to help put out the fires, since I don''t have my own water magic.


    Beetles closed in on what remains of the demon walker. I had a quarantine zone established, and Madeus, our resident wizard, tasked to investigate the remains. There''s a massive rubble where the main body of the walker copsed, and most of the demon walker''s body disintegrated into nothingness, there are still some remains.


    The rotting thing that is the hex. Like a sludge, it now pooled on the ground.


    "Aeon, can you see this?" Madeus poked it with his wooden stick. It kindatched on, like a slimy thing. Madeus likes to refer to me as Aeon, since he feels its inappropriate to refer to me as TreeTree. He poked it. Its not exactly... a slime, but it sure radiated a kind of energy. I dont feel too good being so close.


    Hmm, then stay away.


    [Inspection]


    <i>A hex, made from the sacrifice of souls.</i>


    Uh. Doesnt tell much,


    Can you do anything about it?


    Uh... Madeus tried to use some spells, the hex kind of just... stayed there. It didnt react to it.


    Can you st it to smithereens or something?


    Nope. Madeus did a fireball. Hex remained. Its not exactly... destroy-able. It kinda just gets sttered.


    So... we just leave it there? I ask, this is new to me.


    Madeus looked at his staff, the hex damaged the wood somewhat, a section that came in contact with the hex rots. Yeah. I think its best we just seal off this area, and let the hex dissipate naturally.


    Uh. Hmm... Im not sure whether I should get near the hex, though. Alexiss nuclear description somehow made me suspicious that this hex might be radioactive residue. But, I have to know for sure. Can you take a very small sample? Just one cup?


    Oh. Okay. I had one of the beetles carry the small wooden container. The almost-ck hex-slime seemed to have a purple glow, and really, Alexis took a nce at it, shook her head.


    Disgusting.


    As a precaution, I created a bib some distance away, such that, if anything happened, such as... rotting, I could cut off the bib and I dont suffer the consequences.


    This hex thing... its created from sacrifices, eh? I asked.


    Yeah. Blood magics quite special in the sense that it powers itself, andsts really long. But of course, the cost of it is... usually someones life. Itsmon in the countries with extensive very some time ago, but its practice and use has dwindled as the constant use of ves is... unsustainable, and theres often a great deal of bacsh from blood magic, such as the spellcasters suffering nightmares or perpetual hauntings. Alexis went into full nerdy magic mode. Even Madeus didnt know that much, but it seems Alexis was a mage, and she did somehow manage to read such things.


    Its just bad. Me frowned her wooden eyebrows. I think they look like little stems from a flower. She''s got an actual flower on her head now, she says it helps in the whole hospitality business thing.


    ording to our modern sensibilities. Alexis frowned. But blood magic is primordial, I recall meeting a shaman on one of the inds we visited, and they used to sacrifice goats and cows to the gods, and they say theyve been doing for ages. Kind of like our ancient civilisations, Me.


    Which one?


    Most of the mesoamerican ones, even now theres some ritual sacrifices that happen in many cultures. I would think there must be some parallels with how blood magic is in this world. Perhaps, they sacrifice and trade for some godly powers?


    I take a look at the ckish hex-liquid. Godly? Certainly doesnt feel that way, but well, what do I know?


    How do you n to investigate it? Bib? Pour it into your pod and figure it out? Alexis asked.


    Yeah. It certainly looks a bit... organic. Well. Yeah. ck, hex like thing. Maybe its like sludge, from like... a petrol spill? But theres a purple glow, so theres clearly some magic to it happening.


    I decided I needed more time to think about what Im going to do, so I let the specimen sit on a little storage container in that lone bib in a corner of the valley.


    -


    <b>Year 81 Month 7</b>


    After a brief status check, New Freeka emerged mostly... unharmed. The site of where the hex-sludge left behind by the massive demon walker, by order of the Council and Order, is to be quarantined. So it is now surrounded by walls and guarded by beetles. If reports are true, they will spawn monsters, though so far, Ive not seen any.


    The sludge kind of just pooled together into arge ckish pool, and it seems they are somewhat magically intertwined, like mas, that they will naturally merge into one interconnected body. Not that anyone wants to get near it. It seems Madeus said he felt sick for a few days, and I had to check on him.


    Its not a bodily sickness, or maybe if it is, its not something that [healing aura] or my powers do offset. It really does give credence to the whole radiation theory that Alexis has, but the idea of doing nuclear fusion or fission with souls just... boggles my mind.


    I think the [tree of prayer] does relieve the symptoms a bit. I think its all the negative energy from the blood sacrifice. Madeus theorised. Again, something worth investigating. Or maybe it could just be additional cebo from the calming effects of the [Tree of Prayer].


    On the political front, the defeat of the demon walker was significant, and greatly boosted the Order''s standing. Jura, is now viewed as a hero, and the soldiers, even those from the Council, now view Jura as a respectful, good man, because he fought on the front lines, unlike the Council who hid, or fled. That meant the council had to shut up on their anti-Order rhetoric, though I suspect this silence is only a temporary one.


    The euphoria and memories of this battle will fade, and with it, these power-hungry folks will rear their head again, someday.


    And the news of the victory spread quickly, drawing the attention of the guilds. The Merchant guild has determined that we are a high-priority safezone in the region, and they will send a fair bit of resources and manpower here. The Order''s treasurer read out the notice. The guild ns to explore the possibility of establishing a regional trade coordination and cartography center, and also a collection of high-security storage warehouse.


    Jura pped his hand. I must confess I dont exactly understand what some of those words are, but sounds like a good thing.


    The merchants guilds are essentially like the worlds shippingpanies, they are the blood vessels that connect the world. So much produce and money changes hands through the guilds, that they often are able to sway kingdoms into fighting wars for them. But I wonder whether this world has protests against banks and corporations. After all, capitalism can be pretty nasty.


    The treasurer nodded. It is. They will be having a proper office here, and an actual [merchant prince] or [guild trader], rather than just appointed representatives. This is usually followed with the opening of a guilds marketce and exchange, and the regional contracts department. The council will be approached to discuss the regtions on the markets, once they arrive to survey the location.


    Jura nodded. Honestly trade is not his strongest suit, though he has improved. Laufen just smiled. Dont worry, most of us will attend the meetings, and will let you have the summary.


    The recent battle also made the elves think about the future of theirbat forces.


    We need morebat experience. Lausanne looked at Yvon. The demons areing, you know it, we know it, everyone knows it. All of us, need to have experience. Lausanne referred to the rest of the Valthorn, especially the 4 girls from the first batch.


    Yvon shook her head. I spoke with TreeTree and Jura, and were only letting those level 20 to actually join the battle. Until then, the rest of them are staying back. Only one of the girls hit level 20, so she will join the next battle, if there is one.


    But Lady Yvon! It doesnt make sense! We gain levels when we participate in battles, holding us back is just taking away our levels! And TreeTree needs high leveled fighters to fight the high leveled enemies."


    I know, but they are too young, and they are not ready. They are not you, Lausanne.


    If they dont get chances, they will never be. Lausannes now... 12, so she''s got more opinions. I gained seven levels in that battle. Seven! Im almost level 40 now. By most ounts, shed be ssified as a genius. Wasnt it you that told us that during great battles, explosive levelling happens? Then why are they not given the chance?


    Yvon sighed. I... I get your point. Let me discuss with the rest, perhaps an arrangement depending on what kind of battles. If its a smaller scale battle, we can consider putting you and the girls on support.


    Lausanne nodded.


    For me, I do need to expand the Valthorns. It is true that I can''t multi-task as well as I like, and when I end up focused on the demon walker my ability to coordinate all the other fights on ground had to be delegated to my tree-minds, and yet, I needed my skills on hand against the walker.


    So, I need more high level fighters. Multiple Jura and Yvons, to win such a fight consistently, with minimal casualties. Speaking of casualties...


    There was a funeral procession for those who fell in battle. It was something one of the officers suggested, something they had from where they came from. A practice of one of the worlds southern continental religions, the Urgama, to honor the dead, and the benefits of it is that the deads spirit apparently enchants the surviving soldiers to carry on the fight. The mechanics of how such a magic work is interesting, and as a Soul Tree that helps the reincarnation and passing on of the fallen spirits, its... educational.


    Surely they dont have time to do such processions when a demon army is on their doorstep? Alexis wondered, the Southern Continent is embroiled in massive wars with the demon hordes. ording to the merchants, there are 4 demon-walkers in that continent alone, and ind trade prices are sky-high.


    I wouldnt know.


    Well, for us, the procession went on, and... we didnt get any blessings. Or at least, nothing I can see for now. Its all business-as-usual in my soul realm too, people are dying all over the continent to the demon hordes, but thanks to the fall of the demon walker, it seemed the rate of death throughout the entire continent also somewhat dropped.


    I wonder whether its a coincidence, or the walker has some kind of continental-boost ability. If it does, would the King have some kind of worldwide ability?


    But anyway, its still not the end. Now that the demon-walker battle is over, I go back to making more demon-weapons, and research. The whole schtick with restoring Juras hand is still ongoing, so... more brutal animal explosion followed, but... Im getting there. I think.


    I had to get some help in cleaning the room though, since... theres a lot of blood sttered everywhere. So I made a quarantine area where the specimen animals remain.


    And blow up. Ortely, its more like leaking pipes. Like the tail would regrow and then somehow a hole would appear, and blood just keeps dripping out of it. And no amount of healing would fix it because its a w in the soul.


    In a way, its like... 3D printing. I have to set up the temte in the soul, and then the body would heal in ordance to that temte. At the same time, I need to make the soul-part, using my new tools, in a 3D printing fashion, putting the bits and pieces in, piece by piece. All of this is from a sudden epiphany, when I saw a key-duplication contraption one of the New Freekas smiths had.


    Essentially, I needed a tool that worked simultaneously, that reads whatever scan results I have, and reproducing it in the soul forge.


    Also, I needed to also build a library of organs that I can use in the future. Kind of like ying Spores, the game. Honestly, I didnt know why it took me so long to figure shit out. Maybe theres mold in my wooden brain somewhere.


    Oh and on research... where was I?


    <i>Research Status:</i><ul><li>Beetle - anti-magma armors stage 4 - <ipleted</i></li></ul><ul><li>Metal hyperumtor trees - Stage 1 - <ipleted</i></li></ul><ul><li>Phytoremediation process - basic - 10 months</li></ul>


    Ah yes. I have new umtor trees. These Hyperumtors function primarily to absorb high levels of metallic content from the contaminated poop-ground, which continues to be something of a problem, even if a contained one.


    But I suppose its a good time to force the council.


    Were having the upper hand after the recent victory. The poption sees us as the protectors of the valley, and TreeTrees position is close to unassable. And we want to use that goodwill on... sewers? One of the treasurers tried to debate with Jura in the meeting room.


    Yes. Sewers. We need sewers.


    Why not more seats? Have our own candidates on the council against the other group? Some of the independent leaning councillors now feel they should lean towards us, given the Orders secure position as the defenders of the valley. No political power can change that.


    Jura frowned. Sometimes, the Orders own officers get sucked into politics.


    Perhaps we need more resources for the Orders military? Jura frowned too. Between me and Jura, both of us generally feel that quantity is unnecessary. Ill need about three to four months to replenish the beetles, but my beetle army is tough, and for what its worth, unlimited and expendable. The only drawback is that they cant gain levels, but who cares when I have so many of them. If anything, its the Valthorns that need to be expanded. Theres really no point throwing more fodder at a monster like the demon-general or the demon walker.


    -


    The merchants delivered the gems that provided light and other stuff meant for the hideouts, and it came with an alchemist'' contraption thing, so I requested for one of each for research, which led to an upgrade for mybs.


    [Bib upgraded : Centrifuge]


    [Materialb upgraded : Centrifuge]


    These gems are essentially concentrated light, mana-sensitive rock and mana, that, via some fluke of natural magical forces, formed into a gem. There are apparently artificial variants as well, but these dontst as long as the naturally mined gems.


    This new centrifuge essentially acts as a concentrator, creating for higher concentrations and enriched versions of... Ginseng. Okay, it works for more than just ginseng. I meant things, but when I was thinking about the possible uses of this item..


    Wait.


    If I need to concentrate ginseng, and concentrating them eventually makes them into gems, that means I should be able to use gems as [soul forge]ponents? But I tried that previously. When I acquired gemstones.


    Running the ginseng through the centrifuge I got...


    [Concentrated ginseng - medium quality] that takes the appearance of a brownish paste, kinda like those kind of funky paste used in exotic oriental massages.


    Is this it? Maybe I need to soak it in mana or something? Like how theres ayer of mana on the body? Its really not going anywhere, is it.


    Again? Jura asked. Well, he''s busy. Theres still a lot of demonic movements to keep track off. Its been a year since the rifts opened, so the demon king should appear soon.


    No, I just wanted to test something out...


    Infusing ginseng into Juras soul using the soul forge took about an hour, strangely easy


    <i>[Ginseng infusion sessful.]</i>


    How do you feel?


    Uh... nothing? Did you do anything? Jura woke up from the quick nap. "Or maybe not yet?"


    "Maybe it takes a while."


    <b>Year 81 Month 8</b>


    "Will the Council grant us rights to grant us refuge, rights to purchasend and build a mansion?" A royal envoy from a nearby nation of Rajahskan came, with ''gifts'', and money. They were not the only one.


    Well, what''s happening was quite simple.


    The royalties of the nearby nation, now that they realised I could fend off a Demon Walker, want to set up a refuge. Essentially, they will buynd, build a small pce where their family can hide. Although the Kings usually do not leave, there are some weird rules about King''s powers being rted to being ''present'' in their Kingdoms, these Kings want to protect their offspring and sessors by sending them away to a safehouse. Kind of like what Madeus'' allies did. But they want exemptions, special treatment, and the ability to rule over their own properties. Which, is absolutely ridiculous.


    "It''s politically advantageous for us to ept. But if we do, we must be prepared to ept most of them, except those who have crossed us." A councillor said.


    A delegation from the Council, and the envoys came to present the case. The Council, being the usual politicians, would like to agree. But Jura said. "This is a decision for <i>Aeon</i>. It is his protection to give, not us"


    "I do not fancy the creation of a royal district where ourws do not apply." The idea that all these runaway princese to my ce and set up little outposts just frankly annoys me. When I imagine all these stuck up royals treating this little valley of mine as their summer pce, I just feel disgusted. No. They maye as regr guests, but they will be treated in the same manner as any other refugee in this valley. If the Council wishes to extend any privileged treatment to them, let them know that I will not recognise that privilege, and if I so desire, I will not hesitate to crush them. In this valley, they are ordinary souls, like anyone else.


    The Councillors froze. But... but... Counsel Jura, surely Aeon can recognise the value these royals can bring?


    Jura shrugged. Im afraid the Tree Spirit is very firm about not giving royals any privileged treatment. And if I may add, epting royals and granting them special treatment contradicts why New Freeka exists. Do you guys really want to put up with the whims of royalty all over again? Do you not forget that it is royal conflicts that brought all of you here? They can stille, should the demons ever threaten theirnds, but they will be like any other refugee.


    One of the Councillors stared at Jura. The Tree Spirit has no concept of royalty, isnt it?


    Jura nodded. He is aware of it, but he does not intend to recognise their power in this valley.


    Three of the envoys, from three kingdoms were present. Surely there is something that our Kingdoms may provide, to sway the Tree Spirits view?


    It is one of the Orders head priests who responded. Aeons Protection is a blessing, and one cannot haggle or bargain ones blessing, even if you are royalty. ept, or do not. When you stand before a local deity, what is a royal?


    I mentally cheered for the priest, goodeback. Im a bit embarrassed that they think Im some kind of deity, but Im too far into that whole religious schtick to bother correcting it now. And if I gain even more levels, I guess a deity isnt too far off anyway.


    The envoys frowned. One of the envoys, the one from Rajahskan then said. Its a shame that the Tree Spirit of this valley rejects our Kings offer. I will ry the message and I fear he will not be pleased.


    I told Jura then. Is that a threat? I dont like receiving threats. Of course, the envoys couldnt hear this.


    Jura smiled at the envoy. I am afraid your King must get used to it. Aeons under no obligation to obey a Kings demands. What more one of another nation.


    And Aeon doesnt not even heed the views of his Council? The envoy retorted.


    Aeon was here before the Council was born, and he may remove the Council should he so pleases. Jura smiled, but it was the creepy kind of smile, and the rooms air suddenly felt heavy. A [Warlord]s Skill, [Heavyweight Presence]. He looked at the Councillors, and the Councillors somehow all took two steps back.


    The envoy too, took a step back. Then, he took a deep breath, and sighed. I see. But surely... we can still purchase property in New Freeka?


    You may, but your property will be subject to all of New Freekas rules and regtions. There will be no exemptions. In short, you will be like any other wealthy merchant who invests in a property in New Freeka. And know this, you will be watched.


    The envoys traded nces. They discussed with each other a bit, but then they all decided to leave. But I could still eavesdrop on them as they walk back to their inns.


    Who does this Tree Spirit think it is? One envoy said. Our Kings adventurers can chop down a tree.


    But your adventurers cannot y a demon walker. The envoy for another country said. Or you wouldnt be here.


    Ugh.


    The Rajahskan envoy said, A powerful druid or monster tamer should be able to sway this Tree Spirits mind.


    I wouldnt count on that. Any monster able to y a demon walker has to be at least Level 100, and you wont find many druids or monster tamers willing to do even try taming a creature of that level. Its a life-or-death battle.


    The Rajahskan envoy nodded. Perhaps. Maybe a heroic artifact could.


    The two other envoys eyes lit up. Ah... that certainly changes things. Is there such an artifact?


    The Rajahskan envoy, The Elven Kingdoms may still possess Roanas Staff. I reckon a level 80 druid wielding that can bend this Trees will.


    The two envoysughed. And I thought you have such an item! That staff was destroyed long ago!


    Is it? I had the impression its what they used to keep the Guardian Tree of the Elven Capital under control...


    Hah. Dont tell me you believe some of that kind of silly propaganda. Its a myth to maintain the royal family''s legitimacy.


    The envoy frowned. Well... the King wont be pleased with this. I... I dont know how to go back.


    Well, were in the same boat. I bet the Kings gonna have my head. He tends to do that when he loses his temper.


    Im just going to fake my death. Demons killed me on the journey back. Thats going to be my story.


    The three envoys sulked together. Are there seriously no good Kings around? Or do they just die because they are too nice?


    <b>Year 81 Month 9</b>


    Another demon walker has been spotted on our continent this month, and strength returned to the demonoid forces throughout the continent. Thankfully, it appeared so far south, nearer to G. I guess they can use their newfound sacrificial blood-magic powers, and test it out. For us, we still see small packs of roaming demonoids close to our territories, but they are easily crushed by the patrolling beetles.


    Its a bit annoying that we only free from demon walkers for 3 months, but then again, Im expecting the demon king within the next 6 months. Cant be helped that the escorts will increase before the main characteres along. Lets just hope it appears on the Southern Continent, where there are now 6 demon walkers. The nations in the South managed to kill 1 using the blood magic, but it takes more than one shot to y the demon walkers.


    So, its really quite a miserable battlefield, the Southern Continent. I heard from Jura that theyve sent all sorts of requests for assistance.


    Ah, too bad for them, thats their problem. For now, I focus on rebuilding my stockpile of anti-demon bolts. Announcement next chapter oct 20-21 or so. thanks for readingmenting/reviewing/rating etc. :)

 Treelevator?

    Treelevator?


    <b>Year 81 Month 10</b>


    Winter arrived early. Apparently something to do with moon-movements, ording to Madeus, every 30-32 year or so the moons change position and somehow cause this worlds winter tost a month longer. Not sure how that actually works, and why, or whether its magic


    And fun fact about the world, nobody can agree on how many moons there are. Some say three, some say four, some say ten. The night sky, even with magic, sometimes reveal odd moons, that only appear every now and then.


    Ellipticals moons. Alexis said, shes been sky-gazing almost every day. Shes even got a telescope recently. I suspect some of them have century-long orbits.


    Thats like... crazy. Mes quite into the moon and star stuff too, but mostly for astrological sign stuff. Some of her guests enjoy that kind of service. I thought even the biggests from our world orbits the sun in a few years, how can something orbit a small so slowly?


    Or they could just beets. Not strange for them to mistakeets for moons. Comets have crazy orbits.


    Could just be magic. Well, thats my view. I mean, theres really no reason why the astronomical rules that apply from one world, should carry over into another world. The forces acting on interster objects could be different, maybe, there''s like a 5th magic force, or maybe dark matter in this worldprise of aether or star mana. You know, weird shit like that.


    True. Alexis sighed. TreeTree, how high can you grow?


    Uh... why? And that was a weird off tangentment.


    I wonder whether its possible for you to grow until well... space. Like a space-elevator. Or maybe you could be like a super-tall viewing gallery and observation tower."


    Thats going to be absurdly high. I said. No way. Well, the required height of a space-elevator is dependent on rotational spin andary gravity, no, unless I have some kind of magical item or object that create some kind of levitation effect such that it functions as a counterweight... I doubt it. I recall Earths space elevator needed to be like... 35,000km high. How could a tree ever grow that tall? Unless there''s some really wonky magic.


    I mean, maybe you could be like... magically super strong that you could support the weight. Maybe you could even reach like... uh... whats the word for it. Geostationary orbit? Alexis mused. "Or Low Orbit?"


    Me shook her head. I think you should just think about using magic. Magical rockets, Alexis. Magical rockets and levitation.


    But why would I even want to grow so tall that I reach space? Is there something to achieve there? Fruit-satellites? Or would star mana harvesting be far more efficient because of the altitude and exposure to direct star-light? Or more sr power?


    Seriously, growing so tall just sounds like... Jack and the beanstalk? Unless.


    You know, maybe ancient space elevators are how stories of world treese around. You know, Yggdrasil supposedly connected itself to 9 worlds, and if you imagined a modern, futuristic setting, a tree-shaped space elevator would be the gate to those other worlds. Alexis said.


    Oh wait. Do you want me to exin what all those words are?


    Yeah. And Alexis went on about space elevators, Yggdrasil, and stuff like that. I sort of recall the story.


    Its a fascinating thought, but I suppose there are magical... alternatives to a tree that grows into space. And why would I want to go to space?


    A tree cannot into space. Or can it?


    Anyway, enough about space, and winter, and moons. Demon battles intensified throughout the world, refugee movements increased, and news of death, destruction, glory, and victories flood the merchant channels. And that G country was crazy enough to actually use the blood sacrifice again


    And I think G used three rounds of that blood sacrifice ritual. Because my sensors detected three surges of magic.


    But it didnt kill the walker, though it did somewhat disable it. News reports two of the hex-bombs hit the walkers legs, and so the walkers unable to move. Still, that didnt bring an end to the intense fighting, as the walker did what it could, which was to spawn demonoids and flood the area with them.


    So, it kinda sucks, because... the walkers a walking demon-hive. It just vomits out demonoids when it doesnt move.


    And thanks to the merchants, theres increasing awareness that the demonic camps are all hives as well, constantly spawning demonoids, and taking them down would be key to reducing their threat.


    I think they are like ants, despite looking like.. Humans. Me suddenly said, giving a cleaning analogy. How do you kill ants? Wipe out the nests, or the ants will just keep roaming the entire kitchen.


    Turns out, shes not the only one with that idea. Juras been asked to support a 5,000 strong force meant to take down a demon fort found in the vicinity of a neighbouring kingdom. A coalition force, amon thing during demonic wars. I recall that Lord Rajjiv Nung was also part of a coalition force.


    So... are you going? Yvon asked.


    Jura shrugged. Im not keen, and I told the merchants that my ce is here. Joining coalition forces are for youngsters.


    Im starting to think you spend too much time with TreeTree, that youre getting his stationary-habits.


    Jura didnt mind the jab. TreeTrees got a point. Staying homes nice, and Ive got better things to do. Like practice. Besides, theyve got a general, dont they? Or some of the human elites. They dont need me.


    Yvon sneered.


    Theyll be fine. I dont quite trust this coalition force anyway. Jura felt these coalitions generally had ulterior motives, like getting a good sense of what his strengths are, and so on. I think thats his diplomatic-sense tingling.


    Heh. Yvons not exactly trusting of them either. Merchants probably just want to clear that base for a trade route. It is between this side of the city and the other, and they cant be using their airships all the time.


    The coalition is partly funded by the merchants, and they will handle the logistics, supply and also provide reimbursement. Forces from various kingdoms would join, usually the lower ranked ones. Battles are a good chance to gain levels, and usually such coalition forces try not to take on challenging opponents, due to the political fallout from a failed coalition attack.


    Throughout the world there are multiple such coalitions, many based on century-old treaties for mutual protection, or ancientmitments with temples and religions.


    But they will insist on someone, and the council will look to us to volunteer someone. Madeus, whos also in the meeting, responded. Hes not keen either, and like Jura, hed prefer if he could just study and conduct magic research all day.


    Ill ask one of the captains to volunteer, then. Hes about level 40s and should see more battle experience.


    Id send Lausanne if shes a few years older. Yvon shrugged.


    True, but shes not. So she stays. We have enough demons roaming the countryside as it is.


    Well, Lausanne and the Valthorns are now attached to a mobile cavalry unit. They ride beetles, in a way, as the proto-beetleknight squad, travel the countryside and hunt any demon packs that we spot. Helps that I can telepathicallymunicate with her over the distances, for coordination.


    A feature of her special-familiar contract.


    Maybe Roma can join if hes a bit older... depending on how long this demon kingsts...


    Yvon shook her head. Roma doesnt seem to have inherited ourbat talents. Hes more... into books. Perhaps a mage. Yvons son, Roma, is about 9 now, and he seems to prefer being at home with his books. Her mom struggled to get him to practice with her, and well, theres a bit of resentment between the two. Maybe he needed a father figure. In fact, Romas rtionship with Eriz is a whole load better, and Yvon frequently had to rely on Eriz to speak to Roma.


    Jura nodded. Its between her and her son, not for us to intervene.


    Ah never mind. Yvon diverted the subject. I hope the girlse back safely.


    Lausanne lead 4 of the girls, together with a group of 100 beetles. Theyre headed for a 100 strong demonic raiding force. They should win rtively easily, and Horns is close behind with a force of another 100 beetles.


    Even though New Freekas territory is small, my subsidiary treework stretches far, thanks to my prior expansions, and with my newfound Aura-sharing skills, the subsidiary treework functions like defensive lines, a ce where the intercepting troops can return, should the battle turns bad.


    Gradually, I am extending thiswork of trees further, they are after all, a great early warning system. Trees have eyes, yknow.


    <b>Year 81 Month 11</b>


    Wars. Wars. Wars.


    Battles and battles, seemingly endless ones. So much, that my soul realm is filled with the souls of the recently departed. My soul harvesters are busy, battlefield after battlefield they visit, and each trip, they bring back more souls.


    Even as the cold began to sweep through the continent, the demons do not stop fighting. And so, the defenders are forced into battle even when they do not wish it.


    I feel a little bad, being safe and warm here. One of the captains joked, the other one was out, as part of the merchant coalition force.


    Madeusughed, and then he sipped on his ginger tea. The group decided to have something a bit more cozy, so they brewed a few pots of fruit tea, ginger tea, garlic tea, and snacks. Mainly some fried potatoes, chips, fries. One of Mes kitchen projects was to recreate potato fries, because part of the global-domination ns involved being a chain-restaurant, like... McDonalds. So she had to have fries.


    Wesley, and our priests sat around the meeting room too. Dont jinx us. Appreciate that we can still huddle around in suchfort, even when theres a demon walker around.


    Mes happily ying the caterer. Apparently serving food contributes to her levels as a Hotel-Tree. Jura, Laufen and Lausanne also ate the snacks. Yeah. Never know when the good timese to an end.


    Theres a nod of agreement throughout the room. I wonder whether they feel it. That the demon king ising. I certainly think I can. The strange twitches to my star-mana leaves. The unusual fluctuations there...


    Im just missing good chilli sauce to go with my fries. Or ketchup, for that matter. Me whined to both me and Alexis. I need to get chillies and tomatoes.


    Me clearlys more focused on unlocking new recipes for her restaurant. Im starting to think shes ying hotel-tycoon or Overcooked, since the whole demon king thing is really just a distraction for her.


    The councils of the view that we should be building more walls, and have the sewer project modified. One of the treasurers speak to the group. Even though its cozy, its still a Valtrian Order meeting.


    Fouryers of walls is insufficient?


    Well, they thought that some of the coteral damage could be minimised, and we do have the capacity to add walls. As for the sewer project, theyre now thinking of adding bunkers and hideouts to double its function as a safe zone from the demons. Should we oppose such a motion?


    Jura shook his head. I think its fine. Its aligned to what we wanted, and the city should be allowed to protect itself. But it should be funded by the Council, not from the Order.


    Most of the other meeting attendees nodded. Then went back to eating.


    Any other business? Jura asked. Most of them had justpleted regr updates and reports. Discussions on the demonic forces take up about half the time, due to the far reaching implications of the demons on trade, funding, military and infrastructure.


    The demon king, ording to whispers among the temples, will arrive within the next 3 months. A priest said.


    In my mind, well, thats what I think too. This meant the temples may have some kind of star-mana equipment.


    How reliable is this prediction? Jura leaned forward. And even if so, what can we do about it?


    One of the captains, I believe the best thing to do, Counsel, is to just keep watch. You are right to say that we have no way to stop whatever the demon king does. Be on the lookout, and move out of its way.


    Agreed. Jura nodded. I think its probably the best decision as well. Im personally more interested in when the heroes will arrive, what powers do they have, and how can we spot them. So that we can stay out of their way."


    "We... don''t like heroes?" Me asked, the crowd here doesn''t know her true identity as a former reincarnated hero.


    "If they are not humans, I will like them." A captain said. "Else these stupid heroes will buy into the propaganda the royals feed them and treat us non-humans as enemies, once the war is over."


    Me did not reply. I think she''s trying to remember what the other kings and royalties have said to her in the past. She deftly served a te of fried potatoes to one of the priests.


    "Thankfully all the previous generation heroes died with the demon king." It was a priest that said it. "The post-war political jostling is usually... terrible. Heroes who see it as their duty from the gods to correct all that is wrong in this world."


    Me stopped. She sighed.


    Yvon, who was invited for the food, nodded. "Indeed. We should do our best not to offend them, we stick out, with our presence as a non-human nation in this region. But let''s hope the gods spread out the heroes a bit, and that some of them are non-humans. If that''s the case, the heroes will bnce each other out. Or maybe all of them die to the demon king."


    Me sagged a little.


    "Never mind, never mind. Let''s just wait and see what happens..." Jura munched on a piece of bread.


    <b>Year 81 Month 12</b>


    The Hutan druids responded that the meetup with the other tree spirits will be dyed because of the demons. Their efforts are dedicated to defending their areas against the demons.


    Ah well, I didn''t expect much from these druids anyway. I intended to reach out to these tree spirits without their intermediation anyway. I certainly would prefer to have discussions without the eavesdropping of others. Somehow, I have a gut feeling that there will be things only we, tree spirits, should know.


    Or should I say root-feeling? What would be a nt equivalent of gut anyway.


    After my recent level gains, and my recent subsidiary tree numbers, I might have just enough to extend one long chain to the Giant Lilypod City, but I would have to give up all the other subsidiary trees around, and that would leave.... The valley defenseless and without its early warning system.


    Ugh.


    Ill wait for my next subsidiary tree upgrade then.


    Or maybe... I can extend half way there and see whether I gain levels killing the demons I encounter along the way. But Giant Lilypod City is way down south of my continent. Hmmm, even past that G country where the leg-less demon walker is.


    Hmmm....


    Decisions.


    - Announcement


    Sorry guys, not feeling too good. Work''s been stressful, family''s been stressful, and I''m not feeling great, so a short chapter.


    I felt like a genius when I thought up Yggdrasil was some ancient Norse ''alien'' space elevator. Kinda like stargate, y''know.Or that space-elves where their tree leaves are also spaceports.

 Treelecommunications

    Treelmunications


    <b>Year 82 Month 1</b>


    A new year, but same old threats. The demons found the volcano, and now we fight a three-way battle. The native golems, the demonic forces who seemed to be interested in the same mana-source in the volcano, and my beetles. This to me, is sufficient confirmation that the demons are looking for mana-rich sources, and so maybe they will look to my [ThreeTrees of Mana] soon.


    Without the walkers, it isnt that difficult to defend these two locations, but I am having some trouble with the demon knights, so I do need to deploy Horns, Lausanne, and the Valthorns. I mean, I could root strike the knights, and I do every now and then, to dy and postpone the battle until I can get Lausanne and gang into battle.


    The reasoning is really simple. Im way too high level that defeating the knights is really quite pitiful for my experience gain, even with my overpowered experience gain. Its far more fruitful to save mobs of this level to Lausanne and the budding initiates, such that they get to a level where they can be of some use against the demons.


    At first, they were excited.


    But after one full month of constant battles throughout the volcanic area against the demons, Lausanne and the initiates are beginning to realise the enormity of the task.


    Wars are not nice. One of the young initiates, shes 8, as she sat next to Lausanne at a campsite. She sipped on a small wooden sk containing a kind of healing fluid. Theres a few subsidiary trees here so they benefit from my [healing aura] and [demonic suppression aura], so its a rtively good campsite.


    One of the captains, who came along nodded. Good that you realise that when youre young. Its not a nice feeling going out to fight, and realising you might note back. Were lucky that our Tree Spirit watches over us, in this area.


    The volcanic areas outer area is mostly conquered by my subsidiary trees by now, effectively forming a ring of trees to block out the demons. I call it, the Volcano-TreeLine. That didnt stop the demons from trying to break through, asionally with 500-1,000 strong forces.


    Lausanne sighed, she massaged her left shoulder. A wooden vine surrounded her, an effect of the special tree familiar. Shes level 42 from a whole month of demon-fighting, most of it from taking on a few demon knights. Doing it every day is quite different from fighting asionally.


    The captain smiled. You may be a genius, Lady Lausanne, but fighting daily is a reality for mostmon soldiers and guards in small viges. There was a group of soldiers who also came along. It didnt look good to leave the fighting to young kids.


    She nodded. Jura did tell her stories of the past, when Freeka was still the vige of Freeka, the men frequently patrolled the woods to defeat monsters. But still, nothing beats the experience of active duty, to know what its like. If only we can stop this for good.


    The captain smiled and patted Lausanne on her lean shoulder. Honestly, New Freeka has it good. The protection of the Aeons beetles meant we soldiers can fight more carefully, and less frequently.


    Lausanne twirled her right hand, and the vine formed itself into a spear. Ah, lets not have this talk. She twirled her fingers again, and the spear unmade itself into a vine, and then into a wooden sword. This is one of her daily practice routines, to hone her mastery over the flexible vines from the special familiar. She would alternate the vines forms, a spear, a sword, a whip, asso, a bow.


    The rest of the initiates watched. To them, its a bit like a magic trick.


    They would rest for an hour, before continuing their journey home. Thankfully, the beetle army carried them. A few of the beetles have things resembling seats, and since each beetle is about the size of arge rhino, about 2-3 could fit on each beetle. Except for one of the centaur Valthorns. Shes one of the younger Valthorns, from the 2nd batch, but centaurs tend to be bigger andrger despite having simr ages. She would gallop next to the beetles, and her stamina is pretty good.


    The soldiers who return to relieved family members, happy to see their family returning safe. The Valthorns would mostly be greeted by thedies of their orphanage.


    The orphanage is frankly overloaded, the number of kids aged 3 to 13 is close to 1,100, and Laufen and Belle are tasked with supervising the expansion of two additional buildings. The poption is generally supportive of the orphanage, so there really wasnt any challenge in terms of funding ornd, though the politicians see it like a private military academy, given the extensivebat training in their curriculum, so ording to my people-watcher Ivy, there are little pockets of discontent.


    In fact, the expansion of the orphanage meant about 30% of the Orders budget is now used to fund the charitable segment. Both the death-services, orphanage, and birth gifts all do not generate money.


    One of the priests suggested Tithes or Donations, but I shot down the idea. I feel if people start giving money to priests, thats going to just send us into a downward spiral of corruption. So no, I insist on the priests being paid a sry, and no donations or tithes.


    Instead, the Order has to do work for money. We run a vegetable market, food market, and herbs market.


    Herbal soup, herbal soup. Well, theres actually a lesser-variant of ginseng, grown by our herbalist. It doesnt have the full effect of the [Ginseng nt], and this variants boost is temporary. We thought of using the term ginseng, but then that might ruin the branding of the real ginseng nt, so decided for just in old herbal root soup.


    Ginger tea, ginger tea! An employee of the Order shouted.


    vored olives!


    Oranges!


    Cotton!! And clothes!


    Yeah. A market. I thought of having a more upmarket feel to the premises, but somehow it just organically transformed into this chaotic mess of a market that wouldnt feel out of ce in any Asian or middle eastern metropolis. I wonder whether this is what the Grand Bazaars of Baghdad would be like.


    I would usually tune out the shouting match in the markets. Theres only so many times you can bear a middle ageddy repeatedly shouting, Potatoes for sale, Potatoes for sale.. Listen to it for too long, I find that those words end up repeating in my thoughts too.


    Thank goodness, like the [roo], I can tune out all these chatter.


    But Ivy likes the market. She says the gossip in the markets is her top 5 ways of getting information. The thingsdies share with each other while haggling over carrots and tomatoes is quite... interesting.


    95% made up, by the way, but still, that 5% is worth it.


    Oh. And the bigger orphanage kids are usually tasked with security. If there werent in the orphanage, theyd be the ones stealing. I thought its a good way to deter the food-thieves, and you know, it takes a thief to catch a thief.


    Until we got some rather interestingments from the general popce.


    Why cant we just give our surplus away?


    Can we just run charity kitchens for the poor and hungry?


    Hmmmm... the council already does have some kind ofmunity kitchen, a legacy of the New Freekans origins as refugees. The generation that came and survived the move to New Freeka generally appreciate themunity kitchen.


    Never mind. I decided to just stick to the n.


    -


    The little tree of prayer shipped to Ransh has safely arrived and nted in a small public garden. A rarity in Ransh, from what I hear.


    Sadly, because its way too far from any of my other subsidiary trees, it is not connected by root, to the rest of the roo, so I cant reallymunicate with that tree. All I know is, it lives, and its there in that little garden somewhere.


    My [roo] needs to get some kind of wide-areawork service. I mean, do we have like 4G transmission trees? Or [Wide-Area Network]?


    Ah. Nothing much I could do, except to find a way to extend my roots into that area of town, so for now, I hope that [tree of prayer] is well taken care of. Itll take a few generations of roo upgrades before Ill get there.


    In a way, mywork of trees is essentially a subterranean cable line, kind of like those subsea fibre optic cables that cross oceans to form my homeworlds inte. Of course, the scale of my roo is miniscule inparison, but Id like to think, with all the research and advancements Im doing, Im like a precursor to DARPA, and my roos like... root-arp?


    So, Im TARPA? Trees Advanced Research Projects? Wait. Isnt that TARP? TARPANET?


    Never mind. Thats horrible. I mentally told myself that set of names is to be forever banished from existence.


    <b>Year 82 Month 2</b>


    <i>[Demon King Sabnoc has arrived]</i>


    The news came like a wave. An actual energy wave swept through the world,ing from all directions. I felt it, and Im sure everyone felt it too.


    But, the wave stayed, like some kind of background... disturbance. Buzzing. Like... white noise from a radio.


    Jura gathered all the leaders. Whats going on?


    We... we dont know. None of my [message] spells are working. Madeus looked afraid. It seemed like the demon king has somehow managed to interrupt all long rangemunication spells.


    I tried to check on my beetles. And got no response.


    I lost contact with all the beetles that wander too far off from my [subsidiary trees]. Immediately, I ordered all beetles to stay close to my subsidiary trees.


    Lausannes out on patrol. I spoke to Jura. Looks like here, near my main tree it still functions. I cant contact her.


    Well have to do it the non-magical way. Couriers, messengers. Escorts. Jura looked, and the captains ran out to summon as many couriers and messengers they could get.


    Madeus sat, theres another mage I rarely see next to him. This has never happened.


    Well, times have changed. Certainly, this new demon king seems to try rather exotic strategies. I wonder whether hes a reincarnator. That would be something very, very scary to think about.


    In the past, dedicated couriers, messengers, or even scouts used to travel long distances to deliver highly ssified messages, before the encrypted magical means ofmunication were invented by one of the heroes a few generations back. These days, diplomats and merchants take over the role of official documentations and treaties, and the magical encrypted messages are the mode ofmunication for discussions. Magical obsolescence, I suppose.


    But I suppose a return to the analogue ways has its... interests. What do we know? Jura sent out the couriers and messengers to all the nearby kingdoms, requesting for status updates. A new set of magical seals were made, to facilitate these sort of letters and messages/


    The merchants was the first to quickly summarise the effects of the demon king. It seemed they managed to retain some form ofmunicationwork throughout the continent, though their intercontinentalworks are now broken.


    Message spells are unreliable at 10km. High-tiermunication spells are unreliable at 30km. Warnings on summons, magically controlled monsters have a chance to break their servant-master link at a distance of 500m to 5km, depending on the type.


    Hmmm... all my subsidiary trees are still in contact. Roo is still online.


    Message integrity decays at 5km onwards. Merchants guild is still experimenting with supercharging magical messages.


    The [Message] spell is essentially themunication backbone of the present society. War,merce and trade all rely on it. A [message] spell is essentially a message wrapped up into a magical container, and sent like an invisible letter, where it then arrives at the other side as a letter. It is possible to secure the packet by way of encryption codes, and simrly, it is possible to intercept them as they pass through.


    All [message] spells travel along corridors high up in the sky, known as the Aurora currents. These currents help to reduce the mana load required to travel long distances, as the Aurora currents have a positive, recharging effect on these [message] packets. Apparently, and this is also something that is debated, the Aurora currents were created by some heroes a long time ago, to facilitate their anti-demon efforts. Some day, its made by the gods, because why else would the currents be so convenient? It boggles the mind that a supposedly natural phenomenon can be exploited to function as a global airborne [message] superhighway.


    A mage learning how to use [message] learns about the worlds magical currents, and sends the coordinates along the packets. The way I understood it, as Madeus exined it, is that the [message]work is essentially like a collection of email servers, with some snail mail features.


    For example, a mage who wants to send a [message] from New Freeka to say Ransh, must know which current, node and sub-node, kind of like a traditional country-state-city hierarchymon in addresses and old school mailing systems. The [message] packet itself is then wrapped with some identifiers and locators so that it can locate the intended receiver. Or what most nations have, is a magical artifact that acts as an anchor to receive the [messages], sort of like a post box.


    But now, thiswork is unusable. The chaos is perhaps simr to what happens when the inte went out. Learning the intricacies of the [message] system works, only when the system goes down, is like how people start to study the intricacies of how nes work after a flight crash urred. A little toote.


    Merchants especially, scrambled to find alternatives to their usual sources. Trading prices for certain goods started to fluctuate, because the merchants ability to obtain market price information from other cities is now gone, and a merchants willingness to purchase local goods dropped significantly, because hes unable to guarantee his own ability to make a profit by locking in another deal in some other part of the world.


    How about scrying and remote viewing? I observed the mages in New Freekas mage guild, in a discussion with the local merchants. Thankfully, this newfound magical interference from the demon king didnt affect my ability to see my own trees, and I believe my own energies are repelling that interference somewhat.


    It really brings back memories. The guys banging on our IT admins tables, demanding to know why are the payment systems down, and how soon we can fix it.


    Doesnt work either... and we do not have mages who focus on such spells.


    Then what works? Ive got a warehouse full of goods, and I cant find out where to send them, or whether the route is even safe! Theres got to be something?!


    Im afraid the best chance, at this point, is a messenger. The mage tried to cate the angry merchant.


    Thats too slow!


    Were still trying...


    Over at the military side, Jura attended a meeting with the New Freeka council, together with a lot of military guys. A strategist under the councils employ was present to give a quick briefing on the situation.


    One, our ability to coordinate our military with our allies is now significantly reduced. Two, our ability to locate the demon king and demon walkers, on a close to real-time basis is also almost gone. This meant the blood sacrifice spells used to bombard the demon walkers is effectively useless.


    Ah. Shit. That is a bad thing. What use is a nuke if you dont know where to shoot it?


    Also linked to that second point, well need to rely a whole lot more on scouts to monitor the demons movement.


    I suppose they need to return to res, fire-signals and stuff like that?


    I still havent heard from Lausanne, so I decided to send some [subsidiary trees] towards herst known location.


    Spaizzer


    Demon King uses [global fog of war]

 Volcano Defense

    Volcano Defense


    <strong>Year 82 Month 3</strong>


    Silence is eerie. Without themunicationworks to inform ones decisions, most travellers decided to stay put and wait. Only those truly desperate, or daring, make the journey.


    Throughout mywork of trees, demons appeared more frequently, and inrger numbers. Given my now-smaller effective range due to the interference of the demon king, its also harder to move my beetles from one ce to another as they have to travel close to my chain of [subsidiary trees].


    When is the damn messages going to get through? Merchants, some of them have started drinking extensively. It seemed they are in a limbo. Some of them started to band together and just try to make the trip to the next town. A small minority just sold all their inventory and decided to just stay put.


    Im not going anywhere. This town can defend itself against a demon walker, Ill just stay. Its a risk to go out there, you might not know if a demon walker is nearby!


    We are merchants! We do not sit still in a ce. We need to sell to make money!


    Anyway, back to the beetles, the attacks throughout mywork increased, and so, with Trevor and Dimitrees advice, Ive split my beetle force into six squads, of 1,500 each, all stationed in a different part of mywork, the rest of them in New Freeka. I cant move the beetles as quickly as before, because of the longer route they now have to take, and with lesser visibility, I have lesser amount of time to n and respond to any incursion.


    In a way, this is a hub-and-spoke strategy, mini-bases for my beetles.


    Frankly, I didnt see thising. I thought demon kings were just overpowered, and have high destructive abilities. Utility or passive abilities wasnt something I expected. It really feels like there is a mind behind the demon.


    Would you think its a reincarnator? A hero from your world?


    Alexis paused. That... would be terrible, isnt it? If they brought someone from my world...


    Theres really no reason why the demon kings would change tactics this time. There has to be a trigger point. When you fought the demon king, what did you think?


    Alexis waited, and then she responded, off tangent, but very relevant. ...I wonder whether the demons essed my memories.


    Huh?


    When I was trapped as a fire-demon. Whether... whether the demons looked into my mind, just like how I saw their homeworld.


    You... you saw their homeworld?


    I think so. Im not sure whether its a dream or its their home world, but after the demon walker, it brought back memories. Its a massive desert withrge spires, simr to the ones on the demon walker''s back, but many, many times bigger, and more.


    Okay, now we have two suspects. One, the demons somehow brought a reincarnator or offworlder. Two, the demons took a look at your mind and decided to copy some tactics. Or possibly both are true. Or you may have let the demons in on where you are from, and therefore they can now summon their own version of heroes.


    Alexiss spirit body rotated and twirled in the air. She looked horrified. That... I hope not. We need to warn everyone if we are potentially dealing with an enemy reincarnator. All the nations must treat the demons as intelligent!


    Hmm... lets not panic yet. I do suspect that this generations demons are possibly intelligent, or have some kind of thought process to their tactics, but the fact that they only have a small variety of units, seem to imply that there is some kind of migration-limit on what they can bring to this world. Maybe the reincarnator himself isnt here in this world.


    We need countermeasures. We need to do something! Alexis spinned. I think her spiritual body is changing color. Meeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.


    Me was happily in her inn. Now that the merchants arent going anywhere, they need a ce to stay, so her inn is full house. And many merchants are drinking their worries away.


    Busy, Alexis. Ive got a full house to manage. Me waved her off.


    This is important Me, IMPORTANT!!!


    After Im done with my customers... which is like, really, really muchter. Later, okay?


    Meaaaa! Alexis pouted.


    In the meantime, I called Jura and Madeus to discuss the possibility of an intelligent demon king.


    Demon kings are somewhat monster-like, at least in history. They seek out ces withrge poptions, and have an ability to sense the presence of heroes. Their instincts seem to drive them towards the heroes. They have some primitive intelligence, ording to statements from past heroes, but inbat, and once provoked, they are like... monsters.


    So, how bad is it, if the demon king is intelligent, say... like an average human.


    On the bigger scale of things, its probably the demonic equivalent of a very very nasty undead necromancer.


    Is that bad? It sounds bad. I asked.


    Jura shook his head. His knowledge about such things are quite... shallow. Madeus has a better understanding on historical outbreaks.


    Madeus nodded. Hmmm... if the heroes can work with the kingdoms, should still be possible to defeat the demon king. After all, the demons cant level, and the lower level demons, demon walkers dont disy the kind of intelligence that I would associate with sentience. So... its likely that only the demon king is fully intelligent.


    "I agree with that theory." Indeed, the demon walker or the demon general did not appear to be ''intelligent'', even if they have some tactical sense. Else, they would not have walked in a straight line towards the source of the Hexbombs. If so, all the thinking must be done by the demon king, and that is inherently a weakness.


    Jura and Madeus looked at the map. There''s nothing on it, now that we have no data on the demons.


    Jura shrugged. "Nothing actually changed, isn''t it? The heroes still have a demon king to y, it just meant the process is harder for them. For the rest of us, the demon king will continue to wreak havoc. Our preparations just need to continue."


    "True."


    Alexis on the other hand. "We need to send letters to all the kingdoms. The threat of the demons should be higher."


    "That achieves nothing. For kingdoms already fighting for their survival, such as those in the Southern Continents, the demons are already their number one threat. For those currently safe, all of them are preparing. By now, no one is treating the demon king lightly. I believe many other strategists and kings must havee to the same conclusion as we did, that this demon king is sentient and intelligent."


    Alexis pouted.


    "Our best course of action is hunker down and prepare for war. And pray the demon king isn''t on our continent. As for you, what have you got from all your research? Can you research how to counteract or offset this demonic interference, so that we can restore themunication with all our neighbours?"


    "...I will get started."


    -


    Lausanne came back at the end of the month. They have been forced into hiding, to avoid the roaming demons. With the beetles ''asleep'', they do not have the numbers to take the demons in a fight, so their progress home was super slow.


    Laufen was delighted to see her daughter again, and gave her a big hug.


    "Happy to see you too, mom." Laufen was worried sick, even if she put on a strong face in front of others.


    "We need to stick closer to the trees from now on." Jura was relieved, of course. Lausanne wasn''t alone, her squad had twenty others. Luckily, none of them died. Avoiding battle is a good choice.


    <strong>Year 82 Month 4</strong>


    "When will the heroes be summoned?"


    "Usually 6 months to a year after the demon king." Maybe less? I hope it''s less.


    If the demon king is smart, he should expand as fast as he could and crush all the allied kingdoms. That way, the heroes have less support, the kingdoms stand no chance against a creature like the demon king. If he is truly intelligent, he will use this head start to cement his position.


    "Aeon! A demon army in the distance!" I spotted it too, they seem to employ a scorched earth strategy and are headed for the volcano. New Freeka won''t deploy itself, but I will have to defend the volcano.


    After the demon walker battle, I have 15,000 subsidiary trees, about a third of which are beetle-nests. Each tree, with Horn''s upgrades, is home to 5 beetles, so I have a total beetle force of 25,000. I am literally a one-tree beetle army, but I have to spread this force throughout mywork.


    7,000 is at home, in the valley as its defensive force, and I lost about 4,000 beetles is various smaller skirmishes in the past months. That leaves 14,000, of which spread into the six 1,500 squads, give or take a few hundred.


    20,000 demons. There are already 1,500 beetles stationed in that segment of my treework. The rest of my beetles, the 7,000 stationed at home will take about five days to get there. It''s a battle away from my main tree. Not my ideal battleground.


    "They... they are headed for the volcanic area??" The Order captains are surprised, of course. They presumed they would head here.


    "The volcano is a natural mana source. A difficult one to work with, but a mana source. We must defend it, else we will have a demon factory as our neighbour." I told the Order, and Jura ryed the message to a clearly spooked New Freekan council.


    The councillors are afraid, so the councillors all summon their local supporters for views. Some of them want to participate, they see why it should be defended. Some prefer to wait and hold a defensive line here, in the Valley.


    So, the choice is given to the councillors, and they gather support. Either send an army to fight a force near the volcano, or tolerate a demon base next to New Freeka and die eventually, anyway.


    In a way, it is an easier battle since it is just arge army of regr demonoids. There are no giant walkers. BUT, the flipside is my ability to intervene slightly weakened by the distance.


    "Jura and Yvon, I need both of you at that battle."


    Lausanne tapped herself. "Me too." Well, I nned on including her anyway.


    "And you." Laufen gave her daughter a hug. "And the Valthorns. I need every high level person I have at that battlefield. Go, and go quickly. The beetles there may not be able to hold the line for more than three days. And the demons are only two days away."


    In a way, this could have been prevented had I created an outer perimeter of subsidiary trees, but even that would only give me one extra day''s advance warning. Still, I made a note to further fortify the Southern forest and [ThreeTree of Mana]. Clearly that magic ley line would be a juicy target for the demons, should they discover it.


    To dy the demonic force while the rest of the forces get into position, I activated [rooting field] and [poison field] multiple times. Sadly, poison doesn''t work on demons, but the roots did manage to dy them.


    The battle began as expected, five dayster on the edges of the volcanic area. I have increased the amount of [subsidiary trees] I have, so that I can keep control over the beetles, and with new [subsidiary trees], the present beetle force stood at 2,500. My 7,000 beetles are a day away, and the New Freekan army of 4,000 soldiers are two days away.


    The demons? 21,000 or so. The demons themselves are increasing. The demons charged, led by humanoid demons, riding on demon hounds, wielding long halberds and spears.


    "Fucking hell, they have cavalry." They had demon knights that rode hellhounds some time ago, a small ''elite'' brainwashed humans that chased the heroes, but this is my first time witnessing pure-demonoid cavalry asbat force.


    <em>Actually, how did the demons brainwashed those humans? Could they be the source of this change in tactics too?</em>


    Something isn''t right. If demon knights, brainwashed by the demons exist, that means the demon kings had always been sentient. Because you need a certain measure of intelligence to utilise ''demonic-corrupted human knights''. And the previous demon king had manticores and wyverns too.


    Ah, I need toe back to this thoughtter. Now I need to focus on the fight to defend the volcano.


    The demonoid riders smacked into my beetles, we are fighting defensively, using the trees as a kind of makeshift wall. Beetles can fight even when they are partly-crawling on trees, the demonoids less so. I need to dy them as long as I can, until the rest of my 7,000 beetles arrive.


    Utilising the beetles ability to burrow, the beetles dug numerous trenches throughout the battlefield, all meant to dy the demons.


    A kind of<em>treench</em>warfare, but these are mixed in between theyers of trees.


    Some of my [subsidiary trees] are [carnivorous nts], and they chomp on one or two demonoids before they needed time to recharge.


    Here, at this distance, the effect of my [lesser demonic suppression aura] is slightly reduced, and a defensive battle meant my beetles can still benefit from my [healing aura].


    But these things merely serve to dy the inevitable.


    The number disadvantage was too massive, and they killed 1,500 beetles within the first few hours of skirmish. The remaining 1,000 retreated back to thest line of trees. On the positive side, half of the demonoid cavalry have been killed, and the demon army is now about 19,000 strong.


    "Jura, Lausanne, Yvon. Situation isn''t good. We are likely to have to fight the demons after they breached the tree-line. There are a few demon knights in the force." Indeed, the demon knights, with their various short-range weapons, made the trenches unfavorable to the beetles.


    A mistake, on hindsight. Silly me, thinking my beetles are the only ones who have an advantage in the trenches.


    The 7,000 beetles are still half a day away.


    The demons continued their charge, and the fighting continued into the night.


    "Master. Bad news, another 20,000 has been spotted in the north corridor. They are headed to the former dungeon, the naga-hole." Trevor gged the news. In fact, by the time we spotted the demons, they were already at the dungeon''s doorsteps.


    "There''s nothing there?" How did the demons spawn so many demons? Don''t they need bases for this?


    With another battle ongoing at the volcano, I had to concede the former naga dungeon. I didn''t have enough beetles to fight two battles at the same time, so the beetles in that area retreated.


    Back at the volcano, my defensive line broke really quickly. There really was no way I could stop an army of 19,000 demons with only 1,000 beetle, even if I kept using my skills to thin their numbers.


    I had to make a call then, I retreated with the 500 surviving beetles, and joined them up with the 7,000 that arrived a little toote. The demons had breached the tree-line and entered the volcano area.


    "The demons are in the volcanic area."


    "Should we continue, then?"


    "Yes. We must defeat the demons before they establish a base in the volcano. We cannot let them tap into the volcano''s mana source."


    "The men are not keen." One of the captains said. Some of the men didn''t see why they should risk their lives protecting a volcano.


    "Then die when the demonse along." It really wasn''t a lie. A demonic base next to us? They could spawn more demons, more than the beetles I can field.


    Still, keen or not, we had to fight. I was not nning on letting the demons get too far into the volcanic area, and already I see the demons fight the native magma golems.


    The native magma monsters didn''t mount any extra defense, after all, they didn''t even know an army was headed their way, but the giant magma golems were more than a match for conventional demonoids.


    But the demons were focused. While some demonoids kept the magma golems upied, they charged for the caldera. And I didn''t n on letting them get there and establish a foothold.


    I spawned subsidiary trees, even in this hostile terrain, the army of beetles and New Freekans chased after the demons. They have one day''s head start, and the army passed by more casualties by the wayside. Some soldiers took this chance to collect any loot that the golems dropped, since the demons were not interested.


    As the beetles and soldiers headed up, I felt it.


    A surge in mana, a shiver in the magma and earth below. "Shit." I told myself, they might have already started. Demonic energy is starting to corrupt the volcano''s energies, and all the trees in the area can feel the incursion.


    An hour of climbing up the volcano with this army, we saw the demon''s fortress. Past a field of crushed golems and the half-skewered demonoids, right at the edge of the volcanic caldera, a fortress in the making. Its growing slowly, but it already has the shape of spires, simr to the spires of the demon walker. There it was, at the center of the under-construction fortress, a banner-like reddish object, the so called demon-rod as told by the merchant guilds.


    "This.... this is a terraforming army." Alexis muttered. "They n to turn the world into the factories of their homeworld?" We could see the demonic energy leaking from the rod into the ground, and its trying to take control of thend beneath it. But the volcano would not be tamed so easily.


    This scene somehow reminded me ofa game I yed, where the four factions used little magical rods to conquer thend, and with it, convert the neutralnd into the four types of racial terrains, hell, blight, frost or bloom.


    "No time to waste. The fortress is not ready, and we must destroy it now." Or actually, destroy the rod first. If the rod is the source of the corruption, there''s really no need to focus on the army.


    In fact, I thought of cheating, so I created a few subsidiary trees as close as I could to the fortress and started unleashing [root strikes] at the rod.


    But it all met a barrier of some kind. And that barrier prevented my roots from approaching, and it also blocked my subsidiary tree.


    There were 3 demonoids standing around the rod, in a mini-circr formation. They seemed to be channel the energy from within the rod to create the fortress and the barrier protecting the rod. I need to stop them, or by tomorrow they would start to spawn demons. The barrier blocked the roots attacking the 3 demons too. Ugh.


    "Jura, need you to take those 3 demonoids down."


    "What, where?" I forgot they can''t see past walls, unlike my top-down visual through all my subsidiary trees. The demonic army form up around the fortress, and now we have a better sense of what we were up against. The demonoid army had suffered losses to get to this part, a section so close to the top of the volcano.


    No matter. 16,000 demons noticed our presence, and they fought hard to hold back our 7,500 beetles and 4,000 soldiers. And once again, anotherrger scale battle.


    Without a demon walker to focus on, my role in this battle is to prevent unnecessary deaths. This meant, observing the soldiers, and interfering when they are in trouble. At the same time, I also clear a path for Jura and Yvon that leads to the three channeling demons, so that they can quickly end the rod''s corrupting magics.


    They are my bestbatants, and since there is a magical barrier, I hope they can still physically pass through the barrier.


    Jura quickly cut through tens of demon knights, Lausanne, Yvon and some of the captains take out a few as well. The battlested three hours, and the beetles finally managed to punch through the wall of demons. A path is open, Jura, Yvon and some soldiers charge in. The barrier does in let them through.


    Yvon rushed ahead, and with a quick sh, she shed through the three demonic channelers.


    The rod was almostpleted enveloped it some kind of demonic energy, and when the three demonic channelers evaporated into demon-dust, it just levitated in mid-air, un-moving.


    Is it done? Jura asked, I sensed the corrupting influence of the demonic rod slowly subsiding.


    I think we need to hit it. Another soldier looked and said. Apparently other countries have destroyed such rods before.


    "Uh..." Jura looked at it, it is surrounded by a ck me. "I am not touching that. Madeus?"


    "Guard it. Don''t let any of the other demons continue channeling the rod." The beetles andOrder soldiers fight off the rest of the demonoids. We should not stay long, I saw a giant magma golem starting to form in the distance. The native monsters are trying to fight back, and they see both us and the demons as intruders.


    "TreeTree, can you move it, or knock it out? The channelers are gone, so the barrier should be down." Jura asked, Madeus was busy sting some demons. Jura continued tocutthrough demonoids. The captains reorganised the men into defensive formations, the beetles doing the bulk of the fighting.


    Iunched a few more [root strikes], and there''s no barrier blocking it. It hits through the demonic me, my roots just lightly scathed by the ck me, and the massive banner-rod falls down. But even as it copsed, cracked, I could sense residual demonic energies from it.


    The rod fell to the ground, dark energies jumped out like an arc lightning, and it tried to create more demonoids.This rod is the spawner of the demonic hordes, isn''t it?


    "Destroy it!" Jura shouted. "It''s trying to spawn more demons." Thats obvious enough. The demonic fortress and the spires around the soldiers started to vibrate, shake, and chunks started to copse.By now, thedemonoids have been defeated. We''re only left with the rod.


    But no, I don''t n to destroy it, just yet. "Take the rod." I asked Jura, but then I realised its massive.


    "What? No way. It''s still emitting that ck demonme. You need to knock it out a bit more."


    Ugh. That meant I am the only one that can manipte it? A beetle approached and the mes burned the beetle.


    I briefly considered leaving it here, but that meant the rod will spawn more demons, and that defeats the purpose of this incursion.


    I decided to weaken the rod a bit more, so with some [Root strikes,] the demonic energy dissipated, and the rod itselfcracked. Still, I could sense some remaining demonic energy, and that''s what I wanted. Good, I feel it would be better for me to hold onto it and subject it to some research, see what I can learn from it. If this demon king is intelligent as I predict it is, then I need to know how I can counter him, whether I can use the energies from such rods against it.


    No one wants to touch the demon rod surrounded by the residual ck mes, and only I had the necessary resistances.


    I used a bit of my vines and the ck mes are unable to hurt the vines much,andI moved the rod. It takes a bit of effort to y pass-the-baton with my vines, tossing the rod from one subsidiary tree to another, all the way down from the volcano, back to New Freeka. This baton-pass took two days, for the rod to arrive back at the valley.


    Must look rather silly, trees passing a cracked rod, swinging it from tree to tree. It took a lot of effort to get the rod to move correctly.


    Wait. Why does that sound wrong?


    "Okay, let''s retreat before the golems respawn. There is no need to fight the natives." Meanwhile, Jura ordered the army to retreat home. I would rebuild my defenses around the volcano after this.


    [You gained a level. Level 138]


    [New Skill learned : Vine-Ropeway Network. Vine-Ropewayworks allows you to move things and people from ce to ce, like a cable-car or aerial gond system. Must be part of the same connectedwork of vines.]


    [<em>Star mana-variant</em>:<em>Consumes 150 star mana</em>: Creates a star-mana vinework that temporarily folds space and time, and open a portal between any two subsidiary trees or your main body. Allows movement of any one person, animal or thing instantaneously from any subsidiary tree to any other subsidiary. Need not be connected.]


    <em>(TreeTree presently has 300 star mana, and generates 30 star mana per month)</em>


    Uh. Wait.


    This is like that story Jura, or was it Casshern, said so long ago, of the twinned tree spirits that have a steady portal between one another. Like paired stargates.

 Stick it into the flame

    Stick it into the me


    <strong>Year 82 Month 5</strong>


    Two moons, high up in the sky. One blue, one white. Alexis says sometimes they change color, and apparently, the alignment of the moons influences the power of certain magics and monsters. Back home, there are stories of how some werewolves gain power from the moon, in this world, there are also certain kinds of werewolves that gain different powers, depending on which full moon in the night sky. Its certainly a fascinating mechanic to magic. Theres a third moon that moves a whole lot slower, and for now, it stays out of sight.


    Anyway, my immediate focus was on the now-broken demonic banner-rod, and I put it inside argeb-tree close to my main body.


    This is because, unlike theb which experiments on the hexbomb''s hexsludge, which is located really far away for safety, I am a whole lot more confident fiddling with the demonic rod, thanks to all of my anti-demon resistance. In fact, it''s better for it to be nearer since the [demonic suppression aura] is stronger.


    There is ayer of extremely dense demon-mana swirling in the core of that rod, a crystalline object that resembles daemolite. In fact, I think it is daemolite. The dense demon-mana protected the core from the probing vines, and I am in the process of overpowering the demon-mana, by slowly draining the demon-mana.


    It tried to fight me. The demon-mana from the rod even attempted totch onto my body, but as expected, my body is resistant and pushed back. I activated [natural mana overwhelming], and did what Ive done in the past, just like how I used the mana from me and all the trees to overwhelm the demon hounds, and Alexis.


    So, slowly, but surely, my mana begins to break into the rod, untangling it, and bit-by-bit, in slightly less than a month.


    And then...


    [Your mana haspletely taken over the demonic-presence rod. Demonic rod has now transformed into<em>The Stick of TreeTree.</em>The Stick Of TreeTree retains the mana-conversion and assimtion abilities of the original rod, will grow trees wherever it is ced, and spread your influence.]


    The strange looking rod now resembles arge wooden spear, with overgrown vines all tangled up around it. The daemolite core, once purple and reddish, now entirely light-green in color.


    But seriously, I didn''te up with such a name. Or maybe I did. Maybe it''s my subconscious.


    Decided it was a horrible name, I decided to call it the [Forest Rod] instead. Im just too embarrassed to even tell my beetles to carry the [Stick of TreeTree].


    -


    Throughout New Freeka, news is rare. Most [message] services are not operational, and not many couriers or messengers in service, they are often employed, at great cost, to deliver the most important messages.


    Some merchant groups decided not to wait any longer, and instead, they spend money to hire arge escort force. It''s a well reasoned choice, since the demon king will not die until the heroes arrive. How long could they wait anyway?


    Messengers, couriers are escorted by riders, and armed cavalry. At this point, speed is key.


    "Airships. Where are the airships anyway?"


    "I would think they are reserved for the most important tasks, like patrolling the capitols, transporting royalty or urgent expeditions. Smaller ones are used by adventurers, but charging the daemolites usually really... costly."


    I am starting to suspect the airship I downed so many years ago was somehow stolen. Or just somehow... airships just fell out of favor? Under such circumstances, I would think airships would work, unless somethings interfering with that too.


    Throughout mywork of trees, Im starting to see more travellers. Merchants, and others.


    A courier from Sh arrived today. Jura looked at a letter, and then casually ced it aside. They must be truly desperate, to demand that we all contribute military to their defense. What a waste of valuable couriers time.


    Huh?


    Well, just a strongly worded letter demanding that New Freeka provide protection to the royals of Sh, and support the continental coalition army. Shs part of the organising nations this time around, together with Takde and the eastern Nagra.


    Nagra. Wheres that?


    Further east of Sh. Its a coastal nation,and its capital is actually on arge ind just off the coast of our maind. Funny it decided to y a part...


    Maybe demons found a way to sail across the oceans.


    Demons can fly, though. At least, elder demons. Madeus added. If one of these giant demon walkers have some kind of flying ability...


    The previous demon king was a floating castle after all... But whats the point of the coalition army anyway, if they cant hold a candle to the demon king.


    They can act as a big fat decoy. A captain said. Thats what happened to thest coalition army. A decoy to re-direct the demon king elsewhere.


    Ignore them, then. I think all these royal schemes tend to fail in the face of the demon king.


    Juraughed. Ive never intended to respond. Weve got enough on our own te.


    <strong>Year 82 Month 6</strong>


    Now that I have this... stick, suddenly, a whole load of ideas came back to my mind. Could I do what the demons did? To im the volcano as my own using this rod? The fact that it has that spread my mana thing seems to suggest, yes. I can. I mean, thats how it worked in that other game I yed, right? Rods spread influence, and if I have a rod, I can do it too.


    And after dwelling on the idea for a few days, I decided to call on my beetles, Horns, and it is time for me to try to use the demons tactics for myself.


    The trees I have on the volcano has been destroyed, uprooted by the magma golems, but wont be hard for me to get back there again. 6,000 beetles, charged up the volcano.


    We fought golems, and giant golems along the way, and its a little easier this time around, with [healing aura] somewhat offsetting the natural burn damage from the volcanic environment. With stronger beetles, thanks to the upgrades, we managed to secure a one-way chain of trees up till the caldera.


    And there we have it. The giant magma golems.


    Defeating the giant golems is easy. But consistently holding on to it, while saving all the things are dying? Thats harder. I had to personally intervene every time the giant golems attacked, and that made holding onto the volcano exceptionally time-consuming. Thats even before the issue of the volcanos raw natural mana, which I cant seem to ess. My subsidiary trees also keeps burning from the natural heat of the volcano, and that meant I had to constantly rece them.


    Thankfully, after the past few upgrades, they are a little bit tougher.


    Im hoping this [forest rod] changes that. If this works, Im going to start hunting the demons for more rods.


    A torrent of [root strikes]ter, the golems are down, and with four beetles helped to insert the [Forest Rod] into the edge of the caldera.


    One of my [subsidiary trees]s vines and roots then tangled with the [Forest Rod]s growing vines, and I felt a strange sensation. I felt like I was in a hot sauna, but Im a tree. Focusing on the [forest rod], I quickly see that its the natural mana from the volcano, and my own natural mana, mixing.


    I think this might work.


    And more of those magma golems appeared. They seemed to have been riled up by the sudden shift in mana, and we, the trees and the beetles now y defense.


    I suppose its like tree versus volcano, then?


    And we spent five days, defending the [forest rod] while it channelled slowly. There really was no way I could speed it up, since the rod itself seemed to just work... automagically once supplied with mana. Increasing it doesnt work.


    Maybe its like cooking, you cant speed up a natural process. Not too much, at least.


    So we endured for five days, of constant healing. all the damaged [subsidiary trees] from all the spontaneousbustion. The heat meant the trees were getting drained of all their liquids, and when they are sufficiently dry, they would just... burst into mes. Thats on top of the attacks from golems.


    To slow down the effects of the intense heat, I tapped on the waters from the rest of mywork and constantly pumped water to the subsidiary trees on the volcano. It worked, somewhat, but instead some of the trees started to boil. Which killed them too.


    But we held our ground.


    Five days of constant fighting against golems, and I lost 4,500 beetles after 5 days. Battling in this unfavourable terrain meant their effectiveness is low, and Ive seen it first hand during the earlier battle with the demons. A beetle that was normally able to take on three, maybe four demons, can only take on one demon, because of the damage from the terrain itself.


    For five days, golems attacked the subsidiary trees and the makeshift walls from all sides, and I had the beetles try to do some rudimentary digging. The beetles suffered much, digging through hardened magma, and doesnt help that theres been a few... idents. Some beetles identally stepped on a chunk of loose rocks and then slid to their deaths, into the moltenvake in the center of the caldera. Or some chunks of ground suddenly erupted and a geyser ofva torched a few threes.


    Five days. Honestly, five days is just a blink of an eye, usually. But this long grind of barely defending the [forest rod] really reminds me of the early days of the [ginseng tree]. At least the rods pretty tough, it can take a few punches.


    Five days. I suppose Im not as good at corrupting thend, since the demons were almost done in two.


    And five days of magma-golem genocideter, the volcano filled with the burnt trees burnt beetles, wepleted the channelling of the rod.


    The [Forest Rod] transformed into arge tree right at the edge of the caldera. Its massive.


    And then, one of the longest skill notifications I have ever had.


    And I mean,<em>its really, really long.</em>


    [Natural Feature - Volcano integrated. Volcano has now transformed into<strong>Verdant Volcano</strong>]


    [Verdant Volcano will now spawn Giant Wildbeasts instead of Magma Golems. Giant Wildbeasts and other spawned creatures will recognise your trees and subordinates as natives]


    [Volcanic Minerals-<em>Passive - Must maintain connection to volcano -</em>Subsidiary trees now share nutrients and minerals from the volcano to its surroundings. Provides significant improvement to crop output, tree growth and regeneration and crop health. Bathing and drinking volcanic waters improve overall health. Resistance to disease, gue improved for New Freeka inhabitants]


    <strong>[Soul Forge : Red unlocked]</strong>


    [Soul Forge : Red increases artificial soul level caps to Level 50]


    [Soul Forge : Red unlocks additional repair options, and allows the repair of souls damaged by psychic or mental attacks. Improves a souls ability to withstand exposure to other kinds of mana and also improves skill harvesting rate]


    [Dream Harvester Spirits unlocked. Dream spirits harvest essences, soul fragments and asionally, skills, from those having dreams, aspirations, and strong passions]


    As you have unlocked 3 Soul Forge colors, youve gained ess to the<strong>[Titan Souls]</strong>. Titans are guardian monsters, protectors of incredible power, and summons of yore. You have sufficient power to support one Titan. To create a Titan, you must have a [Titan Frame]. Titans start at level 70, and have a level limit of 150. Once destroyed, they will respawn in one year in your main tree, until deployed again.


    [Titan Frames] are collected when a level 150 person, or a divine hero, or a dragon (or monster of simr grade) dies in your vicinity.


    Trevor, Bamboo and Horns, who are now at their level 40 cap, have unlocked new upgrade options. Taking these upgrades will allow them to level up to level 50.


    <em>Trevor</em><ul><li>Red - blood-path - Requires 10 rubies, and three barrels of monster blood.</li></ul>


    <em>Bamboo</em><ul><li>Red - Flower path - Requires 10 star gas and two boxes of red flower petals</li></ul>


    <em>Horns</em><ul><li>Red - Scarlet Steel Beetle path - requires 1 tonne of Iron and 10 rubies.</li></ul>


    And Im not done yet.


    [You have gained a level! You are now Level 139]


    [Skill obtained : Main Body Environmental Adaptation. Your main tree body is now able to survive all environments]


    Metaphorically, I felt like I had to sit down and digest all that. In actual fact, that means just... doing nothing. A tree cant sit. I can move my roots to resemble sitting, but its not sitting.


    <strong>Year 82 Month 7</strong>


    I had a lot to think about, particrly about the nature of my new powers. Firstly, the colors of the soul forge, how many colors are there? I had earlier suspected that there are at least 5 colors, simr to how some trading card games do it, white, blue, green, red, and ck.


    If theres 5 colors, would that imply a level limit of 70 if I have all 5 colors for my artificial souls? Or if there are more?


    And acquiring more colors expands the kind of souls I can create, so if 3 colors unlock Titans, what would 5 colors do? Or if there are more, what would those functions be? These are things I think I will discover in the future.


    Then, the Titans. Sadly, its effects are not retrospective, so I do not benefit from Alexiss death in my hands. I wonder whether it still counts if I kill the heroes when they are weak. Does it? Or ying dragons?


    And environmental adaptation. Uh... Kind ofme of a level 139 skill, since... Im here. At least if somebody used a super-blizzard, Ill be fine.


    Also, the rod worked.


    To me, this rod is a great gamechanger. I cant make the rod, but I can find more. And then I can corrupt it to expand my influence. It even helps to expand my forests. More forests is good. I like having more forests everywhere.


    Even now, the volcanos surface is filled with small shrubs and trees, the once violent mana now a whole lot less hostile to vegetation. I should have more of these rods.


    So its time for me to turn the heat back on the demons. Because these rods are awesome.


    And for that purpose, I created a new [artificial soul]. Too bad I cant have a Titan yet, but I suppose Titans are like end-game units. Like Khaine, or the Warboss.


    Stratreegy, online. Awaiting your instructions,mander. Damn, I love the fact that the artificial soul can leech on my memories to shape his voice and conduct. I honestly modeled him after the adjutants and advisors in all the 1990s RTS games I used to y.


    Good. Heres our n. Dimitree, Trevor, your roles remain, that is defense and administration of the southwest forests, the valley, and now, also the volcano area. Ivy, your role remains to monitor the inhabitants of New Freeka. Stratreegy, your role is to be my war room, and battlefieldmand. Your task is to find, and hunt for these demonic rods.


    Acknowledged.


    As it is, our visibility and scouting range has been significantly weakened, thanks to the interference of from the Demon King, and beetles are only able to operate within a specified range of our [subsidiary trees], this will be a difficult task. But together, we will hunt down more of these rods.


    Silence.


    As such, I am delegating control over 4,000 beetles and 500 unused subsidiary tree slots to you. Get me more of those rods.


    Understood, Commander.


    And so, I let me new artificial soul on its way. I feel a bit like the Overmind, creating new cerebrates to perform specific tasks. Helps that my special project, the [Grand Mind Tree], is going to be ready in two more months.


    What would I be called, then? I honestly dont want a name with a mind in it, because I think my minds really not all quite there. As much as I try to resist it, my mind splinters, and goes off in weird tangents. Its almost like my minds some kind of multi-threadedputer, jumping from one train of thought to another.


    I wonder sometimes, whether Im still Matt. But then, a part of me just brushed that off and pushed me back to my duties, which the valley, and caring for all my trees and citizens. I do like my trees. Theres so many of them now, and I consider them an extension of me.


    Yeah. My minds not all there. I wonder whether the gods are ying tricks on my mind, like how they y tricks on the heroes.


    -


    How long before the heroes arrive anyway? Its already been 5 months. It seemed that the courier services are getting more and more active, with more people taking on the job of delivering messages to nearby towns.


    We still havent received any news from the other continents, but were starting to get a better sense of whats happening on our own. The merchants guild has finally set up something of a high-priority courierwork, using their best scouts and messengers to travel along specified routes.


    The good thing is, at least the demon king isnt on our continent. The bad news is, theres a lot more demon walkers. But thats a small matter. Now that I am well aware of the value of the demon-rod, I want more of it.


    So I need to help Stratreegy along.


    Jura seemed quite puzzled, but once I exined how I corrupted the demon rod, he too, saw value in it.


    Yes. Preferably ones where there are known demon rods. Jura didnt want to exin too much, but said that I have uses for them.


    Uh... The captains seemed strangely appalled.


    You do not have to engage. You just need to find it and report back.


    Wed rather not, Counsel. Withmunication lines so limited, the men would prefer to remain close to home. The captains didnt like the idea of looking for demons, outside our immediate territory.


    I could sense their hesitation, and I decided to tap on another source of valuable talent. Adventurers.


    20 gold for the first party that spots a demonic banner-rod. And indeed, that helped to mobilise the adventurers. I mean, conventional military men aren''t really looking to risk their lives unnecessarily. The idea of poking the ho''s nest is strange to most regr forces, and only those with high levels in [scout] or [spy] or [infiltrator], would even think of risking their lives.


    Adventurers on the other hand are more than willing to take on danger for simple, good old moh.


    I mean, at what point does money loses value anyway? In a world where monsters and demons are so insane, why should money have any value? Shouldnt protection and safety be more valuable? What really gives money value in a world with no certainty of value? I mean, theoretically, if you are more likely to die than ever be able to trade that gold for anything of value, the gold is essentially worthless once you stepped out of the city gates, no? Perhaps one of the gods somehow guarantee the value of gold, then? Acting as some kind of universal mary authority? Or does the merchants guild y that role indirectly, functioning as a de-facto reserve bank?


    Its a rhetorical question. I need to stop getting side-tracked.


    I need more rods. Maybe I can nt them at theke. Or what if I used it on therge mound of daemolite?


    How do I get green, and white colored soul forges?


    Spaizzer


    Okay, Stratreegy may not be the best name. I was thinking Stratreegos (sounds a bit like Malygos, no?), or Attre (after Att the Hun).


    And yes, finally, volcano conquest, aided by a rod. TreeTree''s gonna go hunt for more... sticks. And yes, it''s a freaking long status notiication because of the multi-color interactions. Think about it, a ROD that spreads TreeTree''s SEEDs.


    And Titan Souls. Something of a mismash of W40k Khaine, and Aeons from Final Fantasy X, only, made from the death of heroes, or mythical monsters. Level 150 people are pretty much champions, so I included them too. :)

 Tree Uses Heal, Round 3

    Tree Uses Heal, Round 3


    <b>Year 82 Month 8</b>


    The fact that the rod worked made me ask more questions about the nature of these mana sources. Why were my normal [subsidiary trees] able to tap into the magical leyline, yet it didnt work on the volcano?


    What made the rod special?


    I made a few theories, but I must admit these are shaped by my experiences with my own games.


    The first possibility is that there arepatible and ipatible ''colors'' for mana, and so, if my base color is blue, then red is therefore an ''opposing'' color. So, I would have to go through a lot more steps and upgrades to assimte an ''opposing'' color mana, hence the [Forest Rod].


    That, of course, is just a theory. I had asked the Wisp, but the Wisp is surprisingly clueless about such things, and I suspect only other Tree Spirits may be able to answer me.


    The second but not mutually exclusive theory, was that there are ''tiers'' to the mana. In this theory, the dungeon core and leyline beneath constituted directly essible'' mana, and the volcano''s natural mana constituted ''mana that required processing''.


    The mental model I had for this theory, simr to the oil & gas industry, which has different types of rigs and mines, like regr pumps, deep sea rigs, oil sands, or shale oil, each with different rates of recovery, at different kinds of technological difficulty. I built this theory on the knowledge that heroes and myself have ''star mana'', and the sick princess was exposed to ''void mana'', so it may not be too hard to then theorise ''star mana'' is like nuclear fuel. So, if we were toy down the types of mana on a scale, there would be an increasing difficulty?


    Of course, the fact that I have the ability to produce star mana challenges this theory, like... if I can make star mana, why is the volcanic mana a challenge?


    Anyway... whether these are ''types'' of mana or ''tiers'' of mana, or even both, I frankly have no proof. Or maybe Im just imagining things.


    The rod is able to circumvent the tiers, or whether it is the colors, but other than it worked, I have little insights into the underlying mechanics of how it took the volcanic mana and made it usable to me. So, what I can do, is to keep expanding and growing, use the rods in different circumstances and then observe the oues.


    -


    Meanwhile, somebody important came. We knew its important, because that person came in a rare airship. Apparently, after some sniffing, daemolite-powered airships are quite sensitive to the magical interference by the demon king, and so many, many fleets has been grounded. This airship, is powered by Quantium, an expensive and rare crystal. The fact that it is deployed, meant a lot.


    The Kingdom of Takde summons all high level individuals to assault a demonic fortress. Its located in the ruins of a oncerge city. All individuals above level 50 are invited to participate, and Takde will bear all lodging and costs.


    The demons have managed to take down arge city, and a rod has been nted. In the ruins of a ce that witnessed intense death, the rods magical harvesting ability mixed with the residual death energy, and as a result, they started producing special kinds of demonoids.


    The envoy described it as an upgraded version of demon knights. Bound to the ground, without wings, but they are twice asrge as any regr demonoid. The size of a troll or arge ogre, these demons are equal in strength to a regr demon knight, the equivalent of a level 30 to 35 captain. Not a problem per say, but the issue is really about numbers. This rod produced these demon ogres by the hundreds every week.


    Fascinating. Alexis mused. Its like these rods have some kind of natural-adaptation ability to produce special kinds of units. Like an... adaptive breeder.


    Its expected. The volcanos conversion created special giant beasts. Looking at this sort of trend, the former snake-dungeon might be spitting out snake-demons very soon. I should look into that.


    But why didnt these sort of special units appear earlier? I wondered. Perhaps its a condition for unlocking the next tier units, that requires the presence of the demon king. Or like Queens in a hive, it is the demon king who introduces gic diversity into their poption?


    A few adventurers in New Freeka agreed to join. I had the impression adventurers avoid participating in such high profile demon-rted matters unless the heroes were involved, but I suppose some people are going to bite, if the rewards are good.


    So... that snake-dungeon, are you just going to leave it? Alexis asked. Well, no.


    I looked at Stratreegys ovey, showing arge map, split into numerous hexagons. Its an ovey and presentation resembling Age of Wonders, with my main body, at the center. Theres five straight lines of trees, one to the volcano, one to the south-forest, one that goes all the way to Ransh, one that leads close to the former snake dungeon, and another one thats headed south, towards where the other demon-walker was once spotted.


    Im thinking. It takes one beetle pod, one month to regrow one beetle. So theoretically, I can lose about 5,000 beetles per month with no real loss to my force. I could consistently assault that location with 5,000 beetles, but its probably better to hammer it with arger force.


    Unlike the humans, or the elves, or any other nation who man their force with non-renewable lives, my beetles essentially allow me to fight the demons with their own strategy, a war of attrition.


    Outside of my own extremely overpowered abilities against demons, this is my second advantage against demons.


    How about your spiders? Theyve not been seeing use. Outside making webs here.


    Theyre anti-air... and are campers. Theyre not suitable as an invasion force. Beetles, being a mobile unit, are kind of like... cavalry.


    Your other beetle-variants? The dungbeetles, or the spear-beetles?


    I looked at the map again. Visibility is still crap. Aparison to age of wonders would be being able to see only one or two ''hex'' away.


    So... TreeTree, would you want to send anyone to join the Takdes force? Jura interrupted my thoughts, the envoy met a whole load of other adventurers and fighters.


    No. Ill deal with them separately. Get me a map of where that location is. Im still very happy that I can actually see now, instead of just spirit vision. I can read maps! Apparently Takdes airship is already filled with other adventurers the envoy picked up. Its going to be a rather massive force, and the Takde High-King intends to use arge collected group of high leveled adventurers as a sledgehammer. What about the coalition army that Shs leading? Or was it Nagra?


    Its participating, of course. But to minimise casualties, they need this high leveled force. Every week dy increases the demon-ogre force by a few hundred. Jura exined.


    Alexis magically created a floating, holograph-like map. So, either strike early with a smaller force, or striketer and face a bigger standing army. Sounds like fun.


    From Ransh, a chain of trees up to the Takde Demon Fort wouldnt be too far. I want to see the demon-ogres for myself, whether they really are the threat that the envoys say it is.


    So... youre going to sweep in to save the day? Alexis asked.


    The beetles wont get there in time. Not with that kind of distance.


    Even with your new ability?


    Its a pulley system based on vines, its better for goods, and it''s not fast. Pulley systems exist in this world. Many ports have engineers who designrge contraptions to help with moving goods. It seemed one of the heroes, a long time ago, did manage to introduce some rudimentary container system, though the practice ispeting with magical holding bags.


    So whats your n? Just create a chain of trees and watch the battle? Alexis didnt seem too impressed.


    Honestly, yes. I like seeing new types of demons. I think its fascinating, and it gives us insights into how intelligent this demon king is.


    Alexis frowned. The airship with the adventurers left. Theres some information trading as well.


    -


    Some of the adventurers we hired dide back with some targets. And after a few battles with smaller demon bases, this is where I made a discovery.


    The rods must be collected, either when they are unused, or still under construction or in transport. Once fully channeled and transformed into a base, or a fort, most of that mana-corrupting ability is lost. Left untouched, the fully channeled rods can still continue to generate small amounts of demonoids, but they lose most of their base-creation ability.


    In short, a single-use item. Ugh.


    I had the idea of smashing some demon bases, and stealing the rods, but it makes more sense that the rods are mostly a single-use item.


    Back to the drawing board.


    <b>Year 82 Month 9</b>


    [Completed The Grand Mind Tree project]. The grand mind tree resembles a bunch of walnuts stacked on top of each other, the entirely of the Mind Tree is wrinkly, with multiple branches twirling around.


    Located just next to me, the moment its fullypleted, I could see it glow a faint greenish light.


    And then I had a massive, massive headache.


    For a good... one hour.


    But only one hour. I''ve had worse headaches.


    [Mind Control resistance significantly increased. Each of your artificial minds will now act as counterchecks against attempted mind control attacks. Mind control must now apply to more than half of your artificial minds to work.]


    Ah wonderful. The blockchain node approach to mind control resistance.


    Also, my awareness of soul matters suddenly took a giant leap. If I focus, I can now observe greater details in the folds of my [soul realm]. And most importantly, the processing power to alter souls at a fine level. Its been something that I wanted, something I figured might solve what I have been facing with Jura.


    After a string of sesses with smaller rats and animals, I tried moving onto bigger things, and realised... I just couldn''t.


    I had resolution issues. Because I couldnt create a canvass big and detailed enough. That meant, I would work halfway and realised I couldn''t copy more. Even with a live version as a reference.


    It was like working with a forced 600x480 resolution when I needed ten times that.


    This [grand mind tree] is kind of like a massive RAM and solid state harddisk.


    Jura. Soul forge, now. With the grand mind, I now have what I needed to create a functional copy of the hand.


    He looked puzzled, but hes not one to challenge me that much. So he agreed. I had Lausanne and Laufen gather all sorts of materials, animals and ce them around my main tree.


    With all three [soul forge : red, blue and ck], I draw the mana from all over mywork of trees, and they appear as three separate balls of energy, one blue, one red, and one ck. This distinction is also made possible by the improved mana-maniption ability from the [grand mind tree].


    And from the [soul realm], I took a bunch of the soul fragments, and started to form the shape of a hand.


    Juras now asleep inside, the vines pumped nutrients and mana. And three viney feelers, ethereal, both physical and spiritual, reach into his body, and pulls his soul out. Just partly.


    It revealed an elf-shaped soul, but with one hand gone. A gap. Its rounded now, like a soul-version of a stump.


    Two more feelers appear and touch the other, still present hand. The Grand Mind Tree glowed, and in sync, another feeler started to work on the floating hand, formed from the broken soul fragments of the dead. With the mental processing and storage power of the grand mind tree, the necessary mental capacity to copy all the details of his existing hand. And we started to work.


    Ivy and Trevor acts as my assistants. They helped maintain some of the mana flow, and regted the [soul forge].


    Cocooned in mana, it took a good four hours, and the floating hand now resembled the other, with the necessary corrections. Previously I could only do 3 hours. It had all the vessels, muscle strands and bone shapes, a perfectly flipped copy of the other hand.


    Then, multiple ethereal feelers appeared, and it cut into the stump on Juras soul. Its a slow process, slowly, using the fragments of souls to create all theponents, and joining the existing soul to this new hand. Bit-by-bit, vein-by-vein, bone-by-bone, strands of muscle joined their counterparts on Jura''s soul.


    This took another four hours, and day had now turned into night. There were people looking for Jura, but Laufen sent them off.


    The three glowing mana balls entered the new hand, and then, the energies mixed and bound them together. Before I woke Jura, I checked.


    And double-checked. I made sure I fixed every part of the connection. Trevor and Ivy helped to check as well.


    Checking my own work took another two hours. I had to be sure. If I lose Jura to my own mistakes, I''m not sure how I can forgive myself.


    But after that, I felt I was okay. Jura''s body is stable. Gently his soul returned back to his body, and then I used the [bib] functions to check another time. 15 minutes. He''s alright, soul spring appears stable. There''s a new section in there.


    I injected something, and roused him from his slumber.


    Jura woke up and shouted.


    He felt immense, immense pain. Because what was once a stump, was now something he can feel in his soul. The loss, theck of a hand, the pain that once was, all of it returned.


    He shouted. But now, I can apply healing magic.


    With more... surgery. And I sent him back into sleep. I had to wake him to check his response.


    This time, with real physical feelers, inside a biopod, I cut into the physical stump on his body, and started to apply [healing]. And instead of healing back to a stump, it started to form a hand.


    I did it slowly, making sure the recovery of the hand didn''t cause any cuts or gaps that would leak blood. Trevor and Ivy helped monitor his vital stats.


    And after another two hours of slow reconstruction, Jura woke up to find that he had... both his arms.


    Jura was speechless when he saw his returned hand.


    He touched it, and he felt it. And he just stared at his new hand for a good 15 minutes, just moving his fingers, his wrist, his muscles.


    I decided to just let him have his moment. He sat, and he cried for a while.


    TreeTree... you... fixed my hand. Only gods and their miracles can do such things. Maybe... maybe heroes too.


    Great, I took so long to do something a hero probably could do in his sleep.


    I didnt know I could too. So... uh... be gentle with your new hand? I wasnt sure whether everythings fine yet, even though all the stats from [bib] are positive.


    Yeah. He stretched it. It... It still feels kind of strange to be having my own hand, and not Bamboos wood hand. Ill be careful.


    When he stepped out of the biopod room, everyone gasped. Jura smiled, Hey. TreeTree made a hand.


    -


    So... that tree makes you smarter? Alexis asked. Is it like your brain, but... bigger?


    No. Its just a special-tree type I have, increases research, and improves my mental resistances.


    Huh. For something that takes up so much resources, and almost two years to grow, I expected it to be more... impressive. Like, warp space-time or something.


    I believe there are abilities that I have yet to discover.


    But I guess you needed it to fix Juras hand. Thats pretty good. Alexis mused, and looked at the magicalbs. Too bad you cant fix this magical interference. Could it create like a psychic bubble to push back the demon kings interference? You know, like erm... Professor Xs


    Why? Howd that link


    Well, you can fix this newsless world for a change.


    Hah. Im a bit torn. Should I care about the outside world? I like just caring about growing more trees, spreading trees from ce to ce. I like just looking after whats mine, my forests, and my valley, the trees that I have.


    Wait. Was that me?


    But then, the worlds never going to just let me be. A part of me, echoes the words of Gewa, that I have great power, and I should use it to fight the demons. The lives that could have been saved if I did something.


    Yet, that earlier part of me resists that notion. I wonder whether this is the ''tree'' part of me that just wants to mind my own business, and focus on just growing trees. Helping trees. Trees are my friends, my family, and they are mine, in a way these elves and humans can never be. Maybe a part of me feels that they, these trees are... me. I sometimes think about where all thesee from, a yearning for self preservation?


    A collective instinct for self-preservation, drawn from the thoughts of all the trees?


    Is this world, and all these artificial minds and grand mind tree, unknowingly influencing my thought processes? Is it deliberate? Or is there something like how the gods can subtly guide one'' thoughts in a particr direction without one knowing?


    Again, why do my mind wander like that? I was having a discussion on the demons, was I not?


    "TreeTree, you... okay?" Alexis seemed puzzled. You just stopped... talking.


    "I... have a lot on my mind."


    "Ah, because you actually have a mind, now." Alexis pointed to the mind tree. Sheughed. "I was wondering where you did your thinking, like... is there a brain in your tree? Or are you like jellyfish and the roots in the ground function like some neuralwork?"


    "Uh." Well, Im beginning to suspect it is some kind of neuralwork. Or is it overstimtion from all the dataing in from all those other trees?


    "Never mind. I often make jokes that only I find funny." Alexis shrugged.


    "Yes. Back to subject. Demons." There''s a big fight with the demon ogres.


    The Takde''s force of 1,500 high leveled adventurers and fighters was super impressive, and it managed to crush the force at the demon city. The battlested for about half a day, and they were sessful.


    Of course, I had some trees nearby to watch the action. The demon ogres are just giant versions of their own demonoid soldiers, nothing much to be afraid of, and theirbat ability is less than a captain. The kingdom of Takde exaggerated the threat, but I suppose that helps to ensure a smooth defeat of the demons.


    The adventurers and generals did have to work a bit harder against the few demon-generals, but they still vastly outleveled most of the demons.


    And, as a bystander, I witnessed many high level skills used by some of the higher leveled adventurers.


    Yet, even the best of them are just about level 80 to 90.


    I suppose its a bit of a letdown, on both the adventurer and demon fronts, but hey, guess the variants the demon-rods make aren''t that overpowered, unless the source itself is powerful. Or maybe... there are more powerful variants?


    Maybe the demons capture a dragon cave or cemetery and start to spawn dragon-demons?


    That, would be a hell of a sight. Announcement sorry for the dy, life happened.


    Update for 28/11/2019. I''ve started advance chapters on Patreon. For $3, read one chapter/one week ahead. Regr chapters will be released on 4 Dec 2019.


    Why? Because I''m temporarily jobless (between jobs) XD

 P67: Wintree

    P67: Wintree


    <strong>Year 82 Month 10</strong>


    After the demon base over the ruined city was destroyed, the ''captured'' souls were gradually released. The city, a field of death of many, had many wandering souls, spirits, and the rod caught on to them and leeched off their energies. I could tell, because now that my trees are nearer to this location, some of these lost souls entered my soul realm, and their condition looked pretty bad.


    It seemed the demonic interference also meddled with the navigational abilities of souls. Would it be like Warp Immaterium? Now corrupted by the presence of the demon king?


    Ah, well.


    [ss seeds - Knight x 6 received]


    [ss seeds - Pdin x 2 received]


    [ss seeds - Ranger x 4 received]


    [ss seeds - Mage x 4 received...]


    [Skill seeds - various sses...]


    The souls, as they return to the [soul realm], gave me various ss and skill seeds. Many of those perished inbat, many more in the chaos after the demonic army breached the walls. These are the fragments, as they die the things that held their soul spring together starts to break apart. So, I might as well pick it up.


    After all, once they enter the soul realm, only the inner soul is needed for reincarnation.


    "It''s a horrible thing, for these souls, that even in death they have to serve the demons for a while."


    "Different demons, or are we talking about the same demons?" I asked Alexis. If these ''demons'' are extranar in nature, isn''t the term ''aliens'' more appropriate?


    "Yeah... but I mean, the native demons of the world are more of... djinns. Or like... dark-faeries who make unfair deals. Any resemnces on the physical appearance is coincidental, because what powers them underneath it all, is very different. These demons... are invaders.


    Thats because youve seen it. To the most of the mortals fiddling with demons, Im not sure if they know. But heh... too bad there arent any demon-hunter sses.


    There are. I guess youre just unlucky. But then, pdins can gain skills that boost damage against demons.


    But if they are aliens, why do they benefit from the same ''boosts''? The skill system clearly acknowledges that they are demons. Even my own skills consider them demons. Or is this some kind of godly ssification?


    Hmmm... I wonder whether I can just nt these ss and skill seeds and let them grow, so that I have more such seeds. Each of these ss seeds gives one level in that ss to the person that consumes the fruit made from these seeds. But second helpings do nothing. Skill seeds on the other hand, there are specific types, and generic types. Specific types will grant a skill in the type, if the person has apatible ss. Generic ones, will grant a skill from that sss pool of skills. In a way, generic ones are stronger, since its theoretically possible to give someone one ss seed, and multiple generic skill seeds to let him have multiple skills.


    They are seeds, right?


    [You canpress 10 ss seeds or 10 skill seeds of the same type into a ss tree or skill tree. These ss or skill trees produce 1-3 seeds every year.]


    Oh. Its theoretically possible to create an orchard of these ss trees and skill trees?


    I mean, if I have a 100 pdin seeds, I can create a 100 pdins, right? Level 1, for sure, but still, a 100 pdins! What if I have crazy powerful sses like [kings] or [heroes] or [emperors]?


    What happens if I give a 100 people all [king] sses? Do they fight each other for a chance to be king? What if I have a 100 knight seeds, and have them fight each other to level up? Thats possible, right? A survival of the fittest gauntlet to produce a strong fighter? Sounds like something out of those mobages where one fuses units together to level up.


    Why cant I just fuse those ss seeds together? Wouldnt fusing ss seeds create hybrid sses? Or this worlds sses dont work like that?


    <em>[ss fusion and creation requires apatible ss or creature type and the divine gift - Taskmaster, or the divine gift - Evolutionist]</em>


    What. Its possible! And divine gifts?? What is that?


    So... are you doing anything with those ss seeds?


    Well, Im sitting on a lot of ss seeds, skill seeds and experience seeds. I think I have enough experience seeds for about 20 levels now. Too bad only ss and skill seeds can be multiplied, else, imagine a fruit that gives levels? Thats really overpowered isnt it?


    But skill seeds are pretty good too, since they give new skills. If I could create a skill seed-tree that produces a strong skill every year, I could have a team of very highly-skilled fighters.


    Uh... nothing. For the experience seeds, Id like to use it on Lausanne or Jura, or Laufen, but Lausanne continued to gain levels from all the demon fights she participated in. So theres really no need to use it now. The rest of the Valthorn Initiates too are on the lower side of the levels, so they are still able to gain levels.


    -


    Commander." A part of me feels happy every time I get called that. Really felt like the days when I am ying RTSs as a kid, only, well, I am fully immersed in it. Stratreegy has been really busy with all the demonic movements. He deployed another 3,000 beetles, and [subsidiary trees] to go with it, to hunt for more rods.


    He wants to get his first rod. He''s thirsty.


    Glory to the Countree. We will expand our reach." He even has a catchphrase, like what usually happens when a yer selected a unit in an RTS.


    Uh. Did he just invent a new name for the state? Countree of Freeka? Does that make me the primogenitree? Count-Tree Aeon?


    Anyway, focus, focus. Stop getting distracted. Grand Mind Tree, if you can, help me stay on track.


    Demon rods, well, the issue really is intercepting the rods before they are fully deployed. Maybe someday I can get the necessary powers to make my own rods, rather than robbing the demons for their rods.


    "Operation Rob the Rod status update. We are pursuing a small demonic base that''s just been spotted. The beetles will attack the rod as soon as we spot it to disrupt its channelling."


    Well. The attack failed to secure the rod. The demons were able to protect the base until it was fully channeled, and because it was located in an open space, there was nothing slowing down the channel.


    The demon rod''s channel time is corrted with the ambient magic energy in the area, so using the rod in a regr ins doesn''t take very long.


    Ugh. Next target.


    "Please bestow your punishment on me for my failure, Commander." Stratreegy wasn''t happy.


    "Do a post mortem and tell me what you think, can improve your chances for sess."


    "Maybe... maybe you should flip it around. Look for magical ces, and lure the demon rods to them." Alexis suggested.


    "Genius!" I mean, why didn''t I think of it? All these minds and I can''t get a good idea?


    -


    News from the southern states of the continent. A demonic walker has been spotted swimming across the ocean. The southern naval states are forming an armada to intercept the walker before it hitsnd.


    "This means the southern continent is done for." Jura looked at the parchment. "Else, why would the walker make the journey across the ocean."


    "Intercepting the walker before it hitsnd is a good idea. The regr demonoids are unable to fight on water."


    "Could the demonoids be... I don''t know... walking beneath the oceans? Like that... pirate movie where the undead marched underwater?" Alexis asked. "I mean, they aren''t exactly living things, right, so... they may be able to function in water just as well as onnd."


    That''s a good point, Alexis. So I asked Jura and the leadership team.


    "Uh... there have been documented records that some generations of demons were able to function underwater, or fly... But walking underwater is not something that has been observed." Madeus exined, he rummaged through a few massive tomes. "But... Aeon is right, nothing rules out that possibility that the demons could simply walk underwater."


    "So..."


    "Perhaps it is a trap? I mean, what would the naval forces be able to do? Shoot cannons and fire spells at the walker until it somehow sinks? But if it doesn''t breathe, that doesn''t change a thing, does it?" Jura thought out loud.


    "Whatever the oue, I feel it doesnt change that were going to have more demons from the south, so we need to increase our southern-sector defenses." This does mean I need to widen my of [subsidiary trees], but Ive already deployed most of my subsidiary trees. I need my next level up.


    15,000 trees is pathetic,pared to the kind of numbers the demons can put out. Id like to be a tree supercluster with billions, no, trillions of trees. I mean, if I could somehow be a massive forest that covered the entire continent, I could take on the demon king myself. I mean, I could just keep throwing beetles and trees at it until I win by attrition.


    That''s what ants do. That''s what invasive nts do. Outnumber and overpower.


    I would like to see a world where trees ruled the entire world. Where there are all kinds of trees, from the north pole to the south. Maybe trees on the moon, and others. Earth was once like that.


    If Im back home, I could solve global warming by just spawning trees everywhere. I recall reading some articles while working that a few billion trees would help fix the whole carbon dioxide emissions thing.


    -


    Anyway, I wanted to gather my thoughts.


    So much had happened, so many ces to watch, a whole load of news from all over the world. I have had so many new skills, and faced new foes.


    Since the end of the year ising, its time for me to do a bit of a checkup. Maybe I should do such things once a decade, or maybe once every few years, since a years really short to me.


    Introspection, or I suppose, in<em>tree</em>spection is very much overdue.


    Wait! Didn''t I assign one of the artificial souls to keep track of things for me? TREVOR!


    "Apologies master. I had minimised the task manager when the demon king spawned." Trevor noted. "Pulling it out now and updating. Volcano...pleted. Airship... pending. Research and Upgrades.... suspended due to demon king. Mineral hunting... suspended due to poor visibility and reduced beetle range. Rune deciphering.... no progress."


    "Is that all?"


    "The task list remained what was given 5 years ago."


    "You didn''t add new things to it?"


    "..." Trevor didn''t reply, but then I think he either needs explicit instructions, or he isn''t sure what needs to be included.


    The artificial souls have quite a bit of ability, and they are able to make judgements in their fields of expertise. But I suppose being artificial, their ability to make judgements and self-organising doesn''t apply to all fields and all kinds of tasks. Then again, even a regr folk has different parameters for tasks. Some people are better able to judge cooking ingredient sizes than others. Trevor''s really good at forest management and he can decide on the direction of growth of nts, decide when to cull and rece normal trees that have gotten sick, or damaged due to animals or monsters. So, perhaps this issue of judgement is a matter of.... unfamiliarity?


    "Never mind." I wouldn''t have been able to handle that much anyway. "Where are we on the sewage issue?"


    "The newer hyperumtors trees are performing well, and we are introducingyered trees to the area. However, utilising 1,000 subsidiary trees to contain and process sewage and high magical toxin fecal matter is honestly not the best application of the subsidiary trees. I would rmend further research into the hyperumtor trees, as the single metal/magic type restriction on trees mean we have to utilise multiple trees adapted to different materials to remove all the toxins."


    "Ah. Upgrades... The demon kings interference meant most of the merchantworks are down, and inter-continental traffic slowed down significantly. What this then means for me, is that I am unable to purchase the materials needed to upgrade my 3 artificial souls, without incurring significant spending, and without the usual delivery guarantee.


    No progress, master.


    Of course, rare gems are rare. Even if I could mine some of the gems, it remains that there are other materials that would be located far away.


    Ivy, Dimitree, what else is being worked on? Anything of note?


    Observation of the citizens in ongoing. Nothing to report.


    Dimitrees turn. Defense is strong. Preparations and traps for the southern demonic incursions are ready.


    Winter ising.


    <strong>Year 82 Month 11</strong>


    A fairly quiet month for the valley. Maybe its the cold.


    During this month, Lausanne and the Valthorns spent a lot of time fighting smaller demonic incursions. Its good for their experience, and they do need it. The second strongest girl in that Valthorns is now level 18, and thats pretty decent at the age of 9. I recall Lausanne only reached level 16 at age 9. Its partly due to a mix of starting early, and being exposed to the effects of all the leveling skills. Its still a long way for them.


    Stratreegys also busy extending trees to ces where the demons might want to establish a base. We want to lure them there, just as the volcano did. I do hope to mount an offense against the snake dungeon and retake that location, but Im waiting for more information toe in. Not easy when the cold reduces the operating range of beetles.


    ording to recent courier reports, another demon walker has been spotted in the south, on top of the one thats immobile. That makes 2 demon walkers on our continent. And if we add in the demon walker thats somehow swimming across the ocean like some kind of massive ind-turtle, thats gonna be 3 demon walkers in the southern parts of our continent.


    I dont recall having that many demon-champion equivalents during thest demon king? I asked Alexis.


    You have a point. Its likely that the demon king delegated more powers to its walkers, rather than holding most of the power. Even the demon champions are just a wee-bit stronger than the walkers. But then again, this demon king is also harvesting energies and mana from the world itself, and it may be using that energy to create more demon walkers. If so, the demon king may be just as insane as my time.


    Insane, eh?


    I mean, it did blow up a massive crater, did it not? A crater that still remains today, and left all that stray daemolite embedded throughout, creating weird monsters.


    I wonder whether the demon rods work on daemolite. Its a thought, right? If these demon rods work on mana sources, would it work on the demon kings remains?


    I wonder what happens when your captured rods is in the demon kings crater. Alexis retorted.


    Has the demons taken control of where the previous demon king perished? From what I understood, after the defenders of the valley are cleared, the nearby nations usually attempt mine all the daemolite for sale, given how valuable it is. Maybe its cleared out by now. Apparently most demon kings corpses have been cleared out due to how valuable daemolite is as a store-of-mana. Maybe its like this worlds equivalent of a super-lithium-ion battery.


    <strong>Year 82 Month 12</strong>


    Winters fury mixed with demonic attacks. With winter in full swing, my beetles are forced into a retreat, even with their upgrades. Its harder for the beetles to move in such cold, but at least around my trees, the effect of [heat transmission roots] meant I could keep the surroundings of New Freeka rtively warm, and the beetles can still perform optimally in the warmed areas.


    Yet, this also meant I cant attack the snake-dungeon. The cold affects my beetles more than the demons.


    So we waited for this winter to pass. We fought mostly defensive battles where my roots provided warmth, and worked on research.


    Winter also meant traffic and news from the south came... really slowly.


    On some days during the cold winter, the sky turns really really clear. And we could see about multiple astral objects. The moons, the stars, and things that just seemed to drift in space. On days like this, my star-mana production is slightly,<em>very very</em>slightly, better.


    For the New Freekans, it is a month of preparation, hiding, and retreat. The subterranean hideouts are now popr, thanks to the presence of heated water from the volcanoes, a great way to warm up.


    News also slows to a crawl, thanks to the thick snow and asional blizzards. With news being carried by physically, so almost all the towns would be in a simr state. Its only thanks to mywork of roots that I can still see whats going on in my surroundings.


    Midway through the cold, we detected the presence of blood magic being used again. Somewhere, somebody out there is desperate enough to use blood magic, perhaps the demon king?


    Triangting... Southern Continent.


    That far? The readings of the amount of sacrifice is insane. Trevor and Alexis ran through some calctions and calcted perhaps 3,000 to 5,000 was sacrificed for a spell thisrge.


    With little else to do, we spent our time theorising about the nature of blood magic.


    How does Blood Magic even work, really?


    What really is blood magic, and why is it so powerful?


    I mean, I can see the effects of the hex created from blood magic, even at the few locations near to me, it''s just corrupted by the hex, though it is slowly decaying.


    Alexis''s theory is that it really like is a nuclear weapon. The hex is a magical version of radiation. I mean, looking at the indicators high power, fallout. It feels like it.


    She wondered would the origins of blood magic be simr. That it''s the magical equivalent of weaponizing the... soul? Perhaps the numbers make the spell stronger, by the same principles of nuclear fusion or fission, that blood magic fuses or breaks apart theponents of a soul into some kind of unstable form, and in doing so releasing all these magical energy, and the unstable soul-remnant form is what creates the ''fallout''?


    Given how difficult it is to ess the soul, I thought its quite unlikely that the blood magic works at that level. So, I thought maybe its really the ''blood'' that''s like some kind of superfuel, and blood magic binds the superfuel and concentrated it into a bomb. The hex is just the leftover, unexploded bomb. Essentially, what I thought happened during a blood ritual is, life-energy or mana of the sacrificed is converted into an energy form, and thats the bomb.


    Kinda like when you pack a big bunch of low-quality fireworks together, and then when you blow it up, sometimes there are some of these fireworks that doesnt ignite, or old world war 2 bombs that for whatever reason, failed to detonate.


    When I think about it, I realise our theories are simr. Just at different levels. I just presume the blood ritual converts the energy of the living into that of a weapon. Essentially whatever that is happening at the mana pool and body into another form.


    I like Alexis''s theory, since there is an elegance to it. It''s like the blood magic version of ''breaking the atom'', and has far more consequences. Like, the realisation that there is a kind of magic or energy that fundamentally hold the souls together. A peek into the true natural ''forces'' of the world.


    I suppose it can be tested. If Alexiss theory is true, I should be able to witness some kind of soul-change during a blood ritual. Or perhaps detect whether there are soul-residue in the hex, which I so far did not. Perhaps its a size thing, if Alexiss analogy of nuclear bombs is true, perhaps the soul-fission creates even smaller particles that require specialised equipment to be detected.


    Like... soul-quarks? Squarks? Announcement


    Hello all,


    I''m starting advance chapters. $3 for one chapter ahead per week


    Why?


    I''m moving to a different city, and where the cost of raising a family is less (hopefully), but I''m also taking a paycut. As a result of this move, I''m jobless for a month (December), and now have some time to write ahead. Since my sry''s lower, I''d like to supplement my ie with patrons.


    So yeah. There''s 2 chapters up this month (a side story, and a regr chapter), and after this, one regr chapter per week. Chapter sizes will remain unchanged, circa 2,500-5,000, wherever I feel it''s a good ce to ''end'' it.


    Thanks to all my dear readers for your support!

 Side Story – The Heroes

    Side Story ¨C The Heroes


    Sometime around Year 83 Month 2


    Im off, mom. Lausanne walked over and gave her mum a hug. Laufen smiled and hugged her back. Lausannes about to turn 14 years old, and shes now an active member of the regional patrols.


    Alright. Come home safely. Laufen kissed her on her forehead. Laufen smiled, her age is starting to show, lines and all. Even elves suffer from stress and age, though at a slower pace than others. Dont stay too far from TreeTrees trees, alright?


    Yup. Got it. Lausanne nodded, but a part of her knew its a lie. Very often, she and her patrol group had to stray from the trees, sometimes to help a stranded group of merchants, or just reach out to some refugees whos lost their way.


    But after their first incident of losing contact with TreeTree, theyve improved their strategy. Now their squad has three rangers, all with a focus on tracking. One of the Valthorn girls is also a ranger, a choice that they get as they progress under TreeTree''s tutge.


    Lausanne grabbed a small pack of food, equipped a few wooden spears on her back, and then two wooden swords. All enchanted to be extra-effective against demons. Theres some basic armlets, made to her size, and she walked to the meeting ce.


    New Freekas a whole lot bigger now. A lot more crowded, at leastpared to a few years ago. TreeTree doesnt really feel it, to him, its just a blip, but for Lausanne, the smell, the ambient noise, the chatter, sometimes she wished it was a bit quieter. Still, she knew that TreeTree was always watching, even if his vision is ''brief''. She could feel it, if she had his attention. It would just resonate with her special familiar. The Warden.


    Lausanne looked at her own status menu, and then the familiars. It has its own mana-meter, theres a star symbol next to it. It lived in her, and it slithered out like a snake, detecting its host''s attention on it.


    Routine patrols. She whispered. The tree-snake nodded, and disappeared again. It has never spoken, but Lausanne believed it understood what she said. Lets see what we bump into this time.


    Hello mdy. Two of the patrolmen bowed. Lausanne sighed. The captain nodded in acknowledgement.


    Alright, everyones here. The captain brought out a makeshift map. Were travelling a bit further today, to this section. He gestured, and the rangers nodded. Our scouts this morning saw some res out in that direction, and wed like to check it out. Counsel Jura has already stationed some beetles near to the location, but as you know, the beetles'' range is limited. As usual, we have to investigate. If we encounter any opposition, we lure whatever we face to the designated beetle hideouts, here, and here. The beetles will take care of them.


    The captain looked around. Everyone nodded. Its a routine task, something theyve been doing since the wholemunication shutdown.


    Well, looks like were good. Remember, our role is minimise our fight. We scout, and we lure. Dont do anything stupid. If in doubt, check with myself or Lady Lausanne.


    She mentally sighed, but in New Freeka, Lausannes has many titles. Some refer to her as the Princess, some as the Avatar of the Tree Spirit. Things she never really noticed until recently, as she approached the teen years. Lausanne looked around the patrol group. Theres four other Valthorn Initiates, and about twenty patrolmen, a mix of soldiers and rangers. Most of the soldiers also have movement-assistance skills, due to the mobility-focus of the squad.


    A young Valthorn Initiate came over and sat next to Lausanne. Lady Lausanne, what do you n to teach us today?


    Lausanne rubbed her chin, her role is part-tutor as well. She didn''t really have a ''tutor-n'' in mind. Some sword-spear forms, perhaps. If we encounter demons. Anything youd like to see, Ssaera?


    Erm... can we see your Warden in action? Lausanne shrugged. She tried not to rely on the warden too much.


    Alright, lets move out.


    A convoy of beetles helped transport them to the designated starting area. Theres a bunch of beetles that functions as buses, they move at regr intervals along the 5 chain of trees. It conserves the patrol group''s energy, and the beetles are plenty fast.


    They arrived at the nearest location about an hourter. Alright. Lets stop here. The captain tapped the beetle on the head twice, and the beetle obediently moved to the side, then stopped. Dont forget anything, especially your supplies. You may never know if were cut off again.


    Well, nobodys going to make that mistake. Everyone had enough rations for a week. And the Warden can even create [healing fruits], just like TreeTree.


    Alright. The beetle moved away, and continued its route. It''s headed for the next waypoint. There was another tree, in the next hill. Lausanne looked around, its hilly, and theres a whole bunch of bushes and grass. The past demon invasions left some damage to the area, but things regrow quickly.


    Lets move out.


    One of the soldiers walked next to Lausanne, Mdy, what do you think were getting this time?


    Refugees? Nine out of ten sightings have been refugees. No merchants going to travel without escort in this environment. Unless they were extremely desperate.


    They walked past animal corpses, and some debris. Theres also some damage on the ground, from normal monsters.


    Its quite quiet, for a sighting. One ranger said, but Lausanne knew their scouts are rarely wrong about sightings.


    I hope its just a dud.


    Ssaera and the Valthorns sometimes caught up to Lausanne, and they would try to chat. Lady Lausanne, what kind of dreams do you get?


    Huh, the [dream tutor]?" The Valthorns look to Lausanne as an ''idol'', thanks to her high level, special familiar and position as the ''first'' Valthorn.


    Yeah. Does Aeon give you more... erm... scary ones? Ssaera asked sheepishly. They wanted to know more, about what they could do better to be like her.


    Lausanne looked at the 10 year old girl. Sometimes. Lausanne did recall the war-dreams were especially gruesome. She vomited after she woke up from that one.


    Often? Do... funny people appear in your dreams?


    Sometimes? Its usually someone to teach me how to fight.


    A streak of light in the sky. And everyone knew. They stopped their conversation and focused. Magic?


    They increased their pace and headed in that direction. A few more shes of light. Somebodys using quite a bit of magic. And... demons? As they approached closer and closer, they could hear it. In the faint distance, the sounds of demons.


    When they arrived, they saw three young persons, one boy and two girls, about Lausanne''s age. Humans. And around them, a whole lot of destroyed demons. But the battle was not yet over. There were five demon knights.


    It seemed theyve only managed to defeat the regr demons.


    Should we help? They looked at the three, and they looked tired, weak. Not injured, though. They were on a hill, and the three were down below in a small valley.


    -


    Im out of mana. Mirei looked at her two friends. Her two friends werent much better.


    Harris shook his head. I''m almost out of mana too.


    Howd they find us so quickly? Becky sighed, and a floating shield appeared. We need rest, we cant even choose our level 10 perks like this!


    The demon knights closed in. Mirei looked again. It was a tactical mistake to use her powers so quickly on the regr demon army. The demon knights wanted to drain them out.


    Inexperience.


    Harris lifted his wooden shield. He wished he had something more sturdy, but after being popped in the middle of nowhere, this was all he could make with his newfound knowledge of shields. I cant block all of them.


    Mirei sighed. They were backed into a corner. Theyre too green to take on demon knights, and she hoped her friends would do better. Her fists were both charged with lightning, but she knew that its not enough.


    Beckys back faced hers, and she had a magical sword in her hand. A summoned weapon.


    Beckys probably in the best shape. The five demon knights however, didnt move. They turned.


    And they saw a girl about their age. She was surrounded by vines, dark-greenish vines.


    Uh. Is that a bad guy? Harris asked, Because were dead if she is. Harriss had a skill [Battlesense], and he knew the odds.


    And those vines moved incredibly quickly, to them, they saw it almost instantly impaled the three demon knights, destroying them instantly. The two moved to engage, and a wooden snake chewed off its head, its fangs sunk into the body of the demon knight.


    One left. And she threw a wooden spear. It struck the demon knights shield, but then the girl took the chance to impale thest demon knight with another spear. It died then.


    Adventurers? Lausanne asked. Are you alright?


    More soldiers came down the hill. Harris wondered whether they saw the battle the entire time, but was just relieved to be saved. Yeah. Thanks. We... uh... tried to bite more than we can chew.


    Mirei and Becky was absolutely relieved, and at the same time, impressed. But they were so exhausted that they just sat and took a short shut-eye.


    Harris smiled at his two friends, and then turned to face Lausanne. Howd you beat the five demon knights so easily?


    Lausanne shrugged. One of Wardens unique abilities is a the ability to use variants or lesser versions of TreeTrees skills. That meant, she could use [anti-demon strikes], and a smaller [anti-demon aura]. With those two skills, taking down a few demons knights isnt exactly difficult.


    Apologies for my two friends, mages. Weve been fighting and running for the past... 8 hours. Theyre so tired their mana isnt even regenerating anymore.


    The Captain nodded. Well, its not a safe ce here. They can rest elsewhere. Where are you three headed?


    Uhm... we dont know. Harris rubbed his head. Were still trying to get directions, can we go to wherever you are?


    The Captain looked at Lausanne. Mdy, your decision?


    Lausanne looked at the three, all of them about the same age as her. Maybe younger. Very well, lets take them back to New Freeka.


    Harris bowed. Thank you. The two mages were still too exhausted, but found some energy to walk back after some rations.


    They made the journey back to the Tree-line, and the convoy of beetles was their ride home.


    So, what happened back there? The Captain asked. Harris seemed to be the leader of the three, the two mages napped on the beetles seats.


    Uhm... Harris looked a whole lot better after some food and water. Fighting for so long was exhausting, and they looked visibly green at it. I dont know where to start, honestly.


    Well, whatever you arefortable talking about. The Captain smiled. The beetle ride was one hour after all.


    Uh... lets just say, we got lost and somehow we found ourselves being chased by demons. We fought where we could, but the three of us are just level one. I mean, I think Im level 14 now, but before that rest I was still just level 5.


    You had a lot of skills for a level 5 person. The captain smiled.


    Uh... its a bloodline thing.


    Ah. The gifted children. Mdy Lausannes here also one of those gifted children. The Captain grinned, and Lausanne just red.


    Well, that vine-strike thing was impressive, and I felt like they froze in ce. So uh... where we heading? And what are these... giant beetles?


    New Freeka, and transportation. The Captainughed. Impressive, right? Most refugees are extremely excited when they see one of these. Merchants less so, some of them say the giant elephants, or the sandbeasts are more impressive as transports. But whatever, we have giant beetles.


    Harris nodded. Indeed. Its my first time seeing such... obedient beetles. Do you control them?


    The captain shook his head. Nah. Aeon does.


    Aeon? Harris asked.


    Our citys guardian spirit.


    Nice. Harris nodded and he looked at Lausanne. Lausanne talking to the younger Valthorns, who are extremely impressed by her disy of the Wardens abilities.


    Soon, they arrived at New Freeka, and passed by the fiveyers of walls that now encircle the entire city.


    This is impressive. Harris looked, the two girls still asleep. Theyve really drained their energies for the battle. Harris, being the physicalbatant, less so.


    The Captain nodded. Indeed. Even during thest demon walkers attack, they only got as far as the fourth wall before Aeon destroyed it. I know, because I was on the walls. He pointed to one part of the wall. I was there.


    One of the soldiers tapped the captain on the shoulder. Alright captain, dont have to talk about the same story to every single refugee.


    I cant help it!


    We were there too, but we were right in the trenches, with the other beetles.


    Harris looked at the captain and the soldiers. So... is every city in the world like this?


    Everyone instantly shook their head. The Captain even sniggered, as if they said something ridiculous. All this is possible because we have a guardian spirit. Without it, this valley would be uninhabited. Many of us are refugees from other cities that were attacked by demons.


    Hmmm... Harris soaked in this knowledge. He looked at Lausanne again, whos not really talking. She seemed more interested in something else. But Harris wanted to talk to her, at least, to learn about her powers.


    So uh... do you guys have any money? The Captain asked. If you do, Id rmend the Oakwood, its the fanciest inn we have in New Freeka. Otherwise, you can head to Inn Street, theres a few good ones like Roommies, and The Paul House.


    Ah. Harris tapped at his menu. He smiled. He did have some cash. Yeah. Is there an... uh... adventurers guild?


    Yup, right next to the Council offices. Oh yea, one more thing, were from the Valtrian Order, were sort of an independent arm of the city, but New Freeka has its own militia and guards, so dont mix us up. You can identify us by our armband.


    Harris nodded. He looked at his two sleeping friends. He tapped both of them. Hey, its time to wake up.


    The beetle stopped right outside the city gates. There was a tree-woman waiting. Eh, Lady Mika, what brings you here? The Captain asked.


    Your... guests. Theyre with me. Me shed a wide, hospitable smile. It''s something practiced over the years.


    Ah. The Captain tapped Harris on his shoulders. Youre in luck. The Oakwood boss is already here.


    Lausanne hopped off the beetle with the rest of the Valthorns, and headed back to the Orders HQ.


    As for Me, she looked at the three visibly human heroes. Hello. She extended her wooden hand. Come, all of you must be hungry, poor, and extremely confused. And probably a whole load of questions.


    Harris looked at her, and noticed she looked like a very high quality wooden carving of a young girl. What, dont trust me?


    Harris nodded.


    Theres probably no one you can trust if you cant trust me. Especially if you are... heroes. Me whispered to Harriss ear, and his eyes immediately opened wide. There are ears everywhere, best toe with me.


    Those words made Harris nod, and they followed her to arge opulent wooden lodge, that looked like a hybrid between a tree and a hotel. Two treefolks, they waited at the lobby, and worked for Me immediately passed them their keys, and there was proper food waiting for them in a quiet, private dining room.


    Harris, Becky and Mirei sat, and it was... food from home. A burger.


    Sit. Eat. Leave us. Me motioned to the attendants, and the doors were closed. She snapped a finger, activated a few skills. [High Security Room], [Private Quarters]. Alright, here, theres just the three of you, and me. My name is Mika. Speak freely. You three are the reincarnated, summoned heroes?


    Harris stared at Me. Becky ate a bite of the burger, and nodded. Yes. We are. Howd you know.


    I received the notification that heroes have arrived. And then I saw the three of you travelling on Aeons beetles. And your clothes.


    Ah.


    So, lets talk.

 P68- Host

    P68- Host


    <strong>Year 83 Month 1</strong>


    At the end of the first month, the heroes, long awaited, finally arrived.


    I had a brief vision, like I always did. Twelve streaks of light, split into four groups of three, and then eachnded at a different part of the world. This is important, because that meant the heroes are in smaller groups of three, and are scattered.


    A vague reddish hand appeared in that same vision, it tried to swipe at the streaks of light. But another hand stopped it.


    That was when I woke from the vision.


    [Twelve reincarnators have arrived].


    "I wonder where they are." Alexis wondered. I hope they dont make the same mistakes we did. She got the same ping as I did. And TreeTree, why do you get... the notification?


    I have no idea. I do see a vision. Hmm, is she wondering why I know about the heroes? Well, I suspect its because I came from their world, too.


    Maybe TreeTrees like some kind of super-entity thats why the gods send the ping to him too. Me came to the rescue, she got the notice as well, thats why she came over. Her hotel/inn can run itself quite well, she hired quite a few treefolk to work for her.


    I wonder how many will survive this time. The worlds in a shittier state than it was.


    "TreeTree, I have a request." Me said. "I know you didn''t have a good impression of us heroes, so, let me deal with the next generation of heroes. If they ever swing our way."


    "Hmm?"


    "I assure you that I won''t bring you any harm. The heroes need to be educated in the ways of the world, and both myself and Alexis have seen more of the world, without the distorted lenses as a hero. We should be the best ced to advise the next generation, so they do not walk the mistakes we did." Me sounded like she''s begging.


    "Fine. But keep me updated."


    "Sure."


    "You know where they are?"


    "No. But I will tell you if I do."


    Other than the return of the reincarnators, another month of mostly defensive battles. Quiet. The southern parts, where it is warm, are battling demons daily. Up where we are, where the winter is rtively mild, we focused efforts on research and making more anti-demon weapons.


    I am also gradually extending my trees to where the legless walker is. But I am taking it slow, as the terrain is unfamiliar, and theres demons walking all over the ce, so I have to clear out the area before expanding.


    <strong>Year 83 Month 2</strong>


    Theyre with me. Me said, a week or so after that announcement.


    Huh? Honestly it felt like just yesterday that I had that conversation with Me.


    Three heroes. Reincarnators. They arrived somewhere near our borders. Theyve just been summoned and are still getting used to their new powers. One of your patrols picked them up.


    Oh.


    Ill take care of them, dont worry about it. Me assured. Its only been a week since they arrived. Theyre still a bit confused and lost, but theyve managed to survive thanks to their special powers.


    At this point, I remember my titan souls, and I think, well, since they are so vulnerable, they could die around me easily, isnt it?


    <em>[Divine : Moratorium on Hero Killing. In Force until Demon Kings death. Those who murder a hero before the demon kings death will receive a divine curse, and be marked as a hero-killer, inviting the wrath of other heroes.]</em>


    <em>The fuck?!</em>


    Hmm. Looks like the gods already thought about it.


    So, what did you talk to them about?


    I gave them an overview of the world, what they are facing, and... what the previous heroes did, without telling them I was a hero. I think they bought it, they are just... 13-year olds after all. Unlike me or Alexis.


    Thinking about it, if they arrived at age 13, and its been close to 13 to 14 years, does that make them pretty much 26 year olds? Well, thats good. Hope they dont put New Freeka in danger again. Do you feel old talking to them, since you are their... senior?


    Honestly, yes. I feel a bit afraid. Of course, we cant be older than you, TreeTree. You must be centuries old now, or millennia?


    Im not answering that.


    Me continued anyway. But yeah. Theyre still in a state of panic, and they are just relieved that we are here to give them some... cover. The two girls are just sleeping in for days, and just exploring New Freekas markets and shops.


    Its not a holiday, though. Alexis popped in. They need to start levelling soon. The demon king wont wait for them, and TreeTree, you need to make preparations. The demon king can sense us, and they will send men after the three heroes.


    I know I know, Alexis, but I think taking care of their mental state is important too. We made that mistake of rushing from battle to battle, and that made us fight each other, remember?


    Alexis sulked. They need experience, and they need it soon. We do not need to nanny them. They need to level up and gain full ess to their star mana and heroic tier skills as soon as possible. And find some items of the right tier.


    Oh, yeah! Items! TreeTree, erm... can I get some of your anti-demon weapons? The one that Lausanne has? And a wooden anti-demon shield too.


    Only the normal ones. And theyll need to buy it like anyone else. There are the regr-series wooden weapons that are distributed to the patrol force, so I think thats fine.


    Ill pay for it then.


    I soon learned, thanks to Ivys updates, that the three heroes in New Freeka are, Harris, the [Shield Guardian], Becky the [Horde Summoner] and Mirei the [Lightning Guardmage]. Of course, I took some time to watch them, as they walked around New Freeka.


    Well, today Im taking you to some of the bars and restaurants, and have some local food. You may be on a mission, but if you feel overwhelmed, dont hesitate to demand a break. You only live once, even in a magical world like this. Revival magic only works if one of you is a hero-grade specialist-healer, and it must be used within the same day. So if you feel your team is moving too fast, say it. Honesty matters.


    How do you know all this, Mistress Mika? Mirei seemed impressed.


    I worked with the heroes. Thest generation of heroes at least. All of them died in their final battle, but they told me to help where I can. Me pulled off the act swimmingly. Its part of her skill, as the proprietress of the hotel, shes got superb acting skills. In many ways, working as a hotelier really made her more... mature.


    Its something I dont realise, of course, because to me, the months just flip by so quickly, but Mes hotel has been open for the past 4 years, since year 79. So shes had a lot of experience dealing with people, and customers. I suppose its strange for them to change, when Im the one still being the same. 4 years is long for them, but not for me.


    They stopped at a restaurant with an alfresco frontage. Mes restaurants was one of the first to feature al-fresco dining, but soon, many other restaurants caught on.


    The waiter bowed and quickly let Me and the three humans in. Right this way, Lady Mika. Me, as the owner of the best hotel in town, is pretty much a local tycoon, a respected member of the hospitality industry. Shes apparently even the chairwoman of the local innkeepers guild. Things I forget, of course, since Im focused on my own things.


    Maybe if Alexis wasnt so... rebellious, maybe... Ah. Never mind.


    They sat and had a cup of local tea with milk. And some snacks. So, Ive arranged for some anti-demon weapons, that should be your starting equipment. You will outgrow them quite quickly, with experience multipliers from your blessings.


    Harris sighed. Honestly, Im a bit... uh... how do I say this... intimidated by what we went through. Why cant people like Lausanne fight the demon king, we saw her crush the demon knights like nothing.


    Me shook her head. Lausannes impressive, but she doesnt have the special gifts. Heroes are needed, because of the cheat-skills. Its also important that you think about the cheat skills that you have, and figure out how to maximise it. Thest demon king was a giant castle that had a few forms,stly, an exploding demon-crystal.


    Were here. And youre talking about something like that. I dont see how we can face something like that.


    Me smiled and sipped her tea. Baby steps. You must first be able to take on demon knights, like Lausanne.


    Can she apany us? I mean... Id feel much safer if shes with us. Becky said.


    Even if she does, she can only stay with you for a short while. With the blessings, you will gain levels very, very quickly. When thest generation fought the demon king, all of them were at least level 100. Lady Lausanne, if Im not mistaken, is only around level 40 to 50.


    Were level 10 or so. We need a babysitter. Harris said, and he ate a cookie. Me asked for some local potato slices, with olives.


    Me nodded. I can have a skill that can give you a [Bodyguard], but I feel that will hobble your growth. You must realise that leveling and experience is scaled to difficulty.


    Cant we like... uh... have some practice first? Mirei asked. I mean, if you see those RPG games, we usually have tutorial or practice stages so that we get a good hang of how things work. I mean...


    Me sipped her tea, and thought for a moment. At this point, I had a hunch Mes going to ask me for something. And she did. She telepathically pinged me.


    TreeTree, can we borrow the Orders Training Rooms? Ill have the Captains and Yvon spar with them. Madeus too, if he is willing.


    Hmmm... When are they leaving New Freeka?


    When they are ready. The faster we can get them up to speed, the faster they will leave. Me insisted, and well, she has a good point.


    Fine. Only the one in the Order Quarters.


    Me then turned to the three heroes. Well, Ive arranged for the three of you to use the Valtrian Orders Training Rooms. That will be a suitable practice session, for you to know your limits. Unfortunately, you can only use them for a few days, and after that, its out to the field as an adventurer, or join the patrols.


    Huh, so short... The three looked reluctant, but soon epted that it was better than nothing, and then they walked back to the hotel.


    So, do you want to watch some practice today?


    Oh, can we?


    Magic or swordfighting?


    Uh... magic? The two girls said together.


    Me brought them to one of New Freekas magic academies. The Council runs one academy, as part of the mages guild, and the Order runs another one, led by Madeus. Theres also a third independent academy, but its mainly for merchants, smiths and others, as its more of a craft-focused magic academy.


    They watched some children practice some basic magic.


    Both of them though, instantly learned a spell. Oh. Thats... thats easy.


    Me shrugged. Thats your advantage. You wont learn much from the children if ites to you so easily.


    Me led them to the back area of the guild, and theres multiple sparring areas, for mage-adventurers to practice.


    Go, participate. You might gain some levels.


    And they did. How many levels can we gain like this?


    I dont know. Depends on the system.


    I was wondering, why doesnt the gods just give us all our levels from the start. Then we dont have to struggle like this. Harris watched, and asked Me.


    I dont know that too, you can ask them the next time you see them. I guess its some restriction on the gods, that anyone new starts from level 1.


    The heroes practiced a few times, the two girls were visibly outssed, even with their overpowered abilities, but with each battle, they improved, very quickly.


    ording to Alexis, its a gift. Heroes, when they start out, have a special blessing, on top of their overpowered ability. I dont recall seeing these blessings in their soul spring, but then again, maybe Im not able to see divine items. The blessings do a whole lot of things, like improve their rate of experience gain, the ability to choose the direction of the skill growth, meaning heroes can actually select what kind of skills they want to learn, a natural affinity tobat, enhanced recovery rates.


    And, theres usually a few gates, which unlocks star mana at different amounts. At level 100, thats when their entire mana pool is converted into star mana, which means, they have way more star mana than I have. Like.... easily 10 to 50 times more.


    Me then brought the three heroes to one of the Orders militia practice yards. And where the soldiers practice. SImrly, they also had a few spars.


    Why are you bringing them to all these ces? I mentally asked Me.


    Yeah. They can gain levels from practice, and its a safe way to gain these early levels. Ill ask Jura for permission to include them in a few patrol missions, so they can fight some demons. Ill send my [bodyguard] with them, just to be safe.


    Well, more spars. Me then led them back to the hotel to rest, and the next day, they were at the [Training Rooms].


    Were fighting Lausanne? The three looked surprised.


    Yeah. I asked whether shes willing to spar, and she said sure.


    Does she know?


    Nope. Its my first time watching Lausanne in action too. Me smiled.


    Uh... I dont think we can take her alone. Unless shes fighting handicapped. Becky said, and Lausanne obviously heard it.


    I wont be using my familiar. Dont worry. And were just using wooden swords.


    But you whooped the demons with those wooden swords! Harris seemed visibly panicked.


    Me pped. Ohe on. Just fight. If you cant face Lausanne, youll have trouble facing demon walkers and the demon generals. Mes pep talk worked, and they started to spar.


    Indeed, theyve seemed to have gained levels from yesterdays spar, and their performance was much better than before. But, the heroes arent good at sparring, in the sense that they cant seem to control their powers. Its 100% on all the time, so, Mirei identally loosed a lightning st and it hit the Training Room walls. Thankfully, no damage. The training room is exceptionally sturdy.


    Still, as one who watched their fights yesterday and today, their progress is unnatural. Its like theres a genius that guided their growth, they instinctively knew what to do to improve. For now, Lausannes still better, but I would think within a month they would be able to stand toe-to-toe with her, without her familiar powers.


    All of them took turns to spar over the course of the next week, and for Lausanne, whos usual sparring partners are Yvon and Jura, this was a wee change. In fact, Lausanne had her first loss on theirst day. Their exceptional growth was very humbling for Lausanne, even if it was just a sparring match without Lausannes full skillset.


    After the week was over, and their time was up, Lausanne came back to me. TreeTree, who are those people? They... they make me feel like Im stupid.


    Why?


    I mean... I took so many years of practice to get to this point, but they just got from newbies to be able to do that in a week.


    Well, its all rtive, isnt it? To the other Valthorns, Lausannes an exceptional fighter. But as with all things, there is always a higher mountain out there.


    Theyre the gifted ones, blessed by the gods themselves. Dont hold onto your defeat too hard.


    Are they heroes?


    I think so. I know the truth, but Im not sure whether I should tell her.


    Lausanne paused. Shes in my [secret hideout], her home. She sat in bed, and looked at the wooden spear next to her bed. Is this what heroes need to be able to do? I suddenly feel like... Im not good enough.


    Hmm. Shes 14, and feeling demotivated and discouraged? Should I inject her with some [psychedelic dreams]? Is this puberty? Or teen angst? Should I give her a pep talk? Or should I ask Laufen to do it? Maybe I should ask her mom to talk to her first.


    And indeed, Laufen came into her room and sat next to her bed.


    Hi darling. Laufen smiled, and patted her leg. I heard you lost.


    Losings fine. But its just that... I dont know... erm... facing genius.


    Laufen moved herself a little closer. Every now and then the gods create people who are so exceptionally good, that they blow the rest of us out of the water. There are those born with a [unique ability] or [unique skill] since birth. These are champions.


    I want to be a hero, mom. I just feel like... suddenly... that dream feels very very far away.


    Its okay. Laufen gave her daughter a hug. I felt a bit guilty spying, but then again, I do want to check on Lausannes mental state. Its a privilege, that you could even attempt to dream such a dream. I wouldnt have dreamed of what we have today, my dear.


    Mom. Thats not helping. Lausanne still sulked.


    Laufen just hugged. Think of it as a challenge, then. No great things are achieved without great obstacles.


    But then why the heroes get such great powers?


    They have the burden of defeating the demon king. Would you want that burden?


    Lausanne sulked.


    <strong>Year 83 Month 3</strong>


    The heroes, annoyingly, made Mes Oakwood Hotel their base of operations. At least, they are now participating in the Orders patrols, and are helping to defeat demons that they encounter, and within a month, they have gained about 30 levels, so they are now about level 35 to 40 and seemed to have unlocked their first quarter of [star mana].


    This means they can now stand toe-to-toe with multiple demon knights, just like Lausanne. What seemed crazy to them a month ago, is now something they can do.


    The first 50 levels are easy. Alexis exined. We got it within a month too. Its the grind up to level 100 that took a whole lot longer, and past level 80, we only seemed to gain levels when we fought champion-level monsters.


    Good thing is, I think they will leave New Freeka soon. Me, their de-facto nanny, said. Thanks TreeTree. Im happy to have helped them get on their feet. After this, they must find other ces to go, other monsters to fight. I told them about the demon walkers, and that they need to start attempting to fight them.


    Can they? I would rmend level 50 before trying the walker. At least they get their 2nd quarter of the [star mana].


    Its mostly a conversation between Alexis and Me, both of whom have differing views of whats the optimal strategy for heroes.


    At the rate they are going, they will encounter demons and level up along the way. And all of them has summoned units. I think the gods gave them all a mini-army like ability.


    I didnt watch their battles, especially those that happened with the patrols. So this really piqued my attention. Exin.


    Yeah. Harris has a defense aura, and can summon living armors, with massive shields. Mirei has lightning elementals, and thunderstorm rods. Becky has like... an squadron of magical knights.


    This means something. Did the gods intentionally dy the summoning of the heroes, so that they know what they are facing? And then, they tailor the gifts to the heroes based on what they see the demons are doing?


    What if the demons know this too? I didnt see how the previous heroes abilities were tailored to the demon king at all. Or its just a coincidence, that this roster of abilities lean towards the heroes being a one-man-army?


    In any case, after a week or more of fighting, the 3 heroes eventually decided to make a move for the next town. As advised by Me, they are going to head south, towards the stationary walker.


    -


    The heroes took one of the beetles to head south.


    A magical ball appeared in front of them.


    Hi guys. Everyone alive? A voice came out of the ball.


    The 3 heroes jumped, but then nodded. Astra, is that you?


    Yeah its me alright. Sorry it took so long. I had to reach my Level 30 perk to unlock the [Hero-Chat]munication ability. Everyone here?


    Yup. It seemed that they could see each others faces in the magical ball, but my spirit vision is able to only see the presence of a pure-white magical orb, and not whats on it. Kinda like an overexposed camera facing a television. Its all white to me. But at least I could still hear the message.


    Good. Hows everyone? Ill start. We had a rough first month, we got ambushed by multiple demon groups, but luckily a group of knights helped us out. Were based in one of the kingdoms in the far south.


    South? Harris asked. Isnt the South in very bad shape?


    Not gonna lie, it totally is, it is. The Southern Continents entire northern half was, and still is, lost to the demons, and the far-southern kingdoms, thankfully, through luck and some good strategies, managed to keep the demons away, however barely. The Kings are super relieved to see us. Were trying to gain levels as fast as we can, and thankfully we met some locals who are very willing to help us. This Astra person exined.


    Your story sounds simr. We got saved by the locals too. Another voice. Totally not what I expected. If I see the gods again, Im gonna give them a piece of my mind for dropping us in the middle of nowhere.


    Harris and Mirei nodded. Yeah. We also got saved by the locals.


    Hmm... were in the east, and were quite lucky. We didnt see many demons, and we fought whatever we could. Were now based in one of the towns. There are some helpful locals as well.


    Ah shit. This skill drains my star mana faster than pokemon go does. My star mana is running out. Alright, well catch up again once my star-mana recovers. Sorry! Astrained.


    Its fine. Good to know everyones alive. Someone said.


    Yeah.


    And the magical orb vanished. And the three of them shared nces, while still riding the beetle.


    Thats like... a skype group-video conference call.


    Who uses skype these days? Becky looked puzzled.


    My dad does. Mirei shrugged. For work.


    For me, this meant the hero''s star mana is able to ovee the demon kings magical interference.

 Blessed Splinter (p69)

    Blessed Splinter (p69)


    <b>Year 83 Month 4</b>


    I am so d they are gone. The heroes headed south, and I think they passed by some other cities. I think they will probably reach the demon walker in the next month, or maybe the month after, depending on which route they take.


    I felt like I was on edge whenever they are doing something in the city. Or maybe its that subtle presence they have, the heroes aura or whatever. I got a sense that its a subtle aura the gods gave them albeit bundled up in the [blessing] that they have.


    So, with them gone, I focused my attention back on New Freeka and those under my care.


    TreeTree, do you have any special powers you can give me? Lausanne sat. Shes done with another round of practice with the rest of the Valthorns. Still, even though the heroes left, the heroes left a mark on her mind. Shes too young thest time the heroes came, but this time, shes old enough to even spar with them.


    You already have some, no? Well, the [possession of the devoted] is a special skill, no? It gives her that weird whip like ability, and shes already got exceptional resonance to my own abilities.


    Hmm, but what would I have to do? Lets say if the heroes survive and they start having political ideas, like Alexis, what would I do? Clearly not everyone will agree with them, and the divine moratorium on their death is lifted.


    A super-condensed version of [dream tutor] and a whole bunch of level and skill seeds? What else? Physical enhancements? Soul modification?


    I could probably do some physical enhancements, and give her a super strong does of [dream tutor], but skill seeds... does she want some special ss? [Dark Knight], perhaps? Would that be enough to even stand up to a hero?


    Lausanne, whats your ss at this point?


    Main ss, [Elven Swordfighter], secondary ss, [Viger]. Im Level 31 at my main ss, Level 8 viger. Total level 47.


    Hmmm. I thought you broke level 50? This segregated and umted ss level system that humanoids have still feel a bit like a cheat, but on the flipside, creatures like myself have way higher base stats and gain more of such stats per level than humanoids.


    Not yet. Lausanne sulked. Is that why I lost? But before I could answer, she answered herself. No. They improved so fast. Higher levels doesnt change that. It would be a matter of time, unless I could improve just as fast as them.


    Hmm, I would need to have some kind of anti-hero countermeasures.


    So uh... do you have any kind of fruit that can make me smarter? So that I can level up faster? Or just as fast as the heroes?


    How would I do that, Lausanne? Maybe not make you smarter... but the process of gaining levels is essentially these experience are absorbed via the soul. Experience is in the outer soul, and the blessings act as a modifier on the...


    The soulspring is the gatekeeper of levels. It would make sense, therefore, that any experience multipliers, such as the [divine blessings], to exist as ayer outside the soul. So, if I were to make a super-leveling follower, I would have to somehow influence the soulspring.


    Might be possible, Lausanne, but not something I can do now. If I can create the effects of [training room], [dream tutor], [powerlevelling], [learning aura] or even my very own [hero fragments], as a part of Lausannes soul spring, then she could level up faster.


    But would the soul spring affect natural ability? It seems quite pre-deterministic if thats the case, that the fate of these young infants has been decided at the start of their lives? I feel that must not be true, because there are tales in this world of young men and women of modest upbringings and station rising into greatness. One would then argue that perhaps these young men already had the seed in them. Those who never had the seed would never do something like it.


    You may have to wait.


    They would get so much better than me already! Lausanne sulked, but she sighed. But then again, they are blessed by the gods to be heroes. Im just an ordinary girl.


    Still on that subject? Jura walked in. He smiled at some of the young Valthorns and motioned for them to spar with him. Hes careful with his new hand, even though its been months. He is gradually testing it out more, though. Like, using skills to parry with his repaired hand, and test the strength of the bones, joints.


    Yea, Uncle Jura. Im asking TreeTree whether he can help me cheat the level system, like the heroes.


    Hmmm... would I be able to modify the familiar to create this effect, if I am unable to alter the soul directly? Perhaps this is a stopgap measure?


    [Learned Familiar type : Studious Spirits]


    [Studious Spirits loses almost all familiar abilities except Wood Shield. In exchange, the hosts experience gain is doubled. Skills and levels gained since acquiring Studious Spirit are more likely to be transferred to the grantor on death of host]


    Okay! That works too. But clearly Lausanne wont benefit from this, since she already has one familiar spirit contract, and strangely, although one can get multiple familiars, each from a different givers, you cant get multiple from the same giver. I wonder why.


    Could Me give a familiar as shes a tree like me? Even if she is a hospitality-focused one.


    My thoughts strayed abit, then Jura, Lausanne started to spar again. Yvons ying the role of a teacher for some more Valthorns, but my 20 [Minder-Familiar] slots are full. Its a half-yearly thing where I select new students to receive the Minders, but now that I have this leveling familiar, I wonder how I should organise the Valthorns?


    Should the Minders be a lower tier?


    Lausanne ducked and went close to all out, stopping short of using her special familiar. Jura outssed her, of course. Even Yvon outssed Lausanne, though the gap between them is a lot smaller.


    But the Studious Spirits clearly has no limitation. Is it because I allocate a portion of my mind to oversee the [Minder-Familiars], so the 20 minders are essentially a limitation of my ability to simultaneously track my young Valthorns?


    In such case, wouldnt the Minders be inferior?


    Curious, I had the Valthorns spar with one of the Captains who possessed a regr familiar, and fight entirely using the familiars abilities. I wanted to hear from them, on what they thought.


    Isnt it about the same? The Valthorns and Captain asked. Turns out they have no insight that the Minder-Familiars are different. They fought, and the abilities are simr, and the regr familiar is no weaker than the minder-familiar, though the minder-familiar is more in-tune with the host, so its response time isnt that different. Fair, I suppose if the Minders task is to observe, doesnt make sense for those being watched to know they are being watched.


    Alright then, at least I can easily swap them for a regr familiar, since they dont know any better.


    Are you nning to give us better familiars? Like Lady Lausannes? The Valthorns sound quite excited.


    Uh. I have druidic aspects, and Jura has Bamboo, the Artificial Soul-Eidolon. And now this [Studious Spirit].


    Only the Artificial Soul and the [Possession Of the Devoted] is a clear upgrade. The rest are just a question of whats being traded off.


    I have a familiar type that increases your levelling, but you lose almost all familiar abilities.


    OH I wouldnt want that! One of the Valthorns shook her head vigorously. I like eating fruits from the familiar. Ill never go hungry ever again! Ah, this young girl was one of those who suffered through a period of starvation during the refugee-runs, so the concept of having a magicalpanion who made food is like... heavenly.


    If you have a familiar type that focuses on producing food and water, wed have to worry a lot less about supply chains. Jura casually just remarked. Just one-or-two guys focused on making food, and well be able to send a small squad anywhere around the region quickly.


    What if they die or get targeted?


    Its an alternative, and it is apromise for speed and range. Hauling food using conventional [holding bags] is possible too, but more expensive. Doesnt help that [holding bags] food feels kind of stale, even if its mostly preserved.


    Jura and Lausanne spar again. Lausannes using a stick this time. She said she had to try something different. I think she even asked Madeus to give her magic lessons.


    Though I can give her a [mage] ss seeds if she ever needs it, I wonder if multi-ssing too much is a good idea. I recall some game designs intentionally hinders or scales multissing such that they be jack-of-all-trades, and the gains of multi-ssing are often less than the benefits of a focused ss.


    I didnt feel any drawbacks from multi-ssing I think. Alexis wondered. But then, I dont do yer, not I mean, People-versus-People, so I really dont know how I stack up against another person at the same level, but with a more focused ss. Demon-hunting heroes are essentially a People-versus-Environment setup. Alexis intentionally avoided the word yer.


    Oh yes. Before my diplomat and fighter ss merged into warlord, I do feel weaker. A consolidated ss is easily better, with benefits from both.


    If the multi-ssing is within the same category of sses, its usually not a problem. Mages are known to take multiple rted magic types, with little to no drawback versus a focused mage. In fact,as our magic levels are gated, where we need to perform certain feats to progress, taking multiple sses is how we make progress. Ah yes, Madeus and magics weird requirement for feats or aplishments to pass a certain level barrier.


    I dont have that. Alexis retorted to me. I was an [archmage] and a [pyromancer], whichter merged into [arch-firemage]. I still kept a few other sses!


    I sort of mentally rolled my eyes. I dont have actual eyes to roll, of course. Even my [tree-eyes] cant physically roll. I mean, we all know heroes work differently. Its quite clear by now.


    "Which ss should I take, TreeTree?" Lausanne asked. She wanted to add more learning into her time, so she wants the [dream tutor] to be something new. Yet, she is unsure of what other ss she should take.


    As it is, she''s abat, melee focused unit. Should she get some range, or maybe she should head for the spell-sword kind of route? Enchanted des & Magical Sword Attacks?


    <b>Year 83 Month 5</b>


    "I hope they remember what I told them." Me sat and enjoyed a cup of wine. Alexis sat next to her. I think they both are quite high leveled by now, Mes in the level 60s or so, and shes waiting to get some kind of [branch-hotel] ability. In here, Alexis can somehow take up a form that can enjoy a wine.


    "Well, you did what you could." Alexis sighed. "If only some of us survived to fight with them."


    "Heroes don''t get summoned until all the previous ones die."


    "Is that really a rule, or just a heavenly preference?" Alexis sipped on the wine. For Me, wine tastes kind of funny, because shes also a tree like me. Drinking wine doesnt give her the same effects. So, her preferred drink is strangely, a grape-voured cordial made of condensed nutrient-stuff.


    Me shrugged at the question. Well, if they are careful, theyll be able to hide from the demon king for a while...


    One of the key lessons Alexis wanted Me to share, was that the demon king can sense their presence, and the stronger they get, the easier it is for the demon king to find them. Its like a fire in the darkness. A stronger fire burns brighter. And easier to see.


    Think theylle back?


    Honestly? Me paused, and sipped on her nutrient cordial.


    They will. Alexis sighed. I see us in them. We were just as desperate and lost as they were, the burdens on them so heavy that they will look for anyone, anything to help them, and if they could find a safe harbor like TreeTree, they will.


    Thats why I didnt tell them anything about TreeTree. Me stopped. You know TreeTree wont agree to help them.


    Theyre stuck in between a rock and a hard ce. And TreeTrees just concerned with this... valley.


    Huh. But then, I like only paying attention to my things, and things rted to my things. The Demon King, is one of my top 3 threats. Other kingdoms, Other Monsters, and Demons. All of them are threats, because they threaten the existence of this valley, and they are often destructive to me, the trees, and the valley around me.


    You know hes listening, right? Me shrugged, and she sipped on her cordial again.


    But then again, hes not exactly bothered by what we say about him. Look at the New Freekans. So many of them say weird stuff about Aeon all the time. Nothing happened.


    As someone whos mostly tree, I think hes still thinking whether he should do anything. Me finished the cordial and she walked over to the sink. I mean, I sort-of can understand his slow-response, now that I am a tree-hotel. We get assaulted with so much sensory information from all over our tree, and in his case, hiswork of trees, that we need a lot of time to just take it all in.


    But he fights battles surprisingly well for someone that lives life on a different time scale.


    Its probably an emergency reaction. Its like how some of us can enter into bullet-time, and fight things differently.


    Alexis frowned, Hmm, that implies that if TreeTree fights too long, hell need to rest like the rest of us.


    Why not? A tree is still a living being, and energy fluctuates. But whats long to him, is probably extremely long to us.


    Shouldnt it be the other way round, that someone who lives on a longer time scale should consume more energy to focus on a short battle? But then again, he does have a mind now, maybe that helps.


    I wonder what they are on about.


    -


    Mission aplished, Supreme Leader.


    Stratreegy managed to capture a [demon rod]! But Supreme Leader makes me feel like some hermit kingdoms dictator.


    The luring tactic worked, we located a force of demons headed for the [ThreeTrees of Mana], and after we have confirmed the existence of the demon rod, Stratreegy led the fight.


    It was a fairly easy battle. The demons were only 5,000 strong, and the South Forest has more than that in beetles alone. Added to it, its a defensive battle, so we crushed them easily, and took a rod.


    Another one week to convert it into [Forest Rod], and now I have a tree-creating item. Now, I need to think about where to use it.


    With winter over, and the snake-dungeon now spitting out more demons, I gather the beetles from across my valley.


    I probably wont use the demon rod on the snake dungeon though, I dont quite fancy having snakes, and I recall the residual mana in that location is quite weak. So, I would rather save it for something that is more likely able to unlock the next [Soul Forge] color.


    Still. Time to crush the annoying nest of demon-insects in my neighbourhood.


    <i>Pests</i>.


    -


    The battle was rtively brief. Lausanne, Horns and Jura, apanied by 8,000 beetles, led the charge into the snake-hole-turned-demon-base. Unlike the dungeon, this demonic base didnt block my [subsidiary trees], and as such, I could still use the beetles even within the dungeon.


    It was one of my concerns, that the [demon rods] could possibly enhance the effects of the demon kings magical interference. But happy to see this is not the case.


    Anyway, Lausanne spoke of two demon generals defending the demon rod after the battle, she gained a level after Jura and Lausanne defeated them. The rod itself apparently transformed into arge nest-like structure, which crumbled under the attack of giant beetles.


    <b>Year 83 Month 6</b>


    While no actual news arrived on our shores, I have a sense theres been a lot of fighting.


    My [soul realm] collected a whole load of souls, and they seemed toe from all directions. Even my wandering [soul harvesters], seem to bring back souls from far away.


    Ive not heard of the heroes, nor do I care all that much, but I wonder whether this is linked to them.


    And then refugees.


    By the thousands, they came from north and south. Trevor and Stratreegy detected them as they approached the outer ring of [subsidiary trees]. Curious, I had my assistants zoom in and try to pick out whats the cause.


    Theres two walkers. That was the gist of the chatter amongst the escaped refugees, many of whom soldiers themselves. It seemed the walkers arent headed my way, so thats a relief.


    It seemed that two walkers had somehow managed to move into position together, the 2nd one being from the south. Itnded on some poor unsuspecting vige and then started to wreck chaos. The other one came from the north, headed south.


    Are they nning to meet with the third immovable demon-walker? Whats the point of two walkers in the same ce?


    Still, its amusing, and I would like to see a battle of walkers and heroes.


    Would you have problems with two walkers? I asked Alexis and Me.


    When we were in our level 100s? I can probably take on one single-handedly, but when I was level 90 and our heavenly forms needed channeling? Thats a bit harder. But then, its hard to say... theres so many things to consider. For example, I think piercing magic works better than explosive ones with the walkers, so there may be an issue ofpatibility. Sometimes Alexis gets really long winded, and Im quite certain its her boratory spirit] doing the talking.


    I thought we handled the walker quite easily, but then again, I do have anti-demon boosts. Apparently, not all the heroess conventional abilities include an anti-demon boost. This meant a [pdin] hero with anti-demon abilities far stronger than a generic archmage with no specific anti-demon ability. Except their [star mana], which star mana by nature are especially effective against demons.


    I recall all of you struggled against 3 champions and had toe to me. 10 years ago is but a short while ago, though ancient to them. That doesnt make sense.


    Me looked awkwardly, and it was Alexis who responded. We were in our level 90s, and uh... we were justing to grasp with our [star mana] and [heavenly form]... Unlike you, somehow the gods didnt give all of us anti-demon blessings. Only pdins, healers, and some of the sword-mages. Regr mages like me get supersized mana pools, high tier spells, multi-elemental enchantments and that sort of stuff. And supersized [star mana].


    Why wouldnt they? Again, another nonsensical idea. If the heroes are created to fight demons, why wouldnt the gods give them anti-demon blessings, such a thing does after all exist.


    How would I know? Maybe they thought it wouldnt be necessary since the [star mana] was so damned good at killing demons? Besides, those anti-demon blessings dont work against the demon king itself that much.


    They dont? I thought they did. I survived a demon king thanks to them! Do the fragments manifest differently from blessings? I pull out my [Tree Heart]s status again, just to reread the narration.


    <i>[The Trees Heart and Spirit-Lantern]</i>


    <i>[this is the heart of the tree, adorned with the fragments of 67 heroes, it gives the tree 3350% increase in experience gain, 670% extra damage against midtier demons, 335% extra damage against elder demons, significant demon armor-negation, immunity to lesser demons, significant damage reduction against elder demons and immunity from all lesser forms of fire, and significantly reduced damage from higher form of fires.]</i>


    Me, Alexis, when your friend died. Did you get a... fragment? Or a blessing?


    Me nodded. We did. All of us received a fragment. Its called [Baton of the Fallen]. It boosts our experience gain, blessings against lesser and mid-tier demons, some demonic resistance and other stuff like that. I lost it though. We lost it.


    Was it not effective? Or do they not know whether its effective or not because theyve not seen its effects. When they fought the demon king, that fragment has always been with them, and... they probably have one fragment? Maybe the effects were too miniscule for them to realise?


    Or is it because the demon king is perhaps... an otherworldly divine being, perhaps something of a... demonic-half god? Therefore [star mana] is the only true counter for the demon king? All these stat boosts negate only an aspect of its power?


    Why did you ask, and uh... how did you know theres a fragment? Alexis suddenly probed. Thats not something anyone knows, except for heroes.


    Uh... a hero told me once? But I didnt know what it did.


    Alexis paused, thought for a while, and I witnessed her eyes change, as if something dawned on her. TreeTree, how did you get those... heroic fragments? You know... the ones in your [treeheart], the ones you showed us so many years ago.


    Did she figure it out?


    What should I say? I dont know. I just get them.


    Who? Alexis asked, her voice seemed almost angry.


    Me seem puzzled. Alexis, whats happening?


    Its so painfully obvious now. I cannot believe how I have been so blind. You, TreeTree, have heroic fragments. You clearly dont like heroes. Hero fragments are the shattered remains of a soul. TreeTree, has a [soul forge]. Did you steal fragments from us through your [soul forge]? You cut into our souls and take it out of us, a bit of us, didnt you? Or a [familiar].


    Uh. What?


    That time when Mes in your [biopod], you took a fragment from her, did you? And the same when I was here. Or that [familiar] of yours! Thats a thing to steal hero [fragments], right? Thats why you insisted on all of us taking a [familiar]!


    Huh?!


    Me rubbed her chin. I dont think so though... I dont feel a thing.


    Of course you dont feel a thing! It probably happened after we died.


    Timeline doesnt line up. TreeTree didnt have a [soul forge] untilter? Me retorted.


    Then it must be the [familiars]. Alexis mused. The [familiars] are scavengers, like vultures that wait for us to die and then pick on our soul fragments!


    Thats not true.


    I dont believe it! It all makes sense now! Alexis shouted. Thats why you asked Me to offer your familiars to the three new heroes! Which all of them epted. Youve nned this all along!


    Look. Youre a smart girl, think about it for a moment.Its not as if you actually lost anything. You died. Your attachment to your body and whatever fragments stop there. Its like your corpse, after its buried in the ground, some wormse and eat your dead body. Its just nature, naturally consuming and assimting the deceased! Do you curse the worms for eating the bodies buried in the ground? I am a [soul tree]. My job is to recycle the souls and spirits of the world, and reality is, you, as a person who died, are part of that cycle.


    Oh. Did I just make it worse?


    Ugh! Oh my god I cannot believe that I am soul-contracted with someone whos been collecting our fragments! I want out. I want to break this contra- And Alexis screamed in pain, as the [soul contract] acted on her mind.


    Me sighed, Alexiss screaming slowly faded into the background. She seems calm, but shes thinking, and she asked. TreeTree, did you steal or take fragments from us... through those... familiars?


    No. I can assure you I did not steal them via familiars or any other methods. I want to keep my presence as also a re-incarnator a secret. No one should know. I received them, only after your death, as part of my duties as a [soul tree]. But I did not steal or take them.


    Me paused and sat on a chair. TreeTree...


    The screaming stopped, as the [soul contract] put Alexiss mind to sleep.


    I dont believe you are malicious. . Me sat. Alexis might be right, that the kind of magic you have, this... [soul magic] isnt something we canprehend.


    Ill.... Ill talk to Alexis. Me sighed. I need to think about this. I guess, I guess both of us has never reallye to terms about how different you are as a soul tree... Alexis, and myself... there are concepts about this world that we still have not epted.


    Huh.


    I think... Its probably like I died and somebody took over my online identity and sold it. Sure, I didnt lose anything, but a part of me doesnt feel right. Like the dead has been desecrated.


    Uh... There is reincarnation? You have a new body, and if you always hold onto your previous bodies, then eventually you will need to care for so many previous bodies. Theres a time to move on.


    I... uh... give me some time. I... I need to check on Alexis. Alexis is in deep slumber. Shell probably wake up in a day or two.


    Hmmm. Looks like I must revisit my assessment of Alexis and Me. Should I still keep them around? Perhaps not.


    How do I split without making them enemies? They are former heroes, and they know a lot about me. If they want to harm me, a stationary tree, there is a lot they can do. Should I just... kill them?


    I dont think I can keep one and kill the other, and Alexiss value to me is clearly not there anymore. I mentally sighed. I could probably banish Alexis as she is [soul contracted] to me, but Me as an independent soul, even if I destroy her present body, she can still manifest in this world as another entity, find another body. If I were to kill both of them now, Me would find another body, and I would just make her an enemy.


    If I could just wipe their minds, or send both of them into the reincarnation cycle on another world, that would be great. But s.


    There are no clean divorces... Announcement Thanks for reading. If you want more, there''s one extra chapter at my patreon :)

 Chopped Off (P70)

    Chopped Off (P70)


    <b>Year 83 Month 7</b>


    Alexis somehow fell back into moments of that mental breakdown constantly. It seemed that whatever she realised really possessed her, and it would trigger the [soul contract] almost every other day, even if she woke up. Since Alexis had entered into this state, Me closed her Oakwood Hotel, to spend more time with her.


    "Why does she keep rpsing into that screaming fit?"


    "I... I dont know. Something kept triggering the [soul contract]"


    "Stop it?"


    "I can''t. I dont know how to."


    Hmm. This seems to be a mechanics of the [soul contract], so I attempted to-


    ------------


    <i>[Assessing Soul Contract detailed menu]</i>


    <i>[Master : TreeTree. Servant : Alexis]</i>


    [Current security setting : Intention to break contract and rted causes are purged from memory (default)]


    [Other security settings possible :<ol><li>Notify Master of rebellious intentions</li><li>Warn servant</li><li>Suppress/Confuse rebellious intentions with other thoughts</li><li>Personality mind-wipe (Levels and skills will be lost. Chance of possible soul-crash)</li><li>Do nothing</li><li>You may also change the memory purge period and targeting conditions.</li></ol>


    <i>Warning. Skill-Conflict detected. Alexis, [Laboratory Spirit] possessed the skill [Discovery Log]. Discovery Log records and cotes all findings and important facts to produce hypotheses. [Discovery Log] is in conflict with [Soul Contract]s purging attempt. Conflict is overwhelming servants mental & memory faculties. Skill modification not avable.</i>


    <i>Do you want to remove Alexiss skill, [Discovery Log], or suppress the memory purge?</i>


    ----------


    Oh. A fix is possible, but lets talk to Me. Im not too keen on keeping Alexis anymore, temporary solutions are just unnecessary band aid.


    But before that, I took some time to look at the other items in this [Soul Contract]s menu, such as the option to [undo form], and this will be useful for Eriz and Yvons future role as my servant. Next time, I should mind-wipe Yvon and Eriz, since as a newly-dead souls their level must be level 1 anyway. Then I dont have to deal with this... loyalty issue.


    TreeTree, this cant continue. Me said, she pleaded. Obviously she didnt know I have an idea how to fix her. I... I cant see her like that. I know we died before and all, but Alexis like that, is a fate worse than death. The moment she sees you, this happens.


    Alexis screamed again. The conflict of skill and soul contract is clearly causing some kind of malfunction, and her treeb main-body transformed into this haunted-tree like thing, the rpse and pain clearly affecting her presence. It is indeed unpleasant to have her like this around, and that negative energy also affects the nearby trees.


    Me said. Can I take her ce?


    What? No. Thats worse. If Mes the one soul-contracted, and Alexis is free, Alexis will be vengeful. Shes clearly shown the potential for retaliation, and Im not giving her just-cause, however flimsy.


    "Then... what can I do to spare her from this pain?


    Me, will you hold it against me if I were to banish her, and return her to the reincarnation cycle? The gods of reincarnation will deal with what happens next.


    You mean... kill her? But... why? Cant you just free her?


    She clearly has the means and motives to harm me. She has attempted that before. I cannot, in good conscience, free a person who has a high possibility of hurting me and my valley some time in the future.


    I... I will stop her. Me said. TreeTree, I offer to [soul contract] myself to you, in exchange for Alexiss freedom. And, Imit, as part of the contract and without reservation, to stop her from ever attempting to hurt you and this valley.


    Alexis will not ept that.


    She will. And if you free both of us, I will guide her away from you. TreeTree, theres really no need to kill her. The world needs us. Me, and her. And you too. Together, we can do so much to reduce the destruction caused by the demon king. We can help the heroes, and help to break this cycle. Thats good for you too, if the threat of demons is reduced.


    Thats... It feels a bit like ckmail.


    Im not trying to ckmail you. Me said. I suddenly felt like shes probably using a [skill] to negotiate with me. Is it her hotel-manager skill? And yes, I am using a skill. Its called [sense intent].


    Now thats not exactly fair, is it?


    The best oue is all three of us to split up, you do your thing, we do ours. I will find a way topensate you in the future, for all the troubles you have gone through to protect both of us. Its probably clearer for you to kill Alexis, but please dont. The long term benefits of retaining her as a force against demons outweighs the risk, and I will stop her. I am willing to enter into any kind of contract with you to prove that I will stop her from trying to retaliate against you.


    Sigh.


    Undo her [research tree], and seed her into a wooden body or a seed, or a beetle, and put it in my body. I... I can arrange to move my hotel out. I have a special one-off skill to move my body. Please, TreeTree. The world needs people like Alexis. This demon king cycle isnt going to stop itself.


    I wont release the contract.


    Why?


    I wont release her [soul contract] because its my only way to prevent her from ever harming me. And, I will need you to be in a [contract] as well, to agree to stop her. If you agree, then I will let you both go away and roam, under the conditions of the [soul contract]. I have very little faith in the promises of these heroes, so I think its best to bind both of them.


    I considered my options, in the long run.


    One. Kill both Alexis and Me. Pros - I wont have to deal with them for a while. Cons - I have significant uncertainty about the mechanics of this reincarnation system. I am unable to conclude whether killing them actually sends them to another world, or, they will somehow reincarnate ande back into this world. Particrly Me, since her god told her to stick around for a thousand years or so. If so, I may end up having to deal with two former heroes in the future.


    Two. Free Alexis, but Contract with Me. Pros - Mes more trustworthy, and Alexiss the one with a desire to escape. Con - Alexis clearly isnt going to let that slide, and her being free, would mean she can acquire all the means necessary to retaliate. Rejected.


    Three. Free both of them. Pros - honestly none. Cons - Alexis is clearly suspicious of me, and this fragment thing seems to have somehow cemented her perception, even despite the restrictions of the [soul contract]. My act of goodwill may not be reciprocated, and the long-run risks outweigh it. Rejected.


    Four. Free them, but hold them onto contract. The contract is my insurance. Clearly its good at knocking them out, like what it did to Alexis, and I do realise I can make her experience a headache if I so desire. Considering the ability to trigger a mindwipe, I could trigger that at the very end of their soul contract.


    If you do that, when we die, we will bothe back to you. Do you really... uhm, want to see us again?


    Yes. Thats the point. Only you can stop her, thats why you need to be in a [contract]. If you somehow move on and reincarnate, while leaving her here in this world with me, I will kill her so that she moves on too. So. Its best that no matter what happens, the fates of you two are intertwined like married trees, forever.


    Me paused. That... makes sense. Not the deal I would hope for, but... but yes. Fine. I, Me Adams, agree to be [soul contracted] to TreeTree and vow to stop Alexis from ever attempting to harm TreeTree and the valley.


    The contract sealed. I also insisted that they never speak of my fragments ever, ever again.


    And I unmade Alexiss form as a soul fused into research tree.


    This strips her of all her levels and experience, and shes back to a glowing soul in my [soul realm]. Then, with [soul forge], I fused her into a small beetle. Then a beetle moves that small sleeping beetle to Mes hotel lodge. I chose a beetle because... its a choice between beetles and spiders. I didnt want to give her that dryad body, thats mine.


    I recall that there is a restriction or cooldown for re-fusing souls into new body forms, but it seems heroes and former heroes are not subject to such restriction.


    Thank you, TreeTree. Mes Oakwood hotel started to change shape into a gigantic peashooter, and it shot out an absolutely massive seed-like thing, containing a disassembled hotel. This peashooter is able to send us anywhere around the world, so well be on another continent, and we will not bother you anymore.


    Where?


    The North! Me said. Where its cold!


    Is this the best time to do it, with the demons everywhere?


    I... I know a ce. Well be fine. See you, someday. Ill handle Alexis.


    In a sh, the peashooter expanded and then shot the massive seed across the skies. Then the peashooter decayed and withered, its purpose fulfilled.


    Theyre gone now. Is that the best way to separate? Will I regret this decision someday?


    [Alexiss experience as research tree has been converted into experience, simr skill seeds and ss seeds]


    [You received ss Seeds - Magic Researcher x 4, Pyromancer x 2, Schemer x 4]


    [You received Skill seeds - Magic Researcher x 11, Pyromancer x 5, Schemer x 10]


    [You gained one level. You are now level 140!]


    [You gained a passive skill - Forest of Giants]


    [Forest of Giants causes the trees around your main body to experience significant growth, resulting in the creation of a valley of gigantic trees. Their size will be equal to your own. Produces giant-timber]


    [You have gained a new skill - Giant Attendant Trees x 100]


    [Giant Attendant Trees are supersized version of Subsidiary trees, with 10 times the [customisable branch] space, and 10 times the [customisable roots] space. They also have a rootwork that is 10 timesrger, and also expand themunication range by 10 times. They also retain arger % of the main trees auras and passive, but this is capped at a max of 50% of the main bodys aura and passives.]


    Wow.


    Well, at least she gave me a farewell gift.


    -


    With that over, I turn my focus on the southern walker. The heroes should be there soon, but it seems they took the scenic route, fighting demons after demons, helping town after town with their demon problems. Thats fine, thats what heroes do, but I think somethings messing with them.


    Still, my trees are not far behind. I have a vested interest in following them. After all, if they die, and my trees are nearby, I get a [Titan Soul]! And I cant wait to try one. Too bad I didnt get it when I unmade Alexis, but meh.


    The southern areas of the continents ravaged, it bears the mark of many battles fought, some between kingdoms, andtely, against the demons. The G Kingdoms recent use of [hexbombs] meant quite a few impassable terrain, thanks to the corruption of the hex.


    I wonder if hexbombs get used too often, will this world end up like kind of nuclear wastnd,  fallout? I mean... the hex spawns alien-ish monsters, hostile to everything.


    The heroes didnt look like they n to attack just yet.


    -


    Lausanne received something from me this month. I had an idea while working on the [soul contract], that, I wanted her to have a special [weapon]. All heroes have special weapons. Thor has Mjollnir, Iron Man has his suit, and Captain America has his shield.


    So, I made a wooden staff with thergest gem I have in it, and I fused an [artificial soul] into it. Jura has Bamboo, so, I thought Lausanne should get one.


    This is Thorny. Its a level 1 [living staff]. If you practice with it, it will get stronger. I wasnt very creative with names.


    Lausanne looked at it, and twirled the staff around. To me, it didnt look any different from another staff, the fusing somehow made therge gem melt into the entirety of the spear, but Lausanne could feel it. I sometimes forget they arent used to voices other than my own.


    I chose a staff, because it seemed to be amon equipment for druids, since she took the [druid] ss fruit recently. Compatibility with the [possession of the devoted]. Maybe shell do something cool with it.


    I would still want to provide more training but I think I would need more... powerful [dream tutors].


    Maybe it could be like... another world-in-another world. Or a VR experience via dreams?


    <b>Year 83 Month 8</b>


    The heroes defeated the walker. A hard fought battle, with plenty of deaths from the coalition army. But a victory nheless.


    Also, this is when I realised all the heroes have some kind of summoned army.


    Perhaps it''s the theme this round, maybe the gods are like the designers for Magic the Gathering where they design block-mechanics and all the heroes of that block share the same mechanics.


    Or are they just rolling the wheel, like how I rolled mine?


    -


    A few dayster, after that walker was in, the two other walkers, one of which swam across the seas...bined.


    Like fucking Voltron.


    And then I detected it.


    Magical bombardment detected! Trevor literally shouted. Coordinating [magic sensors] and [shield generators].


    The magical projectile flew overhead. It wasnt aimed at us.


    So two walkersbined into a long-range magical artillery cannon. A stationary bombardment weapon. Its like the Big Bertha from Total Annihtions!


    It shot again.


    Can we stop it? I asked the artificial souls.


    We need more subsidiary trees in that direction, so that we can triangte the magical signatures and coordinate the shields to intercept ordingly.


    It shot again.


    What the hell is that flying overhead? Some civilians finally noticed as the magical projectiles flew past, like a giantet glowing in the sky.


    If you ask me, it feels like the demons are now able to retaliate against the blood ritual.


    Then it stopped. Three shots, and thebined demonic supercannon seemed to be recharging. I wonder whether it is recharging, or its just waiting for new targets.


    What if that thing fires at us? Jura asked, worried.


    We can stop it. Thankfully the projectile isnt very fast, and I can detect iting. Despite this, I created more subsidiary trees in that direction, and a few [giant attendant trees]. The giant attendant trees can act as a shield, after all they share a lot of my toughness and auras. Better safe than sorry.


    I... Ill get the men to expand the underground hideouts and sewers. Jura breathed a sigh of relief, but there is an undercurrent of concern.


    It didnt fire for a week, and we traced the arc of the magical projectile, to find that it was aimed at G.


    Half of their capital city has been vaporised by the projectiles.


    Two dayster, another city in G retaliated with one big [blood ritual], and it sacrificed 1,000 souls for it.


    It hit, but the demonic supercannon created a massive wall out of demonic flesh that blocked most of the damage.


    Is this it?


    I cant help but feel like this is the beginning of a thermonuclear war. The threat of mutually assured destruction to maintain a fragile peace doesnt work here,if one side is a race of trigger happy demon.


    The heroes, as I follow them, changed their targets for the demonic supercannon. They would have to backtrack, since the Demonic Supercannon is located a distance away, to the north.


    For me, if two walkers can do this, why isnt the demon king bombarding the world to death? Cant it do that? Surely, with the demon kings ability which is supposedly one order of magnitude higher, it can shoot projectiles like that all the time.


    Whats stopping it? Ack of... imagination?


    Ack of bullets? Does it need to tap into some kind of magical leyline to power the supercannons beyond what they are normally able to do?


    Oh well. Or maybe its some strange systemic limitations that are imposed?


    I sometimes feel the systems rules dont really apply all that well for those in the higher rungs of power. I wonder whether its like my home world, where money allows one to get away with rules that those with limited resources cant.


    After some thinking, I felt it wont go anywhere unless I could interview the demon king, so I stopped thinking about it.


    -


    Closer to home, I focused on Lausanne, the Valthorns and the Valtrian Order.


    Mes Oakwood hotel is gone, and that left a gap in the hospitality business. Eager to fill it, I created an artificial soul and merged it with the Tree Lodge to create a simr thing. Still, the gap is far too hugepared to Mes level 70+ hotel.


    Oh, I called my new artificial soul, Treeveller. Travellers, Treeveller. And the business is called Pine Lodge.


    It hadints on the first day.


    Whos this pathetic person running this pathetic establishment!


    Well, I had to intervene, and quickly re-hire the treefolks that Me used to employ, and pay them slightly more to make up for the gap she left behind. Itll take some time before Treeveller even bes a decent inn-manager, but, a business is a business.


    We need a chef! Lady Mika used to cook great vegetarian dishes!


    Uh...


    Well, in a roundabout way, it was Emile who volunteered to cook for the kitchen. She didnt have any [chef] sses, but I have [chef] and [cook] ss seeds from the many many dead peoples souls I collected over the decades. Ill also need a [barkeeper], but thats forter.


    -


    Aeon. A group of fifteen children stand around a circle, around a [tree of prayer] in Juras courtyard. An olddy leads them, shes one of the caretakers of the orphans. There has been more... refugees this month.


    Even though the heroes have been out helping to squash the demons, there are still way too many demons crawling around the continent. The demonic supercannon really messed up a lot of defensive strategies, as armies need to split into smaller detachments to avoid total loss. Yet, with the [message]work down, this means the separated armies need to rely on old school means ofmunicating. By couriers, or riders.


    Its a strangely effective strategy. Split up therge armies, and with themunications down, pick on whichever force thats lost.


    Anyway, the olddy bowed. The fifteen children followed. This is Aeons many, many bodies. He is everywhere in the valley, and he watches over us. Are you ready, to be the next batch of Valthorn Initiates?


    The fifteen children, aged 6 to 10 nodded.


    Good. You will receive a familiar from Aeon, this is a test, if Aeon sees you worthy for the first step.


    All of them get a familiar. It really wasn''t a test, but nobody needs to know that. These children are young, and the intention is for them to be forged in the mes of battle.


    This is because I decided to expand the Valthorns significantly, and expanded it to a group of 100. The minder''s use is rather limited, and yes, it is useful for me to observe the levels and skills they acquire, but I will use the minders on people that are more ''sensitive'' and with special gifts.


    In short, the regr kids will be regr warriors with familiars, though they will have the Valthorn title, and the truly talented will be observed using the minders.


    The fifteen children walk back happy. For many of them, this is a great gift, and they are eager to test it out.


    So far, I have not lost any of the Valthorns in battle, but I believe... some of them will die over the next few years. Its just inevitable.

 Target Practice

    Target Practice


    <b>Year 83 Month 9</b>


    The supercannon fired multiple times, and I believe the shots were aimed at the heroes, or at least, it tried to shoot them the moment the demons found them. Many times, thework of magical sensors pick up the surge of the magical projectile, and after we concluded it wasnt going tond anywhere near us, we let it zip by.


    This, naturally, is a problem for the heroes. The heroes want to fight the demons, and they do as much as they can to fight the demons. They, and their summoned magical army go out of their way to stop as many demons as they can.


    Yet, fighting demons personally also meant they reveal their own presence to the supercannon. The supercannon clearly has no concern for friendly fire and would not hesitate to annihte any demons present in the area to get a shot at the heroes.


    That said, the heroes does have some measures to protect themselves. Harris, the shield-hero, have a massive absorption shield, and he is able to absorb one shot from the supercannon. Based on the current firing patterns, the supercannons can fire 3 long-range shots consecutively every 5-6 days, so after the shots, the heroes actually have a short window in which they can advance as fast as they can, or fight as much as they can, since the threat of the supercannon didnt hang over their heads after every volley.


    The supercannon, is also a huge demon factory, and the nearest subsidiary tree near that area saw thousands to tens of thousands of demonoids sent in all directions. Its just a lucky thing that the supercannon usually wont target conventional targets, since they seemed focused on the heroes... or anyone that invoked a [blood ritual] against it.


    Or so I thought.


    Middle of the month, multiple smaller battles happened throughout the valley. Some of these demons attempted to attack the volcano, some attempted to re-take the former snake dungeon, some attempted to just.. Well, punch through my line of trees.


    Its goodbat practice for the Valthorns, and with the expanded operating range around the [Giant Attendant Trees], Im able to use these giant trees like regional hubs for my beetles to operate it.


    Well, at least TreeTree sees things my way. Lausanne said. Shes been out fighting, and I think shes using the fighting to work through her frustrations about levelling, and how insanely overpowered the heroes are.


    Some of these girls are too young to be fighting. A captainined. Were babysitters!


    Experience counts. Age shouldnt stop them from seeing the demon war for what it is. Lausanne shrugged.


    You watch them! The captainined.


    Lausanne nodded, and she yed protector of the young Valthorn convoys. Each squadron of 100 soldiers y nanny to a group of 5 Valthorns, excluding Lausanne and the first generation Valthorns, who are considered regr soldiers. There is usually a small beetle force of 1,500 that acts as the bulk of anybat force.


    The general consensus on the epted age for a person to start fighting in this world, is about 14, but children younger than that have yed support roles, such as food handlers, helpers at healer-tents, tending to animals and stuff. I mean, if one reaches age 14, they must have survived at least one demon king era, right?


    Children mature quickly in the face of death and destruction, though not by choice.


    And then, we felt it.


    A shot from the demonic supercannon, and this time, its aimed right at me.


    Ah well. Ive been waiting for this moment. I wanted to know how my shields stack up.


    [Steelwood Barrier] x 5. Fiverge wooden shields manifested midair, supported by roots appearing from the ground, And the magical projectile smashed through four of them.


    Oh. Its more of an Oh of relief, really.


    Honestly, this meant if the actual bullet hit my main boy, it probably wont cause much damage thanks to all my perks. But the rest of the subsidiary trees and New Freeka itself will suffer damage. Its not really me that needs protecting from demons, but the valley.


    My fellow lovely, lovely trees and flowers, nts, herbs and crops. Biodiversity of the valley is fragile, it must be so, so, gently preserved. This valley is our prized garden, and we are its gardeners and protectors.


    Aint no nasty demon gonna step on my field of herbs or crops.


    It fired again. Trevor quickly calcted its trajectory and alerts me to be ready. Just as before, five [steelwood barrier] blocks it sessfully. And we blocked the third shot too.


    The [Steelwood Barrier] is clearly a league above the previous wood shields, so that''s a plus point. Next time if a demon walkeres close I can have this right in its face. Maybe I can use it as a weapon?


    Should we retaliate, Commander? Stratreegy asked.


    How?


    Tree-line. Or perhaps invent a weapon simr to the one used by Lady Me.


    Oh. A peashooter?


    Indeed. The strategic advantages of a weapon like that cant be understated. Its capable of massive long range. We could build a massive wooden bullet enchanted with anti-demon magic as a projectile. Would be extremely beneficial with the Commander''s superior anti-demon powers.


    Huh. Well, are there... naturally urring versions of the peashooter for my research, since the system isnt so willing to give it to me?


    Maybe some other time. Ill need adventurers to get them, but with the demons running amok, most of them now find a safe base of operations and work from there.


    I hope the merchantworks get restored soon, all my artificial minds have pending upgrades. Even with the merchant guilds regional coordination center being here, trade routes are still unstable, and that means total value of trades is still way lower than pre-demon king.


    -


    TreeTree! I got an idea! Lausanne came to me one day.


    Yes?


    Can you animate wooden stuff for us to practicebat with? I was thinking like... you know... moving wooden figures shaped like monsters, or other humans, and we get to fully simte all kinds of situations. If you can add weather effects that would be even better!


    Whered she get that idea? That sounds like the kind of training room Kung Fu Panda has. But... Oh... should be possible?


    I saw a bunch of fighters out in the barracks using these wooden dummies as practice. Ive got no idea why, but I thought with your power, you could create a totally awesome version of those dummies!


    I... I could. Well, thats certainly worth exploring. I mean, it is a natural extension of the current training rooms.


    Yeah. I think itll be a good experience for the younger kids to practice with dummies their own size, and gradually work up torger and full sized dummies! I mean, were small! Lausannes not exactly small anymore. Shes 14, and at this age shes about 85-90% of her full height. But think of it, if you could animate dummies that resemble all sorts of monsters, we could get simrbat experience before we even face the real thing! So the room should have like... dummies for kids!


    Thats a good point.


    Its totally going to be great. Its like your [dream tutor]! But because its real, we could build what Uncle Jura calls muscle-memory!


    So... essentially is wooden dummies resembling all kinds of monsters as practice. Essentially a VR for battle. Or like... Matrixs dojo?


    But fine, but the amount of variation is beyond what I think a regr [training room] can provide, so I decided to make an [artificial soul] merged with a [training tree], to form a [Tree of Learning].


    Im your Treeiner, let us begin practice. A wooden dummy appeared and he can speak. He bowed to Lausanne like a kung-fu master. Hes literally a wooden avatar that represented the merged Tree. Hes level one, of course, but yes, I decided Treeiner sounds like a good name for a trainer. I was contemting between Treeiner, or Treetor, or Practreece. But I suppose if I have multiple Tree of Learning, I can use all of those names. Should a basic Valtrian version of the Boot Camp be called Root Camp?


    I digressed. The death of all the mortals in the region to the demons meant that I have arge supply of soul fragments to make artificial souls, and the Volcano also happens to help expand by artificial-soul capacity since it too, supplies a kind of power.


    Lausanne looked impressed, and happily started. So, she and the young kids busy with their newfound practice-toy, kinda like how athletes go hyper over their new practice equipment, I leave them alone.


    Not that I have much of a choice.


    Because the damned supercannon fired 3 shots at me again. Like, I have the wonderful honor of taking so many shots. Am I like, firing practice? A wooden dummy for the demon supercannon to practice their aim?


    Any ideas on how do we convert that energy from the shot into something usable? Can we have magic-absorbent wooden shields? I mean, it is energy in some form....


    No answer. Ah well.


    I blocked all of the shots, of course, but one of them blew up extremely close to New Freeka, which freaked everyone out. Thats good. Everyone should be reminded of their mortality, every now and then.


    <b>Year 83 Month 10</b>


    The supercannon decided to change target. I wonder if it''s because it presumed I died, or, it just found something better to shoot at. I mean, how does the demon even know whether it hit or not, right? Its not like there are eyes on the projectile... right?


    My own suspicions are they have spotter demons, but with my expanded trees andwork, I dont think so. Theres not a single demon within 50 miles of me.


    So, they decided to shoot... at Ransh. And the capital of Takde. And also the capital of Barsoom to the north. It wasnt hard to calcte, since the energy-signatures movement gives a direction, and the travel of the magical projectile is something that can be pinpointed by using an array of magical sensors, then triangting the route based on the time-gap different sensors detect the same energy signature.


    But this raises a question.


    How does the demon even know about the concept of capitals? Do they go by poption-density? Or do they have some kind of scanning mechanism which allows them to spot where exactly are the big cities? I had the impression it can detect heroes, and the concept of a retaliation could be easily understood, but if can deliberately target capitals, it meant the demons can understand the concept of what is a human-capital, being the political constructs that they are, therefore is sentient and intelligent.


    Or maybe its simpler?


    Maybe it just detects the presence of a [King]?


    Juras idea is that well, [King]s actually have an aura-thing that spans their domain. A demon in that domain, should be able to sense where the king is, if it has the right kind of... sensors. If Alexiss previous theory was that the demon king could sense heroes, whats stopping them from looking for kings?


    Doesnt that mean the King can never run away or flee?


    I think... they can turn their presence off and on?


    I think its both.


    News, about the attack, traveled quickly. I happen to have the benefit of having a front row seat of the destruction. Ranshs main pce suffered a massive explosion that vaporized the entire royal pce. The King and the royal family... is dead. Even from the [subsidiary tree] that I have in the Ranshs Forest Reserve, which is luckily spared from the projectile, I could vaguely see the destruction of Ranshs royal-district. A very, very precise shot from the demon supercannon.


    Seems like Juras idea that it detects a King has merit. This precision doesnt make sense without it.


    The news eventually arrived via courier and got to Yvon two weekster, and as expected, she took this news the hardest. In that, she was most... conflicted. The King, then the Prince, was the one that killed her previous benefactor... and Romas father. Eriz and Roma, and the former councillors that formed her inner circle quickly met up in her house to discuss the events.


    The King is dead? You are certain about this? Yvon asked, and all of them, the first-generation founders of New Freeka, in a sense, gathered. The first generation are refugees from a civil war, after all. They lost.


    Yes, Lady Yvon. I double, no, I confirmed with at least ten other sources. The st from the demon somehow managed to break through all the magical barriers protecting the pce and destroyed the pce. Even the royal chambers, with its ancient magics, did notst.


    But Aeon just blocked a few of those shots...


    Perhaps those ancient magics have eroded... But regardless, what matters is that the King, and the immediate family that lived in the royal pce is dead. Even the Kings four sons, their bodies have been found charred and burnt. The Kings own body was founded half-vaporised, his head and left hand partly protected by the protective magic of the royal crown and the ring of the heros throne.


    Two of the other men and women squirmed at the description. The others let out a bit of a sigh. Some just kept their mouth shut, and looked at Yvon.


    So, Lady Yvon, there will be a war soon, perhaps not an outright war because of concerns over the demon king...


    For the Throne of Sh.


    Yvon sighed. My duties andmitment is here, I am after all bound to Aeon under contract.


    Pretenders to the throne will emerge. And Roma, as the child of Prince Gn, has a im.


    Yvon sighed. All of you knew too...


    We always did. Im sure many back in Ransh knows too. The pretenders wille for his life, whether he likes it or not. Hes only 10, and may not be ready for such conflicts, but yet, the blood of the kings run through him. And that means responsibility, Lady Yvon. A duty to the old throne to im his birthright.


    I cannot leave. And here, Roma is safe. Aeons eyes and ears watches over all of us. No one will be able to attempt to take his life.


    Lady Yvon, if I may... can you convince Aeon to support Romas im?


    That is absurd. Yvon shook her head. Why would a tree spirit even bother with the royal affairs of another kingdom! Aeon has shown no respect or regard for the thrones of mortal men. It is but a flimsy thing to him.


    But he can be bargained with. A deal can be struck. Just as you did.


    Only when it is aligned to Aeons goals, whatever ephemeral and random that goal may be. And Roma may not want to be king. We should ask him.


    Im afraid his reluctance will earn him support. Many of the old court prefers a puppet on the throne, someone who would just delegate the duties of a king to the royal court. He cannot avoid this fight,dy Yvon. It is infinitely better to take this fight on our terms, with a base of support thats unshakeable. Aeon, as a great spirit of thend, is clearly one support the citizens of Sh will respect and fear.


    They met in Yvons house, and there was tea on the table. Some ginger biscuits too, made from the Orders herbal gardens. Yvon looked at the rest of the men.


    We owe it to the humans, our human friends who supported Prince Gns fight back then. There are many who are forced to kowtow to the new King of Sh. This is our chance to pay them back. If not for Roma or yourself, do it for Prince Gn. Prince Gn who wouldve been a better king than his brother.


    Yvons fingers were shaking. I... My contract with Aeon is unshakeable. But Roma is free.


    There are many who would see you return. Those of us who can return to support Romas im will do so.


    There are also many who would kill me and Roma without blinking an eye. And there would be those who rally against us, the other pretenders will im Romas a New Freekan and no longer has a im on the throne.


    No matter the naysayers. The blood doesnt lie, and the Crown of Sh is a magical artifact from the first Kings, and it will recognise any man who is a legitimate heir. If Roma has the [pretender to the throne of Sh] title, he has a right to the throne.


    Roma came in with Eriz. One of the councillors asked. So, my dear Roma. Did you get a notification about your ss?


    Roma looked puzzled at the gathered group. What... whats this mommy?


    Yvon sighed. Roma, theres a long and difficult conversation I need to have with you.


    The others let Yvon and Roma had a bit of personal space, as Yvon exined to Roma, who his father actually was, and whats happening in Sh. Roma seemed to take it quite well but perhaps hes just too stunned to even react in any way. At ten years old, maybe thats a good reaction.


    And when the conversation was over, Roma just ran out of the house.


    Okay.


    Yvon walked out to the living room again, and looked at herpatriots.


    Didnt go well?


    He said he needed some time to think.


    I see. I was thinking... Lady Yvon, how close are you to Lausanne?


    Quite... close?


    Lady Lausannes an amazing fighter, and if I may... she has all that is needed to be a valuable protector of Roma. Could you... convince her to go with Roma?


    Yvon shook her head. No. Roma has his own friends...


    Takde and Barsoom, strangely, didnt suffer that badly. The news from couriers ryed that Takdes royal castle had an ancient magical circle that activated just in time, and its actually strong enough to absorb the magical attack. Barsoom on the other hand, also had simr magical protections, and had so much reinforcement from Barsooms own council of archmages that the st was deflected to somewhere else.


    I suppose not all kingdoms are that helpless against demons. Else a society like this wouldnt have survived all that long.


    Still, the st, and the wars, meant refugee season again. Theres a whole load of refugees, and thanks to the fear of the demon sts, they travel in smaller packs, away from the heroes. Even some of Ranshs citizens are running, because well... if even the King with all his protections cant protect himself, how could a regr citizen hope to even survive such a st?


    New Freekas already massively popted, and the poop-issue is only thankfully under control due to my recent advancements in filtration and metallic concentration trees. 110,000 now after all the massive waves of immigration,prising of about 50% elves, 20% dwarves, 10% centaurs, 5% humans, 5% treefolk, and 10% others such as beastmen, lizardmen, garudas or harpy-likes.


    Anyway, with the [great attendant tree], this skill significantly improves my force-projection abilities outside my immediate range. These Great Trees essentially function as mini-mes, with 50% of my abilities.


    50% is still plenty, because with a few [great attendant trees], and with some support of higher leveled fighters, I think I could take on the supercannon. In a way, its like a carrier battlegroup. Its just so overpowered, because I could lose the great attendant trees, without much risk. I can just add more!


    Since the heroes are headed that way, I could strike at the supercannon at the same time, and that would improve my chances. So, I map a path of [subsidiary trees] to execute that n.


    -


    Meanwhile, further south, the heroes are now making their way back. Their path will likely bring them through New Freeka.


    Say, do you think these trees belong to Aeon? Becky asked, she looked at one of my [subsidiary trees] that was on a hill. Theres some bushes and other nts nearby.


    I dont think so? It looks quite different. Ah, my intendent camouge of tailoring the types and species of my subsidiary trees paid off!


    Doesnt make sense that these trees somehow survive though...


    Theres trees everywhere. You underestimate how resilient nature is at reiming wastnds.


    True, true. And the the [hero-chat] popped up again.


    Hi guys! Astras voice boomed. Ive got a task for you all of you!


    Huh.


    Ive gotten my level 90 perk! And its a [telmunications tower]!


    Oh wow. Thats fast. We havent reached level 90 yet, although we fought a demon walker! Harris frowned. Anyway, so whats the task? Does it help us against the demons?


    Yes. Yes it does! So anyway, this world used to rely extensively on a kind of magical [messaging] system, something like SMS in our world, at least, before the inte took over. So, so, the demon king arrived, and that messed up the entire [messaging]work.


    Oh, its just [messaging], isnt it? Whats the big deal? Harris frowned. The guys I met all use couriers and scouts to deliver letters.


    It fucking matters, Harris. Instantaneousmunication means real time targeting of spells, real time military coordination and cross-continental trade. It means you can find out where the demons are instantly by just asking! So, so, my level 90 perk allows me to build [telmunication towers], and this will restore the [messaging] function within the area. All these [telmunication towers] are magically linked so this will also allow the nations to talk to each other again.


    Oh. I dont see the awesomeness, but sure. If it helps us against the demons...


    So, the task is, Im going to send you five [deployment gems], via [hero cloudtrading]. These things will expand into the [telco towers]. But, catch is, you need to find a ce that has some protection, perhaps a city with strong magical protection, or some ancient defensive matrixes left behind by the previous generations of heroes. If the towers go down, the [message] function goes down with it.


    Uh... Cant the tower just stay with us permanently? I could protect it? Harris didnt seem keen.


    Well, how about the rest of the world, then? The range of each of these [towers] isnt that big. At most, one or two countries. We need to spread it as much as we can. If you can find ces with some kind of magical supply, or leyline, even better, because the magical energies will amplify the [telco tower]s range.


    Thats not good. The demons want those kind of spots too. Becky responded.


    Astra just chuckled. Well, if you guys get your level 90 perks, youll get some kind of structure too. I think Helens level 90 perk is a [healing tower] that also has a garrisoned army of magical knights.


    So youre saying, we need to get our level 90 perks, then use our [towers] to protect your [telco tower]?


    Yup. Thats part of the strategy we are going for. Like Gerrards level 90 tower is a cannon tower that shoots stuff at any demons in range.


    Then, 5 gems appeared next to Becky.


    Onest thing, its activated via star-mana. Alright, gotta go. Got a battleing up in a few hours. And [hero-chat] disappeared.


    Level 90 perks? Harris looked around. They were camped near one of my subsidiary trees.


    I wonder why our levelling is slower... We seem to be fighting just as much as them. Becky asked, they munched over some barbequed rabbits.


    Its just a few levels. Were already in our level 80s! Mirei shrugged. Dont think about it too much. Maybe they kill more demon generals than we did.


    I guess.


    Becky stretched and yawned. Well, I for one, am very much look forward to going back to New Freeka. I cant wait to see Lady Mika again, theres so much I want to ask her!


    Harris smiled. Yeah. And proper beds! I will kill a thousand demons for a proper bed right now.


    Me too.


    -


    Spaizzer Happy New Year guys.

 Stories on WN are not by me [NOT A CHAPTER]

    Stories on WN are not by me [NOT A CHAPTER]


    Spaizzer


    Essentially, what happened is that I''vee to know that my work''s being published on webnovel without my consent or approval.


    Both Tree Reincarnation and Tree of Aeons on webnovel are not posted by myself.


    I''ve reported the two fics and sent in a mail via the DMCA thing, but I''ve not gotten a response from WN. If any of you are free, or happen to have a WN ount, I''d be really grateful if you could help to report the fics, or post ament to say it''s a stolen fic.


    Thank you

 Dark Thoughts

    Dark Thoughts


    <b>Year 83 Month 11</b>


    They want us to host their families...


    I recall we have answered that request before. Jura frowned. They are wee as regr guests, but no special treatment. That means no special area where existing New Freekanw does not apply to them.


    I understand, this time, its temporary, Counsel Jura. We can have a small area set up for all these royals outside New Freeka, a temporary camp for them. The royals will handle their own camps... Its a united request from the envoys of the five countries. The heroes will destroy the demonic monster soon, and the royals will return back to their respective homes...


    Im afraid that still sounds like they want their own enve. Honestly, it sounds like a no. But for you, I will consult Aeon for his views. Jura answered to the councillor.


    I have informed them that in no way this way affect New Freeka or Aeons sovereignty over this valley. The royals acknowledge they are here as guests... its just that they want to continue their life of privilege...


    Jura sighed. This was the 2nd time they asked. Or maybe it was the 3rd. Perhaps there are more instances where the request went through other channels. TreeTree, whats your view?


    They are guests, nothing more. Follow the rules and they can stay. Behave improperly and they will feel my wrath. Whatever privilege granted is in a personal capacity, but not byw.


    The politics behind this request is frankly rather simple. Not all capitals have the kind of magical protection that some kingdoms do. Some of the older kingdoms like Barsoom have a wealth of inherited artifacts from heroes of a different era, and those artifacts power various shields and barrier magic.


    Survival.


    It strikes fear into the hearts of royals. The thought of dying in your own pce from a magical projectile from far away.


    Maybe its like us, someday, we will die to an asteroid we can do nothing about.


    They are willing over backwards for your protection, TreeTree. Jura exined. Some of them are already here, secretly. I hear one of the young princes of Rajahskan is already living with one of the merchants here. Smuggled, I hear, since it doesnt sound good to some nobles if the Princes are seen fleeing.


    Well, Ivy told me about some strange foreigners, escorted by a small group of knights. But I suppose they didnt seem dangerous to warrant any action.


    Indeed. No unusual behavior detected, other thanining about everything to the merchant. But it seems the princes minders are managing him. They have all been advised to remain within their respective premises.


    Well, I did say they coulde if they could behave themselves. They?


    Ivy then responded. There is also a Princess and Prince from one of the Nung houses. Ah, Nung. That countrys got a few sub-kingdoms within a kingdom. Weird practice. Not too interested to find out more.


    Jura frowned. Looks like some of the earlier messages from the envoys have gotten out.


    Who else?


    A few princes and princesses, a Queen from one of the city states down south... Jura exined. Some Lords, Ladies and Dukes too. Its quite a big list, apparently.


    Okay. Im not exactly keen on hosting a royal or elite party, but my word isw, and I have said they are permitted to visit, so long as they do not do anything funny.


    Trevor, hand over some of your tasks to Stratreegy. Stratreegy, we can hold off on the rod for now, since we already have one [Forest Rod]. Trevor, I want you to help Ivy with observation of the royals. I do not intend to have these royals prance about my valley like they own it.


    Acknowledged.


    So...? Jura was oblivious about my conversation with Ivy and Trevor. Do you think we should set up a special quarter for them? Some of the Councillors think that is a good choice.


    That is special treatment. Let them find their own amodation. I am not creating a special district, or allowing to have a special tent area just for royals. And theres probably going to be a fight. They stay among us, and if they act up, I want the Order on them.


    It was then that theres a knock on the door. Counsel Jura, may Ie in? Its Madeus.


    Sure.


    Madeus looked uneasy. Counsel Jura... I received a request from royal court of Barsoom.


    Jura frowned. He knew where this was going. Oh? They survived the attack, I recall?


    Indeed, but the ancient shield matrix of the grand pce will not be recharged within a week, it takes at least 2 months for that matrix toe up again. The royals now fear a second strike...


    And they would like to be here...


    It is as you say, Counsel. They... wish to hide it out until the heroes y the demons.


    I am not quite keen on being the swiss alpine hideout or the nuclear bunker of the rich and powerful. Seriously. But then again, I also believe in the free movement of living beings. After all, what are boundaries in nature? Animals roam the terrain all the time, and do lions bother about little rats moving into their realm? Do trees and forests care which animals hunt in their woods? So if these peoplee over like any other, I dont believe in stopping them. I just wont go out of my way to help.


    Yes, temporary. Barsoom is greatly indebted after what we did for the young Princess a few years back, and they would like to offer various perks if we do protect them.


    No special treatment, Madeus. If we take from Barsoom and do not take from the others, I do not think that is a fair trade. Nor is New Freeka in any kind of diplomatic arrangement with Barsoom, whether as an ally, or in a mutual defense pact. Jura answered. I believe TreeTree has simr views, but Im afraid you will have to amodate the Barsoom royals in your own quarters, or with any of your merchant friends. Or the hotels...


    Madeus sighed. Ah... I was hoping to use the Orders guesthouses... with Oakwood Hotel gone, theres really no ce fit for royals in this town.


    That would be us taking sides, Madeus. The councillors will use this against us, I am sure you understand.


    Madeus was silent for a moment, then he nodded. I... I will ry the message. He left.


    Jura sighed. I think Madeus got offered an amnesty of some kind. I think. But I do agree with your position. New Freekas position as a uniquely neutral ce is made possible thanks to you, TreeTree. So the Order cannot be seen as taking sides, especially with a party thats not formally allied with us. But perhaps, TreeTree, if any of this nations do want an alliance or treaty of some kind, would you consider it?


    I would, but truly, its all about the terms.


    With all the royalsing over, it might be a good time to talk about what would be a dealbreaker, and whats a must have. Jura asked, and then took out a notebook. I am certain discussion about alliances woulde up, and Id have to do some... sensing of what the other kingdoms are willing to give.


    I will refuse any alliance requiring me personally, to protect theirnds. And I will not take part in any offensive war between kingdoms.


    Hmm.. Actually, is that wise? Maybe I should ask the question to Jura instead.


    No. Ignore that. I do not want to be dragged into any conflict with other nations, or between nations. What kind of treaty will allow that?


    Jura tapped on the notebook. Well, that rules out any alliance, or mutual defense pact, since being in a group means there are countries which are outside of a group, and a conflict will emerge one way or another, which, inevitably, you will get involved.


    Oh.


    Well just have to survive on our own, like we always have. Jura smiled and happily sipped on his hot tea. Theres a cold wind blowing outside. Once again, winteres far too quickly. Honestly, I like it that way too.


    Hmm... that didnt sound right. I do think making connections and alliances are a good thing, but I think my issue essentially is that... these nations... I dont think Ill ever be able to rely on them. Theres something about alliances with nations that feel... fickle. These nations, with their millions of citizens and changing leaders, can I make a deal with them that wouldst hundreds of years? After all, itd be a major waste of my personal time and energy if I ally with a nation that probablysts only 10 years.


    I think I would prefer individual deals, with powerful individuals who can hold up their end of the bargain, than with nations as a whole and the politicalplexity that entails.


    Perhaps I should seek out other spirits, and make alliances with them instead? At the very least, as fellow long-lived beings, our arrangements wouldst... longer.


    Does that make me speciesist? Or spiritist? Ah, I should really extend my trees to the Lilypod city... then I can talk to another spirit. Maybe other spirits have experiences on this matter?


    Is there some ancient alliance of ancient spirits I can apply to?


    ---


    There are murmurs of unhappiness in the ground. Trevor and Ivy reported.


    Oh? So quickly?


    These royals didnt take long to make their displeasure apparent to their hosts, and their hosts are rattled and are now pressuring the councillors to do more to appease them.


    Ngeh. "Like what?"


    "One of them wants to go hunting in the woods... and are requesting the councillors to permit them ess."


    Hmm. How should I handle this? Perhaps this is a good time to send some fear into the royals, else they would constantly badger them.


    "Well, if that Prince is up for it, let him into the woods. Let''s see how he likes... ghosts."


    -


    The heroes finally arrived.


    What? Howd a hotel like Oakwood just... vanish? Harris grumbled. And why are all the hotels so full?


    You must be new here. The innkeeper responded. New Freekas the safest ce in all of the central continent! Aeon, our great protector, blocked many, many shots from the vile, monstrous demons! Naturally, those who can afford it, want to be here! Its safe, theres secure food sources!


    No wonder you look rich. Becky frowned. This is ridiculous.


    Ah... a safety premium is naturally to be expected. Did you think safetyes free? The innkeeperughed. Eh, I dont recall charging that sort of taxes, but I guess I could consider it. A protection fee. But that makes me like those cheap gangsters that extorted money. But then again, thats what the government does, right? Its only who and how the protection is charged.


    If I am the local government, then do I have that right?


    Do we have to camp in this ce?


    Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan. This sucks. I was sooooooo looking forward to meeting Lady Mika again. Its so strange that she just... vanished. Mirei kicked a pebble on the floor. Theres a lot of roots on the ground, and they formed into steps.


    If you miss her so much, I hear she left some notes for the hospitality guild and the Valtrian Order. And the adventurers guild. Maybe you can check with them whether she left anything for you?


    Harris nodded. Okay. Lets check with the adventurers guild first...


    Indeed. Me left them a note. I wonder what it says.


    Huh, she had to move north because of some personalmitments...


    Really? So sudden? And how does she even move north with so many demons? Did she mean north of this continent, or north... where?


    I dont know. She didnt say. But she did leave some instructions. The 3 heroes walked to one of the Treefolks wooden homes.


    Ah, you must be the chaps Lady Mika asked me to host. Come in,e in. An aged treefolk female greeted them. She was one of Mes former employees. She let them into her house, a small ce in one quiet corner of New Freekas bustling town.


    Sorry for bothering you...


    Its fine, Lady Mika left a bit of money for all the trouble. And heres a box of things she wanted me to leave for you...


    A wooden box. Its small, probably no bigger than a shoebox.


    Oooo... fancy amulet! Becky opened. And books?


    They opened it and started reading. And I cursed internally. I cant read with [spirit vision].


    -


    They rested for a day. They went to the market the next day.


    Where do we even start? Becky looked a bit lost.


    The merchants selling ores and stuff, at least. Harris pointed and they walked over, ncing at the things.


    Crystals, right? Mirei seemed equally puzzled. The merchant said the price and the three heroes nced at each other. Discount?


    They haggled.


    And eventually they bought some. And then they went to one of the many cksmiths and forges. And rented one of furnaces. They spent a good four-five hours in there, seemingly trying to work at the crystal and use their star-mana.


    I overheard themin about how tiring it was, and eventually they emerged with a small crystal dagger.


    They admired their hard work for a bit, and then concluded that they all need to spend more time on their work.


    Then, we all sensed it. A shot from the demonic supercannon.


    At me. At them.


    They ran out of the furnace, but they were too slow.


    But I wasnt taking chances. 5 [steelwood barriers] emerged midair, suspended and supported by roots and vines. And it absorbed the shot easily, crushing the first 4 barriers as expected.


    Then the demonic supercannon fired again.


    And I blocked.


    And another shot.


    I blocked it too. I wasnt going to let the shot ruin my beautiful, growing valley of giant trees.


    Then, it was quiet. Harris, Becky and Mirei all shared nces.


    First time? Some passerby asked, hes probably oblivious they are heroes. Then again, its not like they publicly dere they are heroes.


    The three didnt reply.


    Yeah. Those loud booms are scary, but it happened a few times already. The pedestrian shrugged. Anyway, dont block the road?


    The three quickly shuffled out of the way. The three of them look at each other. Guess we know where to put our first tower.


    Agree.


    The three walked to the Valtrian Orders premises... and they bumped into Lausanne.


    Oh Lady Lausanne, nice to see you again. Lausanne was simrly equipped for war. Her new living weapon now about level 15 or so.


    Lausanne just nodded. Hi. Rematch?


    Ah... not today. Wed like to meet Counsel Jura. We were told that Counsel Jura can assist us if we want to ce an object in New Freeka...


    By who? Lausanne led them to Juras main office.


    Oh... Lady Mika.


    And they are in Juras room.


    Pleased to meet you, Counsel Jura. The three bowed. Were the summoned heroes... from the other world. Wed like the Order and Aeons permission to deploy a magical artifact, a tower that restores [message] to the region...


    Can I see the artifact?


    Becky walked over and passed the small gem to Jura. Jura looked at it, and then ced it into a circr bowl thats actually connected to  [magicb] for analysis.


    <i>[Analysing...]</i>


    The analysis wasnt very useful, since my [magicb] didnt seem to be able to look very deeply into theposition of the item. Indeed, it looks to be magically linked to the heroes, in from what little I could see, the heroes can take down the towers once they dont need it.


    Its... surprisingly simr to a [subsidiary tree] in theory. In short, my understanding seems to be that, the heroes have these towers, they act as extensions of themselves, and like [subsidiary trees], these towers function primarily to create a magical lighthouse for [message] spells.


    What else does it do, other that restore [message]? Does it allow you to filter through the messages? Jura asked. If we are to depend on the heroes infrastructure formunication, does that not mean we owe them? Is that why theres all these concerns overwork infrastructure providers.


    Then again, its a short-term thing. While I could use mywork of [subsidiary trees] to monitor my domain, restoring the [message]work means a return of the trade routes, which is important to get the materials needed for my subordinates upgrades.


    Aeons agreeable, but only until the death of the demon king. After that, he may decide to destroy the tower.


    Thats eptable to us. Can Aeon shield it from the demons attacks?


    He... will try.


    Good enough. Where should we put it?


    In the town square.


    The telco tower deployed, its a white crystalline tower about four stories high and shone like with a faint white glow thats unmistakable, visible even in my own [spirit vision]...


    And it was then it urred to me.


    Did the demons have some kind of [spirit vision], but tuned to heroes instead? Perhaps its like how vision is different for animals and humans, because of the spectrum we see.


    The heroes sent a message to Astra as a test and they left two dayster.


    <b>Year 83 Month 12</b>


    Despite the raging winter, the heroes still pressed on. Together with their summoned armies, they mounted an attack on the supercannon. And the supercannon annihted their summoned armies easily. They were then forced to retreat.


    At this point, Im tempted to ask... howd they think itd go?


    Its winter, where, strangely, demons suffer none of the challenges of winter, and yet the mortal defenders of the world suffer all of it. Cold, slower response times, and well, their summoned units are immune to cold, but seriously, did they think that cannon that shoots across the continent cant aim at their armies?


    That was stupid. The three looked at each other.


    I know, but you said we should.


    I me all the people weve been meeting, telling us we should kill the demon beast as soon as possible.


    Whyd we do it?


    Because we all somehow agreed to?


    The advantages of a summoned army is that well, once your mana returns, you can just summon more. And thats what they did to hold the chasing demons back.


    There were plenty.


    Demonic generals or elites wielding massive axes. Its the best opponent, because they can gain levels from them.


    If I were the demon king, what would I have done?


    In a way, I should ignore the heroes? And just keep attacking all the kingdoms with conventional demonoids, such that the heroes gradually lose the ability to find any kind of shelter, food source, learning, or support and healing?


    Or is better to concentrate all my energies and create super-demons, and just attack once. When the heroes are low leveled, and kill them all?


    One super-demon, and thats it. No subordinates or walkers, since they gain levels by killing them.


    Why give them the chance to gain levels?

 Wallflower

    Wallflower


    Year 83 Month 12 (continued)


    While the heroes decided to rethink their strategy, here in New Freeka, we had to fend off the little swarms of demons sent to surround the heroes.


    And I spent quite a bit of time tinkering with the heroes tower. As I kept poking, and trying to figure out what it is, I got a good update.


    [Bib, materialb and magicb upgraded. Field equipments obtained. You are now able to perform investigations of objects using field equipments. Full analysis requires moreprehensive equipment]


    There is ayer of somewhat-divine magic protecting it, so I reckon itll take more than one hit of the demons supercannon to be destroyed. Certainly not as fragile as they said it was. Or maybe its just fragile to certain kinds of demonic energies or heroes star mana. That same divine magic also shields it from me attempting to make changes or convert or im the tower.


    Yet, its a change barrier. That meant, I could look into it, but not change a thing.


    And look, I did.


    There was a lot to see, about how it weaves magic and mana into a structure like that, how it draws mana from the ambient surrounding and the connection, however wireless it is, to its creator.


    Unlike my [subsidiary trees] which form a linkedwork, all connected by roots, these towers are independent, freestanding structure yet have a connection. And its moreplex than just some kind of wifi. Its almost like... they are entangled in some surreal way. As if its resonating with something else far away, and yet... it emits or absorbs nothing through the air.


    Stumped. I observed, and looked for days.


    Its as if Ive invented a bow, and right here is an interster rail gun.


    How do I even replicate such a thing?


    How did the heroes evene up with such a thing?


    It certainly feels like impossible that young kids would know how these things are, so... are the gods creating such objects and skills, and implementing or executing them via the heroes? Or is this a system thing, wheres there is like a drawer or library of hero-grade skills that they get ess to?


    Stumped again, I looked at other parts of the tower, my vines growing around the base. I attempt to use my vines and what powers I have, and even my long forgotten [inspection] ability.


    Perhaps the resonance is how itmunicates with other towers, but the means which it acted as a conduit or router for messages is something less sophisticated. Or not.


    At this point, can I just build a massive X-Ray or MRI scanner around the tower so I can see whats inside?


    -


    Mom, Uncle Jura. Ive got to go.


    TreeTree says no.


    I know he said that... but, but I want to go. I believe its good for my own growth, to see how I fare. I want to know where I am.


    You know where you are, youre here! Laufen was furious, and worried. Your ce is here.


    I know my ce is here. But... I.. erm.. I want to measure my strength. I wont die. Trust me, mom.


    Well, the heroes, utilising the now-restored [message]work, requested for help. And they asked for Lausanne to help with the attack on the demon supercannon. Not just her, of course. A lot more than her.


    Youre not a hero, Lausanne. Laufen held her daughter. Dont do this.


    But... Lausanne sulked. I want to go, mom. Please.


    No.


    Im 14 and almost level 60. I can help.


    Men higher level than you have tried fighting demon champions, and died.


    They... they dont have TreeTrees powers. Or Thorny. She pointed to the wooden staff on her belt. We can do it.


    Laufen sighed. TreeTree, can you talk some sense into my daughter?


    In my mind, should I let Lausanne go? Though I spent a lot of effort in grooming and training Lausanne, ultimately, should she be able to decide how she wants to wield that power. Lausannes turn to retaliate. Maybe shes 14 and having a teenage rebellious age? Oh I sound like my mom, my mom used to tell me Im rebellious.


    I think what Laufen is afraid of is death. With a few well ced giant attendant trees, I think I can ensure Lausannes survival. So, if I can do so, would it be a good idea for her to join the battle?


    Maybe... maybe its a good lesson in the brutality and the high levels that the heroes walk. A dose of reality. And I could use the chance to attack the demon supercannon with some of the roots, masked asing from her...


    I should let her earn her right to participate. Rather than just say yes.


    Lausanne, there are a lot of demonsing from that direction. Among them, probably a few demon generals. If you take down 3, I think you can take part. And, I want you to restrict your familiar use to only two abilities.


    Laufen sighed. TreeTree, what?


    Its training. If she can take on a few more demon generals, then she earned her right to participate. If she cant handle the generals, she shouldnt bother trying.


    Yes! So... Ill go hunt some demons!


    Laufen shook her head. I... I wasnt expecting that.


    Jura shrugged, I like that though. Want me to go with her?


    She can go with the initiates.


    Someones gonna have to babysit the rest of the initiates... Well, eventually, Yvon wanted to go. The mission was simple. Between us and the demon supercannon, theres about ten to fifteen groups of demons, led by the knights and generals. With an attendant tree in ce, a beetle force will engage the demons, and Lausanne can then challenge the knights and generals. Yvon, and a group of other captains will help out.


    She went all out.


    I guess a part of her wants to know that the gap between herself and the heroes isnt that big? A path thats honestly going to fail. Even Jura cant keep up with the heroes, though he could probably give them a bit of trouble.


    Still, its winter, and its hard to get the beetles to operate effectively far from the attendant trees, even with the [winter adaptations] and the giant trees warming the environment with the [heat transmission roots].


    So, Lausanneined and grumbled, but nothing much she could do. She cant take on an entire army herself, nor does she have a summoned army at her beck and call.


    Year 84 Month 1


    The presence of royalty, many living in the homes of the wealthy merchants here, made the political environment a little bit touchy.


    Mainly because the councillors each sought out the royals for some shoulder-rubbing, or as the euphemism goes, building rtionships. Its a sensible thing from their perspective, since royals by nature have strong skills. A prince or a princess could bestow royal privileges, blessings and rights, improve or upgrade sses, and even create gifts using their powers as royals. There are also certain unique sses that only royals with the right skills can grant.


    Like one prince I observed had the ability to create a custom diplomatic gift out of midair, which was given to the princess of another country. And its a permanent item too. Its like the prince skipped the entire creation process, activates skill and the system gives him an item.


    Its not totally strange, of course. Apparently some merchants and bankers can create small quantities of gold, some smiths and makers can create materials too.


    In a way, its like how I create timber and fruits. Its different derivations of the same kind of mana/system to item process. If I can create wooden items, why cant princes? Maybe heroes can make hero-items too!


    So, with the councillors spending a bit more time trying to manage or please these visiting royals, that meant conflict. Even between councillors as they serve different groups.


    Some of them rather silly, likepetition of the best seats or rooms in New Freekas restaurants, or who managed to book out the entire bar or tavern for their respective entourage. Its like billionaires trying to one-up one another in a ski-town. Silly, so I dont interfere with this.


    The more annoying ones, are the horny ones, or those with a fetish. Theres an old duke or something who seemed to enjoy picking on young elvendies and so, I sent a group of beetles into his temporary residence.


    It scared him.


    But the councillor whos supposedly his buddy quickly came andined to Jura.


    And I sent beetles and spiders into his house too.


    After that incident, I decided its probably best to amplify my show of force, to remind these royals that they are... visitors. So, we had more beetles around New Freeka. The locals are clearly not too bothered by the presence, but for the foreigners, it was a threat. I intended it to be a threat.


    The councillors, bore the brunt of theints. What are all these monsters roaming around your town!


    They are Aeons servants, and they execute his will. Please dont say too much! Aeon listens! The councillors quickly tried to manage some of the more belligerent royals or nobles.


    So what if he listens? It turns out, among the royals, many truly, truly believed that Im actually just a puppet, a beast used by the council, controlled by some great item or equipment. The idea of an existence above the royal ss is... alien to them. Except heroes, who are divine, those the only ones royals view as equals.


    Generally, of course. And I suppose in the history of this world, existences like myself are notmon, or perhaps even if they did exist, they may not have the same mindset as I do.


    Perhaps they are slumbering giants, a sleeping mountain. Or they are giant tortoises, the zaratans, although they carry massive cities on their backs, the zaratans are treated just like the captains of a cruise ship. The rulers of the cities still rule, and their rule is supreme.


    So, feeling a bit annoyed at all the murmurs and chattering, one massive projectile from the demon supercannon came.


    And this time, I intentionally blocked it just enough that it smacked right into the [telco tower]. The telco towers fine, of course. I calcted it just enough that it wont be destroyed.


    But I wanted to borrow the attack to weaken the divine protections, so I could look a bit more into it.


    And at the same time, scare the councillors and royals. The earth shook, and I had a wooden barrier created around it such that the st radius was limited to the town square. Beetles, my vines and roots had cleared the square of all citizens.


    Jura was quick to figure out what I was doing. TreeTree, that was intentional?


    Yes.


    Juraughed, and then went out to make an announcement to the council.


    Aeon would like to remind that he finds the conduct of the visitors appalling, and he is tempted to not stop the next projectile from the demons. He would like to rmend the visitors are brought to the st site for a tour.


    The councillors roared in protest. Is he threatening us?


    Jura just smiled. Yes. He is. What are you going to do about it?


    One councillor sat. Oh. Nothing.


    I think its just a people thing, that after living infort for a while, they forget that theres still a war and demons shooting bullets everywhere. Especially for some of these nobles who dont seem like theyve ever seen war, even though its just somon.


    Or maybe they are just desensitized to war and death, since its somon.


    Huh.


    Since war and death is bound to happen, might as well have my share of fun, go on a power trip and all since we are all going to die.


    I felt like I suddenly understood some of these royals. Sure, yes, we are going to die. We know that. So why cant I do things my way? If the meaning of life is me just... hiding away like this, why bother?


    Are these royals nihilists? Or is it some other word?


    -


    Lausanne spent time trying to hunt for more demon generals. The winters gradually clearing, and at certain parts of the region where its warmer, she finally took down one demon general herself.


    Still, the goal was three, so she had to hunt for 2 more. Andter in the month she took down another one, bringing her total kills to 2.


    Meanwhile, the heroes are out gathering a strike force, again. Simr to what that other kingdom did, the strike force is meant to be an elite force, to help punch a path through to the demon supercannon, so that they can attack it directly.


    As it is, they could already punch a way through, but between the summoned army and their OP skills used to get through the chaff, they dont have much star mana left to actually take on the main body of the demon supercannon.


    -


    I heard that you might be King.


    Whered you hear that? Roma asked. Hes a quiet, studious young boy. Despite Yvons attempts to train him in fighting, his interests are more into magic, and well, reading. Although he is healthy, and fit, physicalbat wasnt his thing. He didnt inherit Yvon or Prince Gns talent in fighting.


    The others were talking. I even heard one of the actual princes said it when one of their servants came to buy some bread. The ck-haired baker boy said. He had a small knife at the side.


    Roma sighed. Mom told me about it, but I cant ept it yet. Some of her friends asked whether I want to travel to Ransh... What do you think? Should I be King?


    I think youd make a good King. The baker boy said. Then I can be your Kings Guard.


    You cant even fight. Romaughed.


    Well, youve never ruled. The baker boy ribbed Roma. Besides, all I need is your mom to teach me some tricks. I heard shes really good.


    We might die.


    Or youll just be working as one of the employees of the Valtrian Order, and Ill just be an ordinary baker. Why live, if not for honor and glory?


    Youve been reading too much of your uncles writings.


    Youve been reading too much.


    Sh is now ruled by a regent. One surviving archduke took the position of regent, to govern the state of Sh. Apparently, it is quite normal for the session wars to onlymence after the demon king is in, and if a King falls without an appointed sessor, a proper contest for the right of the throne will start when the demon king is in, something the regent will announce. After all, it is hard to properly choose a king in a time of chaos. At least, thats the principle of such a rule.


    I suppose Kings do die quite often when the demon king is around, so theres already a cultural norm for it.


    In theory, that meant Roma has time to prepare. That also meant everyone else has time to prepare.


    In practice, whoever the ruling regent prefers has tremendous advantages, since this is the time where all the things and pieces can be put in ce. Still, the regents will obey the norm, because to some extent, obeying the norms is what allows the [heir] to convert their ss to [king]. Weird system rules like that, or so it is believed.


    Or maybe just nobody tested whether that norm is actually a requirement of the title [king], or whether its just a product of whether the citizens of the kingdom acknowledge the [heir] as the true [king].


    Things I learn from eavesdropping on Yvons conversations with her advisors.


    Year 84 Month 2


    Lausanne finally killed two more demon generals, so her total kills is 4. And she gained some levels while she was at it.


    Can I go now? Please?


    Laufen was simrly reluctant, but then privately, I told Laufen Ill look after her. With my assurance, Laufen agreed.


    If it goes well, Ill even get some experience out of ying a small part.


    And I was getting quite annoyed with all the shots fired at me. I wonder whether I could so like some kind of kung-fu stunt where an attack is deflected back at the demon. Like how so many manga main characters are able to do to show off their insane overpoweredness.


    In honesty, the heroes were just about ready with their force too, and they were already prepared to strike the demon-supercannon, with or without Lausanne. So, Lausannes arrival at the battlefield was just on time. Just to be sure, I ced a few [giant attendant trees] in the vicity, as a retreat-point for Lausanne.


    And the battle against the supercannon went well, all things considered. The heroes sessfully destroyed the supercannon with their [star mana] abilities, but the cost was... a whole load of deaths, mainly from the adventurers and military leaders that decided to take part in the attack.


    Lausanne returned from the battle, bloody, and there was a look of despair on her face. I was there, and perhaps there was something about watching the demon supercannons explosions incinerate people up close that just... uh... feels brutal. It wasnt the first time shes seen death. She had seen death when she fought the demon walker.


    It was, as expected, the despair of realising how high the mountain is.


    Laufen, of course, gave her daughter a hug. Its okay. Youre blessed by TreeTree, hes just one tree spirit, but the heroes, they are blessed by all the gods.


    Lausanne, of course, instantly perked up. Mom! Youre a genius!


    Huh?


    Aeons blessings alone is not enough for me to be a hero!


    What do you mean?


    I will visit other spirits like TreeTree, and get their blessings. If I can get multiple blessings, I will be as strong as them!


    Spaizzer i am takinh one week off next week.

 Explore-a-tree

    Explore-a-tree


    <b>Year 84 Month 3</b>


    With the demonic supercannon down, the royals and nobles quickly made their way home. Truth be told, I think thats a bit premature. The supercannon is but one of many demon walkers that are on the continent, and the demon king seems to be summoning more and more of them.


    There are now supercannons on all continents.


    The heroes too, after defeating the supercannon and gaining levels, expanded thework of [telmunication trees]. Indeed, all of them acquired level 90 [towers]. At this point, I honestly dont see anything other that the demon king himself making a dent at the heroes progress, so I feel the demon kings stay in the world wouldst no longer than 1 year.


    The restoration of the [messaging]work also brought a return of intercontinental news and trade, something we really sorely, sorely needed. The first thing I did, of course, is order all my upgrade materials I needed. Lausannes Living Weapon, Thorny, reached level 20 and is level capped until I get the materials needed to upgrade him.


    Then, theres also the issue of Lausannes new bright idea.


    She wanted to visit other tree spirits and well, things like it. Perhaps, its simr to the old elven pilgrims that used to visit the great elf tree-guardians, even if just to acknowledge their role in the protection of the elven capital.


    Travelling in this environment is quite difficult, and... we would need you here for defense. Jura exined his views. He was fine with it, but he preferred if Lausanne waited till after the demon king was in. Elves live for many many years, and Lausanne could alwayspare herself to future heroes.


    Lausanne, of course, agreed. Shes smart, and shes patient. Theres also much about the outside world she didnt know about, so she agreed, on the condition that Jura, and everyone else included her on trips to nearby kingdoms, if they ever go on those visits. She had to learn how to conduct herself in foreignnds, after all.


    In principle, I agree with Lausannes idea, and I would even like to tag along such that I can alsomunicate with the other spirits. In short, Lausannes going to be my envoy to the spirits. I too, have much to learn about the spirits of this world, my experience has solely been through my own lenses, and what little I learnt from the dead.


    -


    The destruction of the demon supercannon also brought about a period of rejuvenation. Throughout the areas where my [subsidiary trees] and [giant attendant trees] are, trees are starting to regrow, and that makes me happy. Its nice to see little trees starting to pop up next to my bigger trees, or a little field of flowers or grass.


    I get significant enjoyment from having new grasses or trees join mywork of trees. Increasingly, its the tree part of me that finds joy in this. Or perhaps its just Trevor and gangs enjoyment?


    The refugee situation temporarily subsided now that [message] and the demon supercannons death spreads. Theres something about uncertainty that adds to that fear, so with openmunications restored, those living in different ces no longer live in darkness. Its just a thing about knowledge, that allows people to make better decisions.


    All in all, with the royals and nobles making their way out.


    <b>Year 84 Month 4</b>


    The heroes are out hunting for the other demon bases. There are many throughout the continent, but at least, they know where to look for them. Benefits of real timemunication.


    For me, I turn my focus to further studies of the telco tower. Im not getting much insights into how it stays synchronised with the other towers, but with the help of moreb equipment around the tower and attempting to intercept magical [messages], over time Im starting to figure out whats happening.


    The [Telco Tower] has multipleponents to it. The other parts is a form of demonic barrier which creates a safe zone for messages going to the sender, and from the sender. These repels the effects of the Demon Kings global ability. Secondly, is a kind of repeater, where the Telco Tower receives a message, and sends it to someone else but within the same tower-range. For longer range and continental messages, that goes through the somewhat quantum-entangledmunications that exist between the towers.


    Of all of those, I decided to focus on the aura repelling the demon king. Its the easiest for me to study, and in many ways, simr to my [lesser demonic suppression aura]. I reckon the simrities would help me in understanding what exactly is happening.


    And my suspicions were rewarded, because after some poking and thinking... I had a notification.


    [Demonic Ability Reduction Aura - lesser obtained]


    Yay!


    Feeling a bit aplished, I went back to the hex wastnd. Apparently, the heroes have been sending a whole load of messages, to all the kings and leaders they could contact, to stop using the [hexbomb]. Because it made their work a lot harder, since it would disrupt their travel paths.


    I thought heroes would have some resistance, but maybe its just caution on their part.


    The hex has been a significant stumbling block in my research, mainly because the [hex] is the byproduct of some kind of magical ritual, and its like I am trying to guesstimate what exactly happened in the ritual to know what created a nasty side effect like hex. Its as if someone gave me a piece of stic, asked me how was that stic made, and which process gave the stic the qualities it possessed.


    So, I do want to observe a [blood ritual] for myself.


    If the nuclear fusion theory has any relevance, the blood ritual should be some kind of iplete process that created this... monstrosity.


    In my mind, I have a clear, obvious reason for researching the hex. In my mind, I cannot help but suspect that one day, some country is going to think I am no better than the demon king and use this same hexbomb against me. This horrid poison that corrupts thend just offends the trees and vegetation in every way possible, even more that the magically tainted poop. So much so that I get feelings of anger through the [roo].


    If a forest could react in anger to a factory spewing poison into itsnds, I guess thats how it feels.


    Even though it repulses me, I steeled myself and ced one [subsidiary tree] right into a pool of hex.


    It was a risk, but somehow... I felt like I had to reach into it.


    And then I felt my mind assaulted and overwhelmed by strange, twisted emotions and memories. Death. Pain. Suffering. Love. Hope. Itsted for a good two hours, a short flicker of a moment for me, my various [root brainplexes] and [The Grand Mind Tree] all instantly kicked in and worked hard to ay those invading memories and emotions. Its not all bad, but its all kinds of emotions, both positive and negative, warped in some way or form, or joined together.


    At the same time, I witnessed by [subsidiary tree] rot from the root upwards, its bark and trunk turning brittle before breaking up by bits and pieces. It took a while, and after that 2 hours, and Ive regained emotional control, I soon used the root brains and mind tree to invade into the subsidiary tree.


    It was toote.


    The [subsidiary tree] was dead, it crumbled and turned into dust.


    Yet, it was not all wasted.


    The hex, as we seen it, shrunk a little bit.


    Ah. Typical of blood rituals. Its essentially an emotion-memory conversion into power, and so fixing the hex meant facing those emotions head on and unwinding them. But that still doesnt answer the underlying force. Is it still some kind of soul mechanism? Or does emotions and memories have their own power?


    I suppose the true way to fix the hex is to connect a root to it and run it through the root minds and [the grand mind tree]?


    -


    So, did you ask your mom?


    About what?


    About teaching me how to fight.


    Roma frowned. You should stick to baking.


    Easy for you to say. The ck haired boy responded. I only have my granny to look after me.


    I only have my mom.


    And her army of loyalists and servants. The ck haired boy was sharp, and there is indeed an army of loyalist. Even now, theres 2 guards tasked to watch after Roma.


    Roma sighed. Fine, Ill ask her to teach you something.


    Yay! I cant wait to hit someone with one of the long hard breads! Roma facepalmed, and the ck-haired boyughed. Indeed, Romater did go see Yvon.


    Mom... I got a request... Its got nothing to do with books or magic. Yvon probably looks puzzled, because its quite rare for Roma to have requests outside those topics.


    What?


    I... I have a friend. He... wants to learn how to fight, so uh... could you... um... teaching him? Roma asked awkwardly, and Yvon looked at her son. He twiddled his fingers even though hes already in his teens, and Yvon nodded.


    I wont have much time to teach him, with my duties at the Valthorn kids, but sure. Maybe he can start joining us for a few rounds of basic spars, I have open sessions with the newer Initiates.


    -


    News from the distant continentse in, and the Demon King is on the move. It seems the heroes are quite sessful in defeating the demon walkers and the demon supercannons, if they have an ability simr to Me and Alexiss Star Mana-form. I reckon thats probably a standard loadout for a hero.


    The heroes are now trying to gather up somewhere, and take down the rest of the demonic walkers. There are many, after all, this demon king was really fond of walkers, and so far, the heroes are sessful, so much so that almost every 3-4 days we have news that another walker or supercanno has been destroyed. The heroes by now have moved out of my trees observational range, and so any news about their movement is via [message].


    A part of me thinks, well, this is too easy. There must be something.


    Is this it? Really? Is this the slow end of the demon king? The demon king that peaked early and then ended, because it tried to attack all the continents at once?


    I dont think so. There must a trick. The demon king has been wandering continents to continents doing something. There must be a trap waiting for the heroes, theres no reason for demon king to just hang around and idle when the heroes are still gaining strength.


    The heroes must be expecting it too, things have been going a bit too easy for them now that theyve unlocked star mana.


    Oh well, lets just watch the show.


    Where has the demon king gone? Would anyone have any idea now that the messagework is restored? Can we find out about all historical sightings of the demon king?


    Juras getting better at guessing what Im trying to do, and he vaguely sounded like he sensed my concern. Ill send out a request to the merchants and mages guilds.


    Still, once I acquired the [demon ability reduction aura], that had an instant benefit, because that aura pushes back against the demons interference, doing so expands the field of the beetles range. After all, the beetles, being a form of summoned creature, have little resistance against demonic interference.


    In fact, I wonder whether theres an [insect tamer] or [insect master] that will somedaye up to me and mind control one of my mindless beetles.


    <b>Year 84 Month 5</b>


    Treeiner leveled up quickly, and gained some rather cool abilities. Like his level 10 ability literally distorts his training room into arger one. I wonder what his higher tier abilities will be, a practice dungeon would be quite cool.


    Thatd make him his own little dungeon core, isnt it?


    A dungeon of our own for practice would be fantastic, since the Valthorn kids have expanded, and were short of nannies to look after them, and it didnt feel quite right to let their older, earlier students to look after them, with their limited life experience.


    Even if the first generation of Valthorns, the first 9, are now all above level 20, Lausanne being the exceptional one crossing level 60, but her leveling is stagnating. Sheins about it sometimes, and its also partly why she wants to find other ways of growing. Her living weapon is also level capped at level 20, and the cool thing about Thorny is that well, it literally gives her a barb armor. Still, it''s nothingpared to the kind of star-mana weapons the hero wields.


    Lausanne was super proud of Thorny before this, but after the supercannon battle shes been working really hard. Apparently their star-mana weapons literally slice through high tier demons like a hot knife through butter. Things that she needed a full powered strike to kill can be easily cut through.


    I think its the level difference, they are after all in the level 80s to 90s, Lausannes just 60, and the gap of 10 levels is extremely big. Like how 30 levels meant I could tank a demon walker a lot morefortably than before.


    Maybe if Thorny had the anti-demon abilities like I did, hed cut through the demons like water too!


    Anyway, Lausannes daily affairs consist of training, helping and guiding all the younger initiates who look up to her. Weve had to build a dedicatedpound for the Valthorns, on top of the existing orphanage. With my new [Giant Attendant Trees], it really opened up the possibility of subsidiary cities or suburbs.


    Maybe thats something I should do. With that in mind, I made an announcement to the Valthorns, to find ces suitable for an extra town. Perhaps somewhere close to a mine where I can do some mining using my deep roots.


    Or somewhere with mana.


    Or should I just ask them to settle down in the southwest forests, with my ThreeTrees of mana.


    With the valley itself restricted, the forest now littered with the giant trees, New Freekas expansion is forced towards the open ins, where all the enemy armies like to march. New segments of town, new walls are built, as the city expands to amodate more and more refugees and new citizens.


    ording to Ivys census data, she counted about 72,000 people living in New Freekas borders. Clearly a bit too cramped for some of them.


    Yet, the demons continued presence meant theck of space in New Freeka is a small bother. Out in other cities, there are constant issues of food shortages, so much so New Freeka have been sending food aid to the nearby kingdoms. Its a move by the Council, of course, since the Councils past efforts of building wineries, underground heated farms, underground silos, and our most recent underground self-sufficient hideouts meant a surplus of food even for therge number.


    The council like allies, and well, I dont me them. I want my own allies too.


    I need to visit the giant lilypod. So, I undid all the trees that I no longer needed, and continued my long chain of trees towards it. I stopped previously when the heroes started their attack on the wounded demon walker.


    It would take me a month or two to get there. But if Lausanne wants to talk to another Tree Spirit, maybe I should do the introductions.


    -

 Side story: heroes

    Side story: heroes


    This was some time ago...


    <b><i>Around Year 83, Month 8</i></b>


    Harris, Becky and Mirei wasnt having a good time. If anything, the past few months has been absolutely terrible.


    With demons crawling all over the continent, there was no journey that was ever safe. Almost every night, when they camped outside, they would be attacked. At first, it was stressful, but now, all 3 of them are now around Level 60. Thankfully, Beckys ss as a [summoner] meant she has a magical guard that kept watch, while all of them rested and slept.


    I wish we had nice beds. Mireis number oneint, almost every other night, was theck offortable beds. Coming from another world, the significant decline in mattress quality was really getting to her. Its absurd that the people in this world ept this bullshit.


    They sat around a makeshift campfire. A lightning elemental was helping to barbeque the roasted meat.


    Let it go. At least were not hungry. Harris nodded. They didnt like being hungry. They were hungry on some days, when they went through areas that are so devastated there was absolutely nothing to harvest or hunt. Anyway, it should be any time now. The two girls came and sat on the logs next to him. They were friends, after all.


    And the magical orb appeared again. [Hero Chat].


    Hey guys. Everyone okay? Astra asked from the other side of the screen. They could hold the chat for about one hour, so that meant they could really catch up. Oh hey Harris, are you guys going to challenge the demon walker?


    Harris nodded. Were supposed to rendezvous with an army from Sh. Apparently its part of the coalition army from this continent. But my scouts tell me things arent great, the terrain around the demon walker has been absolutely wrecked by all the [blood rituals] that were used against it, so approaching it isnt that straight-forward. Harris''s summoned force is essentially an elite army in itself


    Another voice came out. Harris identified her as Helen, and shes in the north. Yeah. Were trying to convince the locals to stop using the [blood magic], because its making our attempts to approach the demons a lot harder. A few routes have been made unusable because of the [blood magic] used to bombard it. But its quite hard to get that message across, because the guys that fire the damned [blood magic] are not here anymore! It doesn''t help that the Kings used some kind of [charisma] or [charm] skill to convince all these guys to sacrifice themselves, and these guys have far toorge an ego to ept that their decisions are wrong.


    Mirei looked and pointed. She noticed Helens background wasnt... outdoors. Are you guys in an inn?


    Helenughed at the question. Hell Yeah! Check out my lovely bed! I cant freaking stand camping outside. Thankfully we found a small town with an inn! Thats still standing! You cannot believe how few and rare independent inns are in this world, since all these travelers inns are absolutely defenseless!


    It wasughter all the heroes shared, but all of them felt bittersweet. The pain ofcking proper rest and sleep is apparent to all 12 of them, even if the magic and drive from the gods blessing did constantly spur them on.


    Alright, alright. We got 50 minutes left. Lets start the recap. Ive recently hit level 60 too, and Ive unlocked an [avatar]. Astra was the one said. It lets me create three copies of myself that I can send elsewhere to do things, and it can cast all the spells I can, except those using [star mana].


    Were all multi-unit heroes, arent we? Everyone had a summon orpanion force of some kind. Harris had scouts and living armors, Becky as a pure [summoner] had the most expansive force. She could single-handedly summon 1,500 magical soldiers to battle if she expended all her star mana.


    Fitting, since we are facing a war. Anyone else not level 60 yet? Any interesting skills? Any new demon-units we should be afraid of?


    I fought the demon-general you mentioned. Not as hard as I was made to believe.


    The locals generally exaggerate their strength. I reckon its a level 50 threat.


    Harris frowned. They havent been having easy fights. Were they doing something wrong? Huh. Only one? They fought a battle with 6 demon generals.


    "Yup!"


    Uh... anyone have any clue where the demon king is?


    Quite sure its in the Southern Continent. Astra responded. But I think it hasnt moved at all since it came to this world. I think its... churning out walkers.


    Oh. Does that mean all of us need to head to the south?


    Eventually, yes. Once we can get past the walkers on our continent... But who knows, maybe the demon king will move. I heard they say the demon king moves from.ce to ce for previous generations.


    "Uh... that''s a future thing. Let''s focus. So... on the walkers...


    Everyone looked worried. At this point they have not fought anything that powerful.


    Any tips for facing the walker? Harris asked.. Anyone fought one sincest week? Theres one near you, Astra?


    Were hoping youd set the example, Harris. We do have plenty of walkers down here in the south, but somehow, they travel in pairs, so we have not yet attempted to fight them. Youre facing one along, and thats probably the easiest fight avable.


    Hey! Mirei called out. Why do we have to be first?


    Awkward silence. Harris frowned. Becky sighed. All of them received overpowered abilities and blessings from the gods, and here they are, arguing who should face the demon walkers first.


    Never mind, never mind. Time to share some knowledge. Astra needed to save time. Did you know some kings have a [protective presence] ability that allows the use of [message] spells in their domain? One of the other heroes on the Eastern continent spoke. But it only works for [messages] within the domain. I think there should be other kings or leaders with simr powers.


    Oh, Harris wasnt that interested, but he wondered whether thats how Aeon looked after his own domain, but that didnt seem to be the case. Astra, whats the range of your [avatars]?


    Huh?


    Beckys squadrons cant stray more than 10 miles from her. Whats yours?


    I... I havent tested. Astra flushed, and he wrote it down somewhere. Ill get to it.


    My [birdmen raiders] have a range of about twice that. Another one spoke, Simone. I suppose the range depends on the unit type.


    Makes sense.


    We should test it. Harris said. We should be careful. The Demon King knows where we are.


    How does your source know that? Im starting to suspect that source of yours... is a former hero.


    Shes not human. She cant be.


    Is that a rule?


    Were all human, right? And the previous generation was all human too. It should be a rule. Why else did the gods pick us?


    I still dont think its a rule. I need to check the records. One voice spoke. The locals say there are non-human heroes. Long, long time ago.


    Astra cut the discussion off. Alright, we need to save time. Have you guys thought about the walkers? Whats your strategy?


    Destroy the aura spires, chop the head off, and aim for the humanoid core. Beware of energy sts and beams from spires and heads.


    How do you know that?


    Uh... previous records? Apparently the city we started in defeated a walker before.


    What?! You guys totally lucked out with your start point. Were clueless about demon walkers. Let us know after you fought it okay? Astra asked.


    Becky and Mirei looked at each other. There was a subtle bitterness in that statement and they all felt it. They didnt feel like they had a good time fighting through demons.


    The [Hero call] ended shortly after.


    "Y''know, this hero thing isn''t as nice as the gods put it." Becky sighed, she ate one of the barbequed meat from the lightning elemental. It wasn''t that great. The lightning elemental had no taste buds, and no sense of smell to estimate how cooked the meat was.


    Harris too chewed on a rather burnt meat, and said rather bluntly. "The gods screwed up and we, the earth-ers are the emergency response team."


    "I expected to be a princess. Instead Im a demon hunter. Not the fairy tale I was hoping for." Becky ranted. "But someone''s got to do it, and it sure looks like we are the only ones anywhere equipped to deal with it."


    "I was told the food is exotic." Mirei sighed. But exotic also meant... weird and often, untasty.


    All of them collectively sighed. A part of them tempted by the rewards, they felt like hamsters chasing after dangled food.


    "So... should we still attempt to fight the walker?"


    That question made all of them pause. They reflected on the damage demons have caused thends they have seen.


    "We have to." Mirei said, her mind filled with the scenes she witnessed. All the deaths and destruction. The crying and weeping.


    "We should."


    Harris shook his head. "Lady Mika said it in very clear terms that we can die. We are sure about this?"


    "Yes."


    Harris nodded. He felt it too, like a calling, to fight the demon walker. It''s almost as if he is being summoned to it.


    -


    An army came, 10,000 strong. Not much, but it was all the coalition could spare, with multiple other battles happening throughout the continent. A group of 30 rode forth to meet with the 3 of them.


    The heroes? An older looking man asked. Harris nodded.


    Yes. We... we are the reincarnated ones. He wasnt sure whether he deserved the hero title just yet.


    Great. The older man dismounted, and walked towards them. He offered a handshake, and Harris took it. Im Commander Akbar, and Im here on behalf of the coalition force. Its a small army, but even this took a whole load of persuasion.


    Akbar shook both Becky and Mireis hands.


    I was told the three of you n to attack the walker, and relieve the pressure on G.


    Indeed, but... were not sure how.


    "Our intel said the demon walkers have projectile attacks from its main head, and lesser beam weapons from some of the spires. The army will split into smaller forces and attack the demon walker from all sides, this way the ''head'' can only aim at one group at a time. An elite force will stay with you and cut a path for you to get close. Can you disable the head? Once you do ,we can start channelling the longer-time spells like our [siege fireballs], since our mages are relieved from shielding duties "


    Harris nodded. He had a massive shield ability. It should do.


    "Sounds like a lot of people are going to die."


    "Or do you want to... tunnel?" Akbar asked.


    Harris paused. "What?"


    Akbar brought a group of thirty humans, they looked very much like miners, they hadrge pickaxes and shovels.


    "Oh." They suddenly got it.


    Akbar''s battle at New Freeka really seared into his mind, and he thought of emting the tunnels used by the giant beetles.


    "This..." All three heroes nodded. It was far less risky since it was not an open confrontation, but that is hinged on the demon walker being unable to detect their presence.


    "It''s worth a try, don''t you think?"


    Harris, Mirei and Becky nodded.

 Treemeet

    Treemeet


    Year 84 Month 6


    Master, right now on your dashboard, theres the following outstanding items.


    One, extending to Giant Lilypod city. Two, finding a new location to set up a second town. Third, finding more magical leylines for more soul-forge upgrades. Four, acquire research and upgrade materials for us. Five, demonic research and telco tower further research. Six, blood ritual observation and rted hex research. Seven, prepare for demon king surprises. Eight, work on Juras soul vitality and level cap. Nine, research potential anti-demonic objects to create super-anti demonic weapons. Ten, upgrading the faeces, refuse processing and absorption. Eleven....


    Trevor went on. But I had gotten it. I had a lot on my big wooden te, and well, I tend to forget things a lot. Even though trees are supposed to remember things, because of how they are burned into our tree rings.


    So, lets go back on the list.


    Im working on the extension to the Giant Lilypod city, and well, I should be there in one month. After that, Im hoping to establish some means of contact, if we are able to telepathically connect, if not, I might try to connect my roots directly.


    Would that be too risky? What if its more powerful than me and the energy in its roots attempt to take over me instead? A direct root connection is after all a two-way exchange of information, magic and nutrients... its almost as if two trees are married. Thinking about it, I decided I probably should not connect my roots directly.


    But then again, my roots are everywhere. Even treefolks have been somewhat connected to me, their roots frequently touching and making contact. Its only thanks to my [roo] that so far, Ive not been massively disturbed.


    Perhaps, a fellow tree spirit of that level can overpower and brute force through my [roo]s defenses.


    And what do I even say to a fellow tree spirit? Like... hi?


    Feeling a little bit concerned about mypetence atmunicating, I asked Jura. Jura, do we have historical records of past encounters with great spirits? Can I have their stories?


    Oh... well need to ask the various guilds, but sure. Jura nodded. Is something happening? Last month was about demon kings movement, and this month ancient spirits...


    I just have some... thoughts.


    Jura nodded. Its costing us a bit of money to do these sort of searches, since theres no central library where all these things are stored.


    And thats a problem, isnt it? Wikipedias awesome. This world needs a wikipedia. Maybe I can set up argework of trees that function as terminals for people to upload information. Id call them... treeminals. Wait. Sounds too much like criminals. Intreeface? No, sounds too much like In Trees Face. Or maybe, Wikitree? Treewiki?


    Eeek.


    Never mind. Im getting distracted. I need a 101 on how tomunicate with other spirits.


    -


    Second, was the location expansion. Some of them didnt get the idea of why I wanted to search for potentially habitable locations, but it was quite obvious to the more clever ones.


    Aeons looking to germinate?


    Will there be a second Aeon?


    Can Tree Spirits multiply? Is Aeon making a special tree?


    Okay. I think they misunderstood. I have giant trees, why dont they ask whether those are my babies? I even have subsidiary trees, or do they think those are just normal trees. Or is it the way I asked?


    Theres actually a few ces, a bit further, thats in sort-of no-mansnd thanks to the fall of some cities to the demons. After all, if demons happen every 10 years, your continent isnt going to be densely popted all the time. Theres going to berge patches where the fires have burned for so long, for so much, that 10 years wont reverse that kind of damage. Itll take a lot longer than that.


    Far north, theres another valley where theres a river running through it, and some metals in the gentle, rolling hills. A rather pleasant valley, but uninhabited. Theres also a few others, but I like this valley the most, so I decided to also stretch a few trees there, and then ced one [giant attendant tree] in it. Over time, I would like this to be like the Valthorns actual academy, the Root Camp, where young Valthorns learn their roots.


    These [giant attendant trees] are wonderful in their own way, theirrge number of [customisable rooms] meant one giant tree could house easily 100 people, and another giant tree could be converted into barracks and all the other things the Valthorns need. I recall having trading cards where massive trees were the superstructures and skyscrapers of the world, and these giant trees are my closest attempt at them.


    Perhaps, one day these giant trees could even be ancients, like in Warcraft, and fight wars on my behalf.


    Maybe I should get some Treefolks into the Valthorns too.


    Speaking of Treefolks... my research into their fallen was quite insightful. They are built just like any normal flexible limb, just that their texture is woody, and their organs are distributed. They do have organs, and their means of absorbing nutrients via their rooted form is a very fancy thing.


    But, the younger treefolks, those who benefited from my special saps and milk, are growing up and now we are able to get a clearerparison of those who went for the longer pregnancy versus those who went for the shorter external gestation period. The saps close the gaps by close to 50-60%, so the saps significantly improve the treefolks reproduction, because now the drawbacks of the high-volume external gestation is reduced.


    Of course, the whole point of looking into them was to find out how to develop flexible wooden parts. Yet, I believe Mes tree-form was a lot more interesting, in that Mes treeform resembled a quasi-liquid thing with a woodenyer, whereas the treefolks have more distinct muscles.


    What Id like to do is incorporate these muscles and stuff into the giant trees, and essentially build my own treant. With an artificial soul in it, I could probably get a super-tank.


    Which reminds me... what happens if I fuse an artificial soul with a giant tree? Do they be mini-versions of me?


    Anyway, back to the list. The leylines... well, I think the nearest one to me is where the demon supercannon was, but the heroes had already ced a telco tower there after they defeated the demon. Maybe the Giant Lilypods spirit will know more.


    Research and upgrades are on the way! The merchants need some time before things get back to business as usual. The presence of demons and demon kings are still quite disruptive, and the long period of when businesses essentially were dead meant alot of merchants ran into financial problems. Ah, the realities of business. I suppose its harder to be a billionaire in a world where the demon king might just wipe you out every 10 years. Businesses need long periods of growth, stability!


    Unless ones a war merchant. There should be bankers or war merchants, right? I dont believe a world like this doesnt have its Rothschilds equivalent.


    Are there... merchants who fund wars?


    Jura scratched his chin, Uh... yeah? But usually they are a nobility as well...


    Yup. This world is fucked.


    Year 84 Month 7


    Pleased to meet you, Lady Lausanne, the Chosen of Aeon. The baker boy bowed. He wasnt good at it.


    Lausanne didnt react. She merely got into position, and lifted her sparring short-spear, Thornys on her back. Shes getting taller. Come.


    They were sparring.


    The baker boy nodded, and attacked with a wooden sword. He swung with all his might, but then somehow his leg got tangled with Lausannes spear and he fell t into the soft wooden floor.


    Lausanne shrugged. Again?


    The baker boy got up and nodded. Yes. And he was easily defeated. Multiple times.


    Alright. Times up. Lausanne said, and then walked away to spar with the next person. Theres many more to train.


    Then Jura walked in. Everyone, weve got new instructions from Aeon. Were forming a squad. Lausanne, pick 50. Were going on a trip. Everyone pack up enough supplies for 2 weeks.


    Where are we going?


    Aeons instructions is to head to a giant tree grove located at one of the northwestern valleys. Theres amodation, but we will camp out there.


    Thats...


    Ill give you further details. Later. Aeon did tell me a bit. In public, both Jura and Lausanne referred to me as Aeon, because well, its just my public and divine name. All of them were given about two hours to pack for 2 weeks, and off they went. As Valthorns, they are all expected to be deployed as soon as they can.


    The Valthorn quarters are now vacant, and the baker boy is left with the rest who wasnt selected. A young girl, about the baker boys age came up.


    Hi, I saw you just now. Lets practice!


    The baker boy nodded. Okay. He wasnt that good, but hes improving.


    Roma walked in a bitter with Yvon. Oh, whered everyone go? Yvon asked, and one of the older caretakers exined Juras instructions.


    Oh, mom, this is the friend Im talking about. Nero. Meet my mom, Mom, meet Nero.


    Hello, Nero. Yvon smiled at the baker boy, hes slightly taller than Roma. Finally I get to meet the boy thats been making my son gain all that weight.


    Uh...


    Im kidding. Alright. Come, lets practice. Lets see whether you can learn somebat skills.


    -


    Its quite therapeutic to use my bloom, and create new patches of trees. Vast barren, destroyednds, and with a bit of tender loving care from me and my artificial minds, transformed into scenic watering holes and oases.


    As mywork of trees stretch further, Im now exposed to slightly different climates as well. Further to the south, the air is hotter, drier, and so my trees have to adapt. They share a portion of my environmental adaptations, so they wont die, just not functioning at 100%. Its interesting to see the subtle changes in vegetation further south, and I wonder whether theres been any proper studies into the effects of magic, and the multiple-moons, on this worlds nts.


    Warmer, warmer. Another tree, another tree, and every other day I cross a chain of hills, on the way to meet another spirit.


    But it seemed that we met a lot earlier.


    Huh? There are voices. Not one, but many. Its as if its a choir in the background, with one person asionally taking the lead. The sudden presence of that voice jolted me from my usual daze. I feel like Im in a trance when Im expanding my presence andwork, so, that voice really knocked me out.


    Wait, Im about 2-3 days away from Giant Lilypod. Is this the voice of the Giant Lilypod? Who am I talking to?


    Is that the Giant Lilypod? I attempt to respond. > Hello! <


    I paused. Maybe I should speak the same way. > Ie in peace <


    What? > I am Aeon, A Tree Spirit. I greet thee < I tried to respond, but its hard to even speak the way they do. They clearly understand thenguage differently. I hope, if anything, that I do not offend them.


    I didnt know what to say. Is this how the others are when they speak to me?


    So... the Giant Lilypod City is a hivemind? I kept on my journey. I want to physically see their body, how they are like, how they look like.


    It seems the Lilies have arger telepathicmunication range than I do, since it picked up my presence long before I did, is it because its a hive mind?


    It talked while I kept up mywork of trees. > It is big and there are monsters everywhere <


    > And there are demons < Well, I thought of testing its knowledge of demons.


    I heard a long droning sound in my head, and I had to forcefully cut it off using my [grand mind tree]. It went on for quite a while, and it lingered.


    > Heroes have appeared to fight them <


    The droning continued, and then faded. I wonder whats on such a hive minds mind, and clearly, I fail to understand it.


    Perhaps it is like us, master. Only that they all get to speak.


    Im starting to suspect Ill struggle to get along with this fellow.... Tree spirit. Or tree spirits?


    > How should I refer to you <


    Thats... > Hello Lilies <


    It sounded like those two words really took a lot of out of them. Perhaps they are not used to this sort of interaction?


    And silence. I was quitefortable with the silence, and clearly, so was Lilies. It seemed both of us being... nts, silence didnt make us ufortable. In fact, it was quite... rxing


    > My... disciple needs your blessing < I wasnt sure how to refer to Lausanne. Is she my minion, or is she a disciple? Or is she... a personal representative? What would she call herself in reference to me? Is she a subordinate then? Or just an employee?


    > Yes <


    Is it strange? > Why? < Do people not get blessings from their tree spirits?


    > Why? < What. Trees dont give blessings?


    I am starting to think I made a wrong decision of talking to this tree spirit. Or even attempting to get close. Theirke is still far away, and yet it already knows I am here? It must have something simr to subsidiary trees.


    > Then grant your familiar to this one, as part of a whole <


    It took another few more days, and I eventually reached the edge of theke. And I had to see it for myself, so I used one of my few physical eyes. Theke was vast, and it stretched really far. And the Giant Lilypod is essentially a city around a massive moat, theke itself.


    Theres a bridge that connected the shore to the main city, but the city is actually all built on massive, like... multiple-building-sized giant water lily leaves. Thergest of those leaves arerger than city blocks, and there are smaller but still giant lily-pads that acted as andbridge, and visually, these lily-pads closer to shore are more... thorny, as if they are ready to spring a trap at any time.


    Each lily pads acted as its own district, and together they form the city. There are threendbridges, formed by the lily pads, and its clearly fortified. The humans that live here also build massive forts around the entrances of all 3 bridges.


    At 26,000 lily pads, Im inclined to think that its probably its version of the [subsidiary tree]?


    > What do you do, when the demonse for you? <


    Heh. Well, from what I can see, it looks like this spirit is more than happy to let the lily pads burn?


    > How many years have you been here? <


    It didnt answer me. Maybe its sensitive. We didnt speak for days, as I went about my other tasks.


    -


    Madeus and a few others were gathered, Lausanne was there too, since I think itd be relevant to her. The history of the Giant Lilypod city in its initial stages iscking, but it is said that the city and theke is greatly intertwined. The lilies that blossomed in theke had been attacked by demons many times, and often, the lilies would be destroyed. Some of the lilies, those further ind, are about to close and submerge to hide-away from the demons.


    This is of course, aided by the fact that the demons cant seem to walk in water, and the waters of theke are filled with monstrous vines and floating things. There are also giant fish and otherke-monsters living in there that would attack any demon that goes into the water.


    So essentially, they hide, and the massiveke act as a giant moat, because these stupid demons are not well adapted to underwaterbat. The massive lilies are also extremely resilient and so they can take multiple hits and bombardments, they have to be, because the city is built on it. Even if the lilies are destroyed, because the core body of the lily is underwater and probably argework of tubers and roots thats not exactly destroyed, it can just regenerate after every destruction. Its literally a water-weed, that waits for the demonic disaster to go away.


    Of course, I wonder what level it is.


    No one knows, and apparently, no one knows whether the Lilies canmunicate. The druids apparently has attempted tomunicate, but they cant even reach it, other than sensing that it briefly exists.


    So, hiding its main body is a smart thing. Maybe I should do that too.


    Of course, this also exposed one of the druids lies. They cantmunicate with other tree spirits and yet promise such a thing to me? Or is it just Lilies that is being unnaturally shy?


    Or maybe it doesmunicate, but it just does so very, very selectively?


    After that conversation about the history of that city, Lausanne came and asked me about it. TreeTree, do you think I should go to Giant Lilypod City? Nobody has even found how tomunicate with the spirit yet.


    Probably... not. Lets see whether there are other spirits we canmunicate with.


    The next one would be the elven capitals tree spirit. I think that one is probably younger that the Lilies, but it also has a few hundred years of history to it.


    But you wont mind waiting, right?


    Lausanne nodded. Its fine. I want to learn more about travelling, before making the journey. I feel like all my life Ive been here, mom says I need more... uh.. Life experience. Im too young in her eyes.


    Moms will always view you are their children. It is just the way they are. Talk to her and convince her otherwise.


    Spaizzer Sorry for the dy. Was too tiredst night.

 Pulp Fiction

    Pulp Fiction


    <b>Year 84 Month 8</b>


    While Juraswork was trying to gather information about the demon kings whereabouts, well, we found out what the trap was. Its tough trying to filter through crap and false-positives, so much so that by the time any good information is obtained, its often no longer useful. This is one of those times.


    The demon king has been visiting the sites of the previous demon kings. The ces of their death and destruction, and tapped into the remaining energies to create a massive demon monster thats stronger than the super cannon. We know this, because on the eastern continent was where one demon king died perhaps 50-60 years ago, the location of Astaroth.


    Of course, at this point, I wonder if there is a limit. The world must have seen countless demon kings, so by sheer number and a long history, there should be some demon kings destruction in almost every location at some point of this worlds life. So... perhaps the residual magics get fully decayed and the demon king cannot tap into that energy?


    Or only if theres remaining daemolite?


    Is it looking for daemolite?


    The new monster, well, apparently, resembled Astaroth. That said, very few descriptions of Astaroths appearance remain, so it could well be a corrupted version of the story.


    The new monster, at least, doesnt seem to have a long range weapon. Instead, it was just a gargantuan creature that seemed to excel in short-range bursts, and well, it wrecked a few nations in its immediate surroundings.


    Naturally, this means the demon king is headed for the other demon kings deatnd.


    This conjecture immediately caused panic, because theres actually a rather massive mining operation in the area to get at the daemolite. Mining daemolite suddenly doesnt seem that profitable now that the demon kings eyes is on it too. Hazard pay only goes so far.


    -


    > Are you there? <


    > Do you speak to the mortals? <


    My knowledge of the world is indeedcking, and very much, what I know is shaped by what I can see, and what I can infer from observing the mortals. But I do agree that my viewpoints are colored greatly by these mortals that I mingle with. Its been something on my mind for a while, and I do sense the growing influence of thework of trees.


    Every day I feel like Im switching between... myself, and a tree.


    > I am... a young tree. I want to learn more <


    Is there really a me?


    Am I really an individual person, or am I conting the previous me, the once human me, the one that is both a soul, and also a mammalian homo sapiens needs and desires?


    Is there really a me, that is independent of our bodies? After all, our souls are plugged into the bodies we inhabit, we share and feel the desires, needs, the bodily wants of that body.


    Now that I am a tree, naturally I will change. But is this change a new me, since I have lost my human body so many years ago? Am I still the same person as I am?


    What should I do with this... aspect that thinks, behaves, and has the desires of a tree? Is it me?


    Is my yearning for a social circle a relic of my once mortal, humanoid, nning and family oriented society, something that is ingrained in my human gic code?


    > What if we once were something else? <


    Im confused.


    But I do feel like Im struggling a bit with an identity crisis. What should I be? What... am I? Am I just a talking, thinking magical soultree, bane of all demons?


    Is there something more to me? That past history of mine, however short it now feels? Am I more TreeTree, or more Matt?


    -


    Locally, the demons are on a retreat, and a sense of normalcy returns for the inhabitants of the region. This, of course, ignores the fact that the demon king has somehow made a mini-demon king.


    Its a stupid decision by the demon king, if I was in charge, I wouldve absorbed the energy from the previous demon kings and make myself stronger, rather than create new minions. But maybe theres some physical or magical limitation.


    Its like letting the heroes get a trial run before actually fighting the real thing. How is that a good idea?


    Anyway, its just like a regr citizen giving opinions on world matters, these to some extent, are matters beyond one mans control.


    Focusing back on what I can do, trade and research! Trade routes restored, and the materials necessary for research gradually returned.


    Research Status:<ul><li>Phytoremediation process - advanced (mineral concentration) - 12 months</li></ul>


    First things first, I resumed research for upgrades to the faeces-processing nt. Reason being... well, my previous solution could be better. Also, currently all the metals are absorbed by dedicated trees that function as a sponge for specific types of metals or toxin, so its mixed with that tree. The next step would be therefore, to then specifically expel these collected metals into some kind of usable form.


    Then, Ive been thinking about what Ive been facing, and what my artificial souls said. About a counterattack, and also the strange magics from the [telco tower], and so, a bit more on the flexible branches needed to have a kind of tree-catapult. Thettice is derived from the tower, with the way its magic is twisted and intertwined to form ayered structure which results in greater endurance.<ul><li>Ultraflexiblepression branches - 24 months</li><li>Latticeworks - 12 months</li></ul>


    And on top of that, the hexs ability to influence my mental state was something worth researching, as its possible to design or construct specialised artificial minds, or at least, develop routines that are suited for absorbing these hexes. Still, as a field of research, it oveps quite a bit with me absorbing shit. Just emotional shit.<ul><li>Magical residue filtration - basic 1 - 12 months</li></ul>


    I still have one spare [forest rod] that Ive not used, and thats something I want to find a ce to nt. One spot that I am aware of, is the location of the demonic supercannon, and also where the heroes telco tower is. Once the demon king is dead Im going to attack the telco tower and rece it with my rod.


    Thats a backup n, of course. Im sure there are others....


    > Lilies, are there... magical spots that you know off? <


    It took one day for it to reply.


    > Would you tell me? <


    Two dayster, all I got was


    > Why? <


    Another dayter,


    Ah. Dammit. Still, time to capitalise on the return of magicalmunications! So, I ask Jura, to gather information about other magical sites, other than the ces of former demon king. I dont want anything to do with the demon king at the moment. Of course, this meant dungeons... or holy sites.


    Yet, Im feeling a bit meh with all these infoworks because they dont seem to be generating good information. Seriously, I wonder whether Im giving Juras contacts too much work, or they are just that crappy. Maybe the adventurers guild would be better, perhaps a list of all dungeons on the continent?


    -


    Wed like to set up a small adventurer group. Lausanne told the older elves gathered. Right now, the Valthorns are advancing quite quickly, and many of us are gaining levels. Aeons intent is that the Valthorns are a special elite force, and so, we need experience against other kind of foes, not just demons.


    It was something Lausanne suggested one day, after fighting extensively with her dedicated Training Artificial soul, Treeiner. Its true that Treeiner could simte all sorts ofbat situations, but the levelling effect from that may not be superior to actualbat experience. Even if I have supplemented that with realistic [dream tutors], theres still a gap. They needed to fight real enemies, to put all that training into reality.


    So, Id like to lead the first squad. Ive already gotten five others that are at least level 25 to join. Lausannes intent is of course, to hit as many birds with one stone. Shes often bound to New Freeka, so being an adventurer allows her to travel to fight other monsters, encounter other spirits, and also, a high ranking adventurer is allowed entrance to many cities. Its a formalised recognition of her levels. In the long run, Lausannes intention is to use a high ranking to earn ess to all the other great spirit cities.


    Jura just nodded. This was something Lausanne had already discussed with Jura beforehand. It was really for the wider Valtrian Order leadership team. In practice, Lausanne could do whatever she wanted and shed get away with it.


    My intention, is that if it works, these five that are with me, will go on to lead their own adventurer squads.


    The political aspect is going to be touchy, wouldnt it? Madeus asked Jura. I thought there are some restrictions about quasi-military institutions setting up or sponsoring adventurers?


    Just formalities, really. Jura said. The squad can still function as a team of adventurers, and the team needs to be briefed about which country are going to ept recognition as adventurers, given their connections with the Valtrian Order.


    The mages guilds wont share high tier resources and knowledge to politically connected adventurers.


    They never shared anything to anyone from outside their hometown anyway. One captain opined.


    Wed have to open up ess to our dungeons to the foreign adventurers as well, then? Madeus then asked.


    We dont have any, but yes. Its something Ill have to handle through the Council. Jura said. There will be some opposition, but given that Aeon is also supporting this, they probably wont ask too much.


    As a policy, my beetles mostly focus on demons. If there are life threatening emergencies, then only my beetles will intervene against the native monsters. This is partly to maintain some semnce of work for the adventurers guild. But then again, my beetles also have a limited range thanks to the demon king, so there are threats that need specialised help of adventurers. The merchants guild regional coordination center also is a big source of escort work for them.


    After a bit of back and forth about the political impact, which Lausanne just had to endure, eventually all of them agreed to it.


    Well, agreed then. Perhaps we can meet with the guildmaster of the local chapter to take this further?


    Well, the next day, a middle aged man came to the Valtrian Orders offices.


    Counsel. The man tipped his hat, ced it on a hat-hanger and then sat on the chair, his arms wide and posture slightly slouched.


    Theres only Jura and him in the room. Jura smiled, I see youre alreadyfortable, Garrosh. Wine? Jura offered. I had a special blend made, mixed with our special herbs.


    Sure. Garrosh took a ss and sipped on it. Could use some with the stupid shit that goes on.


    People problems are like that. Jura had a sip too. Lausanne spoke to you?


    She did. Garrosh finished the ss, then he leaned forward. And I told her Ill think about it.


    The answer has to be a yes, you know. Jura offered another ss.


    And Ill lose my job if I dont. Garrosh took a second ss. Well, in terms of purebatpetence, Lausannes up there, probably close to the best of my adventurers. But the regional adventurers guild are going to kick up a fuss.


    But you will ignore them. Jura just smiled.


    Garroshughed. Damn right. Ive always wanted to meet Aeon. So thats my price. Bring me into the deep woods, past the strange magics that swirl around it.


    Jura finished his own ss. I see youve attempted to find Aeon.


    Garrosh took the role of the guildmaster about two years ago, and well, despite being mostly a guildmaster, hes quite obediently stuck to the rules of New Freeka. Still, he asionally did try to sneak into the woods.


    Jura just looked at his ss, and then back at him.


    Im still an adventurer at heart, and you know Ive been itching to see it ever since I came to this ce. The stories I heard from the older folks, before the deep forests were wrapped in a thick mist really, really interest me.


    Ever since the druids did what they did, my inner body is always shielded with [mist], [haunted forests]. Itd be a disaster to me if a druid could somewhat get his way to my main body and attempt another ritual.


    I was prepared for this. Ivy and Jura have both vetted Garroshs intentions, and so, Im quitefortable with himing to my main body. I also have other preparations in ce, if Garrosh ever tries anything.


    But it didnt need toe to that. The very journey through the woods, with all the ghosts and soul harvesters roaming about was enough to intimidate him, and he froze when he saw my main body.


    This... this is it?


    Well, Im massive. As a tree, I tower high up above the rest of the valley, and due to my [camouge] and [mist] skills, that envelops the entire forest of trees that I am unseen. Lately, I also have other giant trees in the forest, which help act as a distraction and diversion.


    He froze, and he stared at me.


    Well? Jura nodded. Hes used to the sight.


    I... I will go now. The middle aged guildmaster said.


    Hello Garrosh. I decided to speak directly into this head. Somehow, that caused his legs to buckle, but he quickly regained hisposure.


    ....Aeon? He asked.


    Yes.


    I... I... I will go now.


    Jura happily escorted him away, and apparently, he spent that day sleeping.


    Why do they react like that?


    Hmm... I think your voice has gotten more...plicated recently. Its almost as if you are multiple people talking at the same time, and theres a greater pressure in your voice.


    Really? I clearly wasnt aware of what my voice sounds like when I telepathically speak to people. I mean, its not as if telepathy has an echo. How do you even record telepathy? Would that be possible, or is that like copying memories? Its like trying to rey a thought, isnt it?


    -


    <b>Year 84 Month 9</b>


    A string of battles break out across the continents. The demon king hasnded on our shores! Its probably headed for the former demon kings ce, and so... thats not good news.


    And apparently one group of heroes attempted to fight the demon animated from Astaroths residual energies.


    They won. But a heavy price was paid.


    [Pooja Pooran died. You received one hero fragment. You now have 68 fragments.].


    -


    Ive been observing the Giant Lilypod City from the shore, after all, my trees cant grow underwater, or at least, not yet. Perhaps some day Ill have submersible trees, or seaweeds, something of a thought for theter days.


    Im particrly fascinated by the structure of the Giant Lily pads themselves, how these massive things manage to even stay afloat, or whats supporting them from beneath? Or is it magic?


    Well, it seemed Lilies clearly noticed Im watching.


    I decided to leave and ponder on that statement. I kept watching.


    How do the citizens even build things on the lily pads? The Lily pads are clearly quite thick, so thick that the citizens must be able to drill or hammer some foundation into it, to support the tall stone and wooden structures, the highest of them are at least ten stories tall. The lilies themselves are not entirely stationary, they drift a little, and so the bridge that connects the various lily pads are usually based on some kind of magical string or ropes which can somewhat stretch.


    The dark, murky waters, are they magical? Or are there monsters lurking in them? Despite it being ake, theres very little fishery activity going on, though I do notice some people fishing.


    Curious, I put another tree closer to the entrance, on thekes shore. Perhaps some of the travellers or passersby would somehow reveal something.


    > Is there something in theke? < I tried my luck, the Lilies are quite secretive in a way, or maybe I havent figured out the trick tomunicate with them properly. Its really amunication gap.


    What.


    Okay. That was two dayster. I realised I didnt n my meeting with another tree spirit well enough. What should I ask it? Or them?


    -


    Lausanne and gang finally had their first few adventurer missions, hunting some monster wolves and stuff. The retreat of the demons meant the return of native monsters, and they really dont get along.


    If I were to put the world into factions, Id probably make it into a three-kingdoms kind of situation. The demons, the living mortals, and the monsters, all with their own gods.


    Fun, for them, because for one, they get to wear adventurer gear and not in the usual Valtrian colors.


    In fact, Lausanne had so much fun she came home and talked for hours about it to her mom. Perhaps it was that whole field-trip kind of effect. Just a group of young kids on an adventure, without adult supervision! In a way, its rare for Lausanne to go so far without a captain, or Yvon, or any of the older Valtrian Order people around. Even if she did outrank them in many ways, its still having an adult around.


    Laufen just patted her on the head and looked really amused at her daughter.


    -


    The demon king is getting nearer to Takde and Nung, and that meant a round of fleeing. Its hrious, really. The kingdoms should all just set up some kind of massive teleportation array between continents so that they can y hide and seek with the demons.


    The death of that one hero though, quickly spread, and it bes chatter in the bars and inns.


    One hero died?


    Does this mean this generations heroes are weak?


    But many of them died before!


    I mean, many dont really know how many heroes there are. They dont get fragments to track, and the past heroes didnt really talk that much with the natives, so eavesdropping on the chatter is amusing. I wish more of them die! After the demon king is killed! When the demon king is killed!


    These kind of chatter would probably make Me or Alexis feel depressed, but hey, thats what happens when one is reincarnated as the pawn of the gods.


    Some of them, are making the journey to me, again. Sigh.


    I wonder how Me and Alexis are doing.

 Extratreerestials

    Extratreerestials


    <b>Year 84 Month 10</b>


    Battles. It was inevitable that a battle would break out now that the demon king is on this continent. The demon king generated lesser demons like a zerg hive, its minions gushed out in all directions. The nearby kingdoms attempted to defend and dy the inevitable, creatingrge armies to fight.


    Yet, the demon king itself also has the ability to fire projectiles like the supercannon, so that curtailed any attempt to form up into arger force. Thankfully, it didnt seem trigger happy.


    So, this month, my beetles and gang faced multiple medium scale battles, at about 5,000 to 10,000 demons. Since it was going to be a battle of attrition, we mostly fought a defensive battle, concentrating my forces around myrger [giant attendant trees]. This made the most of the aura effects, and helped minimise casualties.


    My beetles need a few months to replenish itself, so its entirely possible for the demons to overwhelm my surroundings if I lose too many beetles.


    Still, we havemunication channels, so Jura has been really busy, coordinating with other nearby kingdoms to fight defensive battles together.


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    Lausanne, was unhappy, though.


    Whyd the demon king have to spoil my adventurer fun!


    Its too dangerous with the demon king on our continent!


    But it was fine just a month ago!


    Well, its hard to exin the erratic behavior of the demon king. Or maybe it just seems erratic from our point of view. We, after all, do not understand or appreciate its thought processes.


    Still, more defensive battles, and despite racking up kills, I dont seem to be gaining levels. Which is really quite sad.


    The demon king, of course, is headed for the site of the previous demon king, and will probably attempt to summon something simr to the previous demon king, if the news of the Astaroth copy is to be believed.


    So, were going to have a mini-rerun of the previous demon king on our hands. Something that perhaps I have to deal with. Since I can handle a demon walker, I suppose in some ways, this is a good test of my own strength. Will I stand up to a mini-demon king?


    Theres time to prepare. And so I intensify all my anti-demon preparations by stockpiling my anti-demon bolts and weapons.


    Yet, theres quite a bit of apathy amongst the general popce. To them, all this news is just like regr citizens watching a news channel on the television, talking about some virus or war in some faraway ce. Theres no personal rtionship, so most of these regr folks dont feel a thing and they dont react to it. If Im not a tree who regrly have to move my beetles to face these forces, perhaps Id be like that too.


    Not my problem.


    Someone else will handle it.


    How do I get proactive people? Is there a way to let these people imagine they have control over things?


    Its clear by now that a part of ites from the influence of the sses and levels, that people of a certain ss have their mindsets influenced by the constraints and scope of those sses. So, if I want proactive, I need to give these people the right kinds of sses, which then shapes how they think.


    And so, I get the feeling like... I need to shape my minions more actively, on top of helping them with levelling. So, I decided to grant some of my lesser grade sses more freely, and also even grant some of the Valthorns the [Knight] sses.


    The intention is quite simple, that is, if I have arger poption, I could then make a general assessment of the mindsets of those possessing different sses, and see whether theres any differences.


    I could run them through standardised tests in [dream tutor], and evaluate their performance. If the ss really influences thoughts, then it should be something exhibited throughout the poption, and not just individuals.


    So, on top of expanding the Valthorns previously to some 500 kids, Ive segregated the newer pool of 300 kids into 3 groups. One with [Knight] ss, about 100 of them, one with [Ranger] ss, about 150 of them, and another 50 kids with [Druid] sses. If there is some kind of uniformity of thought processes, I think this isrge enough to tell.


    Then, the issue that emerged was... we didnt have enough knights to properly train the knights.


    Get me some. I told Jura that, and so he had to put up a banner and notification hiring Knight Trainers. Strangely, knights tend to be a human kind of role, so it made some of the New Freeka council peeps look and ask questions.


    But they dont dare to touch us.


    Some of the royals though, saw this is an opportune to curry favor with us, so a few royal families quickly offered their Knights.


    Strange how even if I tried to avoid these royal politics, they always happen.


    So... which royal family do you want to pick? Quite a few volunteered their best knights. I even heard about some of them.


    As a Tree, I just want to grow. Why does everything have to do with people jostling for power? Sigh.


    How many can we afford?


    Probably 5.


    Then pick one from the 5 nearest kingdoms. Use the proximity as a basis. Publish and let the kingdoms know about how we chose the 5 too, just so that we dont seem like were intentionally sidelining the others.


    Sure. They will ask for favors from us for this.


    Let it be clear to them that I will not owe them favors.


    They will make me owe them favors. Jura frowned.


    Maybe we shouldve made it anonymous.


    That wont work. Everyone knows were the only institution with Knights in New Freeka. The council has some knights, but not to the point where they need... knight-trainers. Theyll be able to trace it from us.


    Ah well. I sighed. I spent a day or two mulling over it, and decided its still better to get the knight-trainers. Its good to get insights from other nations military, there should be good points we can learn.


    -


    > The demonse for you. Their king is here. < I attempted, out of goodwill, to warn Lilies. Perhaps I hoped to learn something from the interaction, I spected that it, with its long age, must have encountered many demon kings in the past, and yet it survived, just like I did.


    < The bringer of otherworldly destruction. >


    Does it care, or does it not care? Thats like a statement of fact.


    < Let ite >


    > Do you not fear it? <


    < Like fire, it is fearsome, but the rain wille >


    > What if the rain doesnt? <


    < Then it is so. >


    Uh...


    What should I say?


    > The demons would rule the world then? <


    < It would not be the first time, nor thest. >


    Oh.


    Oh shit.


    Did Lilies just said that the demons actually won before? Wait, that doesnt make sense. These demons are clearly out to destroy the world. If they did, and the world we live in managed to recover, that meant they didnt totally destroy it.


    So... What do they want?


    > What do they want? <


    < We do not ask why the fire burns, but only know that the fire burns. >


    > How did the world recover? <


    < As it always had, with a little divine touch >


    Uh. Meddling gods? If they have powers beyond summoning gods, then why dont they use it?


    Well, we had a short break, and what followed the break was a bit more fighting. Arge demonic army actually headed for Lake Lilypod and the Giant Lilypod City, and fighting of course, broke out. But the army mostly retreated back into the city itself, and then the lilies that connected the shore to the rest of the floating city just... submerged, forming a moat. There was a walker too!


    Where did the walker evene from? Did the demon king just make it?


    Then massive lily bulbs appeared on the shoreline, and it fired.... Seeds?


    The bulbs are like... turrets! Cool!


    > Interesting defensive system. <


    < Pests >


    > Why do you bother defending them, if you say they are fire that burns? >


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    < Life is meant to be a struggle, but if it is time to die, so be it. >


    So be it indeed. Its like a quasi-religious view of the world, like, believe in God, but tie your camel.


    The walker fired a shot at the city now floating on theke. The city is drifting away, further and further.


    One of the lily pads flip up, together with all the buildings in it, and the shot destroyed the entire lilypad. I think all the people on it died as well. But one lilypad for the safety of the other 26,000, I suppose thats a trade.


    The walker fired again.


    And again, Lilies sacrificed another lily pad to act as a shield.


    And this dance continued for a good hour, Lilies sacrificing about 30 lilypads and probably a few thousand lives, but by then, the rest of the lilypad was now far away in the middle of the massiveke.


    At this distance, some of the shots were starting to miss, and just ssh in the water. Yet the demon walker did not step into the waters. They arent afraid of water, are they?


    The demon king crossed the seas, after all, and so did one of the walkers. So why isnt this demon walker entering the water? Is there something in the water? I decided to use a bit more of my spiritual vision, and well, the dark, murky waters are filled with... floating roots. A lot of them, so much so that they pretty much block out everything.


    Its like using an x-ray, trying to locate a small fishbone when theres a whole bunch of otherrger bones. Its possible, but hard.


    The demon walker, realising that the Giant Lilypod is now pretty much a massive ind floating in the middle of theke, far enough that its attacks are missing, stopped.


    And then it moved away.


    > May I offer some... assistance? <


    < All yours, as the mortals say > They are clearly eavesdropping on the mortals too. Otherwise it would not have known how to speak like them.


    Theres a walker after all. Experience! I like experience.


    A distant proxy battle, by way of [Giant Attendant Trees], and so, I spawned 3 of them on the shores. They emerged from the ground with a massive rumble and shake, the ground cracked, and then three giant trees emerged.


    > An interesting power, simr to our giant lilies <


    And root strikes!


    The walker, realising that its foe is now the three trees, turned and started to shoot. At this distance, the Giant Attendant Trees only have 30% of my strength, but I believe thats good enough.


    It attacked. My beetles emerged from the giant trees, fresh, newly spawned beetles. Only 1,500 beetles, but enough to distract and dy the regr demons, such that the walkers attention is focused on the three giant trees. It attacks. I use my wood shields. But at this distance, so far away, the 6 wooden shields I created crumbled easily, and then the st itself made a big hole in one of the giant trees. But the giant tree didnt fall. I can still sense it, alive.


    The walkers hammered by root strikes. At this distance, its not as effective as before. Darn. It scratched, and there are small wounds here and there.


    I move on to use my [super anti-demon root strikes]. Even at this distance, they work a bit better, but not enough. The demon walkers still really quite tough. It fired another shot, and I activated 15 wooden shields this time, and well, it went through almost all of them.


    But it still blocked the shot.


    Ngeh.


    It shot again. And this time, I couldnt stop it in time, and it broke one of the giant trees. I felt the pain. We felt the pain.


    I unleashed all the attacks I have in my reservoir, using up all my root strikes. It thrusted into the bottom of the walker like a constant barrage, its demonic shell cracked, and then in its dying breath, it shot out another attack. That second strike destroyed another giant tree.


    I felt that again. And somehow I felt really... mad.


    Its like a part of me was cut off.


    And I didnt like that at all.


    But by now I was out of root strikes, and it would take a day or two for it to recover. Still, I was pissed, and I wasnt going to let the demon walker go. So, my vines and roots appeared, entangling it.


    It wasnt dead yet.


    But I wasnt going to let it run away from me.


    No.


    It killed two of my giant trees. Two of... me.


    I used my other skills. Everything else that I have. [Fruit attacks], [Poison field], [Corrosive fruits], [Tree saps], [Constrict], and [Natural Mana overwhelming].


    And I pulled the demon walker down to the ground. It was weak. Our attacks made it weak. I spawned two more giant trees in ce of where the two others fell, and they added strength to the roots that pulled the demon walker down.


    It copsed. Alive, but grounded, its mouth and other orifices tied up, tangled by roots. Like a parasite we feasted on the demonic walker.


    We drained, and we pushed our mana in.


    It struggled. By now, the battlefields remaining demonoids crushed in the onught of root strikes. There was a few demon knights. They hacked at the trees and the roots. They did a bit of damage, but the regeneration of the giant trees were faster.


    As long as the demon walker fell, we could take a few hits.


    It struggled on the ground, its wounds not recovering thanks to the interference of natural mana.


    At times, it seemed like its strength recovered slightly, or the effects of our constrict skill faded. But [constrict] was a skill that was meant tost long, and if I wanted, I could keep using it perpetually.


    For days.


    It attempted to struggle. THe demon knights attempted to hack away the vines. Then my skills returned. And I cleared the battlefield of the lesser demons, whatever bnce on the demon walker.


    If this was next to me, itd already be dead. But such are the perils of fighting at 30% strength.


    I drew on the mana from wherever I could, and channeled it there, the giant attendant tree acting like my regional power station. Mana weakens it. The demon walker attempts to resist, and I could sense it functions on demonic mana, or whatever that dried up husk of ake is. Perhaps I could call it desert mana, to our natural water mana? The mana inside fought against the mana we intentionally poured in.


    Whatever. I wanted it dead. We wanted it dead.


    We pummelled it again, and it turned weak. A day. Two days. It never really died. It still lived. Cursed distances, my roots not working as well.


    A few more days, and my arsenal of skills refreshed itself.


    And we repeated that. Each time, the demon walker edged weaker, its cracked skin starting to give way to our natural mana. The vines started to make roots into the skin of the walker. Everytime it struggled, we unleashed our root strikes, and then finally, after two weeks, we broke through the head, and cracked the demon walkers inner structure.


    It was almost there, dying.


    Our vines reached into it. So did our mana. We ran out of root strikes again. So the vines, the branches, they extended like feelers, like a parasite finding the innards of the creature.


    Like a hollowed log, infested by algae and mushrooms.


    [Natural mana overwhelming is capturing... assimting a demon walker].


    [Assimting...]


    Oh.


    [Assimtion sessful].


    [Obtained Massive Woodwalker Shell]


    [Massive Woodwalker Shell is inactive, as it requires a titan soul, or 5 artificial soul, a powerful mobile energy supply, a mobile root-mindplex and a mobile high density energy storage]. [Low quality energy supply and storage will limit power and performance of the MWS.]


    [Titan Frame Type : Wood-Walker unlocked. Future titan souls may select walker variants]


    [Creation of WoodWalker Titan Frames require construction of Titans Chambers, a special construction project]


    [You gained two level. You are now level 142]


    [Natural mana overwhelming upgraded]


    Only two levels?


    Whats left, is now a verdant monstrosity, once a demonic giant thats now covered in vines, leaves, moss and all other sorts of vegetation. As if an ancient machine was left to the effects of nature for a long period of time, and now the trees have reimed them, assimted them, like those ancient temples where the roots are in every part of the structure.


    But... theres no mind to it.


    I have this... thing, but I cant use it.Unless I get those mobile energy supply and energy storage. So, it is time to turn to my trustyb!


    Commence research!


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    Additional Research added :<ul><li>Super-Storage Potatoes (SSP) - stage 1 - 12 months.</li><li>Massive leaf-power generation array - stage 1 - 16 months.</li></ul>I think itll probably look like an oversized Venusaur if theres a big bunch of trees on its back, with some potatoes.


    Or would it look more like bulbasaur?


    Spaizzer


    panics

 Treeending

    Treeending


    <b>Year 84 Month 11</b>


    The heroes have been busy fighting smaller battles, and yet, they have been unable to stop the demon king from going where it needs to go. Which is the site of the previous, most recent demon kings death.


    Its probably a problem for everyone. I also reckon, logically, that if the demon king intends to somehow tap into whatevers left, this next one is going to be way stronger than the one they faced on the Eastern Continent. But probably not at the level of the demon king.


    For the group of heroes that are here, its probably a tense time. What if the demon king aimed for them? Can they fight it?


    Already, four other walkers have been spotted throughout the continent, and the brief peace we had before once again shattered.


    Its... just annoying.


    I just want to grow.


    Can I create a massive wall somewhere that all these demons cannot go?


    Or maybe just go live on the moon or something, where theres no demons to bother me.


    Yeah, live on the moon. What would it be like, to live on the moon?


    Can I be the moon-tree? Or tree-moon? If I terraform one of the moons into and covered in trees, would it look green, and yellow when I change their leave colors from so far away? Which moon should I live on?


    For a short while I entertained the idea of living on another object where there are no demons and no... monsters.


    Just... trees. And maybe animals to help the ecosystem get going. Itll be like those sci-fi movies where some guys travel to some faraway theres home to ravenous trees.


    A tree can dream, right?


    -


    I want to fight monsters! Lausanne protested. Im so sick of demons.


    I lost count how many times youve said it. One of the other Valthorns sighed. To them, it was one of Lausannes teenage frustrations.


    She sulked in a corner. The other Valthorns practiced, in between the regr battles. Some Valthorns took the chance to just catch up on sleep and rest, since theyve been deployed periodically to fight the demons.


    The knight-trainers from the nearby kingdoms arrived too, and they started to train the junior Valthorns in basic knight stances and moves. Its rather simple stuff, like... stand in a knightly manner, how to hold your sword, but I suppose one needs foundations.


    Come, lets spar! Nero was one of them who regrly sparred with the Valthorns, thanks to Yvons meddling. He wasnt at Lausannes level, but he was at leastpetent enough to spar with the newbies and theter initiates.


    He would regrly get beaten up, of course, but he seemed to be taking the pain better.


    What level are you, Lady Lausanne? Someone sat next to her and asked. I think it was one of the adventurers.


    Level 65.


    There was an awkward silence. Its highly unusual for someone of that age to reach that level inbat. There has been cases of high levels, but usually in more menial roles, perhaps farmer, or herder or rancher.


    Of course, thats due to all the training and leveling aura effects that I have. I have 4 dedicated training skills, one dedicated Treeiner, and a bunch of other practice things. Thinking about it, it didnt feel that cheating. The heroes get close to level 100 within 2 years. Lausanne started training when shes... 6? And now shes already 14 turning 15. 9 years for 65 levels, versus 2 years for a 100 levels, I think heroes are still at least 7 times faster, ignoring the fact that the higher levels are harder!


    Man, that makes my hero fragments super overpowered.


    I should think about weaponizing or sharing these shards someday. I wonder whether its possible to lend the effects onto an item or as a blessing, such that they gain its effects?


    [The first 100 fragments cannot be given away].


    What. I wondered to myself. Why such a restriction? Whats the first 100 fragments for?


    No answer. It seemed like this wasnt something the system was willing to tell, yet.


    Fine, can I set up a proxy, such that the effects of the fragments are shared, even if the actual fragment remains physically with me? A cloud aura server, with my trees acting as my transmitters.


    No answer.


    Does that mean its impossible, or its possible?


    Yeah.


    Why should a benefit be solely hoarded by me anyway?


    TreeTree. Im sick of demons. Lausanne protested and decided to have some pastries.


    I know.


    She decided to eat some cake. I miss cake. I would like to have a nice coffee cake. I miss coffee cakes.


    I asked some of the servants to mix coffee powder into some fertiliser, and pour it around me instead. At least I can somewhat taste it, but Its just different. Really sucks not having a taste bud.


    Wait. There are those giant insect-eating bugs that resemble lips and mouths. Can I evolve those and make them have taste buds? Then I can still taste food!


    TreeTree, why did you ask the servants to pour coffee? It was strangely Laufen who breached to topic.


    Coffee... is beneficial to trees.


    Ive never heard of such a thing.


    Only ancient, ancient trees like myself. I lied. Only those who have lived the aeons would desire the taste of things.


    Ah. Then would you like tea as well? Or chocte?


    Yes. That would be great. Pour it into the small hole next to the tree of prayers.


    I should first evolve my roots to have taste receptors. Now I just need to block out the taste of... dirt.


    <b>Year 84 Month 12</b>


    Huh? Lilies randomly had a statement.


    > Am I... talking to the same person? <


    What?


    Oh. In short... because Lilies is like a choir... theres bits of it that has... different personalities? And each of them does things differently?


    > Is there one in charge? <


    I... decided not to think about it. Its like Im talking to a bunch of schoolkids and each of them have a word to say.


    Apparently the heroes had a skirmish with the demon king. Somehow, they managed to escape the fight itself. But it was quite... uh... stupid of them. 3 against the demon king? What were they thinking? At least none of them died.


    Meanwhile, the other heroes in the other continents are still clearing their respective continents of the demons, and apparently, making some ns. Are theying?


    As winter sets in, I sensed unusual energiesing from the heroes tower. I didnt know what it is, and I tried to get thebs to scan, but the energy fluctuated slightly, and then... was back to normal again. It felt like star mana, but without any detailed results, I wasnt sure.


    -


    This winter, weve managed to get a bit more evergreen nts to grow. Some traders managed to bring in winter-resistant nts from farawaynds, and that made me very happy. Its nice to have fellow winter-friendly trees.


    Down far south, near the Lake Lilypod, the Lake itself is a source of warmth, and it doesnt freeze over. The unmoving giant tree-walker, sprawled over the ground, now overgrown with trees.


    Its warmer here. South is nearer to where the sun is after all, and some simple astronomical rules still apply, even if there are more moons toplicate the water-level movements.


    The giant walker just... died. A trader mentioned, walking past the giant thing. To them, its dead. The difference between a dead giant walker and a giant walker infested with vines and trees, in practice, is really still a dead, unmoving thing.


    The King ordered that no one approach the walker though. The King referred to the elected ruler of the Giant Lilypod City, truly, just the ruler of the humans. I suspect Lilies is inmunication with him to some degree, but then, its probably a secret it doesnt want to share.


    A few carts filled with corpses move past. Andter, they dumped all the corpses into theke.


    Its really quite fast that the walker is covered in trees, though. A trader said. They were just walking past my [giant attendant trees]. And these massive trees, they just... appeared.


    Must be the Lilypod magic.


    Really, you think so?


    All tree spirits have the bloom effect. Its like... a fact. One other trader said. Ive never heard of a tree spirit without having some kind of supergrowing ability.


    Why would the Giant Lilypod do such a thing?


    Maybe the giant walkers like... super fertile or something? It does have a lot of magic in it.


    Really? I think this trader just says really all the time.


    Im guessing. Im guessing! The traderughed.


    A bunch of adventurers quickly pushed them on. Good sirs, please, lets get moving.


    Ah, yes yes.


    Escorts are still needed after all. Demons arent over yet.


    Huh. I would like to visit a floating city for a change. I wonder itll be more like Venice, or whether itll be like those floating markets of Southeast Asia? Or is it more like living in some kind of floating oil rig?


    -


    The demons kept up their attacks, but without the walkers, the regr armies arent really much of a problem.


    Thats the 30th Demon Elite I killed. Lausanneined. And no levels this time!


    Juraughed. Maybe... you should let them do the fighting. You just help when they really cant do it. There was a bunch of other Valthorns, the strongest of them in their level 30s, a pretty good level for their age. Almost-genius, even.


    Uh... okay. Lausanne realised she just said something that wasnt going to go her way.


    Try to y a [leader] role then, instead of the vanguard. Maybe you can get some kind of leadership ss.


    Cant I just ask TreeTree for it?


    Stop asking TreeTree for everything, Lausanne. A good champion doesnt depend on handouts.


    But heroes got their powers handed to them on a silver tter!


    Jura paused. True, but still, if you depend on someone elses power, it means you are not there yet! With how cold winter is, everyones practicing indoors. We have plenty of space.


    -


    Stratreegos found a magic spot.


    Arge, dark cave was located on one of the mountains. Its further west, even further from the volcano. There were monstrous bats,rge crab-monsters.


    I sighed.


    Probably a ck element location again. I honestly dont understand why my soul forge is blue. Im a tree, shouldnt I be green? But magic does what magic does, it is what it is. Is ck, red and blue magic moremon in this world?


    Should I still take it though, since I have one forest rod.


    But with the heroes power growing so quickly, their summoned armies already sweeping through many parts of the continent, destroying demons in the process, the odds of me locating a demon rod for capture is slim.


    Already, more rumors and newses from thend beyond. That the heroes are able to call on units that are like... superunits, able to take on a demon walker single handedly. That meant they could now attack the demonic forces on multiple fronts, expanding their force projection ability to counter the demons reach.


    Have they passed level 100? It sounds like some of them did.


    If so, the odds of a final battle with the demon king is soon.


    I want a superunit too. Its quite unfair that I have to get a heroic soul to summon a titan, and they can do it with... level 100. The gods really loaded the die with them.


    -


    <b>Year 85 Month 1</b>


    A new year begins.


    Its almost 3 years since the demon king has arrived, by my own clock, year 82 Month 2. This war has gone on for far too long.


    Everywhere, its weariness. A sense of exhaustion in the people. Rumors of frustrations among the many kings and queens. Whats taking the heroes so long to just get to it. Even me, Im just tired of demons.


    For the past 3, no 4 years Ive been battling demons throughout my domain.


    But there is also rising hope.


    Its going to end soon.


    The question that happens, inevitably, is when, and where its going to end. And for most of the kings, how to avoid being... coteral damage in the cataclysmic battle that urs.


    The question of where, is most certainly our current continent. The demon king is finally at the site of Demon King, and predictably, consistent with the Astaroth incident, it summoned a demon. A demon shaped like arge airship.


    It didnt seem like the demon king was intent on going anywhere else. It wasnt moving, and instead, it stopped, and released a massive energy st that incinerated the surroundings of the former site, what was once a crater, turned into arger one.


    And we all felt it.


    A strong energy that pushed back against my auras. A kind of energy so dry, that I felt like its attempting to strip my mana away from me. The tower vibrated, its divine energies triggered to create a shield, and even then it felt the tower pull, no, demand energy from the surroundings to reinforce itself.


    So strange.


    But it was a taunt.


    Thanks to that unidirectional wave, we all know where the demon king is. Like a zing fire, all we have to do is follow the warmth.


    It calls out to them. The demon king and the image of the previous one.


    I can almost feel the words that it meant, through that wave. <i>Come, heroes.</i>


    <i>Time to settle this fight.</i>


    -


    That energy wave triggered magical defensive spells, like how lightning sometimes triggered rms.


    Even in New Freeka, some simple enchantments, like door reinforcement spells, or enchanted weapons made unusual sounds and had strange shapes appear on them.


    And the hex? The residual hex thats now pooled together, cordoned away from the general masses? They reacted strongly to the wave. It wasnt absorbing it, but it didnt like it at all, and a strange, purple-ish glow appeared over them.


    So, it was time to bunker up or run away. Some of them choose to travel further away from it. Its a sensible choice. The demon king is taunting the heroes to go to it, but at the same time, its a signal to everyone else to run away.


    Which many did.


    For those that didnt, or couldnt, we bunkered up. The sewers and underground tunnels project thankfullypleted, the citizens started stocking up designated storage areas in the underground tunnels.


    The tunnels go quite deep into the ground, after all, the demon kings clearly have incredible destructive power, and shallow, near-surface tunnels are still going to get destroyed easily.


    Ive also restocked my constantly growing arsenal of anti-demon wooden bolts. If it everes down to a fight, Im not going to go down easily.


    I hope I dont get involved. But a part of me knew thats wishful thinking. Its on this continent after all.


    In the long eternity of time, one day, I will have to face the demon king. Whether by chance or by intention.

 Heroes and the Final Boss Fight

    Heroes and the Final Boss Fight


    8 yes, 3 no. So its time. It was Astra who said it, announcing the decision of the vote to the group.


    Are you sure? Are we sure? One of the heroes asked.


    We cant hold this on forever. Weve all voted yes. Lets go with it.


    A quiet silence. Although the heroes power is incredible, they all felt it. The gnawing sense that the power is biting into their minds, the stronger it gets, the more itpels them to just go at the demons. Its almost like a bloodlust. They all looked like they havent slept in months. Eyebags and all.


    Was it always like this?


    I... I dont think so. No records I checked had it. But then again... very few heroes took... 3 years to y the demon king. Mostly because the battles are all confined on the same continent, so... it just tends to end rather quickly.


    All of them didnt sleep well. At night, they all get nightmares. It wasnt like this before, but it started a month, no, two months ago. At first it was mild, buttely its more and more gruesome. Death. Destruction.


    Were they going insane?


    But were just walking into the demon kings trap. It wants us to go! We must hold on till the time is right.


    When is the time right? We are all about level 100 plus now. Astra is even level 120! We cant wait forever. Weve discussed this many times, and its time. Its waiting for us, and I think we should take up the challenge.


    Some of them kept the thoughts to themselves. Harris too, had nightmares. So much death. The ughter of cities. The sacking of so many kingdoms to the demonic hordes.


    But why?


    Why?


    So. The n is, using the existing towerwork, Ill do a [mass recall], and that will teleport everyone of us to one of the towers. Harris, Mirei, Becky, let us know which tower is the best. Im guessing the demon king knows and can sense us, based on how their walkers and supercannons behaved, so honestly, the nearest tower would be the best.


    The nearest tower is not functioning. Its too near and the demonic wave it emits has shredded the tower. Mirei exined. Theres a tower near Nungs capital. Well use that.


    Alright. Will you all be there?


    Were somewhere north, but we are headed down.


    Before that. Harris... we heard you attempted to fight the demon king? You didnt tell us about that in our previous call.


    No. Its more like... it.. Uh... erm...


    Mirei, Becky and Harris looked at each other, wondering who should exin.


    So? One of them were impatient. Truth be told, all of them were edgy, theck of sleep and nightmares made everyone rough. Already, there were dissatisfaction with each other. Harris heard that even the previous heroes had conflicts, people after all never worked together perfectly.


    We kind of just... found it. It attacked us, and we fled as fast as we could.


    How strong is it?


    Strong enough. Harris didnt want to say too much.


    Didnt try to fight it? One of them asked. Who knows, you could win? So far all the demons weve faced were talked about as incredibly powerful, but now our summons can take them on! Maybe this demon kings a chump too.


    Two heroes looked at each other. Victor, and Gustav, they were both there when Pooja died. It was an ident, in a way. They made a mistake, and Pooja was in the wrong position. They wanted to say something, but somehow both didnt say it.


    No. We... we thought we should do it all together. Harris said.


    Heh. As expected. One of them sneered. Its been 2 years since they all arrived, and few friendships stay the same in that time.


    So... we all teleport to the location? One of the other heroes stepped in.


    Yes. Astra, sensing the moment. Anything else?


    No.


    -


    Harris sighed to himself. They all just happened to be in the same bus, somehow. Theres a camaderie, at least, with Becky and Mirei, as the three of them travelled together, and fought many battles together.


    But none of that with the other 9, no.. 8 heroes. They were not close to Pooja, and honestly, when Pooja died, the three of them... didnt really feel anything. No, actually, all they felt was a very very strong desire for revenge. To get back at the demons.


    We need to think. Tea? Mirei asked.


    Yeah. I need that tea now. All three of them huddled together. Some dried tea leaves, and they made a brew. Ginger voured, somehow. Theres some ginger leaves mixed in.


    They all had a sip of the New Freekan tea leaves. And felt their anger, their... craving to fight subside a little.


    Okay. Lets discuss what we heard.


    All of them are going to port in, and were going to fight the demon king. Absolutely a trap. Becky said, taking another sip. The smell of the ginger is in the air.


    Astra has a point, we cant avoid this forever. Even if its a trap, they dont seem to be in any state to resist the... effects of our powers. Even this teas effectiveness weakens with each level we gain.


    Harris sighed again. Somewhere, a squad of heavily armed shields are fighting demons. He can feel it.


    And Astras mind-link will help.


    Weve never tested it. Were cing too much trust on a skill that supposedly will make us work seamlessly.


    They seem to believe the skill will do what it says it does.


    And no evidence so far refutes that. So, I reckon it will help.


    Harris, Becky and Mirei shared a nce. A lightning elemental was roasting a few chunks of meat. The lightning helped to char the skin a bit, giving it a bit of a crisp. A metallic suit of armor chopped some vegetables, and a small goblin-ish creature is peeling some meat of some shellfish.


    Theres a camp behind them. Theyve been using their summons for all sort of chores, such as carrying camp-gear. All powered by star mana. Star manas an amazing thing. Itsts long, and just a bit could sustain their summons for almost a week, longer for their smaller, menial summons.


    So were still going with the n, then. Mirei said softly.


    Its our best shot. Even with all these random factors remaining, and the rest of them clearly cant wait any more. Any longer wed probably fight each other. At least we can finish whatever we were brought to this world for. Harris sighed. He was exining it more for himself. Hes hardly convinced it was the best idea, but in the end he still voted for it.


    Its like being forced to swallow a bitter pill to not die.


    Becky refilled her cup of tea. Well. Harris is right. It is our best shot.


    Harris finished his meal, and then took out what resembled a forge. Two lightning elementals and a fire elemental helped him with his forging.


    Truth was, Harris scouted the demon king. Whatever Lady Mika left behind, made him wonder whether theres a trap. The previous group of heroes fell for it, and here they are, walking right into it.


    So Harris, without telling the other 3 groups, decided to scout the demon king out. He prepared beforehand, a special teleportation scroll, some backup abilities with both Becky and Mirei, a lightning-powered temporary recall, and a lightningspeed boost. And high powered summons as backup. Perhaps they could buy time.


    The demon king took the shape of a massive spider with four circr ring on top, forming something resembling a verandah, and at intervals, the verandah functioned as a demonic summoning portal, it forcefully opened a massive rift, and each time, one more demon walker emerged. Next to it was arge floating castle filled with jagged spires, it radiated a reddish glow.


    He could feel its power grow, and then ebb. Then he noticed that its synchronised with the gate on the demon king.


    Its acting as a power generator to summon more demons.


    Instead of relying on leylines and magic spots.. It decided to tap on whatevers left on the previous demon kings.


    Yet, Harris watched a bit too long, and the demon walkers started firing.


    He fled. As fast as he could. He wasnt mad. There were at least 2 million demons in that massive valley. At least thirty walkers. It was going to be a massive battle at scale. And... flyers. There were creatures that resembled... wyverns.


    It turned out... sure, they were gaining levels, but it was going to be a race. If these 2 million demons went out in all directions, how long would it take for them to stop it? Could they gain levels fast enough that they could beat back the horde of demons that ravaged the world?


    And yet, Harris didnt feel guilty not sharing this information with the rest of them. And honestly, he didnt know why his two friends didnt either.


    -


    Astra looked at the map. Itsid out on arge table, and it marked where the towers are located.


    Something doesnt make sense.


    What? Naya looked bored. Why are you studying the maps they sent you? All we got to do is teleport there, and do what we gotta do. Weve got super-summons now, and the demons are still giving us the same kind of opponents.


    Arent you underestimating the demon king?


    And the gods are underestimating me. Naya said. Astra could only roll his eyes.


    Astra looked at the map again. He roughly measured the distance between where the demon king is, and the nearest tower. Why such arge distance? What is the demon king nning? Harris met it, yet... Why did he not say much? Did he have something to hide?


    I cant wait. Naya said. After this is all over, Ill get to live life as an emperor with a massive harem.


    Astra didnt reply. There really was no need to.


    Go sleep.


    Astra didnt. Naya slept. Feeling like he wasnt going anywhere, he went for a walk, and found Gerrard on a hill. It wasnt hard spotting him.


    Gerrard nodded at him. Heya. Not sleeping yet?


    I could ask you the same question. Astra noticed a mug and a few barrels of beer by the side. They were all schoolkids when they got here, but its been 2 years, and well, everyone had different ways of coping with the... nightmares. In Gerrards case, it was... beer.


    They were underaged, after all, but whos going to stop heroes with super-growth spells from buying beer?


    He was through a barrel, sadly thats what he needed to get drunk, since as a hero, he had some poison resistance, and he had a summon that collected his beer from the nearby towns. Helped that some of his summons are diators which can speak a few words.


    Hmm. Are you here to make sure I fix my guys weapons? There was a dius at the side, made from a mix of regr metal and star mana. Something they made in their free time. Gerrard had the benefit of having equippable summons. His elite star-mana diators could will items he made, and the level 100 super-summons, the super


    Weve passed that stage. Astra grinned, there was a small magical staff at his side. It was weird, that all heroes gained a crafting option together with star mana, and that crafting option seemed exceptionally personal, in the sense that none can make something like someone else. It was through a mix of star mana and their personal will that these hero-artifacts were made.


    Maybe there were crafter-heroes in past generations, people, no.. heroes who could recreate other heroic artifacts.


    So... why are you here? Gerrard stood. They exchanged a look.


    You voted no. The voting results were public. There was no use hiding who voted what. Why?


    Because I felt like it.


    Astra red. Gerrard met the re, and after 5 seconds decided to look away. Youre lying.


    Maybe.


    Wont you tell me the truth? The demon kings not far away. We should go in with our eyes wide open.


    Gerrard looked disgusted. Must everything be the demon king? Every time I get drunk, the only thing on my mind is, why is everyone just talking about the demons all the freaking time?


    Because thats why we are here.


    Fucking twisted logic you got there. Why did we ept this task so wholeheartedly anyway? Its not as if demons did anything to us.


    But they did so much to thend?


    How do you even know if they are real? If any of this is... real?


    It feels like it, and thats good enough. Real or not, the wrongs must be righted.


    Again with that twisted logic. But you know, I had to vote no. Even if I knew all of you would have voted yes.


    Then tell me, why.


    Because Nayas overconfident in his skills, you are overconfident in your skills. Almost everyone is overconfident in their own abilities. Were going to go and fight the demon, and well realise how inadequate we were all these while.


    Weve reached level 100.


    So? Is there a rule somewhere that the demon king is a level 100 threat? Why not level 200? How do we even know level 100 is enough? Because its 3 digits instead of two? Because of a feeling you all feel, and that nagging, screaming pain every time you sleep?


    Astra paused, and suddenly, yeah. Why did they feel it is... enough? Just because the demon walkers are now easy, does that mean they are ready for the next level, the king itself? What if the gap between the king and walkers is massive, as it should be? Yet, that moment of difort and insecurity didntst, like a candle in the wind, it went poof.


    Theres 11 of us.


    And the demon kings predecessors has clearly killed many of them.


    And there were survivors. Many kingdoms have a hero in their lineage. No glory without some sacrifice. Dont you want to be King?


    Gerrard looked disgusted. Thats what we are, eh? Wee here, defeat a demon king, and then go on and make a fuckton of babies and leave our magical weapons for them.


    Well... Astra wanted to say yes. But he knew better.


    Our alliancests up till we kill the demon king. Were not friends after that.


    Astra shrugged. Its really optimistic to expect 12 kids in the same bus to somehow stick together for two to three years. Thats all we need.


    -


    A weekter, they all teleported to the site. Its a secluded tower located on a mountain, there were subtle mana flows in the ground that helped amplify the towers energies.


    Astra was first to arrive, and he activated the [global recall]. That brought the rest of them there.


    Its much stronger here... its presence. The heroes looked at each other. For those located on different continents, it was the first time they met face-to-face since that day on the bus, or that moment with the gods. But they were referring to the taunt that the demon king emitted. Its constant... aura.


    Harris, Becky and Mirei looked at them. Wee to the central continent.


    Yeah yeah. We are going for the demon king immediately? Naya shrugged.


    Some of them nodded. A few looked uncertain. Astra, who was level 125, took the lead. Lets go. Theres really no point dying this entire thing. Can you three lead the way?


    Sure, but do you guys need to call on your summoned armies? Or they can appear at any second?


    Gustav and Lombard both nodded. AH, my powers need a bit time to appear, and I have artilery forces, I will need to position my bombardment units at a distance.


    Harris took out the map again, there was a red star showing where the demon king is, and a big red ring around it.


    Whats the red ring?


    The demon kings army.


    Ah. Fodder for us. Harris winced at the word, but didnt say a thing. He pointed to a chain of hills and slopes further out. Whats the range of your artillery? Is this ce far enough?


    How far is that? I mean... uh... Lombard looked at the map. He had an issue tranting distances on maps into range. In practice, he used his own forces to sense where it is, and he had spotter units which helped his artillery units find targets.


    Harris didnt know how to exin distances too, not in this world where kilometers and all didnt really mean much. They didnt have measurement tools. What was one days horse ride away, and was it even universal? Different horses travel different speeds, whatmore for those with riding skills.


    Never mind, use the demon kings aura as a gauge? Astra intervened. Lets move. Feel free to break off to set up your forces.


    Gustav the golem-master and Lombard the cannoneer nodded. Sure.


    It wasnt hard to find a demon king thats actively transmitting its presence to the heroes. And stranger still, that none of the kingdoms attempted to hex-bomb the demon king. In fact, the hexbombs mostly stopped once the heroes got their groove going. After all, why sacrifice lives when the heroes summoned units can fight walkers for you?


    The demon king warped the terrain with it right in the middle. Itsrge, massive legs embedded into the ground, drawing mana and energy from the. In a way, it resembled an extremelyrge oil rig that pulled that mana, and then used it to produce walker after walker. The floating castle next to it, also generated mana and fed it to the king.


    When the heroes first saw what they were up against, it was a mixed reaction.


    Those overconfident ones merely grinned. Ah, no matter how many of these fodders they make, its not going to stop us.


    Some felt this validated their choice, that, it was time to fight the demon king anyway. Dying it was not going to solve the problem. And those who voted no, in their minds, this was the moment that made them feel like it was always inevitable. Its either they fight the demons, or the demons destroy the world. It was a game, isnt it?


    Its waiting for us. Let''s not keep it waiting. Astra nodded, and he triggered the star mana forms. Around him, phantoms started appearing and they charged into the horde of demons before them. Astras body itself coated by a white sheen, as if he was a divine being here to bestow divine retribution.


    Thousands, tens of thousands of phantoms appeared. A one-man army, and it ripped through the regr demonoids like paper. The walkers, some 150 of them towered across the battlefield, and they started shooting their energy sts. They were always in position, and the quiet skies was ripped by the thundering shots.


    Each of the heroes summoned their forces. Tens of thousands of summoned creatures, almost a hundred thousand summoned creatures magically appeared from portals, as if it was a scene from Endgame. One of them, of course, had to quip.


    Were in the endgame now. And this is our final battle with Thanos.


    I hope not, I dont want one of us to die.


    If only one of us die, thats a win.


    Gustav summoned massive golems, fifteen of them, each asrge as a walker, and with powers no inferior to it. Magical, yet mechanical constructs, they resembled giant-sized Antman fighting the massive leviathans when they wrestled the walkers. Lombard had self-propelling railguns in the distance, and they matched the walkers energy sts. Each hero brought their own type of special armies. Harris had walking shield generators that deflected energy sts, protecting summoned units from the enemies.


    For close to two hours, the entire crater was engulfed in battles, as demons and the summoned creatures shed. Still, the demonoids were never able to hold back the heroes forces, even if they thinned them greatly. Even if giant demonic wyverns ripped the summoned railguns to shreds, there were always more summoned units.


    Yet, the demon king remained unmoved in the middle. All it did was concentrating its power on its throne, its massive legs unmoving, above, its massive gate-like horns, eight of them, a rift right in the middle of that cavity.


    As they got nearer, they changed targets, and they started to attack the demon kings massive body. Those attacks met a massive energy barrier, the railgun bolts vibrated and rippled on the barrier like a rock that dropped into ake.


    Their summoned units gradually gained an upper hand. The overconfident heroes started to feel vindicated. The demon kings army was nothing much after all, not much before 11 heroes and theirbined armies,plete with all the stacking auras each of them had!


    Yet, the demon king didnt move. Nor did the shadow of the former demon king.


    The rift changed color.


    The heroes attacked, again, at the barrier. The barrier held on, but it was cracking. Small holes started to emerge, and some summoned units got close to the demon kings legs. They attacked.


    The rift turned red.


    Naya, the archmage with an army of summoned water and ice elementals attacked, raining ice on the battlefield. He too was enveloped in a sheen of white-bluish light, his magical longstaff had a dark blue crystal.


    The demon kings army was down to half, and almost all the demon walkers, elites and generals were down. The fodder, surprisinglysted longer, because theres just so many of them.


    But they are fodder.


    Truly, only the demon king itself mattered.


    The rift turned a darker red, almost maroon.


    Is it going to fire? Harris looked, a massive ice st finally cracked the barrier. The heroes units were cut down to less than a quarter now, but it was now between them and the King.


    This was why they saved star mana.


    The gigantic golems attacked the unmoving demon king, its massive body resembled a castle that didnt move despite the attacks. Thats not to say the golems attack were ineffective. They worked, there were small wounds and scars where the golems attacked. Its just that the demon king was a monstrous thing, a city in a creature. From a distance, its present form resembled a massive spider with super thick legs, and another upside-down spider on the top, its legs represented the horns that created the rift.


    The heroes attacked. Their summoned creatures damaged the demon king.


    But its too slow.


    The rift turned purple.


    Then, in a short sh, it shot out a thick purple beam, that cut a massive gash in the ground, and all the way till the horizon, destroying everything in its path.


    And one hero stood in its path, her body burning from its purple mes, and then she felt into the gash below. She died, and all her summoned units vanished with it.


    All the heroes felt a surge of anger, as they lobbed more attacks. There was no need


    The rift is grey again. This time, the floating castle moved to attack, firing smaller red beams from its many spires.


    Who was that? Harris shouted. They were all spread out in the battlefield, their forces made everything messy.


    Astra checked his status. He was like the chat administrator who could see who went offline. ...Simone.


    What?! Those from the same ce felt some loss. For the rest of them, it was... just a name. The demon king was before them, and now this... thing was attacking them. It tore through the stronger summoned units easily.


    Focus on the demon king, theres still 10 of us, and that rift takes forever to charge. We can win this.


    The rift turned orange.


    You fucking jinx of a mouth. Naya cursed, as he lobbed spell after spell at the demon kings body. The demon kings body had cracks, but its like ants making microscopic cuts on a giant elephant. Sure, there are cuts, but its going to take a while for it to take down the giant.


    Get rid of the floating castle!


    Spells flew, golems, railguns and lightning sts zapped the floating castle. Slightly smaller than the demon king, and clearly less sturdy, each attack made it wobble in midair, and the red beams tend to lose its path.


    The rift was still orange, but it was getting darker.


    More cracks appeared throughout the massive body of the demon king. Even the gargantuan golems looked like little children trying to fight with an adult. Some of the heroes concentrated fire on the floating castle.


    A shadow of the former demon king, it was hardly as strong. No, it was perhaps only a quarter of its stats, and so, the hits got to it easily, and the floating castle crumbled then crashed into the ground below, exposing a round red crystal.


    Uh....


    The rift was red.


    Harris instantly felt danger, and quickly activated all the summoned shields he could gather. Watch out for that thing! He shouted.


    The red crystal vibrated.


    A golem lifted it up. And flung it as far as it could.


    The rift was dark red.


    The fuck, why is the color changing so quickly?


    Aint a final boss without some asspull, yknow. This is probably one of it.


    A golem punched one of the legs, and the leg finally, after receiving so much damage from the army of summons around it, finally copsed.


    The rift was still dark red. And then, it released a shockwave of that dark red energy, scorching through most of the summoned units, destroying them instantly. It also destroyed many of the lesser demons, but by now, there were no demon walkers left.


    The wave smacked right into the heroes protective items and shields, but one of the heroes was too near, and couldnt react to it time.


    The wave burned him. And he iled like a man on fire, the reddish fire got past whatever protection he had. Naya attempted an icest to negate the fire, but it didnt work. It seemed like the fire found a life of its own, somehow it wouldnt subside.


    Healer!


    Despite the massive distance, healing was still entirely possible. The healing-dedicated hero still has a tremendous cast range, and could instantly activate healing.


    The fire didnt go away, but the wounds recovered instantly.


    Yet, the rift was still red, and then a second st went out. The healer had to put up a shield. The burning hero was still too close, and the second st turned him into ash.


    Fuck! The healer cursed, and the earth rumbled. The demon king was finally moving! Even if one of its legs was broken, it still had 7 other legs, and the two red energy waves incinerated most of the summoned units.


    So, the battlefield was quite clean. Just the surviving 9 heroes, one demon king, and some of their summons.


    Anyone have summons left? Astra asked through their live chat. At this distance, it wasnt hard to maintain some kind of VC function. Or should we focus on defense?


    I still have star mana, but I think we should restrict summons to higher tier ones. Those can take one shot! Two gigantic golems remained, but the red mes enveloped them, and they slowly melted them. Some diators too were around, they had the benefit of having star-mana artifacts that allowed them to tank the wave.


    The demon king moved rather slowly, it was pulling out its massive legs embedded deep into the ground. Each leg left a deep hole, and as it lifted its body up to walk, they saw something resembling a mouth for the first time.


    Located at the bottom of its body, it looked like the central part of an octopus, only made with demonic-matter, and it glowed in various colors. And there were smaller mouths.


    They were open.


    SHIELDS! They all felt it, and all the mouths spat out a red fire, coating everything beneath the demon king in an inferno.


    This time, the already damaged golems crumbled and turned back into... nothing.


    We need to skip our summons!


    But then whats the point of all our army skills?


    Its just to get to this point!


    Then its fucked!


    Well, except for the ranged magical railguns who, thankfully, was out of range of the initial sts. Two survived, and they could continue bombardment. Still, the damage it dealt was miniscule.


    Well, the demon king did take damage from the earlier attacks, and throughout its massive body there were wounds and scars.


    Concentrated attack! Use star mana forms! Harris yelled out. In his mind, he wondered why did the notes talked about using star-mana forms to fight the demon king. Lets get on its body, there should be cores we can attack, rather than try to take on the entire structure!


    Good point! Naya waved his wand and an icesheet levitated him up.


    The demon kings many mouths opened, and this time, they lobbed small energy sts, in the millions. They rained down on the heroes below, attempting to dy the heroes from approaching its main body.


    Did this demon king take notes from bullet hell or something? Layers onyers of ice shield appeared, blocking the little sts.


    We made a mistake, we should have just gone for the main body right away!


    What, and get caught by the red wave? We didnt even know it could do that! All the heroes had activated their defensive abilities. The overconfidence from the early stage had faded. They witnessed two of them die, maybe theyd be next. There was no time to be reckless and hold back some abilities in reserve.


    Still, the rain of energy bullets did not deter the heroes at all, and very quickly, all of them were on the demon kings main body. There were no lesser demons, but parts of the demon king that attacked them. Throughout its body, spires transformed into tentacles or beam-towers, attacking the invading heroes.


    The heroes spread out, looking for cores or hearts. Things that powered the demon king. They hacked at everything that looked like it could hold something like that, their star-mana powered abilities, now at close range, easily cut through any defenses the demon king had. Even while the massive monster moved.


    They had to be wary. The rift was now orange again, and gradually, it turned reddish. And the massive size of the demon king meant they could be hacking and attacking nothing for hours. Their strongest area spellscked the focused damage needed to cut through the demon kings defenses.


    One hero summoned her elites to help out, and well, the elites were useless. Unless they had equipment made or infused with star mana, the damage they deal was close to nothing.


    We need to split up!


    The demon king suddenly stopped, and it.... Jabbed one of itsrge legs into the ground.


    The heroes braced for the sudden shaking and copse of the demon kings body to the ground, they had magic to keep them steady and floating.


    Then it did so again. A second leg pierced the ground.


    Why is it doing that? How far have we moved?


    The heroes suddenly realised they were no longer in the crater. The demon king had moved a good distance during the 30-40 minutes they were attacking its body. Its massive size and magic meant they hardly felt the move.


    Whats going on?


    It was that very moment, through the entirety of the world... all the demonoids shook... and disintegrated into small ashlike particles. Then the ashes started moving, as if swept by a wind, all towards the demon king. They moved intensely, and throughout the world, a strong, hurricane-like wind wrecked, damaged and killed many, as this wind carried all these ashes to the demon king.


    Its the transformation! All boss fights must have another form! This must be it! The heroes didnt realise the issue.


    Stop it! Astra yelled. We must find the source before this transformationpletes!


    HOW? The heroes were attacking the demon kings body as much as they can. Some of the concentrated their attacks on the center, believed that the demon king would have its core in the center.


    Harris paused and took a sip from a sk. He closed his eyes momentarily, willing his body and soul to sense the demon king. The demon king could sense them, and they could sense the demon king. Lady Mikas notes were clear on that. Maybe they had to find it using that sense. And indeed, he did. Theres four cores! He pointed them out and quickly rushed to the one nearest to him.


    The heroes managed to destroy three cores, and even so it took them two hours. Way longer than they liked, despite how strong their star-mana was. There were just too many tentacles, monsters and spires in the way. Two hours never felt so long.


    The ashes all arrived, and then the body itself also turned into ash.


    Quick! Find the core. Attack it when its ash form! They did find it. And they attacked it with all their might.


    The ash was too thick. After all, it was a mass made from all the demons generated throughout the world.


    The ash formed together into arge sphere, it floated in the sky as if there was a dark moon, its massive size turned day into night.


    The heroes attacked relently, hoping to interfere with its transformation.


    The sphere split into ten smaller spheres, and nine of the spheres transformed into humanoid-shaped warriors. The heroes wondered why their attacks failed to stop the transformation,


    Thest sphere transformed into a grotesque massive demon rod. It was asrge as a tower. And it then jammed deep into the ground.


    Uh?


    Dont stop! Astra yelled, there were 9 of them, and 9 demons. That rod must be the core!


    What they saw then, the very earth itself transformed into an unnatural terrain. The demon rod is a scaled up, demon-king version of the demon rod. They also saw something... strange.


    Spirits. Of their two fallenrades, bound by the demon king rod. It... siphoned energy from the two glowing white spirits, and it pulsed. With each pulse, the demon rod gains power, and spreads its influence further.


    The heroes didnt have to ask much. They understood it by seeing. They had to stop it. The demon king wanted their souls for energy.


    And the 9 demons stood in their way. Oddly sized just like them, they resembled... humans? All of them had two hands, two legs, one head all in human-like ways. And each of them held a different weapon. They were grey, unlike the usual reddish brown the demonoids had.


    The heroes attacked. Theres not much to talk, even if they looked human. And these 9 demons matched the heroes for it. At first.


    They felt the presence of the demon king spread further and further in the ground, and simultaneously, the environment around them started burning with a ck fire. Demon fire. Theyve seen this. They were briefed of it.


    The 9 demons kept up. Somehow the star mana wasnt as effective on them as before... as if they were made of something... else. The heroes, exhausted from their earlier long battles, found themselves digging as deep as they could to stand up to them.


    Some of the heroes did better. Those proficient in closebat, like Gerrard, was the first to stab his star mana sword through one of the demons, and the demon turned into ash. 8 left. And then one of the demons stabbed its rapier into Nayas chest, and instantly, Naya started to turn into... ash. 8 of them left.


    The 8 grey ashdemons seemed to take their attacks as if they were just regr adventurers. A part of them wanted to ask.. .how? But the adrenaline and exhaustion meant they just kept fighting.


    The heroes were leading. Those focused on closebat, Gerrard and Harris, started gaining an edge. They defeated five, and lost Helen, Gustav and Lombard.


    Only five of them left. Harris, Gerrard, Astra, Mirei and Becky. And 3 ashdemons left. The ashdemons power waned, and thats when they realised the demon king couldnt keep maintaining them forever.


    They killed the 3 ashdemons, and turned their focus on the massive rod.


    They had to break it. They all felt it, the scream and wailing of theirrades being drained, unable to move on. The earth itself tried to resist the demonic influence, but powered by the heroes star mana, the earth couldnt hold it back.


    The corruption had spread as far as their eyes could see, maybe even further. Maybe even some of the cities would have seen the demon mes, because... the entire skyline was just... ck fire. The battle against the ashdemon took too long. Three hours, maybe four. The sky was already dark, but because the demon fire was everywhere, they didnt realise it.


    They pulled their power together, exhausted as they were. They didnt know how much star mana they used, and by now, it felt like theyve went past their reserve and some. They didnt even know how they managed to use thatst attack and destroyed the demon king rod.


    [Demon King Sabnoc has been in].


    But the corruption... was not going away.


    And the corruption had spread almost half of the entire central continent, with it, that half rendered nigh inhabitable.


    New Freeka was well within the range of the spread.

 Calamitree

    Cmitree


    Spaizzer One of Two Chapters this week


    <b>Year 85 Month 1</b>


    It wasing. We could feel it in our roots, our trunks, our bodies. Every bit of us, we felt it. As if the earth itself cried out for help, and none of us could do anything. There was a tide out there, in that distance, and it came so quickly.


    So, so very quickly.


    All at once, the soul realm was flooded with deaths.


    Something had spread throughout the continent, and deaths. I could almost feel it, the entirety of Nung burned up and destroyed. Barsoom, gone in a sh. It happened so quickly, as the earth itself rotted and turned into this... demonic thing.


    Our extended subsidiary trees felt it first, its presence rushing in, and rather quickly, those distant subsidiary trees burned almost instantly in the dark demonic mes. The giant attendant trees too, started to burn, but they are stronger, and they share more of our powers, and so... they never truly burned. Instead, they resembled my past, when I was a small stump, engulfed in a ck me, but not dead.


    It spread quickly, and its amazing how quickly it did. But we had no time to think about that, because we felt death everywhere, and we felt like pebbles on the beach, watching a tsunamie in.


    All we could do, is stand our ground and face it.


    Everyone, the best ce now, is to get as near me as possible. Into the woods. We spoke to the elves and everyone, and they ran as fast as they could.


    One-by-one, I lose my link to my faraway trees nearest to the demon king. Its as if I was ying Steris and some unknown extradimensional disaster started swallowing up all my stars. And it happened so quickly.


    We had maybe... half and hour at the rate the corruption was expanding. That was our guess. Maybe it would slow down because of the area covered increases squared the further the corruption goes, and so the same energy wouldnt be able to corrupt as many ces?


    And it wasing through the ground.


    Dont go underground.


    What?


    No. The best ce now is above ground, and watch for thingsing from beneath?


    Whats even happening? One of them asked, but Juras trained enough that he doesnt question me all that much.


    Batch-by-batch my trees disappear in a sh, but indeed... it was slightly slowing? But not by much. The fires and the corruption burned so quickly, that I hardly got a view of whats going on. I ced arge wall of subsidiary trees and giant attendant trees as it approaches, I wanted to see how they performed. Its literally like the earth itself was... rotting and burning simultaneously, and the wall held just a short second before it too overwhelmed my trees and burnt them.


    Shit. There was a whole load of madness and chaos, as some people did as they are told, but some didnt.


    They ran for the woods. I hoped that having a huge number of trees mutually reinforcing the aura would somehow slow it down or stop it alltogether.


    I tried again, it was getting much, much closer. The demons presence was like a wave, it pushed closer and closer. Its still not in the valley yet, but maybe... 10 minutes to impact.


    Tell everyone to prepare for fire and and the earth cracking.


    Those who managed to run into the woods did so, and we mentally braced for impact.


    The treessted longer. They didnt burn as quickly.


    5 minutes.


    The trees right outside the valley burned. We could see iting. A ck tide and a sky filled with ck mes. Itsing into contact to my own roots now. And it... didnt burn much. I pushed my mana into the ground, into my roots to strengthen them, and tried to hold it.


    Like a rock in a river, this foul energy attempted to sweep me off, attacking my mana-strengthened roots. At first, I managed to hold on.


    New Freeka was still fine, for now.


    But the waves kepting. 20 minutes, the dark energies from somewhere kept up its pressure on my roots, and it even spiked and ebbed in waves. We are now like an ind in a sea of corruption, and this tide threatened to sink us as well.


    The wave was relentless, and gradually, my mana started to wane.


    A crack appeared, and with it, a huge crack appeared in New Freeka, and fire shot out of the ground. Some of the houses caught on fire, and some of the citizens died there and then. It was screaming. For many of them, its a sudden change, because a while ago its still clear skies and a sunny day.


    I tried to pull as much mana as I can, hoping to resist it, but the corruption was strong, and constant. Even so far away, another crack appeared, and this time it torched our underground sewers. I think it got a few more people who didnt listen to instruction, but I didnt have time to focus.


    TreeTree! Jura shouted.


    Were trying to hold it back. This is our immediate vicinity, and the demon kings corruption is still so strong? How?


    No time to theorize, though. We focused our efforts on stopping the corrupting energy. Feels a bit like a wooden dam thats cracking.


    And more cracks, and another part of New Freeka burns.


    Then the corrupting energy surged. It hit the wall like a massive wrecking ball, and in an instant, one third of New Freeka was in mes. There was screaming and shouting everywhere.


    TreeTree, whats going on!


    Demon king. Thats all I could answer as I tried to push back at the energy. Why did it surge so quickly? I didnt even have time to see what happened to all the elves.


    The corrupting energy surged again, and more, no, it burned more of New Freeka. People were running, and the edges of my forest were in mes. Demonic mes.


    This isnt working, TreeTree!


    I felt the demonic corrupting energy surge in again. Do I try to hold back and let it smack into the forest? What worked? Me? Should I do it again, like with Alexis?


    But... this energy is the demon kings very own energy. Its unmistakable. Can I do it?


    Treetree! Aeon! I hear faint chatter, and we feel the paining through thework. So many trees are burning.


    So many, many trees. What if? We feel the call for aid from all the trees. Screaming, wailing, if trees could scream we would be deaf.


    No.


    While we kept up the wall of mana to hold the corruption at bay, we intentionally let some of it in, and using mana, we guided it to... me.


    The demonic energies attacked my main body, but unlike the other trees, I can take it. And I kept holding on for an hour... two...


    Three...


    Four...


    And after a while, all I saw was just... darkness. I felt demonic energy and mana, and it burned. My roots, my trunk, I feel... pain.


    Pain.


    The valley... was sinking. The corruption, taking the form of the demon kings mana was unable to break through our walls, except at the funnels where the corruption was instead drawn to me. So, it went under, around, and over, and the entirety of the valley started to sink.


    I didnt know how long that was, because the pain from the demon kings corrupting mana messed with my already distorted sense of time.


    I wasnt even sure I was awake the entire time, in between feeling like I was like a chicken roasted over an open fire.


    Pain.


    The valley was submerged now, a shell made of distorted, demonic-mana tainted rock now surrounded the valley like an egg with a broken shell right on top, that barely lets some sun in. Or a snowglobe, only... our walls are made of demonic rock.


    I didnt know what happened to the elves, or New Freeka. But I reckon nothing much is left. I felt my soul realm get flooded with souls, and at the same time, a whole bunch of other notifications came in.


    [Connection to Verdant Volcano lost...]


    [Connection to ThreeTree of Mana lost...]


    [Connection to Dimitree lost]


    Pain. I lost the trees that linked me to the volcano and the magical leyline.


    Its just so painful.


    Pain. I feel the mana overwhelm me at times, and my entire main tree is burning. Yet, I know that the other trees in the valley are still somewhat safe. I can hear them.


    ck mes danced across my body, my leaves now a mix of green and ck.


    TreeTree!


    Whos that?


    TreeTree!


    Ive got no ability to respond, but should be one of the elves.


    Pain.


    Its just... madness.


    The pressure from the demons mana increased, and I felt the walls and roots buckle a little. I try to push it back, and relieve the pressure by drawing it more to me. I can barely see, but we are submerged.


    Its as if the entire terrain around us had somehow partly turned into sludge. Or was it because we are resisting, thats why it turned out that way?


    The pressure kept on, and I felt I was burning.


    But I think the valley is safe. I know it is.


    [Curse : Demonic Mana Contamination]


    [You have absorbed too much demonic mana, and you are now cursed. Your ability to remain conscious is now significantly impaired, and you will feel pain constantly.]


    The fuck is that.


    The mana pressure surged....


    And then stopped.


    [Demon King Sabnoc has been in.]


    [You received 6 fragments. You have a total of 74 fragments.]


    I felt like I needed less mana to push back against the corruption, but it still overwhelmed me. My entire body is still on fire. Its like I am the unlimited charcoal of the me. My entire body is probably charred ck now.


    The fire of the demon king clearly isnt just fire. Else Id be immune to it?


    The pain came, and went. And came again.


    The demon kings dead. But Im still in... pain. And after a while, I felt myself lose consciousness.


    <b>One Year Later, Year 86</b>


    When I woke up, I noticed the time on my record has changed by a year. I was asleep for a year, and I am still burning. The demon kings corruption is still around us, and the pain is still there.


    In fact, I was jolted awake by the pain.


    Whats happening? Is everyone okay? Are my fellow trees alive? I cant sense a thing, the demonic mes and its corruption has numbed all my senses.


    Even if I attempted to see, all I feel is... fire.


    Its like I started all over again, so many years ago.


    When I had no... senses. Its just... numb.


    I checked my notifications. Theres clearly a lot of it that Ive missed when I was... asleep.


    [Eriz, Brich, Wahlen, Emile, Belle, and 170 other familiar-users have died. You gained 3 levels. You are now level 145]


    [As Eriz is under soul contract, you received an assignable soul. Soul Forge is down]


    [Skill learned from Emiles death - Basic Tea Making]


    [Skill learned from Wahlens death - Basic Administration and Recordkeeping]


    [Skill learned from a fallen Valthorn Initiate - Pain Endurance]


    [The skill Hibernate has been significantly upgraded to Regenerating Sleep.]


    [The skill Haunted Forests significantly upgraded to a unique Skill : Forest of Ghostfire]


    [The skill Natural Mana Overwhelming upgraded.]


    Oh... I felt a twang of sadness for their death. But then again, that meant Jura, Laufen and Lausanne are still alive?


    Whats happening out there? I couldnt see a thing, even if I could feel like Im still holding back a barrier of demonic mana, and Im still drawing the demonic energies from outside.


    I could still ess my soul realm, at least.


    Eriz? In the dark,rge extradimensional space filled with many little floating lights, this is the ce where the dead goes to move on.


    A small light floats and approaches. Oh?


    What happened?


    The valley sunk and this ck wall appeared and trapped the entire valley. Almost everyone died... I was killed by a stray fire from one of the cracks in the floor.


    Do you know what else?


    No... I died quite quickly.


    Ngeh.


    I went back to my notifications, theres still a lot to go through. A year just zoomed by.


    Theres a whole bunch of skill seeds and ss seeds I received from all the people that died throughout the world. Theres so many skill seeds I could probably give ten thousand people and still have leftovers.


    From my soul realm alone theres.... Perhaps... 800,000 little lights. And theres probably more that already moved on to their next life.


    So many died?


    Trevor? Ivy? Stratreegos? Treeiner? Horns?


    Silence.


    [Unable to establish connection to Trevor or Ivy or Stratreegos or Horns. Treeiner has been destroyed. Stratreegos has been destroyed.]


    [Treeiners remains are pending collection. Do you wish to collect it?]


    [Stratreegoss remains are pending collection. Do you wish to collect it?]


    Yes.


    [Your skill : Learning Aura significantly upgraded to Genius Aura]


    [Your skill : Dream Tutor significantly upgraded to Dream Academy]


    [Your skill : Powerlevelling upgraded.]


    [You gained a skill : Instant Battlefield Root Tunnels]


    That sounds like Trevor, Ivy, and Horns are still alive. Thats good.


    And then I felt the pain again.


    The surging, surging pain.


    Why is it still so strong even when the demon king has fallen? Does his corruption take a mind of its own?


    I couldnt resist the pain, and it made me lose consciousness... again.

 Side Story: The Fall

    Side Story: The Fall


    It was a sudden day. TreeTree started screaming in their heads that something was happening, and they had to be prepared.


    Whats going on? One of the Valthorns asked Lausanne. Why do we all hear Aeons voice?


    Something bad ising! Lets go, lets go. Lausanne snapped. Theyve never had Aeon suddenly warn them in this manner. Not... ever. To the woods!


    Everyone fled, but it was a mess. The nned underground bunkers were not good ces, but not everyone got the message, so some of them still ran for the bunkers. Some wondered whether it was a false rm, like that time when the demon supercannon attacked.


    Some just shrugged it off. Nothing to worry about, Aeon will take care of it.


    For the first time, sadly, Aeons powers were not enough.


    The sky darkened almost instantly, as the shockwave of the demon kings corrupting mana flooded the distant skies. The first wave came, and they felt the entirety of the valley shake like never before. Roots started popping out of the floor, and so did cracks.


    Its as if the roots were fighting the earth itself, trying to hold the ground together despite the earth trying to break apart.


    Then came the mes. The cracks started to spit out weird, ckish things that spawned strange demon-like creatures.


    Demons! It was a battle now, but the ground was shaking uncontrobly.


    Whered theye from?


    Roots started emerging to impale the demons, and often swallowing them altogether.


    No one was free to answer.


    Lausanne activated her special familiar, and used the vine whips to quickly move, avoiding the cracking earth below. Luckily, her mom was usually found in the [secret hideout], so she figured her mom was safe.


    The ground shook, and they saw the skies turn red, and then ck. ck mes filled the distant skies, and the trees in the horizon burned.


    It wasnt hard to figure out that the demon king did something. But they can only hope to survive it.


    Another crack, this time, right across New Freeka, and a jet of ck mes shot out, burning through multiple houses and people. The fires emitted were unnatural, a mix of ck and red. People burned, and Lausanne had never seen so much death in her life.


    But she didnt panic. Somehow, somewhere, something drove her to run, using her vines to pull as many as she could out to safety.


    Buildings started copsing, the outer walls fell. Houses burned.


    Another crack.


    A streak of fire emerged.


    They ran for the woods.


    Another massive crack appeared in the ground, and ck fires emerged from the gap. Roots appeared to try and pull the cracks back together, but the roots too got burned. Still, more roots appeared to take its ce.


    All she could hear was shouts, screams and cries for help. She tried. Beetles appeared, and they moved on their own, carrying as many as they could towards the deep forests.


    Lady Lausanne, Im d youre safe. Madeus appeared, he levitated in the air using some kind of magic. He created shields and they worked somewhat to redirect the mes.


    Whats Aeon doing?


    Im sure its fighting this demonic energy. Throughout the valley there were many cracks and also many roots appearing. We dont have much time, the area closest to Aeon is the safest. We must go quickly. He levitated and also attempted to carry a few others with him, dodging jets of fire that emerged.


    Did you see Uncle Jura?


    Im afraid not, but I think he should be fine. Madeus said. I must go.


    Lausanne nodded, and sidestepped a fire jet. She created a wood shield to block a ck fire. The shield disintegrated almost instantly, but it did block it.


    People were running, but the cracks were getting bigger, especially in New Freekas outer districts. Even the Valtrian Orders headquarters were not spared, as everything just went up in mes. The hotel was partially burning too.


    Few thingssted long against the mes, but Lausanne noticed quite a number of trees that seemed to resist the fire a lot better.


    *kraaaaaaaaaaark* Another rift appeared from another direction, and then they noticed it. The valley was starting to sink, and New Freeka was torn apart.


    So many fled. A part of the dirt started to move, turning into a kind of sludge that swept through New Freeka. It was as if thend around the valley turned into a mudslide, and the roots appeared, attempting to hold the mudslide back. So, the mud moved upwards, and the roots followed.


    What... Lausanne ran. Whatever this was, this wasnt something for them.


    It was then, she saw it.


    Six massive streaks of dark energy appeared, as if pulled by something towards... Aeon. The streaks torched all the trees in its path, but left those out of its way untouched.


    It broke the illusion that hid Aeon from everyones view, and they saw it, a massive, towering tree that almost pierced the sky go up in mes. Multiple ck fire danced and raged, hopping from branch to branch. Aeons [Camouge] had broken.


    Those six streaks turned into rivers of dark energy, they seemed to flow towards Aeons now revealed position, and Aeons body burned, but it did not crumble.


    The cracking.... Stopped. Aeon had drawn in the energy to itself, and instead, a massive ck pyre emerged like a tornado, and it surrounded Aeons main body, cutting it off from everyone.


    Uh. Lausanne stopped, not sure whether to go towards Aeon, or not. The ck me is clearly some kind of demonic energy, and it didnt look safe.


    They were now... trapped. The sludge had somehow formed into a cocoon that wrapped the entire valley, held back by massive walls of roots. There was a very small hole at the top, at let in some light, but it was right above the pyre, because the wall of roots were clearly centered around Aeon.


    New Freeka... was gone. Those who managed to fled and somehow gotten to an area where theres no... dark mana, temporarily survived. But things looked bleak. What about food?


    Lausanne looked around. She still had her familiar, that meant she could still create fruits and use some nt-growth abilities. Maybe it wont be that bad.


    TreeTree. She tried to mentally call out.


    Nothing. She looked around. This... wasnt going to end soon. The sludge is still struggling against the roots, but at least the roots looked like they will hold.


    The tremors stopped, and there were no new big rifts, just smaller cracks here and there. The survivors gathered into groups, only about 5,000 left from what was a city of almost 100,000. Most of the Valtrian order and Valthorns died today.


    So few, and because of how the circumstances favored those with levels, it is indeed the higher leveled that survived, mostly. Jura, Madeus, Yvon, herself all made it. Mom too, who happened to be somewhere near uncle Jura.


    What now? The survivors gathered, some of them naturally approached Lausanne as a contact point.


    I cant reach Aeon. Lausanne looked at the 5,000 survivors. It was too sudden, too abrupt. A mud-tsunami and a firestormter, here they are. Whats left. The survivors could walk abit now, the tremors mostly stopped.


    [Message] is down. A surviving mageined. The towers been destroyed. The mud-sludge and firestorm took down the heroesmunication tower.


    The skys dark. Everythings dark. Their source of light now, was that little hole right on top, or the dancing ck mes that enveloped Aeons body. How do we get out?


    Should we even get out?


    Aeons holding this ce together, I doubt outside.... Will be any better.


    Lausanne ran, and saw a few others. MOM! Lausanne and Laufen had a hug.


    d youre safe.


    Yeah...


    Jura was next to her. He looked like he was covered in dust and ash. Well... Aeons not responding, were trapped here, and we have some food from our familiars. Not that bad.


    Not that bad. Lets get organised and see whether we can salvage any of the houses! Aeons hideouts are all inessible.


    Spaizzer And there we go, the second part.

 Passing Time

    Passing Time


    <b>Another Year Later, Year 87</b>


    When I woke up, another year had passed.


    I had no idea whats happening, other than my mana was still pushing back against the corruption, but... it was easier for me to maintain it. Easier, and yet the pain was here. Constant, even, and it struggles. I could feel the demonic power was having a dip, a temporary one, thats why I could be conscious.


    Why did I sleep from the pain? Does this pain restrict me so? Or is it the curse?


    I could feel the demons fire swirl and turn around me, and I could now vaguely, just very vaguely, sense that theres... something outside, no... around me. Something beyond the me.


    Is this the valley? It should be.


    Why are my senses so confused?


    Theres solid rock around us, held back by my roots. Funny, its like moltenva that has now solidified, and the demonic mana is slightly less intense. Still very strong, but slowly it is subsiding. This demonic mana will take some time to decay. Maybe... ten years? Maybe twenty? Clearly it is dissipating, very slowly.


    Unable to do much, and all my energy is still concentrated on maintaining my barrier and dispersing the absorbed demonic energy, I fall back to sleep.


    -


    I was in a dark ce, it was massive and dark. It resembled my soul realm, and that was when I saw a young boy. He sat on a chair, and he looked like he was... part demon?


    Am I in the soul realm? I didnt have this ability back when I went into long periods of sleep, so... is this new?


    Where am I? He asked, noticing that I appeared. Who are you? Why do you look like a... tree? What are you? Have I gone crazy that Im talking to a tree?


    Another girl appeared. She too looked like she was corrupted, her lower half was part demon.


    The two kids looked at themselves, and then they looked at each other. What have you done?


    Me? The other asked. Couldnt be!


    Then who?


    Uh...


    Both of them turn to face me. Oh my god a talking tree monster. Were doomed! They tried to fight and move, but couldnt.


    I dont even know who you are.


    The two kids looked at each other, they kept iling but then they stopped. Eh... we are the heroes.


    Well, looks like both of you died. Whats your name?


    Simone. The girl said.


    Victor. The boy said.


    It was then both of them suddenly shouted as if theyve gone crazy, and then an eerie voice emerged. It was a ragged, twisted voice.


    WHO? It asked, it came from both of them, as if both of them were mind-controlled. I didnt reply, if I could have guessed, it must be the demon king, or maybe some kind of demon. ARE. YOU?


    I thought for a moment, wondering whether I should reply. Are you the demon king Sabnoc? I asked. It died, right, but lets ask. Maybe demon kings have souls too.


    YES. It said, but then a whileter. NO. SABNOC. DEAD.


    Then both of them suddenly shouted again for a period of time, and then, all at once, they both stopped. They were both back to their human self. Ouch...


    It looks like both of you are sharing a body with some kind of demon.


    We know.


    Simone looked at Victor, and they stared at each other. Its reading our minds. Its going through our... memories.


    Well, now we know why the demons are getting smarter each round. I mean, if its reading their minds, they are reading it for a reason, right?


    Simone and Victors face paled.


    Well, if it could read your minds, surely you could do the reverse? I wondered. How did these two even get here? Is it because their souls are still embedded in the demonic corruption somewhere, thats why? The heroes didnt do aplete job and left this part hanging?


    Is that why the demonic corruption is still strong and is able to keep up its pressure?


    Uh....


    Victor nodded. We must try, then. What are we.... and what are you?


    I am a tree and I believe the two of you are some kind of trapped, corrupted soul. Your appearance as part-demon is probably the demon kings attempt to corrupt you. I say, its probably sessful.


    And... where are we?


    If my understanding is correct, you two died, and somehow, your soul drifted here. Either that, you two are somehow trapped in the demonic flesh and because Im linked to the demonic mana, you are able to see me and vice versa.


    The two started wailing and crying, and screaming. They seemed to be unable to ept that they died. But, thats strange, they seemed perfectly able to ept it earlier.


    NOOOOOOOOOO~


    Uh... Do you vaguely recall anything? I asked, they were still screaming. Like.. how?


    Victor was sobbing, and it was Simone who somehow calmed down a bit and responded. We... I.. we were fighting the demon king, and there was this bright sh of light and... thats all I remember before I was stuck in this dark, disgusting ce where I dont feel things, and where I want to sleep but I cant freaking sleep.


    But... I dont get it. Why are we able to be here if we are dead?


    Werent you two listening? You are both dead. This is probably some kind of... shared spiritual realm. I wasnt going to be blunt and say its my soul realm, because its not, but then again, even if I knew the answer, I wasnt going to tell them anything. They share a mind with the demon.


    Only the two of us? Everyone else survived?


    I paused. Hmmm.... I dont know? Well, they are partly possessed by the demon king, how secure is any information thats shared with them anyway?


    Can you help us? Simone asked. I would very much like to get out of this... ce.


    Hmm. I dont think so. I dont have any ess to the outside world, the demonic fire pretty much meant Im trapped in a prison of me. Even if that doesnt make much sense.


    But... I think I have ess to my own soul realm. I get a sense that this space is a pocket dimension of its own, and I could sense the other pockets of space.


    -


    The soul realm.


    Funny I havent spent much time exploring this space, but now I have all the time to do so. I vaguely recall my soul forge is down, and for what its worth, my consciousness is stuck inside myself, an asleep state. In a way, this is kind of like a reverse of my dream-rted abilities, where Im the one in a dream state. Am I dreaming, or because I am unconscious, my psyche retreats to this ce? I cant tell the difference, honestly. Anyway, what am I even thinking.


    Theres little blobs of light, floating on many little ces. A wisp waits.


    Matt.


    Hi. I too, take the shape of a little blob of light. Wisp?


    Yes.


    So.... whats happening here?


    Youre unconscious, and youre stuck in this mind-dream-soul realm limbo. Time moves differently here, as you surely already know.


    I see.


    So, until your body somehow snaps itself out of the pain and suffering its going through...


    Im stuck here. Well, I kinda knew that. How could the soul interact outside the body anyway? Unless my [soul forge] is somehow operating, but its not. I recall one of the notifications said its offline.


    Dead, floating souls, little blobs of light. They float past me, and they just wander. These are those who died recently, waiting for the time to reincarnate.


    Its going to take a while. The wisp said. Too many people died so quickly that its backlogged.


    Its backlogged? For real? I thought that was a joke.


    Of course. And youre probably the only somewhat-surviving soul tree in this half of the continent.


    Tell me something, how do YOU know? At this point, how does the wisp even know whats happening outside of me. Doesnt the wisp stay inside me?


    The soul harvesters and dream harvesters can travel vast distances, and pass through most objects and barriers. asionally, they also bring back fragments of memories, and you too, can view those memories. And well, if souls from far away areing here, that can only mean theres no other soul tree left.


    And the wisp shake little, and little, smaller blobs of light appeared. They resembled tiny televisions and they showed what the dead saw in theirst days.


    Strange demons. Monsters. Fires from all ces. Burning. Destruction. It wasmon for all of it.


    It was like watching little birds and ducks getthered in ayer of oil, and then being burnt to death. Its like a magical version of the Deepwater Horizon and Exxon Valdez oil spills, only, well, if you didnt die in the first wave, the monsters that spawned from the sludge would eventually get to you.


    But I honestly didnt feel much for their deaths.


    Instead, I felt a twang of sorrow when I saw vast... empty spaces. And burning trees. Ahhh, what sorrow, that trees burn so easily. If I could, I should find ways to introduce fire resistant trees to the entire world.


    Why should trees be relegated to background features anyway? Why are we just features of the environment, things used to describe ces!


    We are trees, the precursor of civilisation. Without nts, without trees, there would be no food, no agriculture, and without agriculture, there would be norge civilisation! It is because humanity discovered farming that theres civilisation, why are trees treated with such disrespect!


    Ah! Im getting carried away.


    Okay, lets do some thinking. I can still think in this soul realm, so thats not a bad thing.


    Im trapped in my own body, because theres a massive infernal pyre outside that burns and scorches everything. Its only thanks to my levels and my high amounts of hero fragments that I can endure it.


    That means, if I have higher levels, or more hero fragments, I will eventually escape this demonic prison, or at least, pierce a hole through it.


    And this demonic me should decay over time, like it did with my first experience.


    What else can I do?


    Are there any skills I can use on myself in this subsconscious state? My body is obviously on [autopilot], and like before, actively managing the demonic mana such that I can survive it. Can I do it myself?


    Can I force myself to wake instead of being stuck in this soul realm?


    -


    <b>Year 88</b>


    The answer was mixed. I could somewhat remain awake, like a dreaming man forcing himself awake, but the pain was so overwhelming that I ended up losing consciousness just as quickly. Its only during ebbs of the demonic energy that I could maintain some semnce of consciousness.


    If I force myself to be awake when the demonic energy is at its peak, I feel like Im being operated on while lucid. Its insanely painful. So much so that [autopilot] quickly kicks in and knocks me back into the soul realm.


    But I kept trying. I dont believe that I need to rely on [autopilot] to manage the pain.


    So I drift back and forth, either experiencing intense pain, or in my soul realm.


    If this system works the way I think it does, only through constantly enduring and managing this pain, I will gain a skill.


    And when I gain a skill, Ill be able to break through this demonic fire.


    -


    You guys are still here. Its been a year since Ist went back to this space. I had thought the demons wouldve eaten the entirety of their soul already.


    Simone and Victor didnt look pleased. Well, what brings you back? Their bodies look about the same, but I noticed a small part of their hands exhibiting more demonic features.


    Honestly, I was just checking whether anything changed.


    What do you think? How much time has passed? They asked.


    A year?


    Oh. Sure doesnt feel like it. It feels way longer with how much pain were in. They dont look too good. The demonic corruption for other parts of their bodies looked to be growing.


    Then the demon took over again. GROOOOOWWWWW. The two of them couldnt move, though, so I wasnt afraid.


    Uh, yeah. Grow. The demon made a scary sound, but I know very well this is a spiritual ne of some kind, so Im not afraid of it. Come on, its like watching a scary monster behind a secure panel. Scary, sure, but it cant hurt me. Not here.


    CONQUER!


    Okay.


    ADAPT!


    Sure.


    WE. LEARN.


    No shit, demon.


    And then it stopped, and back to Simone and Victor, again. They rubbed their heads. Oh man, its been repeating the same thing so many times. Conquer! Adapt! Learn!


    Do you feel like youve been captured by some kind of alien monster species whos out to assimte you? I mean, I wonder how its like to be possessed. Is it like me, whos trapped in a pyre?


    If you happen to either be referred to the Borg or the Zerg, yes, it does feel like that. Victor shrugged, one of his demonic arms rubbing his chin. Theres small demonic spots appearing on his face, which he cant do shit about.


    I see. But thats not helpful. How does it feel like?


    Like uh... you lose control over your limbs every now and then? Like having a seizure? I... I dont really know how to describe it.


    -


    <b>Year 89</b>


    Another fucking year passed. Its been four years already since Ive entered this low-activity mode.


    Four years!


    This is a whole lot longer than my previous time, but then again, this corruption is probably active, and has a setmand, as if its like a...puter virus that has some kind of execution hierarchy.


    Is it the mind that possessed the heroes that allows it so?


    This year, Ive been partially able to maintain and resist the pain for longer. I stayed awake for close to two whole days, and on average, Ive been able to force myself to regain consciousness about once every 2 months.


    I kept poking at the mes, and I gradually am able toprehend what it feels like.


    Ever touched a switch when wet? Well, it feels like a super-intense version of being electrocuted. Perhapsparable to what someone who just got struck by lightning feels like. And its constant.


    Well, not constant-constant, but constant, wavelike, with peaks and lows. Thats why I can be awake longer during the lows. I hope to be able to gain a skill to withstand the peaks. But its been so long, and still without the skill, its hard.


    Or maybe Im just doing it wrong.


    Maybe theres a trick to this whole demonic corruption thing.


    I mean, I think its a disease, but at the same time, it also behaves like... a liquid. Or a sludge. How is my autopilot handling it? Maybe its not doing it as well as it should...


    [Autopilot is configured to absorb demonic mana and attempt to filter it. Failing which, it is then expelled via all bodily extremities. Bodily extremities therefore experienced damage.].


    Uh. So wait, its trying to absorb the demonic mana, and then its expelling it, via my barks, branches and leaves? Is that why all of it is burning? Is that the right thing to do?


    [Autopilot is configured to protect the soul from damage.]


    Huh. Okay. Thats logical. Its like saving the heart and letting everything else burn. Or where a seed is encased with a disposable shell, or trees that have thick barks that inste the core from the fires outside. I suppose thats what my bodys been naturally doing since the very first fires.


    What else?


    Maybe I need to spin it, like some mangas have stories where the Qi needs to be made to move in a certain manner such that it gains strength, so perhaps there are ways to spin the demonic mana in a way that causes it to weaken?


    Or maybe theres a way to cause it to move slower, such that my body doesnt burn.


    All things I need to explore... once Im awake.


    Spaizzer Covid19 and baby has been massively disruptive. :S

 Side Story: Heroes and their new world

    Side Story: Heroes and their new world


    <b><i>6 months after the death of the demon king (around Year 85 Month 7 or 8)</i></b>


    The terrain was wrecked. Almost everywhere the demon kings corruption touched turned into this twisted terrain, where firestorms were a regr affair, and the earth itself constantly shifted. Strange monsters also appeared, not quite like the usual demons, but not quite like monsters either.


    As if its an odd mix of the two.


    The terrains unstable energies also meant allmunication spells were still jammed, despite the rest of the world no longer requiring the towers. It was an odd thing about this location, but not umon. There are other spots in the world where gravity and magic is inconsistent, vtile. The only difference was the size of the instability was... well... Half a continent.


    Still, it was not a total loss. Some cities had ancient heroic defenses that never triggered until that very day, and it is those cities that survived. But it would be a reasonable thing to say that 90% of all living beings died within the demon kings corruption, and of the surviving 10%, another 8% died within six months due tock of food, monsters, and supplies.


    2% left.


    Harris, Becky and Mirei stood at the edge of one such surviving city. The heroes didn''t stay together after the demon king had fallen.


    Gerrard, relieved of the task to y the demon king, wanted to just find a few barrels of booze and drown himself in it. Maybe find ady or two to apany him as well. Astra, well, he seemed like he had other things to do, so he left for another continent.


    This part of the terrain used to be more... demonic, but the three of them worked with some surviving druids and mages, they were able to channel and amplify a mix of the earths energy, and also their own star mana to push the corruption back.


    It would have been easier if they were druids themselves, but their skills were for war, not healing. Too bad none of us are druids, maybe we couldve fixed this easily.


    Its kinda like an infection, the body must fight it. All were doing is augmenting it, making it stronger with our star mana. Kind of like an IV injection.


    Do you even know what an IV injection means?


    I dont know, but its what all the medical shows like to talk about. Becky shrugged. All they knew about medicine was what they learned in their years of schooling, and then all the sis and dramas they followed.


    But they could see for themselves that their star mana wasnt ideal either. There was always something that seemed to push back against the star mana. Maybe it was just the demons energies, since the star mana was super effective, naturally the demonic resists something that is effective from them.


    It was slow, hard, tiring work. It took a lot of their massive star mana to undo the demon kings corruption. Its so massive, the extent of the devastation.


    Still, it made the three of them feel a bit better. Unlike Astra and Gerrard, they came to this continent, and most of what was destroyed, theyve seen and visited them. Becky even had attachments for certain ces she visited, and it made her sad to watch them destroyed, or turned into this corrupted... ce.


    The druid that aided them was a middle aged man, who truly enjoyed restoring the terrain back to some semnce of normalcy. The journey was hard on the druids, the heroes were young and they had skills that made them strong.


    Lets rest. He said, exhausted from using his druidic powers. Ive used up my [mend earth], nd restoration], and I dont think I can take more of that... hero-mana.


    The heroes nodded. Using star mana on the druids strained their bodies, star mana was strong, kind of like an extremely powerful chemical, and the body suffers from it. Overdose knocks them out. But it was way more effective that using mend earth andnd restoration, and so the druids did it. There were a few other druids too, but they were far younger and less skilled than the middle aged man. It was hard, and the odd monsters were tough for the druids.


    This corruption is unreal. One young druid said, but then, he had said it so many times. The other druids just shrugged. When are we going to reach the border...


    A few more days, I hope. The druids talked. The heroes could just sigh. Harris wondered whether they wouldve been able to stop the demonic rod if they were faster.


    Still, the corruption was so thick, trade andmunications with the outside world was almost totally cutoff. The druids hoped to cut a road through the corruptednds, as that could restore some of that trade andmunication. There were some cities that survived, though they are all in a perilous state when the heroes found them.


    The three heroes looked at each other and sighed.


    All was not well. One of the main things they discovered was their blessings changed. Their blessings were weaker, now just regr blessings of gods, not whatever it initially was, and their star mana pool was no longer growing, and it took far longer to regenerate.


    And their skills, especially those ssified as [divine] changed. Instead, all of them were reced as a [heroic] skill. So, that meant Astras Global Chat ability changed into limited uses.


    Whats the point of such a change? They sometimes wondered. Harris recalled the conversation on the day all their skills changed. Exactly 3 months after the demon king died.


    The gods never truly intended to give us this power forever. Mirei sighed. Maybe it costs them something to summon us and maintain this power. Now that weve done what we needed, they tossed us out, like trash.


    Becky had a sip of tea, and just mused. What was given freely, can be freely taken away. Weve always been... pawns.


    Mirei looked at Becky. I feel cheated.


    All of us do.


    The gods never intended for us to survive till the next demon king? Or will they return the divine power to us when the next demon kinges?


    That was a few months ago, and in 3 months since then, theyve managed to purify quite arge area. Theres a whole lot more to go.


    -


    <b><i>Two year after the demon king has fallen, around Year 87</i></b>


    Harris was alone. Becky and Mirei got tired, and they all wanted to do something else. Both of them had left for another continent. Mirei said she wanted a holiday, and she said she would be back, but until now, shes still away.


    Harris didnt feel it was necessary to call her back. The process of detoxifying the terrain was hard,borious work. He had to constantly infuse his star mana into the druids, such that the druids could then mix that star mana into their natural healing abilities. Hard work, and he could see why they werent keen on constantly doing it, what more when the gods just took away their divine powers. They felt cheated, and both the girls wanted to just enjoy themselves.


    All of them did.


    So, the progress of detoxifying slowed. Only Harris was working on it. Even he slowed down significantly, only the prospect of iming additional territory spurring him on.


    Last time, he wouldve been worried if they separated, but now, after the levels they gained ying the demon king, some twenty odd levels, he wasnt worried. They kept their levels, and they are still leagues above any regr human. He didnt even know if there are other people in the high 100s of levels.


    And he had the shards of the fallen. 7 of them. [Heroic Fragments. Blessings of the Fallen Heroes].


    Archduke Harris, the new group of druids have arrived.


    A druid knelt on the grass.


    Harris frowned, and wished he had some tea. A King saw it fit to award Harris with the Archduke title, and concurrently granted him dominion over the territory he reimed from the demonic corruption.


    Rise. There were about a hundred druids behind the first druid, they were on their knees before high nobility too. Many of them came from far away, from the other continents to do theborious task of healing the world. All of you are here for the quest?


    Yes, Archduke.


    This was a game of some kind. After the heroes were done, the druids had their quest.


    Good. epted. Ill grant all of you a bit of my hero mana, maybe in the next few days. My attendants will call for you.


    The gods gave druids the quest to heal the world. Healers. Restorers. Druids, shamans and spiritualists of all sorts, many had received a quest from their own systems, to aid in the fixing of the world. All of them had rewards. Fix the world, and gain a blessing of some kind. Or a special skill.


    If heroes were the white-blood cells, the super T-cells of the world, these druids were the telets.


    The corrupted terrain, vast and unforgiving, still remains incredibly hostile,parable to a hex-wastnd. The demonic hybrids still roamed the vast expanse, somerger and more fearsome. It seemed that when enough of them spawned, they agglomerated into arger beast, and it kept on, until the corrupted wastnd even had walker tier creatures.


    So, it was his personal reputation as a hero that the druids came here instead. He could guarantee their safety. Serve Archduke Harris the First, Reimer of the ursed Lands.


    Yet, at the same time, he had to admit it made him happy. He felt like he was someone, after all the demon king fighting and all.


    He was finally a person that people respected and feared. Women came for him, many gorgeousdies that Harris could only fantasize about as a young teenager back home. Money, good food, all seemed to just flow in, and many of the surviving kingdoms now wanted his protection.


    The things they were willing to do, the harem that he now personally had, he tried at first, to not let it go to his head. But how could he? His heart wasnt as strong as he thought it was. When women were willing to throw themselves at him, he discovered he was human after all.


    Now that his friends had left, no one was around to check on his own personal moralpass. And to some extent, he gotzy and exhausted, just like his friends.


    Harris noticed he had given himself excuses. He would still go and reim thends, but he was increasingly less keen on it, and he took breaks, every now and then. To spend time with his growing harem, and to enjoy the luxuries from reiming and.


    He even had a new ss, on top of his original ss, the [Defender Hero].


    [Noble]. And, if he wanted, the system allowed him to exchange some levels in [hero], for [ruler]. One level for five levels, at least, for the first thirty [Noble] levels. So he did. He gave up 10 levels of hero, and instead he got 50 levels of [Noble].


    This was fine, Harris told himself. The gods had abandoned him. So did his friends. Whats wrong with him indulging a bit? This is the reward after the victory, no? This was what the gods promised.


    -


    Gerrard had always been drinking. Somehow, his [heroic body] meant he could enjoy the benefits of being drunk, without ever suffering from the medical and health issues that over consuming alcohol usually brings.


    In fact, if he ever felt too tipsy, all he needed to do was activate [rejuvenate], and he would be as good as new again.


    But he enjoyed the state of being drunk. It gave him, if anything, a rity simr to what he used to have before. When he was still just a normal person.


    Which is insane, because here is a debaucherous man whos favourite hangout is sleazy brothels where the scent of aphrodisiacs, alcohol and drugs is the only thing one can smell. In between rounds of drinking he would oftenugh at how insane it was, that here, he, once a good student, aw-abiding young teenager who loved ying with toy trains even when he was already in his early teens, turned into this.


    He cursed the gods. It was when he had a damned good wine that was imported from far away that he realised this whole thing was fucked up. Or maybe he was granted a blessing by the gods of wine and alcohol, if there was such a thing as a Bhus of Dionysus equivalent in the world.


    Today, he found that wine again. That special ginger-mixed herbal liqueur. The merchant was grinning, and he tossed a small pouch of gold and gems over. The merchant dly passed it to one of the twodies next to him.


    Should I open it? A voluptuousdy next to him asked, she was half undressed anyway. She held the bottle up, she wondered whats so great about the herbal liqueur. Or should I order something more expensive?


    No. This is mine. Only mine. You two drink something else.


    He inspected it. It was a very old liqueur, made around three hundred years ago, mixed with the leaves and fruits of an ancient grove. That grove was destroyed during one of the demon kings battles a hundred or so years ago, so the legend goes.


    He opened it gently, and poured himself a small sip. And when he drank it, he felt it again.


    rity.


    That annoying haze suddenly pushed aside. And he could hear the voice in the drink again.


    A gentle one. As if his grandmother was talking to him. He was quite sure it was the Earth Mother itself that was talking to him.


    -

 Rings on a tree

    Rings on a tree


    Year 90


    Ugh. My attempts to manipte demonic mana and energy have been mostly ineffective. Ive been too used to just flooding any demonic creatures I met, without actually being focused and specific about it.


    I tried all sort of manga-inspired moves.


    I attempted to spin the demonic mana, and instead all it did was cause the fires around me to spin into a tornado, kind of like a whirlpool made of fire.


    I tried to concentrate the demonic energy, but all that did was cause one particr branch where it was concentrated on to just explode violently once it past a certain breaking point, and I experienced a pain so intense I instantly lost consciousness.


    I also tried to push and pull it back, taichi-style, into the outer valley. That just made the demonic mana move faster through the designated channels and just did nothing else.


    I then also tried to force it underground, into the depth of the ground below. Nothing happened other than some shaking and tremors.


    All in, not very sessful.


    So, I spend time in my soul realm.


    -


    The soul realm has always been this flexible space, a pocket dimension for the departed to rest and recuperate for their onward reincarnation. The cycle must continue, and the pieces will be replenished for the next bout.


    The number of souls have dwindled quite a bit, the backlog starting to clear out. Many have left to go into this unknown other world, this ne where they would go to be further reincarnated.


    Maybe they have to roll the wheel like I do.


    Or maybe they get lucky and dont.


    I think its quite boring in the soul realm, and if Im trying to fall asleep, its quite easy. All I need to do is count all the little souls that pop up.


    *pop*


    *pop*


    Kind of like counting sheep, but only wisp-like souls instead.


    I mean, if souls are still appearing, logically that meant there are people still dying, which also means, there are survivors. Else everyone would have died instantly and no souls would pop up after that.


    Since I have nothing else to do, I theorised that the presence of survivors was due to a few reasons.


    One, is that there are people who have skills to protect themselves and others in such situations. Perhaps the heroes, since it seemed like 5 of them survived. Or there may be crouching tigers and hidden dragons, hidden experts who haveid low but now, in such situations used their powers to protect themselves.


    Two, are the existence of ancient artifacts and formations. Simr to the heroes magical protections, past heroes could have set up ancient formations, or made powerful artifacts that trigger under such serious events. Surely, there are some who are paranoid about demon kings and have made ancient preparations for such things, especially heroes who survived their first demon king.


    Three, is perhaps divine interference. Given that the heroes are summoned by gods, and these gods do have some leeway in interfering with the world, maybe they would step in, for such exceptional circumstances.


    Four, is luck and terrain. Perhaps the terrains curvature, or the presence of other natural energy sources that repels the demon kings corruption.


    What else... high-levelled individuals, ancient magical formations, divine intervention, luck and terrain... or.. Perhaps, most unlikely, is demonic selection. Some kinds of people have skills that allow them to resist demons?


    Unlikely.


    Anyway, I went back to looking at the little bobbing, floating souls. I poked some of them. Im bored.


    They flicker a bit. Like little fairy lights being disturbed. Or like little fireflies.


    I should have fireflies on my actual tree.


    They would look pretty cool. I remember this photo of a swamp where theres a bunch of fireflies. Its both beautiful and creepy. I think thats a look I should aspire to.


    I could even use fireflies to talk, you know, kinda like a massive LED board if I could control the fireflies and control which firefly lights up. Of course, that also depends on them understanding thenguage.


    But yeah, fireflies as a board of LEDs is entirely workable. I should do that once I wake up. I want fireflies now.


    I should find some in a swamp or a bog somewhere. Once I get out of this rotten demonic bog thing. Seriously.


    Year 91


    The fires are still pretty bad. And Im still thinking what the hell to do to get myself out of this situation. But because I dont seem to be making much progress, Ive decided to disturb the souls in my soul realm more.


    But then I had an epiphany one random day.


    Why do I even need fireflies?


    I was able to somewhat manipte the fires by moving the demonic energy within the body, guiding it in a certain manner.


    So... could I move the demonic mes to make letters and signs? To tell those outside that Im okay?


    But!


    Is anyone watching?


    Would anyone know what Im saying, and I dont understand thenguages of the world!


    So, if I were to use the demon mes as a screen, I could probably show... shapes? Would shapes work? I wish I taught the elves some basic morse code or binarynguage signalling.


    Maybe I should still try it.


    -


    The deaths in the continent have slowed to a trickle. There are still deaths, of course, but Im starting to wonder where theye from, and so Ive been poking them more.


    Maybe some of them can talk, like how Me was able to talk.


    Most of them cant. Most. Actually close to all. I think Me being an ex-hero, and Eriz being a contracted soul is different.


    I kept trying to interact with most of them. And I would say, 1 in 100,000 do not respond. Maybe higher, I wasnt really keeping track, but eventually one did say something.


    DIE!


    Oh, you can talk.


    I. DIE!


    Yes. Yes you died. It sounded like Me when she first came. When her soul was damaged, she too spoke in short words and sentences. Maybe most regr souls just suffer far more extensive damage, except those that somehow die close to me.


    Isnt it? But darn! That meant I missed the boat on all the souls that died right immediately after the demonic corruption! Maybe those could talk!


    But oh well, I was asleep anyway.


    Where did you die?


    MORKAN.


    Where in the fuck is that? Morkan?


    How?


    MONSTER!


    What level are you when you died?


    54!


    Oh, pretty high. What kind of monster?


    DEMON THING!


    Helpful. Yes. Very helpful. Maybe I could fix you. But I have no ess to my soul forge. Darn it. What else, what else.


    Anyway, a couple of monthster, another soul could talk! Yay!


    DEATH.


    Hi, little soul. Who might you be?


    ADAM.


    Hi, Adam. Where are you from, where did you die?


    PURKAI. PURKAI.


    No idea where that is. Cause of death?


    MONSTER. DEMON THING.


    Okay, another one for the checklist. What does this monster look like?


    DEMON. HORN. ANIMAL.


    Alright. Its a demon, it has horns, and probably look like an animal. A demonic unicorn, a ck unicorn perhaps, or a bicorn? Or maybe its just a demonic cow? Alright, how many horns?


    TWO.


    Okay, bicorn or cow. I went on and asked a bunch of questions about the monster, so its sort of a horned monster with two horns, spiky body, and resembles a cow more than a horse. So, its stocky.


    Things I do to entertain myself in the incredible idleness of... being in aa. Its pretty much a treea, if such a thing were to exist. A state where the mind and the body is disconnected, because the bodys in incredible pain.


    Why doesn''t it rain? Can rain put out the fire? I mean, if it rains, maybe the fire wouldnt be that strong, then maybe Ill be able to regenerate faster.


    Its not going to rain, is it? I dont recall it raining for a few years now. I wonder how the elves are doing, at least those surviving.


    Year 92


    Well, its still pretty quiet. Nothing much is happening, other than me constantly attempting to endure the pain, and practice with the demonic mes. I sort of think I am getting the hang of it. I think, anyway.


    Year 93


    Time just feels... like a rubber band. At the rate this is going, I think the next demon king is going to appear soon. I wonder whether the world can take something like this again.


    [Ivy was destroyed]


    [Treeveller was destroyed]


    [You gained 1 level. Level 146]


    [You gained Ivys skill - Surveince State]


    [Surveince State allows monitoring of multiple individuals simultaneously, and allows yback of all recorded interactions. Also automatically ranks individuals in ordance to a perceived threat level.]


    Oh. That sucks.


    Ivys been so helpful in keeping track of all the bad people that came to New Freeka, but I do recall the skills are not perfect, in the sense that they can be bypassed. Like that druid from Hutan that managed to elude our detection until its in New Freeka. Or that assassin fellow,


    I suppose a key thing I need to remember, is that skills are all fallible. They are offset, and beaten by skills of other people, and so, I must always consider the possibility that there are always people who have the right skillset, that happens to counter what skills we have.


    Like this stupid demon king. I have tremendous anti-demon resistances, and yet Im still in this immense pain.


    Pain. Some days, I feel the pain and I wake up to see fire. I attempt to move the fire aside, and attempt to look past the fire, and all I see is just more... fire.


    Whats happening out there?


    Ivys dead. I wonder what destroyed her after so long.


    Monsters? Or just other things? Have the monsters or the survivors turned on each other? How are they going to cope with the next demon king?


    I kinda miss my fellow minds. Its nice having their gorgeous oveys. I think my supermind project is still around? I dont recall seeing a notification it was destroyed.


    I wonder whether all my orchards are still around too.


    I cant sense any of them.


    It doesnt make sense. Why does the demonic fire burn all my contact points to the outside world? There must be something I can do. I dont like being trapped. Its annoying.


    Like, Im a tree! Im meant to feel the earth, taste the air, absorb the water. Fires part of the renewal cycle of trees, no, like some countries and ces have regr fires that help refresh thendscape.


    A tree can survive fire. No, it can thrive and coexist with fire.


    I already have fire resistance. What more do I need to reach the point where I can endure this fire?


    Or is it not actually fire? I mean, what if... uhm... lets see. What if this corruption is just pure mana, and the fire is something of a reaction? Kind of like a lightning strike. The lightning creates the fire, and it is not as if the fire itself that burns me.


    Is that possible? Perhaps the demonic corruption has a low burning point, so it always tend to re up, but it isnt actually fire.


    Maybe its like... oil? Coming back to my whole Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizonparison, if this entire demonic corruption is just a massive magical oil sludge, and because magical oil and tree equals a recipe for easilybustible fire, therefore it bes this way?


    Hmmm...


    Wait, are demons actually just... cars? Like some kind of steampunk, magical demon-oil powered creatures? And the people of this world are powered by water? Thats why their demonic bodies are so dry?


    I should see whether I could test that concept, whether it has any actual basis.


    -


    I went and checked on the two heroic shadows. And they were almost entirely demon now. 80%, Id say.


    Help.


    I cant even free myself.


    Help us. Simone said, her body entirely demon, whats left is her head and her neck, and strangely one of her arms.


    I cant. Not in this state.


    WHAT. STATE? They both asked together, and I knew it was the demon now. Its presence was unmistakable.


    You sound smart. You should figure it out.


    The two iled like mad men, but they couldnt reach me like two angry people on an inte video call.


    Theres no saving them. Not in this state. And maybe, not me.


    -


    Year 94.


    Nothing much happened. But the demon king should emerge soon.


    Year 95


    [The demon King Iblis has descended.]


    About two, no, three monthster, I felt it. An incredibly intense surge of mana and energy from a hexbomb, but... way, way stronger. I wonder how many people were sacrificed this time. One hundred thousand? One Million?


    And then.


    [The demon King Iblis has been destroyed]


    [The Hero Astra has been emunicated.]


    [Astra is now a Fallen Hero].


    [Killing of a fallen hero grants special blessings and gifts.]


    [Killing Astra will not create a hero fragment]


    What.


    What the fuck is happening out there?

 Treerapeutics

    Treerapeutics


    <b>Year 96</b>


    Another year passed, and finally, I got something. Dammit. Ive been fighting the pain for so long!


    [Skill : Pain Endurance upgraded!]


    And that was when I realised I could stay awake a little bit longer. But the fires still remain, my body can endure the pain, but it still remains that my senses are still gone.


    Fire. I thought to myself. If this is oil, maybe I could... be like a refinery. Have a designated reoff location, instead of it burning my entire body?


    So I tried that. I tried to push all the demonic energy to the very top of my tree. In a way, such that it only burns the top off. I have no senses, but my body is still mine, and so my branches now burn a lot more.


    Along my trunk, theres still a fewrge lines of demonic mes, the tunnels used to carry the demonic corruption sucked in from the surroundings, and that tunnel is charred. I kept it up, and gradually, gradually....


    Over a period of 6 months, Ive gradually concentrated the demonic corruption such that the fires are just on the very top of my head.


    I imagine myself to look a little like Hades from Hercules, with fiery hair. Only, well, Im a tree, hes a god.


    -


    The two heroes were still somehow holding on. Their face was half human, half demon.


    I somehow expected both of them to give in already. I would have. I think. Or maybe not. I didst in this world until now. Maybe Id also stay around.


    How are you guys doing?


    Could be better. Simone responded. Were getting the hang of it. Maybe we can fight back soon.


    Really? Well, thats unexpected, but I suppose heroes are special.


    LIES. They both said simultaneously. And then they were back to their human self again.


    Why are you doing this, actually? Ive never had a conversation with a demon before. Tell me more about yourself. I mean, its true. No one ever had a conversation with a demon to find out what their motives are, what they are trying to achieve, or whether its something more fundamental.


    I think its just an animal. Victor was the one who responded. We just feel... strong emotions. Like, a need. To grow. To find. To conquer. To.... have things. To seize things. To... multiply.


    Really? I thought that was quite strange. Its recent behavior clearly suggest its somewhat intelligent, I mean, the demon-king especially, so if its really strange to be told that its actually, well... just a beast. Feral. Is it... local?


    I... I think its from another. Another... world. We see visions of this vast wastnd quite like our current decimated terrain. Areas filled with spires and craggs, that seem to spawn more of those monsters. Its so big, yet so... broken. Victor said.


    Why?


    I... dont know. It just... craves. It has something it wants.


    But its recent behavior has been intelligent. The humanoid demons, whats the deal with that? I suspect whatever possessed these two heroes may not be truly intelligent, thats why they just feel its craving. If I may, maybe this is just a program or software the demons have. Maybe demons have artificial souls too, and the demon king is the only truly sentient one that it sends over.


    Victor didnt reply. Neither did Simone. A whileter, the demon came again. WHAT. ARE. YOU?


    Tree. I responded. I was going to be factual about it. Who are you?


    They both muttered something iprehensible.


    Well, I didnt get that. So Ill call you demon for now.


    CONSUME! Okay, I understood that word.


    Where are you from? I have the golden opportunity to have a conversation with a lesser demon-alien. Why not take it?


    HOME.


    Why did youe here?


    ORDER... They both muttered, and then a long pauseter. MOTHER. EARTH MOTHER...


    I paused. Mother? Earth mother? Hmm. I dont think the demon is referring to earth itself, its merely copying and reading the twos memories to find aparable word.


    The demon responds to some kind of order, so they arepelled to invade our world.


    Why? What does Mother want? I feel a bit corny saying that. It almost feels like Im talking about how Sephiroth kept talking about Jenova. It was so corny. Mother here, mother there. Especially Advent Children. I hope it doesnt even repeat the same kind of corny motivations.


    CONQUER!


    I mentally sighed in relief. Thank goodness. Why do you want to conquer our world? Whats here that mother want?


    The two pause. CONQUER!


    Ah. For conquest. I guess this is all I can squeeze out of a demonic artificial intelligence. Maybe a demon king would offer a proper conversation.


    <b>Year 97</b>


    [You gained a level. You are now level 147]


    [You gained a passive skill : Demonic Energy Transmission]


    What in the fuck is that. Well I got the answer soon enough. The demonic corruption thats being sucked in through my roots, well, theres now a dedicated pipe-like root that now covers it, essentially reducing the damage from the rest of my body. It still hurts like hell, like being electrocuted, but, less. And more specific.


    Im starting to stay conscious longer. I could stay awake for two-three days straight for a month. The demonic energy is still strong, even with my new skills. But, every small step counts.


    Every level counts too.


    [Demonic energy is interfering with all telepathic and magical abilities. Most non-core functions are disabled.]


    Shit. I have so many heroic shards. Tell me why cant my heroic shards offset the demonic energy? I mean, can I use my heroic shards as some kind of cleaning device?


    But maybe I can just wait this out. If more heroes die, I would get heroic shards, and that will make my anti-demonic powers stronger, and that will eventually break me through.


    So wait.


    A tree can wait.


    <b>Year 98</b>


    Despite the demonic interference, I still sensed huge magical energies flying around. I couldnt pin their location, other than a vague general direction. Its one of the few things I can still sense.


    Is it something about blood magic that makes it so... detectable?


    <b>Year 99</b>


    Well, not exactly how I was expecting to spend the year before I turn 100 in this world.


    Quiet, and in the silence of my own world. I wonder why Ive not gone crazy, honestly. Itss like... cabin fever. But I suppose its quite silly for a tree to have cabin fever, right, since I mean... I am part of nature itself, and my nature is to stay still.


    I could totally imagine the heroes to feel ustrophobic, restless, because well, they are trapped. But to be still, and to be here, is exactly where I want to be.


    The two heroes are still somehow hanging on. Not much deterioration to their state.


    Is the demon keeping you around intentionally?


    I think so. It wants you. Not us.


    Oh. I mean, owh. So the demon intelligence is intelligent enough to keep the two heroes around, because thats the only way it can interact with someone it doesnt have some sort of mind control over. Well... suddenly I feel like I walked into a trap visiting them.


    It sees you as some kind of ally.


    Ally? Why so? Huh. Now that is even more unexpected.


    I dont know. We dont know.


    Well, let me know if you find out. Happy to see the two of you holding up.


    Victor shrugged. Now that it isnt actively trying to take over us, were getting quite bored trapped in this stinking little ce. Its even feeding us things to tell you.


    So its listening.


    Of course it is. I thought you figured it out already.


    Just wanted a confirmation.


    Heh.


    So, what does it want to tell me, that it doesnt want to tell me itself. Well, if the demon wants to talk to me, and wants to show me something, then well, lets see it.


    Its actually quite strange. Its just showing us scenes of some kind of animals, that resemble goats, dogs, apes and elephants. So many different kinds of animals.


    Well, they should have your memories of animals? I mean, the demon read their minds, surely the topic of animals mustve been covered somewhere. This world has cows, dogs, goats.


    Im not sure if some of my terms will make sense, but its a timpse-like thing, if you understand me. The demons letting us see scenes of creatures changing over time, slowly, and then some kind of red lightning struck, and then the earth around it cracked, changed, and then those creatures warped into the demons. Its like watching evolution happen, and then something disastrous happened and they turned into this demon. And then the demons were sent into this portal, here. To fight,


    Its giving you the history of demons? Why would it do that?


    I dont know? Victor shrugged.


    At that moment, I felt like Ive been given a monumental task. The heroes dont know why, but me, a tree, why would I get a history lesson? There must be something about that history, isnt it? That red lightning reeks of divine intervention.


    Between Lilies history and the demons, I think I sort of have enough to piece together whats actually happening. The gods are behind everything. Maybe theres two factions of gods, or they are just the same faction toying with us, or something, but the gods are behind this.


    What do they want?


    No, what do the demons want?


    Are they... pawns of the gods as well? Sacrificialmbs forced to y the role of a NPC in this world? Even if that is true, what can I do about it?


    <b>Year 100</b>


    Ah. I finally made it to a hundred years!


    [Title : Centurion obtained]


    Oh okay. I made it to a century old. The title does mostly nothing anyway.


    Quite a letdown, maybe I should throw a party of some kind, to celebrate that Ive survived a hundred years in this new world. Seriously. But then I would reveal my otherworldly origins, and attract all sorts of people.


    And Im trapped. If there was a time for a sad smiley, this would be it.


    I guess I should reflect a bit on my first hundred years, even if Im in such a terrible state. The first 60 or so years was just me... well, doing nothing. I couldnt do much. Then I moved to that Gaya templespound, and after that the move to Freeka, that little elf vige, where I am till this very day.


    Come to think of it, its probably the 2nd time Freeka was destroyed since I came. The people of this world are quite hardy, able to rebuild after so many disasters.


    The next town should probably be called Neo Freeka. I mean, once Im out of this quagmire, I should propose the next town to be called Neo Freeka, but then that would also probably reveal my otherworldly origins.


    Ah, naming matters forter.


    The people of the world are hardy. So many species still survive despite constant world-ending level disasters, I suppose they must have patrons that watch over them in difficult times. Gods.


    But difficult times also create high level characters. I believe that to be aw. So...


    Where are all these high level characters hiding? Is there some elevated world where all these high level people ascend to, like some cultivation fics with different tiered worlds?


    <b>Year 101</b>


    If I had dogs every year, this year I would have dalmations. Maybe 101 decorated hellhounds. Woodhounds. Im pretty sure it died. Theres no way it survived this. I would have all 101 of them, all with flowers.


    101 years, I mean, if theres a time for a tutorial, well, 101 is a good time to start. Likee on, Basics of Isekai-ing to Another Magical World As A Tree 101. Probably given by a lecturer or some sort, exining things that are too freaking boring to understand but ultimately useful somedayter on.


    But nope.


    Nothing. Likee on, give me a hand here, system! I wanna get out! Like, uh... give me some regeneration skills. Or some skill that bypasses the pain.


    No?


    No?


    <b>-</b>


    Bored out of my mind, and I went into that part of my soul realm thats linked to the two trapped part-demon heroes again.


    Im back. Im bored out of my mind. How are you two holding up?


    The two look the same asst time. Were part demons, all things considered, were doing alright.


    So, now that it knows you are from another world, with your otherworldly heroic origins, what are the demons going to do with it? I asked.


    Nothing much. Its still processing, and I think its having difficulty transmitting the information back to its... homeworld. So in a way, the information is stuck with us, or whatever thats possessing us.


    Its not a hive mind? I had the impression the demons are a hivemind of some kind.


    Uh... itsplicated from what weve seen. Its like a tier-ed intellectual system. All levels are capable of intellectual thought, but less so at the lesser levels. And despite that, there is an overarchingmand that it obeys without objection.


    And its telling all of this because?


    Look, Mister Weird Person who looks like a tree. I dont know anymore! It doesnt want to tell us and yet its still showing us all these, about them... Its random, and its making us confused! The look of confusion on the faces of the heroes seems to suggest its true. The demons dont seem able to manipte emotions just yet. Look, I wish it could just show it to you directly instead of using the both of us as connectors. We dont understand why its telling us about itself, and we honestly dont really care. Were just ordinary kids on a bus that somehow got into the wrong ce, at the wrong time, and now were going through this fucked up nightmare of fighting demons, watching the world burn, and now being consumed by a demonic mind of some kind.


    Okay. Theyre snapping.


    Not only that, were only here because this damned demon wants us to somehow ry messages to you, and so its keeping us barely alive in this pathetic, miserable state. And then, you, of all people, only drop by once every few years! So we just spent days, the two of us, just in this miserable state, being bombarded with demonic imagery and scenes.


    True.


    So, Im sorry if I cant freaking answer your questions, because I dont fucking remember what it showed me for the past few years, other than what it repeats all the damned time! Have you ever been watched television, the same damned series, perhaps few hundred times, no, make that a few thousand times? Well, we both have, and it sucks. It fucking sucks. Even if its awesome on the first watch, by the 1,000th time, it all sucks. I am sick of it, and it there was dialogue Id be able to repeat the words, word by word.


    Im confused. He said he didnt remember, but he also said he was watching something so many times.


    Fuck you, Tree Creature. But Ill tell you everything just to get this damned demon to show me something else for a fucking change.


    The Victor guy went for an hour about demonic... society? Theres a kind of hierarchy, and there is this... mother at the top. The mother makes a decision, and they follow. Theyre sent into this portal, and then they are here. And he talked about their world. Dry. Filled with smoke and fog. Spires. Craggs. Creatures that emerge out of weird spawning pools. All kinds of spawning pools.


    And stars. Scenes of multiple massive spires shooting some kind of beam, and created the rift.


    Well, demon origin story.


    Now, what should I do about it? Leak out some kind of spective story of its origins? What if I end up empowering the demonic cults? Would that make things worse?


    What if this is what the demons trying to do? It wants me to spread this knowledge. And what good does that do to me? Would the world start suspecting and looking for a demon sympathiser?


    Spaizzer


    covid19 driving me insane~

 Eminent Domain

    Eminent Domain


    <b>Year 102</b>


    Nothing of significance happened. I met the two heroes, they seemed bored, and well, the demon didnt show them anything new either. Im still trying to fix my shit, and improve my pain endurance even more.


    <b>Year 103</b>


    Would the next demon king pop out around now? I mean... no? I sensed some magic flying here and there, but I have no clue what else.


    <b>Year 104</b>


    I had a dream. Usually dreams are divine or oracr in nature, since they often foretold or spoke of divine intervention, so this one was strange. Theres like... 5 asteroids, bright red. They crashed on the world. And... thats it.


    But it felt different. I wasnt quite sure what.


    -


    Still nothing?


    Nope. The two bored heroes responded. Same imagery.


    Ah.


    Based on when the previous demon king battle happened, the demon king should appear again in another year, and so the world should be facing demonic attacks already. But theres 5 heroes remaining, I suppose they should be doing alright. Even if one of those heroes was somehow expelled.


    Im sure they are doing fine.


    <b>Year 105</b>


    This year is the year the demon king is supposed to descend. After all, its been 10 years, and so, in the 2nd half of the year. It did.


    [Demon King Phenex has descended]


    I wonder what happened this time..


    <b>Year 106</b>


    4 months after the demon king descended, I felt it again.


    A huge, huuuuuge surge of magic, so overwhelming that its disgusting. Even when my limbs are torched and burnt I could feel it. It even resonates with my very soul.


    Im sure its blood magic. Theres something really sickening about this magic that makes me feel like puking, if I could. A tree cant puke, sadly.


    I felt whatever it was headed towards its intended target. Like how you could feel the sun even with your eyes closed, I could feel it move, the change in its angle.


    But the demon king lived.


    [The Emunicated Hero, Astra has died]


    Huh.


    That... was not expected. Indeed, not expected at all.


    About one to two dayster, the demonic corruption around me started behaving erratically. As if supercharged, I felt the demonic corruption surge through my body, my roots. I felt it push strongly against the root-walls of my valley.


    I felt cracks in my root-walls. More cracks.


    Here. There.


    The demonic sludged that stabilised over the past 20 years suddenly started moving, flowing, and it pushed against my root-walls.


    More cracks! I feel like Im trying to use sandbags to hold back a tsunami, and there are pockets where the levee broke. The demonic corruption rushed in, together with the sludge.


    And then.... All at once, it stopped.The sludge stopped.


    [Madeus has died]


    [Yvon has died]


    [34 other familiar-users have died]


    [You gained two levels. You are now level 149]


    [Skill : Pain endurance upgraded!]


    [Obtained new skill : Root Fortress]


    [Obtained Yvons soul]


    [Obtained 7 experience seeds]


    And on top of that, I received a long string of notifications about ss seeds and skill seeds. From the many that died, theres [wizard], [swordmage], [brawler], [druid], [knight] and a whole list of many other sses.


    I felt... sad.


    What happened out there.


    Monsters. A voice. I recognise that voice.


    Yvon? I turn to face a glowing blob. It is in fact, Yvon.


    Hi. I said. I mean, I kind of miss talking to someone thats not a demon.


    Happy to see you, Aeon. We... really couldve used your help.


    Im not sure if you can see, but Im stuck in this state holding back the demonic energy.


    Thats what we thought too. You look like... a tree. This is the soul realm that Jura told me about? He said that you have this space where its where the dead linger.


    I am a tree, why wouldnt I look like a tree.


    Mistress Yvon! Erizs soul detected her previous mistresss soul. Oh no. You died...


    Well... it was inevitable. Things were looking really bleak for us. We have barely enough food and water, and every time we lose someone with familiars, a bit of our food supply goes along with it.


    Im very curious whats been happening outside. Stop. You two can catch upter. Tell me about what happened outside.


    Uh... well, were in this valley where your roots are holding up the hardened sludge. But, every now and then cracks in the sludge appeared, and those cracks would spit out demonic hybrid monsters. They attacked us almost every other day.


    Yvon paused a bit.


    And well, what happened was, a huge crack happened, and sludge flowed in. On top of that,rger monsters came in and attacked us, so well... I died killing a few. Many of us did.


    Any idea what happened to the outside world?


    We have no contact. The demonic sludge causes magic to decay, so all our attempts tomunicate with the outside world has been unsessful. Our attempts to use other means ofmunication, like... climbing up that hole on top of you, have been unsessful as well. So, I have no idea.


    Darn. I sighed. Well, the demon king appeared again. And it somehow amplified the effects of the corruption temporarily.


    Fuck. Yvon cursed. That exins it.


    How many of you are left? Im blind at the moment, the demonic corruption robbed me of all my senses.


    About... 3,000? Maybe less after today. Perhaps about 200 died today.


    Thats not... bad?


    We''re at a higher level now. Many of us leveled tremendously over the past 20 years to survive this. But things are still bleak, with food in short supply, and our equipment limited. At least, none of us were dying to the demons for a while... Until today.


    I see. I mean, I felt kind of sad. What about the forest? The trees?


    Uh... oh. Erm... Quite a bit of the giant trees are still there. Some of the weird trees are still there. We managed to locate a few surviving flower-bushes and herbal spots, so thats our spices. We also found quite a bit of potato buried, so were also eating that...


    What about water?


    A few of our druids are able to use their mana to create water. So... thats our water supply.


    I see. Let me think. I let Yvon and Eriz catch up a bit. They spoke about Roma, and generally about life in their new environment. Its been a long time since theyst met, almost 20 years, and so they have much to talk about.


    But I have a new skill. [Root Fortress].


    So, when I was awake again, I quickly activated [Root Fortress], and felt, for a brief moment, all the roots strengthen. Its like a sonar pulse, and at that moment I knew exactly how many trees survived, as I felt the effects of my skill spread throughout the valley.


    And I stayed awake, longer.


    I think its my two new levels.


    Now, if only I could get more levels.


    I can see why you cant help us now. Yvons blob of light sighed. I briefly exined my situation of being trapped in this demonfire. Youre not even awake most of the time...


    Not exactly ideal, but I hope Ill be able to break free of it soon. Tell me about whos left.


    Lausanne, Laufen, Roma, Jura lived. Two of the Valtrian Orders captains survived too. One of the herbalists and quite a big chunk of the druid-in-training Valthorns also survived, by sheer coincidence that they were foraging in the forest during that time. Its a day they remember, the day when the Valley sank.


    -


    At theter part of the year, the demon king was in.


    [Demon King Phenex was defeated]


    [Becky has died. You received one fragment]


    Oh wow. Only one hero died.


    [You gained 3 levels. You are now level 152.]


    [Skill upgraded : Demonic Energy Transmission]


    [Skill upgraded : Subsidiary Trees - 100,000. Giant Attendant Trees - 1,000]


    [Level 150 crossed. You may select a DOMAIN]


    [Domain are your focus on the path of divinity, and will impact future domain choices. The first choice is your primary domain. Choice of domain greatly influences type of future skills learned]


    [Choices are : ]


    [Domain of Nature]


    [Domain of Spirit]


    [Domain of Astral]


    Holy...


    This is probably the first time I recall ever being offered a choice in what I want for a skill. Like... domain? It sounds very much like what kind of god or deity I want to be. Is this like Age of Mythology where I get to choose which patron god I get to pray to, and so have different kinds of perks?


    How do I decide?


    Nature, Spirit, and Astral.


    Nature sounds like I am headed to more tree-like powers. Spirit sounds like I get even more soul and spirit rted perks. Astral...


    What does astral mean again? Ah stars. So... more star mana powers? From what I know of star-mana, its super effective against the demons, which is why the heroes get it, so going into the Astral path may be the most effective way of getting myself out of this mess.


    But then, Im not keen on that at all. I think it conflicts with my sense of self.


    Im a tree. I would like that being a tree is my identity. Well, I was a human, but by now Ive lived so long that my life as a tree has far exceeded that of my human life. Even if it feels brief, because I spend so much of it sleeping.


    How about spirit, then? Should I go into the entire path of spirits? Ghost, souls and all. Well... I havent actually found much joy in it.


    Theres nothing like watching a barren field being brought back to life. An empty in transformed into a verdant forest. A volcano calmed into an oasis of giant life.


    I think I like trees, flowers, bushes and all of that. So nature is more in tune with me.


    I think Id be a fool if I chose Astral because its going to get me out of this shit. Ill get out of this eventually, with levels, and with more hero fragments. So I should y the long game. Choose something that I will like.


    So, I thought about it for a day or two, then selected.


    [Domain of Nature selected]


    In an instant, I felt a spark, and felt something rush to every tip of me. Every burned branch, every charred root.


    [Domain Ability : Roots of Life. So long as you are rooted to the ground, the ground will nourish you, heal you and debuff negative statuses and effects. Strength of domain ability proportionate to amount of roots connected to the ground.]


    [One domain ability is unlocked every 10 levels. Next domain ability at level 160. Next sub-domain focus at level 200]


    [Demonic Curse is suppressed by your Domain Ability. Effect of demonic curse is reduced]


    My roots started to heal, even as the demonfire burned. It healed faster than it could burn, and within minutes, the demonic corruption was confined into the dedicated tunnels used to expel the absorbed demonic energy. So, even though the top of my body, the very tip of the branches are now emitting demonic mes, the branches themselves are no longer burning.


    Ive be... an oil refinery that res up. Okay that wasme. Maybe Hades, then?


    About one day after the healing, I saw my valley once more. Then, I felt the reconnection of everything in the valley. All my fellow surviving trees, flowers, bushes, herbal nts and roots. My brethren.


    It feels me with joy to hear them all again, their ambient voices in the background. I felt my energy flowing back to them, and theirs back to me.


    I surveyed my valley. Oh how terrible it looked. My roots were holding back the demonic sludge from the back, the roots hardened.


    Theres still a fewrge tunnels of demonic energies, but now, with my new [Domain], I could forcefully suppress those mes into smaller, much smaller ones. Its like a gas stove, and with my new powers I turned the knob, and the fires shrunk.


    [Reconnecting to Trevor]


    ...mAsTeR? A familiar voice.


    Yes, Trevor.


    I felt what amounts to joy and relief, and immediately after that, the ovey returned to me. Things are dire. About 20,000 or so trees are left in the area protected by my wall of roots. Theres also about 1,000 or so natural giant trees, and about 50 or 60 subsidiary trees that survived. The grand mind tree is damaged, and will need some materials to repair. Most other structures are gone. New Freeka is gone too.


    I mean, I knew that, but seeing it again really hammered that reality in. What was once New Freeka''s was reced with blocks of demonic sludge, by now mostly hardened. But there are gaps in those sludge, and the demonic hybrids would emerge from them.


    Wee back, master. Trevor quickly found back hisposure. Youve been away for 21 years.


    I know. What happened?


    The valley has been attacked by demonic creatures. Without ess to you, master, we were unable to use your delegated abilities, and can only activate our own abilities. As such, our attempts at defending the valley have met with mixed results. We attempted to aid the survivors where we can, but with our limited skillsets, we couldnt do much. And after ten or so years, our functions and awareness began to decay. Until... today.


    I see. Thats when I finally zoomed back on the survivors. I hardly recognise them now, it has been so long, but then Trevor''s ovey started to popte my vision with whatever data that he collected so far.


    And I saw Jura, Laufen and Lausanne. Its been so long.


    d to see the three of you alive. They were clearly observing the changes in the valley, and when my telepathic voice reached them, all of them froze. Jura immediately knelt on the floor. Laufen just stoned, and Lausanne made a fistpump.


    OH YEAH. I KNEW IT WAS TREETREE. She said. I KNEW IT.


    Laufen and Jura both seemed unable to say a word.


    Lausanne... well. She wasnt young anymore. She looks like an adult. Shes... 37? Oh my. She isn''t a young teenager anymore, even if she spent twenty years holed up in this valley. They all look really skinny, like theyve not been eating well. In fact, they all look malnourished.


    At that moment, I suddenly remembered that Jura had some viger skills that were useful for such situations. Skills he didnt let me remove because its nostalgia. Looks like he was right, he wouldve died without those skills, with how this environment seems tock sufficient meat sources. All they have been eating are fruits, vegetables, leaves.


    All of you look like shit.


    They didnt answer. Well, except Lausanne. Of course we do. Were not exactly having a feast here! Now get us out of this valley!


    Easier said than done, Lausanne. I attempted to look further, beyond the valley, and couldnt do so because all my subsidiary trees outside this cocoon were all destroyed. Maybe those further away survived, because I didnt get a notification for Dimitree, or those that guarded the volcano, or those near Lilies too, but thats for another day. I would need to reim the terrain from the demons in order to see further, but for now, lets get the house in order.


    I focused back on the valley. 3,000 or so survivors. Quite a bit of treefolks, some centaurs, some lizardpeople, some dwarves too, and the rest, elves.


    Trevor was already busy at work, quickly reconnecting me to all the surviving trees in the valley. I felt their voice return, and at the same time, their power. The valleys root walls hardened, and in an instant, a bit more life returned to thend. The sickly looking trees, deprived of sunlight started to sprout more green leaves.


    I used my roots to force the hole on top of our valley to open up, and bit by bit, a little more sunlight came in. Well, not exactly sunlight. Its a stormy firestorm out there.


    Oh wow. The survivors admired the sunhole expanding overhead. It wasnt sunlight, but finally, a bigger view of the sky. Theyve been missing the skies.


    Bad news is, whatever happened, happened to probably most of this continent. I said to Jura, Lausanne and Laufen. The survivors have gathered up, and heard their announcement.


    TreeTree... its so weird to hear your voice after so long. Lausanne said. Ive grown up now. Im also level 80 now.


    ...yes. And I havent quitee to terms with that. She still feels like a young 16 year old girlst I saw her. This isnt quite right.


    I feel like Ive woken up from a 20 yeara to discover the world has changed and Im still that same old fart. I will need some time to adjust to this new reality.


    They all look really skinny. Jura looked haggard. Famine in this environment has been exceptionally hard. Sucks even more that the demons are not edible. Unlike monsters, some of which are edible.


    Wait. Level 80? That means shes capped out like Jura? Is that your cap?


    ...yes. She said.


    How many of you hit your level caps?


    Me. Uncle Jura, there... uh... Neros close, like level 70ish. And uh... Romas level 70ish too. Well. In fact, about 50 of them are at level 70 to 80, which is exceptionally high level for a band of survivors. But in terms of ss, I think mine, Uncle Juras and the captains have the best skills, since we have the familiars for extra power.


    That exined how they managed to stop the deaths after a while. With 50 level 70 to 80, they could take on most high level creatures. Even with just ordinary [Knight] or [Soldier] ss, thats a very good ce to be.


    Twenty years.


    I kinda feel like I just had a manga powerup timeskip. Only, well, its these elves that had a big powerup.


    If all of you are so strong, why dont you break out of this ce?


    Uh... the demons are strong, and theres a lot of them. Like... every wave is a few hundred of them. Lausanne said. And that hole was our only exit. None of us wanted to break through the roots because we dont want more monstersing in if we fail. She pointed at the hole.


    Wave? And then I felt it too. There was a crack in my wall of roots, and monsters emerged from it. 500.


    I was more than happy to unleash fury after being asleep for so long. A huge wave of root strikes, and all of the monsters crumbled.


    Wheres horns?


    Horns is in stasis, master. Trevor advised.


    What?


    And I saw him in one of the surviving subsidiary trees in the valley, his body severed in half, and hes left with his head. The subsidiary trees energies kept him alive and maintained him, but there wasnt enough to heal him.


    I couldntmunicate with the survivors to get their druids to help. Trevor apologised.


    I see.


    I took a mental deep breath.


    It was time to rebuild.

 Putreed

    Putreed


    <b>Year 106ter half.</b>


    Rebuilding. There is much to do.


    I have a mission, and I want to return the forest to the continent. This devastation is foreign, alien, and it is my task to restore it.


    Or at least, that''s what the trees are telling me. A tree spirit''s role, along with many other simr creatures, are the world''s fixers and bncers, the guys that clean up the court after a game, the cleaners and repairmen. I can feel the call of duty. A duty to the world, to fix it. To restore it to nature.


    I wonder whether that is an effect of the Domain. I mean, just as I gain power over a domain, does it mean I also inherit some responsibilities to that Domain? Its strange, but I believe that the power imposes this sense of duty. I reckon the heroes and the other tree spirits of this level feel it too, that they have a calling. Why else would they go about their ways so single-mindedly?


    I wonder what kind of duty I would have, had I chosen Spirit or Astral? A duty to ensure the proper transmission of the dead? A duty to the stars? Or does Astral imply a more anti-demonic role, that I would have to y a bigger role in fighting demons?


    Questions, of course. Stupid world. There needs to be a guidebook somewhere.


    And the wisp is gone. Wisp? I couldnt find him anywhere. No answer from him either. I wanted to start using Eriz and Yvon too, but thats stuck because the Soul Forge is out ofmission.


    [Soul Forge requires a power source. Due to the effects of the weakened curse, and reduced sunlight, the minimum normal tree required to power the soul forge is calcted to be 100,000]


    So... whats going to happen? Lausanne asked a few days after my awakening. I was stilling to terms with my new power, and the realisation that, well, theres this duty thing nagging me at the back of my head. With power,es responsibility. Just as the energy of the earth nourishes me, and breaks me free of this, it also imposes its desires on me?


    I wondered if I went down the Spirit Path, maybe I dont even need other trees to power a soul forge. Oh well.


    I dont know, Lausanne. Ive been asleep. I need to rebuild my knowledge of the world. 20 years may mean a lot has changed, at least, thats how it was in my world. In 20 years we went from clunkyndlines to smartphones, I wonder what the surviving heroes brought to this world?


    Thats... true. But were trapped in this ce for 20 years too. So were not much help.


    Well, I suppose first things first, we need to get ourselves out of this hole. This isnt a good ce to be, and we need contact with the outside world.


    Howd you n to do that?


    I dont know. I mean, I really dont. I need to see what works, and what doesnt. I have some idea of what already worked, in the sense that my roots did manage to block out demonic corruption, so I wonder whether its possible to push back at the corruption with more roots. Kind of like using my roots as the de of the bulldozer, and pushing the corruption back.


    Ive also needed to examine my own state, like, my [curse] is suppressed by my roots of life, but what does suppressed actually mean, like, I am going to experience some kind of degradation, or will the curse re up?


    But the survivors, they felt a sense of calmness thats been away for a long time. It seemed the entire beetle army had vanished after Horns was in stasis, so they didnt have help from the beetles either. Now, the horde of beetles returned, no longer in hibernation.


    Horns still needed a lot of healing. Itll take a few months to rebuild his damaged body, but it wouldnt be a problem.


    The demons came again. More of them.


    The demons now felt the full brunt of my stronger [demonic suppression aura], no longer hindered by the curse. And they crumbled quickly. These strange, hybrid things. Some are less susceptible to the auras effects, but with the beetles back inrge numbers, it wasnt much. We only had to focus on therger creatures that had the strength of a demon general or so.


    I could now house the survivors in [secret hideout] and the various subsidiary trees [external rooms] and [tree lodges]. A much wee change from their basic homes, and also, I have beds! Beds that are stored in my [secret hideout], and various other supplies previously stockpiled in there are now avable again.


    Still, among the survivors, some of them resisted. We can take care of ourselves. We did so for 20 years!


    Its understandable. For me, these 20 years feel like a dream, it passed by so quickly, maybe it feels just like 2, 3 weeks, a month of solitude and confinement for me. But for these guys, they lived 20 years out here, fighting the demons all the time. Life has been miserable for the past 20 years, but theyve made it through without me.


    Why do they need me?


    Most were more than happy to return to thefort of proper beds and a safe environment.


    Tell me all you know about the monsters youve been fighting over the past 20 years. What abilities do they have, what they are like, when they appear, any weaknesses?


    Those who frequently led the fights, Lausanne, Jura, the captains and many others all gathered around, and all talked about what they experienced. Like the demonic creatures are like half-demon, half-monster, and so therger monsters have two hearts, one demonic, one monster, and they have to take both of them down to kill it, else they would regenerate. These demons also retained the ability to agglomerate themselves and form arger creature, something less powerful than a walker, but its probably due to size limitations within the valley itself.


    They have mini-projectile energy sts, also simr to walkers, and the more humanoid forms tend to have crude weapons.


    They have no tactics, other than a strange ability to sense and track them. Stealth abilities are not effective. They have heads, but their heads are actually just decorations. Chopping their heads off does nothing, because the heart is the engine of the monster. The parts that resemble a head are nothing more than an arm. The eyes on the monster are also simrly useless, and blinding those eyes merely disables the beam abilities.


    In short, the parts that resemble a regr monster are there because the temte requires those sorts of appendages and parts, but they are not critical to the monsters life. If it has one.


    Other than that, theyve mostly taken life day by day. Living in the moment.


    Monsters.


    Unlike demons, their corpses linger around a bit longer, but entirely inedible because it''s innards are contaminated with demonic juices. Demonic bodies decay significantly faster than monsters, so it''s quite difficult to harvest any of its body parts for materials or equipment.


    The monsters haverge spikes, horns, and also tentacle-like features. Had it not decay and could be preserved, maybe they could be made into strong weapons. But like wood, these ''organic'' materials need treatment tost, or they decay quickly, and no one had enough time or survived demons to even research it.


    Well, except these guys. One of the surviving warleaders, out of sheer boredom trapped in a valley, soaked the small remains of a demon in olive oil. And noticed it didn''t decay. Preserved demonic appendages in olive oil.


    Fascinating thing. I observed the specimens shown by that 70-year old elf. They do have a surplus of olive oil, since some of the olive shrubs survived. They cook with it, season their vegetables with it, preserve chunks of fruits with it, and this one elf had the inspiration to preserve demonic remains.


    My inner bib got to work quickly.


    [Preserved Demonic Parts - olive oil used to significantly slow and stop the decay of demonic matter]


    Yeah. I thought its interesting, but I only worked with small parts of the demon.


    Did you gain a ss for it? I reckon there should be [fermenter] or [preserver] or something like that.


    I didnt, cause Im already capped out at level 60 [soldier] and level 20 [viger].


    Ah. A shame. I wouldve liked a bigger sample. To observe demons in their native state without decay. I did recall having captured hellhounds, and those were very interesting. But here I have other demonic specimens, and these are even half-demonic hybrids. So they had a lot of value to be understood.


    Even the survivors are very interesting. It seemed 20 years of solitary confinement had also changed their physical appearances. Their ordinarily fair, pinkish skin have now turned almost grey. I wonder whether its Vitamin D deficiency, perhaps elves, creatures of the forest, need more sunlight than others, socking sunlight their skin loses much of their color?


    The treefolk seemed to suffer the effects of being trapped in the valley a little harder than the rest. The treefolks at first nce seem the same, but they remarked their bodies feel weaker, more sickly, and the effects of little-to-no sunlight was especially pronounced on the quality of their inner structures. They were more prone to fall sick, and a few have died from sickness.


    Some of the centaurs suffered from muscr degradation, they were used to havingrge areas to roam, like horses, so confinement into a valley meant their lower bodyparts became weak. Those with certain unique skills like [tiptop condition] or [peak performance] were able to remain physically fit, but for the rest of them, they had to resort to all kinds of exercises to maintain their health.


    The dwarves, well, they seemed perfectly fine. Apparently, being in a valley trapped underground isnt something umon for dwarves, who remarked it sounded quite like being trapped in a mining ident. A few of them even had skills that made surviving in such an environmentfortable. Like I think one dwarf probably had some kind of ale-making ability that he''s not sharing with others.


    But oh well. Its something to examine, for sure, but I want to get out. My duty calls to me


    And I have to work with some of the survivors that are still a bit skeptical of me, some of them wonder whether the mes on my head are signs of demonic influence, and they dont buy my [curse] exnation all that easily. Still, they are obeying my requests but they are guarded. I could hear their conversations.


    They must have forgotten I could do so since for them, the memories of twenty years ago are probably hazy.


    So, after a bit of information gathering, I decided to try pushing back at the sludge. It''s a strange thing, this sludge. It has all hardened now, and yet monsters can spawn in them. How? The sludge itself creates them?


    Anyway, I pushed. At one corner, furthest away from where the survivors made their home, I pushed. The corruption from outside is strong, but now that I am awake, I like to think I am stronger. At least, in this area.


    The pushing worked. I pushed back at hardened sludge, and it buckled. It bent. And I kept pushing. Each time I pushed, my roots moved in to form a protective barrier. The protective barrier didn''t work on every time though, the roots sometimes would run into an aquifer or something, and it would squeeze out a bit of water, and those leaked through the gaps in the root.


    "Uh... water?" The survivors were watching with great interest, from the safety of their treehouses.


    Well, it made sense that there are pockets of water in the ground. I mean, I am sure rain or precipitation or condensation continued even if the demon king corrupted thend.


    I pushed, and my ability [root tunnels] triggered to form a wall. But they are unfortunately porous and water could leak through.


    "Aeon, please stop." One of the survivors said. "The water is stilling in."


    Ah. The water is still leaking through the root walls. Why? Maybe I should push upwards instead?


    So, I started to push my roots upward and outward, in a way, like a stadium with movable roofs. It was already partly open from my earlier efforts, but I stopped midway as I realised more of the firestorm was getting into the valley.


    Maybe just one side, Aeon. Lausanne remarked. Would it be possible for a tunnel or path that leads up to the surface?


    Indeed. Thats what I tried over the next few days. Strategically, a tunnel would be better. Far easier to defend if anything massivees around, rather than an open path. The sludge bes a natural wall that hides this valley. I should keep that strategic advantage.


    So a tunnel.


    A second attempt. Hopefully I dont bump into pools of water trapped underground.


    I pushed upwards this time, again, from where the previous tunnel started.


    Unlucky!


    There was more water, the tunnel ran into a pool of water, and the water rushed down the tunnel like rainwater in a storm drain, and it spilled into that segment of the valley.


    Well, at least were not there. Some of the elves, well, if the makeshift houses were there, theyd be in trouble. Eventually, the flow of water from whatever pool I bumped into slowed down significantly.


    Theres small trickles of water that seeped through the tunnel walls, and those trickles turned into a small stream of water down the tunnel and into the valley. Unlike the first surge, its just a small trickle, so, no big waves there.


    I pushed on. Were quite deep, and so I had to keep pushing. The angle couldnt be too steep or its useless as a path.


    It took a few weeks of constantly pushing, dealing with the monsters that appeared from the sludge, and eventually the tunnel was done. A reinforced path to the surface.


    <b>Year 107</b>


    The surface was hellish. More monsters roamed on this strange, apocalyptd. Jura and the group that went out and explored it the first time remarked it resembled nothing. Its just as strange as a ce thats been thoroughly corrupted by hex.


    The surface was not empty. There were many different demonic monsters that roamed the terrain, some of which theyve met in their twenty years of battle.


    And there were stationary monsters.


    That was what they assumed at first. Stationary monsters that looked every bit like a monster, and they didnt move. But they attacked things that approached them, or emitted poison. This was entirely new to the elves, because, well, these monsters couldnt move, and they were stuck underground. There wasnt a way for the two groups to ever meet.


    Until now.


    But, on closer observation, they noticed some of these monsters had branches. Like trees. They thought they were horns at first, like how antler horns resembled some branches.


    It was reddish leaves on one subtype of demonic hybrids that finally made some of them go aha!. Hybrid demon-nts.


    If there are hybrid animals and monsters, surely there are hybrid nts!


    This fact was extremely interesting to me, and I had a million and one questions.


    Like, why did they exist? Magic? Divine powers? If divine creation was the answer, why were they created as hybrids and not pure monsters or trees? Or did it mean the influence of the terrain was able to interfere with the process of divine creation?


    Or are these creatures products of the demonic corruption, that the demonic corruption borrows from thend and thus created these hybrids?


    Then, theres the question of whether they are trees, in the sense that, can I, with my powers as a Tree Spirit, hold any influence,municate and control them? Are these tree-like demonic things, actually trees? I thought they might be part-tree, just like how the demonic creatures that attacked the valley were part-monster.


    And how did they exist? How are they powered? Do they produce seeds or fruits? Any chance those are edible, or poisonous thus can be weaponised? Do they have abilities or powers, like certain species of trees? Can they be made into items like how certain trees are harvested for timber. Is this their ideal environment? Do they respond well to different environments? What do they consume?


    Do they need sunlight? Do they need water? Is that why theres puddles and pools of water underground? Do they have roots? I dont recall encountering any, but is that because their roots are shallow?


    Master. Trevors voice broke through my deep contemtion. A decision. The survivors have been waiting.


    I didnt realise it, but I spent a month just studying the few demonic samples brought back by the scouts. It was just that fascinating to me. Waiting for what?


    They are asking whether you can start creating trees on the surface.


    Why?


    Oh, they wanted somewhere to stay outside the valley. Somewhere... safe.


    When did I agree to this?


    No, you didnt. I recall Master ignored them the first time when you were studying the demonic specimens.


    I did? I didnt even realise that they were talking to me. When did it happen? Thats strange. Did I somehow ignore everything when I focused on the demonic tree samples?


    Yes. Trevor said quite matter-of-factly.


    The hybrid tree samples were too fascinating. Or did I somehow tune them out? I dont recall even having the conversation.... Never mind.


    The terrain and the demonic corruption takes the form of a sludge. The demonic energy that passes through the sludge, kind of like a current of electricity travelling through a conductive liquid. It passed through it, and also radiated it like a radioactive material. ording to the elves, some of them with the gift of darksight can see a faint glow in the sludge.


    So, the process of clearing thend means either removing and pushing away the sludge, or neutralising the sludge. What I have been doing so far is well, a mix. By pushing it away with my roots like a natural bulldozer, and at the same time, my main body acts as a filter and cleaner, using my roots to absorb the demonic sludge, and the vtile,bustible mana thates with it.


    Its slow. Because Im the bottleneck. Back to the oil pollution analogy, theres a limit of how much oil I can process per day, and against the constantly expanding oil, I feel like Im in a game of candy crush fighting against a field of ever expanding chocte. Or like Alpha Centauri where the native vegetation is encroaching on my forests. Come to think of it, this is very much like Alpha Centauri. Alien creatures attacking what it perceives as enemies? The only difference is well, were the natives, and they are the aliens.


    Are the demons colonists?


    Ive gotten sidetracked again. Oil analogy. I have a processing rate, and the terrain itself imposes a minimum on me to process, else the root walls wont hold. Every time the strength of the root walls increase, I need to process less, because the walls can hold back more of the corrupting demon mana and sludge. The walls are like an oil silo, then, and it has a capacity.


    So, can I increase my processing capacity now that Im back to consciousness?


    Can my [Giant Attendant Trees] y that role to a lesser capacity? I would have to design the Giant Attendant Trees avable [customisable rooms] specifically for the function, to have much higher self-healing ability, and demonic absorbent abilities.


    -


    The two heroes are still there.


    Hi.


    Oh. Youre back. You must be bored toe and find us again.


    Well, yes. Im free now. After I said that, I instantly regretted it.


    Oh, nice. Can you help us?


    Not sure. I dont even know where you are?


    I think I do. Simone said. Theres a red crystal like thing somewhere near the demon king site. I think were there. Or at least, our souls are imprisoned there. Free us.


    Huh. Fuck. Did I just get myself into a quest? No.


    I felt a massive headache (ahem, I dont have a head, but yeah) then, like something trying to force me to say yes. I resisted. Fuck this. Its probably divine in nature, because the calling of duty generally radiates from my roots.


    Why not? They asked.


    That pain was getting stronger, but I pulled the energy from within me to resist it. I even pulled the energy from the nearby trees and the earth.


    [Domain has resisted divine influence.]


    Im no hero. And fuck, did the gods just tried to mind-control me? Since when did the gods directly attempt to influence things? I thought theyre not supposed to do that.


    Spaizzer I''m feeling tired andzy. :S

 Part TIme

    Part TIme


    <b>Year 108</b>


    The important equation is how much demonic sludge we can process, versus how much demonic sludge is expanding in the area. As long as my processing rate is higher than the sludge, were taking back territory from the hybrid demons.


    Were doing so, very very carefully.


    Because well, we lost a few people when some of the demonic monsters exploded. The forest of demon trees have a few types, and these demontrees actually feed and help sustain the firestorm, because weve discovered some of them spit out some kind of mmable gas, that gets ignited super easily. Another kind of tree is just perpetually smoking, and it constantly released dark smoke like an ancient superpolluting smokestack. The smoke-trees create so much smoke that it creates a perpetualyer of dark smog that hangs over the entire area, and causes theck of sunlight.


    The exploding gas trees added to the mess, and created areas where these gas might just suddenly ignite and blow up, and yet those trees are quite resistant to the effects of the explosion.


    Not a pleasant environment to be in.


    So, slow and steady. Thanks to the microclimate generated by these kinds of demonic trees, the weather is perpetually hot and stormy. The effects of the seasons was subdued.


    We reimed the area immediately around our valley and the hole, mostly by me pushing back at the sludge. Its a long process, one week I could clear and clean the area the size of a football field, but the speed slows the further away it is, because arger area means an increase in the overall root surface area with the demonic sludge, so it takes up more of my demonic sludge processing ability.


    In order for the expansion to continue, it is paramount. Crucial. That the giant attendant trees are able to add to the demonic sludge processing capacity.


    Else, the rate of expansion will stop the moment once I hit the sludge processing limit. Unless my roots get stronger.


    Its just the math of the matter.


    -


    During this time, the survivors also brought back a lot more of the demon tree specimens back to me. Its a slow process, and my ability to assist is limited because the demonic sludge essentially blocked my roots from interfering. I have to reim the territory from the demons for my abilities to work in that area.


    Its quite difficult to bring the specimens back, of course. They are after all spawned of demonic matter and the survivors abhorred the idea initially. But I just convinced a few of them to y a part, and thats all I needed. The survivors are not all uniform, some are more cooperative than the others.


    I studied them like an obsessed scientist.


    I wanted to know everything about them, and I wished I had a soul forge to look at them in far greater detail. For now, I will have to make do with analysing them with my [bib], and hope to understand these demonic nts.


    Firstly, like the demonic hound, its inner structure is dry. And instead of a spring, there is a barren one. When I look at the structure of the nt specimens, it has odd mes throughout the entire space. Every now and then, there would be res.


    How does it get the skill? Is that like some kind of basic racial or species ability, if it doesnt have a soulspring and the stones that signify the skills around it?


    Clearly, this exposed one w of my understanding of the soul system. Sure, if you gain levels, the skills you gained are around the soul spring. But for these demons, they dont seem to be gaining levels, and they also dont seem to have a soul. They resembled automatons, machines, and yet they are not.


    So, where are the skills? Or is it something elsewhere. Or if they are some extraterrestrials like the earth heroes, then they must have a mind somewhere that helps them to do things. Or is it biological, in the sense that their abilities are not born out of skill, but out of their physical design?


    Again, the w of my understanding is quite obvious. My [bib] allowed me to look at their inner structure, if they have one. This worked well with the natives of this world, since they have souls. But with demons, they dont seem to have one, and using this [bib] to examine them, in hindsight, is clearly an iplete picture of the whole story.


    But!


    I do know that when I flooded their bodies with my mana, like with the demon walker, and prior to that, with the hellhounds and Alexis, I was able to take control of them. So, its either this soul thing existed as a higher-order control system, and the demons base structure is on a lower tier... or something. Which I dont know what.


    I need a living specimen.


    These dead demonic trees are not good enough.


    But the survivors are not able to capture a demon while alive. They do not have the strength to do so, and its too high risk for them.


    "You could dig and reim the area around a demon tree and then uh, capture it that way?" Lausanne suggested. In short, encircle-and-siege.


    Which is exactly what I did. Over 20 years these demon trees have massively proliferated and they upy huge chunks of the terrain. And it wasn''t hard to find many of these demontrees near our valley.


    It took a bit of time, but essentially I would go around the target, and then once I trapped it, I would spawn a [giant attendant tree] next to it, and pull the targeted demontree into the [bib] inside my tree.


    And soon I had live specimens in mybs.


    -


    The survivors have been trying to message any nearby civilisations, but they had no idea who survived, so all their messages so far bounced. They wanted to try cities that are further away too, but those werent getting anywhere thanks to the interference from the demonic sludge. The survivors were in a meeting.


    We know which direction the demon king came from. One survivor presented, and he pointed. So, logically, if we head the other direction we will eventually findnds untouched by the corruption. I dont believe the demon king destroyed the entire world.


    Why not? We dont know whether anything survived!


    Of course, I do. 5 heroes survived that demon king, and went on to beat the next 2 demon kings too! Surely there are survivors.


    Still, I propose a squad of us go on an expedition.


    We cant even get far without losing people, and you want an expedition?


    Yes! Im pretty sure were not at the center of things, so we must be closer to the edge. And beyond the edge must be normalcy! Dont you all want that?


    Hmm... thats true. Lausanne nodded. I agree with it.


    Jura shook his head. I prefer we y it safe, ask Aeon to clear a path for us towards that direction.


    Itll take too long. Lausanne said. And some of the other survivors agreed. We need to get in touch with civilisation as fast as we can. If its up to Aeon, itll be years before we get there. You know its true, Uncle.


    But it is safe. Think about it, you want to face all the monsters out there? Weve seen so many.


    Weve faced them before. A survivor said. He too was one of the capped out fighters. Level 75. And were high level, we can survive this.


    Have you guys actually thought this through? Where are you going to live? What are you going to eat? The terrain is not what it was.


    Better than being trapped in here for the past 20 years, Jura. Some of us have decided we want to see civilisation again. Its worth a shot.


    Jura frowned.


    Lausanne agreed with that group. Uncle. Hes right. We cant stay here forever, and fact is, we need to rebuild the lines ofmunication. Get help. Find some people whod be able to get us out of this mess. The town is no more, and the people deserve better.


    At what risk? You cant protect all of them.


    But staying here as it is isnt a way to live. Weve been here for decades!


    Aeons getting there.


    Aeons going to take forever. A survivor said. No disrespect, but Aeon works on different timescales. Wed be having kids before we are out of this ce. Its been more than 2 years since Aeon woke up and were still <i>just </i>clearing up the surrounding area.


    Were making slow, defensible progress. We can protect this ce.


    Its too slow. 2 years, Jura. For some of the centaurs and dwarves, its a big chunk of their lives. I know it means less to the elves. But theyve already spent 20 years here, and another 2 years since. Let us go.


    Jura frowned. This was amon issue, in the fact that people of different life expectancies had different perceptions of the value of time. Like, 2 years for an elf that could live to 500 to 800 years is different from a centaur or dwarf that usually lived up to 150 to 200.


    Jura wasnt too happy, but the survivors were split. Those too afraid to take the risk and are willing to stay here, and those who believe its worth a shot. To get back their normal lives by making a trek across the hostile terrain, with their warriors protecting them. So, Jura walked away.


    A small group is easier to protect. We have enough preserved food and our familiars can continue to produce fruits. One of the survivors said.


    Lausanne nodded. She asked for some beetles to apany them, but the demonic sludges interference meant their operating range was limited. Go further and theyll just shut down.


    A day after they had that discussion, Lausanne came and talked to me.


    Aeon.


    Yes? I was still studying the demonic trees at that time.


    Im going to leave the valley.


    I know. I was still processing the matter. I didnt know how to react. I mean, I just woke up. Okay, just is rtive, because to me, it felt like I just woke up, but the survivors have a point, it is 2 years for them. 2 wasted years, in a way. For 2 years, the world zoomed past them, and I can see why they want to rejoin society again.


    Are you... mad, Aeon? She asked.


    You used to call me... TreeTree. Im not sure what made me say that.


    Ah... Im already 39, Aeon. She looked a bit embarrassed. Its... been a long time.


    For me, I felt awkward. In my mind, shes still a child. I felt like it was yesterday that I saw her as a teenager, and now, at 39, shes pretty much an elven adult. I cant ept that. No, I must ept that. People change. Everyone changes. Its foolish of me to expect anyone to stay the same for years, or what more decades.


    Were always here, master. Trevor added. We have gained levels, but we are the same. Well, except them. And my fellow trees, who are as eternal as I am.


    Well, this was something Ive been hoping to do, and Ive waited years for it. She said. Remember when I used to say I wanted to visit the other spirits.


    Ah, yes. It was just yesterday for me. Really.


    Well, I dont want it anymore.


    Huh?


    I had so many years to think about stuff. Lausanne went. This was... nostalgic. I recall my earlier days in Freeka, when it was a small vige, when the elves used to always sit down next to me and talk about their affairs. About how they felt, about life in general. How Casshern used to makements about the younger elves, or even Laufen then, about her worries of childbirth


    Lausanne paused a moment, she was in my secret hideout, the ce that was once her old room. Nothing changed in the room, but she has. She touched the things that she once used.


    22 years, Aeon. In that long period of time, I felt broken. I felt robbed of my opportunity to travel the world. I was angry, Aeon. Angry. So mad that the world did this, that our world, this stupid stupid world, would be so self-destructive. That demons constantly came for us, and for what? We dont even know why we are here, serving as fodders and decorations for the heroes and demons eternal conflict. It didnt make sense.


    It doesnt.


    But, there wasnt much I could do about the demons and heroes. Not with my powers. So after my anger, I grieved for my lost time. I felt sad. I felt lost. I wondered what the purpose of living was, Aeon. Have you ever felt like that? Wondering why do you even exist in the world, like... why was I born into this world? I wanted reason, I wanted to know. I wanted to see a bigger picture.


    Well... honestly, for me, its an ident. One that I epted quite willingly, which is extremely strange in hindsight. How did I ept it so easily?


    Maybe its different for you, because youre this great tree spirit thats always been here. But for me, I felt lost. I have this... power. Your gift. But why? Why did the fates conspire for me to receive such gifts and power? And yet, its insufficient in the face of such great evils. So, I wallowed in that misery for a few years, every day just fighting the damned demonic monsters that came for our lives.


    Okay...


    But I eventually moved past that grief, and into eptance. Ive epted that Ive lost 22 years being here in the valley. So I spent time just honing my skills. Even if our levels are capped out, its still possible to upgrade our skills to be stronger versions. And then, now my goal is different. I just want to see the world, and appreciate whats out there. I mean... Ive epted that Im not a hero.


    What. Okay, how is that rted.


    Surviving this disaster, then hitting my level cap. I realised that I wasnt meant to be a hero, and that well, lifes not that great. You know, before this whole thing, I used to think I was special. I mean, mom told me I was special, and everyone treated me like I was special because I had your special powers, and I even believed I was special. But Ivee to ept that I am not that special. Special, but not much.


    Well, thats not a bad ce to be.


    Yeah. It isnt. I wanted more at a point, but I believe its not really what I actually want. So... Aeon. Uhm, TreeTree. I will leave with the group that wants to make the journey. I had to have this conversation with you, because I recalled how well you treated me, and all these special powers and blessings youve given me. Im leaving, and I want to thank you.


    Huh.


    Thank you, Aeon. For all youve done for me so far. But it is time I go out there, and find my own ce in the world. It may not be much, but Id like to think Im like a bird. Finally freed of this cage, I should try to fly away. Maybe I might return, or maybe I may just drop by, but I have to take this chance.


    I felt... betrayed. And yet I felt that feeling of betrayal was wrong. I am a tree, and it is normal that animals asionally stop by, and maybe in therger scheme of things, everyones just a transient contact for the tree.


    She waited.


    I didnt know how to feel. Is this reality for a tree?


    It didnt feel that long ago that I thought she was going to be loyal to me! This is betrayal! BETRAYAL!


    Or is it? I mean, why do I feel like I own her? I dont. Even if I helped her, and watched her grow up, does that mean I own her? Am I like a parent that watched a child grow up and now that the child has grown up, the parent refused to let go? Am I like that?


    But if I lose even her, then who can I trust?


    I felt frustrated. And it was then some quotes from my human days came.


    <i>If you love someone, set them free.</i>


    So corny, and yet something tells me this is the truth. Strange. I have trust issues, clearly. Is that why my rtionships as Matt failed? How do I trust her?


    Aeon? She asked. I think she waited for half an hour already.


    I inwardly sighed. I shouldnt be like this. Is this me being upset and possessive? Im a freaking tree damned it. Shouldnt I be more magnanimous? What would Treebeard do? What would Grandmother Willow do?


    Ah. Go, Lausanne. It is fine.


    Even though I said those words, I felt difficult. I didnt quite ept that time moved so slowly for the rest of them, and so quickly for me. Its strange and ufortable to think others have far different expectations of the world and their life, and that I cant expect loyalty from them. At least, not on a longer term.


    Is this why Lilies is a lot more big-picture about things? They arent attached to individuals, and maybe because it''s like that whole elf thing in Lord of The Rings, we are doomed to watch those we love grow old and die before us? Is this our fate for living so long?


    Are you sure, Aeon? Lausanne asked.


    No, Im not sure. Why cant I let go? I dont own her! Im not even her parents, but then, I have showered her with powers and care. Is it because my investment, my sunk cost, that I care that now shes pulling away? If so, I shouldve seen iting.


    So I decided to speak to Laufen, her mom. Twenty years have passed, but she aged only slightly.


    Lausanne is finally leaving.


    Yes, Aeon. Its something Ive always expected to happen. I remember they used to say, that young adult elves have a calling to see the world, to see more of it. Its something they must do to get out of their system. I remember I used to do it, then I met Ric and settled down.


    Oh. An elven thing. Is it like humans back home, where parents kick their children out once they turn 21?


    I hear human adults have that too, though like us, it is stronger in some than the rest.


    And you are not sad or worried, or well, disappointed?


    Children must grow up, and Lausanne has been talking of this day for many years. Trapped in this valley for so long, it is quite a waste for her. Besides, how would she find a mate if she doesnt visit the other elven cities! Im sure Ill still be worried sick, though.


    Trapped? But they are here with me! Okay, thats a fairly selfish and ignorant statement. Im a tree. Im a freaking 100 year old tree. I should act like one.


    Lausanne was still in her room. I decided to just calm myself down, and well, do some breathing exercise. For a tree, that meant actually taking in the air and well, making oxygen, I suppose. I have to let her go, or do I force her to stay?


    Would you ever consider staying?


    Lausanne paused, well, very briefly. Maybe after Im done?

 Multreetasking

    Multreetasking


    <b>Year 109</b>


    Just like that, shes gone. A group of 400 of them went on a quest, to find the nearest surviving civilisation. They packed up after months of preparing, and finally set out when the weathers slightly less hostile.


    I dont know when Ill see her again, or ever. I recalled those who left me usually died. But oh well. A choice has been made, and she has to live with it.


    I dont know what lies out there, but maybe she will reach the edge way faster than I am. Im constrained by the terrain, I cant move forward without clearing the demonic corruption that contaminated my path.


    I tried slowly, and worked to upgrade my [giant attendant trees], so that they can help absorb and process the demonic corruption. Its a very long process, and not very sessful, so I went back to researching the demonic trees.


    I had two main ideas of getting myself out of this ce, they ovep in a way.


    One, is what I was doing presently. Disperse and process the demonic mana using my super high demonic resistance. Problem is, this hinged on me having a high level, high natural healing, and demonic resistance from my hero shards, which is unique to my main body, and the benefits are only partly shared by my other trees. I wanted to upgrade the various healing and endurance abilities of my subordinate trees such that they have higher demonic resistance, better base healing and toughness such that they can y my current role to a lesser extent.


    To use an analogy, its as if me, and my other trees are made of water, and the demonic corruption is fire. Right now, my other trees cant withstand the fire so they just burn down before putting out any of the water. I have a finite number of water I can produce, and the water I produced is used to fight the fires, kind of like what a fireman does facing a wildfire. If I have more water than fire at the boundary, I can expand that boundary. If not, my boundary shrinks. Its quite like fighting a perpetually growing wildfire,e to think of it.


    So, I must have stronger, tougher trees, that can also produce that water, to help fight the fire. This restores thend to what it was, too.


    The other area of focus was something a little more inspired by my recent fascination with these demonic hybrid nts.


    That is if I could not expand the safe areas and recover the corruptednds, could I coexist with it? Such that my trees and roots, all gain an ability to grow on these corruptednds, instead of being blocked by it. Its a difficult endeavour, and my initial attempts at studying the live demon-trees are quite good.


    I would need to figure out how to either be able to control the demonic trees, or assimte some of their natural attributes and qualities, which can then allow me to enhance my existing trees to better operate in the demonic terrain.


    Going back to that earlier analogy, instead of looking at fire as the problem, Im attempting to create nts that can operate in fire, or absorb fire, instead of fighting it. Far harder than it sounds, since well, Im essentially attempting to graft demonic biology onto my trees.


    But I think its possible. The fact that hybrids can exist means I can create hybrids. Certainly possible in theory.


    This idea, of course, is hugely opposed by the trees in the valley. They abhor it. I can sense their rejection of the idea, and that earlier duty to just restore thend to what it was before.


    Duty. Responsibility.


    The more it is imposed on me, the more I resist it. Or is this just me, after I woke up? I recall being sucked in by the powers and influences of my fellow trees? Did the domain make me more aware of all these influences, and yet, at the same time, attempts to influence me?


    So strange. It is a duty. Restore and clear the world of demonic corruption.


    Which I did. I mean, I resist the thought of being told to do things, but I understand the principles of it, and so I did it anyway.


    I suppose Im like a petnt child that hates to be told to do something, but knows that it needs to be done, so I did it. How immature. Im a hundred year old tree, nows not the time to mentally regress and act like a child.


    Theres now a sizable area thats been cleared of demonic influence around my valley, so much so that some of the survivors are now moving outside to live there. Once the corruption was cleared, the weather too quickly returned to normal. It seemed the corruption and the demonic vegetation does generate a microclimate, as predicted.


    Its about asrge as the former territory of New Freeka, so, a semnce of normalcy has returned to the area.


    Still, the corruption stretched far and wide, and theres more demonic monsters to attend to.


    Every day we would be attacked, and our beetles would be at the forefront of the battle. Luckily, Horns is back in business after a few months of recovery. And hes been incredibly chirpy.


    Its totally awesome. Horn said. All I do all day is fight all these demons! I cant level up anymore, but still, its awesome! I love fighting!


    I didnt realise I created abat maniac in Horns.


    Master, perhaps more Artificial Souls will help with the remation of the corruptednds. We do produce some mana, or if some of us are dedicated mana-producing trees...


    I have been drawing mana from all the normal trees anyway, but they are not as effective against the demonic corruption as my own. Im guessing thats because my mana has anti-demonic properties.


    What I do need, is a massive mana cauldron. I pulled the mana to my main body, and attempted to mix it. Maybe I could infuse the anti-demon qualities into the mana generated by normal trees. It was sufficient, previously, because I had the advantage. With the demon walkers, with Alexis, I could constantly draw on more trees to overwhelm whatever creature.


    But the changed terrain limited the number of trees, and cut off my connection to the volcano and the leyline, two of my bigger sources of mana. Now, I need to squeeze a bit more efficiency and performance out of every drop of mana. To do more, with less. Thankfully, Ive also been able to get my soul forge back online, now that the surrounding area has been cleared of demonic corruption and reced with a thick forest.


    And so, I experimented with mana in my main body, just like how I used to do it with my soul forge. I added star mana to the mix too. I still only have 300 star mana, but mixing star mana, my own mana and the mana produced by the normal trees, the effectiveness of pushing back the demonic energy increased by a few multiples. Good enough to keep the expansion going.


    We have not heard anything from the group that left, but its fine. I think itll be years before we get news from them.


    Food-wise, as the forest starts to reim thend, the gods started to work their magic and regr monsters and animals started appearing again. I mean, its really just divine spawning ability.


    And with regr monsters and animals, meat started to return to the survivors diet. A wee relief, really, and the remaining survivors now look a lot better.


    Although I felt sad that so many decided that they had enough of being here for 20+ years, I suppose I should then focus on those who remained instead. After all, although 400 left, 3,000 still remained!


    Thats a big amount of people who decided to stick with me rather than go away.


    With meat, proper lodging, and a bit more space and time for activities, the survivors are of course, much happier.


    Well... why didnt you leave, Laufen? Go with your daughter? I asked Laufen one day.


    Nah. Im too old for that.


    As an elf, you still look really young. Elven agelessness is amazing. You should be able to go.


    Ill just hold Lausanne back from her adventure. Its hering-of-age moment, me as her mom, I should just stay out of her way. Shell hate me if I tagged along. Besides, I am really quite content being protected and safe!


    Really?


    Its better for her that I stay here, where I am safe. Itll put her at ease that her mom is under your protection. She wouldnt have made the decision to go if you werent around.


    Hmm, true. I suppose Ive be the safe harbour for her toe back to.


    There are few children among the survivors. The young that grew up didnt think of having kids, not in this hostile environment. Some did, of course. Perhaps an ident, or perhaps they didnt care, but the more rational of them chose not to. Its a tough choice. I imagine its like, well, how would you even know if you and your family would even have food, or proper shelter. But I guess thats also partly due to elves, centaurs being more rational than humans, who would just fuck and get pregnant regardless of the situation. Its more draining on their body, perhaps?


    Many are now finally considering it, convinced by the recent 3 years of safety,fort, stability, and many approached me for advice on whether they should have kids.


    I have yet to study the effects of pregnancy between different types of species. Would I then be the first pregnancy doctor? I mean, surely the effects of childbirth of different species are worth studying, and theres probably no world-wideption of various herbal and traditional remedies and therapies.


    I digressed.


    But I said sure. I would support and feed their young should they fail to.


    Its not much anyway.


    -


    Are you here to gloat? The two heroes asked.


    Not really. I came to talk, as usual. With the demon, if possible.


    WHAT. DO. YOU. WANT? They instantly turned to the demonic voice.


    Tell me something. What would make you stoping to our world?


    GOD. MOTHER. PLANET. STOP. THEM.


    Stop the gods. Kill the gods. Sounds impossible to me. I shrugged. And Im a tree, killing the gods doesn''t sound like something I can do. Then why do youe every 10 years?


    ANCIENT. MAGIC. RULES.


    Oh. Okay. Theres a magical rule behind it?


    Well, I dont even know whether the words of this demon can be trusted. It couldve lied to me.


    I mean, we must assume a demon or evil creature has no incentive to tell the truth, but lets consider that if it spoke the truths, there are some key points.


    Theres an ancient magical rule that clearly whatever god or thing that controls these demons have to follow. I could therefore surmise that this ancient magic exists above the gods, and so, the gods of this world are not entirely omnipotent or omniscient, and it may actually be possible to stop them.


    Next, is that they conte the god with mother, and. Their homeworlds god is probably some kind of earth-god, then? Something like a nativist conscience like the will of a groupmind like Alpha Centauri again? Or perhaps, it is a tree mind taken to the extreme? A globalwork of trees that function as aary scale neuralwork and brain?


    Or are those spires some kind of artificial intelligence and they are collectively a super-AI, and the demon kings sent to us are their version of Terminators?


    Or more fantasy-aligned, just an evil sleeping god and the demons are its worshippers?


    What rules?


    ANCIENT.


    Why? Who?


    ANCIENT.


    Who is GOD?


    GOD. MOTHER. PLANET.


    If I had the power, I really should catch a demon king and try to talk to it. I feel like Im talking to some rudimentary chatbot from the earlier years of my life. Im stuck in some kind of conversation loop despite trying to ask more. This is probably the lowest level answer they can give.


    With that, the demonic voice fades and the two of the trapped heroes return.


    Well, did you learn anything? The two heroes looked quite annoyed. We didnt, and honestly, it really does sound like some kind ofputer program. Its really simplistic in its logic, once you get it.


    So you understand the demon, now? I asked the hero.


    To some extent. It just wants to grow, and build, and do whatever its mother asked of it.


    Mother, not god?


    It feels like a mother, rather than a god. It nagged.


    I smiled, and probably wouldve chuckled if I could.


    Youre not going to help free us? Simone asked.


    ...maybe? I thought long and hard about this, even though I rejected the divine mission. I didnt want the gods to start having influence over me. But should I still help them, then? I probably cant free you.


    Oh.


    I probably could guide the few surviving heroes to them, to help free them. But I chose not to reveal this to them. The demon is always listening, and I wonder what it would do with such knowledge.


    Yeah. I probably could get the other heroes to free them, rather than me doing it personally. They are mobile and would have the right skills for it. The heroes have everyone reason to help their fellow friends, dont they?


    -


    As the year approached its end, I had a small breakthrough with my demonic tree research.


    [Skill : Hybrid-botany]


    [Able tomunicate and cultivate hybrid trees]


    Hell yeah.


    And I tried it out. Even though its supposed to be winter, the localised effects caused by the demonic trees meant its an exceptionally warm winter. So warm that its probably like spring.


    Well, all I got was spam.


    Its nostalgic. Like when I had [roo] for the first time and all the grass and trees started giving me weird shit. Itll take some time before I understand these demonic trees.


    -


    Is ourbat ability significantly impacted by Lausannes departure?


    With you back... no. Jura said. Lausanne is strong, but there are a lot of us who are level 80. Me, Nero, one of the captains, theres easily 15 people left who are now level 75 to level 80 who can y her role to a lesser degree. Her key advantage is that her special familiar has a lesser version of your power, so without you, her aura was key in reducing our casualties.


    Hmm...


    Everyones receable, I suppose. Juraughed out of nowhere. I mean, thats how it always has been, right? Thats why so many kings raise so many different children. You never know which one turns out a little crazy.


    Its risk management not to put all your eggs in one basket. But even for people?


    I suppose if you could give your special familiar to more of us, that would really help us. I guess the Valthorns were a step in that direction, until that day came.


    You know, maybe the Kings had the right idea. I focused too much on developing Lausanne, and I lost track that Lausanne was also partly meant to be my first try at doing this at arger scale.


    Im a tree, and my domain is nature. Grow, strengthen, cultivate. I should now use what Ive learned from all these years to massively expand that programme.


    If I am to rebuild, I should do some things differently, and some things, bigger and better. I had Jura, Lausanne and a few others as my elite then. In hindsight, I shouldve thought on arger scale.


    Like any nation or even argepany, talent scouting, hiring, development and retention is an ongoing affair, constantly expanding to meet future needs. I somehow got sucked into the minutiae and messed up on the bigger picture. I need a proper process for this, and on arger scale, some dropouts and loss like Lausannes departure is just part of the natural attrition of anyrge body of people.


    Scale. What else should I do on arger scale?


    Spaizzer


    Thank you for reading my work. Times are tough, and I hope my work gives you some joy. :)

 Centreenial Plans

    Centreenial ns


    <b>Year 110</b>


    Another year. Time passed really quickly these days. I think its the effect of the curse. Even if Im awake, I feel as if its not totally gone. Its somewhat like nursing a mild headache, and I never quite feel like Im at my 100% state.


    I suppose this is what a [curse] feels like, and thats why Jura never quite performed at his best when he had the curse. I wonder whether that princess I savedst time, the one that still had a bit of the curse left, is she still alive? Maybe she died, since Baroosh was destroyed. She too had a curse, and so did Me, at least, until that hero removed it.


    Curses can be removed, and they can also heal naturally.


    So, my curse is one of overexposure to demonic mana. Its honestly very simr to the princess who had overexposure to void mana. Therefore, treating the curse is likely to be simr to the princess. In the case of the Princess, her soul spring was wrecked, destroyed by the exposure to void mana, and so she was dying. In my case...


    My soul spring is not destroyed, so I was able to survive those 20+ years. But perhaps it is damaged, and if damaged, I would have to find out how to mend my own soul spring. All this is conjecture, I dont even know if my soul spring is even damaged yet.


    After a while, my musings led me nowhere, and I attempted to find out.


    I mean, Ive never seen my own soul spring. Its kind of like asking a doctor to self-diagnose. Not exactly possible to be objective about it, and I may have certain bias too! But oh well, I need to know whether somethings wrong with me, and how do I fix this curse!


    I thought at lengths about whether its possible to build a soul forge that is aimed at me, while being powered by me. If the soul is the engine of the individual, then like a car engine, I must be able to add sensors, readings, thermometers and all, and from that, a sense of whats happening.


    That analogy may not be the most suitable one, master. Trevormented. Its more of the driver trying to figure out whats wrong with the driver. If I may, it is simr to trying to figure out whether the driver is sick from the way he is driving.


    Uh. Thats... howd he do that? Was he using my memories?


    Yes, master. We have ess to your memories.


    Still, I tried.


    I did something simr to a meditative state, trying to feel my own body, and be one with myself. Its like Buddha meditating under a Bodhi tree, only, well, Im the tree.


    And my senses are once again, assaulted by the demonic mana. After all, the edges of mywork of roots and trees, are a constant battlefield, where the mixed mana produced by me, and my fellow trees, face-off against the demonic mana.


    Not working. I mused to myself after about one month of constant meditation. In hindsight, its obvious. I wasnt able to meditate myself out of the curse, so why would it work now? Any suggestions, Trevor?


    Before you go there, master, I would like to remind you of the things you wanted to dost year and the years before. Which is to work on expanding your mana pool, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of your mana, your experiments on the hybrid demon trees, and also, developing even more Lausanne-ss individuals.


    Once again my scatterbrain reared its head.


    May I add, master, you have yet to decide on a vocation for your two contracted souls, Yvon and Eriz. You backed away from turning them into Mana Farms.


    That wasnt the most effective use of their skills. I had a lot of thinking to do. I mean, this [soul contract] should be extremely overpowered since the person retained their memories. Even if they died, I could reuse their souls constantly. An individual who gained a tonne of experience, and therefore could retry different things at each life would be super powerful.


    That is after all what makes reincarnators like myself, or even heroes, super powerful, because their existing body of knowledge is brought over to their next life! So, as I wondered what happened as my soul contractors died, then it appeared. The dreaded notification.


    [No penalty for first death. For subsequent deaths, one year time-penalty will be imposed, and doubled with each subsequent death. One-third of all memories are wiped with each death after this first. No penalty on reassignment, as not considered as death]


    Ah. The system isnt stupid after all.


    So, in a way, its best to use their living knowledge and match it to somewhere where they could be most useful.


    So, Eriz, the maid thats responsible for caring for Roma all these while, I assigned her to a Subsidiary Tree thats focused as a childcare area, and she took the form of a [Nursery Tree]. I wanted someone dedicated to look after the new children that the survivors will have, and feed them supplements to make strong, high potential individuals to support my future Lausanne-ss project.


    Yes. Lausanne-ss is a name for an individual at that grade. I imagine the Lausanne ss to be something like the Corvette-ss, and I would like to eventually reach Battleships and Aircraft Carriers.


    As for Yvon, I fused her into one of the [Training Trees], creating a different version of Treeiner. This is because she did have a long stint serving in the Valthorns as their guide and trainer, and she has goodbat skills that I wanted her to pass on to the next generation. Though we didnt agree with each other, she has some wisdom and knowledge of the world that would definitely contribute to a more holistic education and training for the next batch.


    I wont have to care for people for a long time. They both said, noting that the poption of young children is extremely small. The survivors are almost all adults now. Its been 20 years, and theres no immigration from abroad to fix the lopsided poption pyramid.


    Thats fine. I would think they need some time to get used to their new bodies and their newfound abilities. I want to monitor what they can do. I had initially just let Me and Alexis somewhat free reign, and I must admit my awareness of what Me did was close to none. You can provide training to the existing people, consider it as a gym.


    How about me? Itll be some time before any of them have kids. Eriz mentally responded. She found her new body awkward. All of them did, since they were far too used to humanoid forms.


    Create supplements for the new moms. Im sure they need to boost their body to take on the load of having children.


    These two... trees are Yvon and Eriz? Jura seemed extremely perplexed when I informed him of what I did.


    Yes.


    I didnt know you could do that... Jura seemed to think about it at length.


    Lady Mika was one.


    Oh. After a while. So if... If I were to have a soul contract with you, and I died, you could in practice, make me into a tree?


    ...yes.


    He paused, and then of course, he quickly told Laufen about this, and soon the entire group of survivors knew about it. And then some interestingments emerged.


    Well, I know the elves used to say that when we die we return to the trees, but I didnt expect it to be a literal statement. I always imagined it was more of a figure of speech.


    What did they give for that? Jura askedter that day.


    For Eriz, it was a punishment for luring an army here. For Yvon, she traded her soul for a patch of grapes and blessings on thend for her winery project.


    Really. Was I there when that happened?


    Yes. I recall Jura was in the same room. He was quiet for a moment.


    Lausanne got one?


    No.


    Jura breathed a sigh of relief.


    I trust her.


    Thats good to hear. I... I dont think we want to be turned into trees, like... literally.


    Is it? Its not that bad. Yvons Training Tree has a humanoid shaped tutor that is able to verballymunicate once she gains a few levels. For now, as a level 1 training tree, shes just like abat dummy thats unable to talk. Eriz, Im not sure whether she will eventually gain the ability to talk, but I wouldnt be surprised if she could. Whats so bad about trees?


    Trees dont really need to eat, we can generally regenerate almost all our body parts, and well, we can keep growing! Whats not to like?


    "Did you offer it to Lausanne?"


    "No. Why?"


    "Ah... am I right to say this is more of a punishment than a reward?"


    "You could say that. I have rarely offered the soul contract."


    Jura looked relieved, and then he changed the topic. Good, good. So... children. Thats the n for them?


    Yes. We will have more children, and they need to grow up strong. I hope to make them as strong as Lausanne, if not more.


    Ah. nning for the long term.


    Yes.


    Then Jura spoke about some other priorities, such as weapons for the survivors. Over the past few years, as the responsibilities for defense shifted to my army of beetles, the survivors were able to take a break frombat. Still, it didnt escape anyones notice that they all needed anti-demon weapons, and that was something Lausanne had requested from me before she left. All her spears were damaged or broken over the decades. I dedicated some time to equip the remaining survivors with anti-demon weapons.


    Over the past few years the repairs to the general environment has been ongoing, this meant things like farms, houses, outhouses, gardens. Things that, well, generally contribute to happiness.


    Some even asked for the [Tree of Prayers]. Which I dly made one, again.


    I went back to the next topic on Trevors list.


    Hybrid demon trees.


    I have a dilemma with them. If I were to be seen and known that I have some limited ability to control these demonic trees, would the outsiders suddenly suspect that I too, might be a demon? After all, I already have demonfire on the top of my branches like Hades, it wouldnt be a stretch for these narrow minded natives to suspect that I am perhaps a demon, and that would make me a target of the worlds temples and kingdoms.


    Yet, understanding, and controlling them is key to my attempts of breaking out of this ce. If I could break them free of the demons controls, I would be able to elerate my expansion. And I dont trust any of the survivors to not leak this fact to the outside world, and thats not because I doubt them. This world clearly has mind controlling and mind reading magic. The fact that the demons were able to ess the heroes memories are obvious enough.


    So, some things must be kept absolutely secret. Just like the fact that I am also an Earther.


    My newfound abilities over the [hybrid-botany] meant I could vaguely, very vaguely, influence them. Its not yet outright controlled, like with the regr trees. We speak differentnguages, and Im just a beginner in theirnguage.


    I will need more time with them. Secretly.


    Mana. Trevor read out the list. Mana processing, mana efficiency, Mana allocation. Yes. Mana. That juice that powers all the living beings of this world. That involved working on the Giant Attendant Trees to create super-mana farms.


    List of repairs. Grand MindTree. Trevor went onto the next item. Well need resources for this, master. Which we do not have. I wonder whether I could configure the grand mind tree into a diagnostic programme to check me, since it did have the ability to reduce the effects of any mind control on me, so it should have some kind of scanning ability to identify what the curse did to me.


    Inventory items. Forest Rod. I wanted to keep the forest rod for any magical leyline I found, in order to get ess to other kinds of soul forge colors. Though I believe they wouldve been extremely useful in converting this general area back to normal, I still think the forest rods unique ability to capture special magical locations should not be wasted on just any regr sludge and corruption.


    Well, unless I find the main source or node of this corruption, then I would want to use the rod. I mean, Id risk it for the chance to convert the entire corrupted continent into my domain. THatll just be awesome.


    Preparations for the next demon king? Trevor asked. Would that be something of concern?


    Yes. We have to be prepared. Though, if something like this happened again, what could I have done differently? Well... I honestly have no answer to this. If this corruption happened again, what could have I done?


    As the year drifted ever closer to its end, a group of survivors returned. About 30 of them. Their return was met with a massive celebration.


    Aeon. The leader of the returned survivors spoke. There is civilization out there. After 4 months of travelling we finally got out of the corrupted area, and made contact with a kingdom. Only our continent suffered significant damage from the corruption, and many are amazed that a pocket of us survived in the middle of the Rottends.


    Rottends? Jura and the rest of the survivors asked. They were very interested in the outside world.


    Yes. The outsiders refer to the entirety of the corruption as the Rottends. Well, it differs by region, but most call it the Rottends, or the Blighnds. Many that weve met are interested in forming diplomatic rtionships with us, but the terrain is too hostile unless the group is at least level 50 and above, and has the ability to create our own food and filter water, since theres nothing to harvest for a whole two months, and theres no clean water anywhere in the entirety of the Rottends.


    How many did we lose? A Remainer asked.


    Of the 400, we lost 100 on the journey out. We lost 20 on our way back, even after we came with better equipment and supplies.


    Hows Lausanne? Laufen asked.


    Lausanne is fine. She and a small group of the younger ones are on a journey to the other cities and kingdoms. But more importantly, we have a map. The returned men unfurled a massive map that indicated the edges of the Rottends, and as Jura described it to me, it seemed Lilies was so far away that she wasnt harmed.


    But my other forest and the Verdant Volcano were both in the range of the Rottends, were they destroyed?


    I only lost connection, but I didnt get a message that Dimitree was destroyed. How about the Verdant Volcano.


    The map was important for a few reasons. One, it showed us the shortest path to civilization. Where the edges of the Rottends and where Freeka once was. Next, well, who we want to form any sort of diplomatic rtionship with. As it is, its arge distance, and I may be open one path out of the Rottends. Maybe a few more once I get stronger.


    On the flipside, I may also not open a path, such that the Rottend formed a natural moat or barrier. After all, having to go through these Rottends would greatly discourage any attempts at invading us.


    So who and how we expose and dere our presence is important. And I need to bnce this with other aspects of my long term ns.


    The demon king incident is my first, but certainly wont be thest one I face. If I will live for hundreds of thousands of years, as great old trees often do, then I must consider the ns to prevent such events over the longer period.


    Sure, the first time isn''t really my fault, but if I let it happen to me more than a few times, that is entirely on me.


    The heroes and the demon king are part of a continuous cycle, and therefore are a predictable, preventable crisis.


    What could I do?


    Find ways to let them fight it out elsewhere far from civilisation and nature? How can I prevent them from destroying all the gains made by the jungles and forests? All the destroyed natural habitats?


    That involves knowing, no, influencing where the demon king and heroes appear. That''s... unlikely.


    Or should I aid the heroes such that they kill the demon king as soon as possible? I have hesitated in participating in this conflict, but as I predicted previously, ites for me whether I like it or not.


    Or could I... kill the demon king myself? How did the demon kings die so quickly? Is there some trick? I clearly need to investigate this hex power and see whether I could make a safer version for myself? Like Clean Nuclear!


    So... how should we approach the future? Ites for us.


    Hex. And I will need to gather power to y the demon king myself. Only with power, we can preserve nature. Without power, nature will just remain a setting for their conflict.

 Tangled Webs

    Tangled Webs


    <b>Year 111</b>


    I didnt think that the great protector of New Freeka lived. Harris said, as he arrived at the edges of my restored valley. He came with a group one hundred strong. The rumors of the survivors are true after all. Good decision, Commander.


    Amander bowed next to him. They saw the field of normal green trees. Indeed. I wonder where they have hidden the past twenty years.


    Perhaps they were biding their time.


    Alright, lets stop, were in their territory now. Harris said.


    Yes, your Highness. They nodded, and the group of hundred moved nimbly, they were clearly well trained and of a decent level. They didnt look like guards, and they were armed with clearly magical star mana-enchanted weapons.


    Jura went to meet them. Jura, along with one hundred other survivors.


    Stop. Who goes there. Jura and all were well-armed, but their equipment paled inparison. In a straight fight, they wouldve lost easily. Still, they were alerted to these visitors, and they moved quickly.


    This is the entourage of his Holiness, the Emperor Harris the First, yer of the Demon King, Supreme Ruler of the Harisan Empire, and you stand before the Emperor himself. It would be wise to kneel, peasant. One of the men said, he leaped ahead with his armor gleaming. Clearly showing off his enchanted gear.


    Jura shrugged. He hasnt lost his distaste for royals. Greetings, Emperor Harris. You walk on the blessednds of Aeon the Ageless, the great Tree Spirit and Defender of the Valley. We, the believers of the true spirit of thend, kneel before no King or Royal.


    The man was quickly offended and wanted to attack, but then Harris stepped in. Greetings. Pardon my entourage, their zeal to glorify my name is but a minor crime. Truly, does Aeon still live?


    Jura shrugged. Weve never doubted him. But it seemed that the outsiders have.


    Harrisughed. Hes no longer a child now, a man in histe thirties, yet the glow of his heroic presence was unmistakable. He was equipped, from head to toe for war, every item he wielded radiated enormous amounts of star mana. It would not be out of ce, if anyone assumed he was preparing to face the demon king.


    What brings you here, Emperor?


    Watch your words. One of Harrissckeys interrupted.


    Jura ignored it. Harris took a step forward. I stayed very briefly in New Freeka, before my fateful battle with the demon king. I still remember the great tree spirits massive wooden shields that blocked out the demons attack. In hindsight, I shouldve predicted that the Tree Spirit lived. I still have his familiar, after all.


    Some of theckeys were like, woah and wow. Goodness, the hero surrounded himself with sycophants?


    Anyway, may I speak to the Tree Spirit? I have much to discuss with a being of such great power.


    Jura paused, but I think he knew he wanted me to tell him what to do. I mentally agreed, and Jura looked at Harris. Certainly, but the Tree Spirit would not have all of you armed, and only you alone.


    Theckeys were about to say something ridiculous again. If there are any amodations or rest stops for my group to rest, that will be sufficient. Perhaps a hotel, if such institutions survived. Its fine for me to meet the Tree Spirit myself.


    Unfortunately, 20 years without customers has been extremely hard on our hotels, so none of them remained. Jura joked. Letse this way.


    Jura led them into one of the tunnels, and from there, they arrived in the submerged valley. They looked quite surprised to see a massive tree with a burning top thats hidden underneath.


    How did we miss this? Harris said quietly. But before the sycophants could answer, he cut them off. Rhetorical question.


    Jura and the survivors watched the group carefully, and soon, they saw the beetles. But right before one of the sycophants wanted to attack the beetle, Harris stopped it.


    Idiot. Can you use your brain and think why is there a beetle here? It must be the Trees servants. I see they havent changed much.


    Oh? Jura asked. Youve seen them?


    Yes. I have. Twenty over years ago. He said. So... where can I meet the Tree?


    Ah, right this way. Could you request your men to wait over at that area? Jura pointed to a resting area thats madest year. Theres a lot of wooden furniture, a small blossoming collection of fruit juice stalls, and some barbeque stalls that roast the local meats, kind of like an al-fresco foodcourt.


    Harris nodded, and the men obeyed. Only Jura and Harris walked to one of therger Giant Attendant Trees, thats been converted to a meeting room. He sat alone inside.


    Aeon will speak to you here. Jura nodded, and he shut the door. Inside the Giant Attendant Tree, theres only him.


    He looked around, as if he was waiting for something. Hmmm...


    Hello, Harris. I said.


    Ah. Makes sense that a tree spirit is telepathic. Thest time we met, all I got was a notification about the familiar, when Lady Mika spoke. Greetings, Aeon. Much has changed.


    I was told you sought us out, once you found out of our existence.


    Indeed. Harris sat. Let me cut to the chase, Aeon. We are four years away from the next demon king, maybe five years if we are lucky. Im trying to gather a force to defeat the next demon king as soon as it spawns, and your defensive abilities are something thats quite firmly etched in my mind. Would you help me?


    Interesting offer, but I suppose you did not forget that Im an immobile tree?


    Thats true. But, we could make artifacts that could temporarily store some of your abilities, as a single use skill. With a bit of star mana, and some special crystals, we could create a spell-matrix that could store some of your shields. In fact, Id also like to store that demonic suppression aura of yours. It would prove incredibly helpful in a battle against the demon king, at least it would help to weaken theckeys for the rest of us.


    Hmmm. Well, it seemed all the survivors are making ns for the demon king, so thats an encouraging sign. Certainly it is aligned to my own goals, so in this case, I should cooperate.


    Agreed. But I will demand some of those spell-matrices for my own use.


    Harrisughed. Thats quick. I expected a Tree to take a longer time to deliberate such things. Theres also another matter...


    Oh?


    Twenty over years ago, New Freeka yed host to many... refugees. Royalty of many families. And you might remember many kingdoms were destroyed, essentially beheaded, because the demons possessed powerful ranged weapons.


    And?


    Well... may I ask you to offer the same protection to my offsprings?


    I find that hard to believe, hero. You have star mana and the ability to create powerful magical defenses. Certainly your capital has been enchanted many times to prepare for such an event.


    Yes it has. But the children are fools. They squabble with each other over petty goals, and trigger their star mana artifacts too easily, exhausting them. Artifacts meant for greater dangers. He said, sighing.


    A cup of tea appeared next to him.


    He sipped. And damn, I missed this tea so much. He drank another sip. Seriously. This damned world is trying to kill us.


    Huh? Who?


    They got Becky. Ah. Its the tea that makes me feel upset. Harris sighed. The demons. They killed her a few years ago. Even though we fought together. Well, maybe except Gerrard whos too busy getting drunk and hiding in strange ces throughout the world.


    The human hero looked sad, confused, and tired all at the same time. I wonder whether the tea was alcoholic, because I was damn sure it wasnt. Its just a bit of hospitality.


    Fuck the gods, yknow. This fucking game is just engineered to kill us. Were leader-heroes. We have armies of magical summons, and the gods just fucking turn it around and spawn super-demons where our army of magical summons are just fodder, and wide swathes of my army-boosting abilities are just absolutely useless. They made this game and tie one of our hands right behind our backs.


    Why is he ranting?


    Ah. Its just so nostalgic toe back to the first ce where we were saved. Dammit. I suddenly feel like Im a young teen again.


    I checked whether any of my [Tree of Prayers] or [psychedelics] were active. Nope. I think hes just having all these things pent up.


    Fuck it. I mean. He took a deep breath. I mean... yeah. Stupid kids. Would you protect them? Theyre still my children, but damn if they are not idiots. I dont remember being so idiotic as a young teenager.


    When you look back, every generation has always thought the younger generation were idiots.


    Harris paused. Well. Yeah. But still, they are MY idiots. And that annoys me. This fucking world is out to kill us. Me, Mirei, Gerrard. Just three of us left. I just hope my stupid kids dont get involved.


    How many kids do you have?


    Uh... I think he blushed. I think about twenty six. The youngest one is... one. Two of my wives are pregnant.


    I didnt know what to say about that. Wait. Hes only in his thirties, maybe hes just going to turn 40 soon. Doesnt that mean he has at least one baby a year?


    Well. Ahm. He finished the tea. Can I have more?


    A small vine produced hot water, and another added crumpled, dried powder into the cup. Youve been productive.


    Ah. Yes. So uh...


    Youre asking me to offer protection to a very, veryrge number of people.


    Harris frowned. Yes...


    I still dont get it. You dont trust your own magic, and you prefer to trust me? I was skeptical. Extremely. This sounds like a royal asking for protection again.


    I thought long and hard about it. So long as I live, I am certain my family will survive. My star mana, my heroic powers means I will still be able to protect them with my powers. Ive tried my best, to store my powers in spell-matrices and all that, but artifacts able to store hero-grade powers are few and far between, and very often, usable only once, sometimes twice. Unlike other generations of heroes, our powers are mostly summons, and creatures, and that doesnt extend to grand magical formations. We could still do them to a far lesser degree, but it''s not the same as what a ritual-focused hero or what a pure enchanter hero could achieve. When we level, our hero grade skills are given, and its not like we can force those skills into something they are not. For example, Mirei has extremely powerful lightning abilities, but none of those are a usable shield of any kind. Strange to say this, we are constrained by the scope of our gifts. Our talents for skills outside our designated hero ss is ordinary, and if we want more, we have to trade our hero levels for them.


    He paused.


    And so, if something falls outside our rather specialised scope, we have to then turn to native experts for aid. My life is unfortunately fragile, weak, and I am a marked man, hunted by future demon kings. I will fail eventually.


    Before that, tell me how did you survive two demon kings?


    Oh. The first one... Astra. Harris took a deep breath. He did a cursed ritual, melding blood magic, star mana and the magic of thend. And whatever he did, well, it blew up the demon king. When the second demon king came along, he tried the same thing, but something happened and he died. That meant me, Becky, Mirei and Gerrard gathered together to face the demon king when we found out it was headed towards the Northern Isles. And although Astra died, whatever it used weakened that 2nd demon king significantly. Yet, we still lost Becky.


    Ah. So whatever that hero did worked. Only, the price was too high to pay for it to be done more than once?


    The next demon king, we wont be so lucky.


    Harris seemed to be waiting for a response from me, but I didnt reply.


    So, my family. My luck will run out eventually. I intend to still protect them, and existences like yourselves is an insurance I hope I never have to use.


    Decades ago, though to me it feels just days ago, I told the royals then that they are free to seek refuge in mynds. I intend to maintain that principle, and so, your offsprings are free to seek refuge in mynd. But like then, no special privileges.


    Is this the fate of people like me, repeating the same sentences over and over again? I feel like a broken record, and it should fucking annoy me. I should outsource it to an artificial soul, or train a bunch of people to repeat my principles. Kinda like a call center, or a visitor center that repeat the rules to a bunch of unruly tourists. Itll be even better if they get to do it with the sameck of enthusiasm and boredness.


    Yeah.


    I should outsource and automate it. Itll be the first treetree service and call center. Or maybe an artificial mind, tasked to repeat the same responses many, many times.


    Hmm... not what I hoped itll be, but that will do. Harris frowned. So... where have you been hiding for the past 2 decades?


    Me? I was asleep.


    Heughed. Ah. And the survivors, they somehow made do in this... sunken valley?


    Yes.


    Never mind. Back to what I initially came for, once I return I will beginmissioning the construction of the spell-storage gems, and I will have them delivered. Let me know once youve finished infusing your skills in them.


    How? I mean, Ive never seen such an item, I doubt theye with easily-understood manuals, and even if they did, they are usually made for humanoids, not trees.


    Good point. Ille over with it.


    At this point, I remember the two heroes that are trapped. I pondered whether to let Harris know about them, and I considered the consequences, whether he would doubt or suspect that I have anything to do with it. Then I decided, it was probably best if I told him anyway. Maybe heroes get special rewards for freeing their friends souls. Harris. When I was asleep, I saw your friends.


    My friends?


    Simone and Victor. Their souls were captured by the demon king, and they are being corrupted.


    Harriss face paled instantly. What?! Where? How? How do you know?


    I dont know much, and I saw it in... a dream, but they are likely to be near where you all fought the demon king. Look for a red crystal, and break it.


    He paused, and he paced the room in circles. I swore we cleared out the field in an attempt to clean up the corruption, but then again... it could be hidden underground. I must let Mirei and Gerrard know if this is true. It exins the weird dreams weve been having. They must have been trying to speak to us but couldnt get through.


    Outside, Harriss entourage was getting restless. Its been almost two hours.


    Im not able to free them, but maybe you could. Honestly, there really was no way I could reach the demon kings site, with all the sludge and corruption between us and them.


    Harris nodded. On this matter, I will handle it. I will be in touch.


    And with that, Harris and his entourage left. There wasnt much he could do about the [message] systems failure in this area, because the magical interference came from the vast fields of sludge, and the hero with themunication tower ability died a few years ago.


    Theoretically, if I clear out enough of the sludge, magical interference and decay will drop and the [messaging] system will restore itself. I suppose on top of behaving like a polluting oil, it also emits some kind of magical wave that causes magic to break down over time. Very simr to hex, really.


    He was here before, TreeTree? Jura asked.


    Yeah. You dont recognise him?


    He said he was mostly with Lady Mika, so he didnt really particrly stick in my mind. Jura said. Its hard to recognise people Ive met twenty years ago. He doesnt even look the same.


    He looksrgely the same to my spirit vision. But his glow isrger than before, I suppose its the levels. Hes not exactly hiding his presence. Or maybe he cant, he doesnt have the right skills.


    Ah well. Thankfully his entourage were well behaved once he was out of sight. Theyre just putting up a show when he is around. Interestingly, they dont like each other all that much. I think they all work for different people.


    His different wives, perhaps. I mentally chuckled. Is this the logical oue of a harem? I mean, sure, the harem can get along, but once everyone has their own children with the same father, its just a source of conflict isnt it? Every mother wants to protect her own offspring, and so theypete for attention. Human nature makes it so that it is hard to be fair, and be seen and perceived as fair. Even if he acted fairly, it may appear as favoritism.


    Juraughed too. Well, thats why Im single. I spend too much time practicing.


    -


    My efforts to mix normal mana and star mana did help to improve its efficiency, but I still havent gotten a skill for it. Thanks to that, weve managed to expand the forest to cover a long strip ofnd that leads to one of the nearby towns. Ive decided to still leave arge patch of unconverted sludge between my forest and the town, just as a moat, but this entire process meant they only had to travel about 1 month through the sludge, and theyll arrive at the edges of that long forest.


    Viewed from above, its like the forest extended one long ass vine to reach for the town.


    Meanwhile, my research on the demonic hybrids also made some progress. Ive gained some more understanding of their nature, such as their bodies actually absorb ambient energies and convert it to their demonic mana. In a way, its... air-powered. They dont need sunlight, but they do need some water, and they absorb it from the air, which is why they can exist in multiple forms and colors. They also have like some kind of water-vision, which means they will often target non-native animals, like elves or humans, or even ordinary wildlife which has far higher water content than the demonic hybrids.


    Are these demons like... some kind of reimagination of animals in a post-water scarcity world? Mars in its dying days?


    Ive yet to connect to the widerwork of these hybrid trees, fearing that they may overwhelm me. So far, all my attempted connections have been with standalone hybrid trees that have been isted. They respond well to demonic mana, but when flooded with my normal mana they just freeze and enter hibernation. Still, I persisted, and I carved a segment where I experiment more on them.


    Maybe these hybrid trees can act as a first line of filter, such that they weaken the demonic energys pressure at the edges. Something like an absorbent or suspension, having a transitory species of trees that can act as a medium between the two varying ecologies. Maybe I can engineer something.


    A new nt species that straddle the two worlds. At that very thought, I felt a huge repulsion, of disgust from the rest of mywork of trees. These feelings, theye from the native trees, and they despised that thought.


    Hah! Natives. Im a foreigner, outworlder too! Why do you not reject me then?


    Besides, nts certainly evolve in my world, these hybrids are clearly an adaptation, an evolution in this world. Why exclude these neers?


    Spaizzer Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy the chapter :)

 Expanding Frontier

    Expanding Frontier


    <b>Year 112</b>


    At first I left a gap of Rottends between the wider uncorrupted world and my recovered areas, as I expanded. Beneath all the once corruptednds were normalnds, and some of them had minerals, or had geological features that were once hidden by the sludge. Clearing thend meant all these were revealed, and the new trees used to clear these spaces discovered the higher concentration of certain minerals when their roots extended into the ground.


    Some of these weremon minerals, like regr iron, or copper. Some areas were just certain types of soil that were suitable for making pottery or y. Id imagine these resources would be suitable for construction or allow the creation of certain industries. Though our poption is still only about 3,000ish, if the refugeese along, I would see this amount increase over time.


    There will be refugees.


    How would they get past the Rottends? Jura asked.


    Good... point. That was when I realised my idea of creating a moat was quite stupid. Sure, the moat makes it harder for enemies toe in, and it also helped to thin any armys numbers by having to fight the demons, but, it almostpletely denied the refugees or anyone who wanted to live in my domain. And that meant I would forever have a far smaller army to work with.


    Refugees in this world are mostly escapees of war, though they are desperate and may have levels, they are mostly unarmed and would not survive a whole month through the Rottends.


    Since any army that wants a piece of me would march through the Rottends anyway, with all the necessary logistics to survive the journey, I decided to make smaller paths to the outside world, which would then be fortified with walls, various tree-defenses, and a huge bunch of beetles. That way, prospective refugees can still get a safe path in.


    I cant do the same things as expect a better result.


    An expansionary approach is something I didnt try, though I am fond of the turtling concept. In fact, maybe thats why Im even a tree. A tree by nature is a immobile, but perhaps I should embrace rapid expansion of weeds.


    Were already drawing attention. A few of the survivors said. Aeons expansion has made ournds very attractive.


    Theres so few of us. We cant hold off thosends.


    Jura shook his head. Aeon has decided to hold on to thosends. Anyone who wants it will have to go through his army.


    In fact, a nearby kingdom officiallyunched an invasion force of 30,000. They would cut across the small strip of Rottends and then start to settle in reimed areas closest to their kingdom. It wasnt much of a battle. By the time that army did cross the Rottends, they lost about 2,000 people. They gained levels, though.


    When they emerged from the Rottends, Jura helped make an announcement that they are invading mynds. Of course, they ignored it. Then, they were attacked by hidden beetles, scattered across the newly made forests. There were some high leveled individuals in there, perhaps around level 50 to 80, and for those, I dealt with them personally. Mostly by just harassing them with [serpentine rootstrike], and a volley of poisonous fruits from everywhere.


    Didnt take long for the 30,000 to be only 20,000, and then deciding that its better to just run away, since they soon realised the army of beetles is a lot bigger than they were prepared for. I have 100,000 subsidiary trees, and that meant if I ever max out on beetles, thats a total of 500,000 beetles. 500,000 beetles that regenerate 100,000 beetles per month. Its just... I could zerg-rush the nearest kingdoms. How many kingdoms can fight off 100,000 beetles each month anyway?


    Of course, I cant practically max out beetles, since I have some dedicated for other roles, like housing, like training areas, or some as defenses.


    Theres also the issue of levels. I mean, if someone kills 100,000 beetles, Im damned sure the systems going to give him some super beetle-immunity, or beetle resistance, or beetle-yer abilities.


    In fact, this very issue is why its better to have a diversified army, because if at any time your opponent ever gains a skill advantage, it applies over the entirety of the army. Imagine if a [general] had [beetle yer general] or something like that. That would mean my beetles are effectively useless. Or maybe some mage gets [Bugspray] or something.


    Ugh.


    After that defeat, there was no more invasion for the rest of the year. I count that as a yay, because obviously now the other kingdoms realised it aint easy trying to takend away from a tree.


    Trade andmerce is gradually returning, and so the survivors reorganised themselves as a new administrative body for the entirend, once again, with me as the spiritual leader. Theres norge scale refugee movement yet, not with thend being rtively peaceful. The demonic rifts have yet to reopen, and the hybrids of the Rottends dont seem to stray far from their native environment.


    Any opinions? Jura went and met Yvon in her training tree. Yvon gained a wooden form that can talk andmunicate with people, but unlike Me or Alexis, her wooden body remained stuck in her tree. Quite strange, and I reckon the heroes just have special treatment.


    Strategically, Aeon shouldmunicate with all the nearby kingdoms for alliances, and since thend is unupied, perhaps he could arrange some kind of lease or vassge system. Maybe work with some unhappy nobles in the kingdoms whod be happy to defect over to Aeons side, since Aeon would probably allow for a wider range of flexibility than some insecure King. In short, an arrangement simr to New Freeka, but open to the rest of them.


    Theres going to be conflict. Jura shook his head. Youve seen how sensitive Aeon is with certain matters.


    It can be managed. I personally have begun to realise its a question of distance. Aeon cares a lot less about what the kingdoms do, when they are far away. I suggest dering this entire valley some kind of Holy Land. Then all the cities that spring out around the valley to be the Holy Lands Defender Nations.


    Jura just paused, and stared at Yvons wooden face. Seriously.


    Its what the human kingdoms did a long time ago. The lesser human vassal nations around the main human country were referred to as the Pdin Kingdoms, the capital was the Sacred City of the Hero King.


    Huh.


    Historys interesting. It tells us what has been done before, and what we can do again. Yvon nodded. I would definitely rmend this strategy to Aeon. Lesser nations under one Spiritual Protector. Aeons already worshipped back in the days of New Freeka, a returning deity surely can sway the minds of many. He should very much take advantage of his past reputation, and his now-public rtionship with the hero.


    The hero, Harris.


    Ah yes. Harriss visit was widely publicized. The affairs of Harris, the Harem Hero Emperor was tabloid fodder. They spected whether theres a woman waiting for him at my ce, or perhaps an illegitimate child. Harris has quite a special position ording to the merchants, as he built his empire by reiming vast amounts of Rottends. In fact, his entire territory sits on reimed Rottends, with his army of summoned knights to patrol and fight off any monsters. Each time one of his many women has a child, he would reim morend, which would be awarded to that newly born child, though still managed by the crown.


    I cant help but mentallyugh at the idea. I mean, hes like totally living the life of many isekai main characters, and the consequences of that sort of lifestyle, such that he has to reimnd to secure the future of each of his many children. As it turned out, heroes children actually do not inherit any of their father or mothers special blessings, so their children are absolutely ordinary, except for their special station in life.


    Of course, their special station in life means they get the best trainers, teachers, equipment and gear, which, if they use it properly, thatll be good. But his oldest child, a teenager at 17 years old, is rumored to be arrogant, abuses his status as the prince and like his father, a womaniser. I mean, he had fun during the years having so many women, so now he has to deal with the consequences of having so many women, right?


    Once he passes away some day in the future, maybe his kids will squabble and a war will break out among their children over thend. Since all the children all receive special star-mana weapons, extra enchantments and stuff, surely there will be perceived inequality and there will be war. Ive seen it in telenov, or even business empires!


    In a way, maybe Yvon is right. I am in the unique position of being a nigh-immortal tree, surely any empire I build willst longer than one of human heroes. Its a norm that few empires survive their founders.


    I spent some time thinking about it, and I think its a good idea, and totally worth trying. Lets try an expansionary strategy, and I do like the idea that this entire valley is sacrednd.


    The survivors grouped together and split the territories around us into ten parcels, for now, with more toe as I expand further, and a deration was made. Ten parcels ofnd awaiting for settlement, a constitution drafted, with terms closing resembling that of the old New Freeka, but with some modifications.


    A map was made, areas marked as protected territories, where norge scale settlement or logging can be made, and areas where the settlers can build their own homes. Each of the ten parcels were to determine their own rulers or governors, but they would have to operate under my umbre, provide a contribution to the overall military and magic defense, and ept instructions that I may periodically bestow.


    In short, Ive be the tooltip or foreign monarch thats now going to handout duties to my new vassals. Kind of like Tropico.


    Then, with the aid of some merchants, an invitation was made to everyone on the entirety of our continent. Though I suppose the message first got to the rich and powerful, eventually itll spread to themon folk.


    Come. Join the Rottends Restoration Effort! Open up New Lands! Rebuild the Lost Cities of the past! Be part of Aeons Domain. Aeons Frontier! Be, a pioneer! Tenrgely self-governing parcels for the taking! Come!


    And I waited.


    Of course, this decision rather surprised Yvon and Jura, both didnt think I would do something like that. I know. I probably wouldnt. But my old strategy was not working, I want to grow! If it didnt work, I can just crush them with my army of 500,000 beetles!


    With that settled, I moved on to other matters.


    Harris was supposed to return with a bunch of artifacts that could store my skills, but he didnte this year. A messenger came and notified us that procurement of the necessary materials took far longer than expected.


    And Erizs transformation into a [nursery tree] was quite interesting, and fascinating. Shes essentially arge tree thats like a childcare center, and like Yvon, she too can take the form of a tree person. Interestingly, she can make multiple copies of herself within the childcare center, and her mind somehow allows her to do all the things together. A part of her tree is able to produce all sorts of milk and saps to feed the young children, some even directly via vines that are shaped like milk bottles, or for the centaurs, udders, or for the treefolk, thick sap-like drops. Its really cool, and she gained level quite quickly.


    Its quite surreal to still see you, mom. Roma said to Yvon, he sat inside her tree, practicing. I mourn your death, and yet, here you are.


    She tapped Roma on the head. Well, looks like fate has other ns for me.


    More like Aeon had other ns for you. And Im not quite sure if I like it.


    She shrugged.


    -


    As the year slowly reached its end, after all that fighting and expanding, I got something I wanted.


    [You have gained a level. You are now level 153]


    [Your skill - Natural Mana Overwhelming has been upgraded].


    I hoped for a new skill, but it seemed the system was more keen on just upgrading my skills. Still, it made it easier for my mana to push back and put out the demonic mana.


    Next year, I would be closing in on the volcano and the Southwest Forest. Id hope to see how the rod and Dimitrees artificial mind is holding up. I had the notification that I lost my connection to Dimitree, but not one that indicated that he died. Perhaps, with the use of the magical leyline, he was able to use its mana to push back against the demonic corruption. That would be great, since I wouldnt have to rebuild that entire Southwest forest.


    I would like to start reconnecting with the Lilies again. I have a lot of questions, and I think only great old beings like them can answer it.


    Oh. Naming!


    So, we need to brainstorm a name for our new city. The survivors reconvened. Apparently it was an important matter, because they didnt know how to describe themselves, and they didnt want to use the name of New Freeka, which was destroyed.


    The conversation went somewhat like this. Neo Freeka. Too simr to the old name. Freekabaru. Eww. Free? No. AeonFreeka? Sounds too much like a bad nickname. Aeond? No!


    After days, and I think weeks of numerous meetings, no one could settle on a name, because everyone wanted something else, and in the end, they voted as a whole, to force me to name the area.


    I didnt have a good name either.


    NewNewFreeka? Nope. EvenBetterFreeka? Freeka 3.0? Nope.


    In the end, because we are deep in the Rottends, I decided something that opposed the meaning of Rotted.


    Freshka.


    Yes.


    The City of Freshka. I felt numerous facepalms in the entirety of the valley, as if a million dreams were silenced and crushed all at once. I thought I was quite clever, but everyone else didnt. But, they reluctantly epted my proposed name. Because Freshka is Fresher! Fresh! Like new, but Fresh! Its like a bad cringeymercial. If Me was here shed say my naming sense is atrocious.


    Freshka! The good thing is, its just going to be the name of the new city thats going to be built at a new location, quite a distance from the valley. I mean, now thatrge areas are back to their normal, forested ways, not everyone wants to live near a giant ming tree anymore. So, they found a ce where theres a river, a nice slightly sloped nd to start their new city.


    3,000 people made the move there. The second new capital of the other restorednds. The other being Harriss empire, of course, which is on the other side of the continent. If the entire Rottends was an apple, his empire would be shaped like a bite into the apple.


    Should I call the general area Fresnds, then? Freshans. Freeshkans. Freeshans dont sound that bad either.

 Plant Fossils

    nt Fossils


    <b>Year 113</b>


    Time is running out, and Harriss panic reflected that.


    Only 10? I asked, I looked at the 10 crystalline objects.


    Its a lot harder to obtain spell crystals at the necessary quality and purity. These 10 spell-matrices are able to store one skill or ability, which can be reused up to 3 times each.


    Thats only 30 uses.


    Its a lot better than nothing. Harris nodded. If I manage to get more, I certainly will bring them over, but rather than wait, I thought of just testing these 10 out now.


    True. Never know if they might fail.


    Harris was alone in the valley, his army of entourage was not allowed in, and so they made themselvesfortable in the new city of Freshka. I looked at the 10 items, and asked. So, youll give me some of them?


    He paused, and he rubbed his head. I know I agreed to give it to you, but, uh... itll affect my survival chances. Can I just give you one, first? And if I live, Ill give you 5 of these spell matrices.


    Will they break after they are used? I sort of think they wouldnt because they look incredibly well made, and the materials gorgeous. Id imagine these things to fetch an incredibly high price if one were to even try doing it.


    Uh, they shouldnt. They need to have the skills re-inserted again. They just be empty. You can try it out, though, uh... theres a recharge time before they can start receiving skills again.


    It wasnt hard to input a skill into the crystal. All I had to do was think of the skill I wanted to use, and then sort of will it into the gem. I got it after like, twenty tries. So, all 10 gems now have [Steelwood Barrier], and he kept 9 of it. They had a faint greenish glow.


    Partly why it took me so long, is because, I wanted a gem that essentially replicates all the effects of a skill, not just store the skill. There are plenty of spell-matrices out there that stores just the skill, but those lose the passive effects and other caster-specific qualities that make the spell or skill strong. After all, Im quite certain your strengthes from a lot more than just the skill alone.


    I didnt have to reply.


    Harris probably noticed my reluctance as he quickly changed the topic to something else. Oh, I didnt tell you, but we found the red crystal that was mentioned. It was indeed hidden under a massive pile of sludge. And we broke it. Oh. I havent checked on the two heroes in a while. Indeed, I couldnt ess that area anymore.


    We?


    Gerrard and Mirei found some time out of their busy schedule to visit. They should be on their way here.


    Two more heroes? I wasnt prepared for that. Why are theying here?


    Nothing much, just to meet up and discuss some things in your presence. Gerrard seemed to have something that he says will be valuable to you, and us.


    Me? What could a hero say that could be of use to me?


    Harris took some time to stay in the new buildings in Freshka, as the rest of the heroes arrived a few dayster. They look different and in Mireis case, shes grown a lot taller. Gerrard was lean, tanned and had shoulder-length hair. They both have aged, and now look like actual adults.


    So, this is where the tree is? Gerrard asked.


    Mirei nodded. Yeah. We got lucky when we started out around here, and we got our basicbat training here. At least, well, when it was here.


    I see. They soon approached Freshka, and regrouped with Harris. After a bit of chitchat and catchup, they came to see me.


    Gerrard seemed quite interested. Its really, really big.


    I had the impression that all tree spirits arerge. Mirei said. Or is this one of your half-drunk statements?


    Not at all. I might be half-drunk most of the time, but tree spirits do go through regr growth periods! Ive met small tree spirits before. Gerrard looked quite rxed around me.


    Harris took out the spell-matrices and showed it to the other 2. Mirei ooohed. Im still working on spell-matrices that are able to absorb and temporarily recreate the anti-demon aura. Its a lot harder than I thought.


    I could upgrade your familiars to special familiars, ites with the demonic aura after a few levels. I spoke, as I recall Lausanne did have a lesser version of the aura. Its not as strong as mine.


    They agreed, and so I upgraded it. For Mirei and Harris, it seemed the levels that the existing familiars carried over to the new star-mana powered familiars, and they unlocked the lesser demonic suppression aura instantly. For Gerrard, this was the first time he received the familiar but he didnt seem entirely surprised by it.


    Fascinating, isnt it? Harris said.


    Not bad. Gerrard said.


    So... you said theres something you wanted to share?


    Gerrard nodded and opened his bag. He took out a strange item, it resembled a really, really dried piece of wood. Yes. I also have a gift for Aeon, actually. He ced the dried piece of wood on the table, and the moment I touched it, I felt a notification in my head.


    [Youve received a fragment of the ancient tree that was destroyed thousands of years ago.] That very moment, I felt happy. It was a joy that came from the entirety of mywork, like, all my trees felt happy to be touched by that... fragment.


    I couldnt respond for a while, as I had to manage a rush of emotions that went through my head. Thoughts too.


    There are objects that can do this to me in the world! Is it because my [Grand mind Tree] still needed repairs? The three heroes waited for a while for my response, and they just talked among themselves.


    Aeon? Harris asked. Gerrard looked at Harris and Mirei, and then just sat down.


    Itll take a while. I gave this same thing to a few other spirits and they all froze. Or, didnt respond to me for at least a day. Maybe we can go have a drink, first. The heroes chatted among themselves again, and then they left.


    [Youve analysed the ancient trees fragment. You gained a level. You are now level 154.]


    [Skill : Subsidiary tree upgraded. 200,000 Trees!]


    [Skill : Woodshaping significantly upgraded]


    Then, I started to see... visions. It felt like I was watching television, as scene after scene flickered before me. Memories of the ancient tree, engraved it its body. Like how a tree recorded what it suffered through in the rings of its trunk, the fragment contained its ancient memories.


    A vision. <i>Vast expanse of forests, jungles. Sea. Monsters. Dragons. Humans. Elves. Small towns and some cities.</i>


    <i>Then a falling red star. Then it was an... emotion. Not a scene, but a feeling of instability, of falling. Like I was pulled out by something, and then started falling.</i>


    <i>Then demons. Demons everywhere. I see visions of... dragons-</i>


    Then it ended, so very quickly.


    No. More? I tried to ess it again, but it felt like a teaser trailer that was too short. I essed the shard again, but all it did was y the same scenes in repeat.


    I need more. I spoke to the three heroes, who are rxing in Freshka. That feeling, like, I was robbed of knowledge, of knowing some but not enough. I needed more.


    Im afraid thats thest one I have. Ive given out every shard I have to other tree spirits. Youll have to get it from them. Gerrard shook his head. I didnt even know there was a tree spirit here, so I only kept one.


    How many did you have? How many have you given out? I asked, my entire being trying to hold back a sense of need and desperation thates from the rest of me. Like, is this a kind of mind control? I need that [grand mind tree] repaired as soon as possible!


    Uh... I had 3. One to you, one to Lilies, and another one to the Frozen Tree in the Northern Isles.


    Lilies had one. Maybe I can negotiate directly with Lilies for a loan. I dont really need to keep the fragment, just analyse it to get a more coherent picture of the past. Wait. Why am I going down this train of thought again?


    Harris ribbed Gerrard. So, uh, wait. What were you trying to do?


    Oh. You know Ive been going around making all sorts of herbal liqueur? I found that collecting those from ancient tree spirits, or powerful tree spirits can produce a high quality herbal liqueur with strong suppression qualities. So, I set out creating uh... a blended herbal liqueur. Ive collected about 7 tree spirit herbs, leaves and barks.


    Mirei just smacked her palm to her face. Oh. So all this just to fulfill your alcohol desires?


    Look. Dont judge me and my hobbies. Harris has his harem, you have your ballroom and fancy otome-game politics, leave me as the hermit entric brewer of strange drinks. Gerrard got quite defensive. I even gained levels with it.


    What?! They both paused. I havent gained a level since we fought the demon king!


    The systems busted, we all know that. But it turned out you can actually gain levels from doing non-fighting things.


    That doesnt match my experience. Harris frowned. Ive been clearing uprge areas ofnd and all, not a single level.


    Mirei nodded too. Which ss did you gain a level in? Your [hero] ss, or something else?


    No, not [hero]. My [Master Brewer] ss. Collecting unusual and rare items, and brewing with them did gain me levels. ANYWAY! Gerrard shouted. Aeon, right? Uh... I want your herbs, leaves and a bit of your bark.


    Fine. He gave me a level, thats fair, I suppose. Ive made herbal drinks and tea all the time anyway. Herbal alcoholic drinks, well, I sort of mentally smacked myself there. Why didnt I think of that? Or wait, maybe the wineries did create herbal versions of the wine. But I want the other piece, the one with that Frozen Tree. Tell them its a loan, you can return it to them after Im done analysing them.


    Uh... Gerrard seemed even more defensive. A gift given to a tree spirit is never asked back. I wont do that, Ill lose my supply of magical frozen herbal leaves!


    Hmm... How do I negotiate this? Maybe I should do so directly. Then bring a small sapling of mine to it. ce it near to it. A small [tree of prayer], a messenger from me. I would have to find a way tomunicate with my other trees that are outside thework. Could I have roots that cross the ocean? But the chance tomunicate with another tree spirit!


    That... that I can do. Gerrard promised, and he looked at the small bag of leaves, bark and roots with great interest. He took a small piece of root out and smelled it. He licked a bit. The other two heroes looked at him and their faces were just in disgusted.


    You lick your materials?


    I got to know how they taste. My tongue has a special skill, [Brewers Taste Buds], which lets me know how well itll go together with the rest of my brew! Dont worry, Ill clean it up.


    Eww.


    You guys dont know how hard it is to get an audience with tree spirits. So far, this tree fragment has been my most sessful method to get new herbal materials!


    Where did you even get such a thing? I dont imagine you would end up checking every single fragment of wood you encounter. Harris asked.


    It was in a random abandoned temple on the Shaffar coast of the western continent, I was led there by a druid who spoke of a dead religion of some kind, in my quest to find rare herbal ingredients for my herbal alcohol!


    At this point, I intervened. Never mind. Are there more?


    Uh... I took everything. Unless I missed it, which I could have because honestly I didnt pay those fragments much attention. They look like half-rotten wood, not exactly something my eyes are drawn to.


    Half-rotten wood!


    Lets change the topic. Mirei shrugged. Harris said Aeon has some rather interesting... weapons.


    It was then that Harris brought out some of the wooden spears and swords. Yes. These are the anti-demon weapons, and Im wondering if we, the 3 of us, together with Aeons wooden weapons as the chassis. Id like to explore that possibility, together.


    Harris didnt mention this thest time we met, but heroic grade anti-demon weapons, but the thought of it makes sense. The weapons they create using the rare materials from this world are strong, but not specifically anti-demons.


    So, the three heroes spent days with me. I used wood forming magic to form wooden weapons infused with my anti-demon powers, and the three heroes added their enchantments. Later on, they formed the wooden weapons together with me, as I shaped the wood into its weapon shape, their star-mana joined in and helped.


    It was a long process, but the heroes clearly fear for their lives. I could sense all 3 of them have lingering, deep-seated memories of their many battles with different demon kings, and it reflected the sudden focus they have.


    After two weeks, they all had wooden weapons they were satisfied with, but yet they still fear whether it is enough. As Mirei put it, they are summoner-heroes, and yet the world forces them to still y the role of abat-focused hero, so they had to resort to such preparations.


    We cant do this forever. Gerrard looked at his curved wooden de, infused with a mix of wood and heroic energy. He sounded a bit dejected. They left all the rejected ones behind for me, which are all incredibly powerful items in their own way, but just not to the level they need. I intend toter spend some time to further analyse them, and see whether I can use my own star mana to simr effects.


    No we cant. But we must try.


    Age catches up to us, even if magic keeps us young for now. Killing the demon king is just... temporary. If theres some way we can just seal the demon king, I wonder whether that would stop the demon king from repeating. He said, and then he had a headache immediately. He quickly opened a gourd next to him, and drank from it.


    We cant even seal a demon walker. Mireiughed. They left a few days after.


    Seal the demon king. Would that actually stop the cycle?


    -


    My prior years effort to market myself as freshnd for refugees, unhappy nobles and all that brought a huge amount of people. There were fights, naturally, among refugees squabbling over the best spots, but the space wasrge enough that they dispersed over the 10 sectors. Even then, fighting was going to happen, and this time, Im staying out of it. I will work with whoever their chosen ruler and, and so long as they operate under my framework, I will leave them be.


    Thats what a vassal is, right?


    This promise of unimednds attracted all sorts of people. People who are unhappy with their existing rulers tax regimes, or with insecure borders, or people on the run. Some just wanted to try out something else, and eventually, a few smaller settlements formed. Over time, many of these smaller viges and settlements will agglomerate and form into towns and cities proper, but thatll be over a few more years.


    Freshka too, located in what is considered the core-region of the newnd, experienced some influx of settlers. The promise of fertilends, bountiful harvests blessed by a watchful tree spirit was attractive to some farmers.


    In each sector, after the migrants starteding in, I ced a [Tree of Prayer], and a few [Giant Attendant Trees], which acted as their segments focal points.


    Jura, and some of the followers, set up a new Valtrian Order. And the Valtrian Orders task, this time, is to recruit promising young children from all the ten segments, to form my new reformed Valthorn Initiates. Of course, for now, no recruitment has actually started.


    Its only the first year they areing in. Ill start next year. But the n and infrastructure is ready.


    By the end of the year, 5 of the 10 sectors have been settled, and on average, home to about 10,000 each, for a total of 50,000! Theres a bit of gang wars and internal fighting, but nothing overt, yet.


    I probably should get someone to watch them, like Ivy. To keep watch of any high-risk individuals, and so, I created a new artificial soul.


    Jasmine. Not the princess, of course.


    During this year, Ive also stretched my trees to reconnect with the Verdant Volcano and the Southwest Forests.


    I was relieved to discover they both survived, even if the area they covered had shrunk significantly. It seemed that the energy from the Volcano and the leyline was strong enough to push back at the sludge, and it helped that they were quite far from the epicenter of the sludge than I was, so, lucky for them, the pressure from the sludge was weaker.


    Dimitree, which I lost connected to, was still alive, if not a bit... insane. It went off in gibberish for a good three months, as I spent time repairing its internal structure. So, I was just d to not have to start from scratch. Dimitree eventually recovered from his insanity, being disconnected from me for so long.


    I didnt allow him to speak for a long time, because he was just incoherent.


    The volcano crater and the Forest Rod survived, thankfully, but the sludge got as far as half-way up the volcano.


    So, with this, my soul forges other abilities are restored, and my soul collectors are back in business.


    -

 Treepping

    Treepping


    Year 114


    A group of 5 mages came, selling some kind of service. For payment, they would help create spell formations around and on city walls, for use against monsters, and demons. They were all quite high leveled, around level 50-60, and they quickly met the Freshkan leaders. In their mind, every new town or city must have protective enchantments.


    They all are well dressed, and clearly made good money making these enchantments for many towns, but they came to the wrong ce. The new ruling body told them they are not interested, and they soon left to the rest of the smaller towns to ply their wares.


    That said. I was actually quite interested in defensive spell formations, and so when one of the new smaller viges actually coughed up a bit of money for a spell formation, my trees watched it intently.


    Simply put, I was trying to learn their defensive spell formations by observation. Clearly, if I could augment my defensive formations with magical spells, thatll make me even more tanky.


    Though, from what I could see using my [spirit vision], the defensive spell formation is essentially a 5 part process.


    The first part is the power source, in the case of the small vige, this is a set of mana stones they embed in the vige heads home. The second, is a set of runes or spells meant to extract power from that mana stone, and also an activation keystone.


    The third, is the actual defensive spell, written into a formation of runes or stored in crystals matrices. Unlike the ones used by Harris, these crystals have the spell written into the crystal itself via physical carving of runes into the crystal, so that the spell memorised doesnt get forgotten.


    The fourth, is the projection and casing of the crystals, such that they dont get identally knocked out, or trigger unnecessarily. So, theres a smaller set of items, usually metallic or wood, with some more runes, to protect the crystals from other triggers. There is also an item, in the case of the vige, a wooden holder that points the crystal outwards, so that it projects the spell in the right direction.


    The fifth is a coherence and synchronisation process, such that all the crystal matrices trigger at the same time, and respond to the same activation key.


    Of course, the mages were more than happy to exin the mumbo jumbo to the clueless vigers, because they knew the vigers probably wouldnt remember it anyway, nor would they be able to reproduce it. One of the mages is more than happy to show off how smart he is as he exined the process of creating defensive formations to a bunch of youngdies. Maybe he would getid that night, but I didnt care.


    Essentially, if I were to think about it for me, its entirely possible for me to use a magical leyline, or the volcano, or even myself, as the centerpiece of a magical defense formation. Or, use a vast field of [tuberous storage], which stores mana, as a massive battery array.


    Then, using the mana from the tuberous storage, to power a huge set of magical runes, which super-charges a my various [shield generators], to create far stronger wooden shields.


    Isnt it?


    Or if I could create star mana storage arrays, that would greatly work too, but from what I overheard, the extraction method from the storage would need to bepatible with the spell. Runes are sensitive things, and need to be written to the right size, and with the right types of mana.


    I should learn runic enchantments, no? A magical tree with runes! What could go wrong?


    Later, I spoke of this idea to Yvon and Jura. Strangely, Yvon was quite supportive. Then it hit me.


    Its a good idea, but I dont recall runes working on living beings. Runic carvings and symbols are usually on inanimate objects.


    Oh.


    But why?


    We did some research, Jura spoke to some surviving mages, and it seemed that runes needed to be fixed, in the sense that the shape, material and all need to be fixed. So, because living things grow and move, the runes on living skin or bark will change shape.


    In short, runes are like anguage that somehow mana can understand, and interact with, but it has to be fixed.


    This concept was quite easy to understand. I imagine it as an integrated chipboard, where the shape andyout helped to produce a certain result. Theres an energy source, and that energy source passes through a set of logic gates, and then outes a result, as designed.


    These runes are quite simr to wifi or wireless emitters, and their specific shape, design and material allows it to absorb or release these mana-waves. A specific runic shape therefore triggers an interaction with mana, which causes it to do certain things.


    So, now that themunication channels have returned, I insisted that we gather all the known runes from the world. If I could understand and use runes to make myself even stronger, I must do so.


    Arent you concerned that your mana may interfere with the runes? Yvon asked.


    True, but mana can be manipted, and certainly I can shape it in such a way, so as to not interfere with each other. Taking the logic circuit concept a step further, surely there must be a way to iste each runes inputs and outputs such that they do not sh with each other.


    Jura and the Freshkan council soon put out a request for rune-rted books. A young mage was nominated to read the book to me, in Lausannes ce.


    Eriz levelled up quite quickly, and shes now level 20, and she now had the ability to create a split-body of herself, which I ced in thergest new town outside Freshka. Her service as a full-time babysitter is invaluable for parents who want to work the farm and all that. Thats the angle we worked with, though she did have to hire some of the older folks to work with her in her [Nursery Subsidiary Tree].


    Unlike me, her limit is very low, and right now at level 20 she can only create one subsidiary. In a way it makes sense, since I did get my subsidiary tree level at maybe around level 80, so mine can make more parts. Now I can make tens of thousands! If she could make that many nursery trees she could definitely flood the market and put nannies out of business.


    Still, children are few, but at least people are giving birth to kids. Laufen, now that her daughter is not around, has more time to dedicate herself to the charity arm of the new Valtrian Order. Again, to help support and provide social services, which are so formallycking in this world.


    You never give up on that idea of orphan children as weapons of war, do you? Yvon rebuked me one day as I discussed the idea with Laufen. Thats why youre always out gathering young children, again.


    They have little attachments, and nothing to lose. They have everything to prove to the world, and they need protection. Training them to fight is only natural, and giving that path of serving as potential fighters is a benefit.


    I still think that isnt the best way forward. Fighters and mages are best when they have motivation and drive from deep within them. Some of these kids will get that, but most of them wont. Dont force them to fight if they dont really want to. Yvon disagreed. I can tell from how they swing their weapons that theyre here because its the way to get fed.


    Then what system do you propose, to rece this? Unless parents are willing to subject their children to extensive training, the odds of creating the Lausanne-ss warrior battlegroup is next to none.


    A recruitment event. Promise them things. Find those with a passion for what you do. In this world, it is often better to have one Level 90 man than one hundred level 50s. Everyone loves heroes, and aspire to be like them.


    So you want me to sell a dream, instead of training all these children who cant fend for themselves?


    Just give them basic training, but whether they want to move on to the next level, that depends on their passion, talent, and whether they really want it or not! Theyre children, I wouldnt force Roma to learn what he doesnt want to learn. What you are doing, even if these young impressionable children seem eager and willing, is forcing something on them, but they dont really know what they want.


    Wouldnt that postpone their growth?


    Why do you think so, Aeon? Levelling is not limited by age. A teenager that goes through hardship in his teens can gain as many levels as a young child under 10. Startingte is in no way a bigger impediment. A big part of levelling is about our own understanding andprehension, and is in no way slowed by startingte.


    Wouldnt a person who learned how to swordfight younger than an older man who just started be more skilled?


    Yes, but the older mans intellect and wisdom would have grown, and if he was the same level, he would catch up in time. Life experience contributes to level growth, not just starting from young.


    That makes no sense. Lausanne clearly gained and reached levels far faster


    That was when Jura and one of the migrant schrs came into the training room. Lady Yvons exnation of thete-bloomer levelling effect is fascinating, but its still unclear which idea is right.


    Huh. Oh, pardon me, Aeon. The idea of whether to start levelling young or levelling older is something thats quite contentious, though most still prefer to start levelling from a younger age. In Lady Yvons defense, her argument can be modified that it is better for a young child to level in a wider variety of levels, or in generic levels, and only specialise in ater age.


    True. Yvon nodded. Thats a good point, its really about specialisation, not whether a child should learn and level. But back to our earlier conversation, Aeon. What Im trying to say is that a child may not know where his passions lie. I agree with training from young, but they should be exposed to a wider set of skills, and let them see where their heart takes them. Passion for a cause and a set of skills is important, and people are more likely to find it in theirter ages, as their life experiences tell them where they fit best. Passion contributes to levelling speed, not just age.


    Im confused, but I take it that I will continue to train children, but only at a base level for a wider skillset, and then let them choose their own focus or specialisation.


    Yes.


    Im not actually attempting to reinvent the wheel here, this is just a rehash of ourmon primary school education system, where the kids go shallow on a broad number of subjects and then go deep when they find something they like?


    Only, well, the curricr is morebat and survival focused, like,bat training, basic magic assessment, farming, basic businesses.


    But Yvon, now a [Training Tree], quickly renamed herself, with a big signboard outside her tree. VonAcademy.


    Quite full of yourself to name it after... yourself. I teased her. Academyvon. But at the same time, Im pretty sure my poor naming sense infected her. Or is it just a Tree thing that trees arent good with names?


    What. Im now a tree that focuses on training. The big training schools in the world all have big, well known names, so I should have a name too. Naming aside, her job is to produce the future Lausanne-ss warriors, and part of this is to recruit from the growing countryside. Because of that earlier discussion overte and young-bloomers, she decided to ept disciples from all ages, though the training is age-segregated for now.


    Jura, deciding that he didnt want to do much politicking, converted his role to an advisory, Chairperson role in the Freshkan council, and he introduced a centaur migrant to meter that day.


    You stand before Aeon, our true guardian of the valley and the refresher of the Rottends. Introduce yourself, Kavio.


    Refreshka. Thats the next name if Freshka falls again.


    Wow. The centaur Kavio had never entered the sunken valley before, referred to now, as the Valley of the Unrotten. So there really is a giant tree that survived the valley.


    Jura shrugged. Why do people even think we invented that story... in spite of all the evidence despite it.


    I mean, well, rumors. Kavio nodded. They tend to be massive, and because rumors are somon, the truth, if strange, bes difficult to believe.


    Anyway, introduce yourself. Jura pointed to me.


    Im supposed to shout?


    No. I can hear you just fine. I spoke. He instantly stumbled, and for a centaur with 4 legs, well, he wasnt expecting it.


    Ah. Im sorry. Im Kavio, the newly elected leader of the Freshkan council. I migrated herest year and I was told that the council is in need of new people to help. Ive been told that all iing leaders of the council should meet you... I just wasnt expecting it to be so.. Erm... massive.


    Jura smacked his head. I know he tried, and anyone with a half-decent intelligencework knows I exist. But still, theres a lot of ignorant people in the world. I mean, in a world of demons, you dont believe a giant tree exists?


    So uh...


    The intent of such a meeting is simple. I said. The valley exists because I do. My powers hold the demonic sludge at bay. Its important that any leader who enters the Freshkan council is made fully aware of that my will isw, here.


    Kavio gulped. Jura smiled. I think he did say I needed to be more... aggressive in what I say. Being too tree-like and passive meant everyones going to try and get their way.


    The Freshkan Councils ability to govern is a delegation of authority. My authority. Is that clear, Council Leader Kavio?


    Yes.


    Good. Your audience was well noted. You may leave. There are morends I must reim.


    Jura nodded, and they both left. But I listened to their conversation as they walked out of the Sunken Valleys tunnel.


    Im not really a leader, isnt it? Kavio asked Jura.


    Well, theres a reason why no one wanted the job and you got it. Your new job requires you to regrly meet Aeon and advise him on what is happening. Key diplomatic and military decisions must be approved by Aeon personally.


    Kavio smacked himself. No wonder none of the original survivors put themselves up for election...


    Jura smiled. Jura had the unfortunate task of being my spokesperson, and its something few others actually want to do. So, do you still want the job?


    He paused, and sighed. I must.


    Good. Aeons not that bad once you get to know him.


    Really? ...I need to get myself some [fear] charms.


    -


    Meanwhile, the expansion of thends continued. With my improving control of mana and the increasing effectiveness of [Natural mana overwhelming], weve reimed morend. I estimate by now, Ive reimed about 5% of the entire Rottends, and that makes my domain farrger than Harriss country which is 4% of the Rottends.


    Of thatnd, some 200,000 migrants in total have begun resettling in the 10 segments, and slowly they are forming up into new towns. Theres still no city proper yet, but I observed the presence of new guilds, new adventurers.


    The new viges and towns are given a choice, that if they contribute a certain number of bodies to the Valtrian Order, which I will train into a proper military force, warbeetles will be stationed near the viges and protect them from monster attacks.


    But, if the citizens were to stray, on their own volition, into the Protected Forests, the monsters there will not hesitate to attack them. And there are no beetles to stop them. The protected forests are essentially my national parks, and the beetles only serve to mark the barrier. What happens inside, is at their own risk. If they lose anyone, or if anyone is lost in the protected forests, they have to mount their own search party.


    For those viges who did not contribute headcount to the Valtrian Order Militia, a levy is instead imposed, a tax on all ie or produce, in exchange for protection. For newly setup viges that are still trying to get their industry growing, I gave them a one-year to two-year tax-free incentive period.


    Also, as I expanded, I eventually managed to breach past the southern part of the Rottends, and I found that my subsidiary trees that are outside the Rottends are all in hibernation mode.


    Theyre all sleeping, resembling ordinary trees.


    Once I reconnected them, I felt the entirety of my southernwork return to life. Including my Titan Walker thats still covered in vines and leaves.


    I asked, using its way ofmunication.


    > Ah. Fellow Tree. We are d to see you live. <


    I referred to the item that Gerrard gave. He said one fragment was with Lilies, and in my mind, I imagined myself that itll be difficult to get it, and wondered what I could give to entice her.


    > Yes. We have. A memento of the tree that was, a time when we were few and tiny. <


    A silence. Is Lilies going to reject me?


    > Certainly. Where should we send it to? A mementos value is a memory shared. Let us share them. <


    Oh. Wow.


    At that moment, I felt a root make contact with one of my subsidiary trees. In an instant, right in front of my main body, a small flower bulb emerged, and it gradually unfolded itself, revealing a wooden fragment.


    What kind of magic is that? Wait. Its like that teleporting ability that I have with my star mana! Lilies can do it too!


    It didnt reply. But my focus turned back on the fragment.


    Such a small fragment, but I knew its history there. So old, old.


    I greedily took it and started analysing it. Theres now two pieces. Then, I saw the vision again. Its the same.


    -dragons. Monsters. Dragons soared, and they fought... demons? They fought, and then arge demon appeared. It was massive, it resembled a demon king. The dragons fought the demons. Then the vision shifts. Giants of other kinds. Ice giants. Krakens? They fought the demons-


    And thats it.


    Fuck. I felt that greedy feeling again. I want more. I need that third piece. The two pieces floated in my bib.


    [You have gained a level. You are now level 155.]


    [Skill : Psychedelic Dreams and Therapeutic Dreams upgraded.]


    [Skill : Hibernation significantly upgraded.]


    [Skill : Dream Tutor upgraded]


    What. Me going on a vision trip upgraded my dreaming and sleeping ability? And wait, is that 4 skill upgrades with one level? How does that work?

 Weapon Log

    Weapon Log


    <b>Year 115</b>


    The demon king didnte this year. The entire year though, the heroes were out and about attacking and fighting any demon walkers that appear. This time, they mostly resemble regr demons.


    No unusual demons. Therge demon champion or demon walker-ss monsters were just giant upright demons with massive wings, massive ws that resembled something out of typical RPG games.


    Its a good thing, I think. Just regr demonic monsters that look demonic. As the heroes travelled the world to fight demons, they asionally dropped by.


    This year, Harris managed to obtain another 15 spell matrices of very good quality, so the heroes now have 25 crystals, of which, I kept 4, so each of them have 21 crystals, with 3 charges each. 63 charges. These crystals are far superior to the ones used by the mages fromst year that created the defensive matrices. They contain more runes, and various crystals meant to absorb a different aspect of a spell or abilitys effects. Its through abination of all theponents within the spell matrices, that they are able to store a wood shield that contains almost 90% of my real wood shields power.


    Its impressive crafting, and something Harris paid a lot of good money for.


    Ie here so often I probably should set a teleportation beacon here.


    If you want to set it, set it up in Freshka. Not here.


    Of course. Its good that the [message] system is partly online. Even if it takes a bit of... work. Thanks to extensive clearing of the demonic sludge, and the conversion of more hybrid trees into mywork, Im able to suppress the effects of the magical interference, and so, [message] can now work, but it must be routed through the southern exits. Kind of like having to build telmunication towers around an impassable mountain.


    Without Astra, the heroes no longer have a flexible teleportation system, so theyre forced to use the teleportation system of the natives, which meant portal magic, like the one used by Madeus when I healed the Princess.


    Harris was not a mage, so if he wanted to use portal magic, he had to use a beacon and a scroll. Something normal mages didnt, since they could manipte the portal magic spell directly.


    Of course, this is a good lesson. Just like me, as a tree, there are some things Im naturally better at. Like offensive abilities, mine is very low, if not for all the other boosts I get. The ss system, while it works to amplify certain skills, at higher levels is quite limiting.


    Why dont you take mage sses? Curious, I asked Harris


    I already have 5 sses. Shield Hero, Warrior King. Weaponmaster, Inquisitor and Master Trader.


    Dont some of those ovep? Why not remove it?


    I needed their offensive abilities to cover my defensive focused [Shield Hero] ss, else I would be quite useless in the battle against the demon king, and magic didnt synchronise well with my base hero ss.


    Then the trader ss?


    My kingdom was poor when I started. The Master Trader skill gave my kingdom some financial boost.


    Oh.


    5 sses for a human hero?


    You must be very high leveled.


    If I add everything up, Im almost level 220. But I think thats not how it works, because one hero level converts to about 4-5 normal ss levels at the higher normal ss levels, and if you divide it up using that principle, Im probably about level 140 or so.


    So your base hero is about... level 120?


    Yes, about there. With 40 or so levels in King, and about 20 levels each in the other 3 sses.


    You havent unlocked a domain?


    Whats that?


    ...Nothing.


    In terms of pure hero levels, Gerrards the highest because he only traded away 10 hero levels for his 45 levels in Master Brewer. So his hero ss level is 135. Embarrassing, isnt it, to think that Gerrard the Drunkard actually managed to keep most of his hero levels, and we two, the sane ones supposedly, traded more of our hero levels away. Harris said, he ced his cup on the table.


    Is this supposed to be some kind of ssified information? I asked. Levels doesnt seem like something one should state out publicly.


    On the contrary, as King, its in my interest to publicly state my levels. My levels help to encourage and convince the citizens of my ability to protect them, and the benefits that we have. Assassins are deterred by the fact that Im so high level that they dont even bother. But my children.... Well... they have reasons to keep their levels secret.


    Theyre going to fight each other?


    Harris sighed. I could use another pot of tea right now. Yes. Everyones jostling to be the next crown prince. Ive already told them that the will explicitly states that the country is to be broken up should it fall.


    Isnt it better for it to be together?


    Honestly... yes. Harris said. But already I can see that my children are preparing for conflict should I not survive this next demon king.


    Disgusting. Why do you not punish them?


    I cant. In the end, they are all my children, and what they are doing is building up their own group of supporters, and they have been clever enough not to actually start a fight. My spies tell me theyve been goading and baiting each other to start an incident.


    The younger ones will suffer.


    I know, the lines are somewhat drawn by my wives. Honestly Im not interested in his Kingly drama. This is the kind of thing that China or Hongkong Ancient CHina Period dramas are super fond of. Courtly dramas. Its going to be like the warring states era...


    Oh, so all the children of the same mother band together. Thats clever. How many wives do you have again?


    Harris frowned. Uh... 7? 7 splintered kingdoms.


    And how many kids?


    I think 29 now... 29 smaller districts split into 7 wives.


    Youre absolutely insane. I mused. You arent even being a good dad.


    Harris sighed. Look, Im not cut out for it, and my wives... theyre so sexy! And hot! When they speak and tease me I just cant help myself, and my wives refuse to take any contraceptives! They say its a sin to not receive my seeds, and the way they say it is so sexy and hot, at that moment I just cant think! Im human too, and I need their care, their gentle touch, their pleasant, warm embrace. Im alone in this world, and they are the closest thing I have to my old family, and they are my new family! I feel their love is genuine, even if Im aware they are subtly manipting me, and taking full advantage of my status as a hero.


    I just felt so sorry for Harris then. I used a vine and just poured another pot of tea for the poor guy being manipted by his harem. But, it is an equal exchange, no? All human?


    I took one elf, one they call Sandpeople, and yes, the rest humans. I prefer humans, I mean, but elves are sexy too.


    Hes just thinking with his dick, isnt it? But then, the demon king was defeated, he was at the age where his libido was bursting. Hes not even twenty, and no wonder he sumbed.


    Honestly, Im not even sure if thats all the women I spent time with. I only invited 7 into my harem as my consorts, but I may have had more than that. I mean, before i even started the Kingdom I already was kinda... uhm... fucking around.


    Hes absolutely thinking with his dick. Well, now that you might die, your mistakes are now starting to act up. I wonder what your kids think about you, that have many wives.


    Harrisughed. Thats a strange question from a tree of this world. Most people in this world are very epting of a harem and that question has never popped up. It is a medieval world where kings like to have many wives.


    OOPS. Did I just outed myself?


    But my kids, well, they ept it. Its just the norm here... Maybe because heroes that survived in the past... many end up having harems too. Even the women, who keep an army of pretty boys around them.


    Harris finished his second cup of tea.


    Anyway, lets get to work.


    We made armor and shields. One of the ideas they had, if the crystal matrices were insufficient, was to make actual shields that are strong enough to take a few hits. Gerrard and Mirei both are a little weak on defense, so Harris, being the guardian, with an army of summoned shield units, wanted to make real versions, using my enchanted anti-demon wood as the base.


    A mix of both heroic enchantments, star mana, and a dense, naturally anti-demon wood.


    Over a course of 2 weeks, we made 5 sets of enchanted wooden armor for each of the 3 heroes, and 10 shields for each of them. They would store them in their pocketspace forter use. As payment, we also made 5 sets for myself, which I may someday award to any of my promising minions. Well, actually 1 set is already meant for Jura.


    I call these 5 sets, the Woodshield Set.


    Ive learned a lot from making these items with Harris.


    The heroes essentially get a special system bypass, since they get to use their mana to shape a certain item, just by thought, without needing much effort.


    They also have a special skill that all heroes get, called the [Heros Forge], which is used to make the special hero-ss weapons.


    Its kind of like some games where the heroes have the option to unlock upgrades and buy new equipment without actually having to go to a cksmith or physical shop. The system handled those nitty gritty stuff on their behalf.


    The rest of us plebeians just have to do it the old fashioned way. But, observing how one of them used it constantly made me learn more about how the system did it, and I developed a better understanding behind the process of making their heroic weapons, and as a result, I got my skills upgraded.


    [Skill : Woodshaping significantly upgraded.]


    [Skill : Subsidiary Tree option expanded. Woodshaping Workshop unlocked!]


    Im not sure why Harris is quite amicable with me. Why couldnt I have such a rtionship with Me and Alexis? Where did I go wrong? Or was it them that did it wrong?


    They must be alive, right? I didnt get a notification. What have they been doing the past twenty years?


    -


    I shifted my focus back on the hybrids, and the growing Freshkans and Fresnds. To me, their segments 1 to 10, but each of them refer to themselves differently, and they have names that I felt toozy to even remember.


    Kavio too, came rather frequently to provide briefings. Hes gradually getting used to the role, and to ease his mental state, I made a [tree of prayers] at the meeting ce, and told him to present it as if he is talking to the smaller, much, much more peaceful looking tree of prayer instead. Its a mental crutch, because apparently his [fear] charms broke every other week.


    The regr updates are mainly for news, diplomatic activities, things that I cant see using my trees.


    Jasmine, Ivys recement has been hard at work securing the border together with Trevor and Dimitree, and I made three more artificial souls to help oversee my massive territory. I named them Acacia, Brootus, Cyprus, and their task is well, to monitor the new refugees, and ensure that the Protected Forests remain protected.


    How about some more beetles? Horns asked. We represent massive untapped potential, master! Imagine it, an army of massive hero-level beetles.


    And I agreed. Its been too long since I made more subordinates, and now is the time for massive expansion.


    Exponential growth!


    Alright, I actually struggle with that concept.


    So I made two more artificial souls to apany Horns. I named them Bugsy, and Thorex, and sent them out to gain levels. They need to fight monsters, demons, to hit their level caps, but Horns was just super eager to show off to his two new juniors.


    I think Horns is going to be quite useless in actualbat against the demon king, since, well... theyre too powerful.


    I need to think about activating my Titan Walker, preferably with a heros soul. Maybe its a good thing that Harris is close to me. If he somehow dies of old age Ill get the soul. Oh and Lilies. I better check in with them.


    > Hold on to it. We do not need it. <


    > Gods champions destroyed, a decade of ughter. Still, the world recovers, and life finds a way. <


    It didnt answer me.


    Seeing that I wasnt going anywhere with it, I went back to my own affairs. My attention is back on myrge territory, and the hybrid trees.


    Within each protected forest there are patches of demonic hybrid trees. Im beginning to understand them, at least, their inner structure.


    In a way, imagine a natural tree that has to deal with an overabundance of oil, and part of its chemical reaction is to manage the oil surplus in the environment. Naturally, they may try to break down the oil, or burn the oil, or store the oil somewhere. The demonic tree reacts to the natural mana, air and water, and so it spends these natural mana the way it knows, which is to blow it up.


    In a greenhouse environment tailored to them, theyre probably just as harmless as a normal tree.


    Something tries to make trees that are adapted to the environment. I suspect, maybe its the spawning system.


    Perhaps theres a spawning god, whos main job is just to popte the world. Quite like ying a strategy game with randomly generated maps and enemies. In its logic it tries to create something that suits the environment.


    Now it would be quiteme if this entire thing is just a game, no?


    [Skill : Hybrid Botany upgraded]


    [Control over hybrid trees improved]

 Floating Log

    Floating Log


    <b>Year 116</b>


    The demon king arrived. The heroes were ready. A battle was fought in the southern continent, far away. It was the battle of legends. The heroes fought valiantly, and after days of constant fighting, they won a hard fought battle.


    The battlefield was ripped, the ground itself twisted by the magics.


    [Demon King Nergal was in]


    Or so the news goes.


    But on the very day the demon king died, the heroes teleported to me.


    Aeon. Gerrard was frantic, he ran. All of us have been cursed by the demon kings disease.


    Gerrard looked extremely pale, and though he ran, I could see his spirit flickering, not a good sign by any measure. Mirei was awake, too, but she was flickering as well. Harris lost an arm and a leg, and he had a massive gash across his body, the armor that protected him half-charred and burnt. Mirei too, lost both her legs, and two massive lightning elementals carried their master. In Harriss case, one of his summons supported him like a crutch.


    Gerrard was the only one with his limbs intact, but he looked like big chunks of his skin was covered in... pus. They all used their heroic magic to hold themselves together.


    A damned gue demon. Gerrard said. And we dont have a healer!


    And...


    Youre a great healer. Harris said, coughing.


    I paused, and inwardly I took a deep breath. Fine. But my medical services will cost you. At that very moment, memories of exorbitant medical insurance bills shed before my very eyes, but then, I am the hospital. I could probably earn a lot of valuable supplies from this endeavour.


    That was how I had 3 heroes in healing pods in my body. All of them suffered, and somehow, even though they lost their limbs on that very same day, the demons gue-touch meant it couldnt be regenerated.


    In normal cases where the cut urred just recently, the soul hasnt forgotten its limbs, so its possible to regenerate a limb. But this demon king somehow inserted something into the soul that stopped that. I had to quickly intervene so that the limbs of their souls dont disintegrate. I also had to quickly use all the healing I have to gradually extract the demonic energy out.


    But this was a gue-focused demon king, and its power here is not to be trifled with. Its almost like the demon king, who received the bombardment of hexbombs, learned to use the disease-like power of hex.


    Adaptive demons.


    Thats such a scary, scary thought.


    The three heroes rested in their pods for days, as I tried to lessen the effect of the wounds. Gerrard,paratively, had it easier than the rest. It was significantly easier to just cut-off the sick part and then just regenerate it.


    Couldnt you cut off for us too? Harris and Mirei both asked.


    In both your cases, the Demon Kings damage is in the soul. Cutting it wont fix it. The corruption must be purged from the soul, then only the limbs will regenerate.


    Shit.


    Gerrard, relieved to be the first to be discharged after a week in the pod, didnt leave yet. He stayed in the [secret hideout], and watched his two fellow earthlings.


    We wouldve died if not for Harriss beacon. There was no way we could get anywhere with a good-enough healer in time.


    Tough fight, eh? I entertained him. Harris and Mirei, since the damage is a soul-level damage, had to go to sleep. I reckon they need something like my [Domain : Roots of Life] to actually fight back the demon kings corruption. I had to use my soul forge to prevent decay of the souls blueprint for their limbs.


    Yeah. It wasnt very physically tough to kill but its use of gases, poisons and those gooey stuff meant we were all constantly taking damage. All our armors were destroyed. Gerrard showed off his specially made anti-demon weapon, its half-rotten, as if somebody poured a fuckton of acid on it.


    At least it didnt detonate.


    Gerrard nodded. That, too. I for one am relieved this demon king didnt have a death bomb-ability, just a death-gue ability.


    gue.


    Yeah. This game is rigged. Gerrard took a deep breath. Will they die?


    As it is, no. They wont die. But they wont heal, either. I can keep them on suspended animation, or probably prevent further deterioration, but unless I find a way to overpower the demon kings corruption, it wont actually heal.


    I wondered how those demonic cultists removed the [demon kings mes] from my trunk so many years back. But then, thats just a physical everburning fire, not a soul-level damage.


    He breathed a sigh of relief. Thats... thats great. At least they live. When will they wake up?


    Ive put them to sleep for the next few days. Ill inject them with food via my vines. You can get a drink if youd like.


    He opened a magical holding bag, withdrew a really old-looking wine, and some cups. Yeah. He sat there quietly and drank the wine for some time, and once he was done, he left for Freshka, and found amodation in Freshkas many inns.


    Harris still needed constant medical care, as the demonic corruption and sickness was still in his soul. But physically, other than the lost limbs, he was fine. He still had only one leg and one hand, and I had Jurae in, and teach both Mirei and Harris how to use their familiars to create a wooden leg.


    I lost my hand until Aeon healed it for me, but still, its a useful ability to have. You need to first let your familiars take up the armor form, and...


    Got it. They both said, and were able to replicate it. To them, magic was easy, and the system aided them, and so they quickly understood what Jura wanted to do.


    Wow. Jura was impressed. It took him some time to learn how to do it. Heroes really are a different breed.


    But, even with the tree familiars acting like artificial legs and hands, the two couldnt leave very far. In Mireis case, the demon kings attack, one of it prated near her chest, so theres a swirling demonic corruption very close to the center of her soul, and it took a lot of my energy to just suppress it.


    This was quite different from what I expected. The Demon Kings very own attacks possessed high-tier soul-damaging abilities meant it could potentially hurt me directly, even if I had extremely high anti-demon defenses, though, like the demonic curse, it may be possible to suppress with [Roots of Life].


    Harris, feeling a bit better, though his limbs still burn in pain, sent a message to his subordinates and minions back home. I wondered if they are happy, or sad that their King lived. Perhaps, the kingdom will hold itself together for a bit more. Or, it may just mean the conflict that happens when all the kids are older will be more deadly and ferocious.


    We both cant leave this ce. Harris said, he sat in the lounge area in the [secret hideout]. Even with my healing, Im only able to suppress it so that they can still afford some degree of freedom, but left unattended, it would re up within a week.


    We could teleport there and back... Mirei said.


    I cant run my kingdom like this. Harrisined, and he had a lot of concerns. I would have to delegate my role.


    Mirei justughed at her friend. Good! Finally you have to bite the bullet and cut the damned cake. Hand over power, and ensure that they dont fight each other before you die is the best thing you can do as a father, Harris. This medical issue is the best thing that have ever happened to your kingdom.


    ... Harris seemed reluctant to face the problem. It reminded me of myself, and damn, that hurt. I too hesitate far too much when faced with problems. Aeon, any chance you can uh... remotely heal me from my capital?


    Uh... no. Truth was, there really wasnt. The kind of mana and energy needed to suppress the demon kings curse on their bodies was something I have only here, and it needed the presence of my main bodys energies.


    Mirei was cheerful, even though her condition was the worst of the three, because of the curse close to her soul spring. She took some time to enjoy herself in Freshka, and went for long walks. As a hero, her powers meant she could still move around very quickly.


    Wont you miss your prettyboys? Harrisughed.


    Mirei just shrugged. That was my hobby a few decades ago, I moved on now. How often do we talk about it anyway? To be fair, even though shes now in her mid 40s, she still looked really fit and youthful, due to the influence of heroic magic. Heroes, I reckon, if they survive, would probably like till 200s, just like the humans that practice magic.


    Then what do you spend time on?


    Like what most typicaldies do, good food, tea time, good cakes and cookies, and fashion! Mireiughed. All I have to do now is move my entire operation here.


    Oh.


    You cant move a kingdom! Mirei ribbed him. So, let it go, Harris. Its better to let your many children have their thrones now, at least you can watch and advise them. After days of discussion, eventually Harris sumbed to Mireis idea.


    Anyway, now that I am their healer, and essentially their lives on my hands, Ive started to demand for more things aspensation for my healing services. Like gems. A lot of them.


    So, this finally allowed me to repair my [Grand Mind Tree].


    With that, I felt a return of more statistics and numbers to my mind, and it checked my thoughts for the presence of external influences.


    So, my Rottends expansion continued, and we imed more areas. So, after a good amount of area was reimed, I opened up segments 11 to 15 for new refugees and migrants. There were some areas Ive set aside as hybrid-tree parks, where these are the hybrid nts that Ive gained control over.


    I reckon some of these new refugees will be surprised by it, but I decided to let it be.


    You guys seriously didnt find anything that was the source of the corruption? I asked Harris about the crystal that they destroyed a few years back.


    Harris probably was quite surprised that only now I spoke about it, since, well, we had that discussion many years ago. Uh... no. We were honestly just looking for our fellow heroes. After we destroyed the crystals and got the notification, we just... stopped?


    Is there a source of all these corruption? I wondered to myself. It may be possible, if my understanding of the hybrid botany improves, to trace its energy source through the roots of these hybrid demon nts. It muste from somewhere.


    But its something I fear to do.


    If it is the abyss Im looking into, it may well look into me as well. Would I end up like Zeratul, identally revealing the location of the homeworld to the demons? I immediately set the Grand Mind Tree to act as an antivirus and firewall, to block out any attempted intrusions into my mind. Alexis had already revealed plenty to the demons, when she was trapped in the fire-demon mode, or so did Simone and Victor.


    -


    Im home! Lausanne returned after... years of travelling. She gave Laufen a hug. It was pretty much the first thing she did.


    Youve been away for very long. Laufen looked at her growing daughter. How was it?


    They had lunch together. Oh. Ive been to all the continents! I fought lots of monsters and creatures.


    Thats good. Did you find anything, or... anyone?


    Lausanne nodded shyly. Yes. Erm... thats part of why I came back, mom.


    Oh?


    I... uh... joined an adventurer team when I was in the continents. And erm... I travelled with them for a few years.


    And? Laufen had the look of an expecting mom, like,e on, drop the bomb already.


    Im thinking of getting married to him. My captain.


    Ah. Laufen nodded knowingly. So, is he here? Did hee?


    ...yes. Hes like... in the inn. I wanted to just uh... tell you about him first, before you meet him.


    Dont be silly. I was expecting this to happen! No young elven girl goes travelling around the world for almost 7 to 8 years and does not find someone to fall in love with. Laufen smiled and gave her daughter a knowing look. So uh. Youre here to invite me to the wedding, I suppose?


    ...yeah. Lausanne said shyly.


    In my mind, well, that escted quickly. Shes just a kid. Then a teen. And now shes getting married. I... if I was human Id probably need to take some time off and ept this. Like... wow. Time sure moves quickly, and its even more pronounced when I see all these other people moving on with their lives.


    I feel... lonely. At that moment, I could feel a sense of warmth and belonging from all my fellow trees, like they were trying tofort me.


    <i>[Grand MInd Tree has intercepted attempted Influence from trees. The following message was deleted: We are one, we trees are all one.]</i>


    Yeah. A trees forever alone. All these other trees in the forest, but I am still just me.

 Treeditions

    Treeditions


    <b>Year 117</b>


    This way. Jura led them into the tunnels. Fifteen of them, young teenagers whove trained for a year or two. In another world, theyd be school-going teenagers, but here, they are warriors, rangers, mages, druids or knights, ready to face monsters to the death.


    This way? One of the young mage asked. He held up his staff, and the crystal glowed in the darkness of the tunnel. It was one of the many [root tunnels] that lead to the Valley of the Unrotten. Theyve never been here, after all, ess to this area is restricted to the heroes, Jura, Laufen, Kavio, and a few others of the new priesthood, who escorted the dead bodies to their burial grounds in the valley.


    Yes. Jura pointed. They walked past a bunch of beetle guards. They stood, a little surprised to see the unmoving beetles. Your promotion awaits. Come.


    The fifteen nodded. They knew this was it. The moment many have been waiting for. They soon saw the faint light at the end of the tunnel, and they soon stood at the entrance of the Valley of the Unrotten.


    The valley now is home to very few people, so Giant Attendant Trees, many of them on fire scattered throughout the valley, were the main source of light. Theres still one small airwell at the top, above my main tree.


    The valley glowed with the orange fire, the trees here survived mainly on the nutrition and energy I feed them. Herbs and flowers are everywhere, and then theres the small stream of ck-fires, the suppressed energies of the demonic corruption. The excess corrupting energy gathered here, to be processed by my main body and the trees.


    Their path was made of wood, hardened from the roots that covered everywhere, and nked by wooden statues. I made them, as practice. My surplus wooden weapons, and therge anti-demon bolts were also used as fencing, since I had little ce to store them.


    They soon passed a field of olives, fruits, and a mix of other crops I have cultivated in small quantities. Remnants of the earlier era when the survivors still lived in the valley. Old buildings, that looked like theyve seen some years. And ghosts. Soul harvesters and nightmare harvesters. Here in the valley, where they are closest to me, they are easily visible to anyone with the slightest affinity to magic. They resembled giant shrouds, and they floated everywhere.


    Some of them felt fear.


    [Haunted Forest].


    Jura tapped them on their back. Dont embarrass yourself. Aeons watching. A test for the young Valthorns, to receive their familiars. In many ways, this was actually a ritual, more than an actual test. The walk to the Valley of the Unrotten, and to see the origins of their institution.


    A beetle would asionally run across their backs, and they would turn, startled. The rangers especially, with their bow and arrows.


    Eventually, they arrived at where Kavio gave his briefing. A small round area nked by tall trees, with a small Tree of Prayer in the middle. Theres also a pedestal, where they can stand to see my main tree.


    Well, were here. Stand on the pedestal, and receive your familiar.


    A ritual. Its a silly thing, I could just as easily give them their familiar when theyre sleeping in their rooms back in Freshka. But given easily, they would not know the weight and value of what is given, and they are young, impressionable teens. A part of me felt it was important that the weight of the responsibility is made clear.


    So a ritual it is.


    A walk to the Valley of the Unrotten. To see where the survivors lived, and meet the protector of the valley.


    How could one receive the familiar without ever knowing what gives you your familiar?


    The fifteen teens break down in different ways when they receive their familiar contracts. Theyve never been here.


    One cup appeared for all fifteen of them, and each of the tall trees that nked the tree of prayers revealed a pod.


    Time to drink. Jura instructed. Finish it and enter into the pods.


    [Tree sap], [Mystical Dreams], [Dream Tutor]


    A dream is just a dream, or it can be more. For these fifteen young teens whove epted their familiar contract, Ive given them a dream of what the familiars can do, like a tutorial. At the same time, its also... a message. Familiars have served many masters over the century. Many have died with their familiars, and I felt it was important to drill in the fact that familiars, though useful, it ultimately is up to them to make the full use of it.


    Again. With power,es responsibility. But also, with responsibility,es power.


    After about 3 hours in the pod, they all emerged a little dazed, and Jura led them back to Freshka.


    I wondered about my methods. Its probably a little too... big brother. What I did with dreams, maybe in another world, it would reek of a government reeducation camp.


    Back in Freshka, Howd they take it? Yvon asked Jura after the kids were back.


    Theyre quiet. I think theyll be okay. Jura nodded. Its been a long day, he had arge cold tea mixed with a bit of lemon and ginger for refreshments.


    I wished I could be there. Yvon sighed. My form restricts me no further than 10 feet out of that door. Again, heroes are unique like that. Erizs ability to split her body into multiple nursery trees is special to her ss, and Yvon too, can split her body into each of the training trees she is in. Right now, she could have 3 training trees.


    Just talk to them when you see them. I think they all need a bit of sleep after what theyve seen.


    Yvon frowned with her wooden form. Shes been their trainer for some time now, and shes about level 40 as a [Training Tree]. Naturally, she cared for her students. I hope Aeon didnt give them the dreams of brutal warfare.


    Of all the kinds of dreams I can give a person, the dreams of the brutality of war were apparently the scariest. Its the dream where they were ced in a massive battlefield and everyone around them were killed and mutted in different ways, and all they could do was run, flee, feel pain and scream.


    I think he didnt. They didnt look that horrified.


    I see. Yvon said but she was not convinced.


    -


    The New Valthorns recruited from all over the Fresnds, from all of the small viges and towns, to the few growing cities. Politics was messy, and Freshkan was like the federal government squabbling with the cities and towns, whom functioned like municipal and state governments.


    Kavio, the elected chief, had the difficult task of managing the loose federation, and he had to frequently rely on the strength of the beetles to make his point.


    Fighting, eventually broke out between two cities. To the refugees, I am but a distant, faraway image. In the minds of the cities quasi-independent rulers, they did not believe I would impose my authority, until I did.


    100,000 beetles descended on the two cities, along with the Valtrians men. The size and massive show of force meant the two cities surrendered quickly, and those responsible quickly captured. Both leaders and those we found to be involved were publicly judged in ordance with the founding constitution of Freshka.


    Defiance against their delegated authority was death. A root-spear through the heart. Gruesome, but a statement.


    It was a statement I had to make. I had already foreseen my power to be challenged every few years, as the people do not believe what they do not see. This was my experience from New Freeka.


    Thew is meaningless until enforced. In the medieval times, order was established through force and fear. So, for a time, Kavio found his job as the chief mediator of the various segments easier. A job Jura did not want to do, because he saw how different the scale of things were. Its a difficult task for one person, and so it had to change.


    It is ironic, I suppose. When I remember Freeka itself suffering because their King then demanded a draft, and was punished for notplying. And now, I do what the Kings men did. I can only hope that I meted out these punishments justly, instead of randomly like the soldiers of Sh.


    Soon, the Freshkan Council had to be expanded into something resembling a parliamentary or congressional system. Each city and district would send a representative, and those representatives together would elect a segment leader, for a total of 15 segment leaders. One for each segment.


    All of the segment leaders were given an audience with me.


    Again, a ritual.


    Just as how monarchs of my world had coronation ceremonies, or how religious orders hadplex conves, I saw it fit to drill the weight of my authority, and that these men are delegates.


    That the constitution of thisnd has its weight and power derived from me, and it was important to drill in that it is a delegation of power.


    Perhaps I am a bit too power crazy. I wondered that for a moment. But this is a world of power and conflict. A world where higher leveled will not hesitate to have their way, and sometimes I think, maybe all this power is too much for one person. Then I recall their stupid conflicts, and all my concerns faded away. Not everything from our world can be transnted over.


    The fifteen were brought to the Valley of the Unrotten, and unlike the young Valthorns, I gave them a different... drink. I gave them visions of the past.


    The lives Ive taken. The foes Ive in. The destruction of the valleys in the hand of the demons. The burning of Freeka. The corruption of the demons. The haunting screams of the dead. Wars.


    The fifteen came out, they held their feelings in. Kavio escorted them back to Freshka, where afortable inn awaited. But a message is made, and these representatives now understand their ce.


    -


    "You will outlive him, Lausanne." Laufen held her daughters'' hand one day, they sat in a cafe in Freshka.


    "I know. It is something I thought of, and you need not counsel me otherwise."


    "I didn''t mean to. Not when your wedding is tomorrow. I outlived your dad too, even though we were both elves." Laufen said, she sipped on a cup of coffee, a newly imported delicacy. "Our long lives means little, when the world is so cruel to us, few survive till their hundreds, like Grandma Casshern."


    "I never met her."


    "You have, but you were just a baby." Laufen smiled, and she tapped her daughter''s smooth palm. A human might think these two were good friends, or perhaps sisters, since elven aging slowed down dramatically once one reached adulthood. Maybe, except an elf would notice the faint lines around the eyes, or the faint, aging colors of her hair. Are you ready for tomorrow?


    Yeah. I already went through one. I dont think our Aeonic wedding is going to be more challenging than the Hawa-styled ceremony. For Lausanne, she held two ceremonies, one, a Hawa-styled one in ordance with the Eastern Gaya Temples traditions, on the eastern continent. Its meant for her husbands extended family, and the need to travel from one continent to another meant it took a whole year to get both of her events sorted out.


    Good.


    The next day, a ceremony was held at the Freshkas Valtrian prayer courtyard. Its an entirely new city, so we had space. I, together with some of the surviving priests, had designed thisrge park-in-the-temple style courtyard, where theres multiple [tree of prayers] so different ceremonies can be held simultaneously.


    Its also where I designated one of my many [tree eyes], so here, the trees take on different colors every season. I remembered the verdant flower patches of home, the colors of fall, and spring, and winter, and had it recreated with the local nts. So, its a lovely ce, a wedding in a garden, but still in a temple. An earthling may vaguely tell the influences of Asian gardens and temples, and even the vast courtyards of many historical sites in the West.


    Lausanne and her husband stood before a [tree of prayer], with light pink leaves. Its a garden of many colors, the couple wear a ceremonial dress and shirt. A ritual, for a wedding.


    In a world of systems, rituals are also a means ofmunicating with the system. Weddings, burials, all act to inform the system of change in status. For married couples, it is not unusual for them to receive a temporary blessing immediately after the wedding.


    There was a small pedestal, and on it were two small pieces of wood. Its smooth, except for one part where it has a thorn, and they both prick their fingers on it, a drop of blood on both pieces of wood. The wood absorbed the blood, made into a ne with a bit of magic and the two would exchange nes. A wooden ne of the twos blood.


    Its a rtively new process, adapted from the practices of nearby nations. After all, ancient traditions are oft forgotten, and so new ones must take their ce.


    Jura said quietly. A generation to the next.


    Doesnt that only happen when Lausanne actually has a baby? Laufen grinned. Shes clearly happy to see her daughter find a husband.


    Well, are you pressuring them? Jura smiled.


    Maybe not in the next few years.


    Thats a yes. Well, in elven terms a few years is very short. So eager to see a grandchild? Laufen grinned.


    -


    There was another event that happened during the year, and one with greater geopolitical impact on the continent. The great dissolution of Harriss Empire into the 7 queenly states of his 7 wives.


    Harris had set up a teleportation beacon, all of his wives and children came to Freshka. He used the tremendous funds he had at his disposal, to construct a vast verandah on the outskirts of Freshka, and where a treaty would be signed.


    The treaty of Freshka. If it was up to me, Id totally call it Tree-aty of Freshka, but oh well. Maybe a future treaty will enjoy that tree-atment.


    Harris dered the Royal Capital his personal imperial holdings, and essentially, delegated the management of his empire into 7 parts, each under one of his wives, turning them into Queens, and then, his now 30 children, each Princes or Princesses of their own regions. Armies, budgets, artifacts and magical items, all divided into 7 parts and any undividable parts are to be held by him personally.


    Of course, this wont be ideal. But Mirei was right, it is better that the separation lines be drawn now, thanter. At least he lived to mediate any conflict. The signing was held. Everyone was present, even neighbouring royalty. 7 new Queens, and a period of armistice. A big party was held, and the Emperor himself, Harris, gave a long speech exining that he had hoped for a peaceful transition of power to the 7 wives and their children.


    Jasmine, my spy-in-chief, quickly made me listen in to some of the politicians, and some of the royals.


    Its insanity, no? Has the Emperor gone mad, to break up his own empire this way? The other nations will sure take the chance to bite!


    Its a heros naivety, perhaps. Another delegate exined. Heroes have made very strange choices in the past, it seemed Emperor Harris is no different.


    Ah. Still, this is a wonderful opportunity for us. Which Queen do you think will be easier to convince?


    I reckon we should speak to each of the young princes and princesses, eager to show off their chops. We could give them some winning chips, but trap them into our influence. Trade and wealth is the way forward, with the Emperors summons still around to maintain peace.


    Though Harris is unable to depart for long, his army of summons still roam his empire. No nation is foolish enough to fight the summoned armies of the hero, their strength inbat is legendary.


    A long term investment, at least... until the next demon king.


    A tough decision, honestly. The delegate said. This dissolved seven queendoms will surely fight the moment the Emperor falls in battle with the next demon king, but then, if he cannot leave this ce, surely the demon king wille here.


    A look of horror on the other delegate. Oh. That would be bad. We may not be able to retain our investment if the next demon king targets this continent.


    Perhaps that is a question we should ask the Emperor, what are his ns for the next demon King.


    And so, as Harris socialised with the rest of his children and wives, one of them asked.


    Your majesty, whats your n for the next demon king. With your condition, would you lead the fight with the next demon king?


    Harris smiled. Well, though our condition generally requires us to remain close to Aeons healing powers, I foresee its not a problem for the three of us to fight the next demon king. A set of teleportation beacons, and wed be fighting the demon king, and then back. We are also working on an alternative, should that daye, but it is not something I can reveal.


    If there was a metaphorical moment when everyone was taking notes, that was it. I could sense a flood of magical messages outward, and Im damned sure Harris and Mirei could too. They are heroes, and they have innate magical sense.


    But he just smiled, and let it happen. Eventually, the ceremony ended, an empire officially broken up. Harris let everyone choose whether they wanted to enjoy theforts of Freshka, or they wanted to go back. All of them went back, and surely, Harris himself predicted a torrent of nning and politicking.


    That night, he met Mirei for a drink.


    You left early.


    I didnt want to steal your thunder. Its your event, Harris. No need for two heroes in the same event.


    Heh. I still tire of such politics, even when I have levels for it.


    Yousted the whole day, Id say your levels did their job. Mirei smiled. How does it feel, a weight off your shoulders?


    A bit. At the same time, I fear I may haveid the foundations for a civil war.


    You could use this time to make more magical enchantments, such that if war ever breaks out, the magical enchantments will stop it. You know there are magics that do that.


    Its inevitable.


    Indeed.


    Ever regret sticking your thing into so many ces?


    Sometimes. Harris sighed, and he got drunk on herbal liqueur that night.


    All the time, you mean. Mireiughed.


    -


    Spaizzer Shilling time - My patreon''s are ahead by 3 chapters :P

 Spring leaves

    Spring leaves


    <b>Year 118</b>


    Mireis condition deteriorated, despite my best efforts to heal her. A part of me feels conflicted about it. If she dies, I get a titan soul. If she doesnt, well, one more hero to fight the demon king.


    Im going to die, isnt it? She asked.


    Why is she deteriorating? Harris asked. It didnt make sense to him, and it didnt make sense to me either, but somehow, she just deteriorated like a sudden rpse. I spent months looking into her body, and I kept trying to suppress the demon kings curse, but its... weird. Its able to break through whatever my means of suppression and create new curses.


    If she deteriorates, you might too. I told Harris. Im trying, but I dont know why it behaves this way.


    It hurts... Mirei said, while she sobbed. The pain she felt was intense, and it was throughout her body. She described it like she was being roasted alive.


    Some days, Mirei was absolutely delirious and she just kept screaming, shouting, and struggling, as the pain possessed her.


    Cant you sedate her or something? Harris said, upset at his screaming, semi-conscious friend.


    Uh, really? Do I have permission?


    Mirei herself shouted. Yes. Do it! Just knock me out!


    Shes a hero. Status effect resistance is the norm for heroes above Level 100. My attempted sleep drug wasnt strong enough to have any effect. Not working, I need to ovee your natural hero resistance.


    How?


    She screamed. She yelled.


    I tried more things. Injected sleeping pills. Didnt work.


    I dont get it. Gerrard, who was also around. Why doesnt it work?


    Maybe she must want to sleep herself. Harris said. I mean... her body must let Aeons drug do its thing.


    Oh, you mean like my alcoholism. Gerrard said. Mirei, try to uh... disable or suppress your hero status. You can do that by thinking about your hero ss and then think about turning it off.


    Harris red at Gerrard. You can do that?


    Uh, I dont rmend it to everyone. Gerrard shrugged. Mireis screaming was blocked by the panel.


    Is that a good idea? I asked. Its entirely possible her hero ss is whats helping to dy and suppress the demonic curse.


    The two heroes nodded. True. Didnt consider that.


    Mirei continued to scream for days, my attempts at suppressing her pain or putting her to sleep not working. But, she really needed sleep, and yet her bodys pain doesnt let her.


    This is just cruel. Harris said. I never imagined our heros resistance to status ailments would sabotage us in this way. Its really this cliff-effect, where the heros resistance of status ailments does not prevent a demon kings curse, and yet it prevents all attempts of suppressing the symptoms of the curse.


    Its partly your level. I remember being able to put Me to sleep, but then, she was a lot lower level at that time.


    What?


    The effects of the heros natural resistance to afflictions is corrted to the level. The higher your level, the stronger your natural resistance.


    She cant give away her levels, we need her for the demon king! Harrisined. Gerrard just stared at his fellow hero.


    Is her life more important, or the demon king is more important? Gerrard asked.


    No. Thats not what I meant.


    It sounded quite like what I think you meant.


    Nows not the time to argue. Let me see what I can do to put her out of her misery. Get me the strongest painkillers and sleeping potions and items in the world. My own sleeping and pain-suppression abilities are not strong enough, but together with the worlds best items, maybe I can still do something.


    The two heroes did so. Mainly Gerrard, since hes free to travel. Harriss condition had to be monitored, his condition may suddenly deteriorate too. They acted quickly, and within days I had all kinds of strange medicines and ointments from all over the world. Such is the power of heroes to mobilise their immense financial resources.


    And we attempted to use each and every of those ointments. Apparently, the sleep status, unless internally done, is viewed as a status ailment. Surely, theres a way to trigger sleep, even if her body is in pain?


    The body naturally sleeps. Thats a fact, and the hero system doesnt intervene with that. Yet, all these inbound influences that attempt to put her to sleep does not work.


    So, logically, if I could somehow fake the system to think that I am natural, wouldnt that work? I am a tree with a nature domain. If I cant do it, who else can?


    Days of struggling. Weeks. There are days when the pain somehow bes more tolerable, when the demonic curse somehow subsides. Perhaps it is the alignment of the stars, but I could totally rte to Mirei''s pain. After all, I too went through something quite simr.


    If she could somehow gain levels to be Level 150, would heroes gain a domain too? Wouldn''t that mean they be even more overpowered if they get their heroic divine blessings, and a domain?


    I tried all my healing and sleep skills.


    From [suspended animation], to [mystical dreams], to even trying to use [hibernate] on her, but nothing worked.


    The heroes tried using their own heroic energy to help suppress the demonic curse, but somehow it just made it worse, so they had to stop. They cursed, and wondered how the demon king managed to create a curse of this strength and persistence.


    They left again, and went to look for other kinds of cure. Gerrard, it seemed, tried to go visit other healers and spirits.


    > No <


    Ah.


    How?


    I mean, is there a way for a doctor to reach to the soul and just... turn off the [hero] ss for a while? Like general anaesthesia or something?


    Lilies paused. They replied to me a weekter.


    > The system has the power. <


    Well no shit, the system gave us the power of levels, pretty damn sure it has the power to remove it too.


    > Such power is beyond mortals. <


    Well thank you for telling me nothing. Ill have to find some other way.


    -


    Mirei would have days where the pain subsided, and I would do extensive tests. Some days, the demonic curse just... shrinks by itself. Its behavior was erratic and annoying. I didnt understand why a curse didnt behave consistently.


    So I wondered whether its outside interference, like... Maybe something is remotely controlling the curse.


    Could I form a magical barrier?


    I have shield abilities, but do they work with demonic curse... uh... erm... entanglement? I mean, I guess if the heroes magical transmission towers are somehow intertwined with each other without any obvious connection, that does suggest that a curse that is intertwined magically to something else is possible!


    So I tried just that. Layers onyers of magical barriers.


    It did nothing.


    Maybe the type of barriers wasnt right.


    She yelled and screamed every now and then. It reminded me of a mental ward, where some people just couldnt control their own mental state and frequently descend into shouting fits. Is this one of those?


    Frustrated, I took Mirei to the soul forge within my body. I wanted to try to use my soul forge powers to temporarily suspend the effects of her hero ss. Maybe I could then put her to sleep.


    So, with the power of the soul forge, I examined her body again. At first, everything seemed the same.


    Her soul spring was there, there were two massive vases that poured sparking star mana into her spring. The spring is massive and itsrge, and there arerge chunks of it that resemble white marble. The curse was there too.


    Right next to the spring, a massive swirling ck pool of stuff. The swirling curse was fenced up, by little bushes, which I think is the result of my various healing abilities.


    What powered this curse?


    I used my soul forge, as I did before, to try and suppress the curse, but it did nothing. Its already fenced up.


    Was it something else?


    There was nothing else in here, in this inner body of hers. All... except the spring.


    So, I went back to my earlier idea. Could I turn off the hero ability temporarily? To do so, I attempted to reach for the spring, and nothing happened. With the power of the soul forge, I pushed at the spring itself. It creaked, but didnt do much.


    Then I pulled. In a way, the entire spring is made of blocks, kind of likerge legos stacked on one another to form a spring. Each of them represents a skill, or some, a ss.


    It was then I saw it briefly. A small ck thing. Something hidden in between the blocks. Then the blocks pulled themselves back together. Kind of like mas snapping back once you let go.


    Theres something in your soulspring. I told Mirei, Harris and Gerrard the bad news. I dont know when it got in there, but Im guessing its the cause of your pain.


    Uh... They didnt understand the concept of a soulspring, of course. It probably felt like a young child listening to a doctor going about medical jargons.


    So I had to exin in detail what I was doing, and described what I saw. They got it rather quickly. One of them described it like, oh, its like Naruto! That shikigami thing that pulled out the snake guys soul and chopped his arms off! So even if he had arms, he didnt have arms, right?


    Yes?


    Cool. So, now we know that in her soul, thats something thats living inside the central key part of her soul. That central part is tied to all our levels, our mana and stuff, right?


    Yes.


    What if.... We give you more power?


    Huh?


    You cant move it with your power. But you have two heroes here. Me and Harris. Were both heroes who have star mana, and star manas like crazy juice. Could it work? Gerrard asked.


    I thought about it for a moment, and I supposed it was worth trying. The star mana didnt do much in suppressing the curse, because well, it was already suppressed. That made sense in many ways now. We were targeting the wrong source.


    I dont know, but it is worth trying. Will need both of you in the pods. I wrapped their bodies with so many vines and branches. Simply because star mana is immensely powerful, and Im not sure regr vines by themselves can draw their mana.


    Then, I started the soul forge again, and telepathically gave them the signal to start the star-mana transfer.


    The overwhelming quantities of star mana. These heroes easily have a hundred times of my star mana, each. As it flooded through my body and into the soulforge, I had to quickly increase the quantity of vines, so much so it essentially wrapped them up entirely.


    Then, with their star mana and all my power, I pulled at Mireis soul spring again. It felt amazing, I felt like I was working with a small hammer before this, and now Im given a massive excavator. So much... power.


    I pulled, and indeed, the soul spring started toe apart. Piece by piece was dismantled, and then I saw it.


    Arge, entirely ck piece of rock. Rotten, and festering right in the soul spring itself. When did it get here, I have no idea.


    But with their power, I pulled it out.


    Mirei was in intense quantities of pain. Pulling apart ones soul spring is like ripping through their very core. I sensed all her readings and measurements shoot through the roof, and if she could scream, she wouldve screamed and fainted.


    I flooded her with all the sleep powers I have. [Mystical Dreams], ]Psychedelic Dreams], [Suspended Animation], [Tree Sap - Sleep]. Everything. I threw everything into her body, hoping it worked this time.


    And it did.


    The soul spring was broken, so the [hero] ss could not y its part.


    I then added more pain relief and pain suppression tree saps. She quickly calmed down, and entered into sleep.


    A ck piece of rock stood before me. It oozed a ckish liquid. What in the fuck is this thing? My [inspection] just went [????]


    I decided to just destroy it then. I hit it with all my borrowed might. A massive root. It cracked, and broke, and turned to small ck ash. Then it disappeared.


    Mireis soul spring was still broken. I had to start repairing it.


    My star manas running out. The two heroes telepathicallymunicated.


    I used too much to destroy that thing.


    Is Mirei alive?


    Yes, but let me do some basic repairs. I tried to put her soul spring back together. I could move the lesser pieces, those that did not look like white marble. But the [hero]pieces, I couldnt budge them at all, unless... I had their star mana.


    My manas out. Harris said.


    Ugh. Fine, lets stop here.


    The two heroes came out, absolutely exhausted. Ive never had so much star mana used up except when we fought the demon king!


    Its only expected, isnt it? Altering ones soul is such a difficult thing, especially a heros soul.


    Mirei was in the longest, deepest sleep in a long time. She was in a dream. I could sense it. A long, long dream. I think I detected that she cried at parts.


    The two heroes needed a few days to replenish their star mana before we could get back to repairing Mireis soulspring. I had, in the meantime, did all the other pieces, and with each piece her condition recovered. But throughout these few days, she just slept and dreamed.


    The heroes said that their star mana used to refill a lot faster. When they fought the first demon king, all they needed was a 4-hour nap and they were good to fight again. These days, a few days was the minimum. They im its the downgraded blessings.


    We got to work, and again, with their star mana, Ive finally managed to put everything back together. Without that one piece that rotted.


    Done, I jolt Mirei out of her dreams.


    When she woke up, she screamed briefly, then cried for an hour. Then she gave Harris and Gerrard both a hug.


    Mirei, are you alright?


    ...no.


    What, it didnt work?


    Whatever you all did, it worked. Im not in pain anymore. Mirei said. But Im not alright. Not anymore.


    What do you mean?


    I saw home.


    Home?


    Earth. Mirei said. I dreamed of earth, but it was so real, so vivid. I was back in school again. Friends. Our family. I could remember all their names and faces again.


    Gerrard and Harris looked at each other.


    Weve known for a while that the gods suppress our memories of home. But during that long sleep, all I dreamed of...was home.


    Aeon, what did you do?


    I put you into a dream state, but I have little input on what actually happens other than the type of dreams. I gave you a pleasant one.


    Mirei bowed briefly. Thank you, Aeon. I needed that reminder of home. Harris, Gerrard. I want to go home.


    The two men didnt know what to say.


    I had enough of ying here. Thirty years we lived here. Fought this stupid war of the gods. I want to go home now.


    What do they even say to that? How do they even go home? How do I even go home?


    Mirei...


    Im not going to kill myself, but if Im heavily injured in the next battle, dont save me. Mirei said. I had enough. I want to go home.


    Mirei.


    Harris, you had your fun. Dont you miss your parents? I saw them in my dreams. They were there. The gods told us if we died, well be back where we started. I had enough, Harris. Its time to wake up from this silly game.


    She looked at the two dumbstruck men.


    Im going to need some time.


    Yes. The two answered and quickly gave her space.


    Mirei was alone, and physically she was fine. She sat on a chair inside my [secret hideout], and spoke. Aeon, was that real?


    I gave you dreams. But I dont know exactly what is in it.


    Can you give me more of those dreams?


    I... dont know whether your hero power will interfere with it.


    She paused, and then she asked me a question I never expected. Can you take my hero powers away? If I give it to you willingly, is that something you can take away?


    The answer was yes, of course. Its entirely possible to give away ones levels and skills. It had happened before so many, many, many years ago. Yes.


    I see. She said. Harris probably wants me to fight with him the next time. But Im tired of this artificial life. I miss my parents. I miss home. I miss being... normal again. I hate this hero thing now.


    Things may not be well back home.


    It doesnt matter. Mirei sobbed. I didnt realise how sad it is to never dream of my parents, or my siblings all these years. That weve somehow epted and rolled with this new role of ours as heroes so freaking easily. Its just fucked up. So fucked up, and all I want to do is quit this game.


    Its not a game. Well, who knows?


    It might well be, with how theyve been toying with our feelings and emotions. Mirei said. The worst thing is I didnt even know until youve disabled my hero ss! I never even realised how weird it is for us to just roll with it and forget so many important things about our world!


    I didnt say much. I just gave her some tea, and now that shes not in pain, theres no reason to lock her up in here. Her curse still remained, though, and thats something even with the heroes star mana I still cant solve. Maybe, not yet.


    She rested for quite a long time, alone. Aeon. I have a favor to ask.


    Yes?


    When its time for me to die, can you take my levels away?


    I cant do that. Levels must be given away freely.


    I can give you my levels now? Or can I make it into a magical contract such that you take my levels the moment I die?


    Why not give it to Harris, or Gerrard?


    ...they dont realise it, Aeon. Maybe Gerrard knows, but he is drinking away his worries. Maybe he knows and doesnt want to admit it. Its a kind of suffering to continue this game, knowing that our old life, our real family are all waiting for me over there, on the other side. Giving them levels just prolongs their suffering


    Itll help them.


    Its a twisted kindness, that heroes die frequently. Imagine never being able to die, and stuck in this world. If you realise that your loved ones are still there...


    Hmm, at this point, well, if she wants to give it to me...


    Ill give it to you.


    But then again, I cant use it. If I remember correctly, levels surrendered are converted to [experience seeds]. It just goes into my growing pool of [experience seeds]. But, Sure.


    -


    That day, I gained a level. I think it was when I used the heros star mana to crush that ck [????] thing.


    [You gained a level. Level 156]


    [Skill : Natural Mana Overwhelming upgraded]


    [Skill : Soul Forge upgraded. Improved control and abilities over soul forge functions]


    Im really slow at gaining levels. Thest time I gained levels was 5 years ago!


    Thats slow, right?


    Spaizzer Thanks for reading. (Subtly points to Patreon having 3 chapters ahead).

 Tree of Runes and Rituals

    Tree of Runes and Rituals


    <b>Year 119</b>


    During the past few years, Ive been studying runes, and formations. Its been something on my mind since I saw those mages do it, and with the heroes financial resources, I have a lot to read and study.


    Of course, I cant read. So, the task is left to some poor Valtrian Order magic student, whos job is toe to the Valley of the Unrotten, and read the book out loud. Kind of like audible, but only a lot more boring because the subject matter is runic formations, magical theory and stuff like that.


    This of course served multiple functions. Its a means of education for these students. Reading out loud is a good way of learning andmitting to memory. Two, it helped me! Three, I get to have a sense of how these young children are. After all, their behavior is quite clear when they are asked to read a book alone in a strange and scary ce.


    I didnt get a skill, sadly.


    But thats fine. I developed an understanding of the magical formations, and I began experimenting on them. Mainly, in some corner of my growing domain that wasnt inhabited.


    I had a few things I wanted to do, one of which is to use formations as a source of mana on arge scale. Instead of using mana, create formations that do the reverse of generating mana, like some kind of mana gathering facility. There are smaller scale variants, but I was quite inspired by the former hero, Astras ability to apparently channel mana from various sources to create a super hex-bomb. No matter how he did it.


    Mirei has been particrly cooperative, and she was very amused with the children reading books in the often uninhabited valley.


    Tree Spirits sure have strange ways of doing things.


    She helped with the mana-gathering formations.


    I had the impression trees are able to do this quite naturally. As in, trees gather mana naturally, do they not?


    Yes.


    Mirei, after the earlier set of outburst, stabilised. I suspect its the effects of her hero ss, now restored. It suppressed those emotions.


    But its a slow process, and Im hoping to speed it up.


    Why?


    Why not? A massive defensive array requires mana. A lot of it. It took many, many iterations, but eventually we seeded in producing an array of runes and structures able to produce more mana than it uses. It had to be big, too, so it wasnt something you could hide.


    But that meant I could channel more of this mana to fight off the demonic energy, and expand even more.


    Gerrard returned in theter half of the year with a fragment. The third piece that was given away. I scanned it, and sadly, it was still an iplete image.


    <i>-demons. Dragons. Combat. A lot ofbat. Earth cracked, and so did the skies.</i>


    It is still iplete. There are pieces out there. But how do we find it?


    [Grand Mind-Tree has blocked attempted influence]


    Ah. Again.


    The Frozen Tree was very willing to share. Gerrard exined. It told me that he would like to meet you someday.


    Likewise. A frozen tree spirit. Thats extremely fascinating. This Frozen Tree lived in a frozenke in the far north, in an uninhabited ind thats almostpletely frozen over. Home to ice giants, monsters and all that, the Frozen Tree is the overlord of that ind, and has kept the ind free of demons for millennia.


    I wonder what other tree spirits think of this entire situation? Surely they dont just ept it like Lilies? Or they all do, because thats how trees are? Nature is what it is, and they just ept it.


    Is going against the rules of the world a thing that trees dont do?


    [Domain and Grand Mind-Tree has blocked attempted divine action].


    Uh. I take that as a yes. It seemed that trees really do not attempt to break the cycle, even if they are long lived and can see things with the benefit of history. Surely, this systematic, demonic destruction is not eptable, since its way more than just regr constructive destruction.


    And yet they do nothing.


    Why? I dont get it. Gods. Has to be the gods. Meddling, meddling gods.


    [Youve gained a level. You are now level 157]


    [Skill : Natural mana overwhelming upgraded]


    Uh. Why is the same skill getting upgraded over and over again?


    And I still dont get why I gain a level from it.


    -


    The constant expansion of my territory and also the influx of more refugees means the poption has increased significantly. Outside of my research, I spend more time, together with Jasmine, to watch over the multiple towns and cities that have popped up.


    Its a very big area, and for the most part, Kavio and the new Council of Representatives all deal with me directly.


    The focus is on the next demon king. Our preparations, readying ourselves for theing wars.


    The heroes also worked on making more anti-demon weapons. More armors and more sets. Weapons! Yay! Over the years Ive managed to equip a 200-strong group with a full set of anti-demon armor, and I hope to grow this force to 500-strong.


    Of this group, about 50 are now at least level 40. Once they hit level 60-70, they should be able to handle a demon walker without my assistance. They gained this level by hunting naturally spawning monsters, and made regr trips into the Rottends to fight the hybrid spawns.


    In a world where the Rottends is like arge dungeon, the level of the residents should be high. Else, its jarring. Even with protection like my army of beetles. But then, if their levels go up, that makes them more dangerous to me, isnt it? Im not too worried about high level merchants or craftsmen, but then... warriors, I have to get them on my side.


    Anyway, we regrly deployed soldiers and recruits into the Rottends to fight monsters. That way, the soldiers and recruits who work for me gain levels, and prepare for the real demonic attacks.


    Is this what rulers do? I mean, I didnt really actively do it, but it must be trying to do this whole y-each faction against each other schtick. Bncing levels so that all the factions never get too powerful and they continue to obey me? Too fucking time consuming.


    I mean, I was on this train of thought as news of civil war broke out in Harriss now fractured kingdom. I mean, the man is still alive and already they are fighting. Children, fighting each other.


    It must suck to be a father and watch your children fight. It suppose its like a typical family drama where a wealthy tycoon passed away and the kids squabble over the riches.


    In fact, it absolutely drove him into depression of some kind. Well, Im not sure whether its actually depression, but it made him feel, very very sad.


    So much so that Mirei was the oneforting him.


    What should I do? Harris was sad. Already, some of his sons and daughters came to talk to him, and asked him to stop it. But he gave away his rights to thosends, and some of his more ambitious children are taking the chance to do something.


    Stop him, father. A boy said to Harris. Hes attacking one of us.


    But truth was, everyone was provoking each other, and Harris had his ownwork of informants that seemed to suggest none of his children were entirely innocent. If he wanted toy down thew, he would have to do it to everyone.


    And yet he is but one person. Even those who served him, he is not surprised if they are already taking sides in the conflict.


    You can do two things. Mirei said to a sad Harris. Stop it, and enter into a loop of constantly interfering. And eventually when you do die, they will still continue the fight that theyve postponed. Or do nothing. They havend and territory now, and let them fight each other over it. Let them prove themselves by blood and war.


    Thats so cruel.


    Its always been this way. Territorial disputes are as old as nations themselves, and the right to rule is one protected by might and magic, not by name or heritage.


    Harris regretted breaking his country up then. He knew he would just be kicking the can down the road until the day they die and theyd fight it out anyway. But at least he wouldnt be alive to see it.


    So, as much as he knew it was a stupid thing to do, he started left frequently to stop the fighting with his summoned army. There was no way he could let it continue, even if it did lead to a constant vicious cycle.


    A cruel fate.


    Mirei said as much as she watched her friend feel like shit.


    You know, thats partly why I didnt want to have children. After I discovered what happened to so many, so many heroes and their families, I just feel really sad. I dont think I could ever watch my children drift apart and start doing that.


    Conflict is eternal. But perhaps, so is reconciliation.


    -


    I used more and more runes and formations to gather more mana, and added runic formations to the Valley of the Unrotten. Mana means territory, and Im pretty damned good with using mana to push back against the demons.


    More mana.


    More mana.


    More runes.


    More mana! Eventually, I made a formationrge enough to trigger a notification that I wasnt quite expecting.


    [Soul Forge : Yellow Unlocked]


    [Artificial Souls Level Cap increased to Level 60]


    [All artificial souls now have Yellow option unlocked]


    [ss/Skill/Experience Seed merging unlocked. Ability to merge souls and sses, and multiple ss seeds and experience seeds together]


    [ss/Skill/Experience Seed upgrade unlocked. Able to upgrade sses, skills and experience seeds to superior forms]


    OOOOO.


    Looks like Im one step further, and closer, to make myself an army of super elites.


    Yellow Soul Forge from just using a massive array and formation to gather mana. Who wouldve thought of that!


    That meant soul forges actually just require different types or origin of mana, not necessarily unique or special magical leylines. But... wait.


    If I get enough star mana, could I have Soul Forge : Star? I mean, theoretically possible, perhaps? What overpowered ability would I have?


    Or what about demonic mana? Could enough demonic mana power some kind of Soul Forge too?


    So, I began to explore both aspects of these mana, experimenting more on the hybrid demonic trees. I hoped to at least somehow unlock a better understanding of the demons mana, even if it didnt lead to a soul forge.


    At the same time, I started the whole ss seed upgrade and merging process. Essentially, ss seeds are upgraded when one adds essence, mana and materials. Combining them increases their strength and power, and fusing multiple ss seeds create special ones.


    Its a bit like crossbreeding, splicing and grafting different trees together to create something different at the end.


    I began rather conservatively, like fusing multiple [ranger] and [druid] ss seeds together, which formed the [Mountain Druid] ss. Or multiple druid sses were fused together and then obtained the [Great Druid] ss. The ratio is like 10 normal sses to form one single better ss. And I kept at it. I have a lot of ss seeds and essences umted over the years, and Ive finally found a ce to fuse them all!


    20 [Knight] sses made one single [Grand Knight] ss, and 10 [Warrior] and [Soldiers] made a [Warmaster].


    Its honestly extremely enjoyable, and I felt like a cook when I fused all the different sses together.


    Adding essences to it also did some strange things. Iron and mineral essences fused to a [Knight], eventually created a [Steel Knight] ss.


    But, there is a limitation. These evolved sses, not all can be further fused. Not all, and Im still trying to find what can be fused.


    Eventually, One of the few twice-evolved sses I discovered was 30 [Great Druid] sses fused into a single [Lord of the Forest] ss. And 50 [Grand Knight] sses fused into a [Knight Master]


    With it, I was eager to test it out. So, I selected one young promising 13-year old Valthorn.


    His name was Faris, and hes been living in one of the outer sections of the Fresnds, before he was recruited to join the Valthorns 3 years ago. Hes been training with Yvon for a while, and in 3 years hes already a level 30 [druid].


    A regr [druid] ss. I gave a [Great Druid] ss seed to Yvon.


    You want to give this to him?


    Yes.


    Are you sure?


    Why not?


    I mean... this is a rare ss, right? Yvon didnt know I unlocked the ss-fusion ability. Lets keep it that way.


    Yes, I believe it is time I stop hoarding these things and grant them.


    So Yvon did in fact, give it to Faris. There was a small ceremony, something like a small award ceremony in school where the principal would then give out certificates, only, he received a small seed.


    This, young Faris, is a gift from Aeon himself. A fruit which will grant you the ss [Great Druid].


    Everyone in the room of course pped. Faris didnt waste much time and chomped down the fruit. I observed him that entire day, and I watched his soul change slightly, as the new ss merged with his own. After one nights sleep, he found himself with increased mastery over his druidic abilities.


    [Domain and Grand Mind Tree blocked passive influence from a Great Druid].


    Ah. I suppose I should be more careful with giving out sses rting to control over trees. I think that was a passive.


    Faris and Jura came to me for an audience the next day. He was still a young boy in the end, even though he does have a good ss.


    Children.


    So, so young.


    Aeon, I bring the one that youve granted the seed.


    Greetings, Faris. I spoke mentally, and already I could sense some pressure pushing back.


    [Domain and Grand Mind Tree blocked passive influence]


    I believe you may be unknowingly using some passive abilities, young Faris.


    Faris flustered and he seemingly nodded. Ah. I... Im sorry. Then I felt the pressure lift. Do druids have these abilities all these while? Is this how they attempt to control trees?


    He is still but a young child. Good. How do you like your reward?


    Its quite amazing, Aeon. Upgrading my ss to a Great Druid at my age is unheard of anywhere in the world. All my skills are stronger now.


    Good. It is a gift, and a reward, and with it, responsibility and expectation, that you will do more and better for us. Ournd remains heavily damaged, and we need people like you to help heal it.


    Faris nodded. He was very agreeable and impressionable.


    At that moment, I wonder whether Ive made a mistake in giving him such powers, the same way the Gods gave their powers to young teenagers.


    -


    One of the foolish things about people is that, well, they seem to forget that trees in the forests have eyes. So, Jasmine and my Artificial souls alerted me to the presence of some cultists.


    Itsmon. And newly reimed and filled with people, wherew enforcement is still not yet secure, and leaders still vying for power and position among themselves, some will inevitably turn to magic, and asionally, blood magic.


    So, in the depth of the unnamed woods, a group of 35 men and women were gathered. One of them was an old noble from the nearby city, who migrated to the Fresnds and settled there. They had with them about fifteen ves. The ves all looked extremely afraid.


    Should we save the ves, master? Jasmine asked. There were beetles and spiders who could easily intercept.


    Wait.


    I wanted to see this for a long time now. Blood magic. Im sorry, ves, but I believe the benefit I gain from learning how blood magic works will allow me to save more lives in the future.


    30 men formed a circle, and with a quick cut, one of the ves were killed. His body sttered in the middle of a strange formation. They chanted, and I could see the soul very clearly, torn apart by the blood magic.


    They did so repeatedly, with all the ves. I watched, with all my sensors, magical and not. Blood magic being executed right before my eyes, I saw their magic rip the soul out of the ves, and fused them together.


    Oh wow. It really is a kind of soul fusion. But its iplete. I saw the core of their souls break free and the remnant, the outer souls of the ves stitched together by their rough blood magic. Iplete. Irregr and messy.


    But it is strong. Just like how my artificial souls are without a soul core, from this alone I could easily see that their blood magic is essentially using the outer part of the souls, and fused together into this mess.


    After a chant or so, the blood magicpressed the tangled fused souls into a small reddish drop on a small te. The noble took it, and he drank it. Instantly I saw his bodys energy levels spike up. This was quite like using blood magic to strengthen himself, and his features quickly turned younger.


    Ah. Youth. Interesting.


    The ritual was done. I think I have an idea why the hex can be reversed gradually via those negative emotions.


    No more reason to leave them alive. Most of them.


    Well. Capture the two chief ritual masters alive. There were two of them that led the ritual, and well, I have ns for some good old interrogation.


    An army of beetles and spiders descended on them. The noble was strong, his strength amplified by the blood magic. So, it still took me a few hits of [Serpentine Rootstrike], and an army of beetles quickly ughtered the rest of them.


    Hex. Its essentially an unstable fusion of the outer souls, which is why it leaked so much negative energy. And, because this negative energy is contagious, it caused others close to it to also suffer hex poisoning. Walking into a field of hex is like being infected with depression that killed you from within. A rot in the soul, caused by exposure to unstable fusion of soul fragments.


    Spaizzer Thanks for reading. It''s been an exhausting July, and work''s been really busy. My attempt to edit my earlier chapters into a publishable ebook is not moving anywhere T__T. Also, patreon has 3 chapters ahead if you want more, for only $3/month

 Tree of Classes

    Tree of sses


    <b>Year 120</b>


    I gave away a [Grand Knight] ss to a promising young student. She was fit, but with the Grand Knight ss, she became fit and unnaturally strong. She had a skill that strengthened all the armor that she wore, and she turned into quite a monster to fight.


    These upgraded sses, Aeon, how did you get them? Yvon was extremely curious. At the same level, an upgraded ss is at least 30% stronger. Perhaps this was theparison between a Lord and a King, or a King and an Emperor?


    I collected them. Which is partly true. Through all the souls of the dead, Ive been umting so much ss seeds that Ive lost track of all of them. Ive also been growing ss-tree-nts, that produces more ss seeds of the rarer sses, like [Dark Knight].


    I mean, would 30 Dark Knights give me a Dark Pdin?


    You know, this news spreads out, many are going toe calling. Fruits that are able to grant an upgraded ss are unheard of in the world. Even Kings may grant Royal variants, but those are nothing like true upgraded sses.


    And?


    Well. Theft, for one. Well need to prepare for that, as there will be thieves who want to steal your stockpile of upgraded ss seeds.


    Let them try. Its all inside me. How would they steal? Perhaps these thieves have some kind of skill, then?


    Wait. That does sound possible. A thief with a skill able to take from ones presumed safe pockets sounds exactly like what a high-tier thief should have.


    Jasmine, can you increase your surveince for thieves?


    Master, weve located many thieves.


    Already? Oh. It has been a year since I gave away my [Great Druid] ss.


    Most are petty criminals, but some appear highly skilled.


    Thieves. Should I just kill them?


    -


    Meanwhile, the captured blood ritualists were forced to do my bidding. Mainly, to conduct more blood rituals, using criminals that are on death row.


    I had to learn a bit more about blood magic. Theres some fundamental simrities between my soul forge and blood magic, and I intended to learn more of it.


    The blood ritualists cooperated, and used the criminals to cast all sorts of blood rituals. Strengthening rituals, summoning rituals.


    Of course, after 50ish rituals, they leveled up, and I think they were close to level 60. Then they got overconfident and started to attack me with the summoned creatures. Each ritual made them stronger, but I too, gained a deeper understanding of blood magic.


    I have arge army, and now, more elites.


    I deployed my new [Grand Knight] and [Great Druid], together with an army of beetles. The two ritualists didnt stand much of a chance. They honestly shouldve used blood magic to cast some kind of warped teleportation, but perhaps that had too much risk.


    Blood magic is inherently unstable, its power derived from the stitching of the outer souls together in ordance with ancient writings. Those writings guide the ritualists, bind the fragments of the soul together into a shape, and each shape then creates a specific effect. Some of these shapes are actually benign, and hence they empower their hosts. Still, they are inherently unstable soul fragments, so over time they decay and they create problems for the host.


    Its like cancer, really.


    The two overconfident ritualists were captured again. This time, their punishment was death, and I gave them a punishment that I gave a long time ago. Death by deconstruction in a bib.


    I received [Blood Mage] ss seeds.


    I wonder whether I could somehow get [Hero] ss seeds.


    Mirei.


    Yes, Aeon?


    Would you ever be willing to give away your hero ss? I asked her one day as she rested in one of the courtyards of Freshka. She had slowly dismantled her business, and sold them to various merchants eager to take over her clothing chain.


    Yes. She had a headache after she said it. The hero ss is pretty much the gods remote control button. Its a trojan horse in our body. It was quite predictable, and to some extent, Mirei got better at figuring out what triggers the headache. It was always something about heroes and gods.


    She took about a while to collect herself, and she continued.


    I mean, I would give it away, but I cant. The system doesnt let me do it. I just tried to do it just now.


    Really. Yet it allows you to trade your hero levels for other levels.


    Yeah. I could theoretically trade away all my hero levels for something else, and then give you all those levels, but it sounds like you are interested in the hero ss itself, Aeon?


    Well, thats right. I mean, the [hero] ss itself is whats incredibly fascinating, like... is there a way I can trace it backwards to the source, ie the gods. Do the gods actually have a physical location in this world? Like, theres a magical heaven somewhere, where they gaze on this world. Perhaps they are like yers, looking at us through the screen. Have you not considered it, giving away all your hero levels so that you can remove their influence?


    I did think about it. But I didnt do it because I wanted to still help Harris and Gerrard. I doubt the gods would just let all 3 of us trade all our hero sses away. Pretty sure theres like a limit or something.


    Makes sense that the gods would put a failsafe like that. They already went ahead to actively mind-control and mind-wipe these heroes, why wouldnt they put restrictions.


    -


    Tending to flowers, Great Druid? The youngdy said. She was in full armor, had tworge swords on each side, and a long wooden anti-demon spear at the back. Edna, the [Grand Knight], and shes only 16.


    As I am oftenpelled to do, yes.


    Has Aeon summoned you recently?


    No, why?


    Its... well. I have had offers from nearby kingdoms to defect to serve them.


    Faris paused. If its a good offer, it is worth considering. Though the term... defection is a bit too strong.


    Oh? Edna sat on a rock in the flower garden. Exin.


    I believe Aeon may be open to us acting as his mercenaries.


    Mercenaries? Edna frowned. Thats quite against the very nature of my ss as a Grand Knight.


    I spoke to some observers, Principal Yvon and Master Jura, and they agreed that Aeon may be willing to consider stationing us in those other kingdoms.


    Willing to consider, doesnt mean he will.


    Aeons willingness, of course, has a price. A good enough reward, he would definitely consider it. I believe if the kingdoms may offer something rare and unique from the ancient pasts, Aeon may well be swayed into it. At least, Principal Yvon strongly thinks so.


    I highly doubt he is willing to give any of us away.


    Not give. Stationed. We are still loyal to him, and we act as his agents. Our services to those other kingdoms are simr to those of an adventurer. We would obviously abstain if those conflicts meant we would end up fighting each other.


    So you have been simrly approached. Edna smirked.


    Of course. Faris said. When the kingdoms, or even the Hutan Council first gave me the offers, I quickly notified Valthorn leadership. Master Juras advice then, was to ignore it, as if these kingdoms truly are desperate, they would offer far greater rewards than what they offered now.


    Edna shook her head. That really makes it sound like... mercenarial. I wouldnt do so.


    Fariss turn tough. If so, its best you stay put. I doubt the principles of these other kingdoms would be better than ours.


    But a part of my ss is enhanced by serving a [King]. There are knight-specific abilities for people like myself...


    ...if theres anyone who can make a King, its probably our great Aeon.


    I dont have a [King] ss, though. Wait... does Roma have the [Prince] ss?


    -


    Yes. But its still level 2. Roma said quietly, when Jura approached him. Why do you ask, Master Jura?


    Aeon asked, not me.


    Ah. Romas an adult, like Lausanne. Unlike Lausanne, his focus has always been more academic and magical in nature, and now, having survived, hes mostly an administrator for merchantpanies. Its almost like someone whos a prince relegated to an office boy, though he certainly doesnt seem any bit bothered by that sort of reality. Well, if anyones asking, Im honestly not interested in the whole Prince thing. Id even give the ss away, if I could. Im honestly not sure why I even still have the ss.


    Shs still around, in some form, so the title remains. Well, I wanted the [Prince] ss, and so Jura asked. So, since you do not want the ss, would you consider giving it away?


    That is.. Possible?


    Aeon may have the ability to take it away from you.


    Yvon objected strongly. Its your heritage!


    The hell with it, mom. Im not interested in being caught in stupid political games that this faraway kingdom of Sh would probably have. I have no rtionship with Sh, I never lived there, I dont know anyone there, and honestly, I may well be a lifetime citizen of Freshka! I dont know my father either, and honestly, this [ss] isnt worth it.


    Well, turns out, I couldnt take it away. Simply because his level as a [Prince] was far too low. He needed to have at least 10-20 levels in Prince for me to actually take it away from him.


    Help, on this matter, came from a very odd party.


    Im a King. Harris said, back from his many peacekeeping duties. He had toe back frequently, but still, the civil war went on. His wives, now all Queen Mothers in their own right, squabbled over territory.


    There were days he felt sad. His wives truly adored and loved him, and that part wasnt a lie. But his harem was held together by him, and him alone. WIth him giving up his right over the entire kingdom, each Queen had to protect her own children. Some of his children are more ambitious, and so, fighting broke out. He had no right to imprison his children, now that they are legally King and Prince Regents of their own country. He could only reprimand them as a father.


    If you want my ss, you honestly can take it. Its useless now. Im probably going to dere my capital city independent, and let whats left of the council of ministers decide where to go.


    You just sound incredibly sad. Mirei tapped him. What say, you know, lets go out with a bang. Lets end this farce with the next demon king.


    The two heroes plotted their ns for the next demon king. Indeed, they intended to win, but they also intended to die.


    Harris was able to give me a few levels of his [King] ss, but no more than 20% of it. But strangely, in my hands, the [King] ss was unusable.


    I mean, I have a [King] ss seed, but I cannot give it or use it on anyone. <i>[The ss [King] cannot be used]</i>


    Huh. Can I change it such that I can use it?


    So, with my [Soul Forge : Yellow], I tried to experiment on the [king] ss seed... and well, after injecting my own energy into it... it changed.


    <i>The King ss seed transformed into a unique ss seed [The Anointed King, Aeons Executor].</i>


    Uh... thats quite corny, isnt it. But thats so Starcraft. Executor. Maybe can I create a Hierarch, like uh.. Artanis?


    I had a dilemma now. I have a special ss seed, and I wasnt quite sure who to give it to. I didnt want to give it to the heroes, because they had no ties with the valley and me. Ultimately, they are under the influence of the gods, and I wouldnt want them to be King.


    The first person I had in mind was Jura. He served me loyally over the years, and has demonstrated all the necessary skills of war.


    He shot it down. No, Aeon. Me, a King? Theres no way I can do it. I prefer to just teach.


    Lausanne, perhaps? But shes happily travelling with her husband. Laufen? She shook her head, she was happy tending to young children at Erizs childcare centers, and didnt want the stress or the duties of a King.


    So, I reluctantly put this ss aside. But, I had my fellow artificial souls pay attention to the young Valthorns. Perhaps of these young ones, some of them will show promise, and of them, one than I can elevate to a King.


    -


    6 more years to the demon king.


    If were lucky, 7.


    6. I want it toe sooner. Mirei said.


    She was really quite eager to return home, and so, when I told her about the entire [Soul Contract], and how it works with Yvon, she immediately rejected it. To her, a Soul Contract extends her misery in this world by 1,000 years. She didnt want any of that. She missed home, and she wanted to go home.


    The idea of suicide didnt quite work for her, so shes in this odd situation, perhaps quite like a Norse warrior seeking Valha through glorious battle with the demon king. Because little else can kill her.


    Her curse had remained rtively stable since myst operation, and I still continued my experiments. I suspect there must be something that binds the curse to the demons, because I didnt understand why it fluctuated at odd times.


    A fluctuation may be internal or external, and after all my abilities, Im rather certain I ruled out the internal factors. So, that leaves the fluctuations in the curse down to two possible external factors.


    The gods, or the demons. The curse is a matter of the soul, and something I wondered was... what if a hero was sacrificed in a blood ritual? Or could blood magics ability to interact with the outer soul be used to fix the curse?


    Harris, of course, hated the idea. Blood magic should be ouwed. Its a gruesome ability that shouldnt even exist in this world.


    Ngeh. The worlds pretty gruesome. I mean, you gain experience by killing stuff, isnt that gruesome? Hows blood magic different, its just the way of killing, isnt it?


    Id concede that the only thing different is that blood magic reached into a persons soul and ripped it out, and perhaps that is a kind of desecration of the sanctity of the soul. Again, only if one believes that the soul is sacred.


    A mortal belief, really. For someone like myself who now has a good understanding of the soul, it certainly doesnt feel sacred.


    In fact, I feel a bit of desensitization thates from knowledge. Knowing that a persons inner soul can always reincarnate, and death is but the departure of the inner soul from a physical vessel. If so, in this cycle of death and reincarnation, its just a convoluted version of swapping one car for another, or stopping one game and starting another new game.


    So... why should outer souls or lives be sacred? If anything should be sacred, its that moment in space and time. Spacetime is sacred, because death takes it away, and each period of time is unique, and what happens in that space is unique. So, death robs away ones ability to experience each unique segment of space-time.


    Anyway, back to the blood magic. I certainly want to use my [blood mage] ss seeds, and I want to use it differently.


    All the previous [blood mages] have quite warped perspectives and were up to no good, so, Im going to try to train a good blood mage. There must be something in their magic thats worth learning.


    Jura, Laufen and Yvon were horrified at the idea of training young blood mages. No. No. No.


    Our existing trainees generally gain their levels and experience against monsters and hybrids. Blood mages require blood sacrifice, and that means people! No.


    Something like that. Doesnt make much sense, though. Whats wrong using those about to die anyway?


    -


    Spaizzer


    Thanks for reading my little story. If you want more, my patreon has 3 more chapters :P


    I must confess that it''s getting harder to write this fic. The setting, the environment are like a cage, and I must work around and with the cage. There are days when I just sit down and write other stuff, hoping for an idea to pop into my head. I think I have an ending, though. Maybe it''s 1-2years away. Maybe less. Not sure. The roadmap''s hazy, I''m trying to find the dotted lines that lead to that ending.

 Treevial Matters

    Treevial Matters


    <b>Year 121</b>


    My own curse red up. I wasnt sure why, but if it could happen to the heroes, it certainly could happen to me.


    Thankfully [Root of Life] helped suppress it, but it felt like one of those days when I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and had to nurse a migraine the entire day. Its really one of those days.


    And well, its one of those years.


    I had a few rebellions to crush. A few invasions to defeat. A surge in monsters and creatures from the Rottends.


    But, there are some good parts. I sent 3 of the ancient-tree shards to Lilies. Strangely, they actually agreed to give an enchantment should I ever ask for it. They have some powers over death.


    They gave me a brief origin story of their powers of death. Because they took death-ceremonies to another level.


    In the Lake of Lilypod City, any and every death is brought back to be submerged in theke. A tradition almost a millennia old, Lilies have developed a method of gaining experience from the bodies of the dead. Beneath thekes murky waters are floating roots and vines that consume the corpses of the dead.


    They had somehow developed a skill that allowed them to collect experience from the dead. I mean, I get experience seeds, but they get experience and levels! I wonder if its a function of their different species?


    ss. Experience. Levels.


    Perhaps, so many years ago, did Indra set me off on this path of being a Soul/Spirit Tree by requesting for a familiar? Had I received experience in a different way, would my evolution had been different?


    -


    Im afraid not. Jura shook his head. Aeon has a rather poor opinion of the Hutan Council after his encounters with your people a few decades ago.


    Could you talk to it and convince it otherwise? The Council has changed a lot over the 20 years, surely its unfair for the Tree Spirit to pin the me on this generation for the sins of the previous generation? The Hutan Council had sent a decent-sized delegation to Freshka after the news of the Great Druid-ss being gifted to Faris. It took them some time, but here they are.


    Many want the ss, of course. Some of these druids have been regr druids for decades, and saw the upgraded ss as a chance to break through their stagnant life. .


    Jura shrugged. Trees have long memories, I suggest youe back in, say... 50 years. I think thats not true. Its just that we trees perceive time differently, so those memories feel quite fresh to me. It takes more time for me to forget a grudge, even though it feels just as long or the same to me.


    No. Great Druid! To a child! The druid shouted at Jura. Even the entire Hutan Council, only 2 druids have that ss!


    Jura frowned. Perhaps Aeon sees something in the child. And I dont recall druids ever challenging the wisdom of the Tree Spirits.


    [Domain and Grand Mind Tree has blocked attempted influence]


    And Aeon has just said that he is annoyed at your attempt to use your power.


    The druid frowned. A few other druids looked unhappy. And they stomped off. Jasmine helped to monitor them, but then, a bunch of them were spotted sneaking into the Valthorns offices and buildings.


    The tree spirit may have hidden some of the ss-granting fruits in the premises. We should sneak in and try to find it. They managed to bribe a Valthorn employee to reveal where valuable items are hidden in the Valtrian Orders premises. So, they snuck in.


    But wouldnt they hide it in its main tree itself? Another Hutan druid asked. At this point, I think no one ever revealed to the druids that I have line-of-sight of the entire valley. Wouldnt anyone be able to figure it out?


    Do you want a chance to find a Great Druid ss or not?


    They snuck into the premises, and then got a shock when they saw the valuables store only had money.


    Its just storing money...


    Thats because all the weapons, and other items have all been given to the Valthorns and they are responsible for caring for their own goods. Seriously, the concept of a store is not really valid when Jasmine and the other artificial minds can pretty much track all movement of these items almost all the time.


    Distributing them minimised any risk of theft, and since the valley itself is under heavy surveince, it wasnt hard to find who took what, especially if its of value. Money, on the other hand, was rather worthless to me, so its security was left to the Valtrian Council.


    You know, it wont be there. Edna appeared behind the druids, there were a group of other Valthorn Knights with her. The fruits of a special ss only appear when Aeon itself decides it so.


    You! The Hutan druids turned and summoned animals to fight. They were outnumbered, honestly. There were knights everywhere, the knights overwhelmed the druids, those who surrendered were arrested and thrown into a prison.


    Time for Freshka to hold them ransom for some rewards from the Hutan Council. I had the impression they are on the decline, though, so I wonder what they are willing to cough up.


    -


    Later on, I awarded two more Valthorn Initiates with special sses. One, a [Mountain Druid], and another, a [Ranger Master].


    To some extent, a part of me began to enjoy the chaos that these advanced sses cause.


    Im rather surprised that you have so many unique sses, Aeon.


    Ive been hoarding them for some time. Theres some truth to it, but I also have an orchard of ss-seed growing trees in the Valley of the Unrotten. And it helps that I gather ss seeds, skill seeds and experience seeds when people die.


    Everywhere, as long as its within the range of my soul harvesters, essence, ss-seed and skill-seeds continue toe in. So, I always have materials to fuse into bigger or upgraded seeds.


    Master, we need upgrades too! Horns reminded. Their level cap has increased to level 60, but as previously, their upgrades require materials and gems.


    I decided to upgrade Trevor and Dimitree first, since theyve been supporting me for so long, and they are both at their level cap anyway. After that, I upgraded Horns and Juras Bamboo. The Yellow-type upgrades generally grant my artificial souls to choose a ss-specialisation, so in Trevor and Dimitrees case, they both gained Administrator-type skills. Horns gained [General]-type skills to control myrge army of beetles.


    I also created more Artificial minds, cing them subordinate to Trevor, Dimitree and Jasmine to oversee my vast empire. I already had Acacia, Brootus and Cyprus from earlier, but since Trevor can now hit level 60, I elevated him to be pretty much my chief-of-artificial-souls. Dimitree is his deputy.


    I feel that my artificial souls or minds are like extremely good AI. They are extremelypetent at monitoring and administration, but they are constrained on creation in scope, and only improved by the new soul-forge colors.


    The level cap also meant that they would never be able to really fight at the level I need, simply because enemies like the demonic walkers need a force around level 80. Thinking about it, theyre probably an organisations field-managers and middle managers.


    Somewhere, in a quiet corner of my vast kingdom, I also had a secret experiment.


    This was far from the rest of the inhabited area, away from Jura or Freshka.


    I created a tree, and infused it with blood. A lot of blood. My roots are able to transport liquids, so I stocked and absorbed the blood from the sick, the dead, or the dying, and then infused a tree with all the blood.


    Though the elves didnt agree on my experimenting with [blood mages], I could very much do it myself.


    So, a tree.


    I did so secretly, and eventually, a notification.


    [Unique Tree : The Bleeding Tree] created.


    I was swept with a sickening feeling, like nausea. [Grand-mind Tree blocked attempted influence from unknown source.] Then I felt better.


    I need to further upgrade the Grand-Mind Tree.


    Then, I had my beetles secretly smuggle criminals to that location. It wasnt hard, after all, through the entire Fresnds, all these vassal-states all have criminals of various kinds. I suppose Im doing some mental gymnastics when I justify my process that these criminals are on death-row anyway. So I may as well test some basic blood magic with their bodies.


    Conceptually, runes are a kind of rituals. Blood magic too, is a ritual. I myself, and my entirework of trees, is pretty much a massive magical array.


    I tried to use my roots to cast a blood ritual.


    It failed.


    I tried again. Failed.


    It failed.


    By the time I was done with the 50 or so criminals, I had failed all my attempted blood magic. Why did I fail? Is it because I used a bleeding Tree?


    I was frustrated, but I got a skill.


    [Skill upgraded! Magic Labs - Blood Magic Sensor unlocked]


    So,ter that year, I spotted another bunch of blood mages. The world is filled with blood mages, very much a legacy of the hexbomb-era, when the knowledge of how to cast a hexbomb was widely distributed to so many kingdoms and countries.


    Once again, I let them use their blood magic, but with my new blood magic sensors, I think I began to understand it a bit more.


    Blood magic essentially uses their own soul as a chip, in order to hack into the souls of those sacrificed. Each use of blood magic weakens their own soul, and makes them even more susceptible to the corruption of blood magic, and the strange voices from beyond. Its like taking a part of themselves, making that into a consumable nail.


    So the insanity and curse thates with all high-level blood mages is an inherent oue of their use of such abilities. That insanity is also mixed into the very fabric of the loosely knitted outer soul fragments. Maybe its like using a diamond to cut another diamond, because they dont have enough power for its alternatives.


    Have you never found who were spreading the hexbombs? I asked the heroes one day.


    Find them? No ones going to reveal themselves as a blood mage!


    In truth, it should be possible to find them, since their souls would clearly be damaged. Each use is like leaving gunpowder residue on their soul. But then, one would have to be able to spot it. I would be able to spot it, all I needed to do is put them under my [bib] and itll be clear as day.


    [Curse : Weakened Soul from Blood Magic]. Thats what appeared in the few captured blood mages. Their soul spring is clearly tainted, the spring itself cracked, and the waters in their spring is a muddy brown.


    Based on all this, Im confident in my assessment. Hex is essentially a radioactive decaying outer soul fragments stitched together with blood magic. The decay is how the outer souls untangle the stitching and decay into normal matter.


    <b>Year 122</b>


    I did another controversial series of tests. I hauled a bunch of death row criminals to my soul forge, and attempted a clean version of the outer-soul stitching. If blood magic was iplete work, then could I, the master of 4 colors of the Soul Forge, perform aplete version.


    I failed at first.


    I failed my first ten tests, and in doing so, close to 500 criminals were killed.


    Thats hell of a gruesome way to die. The heroes said.


    But its painless. The overwhelming energies of my soul forge instantly kills them and liquefies them. Its true. The amount of mana used to attempt clean-soul-fusion was absolutely insane, so much so that when I use it, everyone in the entire Fresnds can feel the mana flickering in the air.


    Each time, I had a better understanding of the process.


    Aeon, where do you get these ideas? The heroes asked, unaware that Ive been watching and experimenting on the blood mages.


    Dreams.


    Trees can dream?


    Why not?


    You dont have brains.


    Are brains necessary for dreams?


    Anyway, its key to separate the Inner Soul and the Outer Soul as smoothly and cleanly as possible. After separation, the inner soul core is released so that it can proceed with its reincarnation, and whats left is a floating magical sma blob of outer soul fragments.


    Next, I used my overwhelming mana to forcefullypress the outer soul fragments together. The first few times, I didnt control my mana properly, so the outer soul fragments leaked out and then it just dissipated.


    Then, as the soul fragments fused together, it finally turned into a small solid object.


    [Youve created a Soul-Strengthening Seed]


    [Consuming the Soul-Strengthening Seed will increase the level capacity of one individual. Needs to bebined with a herb of sufficient quality]


    What. I thought to myself. I expected something far more powerful than just a soul-strengthening seed. But then, the level capacity seems to suggest that each individual has a cap, and so, I have just discovered the item that breaks the cap!


    And I know exactly the person to give it to.


    Jura. I fused the Soul-Strengthening Seed with a high-quality 5-year old ginseng from my Ginseng Trees. Eat this.


    He did, and he felt like his entire body burned for the rest of the day. Aeon, what are you feeding me! Why do I feel like every part of me is breaking!


    Well, a good dayter, he woke up and felt much stronger and healthier, as if he was younger by a few decades.


    Aeon... I.. I have a blessing!! And I gained 7 levels in [Warlord] overnight!


    Oh?


    [Soul-Blessed.]


    Does the Soul-Strengthening Seed give levels, or are those like overflow-levels that were not effect-ed because he was capped at around Level 80?


    The only way to prove it, of course, is to make more, and give it to someone else that was not stuck at the cap. Its a little disappointing though, I had hoped to create somethingparable to say... a fusion power-nt. But I suppose a level-breaking ability is not bad either.


    That meant Lausanne could also break past Level 80, if she wanted. But I think shes still happily adventuring in the world.


    -


    I want to talk about Aeon Harris said to Gerrard and Mirei. They were gathered in a room in one of the lodges in Freshka.


    You know hes listening, right? Gerrard looked at Harris like an alien. Aeons presence permeates the entirety of this region. This entire region is a police surveince state. We agreed on this. No talking about tree spirits anywhere near them! All of us have his familiars! Who knows if its eavesdropping on us.


    I know, but I think I dont mind if he listens. Harris said. I just wanted to say that he seems to be very intimately familiar with our worlds thought processes. Almost as if he knows what we know.


    Evidence.


    Remember how Jura described our wooden arms as Power-Armor? Harris promptly showcased his wooden limbs, made from familiar. I was still unable to fix the two lost parts, due to the effects of the curse. But at least it wouldnt get worse.


    So what?


    Theres so many little references here and there that he understands. I believe he knows about earth.


    Look, I can posit a few theories of how he knows about us. One, hes old, and he met a lot of us earthers. Two, he has the power to create and alter dreams, by extension, he must have some ess to our memories, such that he can create those dreams. Three, his soul harvesters harvest the souls of the dead, and each time, he gains something from the dead. If those dead include earthers, it is no surprise that he knows what we know. Mirei said.


    Harris froze, and after thinking for a long time. Youre right. I probably didnt think it through.


    We have 4 years left till the next demon king. Were in no condition to fight it. Mirei said, though shes not dead, she is weakened by the curse. If I must admit, we must be prepared to lose and die.


    Gerrard nodded. So, lets do what Astra did. Kill ourselves and bomb it to death.


    No! Mirei said. You saw what the system did to him! It made us hate him!


    Well, if we want to go out with a bang, I cant think of a better way.


    Mirei stopped. Bang? Maybe we could make ourselves into a living bomb. You know, like that manga! This old dude fought the Ant King, but as a failsafe nted a nuke into his heart. We could try that.


    They all got a headache at the same time, but Gerrard had already prepared cups filled with some herbal liquor. They all took a sip.


    Damned system meddling with our minds.


    Its a good idea, but who can make a bomb that powerful?


    Aeons been experimenting with souls, we could ask him to try it. Maybe he can do something about it.


    Harris looked confused and bewildered. I cannot believe that both of you are suggesting to make yourself into some kind of suicide bomber.


    Its not suicide bombing. Its a... contingency. Gerrard said.


    I wouldnt do it. Harris frowned.


    If the demon king lives, itll still kill you. You know it can and will look for us. Youve felt it. Were just like the Ringbearer, the Demon King can see us, one way or another. The higher levels we are, the brighter we are to him. Mirei said. Its better for us to knock it out.


    Harris had been still busy quelling the conflict among his many sons and daughter, so the idea of dying to the demon king really didnt sit well with him.


    So what are your alternatives, <i>Emperor </i>Harris? You know you cant outrun it, and you cannot move your childrens kingdoms. Do them a favor, buy them some time, and knock out the demon king when you die. If the demon king lives andes for you, your childrens kingdoms will be in ruins anyway.


    Harris was silent.


    Gerrard looked at Mirei. Well, if anything, both of us will find a way to make us self-destruct if we die. Its honestly a pretty fitting way to end our lives, and ironic too. We all died in a car crash, now we get to die with a Michael-Bay style explosion.


    Why cant we summon the next generation of heroes? Harris said. There must be a way I can trade powers for the right to summon more heroes.


    Then he had a massive headache, so much so that it looked like he was having fits. Gerrard and Mirei quickly fed him some herbal liquor. Wow. Thats some intense mental-attack.


    Ugh. Harris took a while to recover, and then said. I mean, it takes power to summon heroes, right, but can we summon heroes, or perhaps, aid the gods in summoning heroes? That way I dont have to die. I dont mind surrendering my blessings or my levels as cost.


    You know, thats really a rather good idea. Gerrard nodded. But where do we even start, how do we evenmune and discuss this with the gods?


    Spaizzer


    Thanks for reading! If you want more, please do check out my patreon which has 3 more chapters! But it''s also the end of July, so you may want to wait till 1 August to subscribe, else you''d be giving me money twice! (unless you want to)


    Also, thanks for all thements. It''s so much fun to readments and reviews, and I have to resist spoiling future points by replying. XD I honestly wish I had more time, sometimes, to write. But then again I should be thankful that I have a job in this kind of economic environment.

 Treeding water

    Treeding water


    <b>Year 123</b>


    Since time immemorial, man has been searching for means to themselves more powerful. That is true then, and that is true now. Even nature itself is forever locked in an arms race, as species evolved for an advantage, and other species evolved in response to that advantage.


    War and evolution are tied together in many ways. This is thetest generation of woodformed weapons.


    I showed mytest upgraded versions of the Wooden spears to Jura and the selected Valthorns. I had given out two more upgraded sses, one [Grand Knight], and one [Spearmaster]. It was a small group, less than 10.


    Is its effectiveness against demons improved?


    Slightly. I had spent a lot of time analysing the crystal matrices, and have managed to copy a little of its effects. But to replicate it wholesale is still beyond me, for now.


    Every iteration is slightly better, slightly more powerful. Sad, to think that my [Woodforming] is used in this way. I shouldve made statues instead.


    One of the wooden spears shrunk, and the attendees jumped. Wow.


    Its now... expandable. That way its easier to move around. I copied the idea from one of the heroes star-mana withdrawable swords. In hindsight, I shouldve made something like this way earlier. Its essentially just a magical lightsaber, but with wood. Not exactly difficult to make a seed-like thing that releases a spear andter on retracts it. Nature already has many simr mechanisms.


    In a way, its also partly pocketspace, simr to my [secret hideout].


    Itll be tuned to all of you.


    Tuned?


    Yes, with runes. The gem-inserts have runes and so, add a drop of blood to it and itll recognise you as its owner. Again, not an original idea. Some heroes have invented star-mana weapons that only recognise people who have their blood, essentially as a means of preserving power for their descendants.


    The heroes have this?


    Well... no. They have better ones.


    Ah. Edna said, examining her newnce and shield. As a knight, she gets some mount-specific boosts, and so theres some new wooden protective gear for her mount. Seems like Ill have to fight demons soon.


    Its not hard. The rule is simple, focus on your target, and dont stray too far outside Aeons suppression aura. Jura exined. Hes now Level 90.


    Aeons suppression aura should be everywhere. Faris said, as he too examined his wooden staff and armor. There were not many weapons I could make for Faris, because he is a ranged and support hero.


    I agree. But sadly my suppression auras weaker as I go further.


    This means Aeon puts the odds of the heroes winning the next battle at close to zero, doesnt it? Our [spearmaster] asked.


    Jura paused. It would be so. Its not exactly umon for heroes to die to the demon king. Their recent string of victories is quite abnormal, and has happened no more than 5 times in the past few hundred years.


    And so the peace of Harrisan ends. Faris said. An era of rtive peace, named after the most visible of the hero kings, Harris. It seems our upgraded sses have not been given out for no reason.


    Are you afraid, [Great Druid]? Edna smiled.


    Should I not be?


    Worry when the timees. Jura spoke. For now, practice, and keep gaining levels.


    Certainly. Edna nodded. Aeon, are there any restrictions of use for these items?


    No. Try them out on the hybrids. I recall arge group has been spotted.


    dly.


    Those with the upgraded sses, and Jura went for it. I believe they will seed. Maybe even Jura himself would be sufficient, with his recently acquired strength.


    On the home front, the heroes have been experimenting with new kinds of spells. They wanted to make themselves into a bomb, just like the demon king. I couldnt help them. I mean, I dont have the ability to give them that kind of power. Trees dont blow up. Except for hybrid trees, but thats an outlier.


    So they had to speak to others, and Gerrard had been travelling everywhere.


    Harris too, had to frequently intervene in his family conflicts. It was just lucky that his curse did not re up when he was temporarily away.


    Aeon. Mirei said, when the two heroes are away. Whats it like, being a tree?


    I didnt answer. It was more like, I didnt even know where to begin describing it.


    Sorry. Must be offensive. I suppose its the equivalent of you asking me, whats it like being a hero. Mirei said. I asked because well, Im an alcoholic and tea addict now. Rumors are swirling about, that the heroes would not survive the next one. Of my curse, and Harriss.


    She looked wistful.


    What do you think of this idea, the hero-bomb? It wasnt the first time she asked. I said it was a wise decision.


    Its a good one. Its pragmatic.


    Mirei paused. I hoped youd not give me the same answer. Tell me its wrong.


    Its wrong.


    Mireiughed, and then cried. Fuck it. Gerrards running around in a wild goose chase. I dont think theres any mage who knows how to make themselves into a walking nuke. Even if its a damned good idea.


    Keep cursing.


    Yeah. I should probably stop wallowing in my misery. Mirei stood. Heres an idea. Write runes inside my soul. Can you do that? There must be a nuclear-rune somewhere. Invent one.


    Runes work on physical objects. Well, in honesty, Ive never tried. Im not aware whether runes can be written in the soul realm, but then, the soul spring does have rune-like inscriptions and patterns.


    Says who.


    No one.


    Then can you try?


    Writing runes in the soul spring... Im not sure if thats possible, but certainly worth trying.


    Try it on me. Dont let Harris or Gerrard know.


    Why not? I had the impression Gerrard was open to the idea of nuclearising themselves.


    Fine. Dont let Harris know.


    I wondered then, if its possible to write a rune or blood ritual into the soul-spring, such that it triggers a hexbomb-like event. Is this how we can assure victory, but making heroes into nukes? Its pragmatic, certainly. Sensible, even. But I get Mirei and Harriss point that theres some quite wrong with it. How is it different from a kamikaze attack? Or in the case of a soldier charging into the firing range, preparing to die?


    I couldnt quite answer that, but no matter.


    I poked into Mireis soul spring again, and this time I used my feelers to attempt to write runes in her soul spring. It didnt work.


    Not on the rocks of the soul spring. But, I could write runes on the water, or the ground around her spring. But then the waters from her soul spring quickly washed the rune away.


    Its... actually possible. I was amazed. If one could find a way to make the rune stick, then its possible to have a soul thats covered in runes. Or at least, outside of the soul-spring.


    What. Does that mean you can make me a nuke?


    No. Not just that. Could I use runes to suppress her curse even further? But... how and where do I start? There are two main hurdles. One, theres a need to find something that makessting runes in the soul area, around the soul spring. Two, what runes do I use, and what is its long term effects on a person?


    Thats of course, something to research.


    -


    Criminals exist in every society. Each of the segments of the Fresnds administers its own set of rules and justice, and this is something we, as the Federal entity, do not generally participate in.


    Its a federal-state rtionship, though. Simply because I dont want to be bothered by the minutiae, and I am also not interested in micromanaging people. Id rather focus on trees, gardens and stuff.


    One area which I do make orders, is that everyrge town and segment has gazetted gardens and parks, and long strips of trees-nked roads. This is something the Federal Fresnds Authority, headquartered in Freshka, gazetted and required of all of its cities. A small requirement, really, since Ill handle the creation of trees and parks, the towns just have to leave the space and path for it. Thats on top of the protected forests and jungles.


    In a way, its almost possible to imagine the Federal Fresnds Authority like the National Parks Service on extreme steroids, to the point that its the main authority. The Valthorns rangers, are just a militarised version of the Park Rangers.


    And since they are militarised, they do also catch... criminals.


    Which are useful.


    Rumors have been swirling about that criminals caught are subjected to my experiments. That the Aeon of Freshka is outwardly a benevolent deity, but it treats its criminals as materials for gruesome experiments.


    Im rather amused by it. Because its true.


    Serious criminals are used for my soul-rted experiments. For blood magic. For creating the [Soul-strengthening seed].


    After all, the legal terminology used to describe the punishment for serious crimes is Subject to Aeons Mercy.. I didnt know who came up with that, I suspect one cleverwyer or justice of peace, but yes, its a phrase that has begun to strike fear into everyone.


    No one subjected to Aeons Mercy had ever returned. How could they, with their souls ripped out of their bodies and turned into living experiments.


    Still, criminals persist, and many of these states have added ayer beneath that punishment. Their citizens demanded something less frightening. Mostly involved life imprisonment.


    Criminals are quite fun, actually, and I actually received some rather interesting criminal sses. I even fused them to create more powerful criminal sses. Like [Bandit Lord], or [Master Thief]. As I thought of this, Jura had just finished capturing a runaway murderer.


    Punishment for multiple murders? Aeons mercy.


    I feel like thats such an evil euphemism. Its like saying walk the nk, instead of jumping off the ship. The criminal is tied up, and loaded into a Beetle with a cage. A Cage-Beetle. There are hundreds of these beetles, travelling between all the various segments of the Fresnd, collecting all these criminals and ferrying them here.


    To me. For my experiments.


    A logisticwork of high-sec criminals set up to feed my need for materials, coordinated by my artificial minds.


    Alright. Thats three. Jura locked the criminals inside. They wailed and screamed.


    Let me out! Please, counsel, I beg you. Not Aeons Mercy!


    The Federal Law is clear. Multiple murders and domestic crimes put you under Federal Jurisdiction. Aeon has every right to im you.


    Please no!


    Such exchanges weremon. Why is it that bad? Kings sentence criminals to death all the time. Usually an executioner with a massive axe would do the dirty job.


    Jura shrugged. You may consider your appeal before Aeon himself.


    None seeded. The very fact that my artificial minds have assessed them as targets meant theyve passed the preset thresholds.


    A fellow Valthorn just gulped and looked at Jura. Every year they collect about 1,000 or so criminals. Its on a steady decline, as more and more criminals learn not to cross that threshold. Not much, when the entire Fresnd region is now home to some 4 million people, spread across the 15 segments and the 50 cities, 300 towns and 5,000 or so viges within it.


    The Fresnds is massive, now that I have recovered close to 10 percent of what was the entire Rottends. Time needed for a beetle to travel from one end to another without rest takes a full 7 days. Freshka itself now is home to about 150,000, being the Federal Capital and Administrative Seat of the Fresnds Representative Council.


    Theyve been changing the names every now and then. Little matters that I left to Kavio and the representatives.


    Oh the Aeon of the Fresnds... My attention was drawn to a voice that called out to me. Jasmine was quick to prompt me to look. One of the nobles of the outer cities, he was alone, and he called out to me. If you can hear me, please talk to me.


    Father, have you gone insane? His son was behind him, he was a lot younger, in his teens.


    No. The noble said. Jasmine quickly gave me his brief. Hes a level 31 [Noble] and he is the ruler of this city. Its a mid-sized city on the northern edges of the Fresnds, and mainly works with mining and farming from the recoverednds.


    Then why are you talking like that?


    I got a skill, young foolish son of mine, and that skill tells me Aeon knows Im talking to him.


    Really? What skill is that? The teenage son asked.


    [Territorial Awareness]. Itsmon for Kings to have a version of it, but it seemed I got lucky and somehow obtained this.


    And so youre testing it out by shouting and calling out to Aeon, our faraway supposed benefactor?


    The noble smacked the young teenager. Watch your words.


    At this point, I supposed I should respond, so I telepathically spoke to both of them. Yes, nobleman. You called? A vine emerged from the ground and crawled in through the window. The teenager looked deathly pale.


    The nobleman instantly prostrated himself before the vine. Greetings, Aeon. So it is true, those rumors of Aeons ever-presence in the Fresnds.


    Had it not been true?


    Indeed. It is just that us, those on the fringes do not feel your presence.


    Have the Valthorns not sent their men to deal with the hybrids?


    ...ah. I was wasting my time.


    Is there anything serious?


    ...no. I just wanted to test my skill.


    Ah. I sometimes wonder whether my presence and surveince was a good thing.


    ---


    I floated in my soul realm, and watched the souls drift in. There were about 150,000 souls in my [soul realm], all awaiting reincarnation or whatever awaited their next step. When they are ready, they will shed their outer shells, and only the inner core will move on, to inhabit whatever that the gods had nned.


    I wondered whether theres a standard process to it. I recall Mozart, the being that reincarnated me, referring to himself as the administrator of this entire process. To think, since that day, I now y a part in the same process that they administered.


    A cog in the big machine.


    I once described the soul as a car and a driver, the driver as the inner core, the car as the outer core. But maybe its also more urate to imagine their bodies as the car, their clothes and look as their outer core, and their physical body as the inner core.


    One can change their outer soul shells, just as how Me and Alexis adopted new [sses] and new [skills]. The outer soul is after all just a frame, and the skills that are attached to that frame.


    Now that I have four colors, my ability to interact with these floating souls improved. Some of them are in need of repairs. In a way, this entire realm is my body, and there are segments where these damaged souls are repaired.


    Theres a lot of memories. Of their families. Of life in this world. I had chosen to just ignore these shbacks. In a way, Im just behaving like a soulless office administrator, putting a stamp on their documents before sending them on their way.


    I didnt want to care about their life story. It was too much. In fact, the more I learned of their life story, it just made me feel worse, because here I am, as a soul tree. Its like that meme from the MCU movies. I guide others to a treasure I cannot possess. And here, I see memories of a life had and lost, that I cannot obtain.


    > Are you a soul tree too, Lilies? Do you have a [soul realm]? <


    Ah. > What do you do with their... memories? <


    I paused. > Yeah. Me too. <


    Maybe it was right that I didnt go through their memories. Do they deserve at least that bit of dignity?


    I recall that Lilies was rather aloof about this whole arrangement, that they looked at it all from the angle of an overarching ecosystem. That the death of one is but a necessity.


    Am I bing like that, desensitised to death? Now that my domain and grand mind tree is able to block outside influences, is this... really me thats transformed into this jaded tree?


    > Im... Im afraid of what Im bing. < I didnt know why I said that to Lilies, but at that point, I really didnt have anyone else to turn to for advice on life as a tree.


    I had be desensitized. When I think about it, some of my choices are not my best. Even when I tried making better choices, it doesnt always turn out better.


    Lilies didnt reply for a whole week, then one day they just responded.


    How? Where? I dont know.


    [Grand Mind Tree had blocked outside influence from fellow trees]


    <i>Override.</i>


    [Grand Mind Tree has temporarily allowed outside influence.]


    I felt a sense offort. My fellow forests. Our now vastwork of trees that stretched the entirety of the Fresnds. Thend has been damaged by the demons, but weve brought it back from the dead. Thend is hurt, but we can fix it. Must I be one with the rest of the forests? Our fates are tied together. These trees depend on me, and as it is, I too, depend on them.


    > Do you lean on your fellow trees? < I suppose as a crutch. Maybe Lilies doesnt need it, because she, they, were born this way. But I was human, and my mind still has the lingering structure and processes of a human. It is a lot.


    I feel like it is.


    -


    The two of them sparred. Jura was quicker. Edna was still about level 60s, though she had an upgraded ss, Juras [Warlord] ss is pretty much an upgraded-ss too, though amon one. But as a [Grand Knight], she had a unique set of skills.


    It was the whole debacle of the fused sses, such as warlord, versus specialist sses, such as Grand Knight and Great Druit.


    The other Valthorns watched, Yvon, too.


    Juras gotten a lot stronger.


    He somehow broke through his level cap.


    Its a secret, of course. No one knew how he broke through the level cap, just that it happened. But Yvon was no fool, and she quickly concluded that I did something. After all, it wasnt the first time I tried to help Jura break through the level cap. She was also smart enough not to publicly say it.


    Faris was level 50 plus, his leveling was a little slower as somehow he didnt gain levels as frequently from battling hybrids or demons. If he wanted, his ability to influence trees was quite strong.


    Luckily, he couldnt get past my defenses.


    I wonder if the [Lord of the Forest] could, so, I decided to just destroy that seed instead. If I wanted it again, I could just merge 30 [Great Druid] seeds, but keeping it lying around was a risk I didnt want to take.


    -


    Spaizzer


    Thanks for reading my story. It''s already august OMFG. Seriously I need more time to do everything that I need to do.


    <em>ps - patreon has 3 more chapters, for $3 (and a side story), do check it out :P</em>

 Treemendous

    Treemendous


    <b>Year 124</b>


    The demon kingsing closer, and the weakening barriers somehow strengthens the hybrids. Then we spotted the demonic portals, and out came the champions.


    Ah shit. Here we go again.


    Champions. Walker-ss demons. Or more like, walkers were champion-ss demons. The Rottends asionally spawns champion-ss monsters, but they are quite passive, usually just roam around where they spawned. But a return of the champions means the demon king isnt far.


    So, are you guys ready for the next one? The three heroes are in their 50s now. They came 40 years ago, and this will be their 5th demon king, although they didnt have to fight the 2nd one, thanks to Astras bomb.


    No. We havent fixed the fundamental weakness that we do not have a healer. I couldnt fill their role, Im not a battlefield healer. Im like that hospital back in town that they rush back to. And we do have a gap in damage output.


    We could recruit Jura. Gerrard suggested. I sparred with him a few times, and I think hes about 20% of our level, maybe less.


    No. I was quick to smack that down. I wasnt going to send my best man to his death. But that was an interesting estimate. The heroes are around level 130-140, and yet a level 90 Jura is only 20% of their strength. That meant the growth at the higher levels is higher, in terms of stats.


    Aww I guessed it. But Aeon, you should train an archmage that can reach level 150!


    Easier said than done. I used so many experience-gaining and training rted abilities on my elite Valthorns, and Edna is only level 62. Which is just a little bit faster than how long it took Lausanne to get there. I reckon the speed is due to experience, and also an abundance of hybrid demons for Edna and her batch to fight as realbat experience.


    Anyway, Jura led my elite squad of Valthorns to one of the champions. They would attempt to fight one, with one of my [Giant Attendant Trees] nearby as aura and support. I wouldnt let them die, of course, but I wanted to see how my new elite squad stood against a champion.


    Could they do it?


    Anyway, this was a good time to watch.


    The demon champion wasnt an exotic shape or form, instead, it took the form of a massive winged demon with horns. A typical demonic look.


    Jura stood. Well, its more intimidating than I expected. A group of 10. Jura at about Level 92. Edna at Level 62, Faris at Level 55, the rest about level 40s to 50s. The gaps honestly big, but most of them have upgraded sses, which puts them above the strength of their level.


    [Fear Ward], [Morale Boost]. The Grand Knight used her skills. Well?


    Jura nodded, and he too had received upgraded familiars. [Aura - demonic suppression]. Alright. Its 10-on-1. Aeons watching, and he needs to know whether we can take it.


    There were swarms of beetles around to ensure that their 10-on-1 fight was not interrupted.


    They fought. They fought hard.


    And they were still inadequate. Mainly, everyone else other than Jura. Even Ednas shields and abilities were not at a level strong enough to parry the demon champions attacks, until she switched to the anti-demon weapons.


    I supposed I cheated, because I have these hero-fragments which just makes me intensely overpowered against demons. Still...


    They won. But I had to use a block or two. Conclusion, all of them needed to be around level 70 for the fight against the demon-champion to be a certainty. They also needed a far stronger damage dealer and live-healer.


    A druid was not a pure-healer. Not like someone with the [healer] ss was. I had some [healer] ss seeds, and I wanted to create a pure high-tier healer.


    It was not just healers. I wanted high-tier mages too, and high-tier [runemasters] as well, to do the things I wanted.


    Meanwhile, the heroes were getting ready. 2 years left, and already the continents faced the demonic attacks. It seemed that this time, the demons would be concentrated on our continent, because most of the demonic rifts have been detected here. Based on the heroeswork of informants all over the country, this demon king is shaping up to be another conventional demon king.


    Is that a good thing?


    We should be expecting hellhounds soon.


    Ah! Thats nostalgic. I had a woodhound from back then.


    And the demon knights and their elites.


    So, what should we prepare? Edna asked.


    Anti-fire magic? The conventional demon king is heavy on fire, axes and overwhelming force. Jura advised. What have you learned from ourbat with the champion?


    We need to be stronger, and our teamposition can be better. Edna shrugged. I have a few anti-demon skills as [grand knight], but not enough.


    Ive been rather useless throughout the entire battle. Faris frowned. My vines are not strong enough to damage the demon champion at all! My summons are quite useless too! In truth, a druid and a fire-demon is a very bad matchup. The only reason I personally have any use is because my fragments make me overpowered.


    Stronger skills. All of them agreed they needed stronger skills, but I wonder how I could give them some of my anti-demon properties, other than through my weapons and items. If only they could get some of my passives.


    Hero-weapons?


    The gear we have here is as-close to hero-weapons we can get. Jura exined. Well, I do have many, many sets of weapons I made with Harris and gang, but I kept that for now, mainly because after this generation of heroes, I may not get the chance to interact with the next batch, so I should keep this generations weapons as a rare item. It ultimatelyes down to levels, and I agree with Faris. Faris should therefore be stationed in the back. I will request Aeon for the [grand knights] to be deployed.


    Later on, the Fresnds Federal Authority and the representative of the segment-states had gathered for a military briefing. The topic is obviously the demon king. For these representatives, this was their chance to extract maximum benefit from the federal authority.


    The states have all appointed their own generals and militarymanders, but as enshrined in the constitution of our federation, and with my blessings, the beetles will be deployed to defend all the segments against the demons. The Valthorns, of course, have to join the battle as the elite force.


    The heroes too, had deployed their summoned units to fight demons beyond the borders of the Fresnds. Gerrard was frequently away to tackle the demon champions that appeared. He, a high-leveled hero, could handle the demon champions easily.


    I was wary of another Rottends-style event, so, I increased the number of [Giant Attendant Trees] in the distant regions, forming a ring. The ideal is that if something like the Rottends happened again, the giant trees canst a bit longer, and give me ample warning to prepare.


    Thest round, the demon king was on another continent, so I too somehow felt safe. It was totally a w in my thought process, but yeah, theres an urgency to this matter. I had reinforced the root walls on all the borders, and hand began stockpiling my [tuberous storage]. If needed, Id have to releaserge quantities of mana at one go to offset the pressure from a Rottends-style corruption bomb.


    I also added another of trees and root walls around Freshka and the valley, for a total of 3yers. One at the borders, one around Freshkan-region, and one around the Valley of the Unrotten. If a bomb blew up, I''d be able to buy two to three hours for a response.


    I had made a basic strategy framework for a demon king.


    One. Survival up till the point the demon king is in. This meant constructing defenses, mobile poptions, and armies to deal with the lesser demons. On this point, we have the beetles, a growing Valthorn Elite, and each of the regions have their own armies, adventurers and so on.


    Two. Supporting the heroes to y the demon king. The longer the demon king is not in, the more damage it can cause. So, once the heroes appear, they need to be supported so they can get to the level needed as fast as possible. Sometimes this take one-to-two years, and during this time theres absolutely nothing that can stand in the demon kings way. Maybe I could, but I wasnt sure, and I have no intention of taking that challenge on. Once the heroes are found, they should be groomed and properly armed. This, of course, is somewhat against my past practice of non-interference, but clearly it didnt work that well.


    Three. Surviving the aftermath. Weve seen from the past few demon kings that theres usually a death-trigger, and a post-recovery period. In some cases its a bomb, in some other, a gue. We dont know what this demon king will bring, but walls, mana, a widely distributed force, and time will be needed. If its a corruption-bomb, rootwalls will be effective. If its a nuke, the rootwalls will be destroyed, but they will reduce the fallout area.


    What if a magic-interference ability happens again? Jura asked. We currently still have very little good alternatives to the [message] spell. Thats the number one risk, I think. Amunication breakdown will damage our ability to mount a response. .


    Ah. So, I had Jura train and set up a system of runners and messengers.


    The Valthorns were a bit taken aback when I suggested having a system of locating and supporting the heroes.


    You want us to make items for the next generation of heroes? Harris and Mirei were both rather surprised by it.


    Yes. If you dont make it, you should leave something for the next generation of heroes. Ill keep it for you, and give it to them. Unless you dont trust me. This was a response to point 2, of course. How do we get the new heroes up to speed as fast as possible?


    No... just that, thats a good point. Why didnt we think of it? Harris said.


    Because theres no one we could trust that would ever give up a hero-ss item to the heroes. Why would they even tell the new heroes, who arrived a year or two after we died, that there are items for them? Mirei answered on my behalf. Its a good idea, really. I just dont know why I didnt think of it too. But then, we didnt have an eternal tree that we could trust. I mean, our lives are already in Aeons hands, what are some items?


    Try to make enough for 5 generation of heroes. If a hero could inherit the weapons of multiple generations of heroes, that may give them the leg up they needed. Or make them too powerful. But the heroes are already too powerful. The fact that theres always a sessor generation of demon king, in 10 years, essentially keeps them in check. If you want, you can also write a special journal or writing that can only be opened with star mana, that you can leave for the next generations hero to read.


    They nodded, and they spent months on it. They made items, wrote magical books. Things. Memories from one generation, to be passed on to another. They all made things. Harris made shields that summoned shield soldiers. Mirei made lightning axes and staffs that also summoned lightning elementals and flying thunderbirds. Gerrard made multiple swords that also summoned magical diators.


    When they made items for others, like their descendants, they had needed to be mindful that the items needed star mana to activate, so, they had to ensure the items contained enough self-sufficient star mana such that their descendants, who are born without them, can still use the items.


    But when they made for future heroes, who will have star mana, they can pretty much go all out, since they didnt have to consider the star mana supply. So the power of the items contained, nigh unusable to anyone else because of its star mana requirements, is extremely high. Again, I dont see why they couldnt have made it and stored it somewhere.


    No one could have used these items other than heroes anyway. At least, the full abilities of it. Its still limitedly useful in the hands of non-heroes because its generally strong and all that stuff.


    And, I had them stored. I will give one of each item to one hero of the next generation, so each generation will receive around 5-15 items. It was rather difficult for the heroes to make the same items, so what I will do, as discussed with the heroes, was let the next generation of heroes choose what they wanted.


    Ive be the tree of items too.


    [Secret Hideout upgraded]


    [Woodforming upgraded]


    <b>Year 125</b>


    [Demon King Guihwang has arrived]


    The demon king was early. At first, nothing much seemed to have happened. The Demon King is here, but we dont know where it is. The heroes convened.


    You dont? I was rather surprised by this. Its on this continent, no? No damage?


    Not a single sighting so far.


    Huh? But then, isnt it destroying anything?


    I have no idea either. None of the heroes had any idea what was happening. Every demon king in the past left a trail of destruction wherever it went, so this one being absolutely unseen is strange.


    Is it in the Rottends, collecting its strength? The Rottends is vast, and I do recall some demon kings generally justze around doing nothing for a while.


    We looked with our summons. Nothing. Gerrard said.


    Then...


    Is this demon king... invisible? Or an assassin-type? If so, I had ensured that everyone was on high alert. Aeon thinks this demon kings going to jump on us?


    Yes. Likely to be an invisible or assassin type that would only pop up when its really sure its seen us.


    We can sense it, right? Gerrard closed his eyes and attempted to use his heroic sense. And yet, nothing.


    We should just travel together, just in case- An attack on the border. Demon champions, 3 of them. And an army of hybrid demons. I sent beetles to fight them, and then, I allowed the Demon Champions closer. Once they were in the vicinity of my Giant Attendant Trees, I unleashed a flurry of anti-demon skills and my hoarded pile of anti-demon bolts.


    They were tough. After all, the battle still urred a distance away from my main tree, so the effects of my passives were weaker. But I eventually destroyed all 3 of them.


    [You gained a level. Level 158!]


    [Skill obtained : Demonyer Pit]


    [Creates a pit that significantly weakens demons trapped within. Attacks made within the pit all gain anti-demon properties]


    Huh. A stationary trap-ability.


    Whats the point-


    My thoughts were instantly interrupted by a surge in power. The heroes were fighting. The demon king finally made its appearance! Arge winged demon, its scales so shiny they resembled polished chrome. It hadrge ws and its swipes maderge gashes in the ground with every swipe.


    How and when did it appear at the outskirts?


    We cant let it fight here. Harris shouted as he dodged an energy attack. The ground cracked where itnded. I felt the pain of the ground and the trees damaged by it, and soon, the area was already decimated. Theres a city not far from here!


    Then we lead it into the Rottends! Mirei said, and she transformed into lightning itself, and all 3 heroes were sucked into a lightning sphere. The demon king effortlessly followed. It was out to kill them!


    They didnt go too far. They managed to travel about one beetle-days journey into the Rottends, and bought some space between themselves and civilisation. I could see it... because this entire area was filled with hybrid trees that I gained control over.


    I was relieved that even with the demon king so near I still have control.


    Should we cut it off, though? Trevor asked. The demon king may use some kind of psychic attack.


    No. I wanted to watch the demon king fight. Just prepare countermeasures.


    The heroes crashed in an uninhabited area far away, filled with hybrid demon trees. Its rocky terrain, filled with small mounds and hills, and the explosive demon trees.


    The three heroes were all fully armed, and they dodged. The demon king wasnt about to let them talk, as the demon kings massive ws created another scar in the ground. I felt it, the sudden extinguishing of lives. Trees that often just get destroyed in every singlebat.


    The heroes used attacks Ive never seen before. Beams of starlight, shes that had energies of the star mana. Bright white colored energy shes.


    The demon king and the heroes traded blows, and dozens of demon champions appeared as well. The demon king summoned them to annoy the heroes, because in this star-mana form, they could destroy the demon champions with a single skill.


    Yet the demon king stood. Strong and it took hits like it didnt hurt. But it probably did, because Gerrard managed to cut away one of its six silvery wings.


    Each time they trade blows, some trees get crushed or destroyed. Its reminded of the saying When elephant fights, it is the grass the suffers.


    But the heroes were too weak. Mireis performance was dragging them down, and Harris too, was slower.


    My curse is acting up! Mirei winced in pain. The curse, long suppressed by my magic, was aggravated by the overuse of star-mana and their physical exertion. The demon king didnt let them have a break, either. Barrage, after barrage.


    They may not have noticed that Ive been gradually replenishing the vegetation so that I could maintain my vision over the event.


    Harris took a hit, his armor crushed by the sheer force of the demon kings silvery ws. A silver-demon. The other two heroes unleashed an attack simr to a mini-nuke, they tried to put some distance between the demon king and Harris.


    Harris was first to die.


    The demon king just tanked the attacks, and lost one of his remaining 5 wings. But he got into distance, and with his ws, grabbed onto Harris. The demon king caught him, and crushed him.


    [Harris has died. You received a fragment.]


    But Harris had prepared for this eventuality, and his body exploded into a mist of blood. The blood mist then transformed into multiple sharp, spear-like shapes. Those blood spears then smashed into the demon kings body. It pierced through multiple parts of the demon kings body with tremendous force, an attack made of the heros blood surely is something else.


    The power of the attack stunned my magical sensors temporarily, at this distance. It was honestly off the charts.


    Another set of ithe demon kings wings were knocked out. The two heroes didnt flinch as they watched their friend die. Theyve been through loss, and they are still focused on the demon king.


    The demon king took damage, it roared, and shot out beams of energy. Their tanker and defender was taken out, so they had to rely on a wide set of items, like their crystal matrices which created massive wooden shields. Those items didnt hold up for very long.


    Each of the shields took two hits.


    Mireis curse acted up some more. But rather than retreat, she seemed to gain a boost of energy and she threw herself at the demon king. Damn you! She shouted and she ran in with a staff of lightning. I felt all my magical sensors go nuts again then. She was drawing her soul into her attack!


    And the demon king, already weakened by Harriss blood-spear, had half of its head blown off by an intense purple lightning st that contained all of her souls power.


    Then Mirei copsed.


    [Mirei has died. You received a fragment.]


    Gerrard was thest. He stood alone, against a silverish demon king with two wings left, and half of its head and body destroyed. Purple lightning seemed to constantly attack it from nowhere. A thunder and lightning-curse. Each lightning strike seemed powered by the heros soul.


    Just you and me, buddy. Gerrard closed his eyes. Its finally time for me to also return home. Wait for me, my friends.


    He too, threw his entire soul into his diators dius. It shone with a bright blue light, its energy distorted the air. Its glow was so bright that it seemed like the sun itself appeared. Once again all my magical sensors go insane.


    I wont live through this anyway, but you are going down with me. Gerrard charged at the demon king. The demon king somehow roared, and I felt the worlds demons all drained into it. Some of the hybrid trees were sucked up, and the demon kings two ws glowed.


    Both of their attacks found their targets. Gerrards dius stabbed right in the demon kings chest. It pierced through the blood-speared body. The demon kings ws stabbed through Gerrards stomach.


    Die with me. Gerrard shouted. [Drunken Explosion].


    His body seemed to turn into an alcoholic mist, and it ignited all the naturally explosive hybrid trees together.


    It was a loud and massive boom.


    It set off a chain of hybrid-tree explosions that destroyed everything within a hundred miles, and created a smog so thick that itsted for three weeks.


    [Demon King Guihwang has been destroyed]


    [Gerrard has died. You received a fragment].


    [You received 3 heroic souls. You can now create 3 titans. You currently possess enough energy to support 2 titans] [You gained 10 levels. You are now level 168]


    [Skill significantly upgraded : Woodforming]


    [Skill significantly upgraded : Hybrid Botany]


    [Skill significantly upgraded : Constriction]


    [Skill significantly upgraded : Subsidiary Tree. Subsidiary tree limit increased on 300,000. Great Attendant Tree Limit increased to 10,000]


    [Skill significantly upgraded : Demonic Suppression Aura]


    [You reached level 160. Domain ability : Aeonic Variation unlocked]


    [Aeonic sses and variants have been introduced to the world. ss-users worldwide can now obtain Aeonic-variant sses such as Aeonic Ranger, Aeonic Knight, Aeonic Priests, Aeonic Druids etc. You may also now upgrade a ss to their Aeonic variants. Aeonic variants have slightly different skill sets and gains extra boosts when using Aeonic items. Animals and monsters around Aeons valleys may also have Aeonic variants]


    [Youve unlocked two unique sses. Each of these 2 sses can only be awarded to one person at a time]


    [Aeons Demonyer. ss focused on demon-ying. Gains significant anti-demon ying boost. Able to remotely apply demonic suppression aura thats equal to Aeons main body around itself]


    [Aeons Field Scientist. ss focused on magic and research. Unlocks a wide range ofb-rted and soul rted skills. Can instantly set up teleportation beacons between a fieldb and the magicbs within Aeons secret hideout]


    I gained 10 levels!


    Holy cow.


    And it wasnt over. There was a string of messages and notifications that came from Mirei and the other heroes


    [Mirei has bequeathed 30 experience seeds]


    [Mirei has bequeathed ten Lightning Mage ss seeds]


    [Mirei has bequeathed twenty Mage ss seeds]


    [Gerrard has bequeathed 22 experience seeds]


    [Gerrard has bequeathed 15 Brewmaster ss seeds]


    [Harris has bequeathed 10 king ss seeds. King ss seeds absorbed into Anointed King ss seed]


    [Harris has bequeathed 10 Master Trader ss seeds]


    [Harris has bequeathed 10 Inquisitor ss seeds. Inquisitor modified to Aeonic Inquisitor ss seeds]


    [Harris has bequeathed 25 experience seeds]


    Ah.


    Where do I start?


    Spaizzer


    Yay thanks for reading. Hopefully a fun one. Aeon''s getting titans... :P

 Choose Your Tree Titans

    Choose Your Tree Titans


    <b>Year 125 (continued)</b>


    All three heroes died in their fight. Theyve managed to kill the demon king, but they fell with it. Harriss broken empire immediately devolved into war. War was dered the day the news arrived in their cities. He must be sad if he knew that the truce he brokered didnt evenst a day after his death.


    Its amon thing, and has happened throughout history. After the heroes die, whatever they built tends to fall apart.


    If I die, the Fresnds will copse too. I realised in a way, this empire I have right now is almost the same.


    Certainly. Jura said. As it is, the safety of the entire valley is backed by your prowess. Without you, nothing much else holds the valley together, other than a shared area. And weve seen them, happy to y each other.


    Conflict is eternal. Yvon said as she trained a new bunch of children. But so is progress. Train, and we get better.


    Progress in level terms, or progress in a society?


    Speaking of which... I can create Titans now. That meant I can choose to power up that dormant walker I have. But those were not the only choices I had. For the titan souls, the system gave a few options.


    [Giant Tree Serpent, Nydus - A massive serpent. Able to use earth and wood magic. Starts at level 70. Gains powers to summon all sorts of serpents and poisons. Master of poisons and has the ability to brew multiple types of potent poisons and cures. Able to grant poison immunity.]


    [Giant Storm Bird - A massive bird with powers of wind, water and thunder. Gains power to summon eagles and hawks. Eagles and hawks can carry goods and people. Has power to grant [Wind Mage] and [Flight] ability to those worthy. Can control the local weather and improve irrigation. Starts at level 70.]


    [Fusion with Juras Bamboo to form a Titan-ss summon. Starts at level 80. Takes the form of a massive wall of thorns. As a summon, it has high burst type output. Transferable, and also significantly improves its hosts strength and base stats. Host of the Titan Summon will not age]


    [Fusion with Horns. Starts at level 80. Transforms Horns into a Goliath Kingbeetle thats able to use earth magic and various other protective and offensive abilities. Goliath Kingbeetle can create Royal Warbeetles. Also produces very high quality beetle-silk. Royal Warbeetles can improve crop output in the area]


    [Fusion with a Giant attendant tree - Creates a Warmaster Treant. Starts at level 70. High toughness and use of wood magic. Warmaster Treant is able to create lesser treants to assist inbat and other duties. Also produces high quality teas and fruits.]


    [Fusion with Grand Mind-Tree - Creates the Tree-Over-Mind. Starts at level 75. Massive psychic magical abilities. Expands secured telepathicmunication to the entire continent. Unlocks Mind Reading Ability for anyone within the local valley, which allows limited mind-reading of any targeted person in the local area. Also unlocks psychic/mental attacks and the power to send nightmares and dreams to anyone in the local valley. Psychic attacks do not work on demons.]


    Andstly, activate the walker.


    [Fusion with Walker Corpse. Creates the Walking-Tree-City. Starts at level 75. Has the ability to produce wood-warriors and also simultaneously control them. Limited to 5,000 wood-warriors at any point, and wood-warriors cannot travel far from Walking-Tree-City. Has ability to use long range projectile attacks. Also carries a mobile healing spring and amodation on its body able to amodate and feed up to 1,000 people. Produces fruits and vegetables on its back too.]


    I was quite struck by analysis paralysis, and I had no real urgency to select one, since, well, I have 3 of them and I can keep them until I noticed what I really, really wanted. I mean, I have 3 titan souls, and I can support 2 of them!


    In truth, I wanted all of them. And from my experience with this system, its likely that I unlock even more choices as I go along, or just be aware of them. So, there may be merit to choose the next optionter, when I have more choices.


    I mean, all of the titan choices were good, one way or another!


    > What do you think, Lilies? <


    I shared the news of the Titan Souls to Lilies. I wasnt sure why I did it, but I wanted to tell someone, so I told Lilies and Jura. Jura was too stunned and didnt quite know what to advise me. To him, this was the realm of gods, and he wouldnt be able to choose. Which was strange, but maybe he just couldnt bear with the weight of the choice.


    > No preferences? <


    Hah! No! Im not going to do that. Or maybe I should? I didnt know. I wonder what kind of choices Lilies would have gotten, if they were in my ce? Maybe something over death, or something like a city? Since thats what they have power over?


    > Lilies, if you made an item for the heroes, what would you make? <


    It didnt reply to me. I mean, I asked that question because the heroes were making items for the few next generations, and I wondered whats a good item I would give?


    I mean, could we cheat this system in some way? A sword that umtes power as it passes through the hands of each and every hero, eventually reaching the point that it can kill the demon king outright? I mean, thats like an anime-plot, but magically and system wise, thats possible, right?


    A weapon that kept gaining levels. A weapon to y all the demons. I had that idea a while ago to fuse an artificial soul into a sword or spear, but that doesnt really make a weapon that much stronger. A weapon made by the hero, formed from star mana is still stronger. Partly because artificial souls on their own arent that strong.


    But if I could make a Titan-Soul version of a living, growing weapon, wouldnt it eventually reach a point where it can y the demon king?


    -


    The heroes are dead. Yvon said, as she announced to the group a few days after it happened. The Valthorns were mostly quiet. For them, these young ones, theyve lived their entire lives with Harris, Mirei and Gerrard as the surviving heroes.


    To some extent, this was <i>Pax Harrisan. </i>A period of rtive peace thanks to the quick destruction of the demon king by the heroes. This era has finally ended.


    What now, Principal? They asked.


    Nothing. It was just an announcement, that all of you should know. For us, we go on as usual. We prepare for the next demon king, and the next.


    Edna looked at Faris. Well. Our worries were for nothing.


    What, you wanted to face the demon king? Did power get to your head? Faris rolled his eyes. Since theirst battle with the demon champions theyve been constantly gaining levels, and now Edna and Faris are both in the early Level 70s.


    Ah, no.


    Another 10 years of rtive peace.


    8. Data collected suggests that the 2 years before the demon king arrives is filled with demonic attacks.


    Minor attacks. Nothing we cant handle. Especially now that theres 3 of us [Grand Knights]. Edna said. I hear from Master Jura that he may be considering a second [Great Druid] too. With all this strength, I think we can handle a demon champion or two.


    Really? Faris seemed worried. Who?


    Who do you think? Edna smiled back.


    Ahe on. Dont y coy with me. You know the answer.


    I dont. I swear. Edna just walked.


    Hey, you two seemed happy. The [spearmaster], Lovis poked in. Are we having a gathering of the upgraded sses soon?


    Ish. Edna frowned.


    From what I can see, all of them are still somehow around 70-80% of Lausannes full strength. Lausanne had the special familiar, the [possession of the devoted], and that alone made her stronger, even if she had just regr sses. But the possession of the devoted has strange unwritten conditions, and I have not been able to award them to anyone yet.


    As the young batch of upgraded-ss Valthorns talked, Jura and Yvon just looked at each other. What do you think of this batch?


    Theyre good. Yvon said. At their level, stronger than me.


    Well, you used to be stronger than me. Jura smiled.


    Used to be. Not anymore. On that topic, tell me, how did Aeon break through your cap?


    Well, something that wont help anyone. I think only he can do it. Its something soul-rted.


    Yvon shrugged. The Valtrian Orders staff strength has increased to about 15,000, with 12,000 in Freshka itself, and the remaining 3,000 in the various city-states. They act as our representatives, recruiters and caretakers.


    The Valtrian Orders two main wings, the military wing, and the social wing are meant to be mutually reinforcing. The Social and Health wing, in addition to its social support services, is also a means of funnelling young children with nothing much to lose to the Valtrian Orders ways. It works well, and the local rulers recognise it, so they often set uppeting institutions in order to divert talent away from me.


    The Social Wing, in addition to regr orphanages, also includes funeral parlors, hospitals, childcare facilities, some schools and some food stores.


    Then the Valtrian Order started getting notified of it.


    I could feel them. They were scattered throughout Freshka, at first, 10, then 20. Then a hundred. Its like I instinctively knew where they are.


    My ss... it changed when I woke up. Its now [Aeonic Ranger]. A ranger said to his colleagues on the walls of Freshka. He was not the first, but many others started getting simr notifications.


    What does it do? Not everyone got it. Some did.


    I... dont know? The ranger said. He was stilling to terms with his changed ss. Those whos ss changed generally are a bit more spiritual, and they tend to either pray to some kind of tablet, or regrly visit the temples and other social sites that I have. Some are familiar faces, Ive seen them at my [tree of prayers].


    They would be healthier, and as long as they are near-to-me and mywork of trees, they will be stronger. Their defensive moves were upgraded too, and they would gain some advantages when fighting demons.


    A few priests, who regrly perform rituals, funerals and births gained [Priest of Aeon]. As a priest, they gained the power to grant [Protection of the Valley], a temporary blessing that grants them energy from the valley.


    Faris, too, woke up one day and he was [Aeonic Great Druid]. You didnt get an upgrade, Edna?


    ...no. I suddenly feel inadequate about it. Edna frowned.


    Indeed, Jasmine and my artificial minds were quick to theorise that all those who got the [aeonic] sses were, to some extent, believers. Perhaps not to the degree of a god, but as a local deity. And now that belief has manifested itself as a ss.


    There was a small uproar too, among the priests.


    Aeon has ascended and has gained power to grant unique sses. This is proof of divinity! They shouted and imed. I cringed. Sure, now I can grant special sses. But divine? Theres a massive spectrum to the gods, surely.


    Lilies spoke suddenly, abruptly.


    > Huh? <


    > What... level are you? <


    It didnt answer. Maybe asking their levels is like asking a womans age. Its probably offensive.


    > Sorry. <


    > What? <


    I didnt know what they meant for a moment. But then I soon got a rather quick notification from mywork of informants.


    The Church of Neira has dered Aeon as a heretic and a demon. ordingly, the Valtrian Order and the Fresnds are monsters that must be exterminated.


    The Temple of Gaya has formally cut all ties with the Fresnds. Woot. We do not recognise and will not do business with anyone who professes to be a believer of Aeon.


    The Church of Aiva has dered Aeon, of the Fresnds as an enemy of the religion.


    The Church of Hawa has dered Aeon, of Freshka and the Fresnds, as a heretic and enemy of the faith.


    Ah. It came suddenly, but four churches suddenly dering me as a heretic? And I just as quickly, I had an uprising in my own realm. All this while there have been believers of all these other faiths co-existing with us, but now these temples and religious organisations pretty much dered outright war on me.


    I felt a sense of anger. And fear.


    What can they throw at me? Did their gods suddenly realised that Ive stepped closer to the realm of the gods and now considered me an enemy? If this is going to be a conventional war like with the other lesser kingdoms, I will crush them.


    Aeon. Jura said, arge council present. The 4 temples have dered you a heretic. Many of our own have decided to emigrate. There will be a ughter, and there will be war. The temples have vast armies that they can summon. Resources that they can put together.


    And yet they still depend on heroes to defend them from the demons. In our broken continent, the hold of the temples are weak. Theres little faith in these temples when theyve seen so much damage. But the faith of the believers are stronger where the temple institutions are strong. So, if there are enemies, they will likelye from the other continents. How many?


    My artificial minds got to work quickly. Across the entire fresnds... not that bad. 10% of our poption may leave.


    Not that bad at all. 10% is small. Perhaps the issue of faith means little when their safety is constantly threatened.


    Among the nobles and leaders though, its about 30%.


    I had to do something. I cant fight a war without leaders. So I turned to Jura and the representatives.


    After the fall of the demons, my power has grown. My most recent powers involved the introduction of Aeonic-variant sses into the world.


    A silence among those present.


    Even among some of you, I can sense the presence of an Aeonic ss. One of the present representatives was an [Aeonic Warrior]. And so, this provoked the temples in retaliation.


    They fear your rise, Aeon. One of the representatives said. This is a mark of a jealous god.


    Not umon. The crusades of the Northern Frost was one such war. The representatives discussed the matter among themselves.


    A trees roots will break through rock and stone, if it must. If they dare to step foot in my valley, I shall break them. I dered. I am high level, surely I can hold mynds against some temrs.


    The representatives nodded, and they all went out. The Fresnds Federal Authority will prepare for war. I had things to think about.


    From the deration, and the consistent timing, I concluded that this must be a divine message. Else, why did 4 temples act in unison to denounce me? The gods, or whatever they are, are in limited contact with the temples, and at the same time, their ability to see or perceive the world is probably limited. Somehow, when my [domain] ability added new sses to the world, that made them aware of my presence.


    So, would the temples summon heroes to counter me? That would be a very interesting data point, or are the gods tied in that they are unable to summon heroes?


    I think they cant. If they could summon heroes to destroy me directly, they would have done so. There was no need for the temples to publicly dere war on me. So, the deration of war must mean the gods have limited tools when dealing with non-demonic matters. At best, they would request the heroes to attack me, when the next demon king arrives in the future, but thats still some time away.


    In short, I can expect the forces these temples will muster will be conventional in nature. Nothing extraordinary.


    -


    About a month after the deration, Ive heard of various crusading forces preparing for an invasion. It takes time for them to form a coalition, after all, the temples own standing armies are generally small, and they call on awork of believer states to donate forces for their cause.


    Per ourwork, were looking at about 1-2million soldiers in total across the 4 temples armies, but in actual fact itll be less, simply because not all kingdoms will give the full amount requested by the temples. At this point, its a good thing to ask, So, where was this same army when the demon king was rampaging throughout the world?


    Defending their home cities.


    Stupid. Politics is stupid. At this point a part of me wants to smack some sense into them, like, hey, Ive been protecting the world from demons, and this is what I get?


    Aeon, we detected a spy approaching. Hes moving quickly. One of my [Aeonic Rangers]mented. He must have believed that he would not be found.


    Intercept him.


    My Aeonic rangers attacked, and he dodged. Wait! He shouted. I want to speak to Aeon. I bring an important message from the church of Aiva.


    If it is war, you have war.


    The spy shook his head. Its moreplicated than that.


    -


    The spy was led to an area with arge [tree of prayer]. Speak. I telepathically said. Edna, and a few knights were there. Just in case.


    May I have some privacy? The spy said. The things I say must be only for Aeon.


    No. I said.


    The spy sighed, but then he took out a small pendant. Instantly I felt a kind of holy energy, and Ednas sword moved in. What are you doing?


    This is the Aivas Pendant of Truth. One of the 5 sacred treasures of the Church of Aiva, and proof, that I speak for Aiva.


    Ednas sword closed in. The spys finger gently touched the tip, pushing it aside slightly.


    Aiva has no intention of going to war with Aeon. But the other 3 temples have received divine messages to some degree. Aiva, our patron god, has decreed that a war is dered as a formality, but no hostilities will break out.


    Breaking of trade routes do not count for hostilities? One of the rangers shouted.


    Some concessions must be made to keep up to charade. The spy said. But we will not send anyone of significant skill or power for this endeavour. This war is a silly thing, with demons at the border.


    What do the temples want? I asked.


    I do not know. But Aiva was clear. This is a fake war. An act. Well, an act of war, then.


    But there will be real wars with the other 3. I felt sad. Especially with the temple of Gaya. I recall being housed in a temple of Gaya. It mustve been destroyed by the Rottends. It didnt have to be a war, no?


    Is this the part of my life where Im going to y tower defense against a wave of attackers from across the sea?


    -


    Spaizzer


    Thanks for reading!

 Side Story: Lausanne and the Priest of Aiva

    Side Story: Lausanne and the Priest of Aiva


    <b>Circa Year 125, immediately after the time the demon king died</b>


    The [Captain] said well reach Port Killos soon. One of Lausannes party-mates announced the news to the group of 10. They were adventurers, the ying Swords, and theyve been sailing for a good 5 weeks from Port Anggar of the Southern Continent to Port Killos on the southernmost edge of the Eastern Continent.


    The oceans are vast. It takes a month from one ce to another, sometimes three months should the weather be exceptionally bad, or some of therge monster-fishes create hostile patches. Theres been times when a sea serpent made a whirlpoolrge enough that trade was disrupted for years across the straits.


    Port Killos, the Southern Fortress. Home to one of thergest Aiva temples, and seat of Grandmaster Engka, one of Grand Triumvirs of Aiva. Its walls were made 830 years ago by the Summoned Hero, Don Mex, and one of the strongest hero-enchanted walls in the world. Still, on the southern part, there was arge hole, a crater from a demonic supercannon st. A relic of the era of Demon King Sabnoc.


    Theres also a memorial there, to remember the 17,000 who died from that explosion. The ship was finally ready to dock.


    Alright. Lausanne nodded. She wore a deep green jacket, and she had three wooden spears on her back. So what in the world happened in a month?


    The party, and many other passengers disembarked. The crew and the docksmen started underloading cargo too. But, they quickly picked up something that felt different. There were far more soldiers, and temrs.


    Aiva had temrs, but the temrs rarely left their training grounds except during the demon wars.


    The Demon King had fallen! The three heroes died! They got the news, and Lausanne just nodded. Thats good, she thought. A temr approached them. Normally, it would just be a regr port official that did visitor screening. Name? Which party?


    Im Ardi, of the ying Swords. A man in his early 40s answered. He quickly showed his many adventurer guild badges. Lausannes husband. Its funny, because Lausanne is more of a spear-user. Swords are pretty low on her list of proficiencies, but the party had a lot of sword users. Each kingdom recognised their own adventurers differently, so most parties obtained multiple certifications.


    Alright. The temr nodded. Cleared. The temples are off-limits, however.


    Off-limits? One of the party members asked. She was the partys healer, and shes a priestess-warrior. That meant she actually has a holy-enchanted sword, albeit a lesser one. Is it open for the clergy?


    The temr looked at the healer. Clergy may ess the outer temples. Central temples off limits to everyone. The Triumvir is receiving a divine message.


    The priestess-warriors jaw dropped. A divine message! The temr nodded and signalled them to move along.


    Lausanne walked next to the priestess. Lexi, whats a divine message?


    The gods, they sometimes send a divine message. Only those who have the right levels and skills can receive it. But the messages usually need a long time to be received, sometimes months, so the high priests would enter into solitary confinement, often with only a skeleton crew to support them.


    Why do they want to receive it?


    Usually ites with some kind of divine blessings, and almost all priests level up quite a bit after receiving a divine message.


    Really? Lausanne just nodded. Ardi patted his wife on the back. Alright, lets get to our inn. Well check out what quests we have tomorrow.


    They woke up the next day to sounds of marching men. An army.


    Whats happening? Ardi asked the innkeeper. It was about time for breakfast anyway.


    Not sure. But the central temples have been closed for 3 weeks already. I dont recall something like this happening in a long time.


    Lexi nibbled on a piece of meat. That usually means the divine message is quite long. Usually.


    Have you ever received a divine message, Lexi? Lausanne asked, curious.


    No. Its a gift for the select few, those chosen by the gods as their [voice]. For mere mortals like us, we never get a chance.


    Lausanne nodded. Ardi came back with a few files. Alright, the guilds got some typical hunting missions, and some demon extermination missions. I think the jobs seem rtively easy, so we can split up into two groups. Lausanne will lead the demon-hunting mission. The usual split.


    She nodded. That usual split meant Lausanne, two swordsmen and one mage. Their team is usually smaller, simply because Lausanne, at Level 80, due to her unique history, massively outleveled everyone else in the party. Everyone else was around level 40 to level 55. Ardi himself was only a Level 52 [Swordfighter].


    They spent the whole morning going through the quest dossiers, but then, a group of temrs marched into the inn. Heavily armed too, a group of 10 temrs.


    Were looking for the ying Swords. One Temr Captain said, and Ardi nodded.


    Yes. We are the ying Swords.


    Per our records, is Lausanne Searwind, the Greenspears present? The temr asked.


    Lausanne stood. Yes. That would be me.


    The temr nodded. Alright, Lady Lausanne, Im afraid we need you toe with us. The rest of you can stay here.


    Ardi panicked. Wait. Shes my wife, is everything alright?


    The temr paused, his brain was probably processing the information. Im afraid the Triumvir only ordered for her. The rest of you, please wait here.


    Will she be alright? Ardi asked again, noticing that the temr didnt answer his question.


    Lausanne smiled. Ill be fine. Honestly, what could they do? Lausanne had the best chance of escape, she did have her Warden.


    -


    The temr escorted her to the Core Temples. They didnt attempt to restrain her, so Lausanne assumed it had not been a crime. At least, not yet. She did not take her woodspears along, her three woodspears were with her party, but still, if she needed a weapon, Warden was more than able to create a few.


    The Core Temples wererge, ancient buildings, built during the era of the heros descendants. Don Mex was summoned by Aiva, at least, ording to Aiva Scriptures. Who knows how the scriptures have changed over the hundreds of years? Regardless, it was still imposing and grand, and Lausanne nodded. She felt a pressure pressing down on her, but it was a lot lighter than Aeons [Haunted Forests].


    The temrs guided her to one corner building, it resembled a small keep. It was the temrs headquarters. She noted the armored guards throughout the building, as the temr captain led up the stairs to a higher floor. Eventually she arrived at arge room with ss windows that had a beautiful vantage of the ports and the bay of Port Killos.


    Greetings, you must be Lausanne. A middle-aged man said. He sat on arge, beautifully decorated seat, and he was nked by a few high ranking temrs. She nodded, and vaguely sensed some kind of skill.


    [Warden has applied Magic Suppression Aura. Skill effects cancelled]. Lausanne just smiled. It wasnt the first time someone had tried to use a skill on her. Warden, a special familiar, was unique in many ways. It was like having a mini-Aeon around, with many of Aeons abilities, to a lesser degree.


    The mans head jerked a little, he probably noticed his skill was cancelled, and the presence of an aura. Well, I shouldnt have known it wont be so easy. Alright, let me just give you a brief exnation of why you are here, and why you should cooperate.


    Lausanne didnt respond.


    Our records say you originated from the Fresnds, and was born in New Freeka. You lived there until 16 or 17 years ago.


    Technically I was born in Freeka. Lausanne corrected.


    Alright. So, you confirm you lived there until 16 to 17 years ago?


    Yes. Lausanne didnt see where this was going.


    So, what do you know about.... Aeon.


    Lausanne paused. She didnt like talking about Aeon, simply because well... most people didnt understand what its like to live with a massive demi-god whose energies just permeated her world. She grew up under his care, and to everyone else, that was an alien concept. In fact, she spent a few years adjusting to the reality that her experience was extremely unique. ...what do you want to know?


    His powers. His weaknesses.


    Lausanne had a gut feeling it wasnt going to be good. Honestly, I dont know of his weaknesses. Maybe... demon kings?


    The questioning temrs eyebrows moved.


    His powers... he can summon beetles, create walls of trees and roots, and attack with root strikes. He also has a lot of healing abilities, like, he healed my uncles dismembered arm. He also has massive shield abilities. Lausanne honestly didnt know the full breath of Aeons abilities.


    How far can he attack?


    Lausanne shook her head. I dont know.


    Whats the furthest?


    Lausanne paused. Everywhere in the valley? That puts it at... 60 to 80 miles, maybe even a 100?? Honestly, Lausanne didnt know either. She was not aware of Aeons battle with the faraway walker, nearer to Lilypod City. These questions actually made her wonder how much she knew about Aeon, because she realised that she couldnt give a definite answer for most of it.


    The temrs eyes widened, and he quickly jotted that down. The middle-aged temr flipped through his notes and a book.


    What is this about, really? Lausanne asked.


    There will be war, mdy. A temr answered. With Aeon, as a false deity.


    False deity? She didnt like the sound of that at all. To her, he was a deity and guardian spirit in every way. She stared at the temr, On what grounds?


    Our god decreed so. The temr said. From what I understand, so will Hawa, Gaya and Neira.


    Lausanne paused. She wasnt sure how to take the news. Is this war? Are all these people going to march on the Fresnds, against Aeon?


    Are they insane? Have they not seen the thousands of beetles he has? As far as she can remember, Aeons supply of beetles seemed almost limitless. Sure, a high levelled individual can kill hundreds, if not thousands of beetles, but exhaustion eventually sinks in. They need sleep, food, pee and poo. Aeon could just repeatedly throw beetles at them until he finally won.


    He was a tree. Roots can break stones, and he was not afraid of taking forever to do it. She wanted to speak. No, she was quite tempted to just shout.


    But the temr said. Were rather confident. We are even authorised to use hero-items.


    Lausanne paused. Hero-items... she thought about it for a moment, and she recalled the hero-made wooden armor that Uncle Jura had. She remembered it quite vividly, and if they can deploy hero-items, Aeon has them too. She knew for a fact that hero-items are weaker in the hands of regr folks, and Aeon has way more mana to power the hero items than the temples.


    Have these temrs lost their minds? Emperor Harris made so many hero-items for Aeon, do they know about that?


    She felt conflicted. TreeTree would probably tell her to not say a word. He was fond of pulling off little surprises like that. Maybe hed even use tunnels and sappers, like he did so many years ago.


    Am I... under arrest? Lausanne asked. She was rtively sure they wouldnt be able to hurt her. Even now, she was confident in defeating everyone in the room.


    Oh. The temrs flipped through some notes. Uh, yes. Im afraid we have to keep you under house arrest for a while.


    The higher-ranked temrs walked towards her, and she shook her head. Its alright, I wont resist.


    The temrs led her to another area of the Core Temple grounds, and she was given a small butfortable room. A maid will attend to you, but during this time, Im afraid you have to be here. We cannot have you leaking our troop movements to the Fresnds.


    Lausanne shrugged. She sat, and she processed her feelings. She believed Aeon would be fine. No. She knew they would be fine. Only someone with a heros power can stand up to Aeon. All these cities struggled to even contain a Demon Walker, thats why they resorted to hexbombs.


    Theyd have to bring out their hidden big guns to even have a chance.


    -


    Are you alright? Ardi came, the temrs strangely allowed her husband to visit her and even gave him the option to stay with her during her house arrest. I heard the gist of it from the temrs.


    Im perfectly fine. Lausanne nodded. Well just have to stay here for quite a while. The team can go on with their missions. In fact, you can join them if you want to. Lausanne winked. Being confined for a few years, whats new? She was confined in a valley for 20 years before and had to fight hybrid demons every other day, this wasnt a big deal. In fact, this was pretty much a staycation.


    Do I need to warn anyone?


    Nope. Lausanne shook her head. I dont want my mother to know.


    Her husband sat next to her and gave her a hug. Alright.


    Go with the team. Pretty sure they need you. More than me. Im just going to be trapped in this building for a while, nothing particrly dangerous, really.


    He paused, and he looked rather conflicted. Eventually he nodded. Well probably drop the demon-hunting missions without you around.


    Lausanne shrugged. Give yourself some credit, dear. Im sure you can handle them. Go, dont waste your time trapped here with me.


    Ardi gave her another hug. She gave him a knowing look. The I-can-break-out-anytime look. He smiled. Alright.


    Good.


    He leftter that day, and Lausanne spent some time exploring her new prison. It was a simple bedroom and she looked into the mirror. Her hair was short, now. She had it cut a few years ago after she found it rather annoying duringbat. Short hair didnt get tangled so often, especially when they were in closebat situations. A temr came in.


    Mdy. Your presence is requested by the Grandmaster.


    Oh? Grandmaster Engka. Now thats a person she never met yet. He was famously reclusive, and refused to meet. And now she had the chance to meet him.


    -


    They met in a small cozy tea room. There were four sofa chairs with plush cushions, and the Grandmaster was known to be an old man, and has maintained control over the Aiva temples for almost half a century. His hair entirely white, yet his body was in no way frail. In fact, his body looked as fit and muscr as any of the temrs. From a distance, one may think he is no older than 40.


    He gestured to the sofa opposite his, and Lausanne sat. A few servants served them tea and cookies. I was tolddies like tea and cookies. Have some. They are the best in the region.


    Lausanne smiled and took a tea. She sipped it. It was a kind of flower tea, a rose and chrysanthemum mixture. It had good bnce and a bit of light, fluffy sweetness. The aftertaste was very gentle, and didnt stay long on the tongue. It is a good tea.


    Grandmaster Engka nodded. Good. You must be surprised by these sudden developments, but Ill direct. Ive received a divine message from our patron god, and well, it certainly isplicated.


    Lausanne just smiled. She vaguely sensed a skill, again, and she pushed back at it. It wasnt a problem to push it back. She was, for all that its worth, an [Aeonic Weaponmaster] with a total level of 80. She was originally a swordswoman, but after she increased her use of spears and bows, her ss fused together. The Grandmaster was perhaps of a simr level.


    The Grandmaster chased everyone out of the room with a wave, and he activated another kind of skill. What I say here is for your ears only. We dont want war with Aeon, but we must be seen as doing war with Aeon. Grandmaster Engka said. The other three temples do want war, but Aivas more interested in just being seen as participating.


    Lausanne frowned. Why was he telling her this? Whats the point? Theres nothing she can do.


    Are you able tomunicate with Aeon? My scouts and past reports imed thatmunicating with Aeon is a perilous affair, many suffer nightmares from being around him.


    Lausanne wondered again. She had to ask, that statement was borderline absurd Why? Theres no such thing as a pretend-war. The worlds certainly not a safe yground where people can y-fight. Anyone else will tell you that you are bullshitting and trying to lie to me.


    Indeed. Thats my dilemma. Its a difficult message, one that I had not told anyone yet. How do I tell otheres that my God wants me to send these men to their deaths, with no actual intention of victory. For what?


    Then? Lausanne didnt get it. Why am I here?


    Can youmunicate with Aeon?


    ...Yes. But not here. Only back in the valley.


    My informants told me that you have an extensive history with Aeon. So, can we find a way tomunicate with him? Any... how should I say this, pointers?


    Lausanne frowned. Be frank and honest. Tell him what your god said, word-for-word if possible. I believe Aeon may understand your gods intentions far better than we do. In my experience, we cannot understand the thoughts of a tree spirit, so the best tip I know is you can only say what you want, and see how he responds.


    Grandmaster Engka nodded and visibly rxed. "Indeed. Us mere mortals cannot truly fathom the thoughts of greater beings. In honesty, this... war is a futile endeavour. If Aeon is really a semi-divine being, we mortals have no way of truly harming such a being. Perhaps, only heroes and ancient monsters stand a chance.


    Lausanne leaned forward. That was an upsetting thing to hear. Then why?


    The Gods have a wish. We, their humble servants, must try our best to fulfill it, lest we lose our sses and suffer a divine retribution. A curse. The closer one steps to the gods, the more we are bound by their whims. Engka said. Even if it seems as if the task is futile, we must believe in the gods that they will bless us, and that we y our supposed role in theirrger, unfathomable ns.


    So even if it seems like suicide or stupid, you will do it because its part of the Gods n? Lausanne asked. She couldnt help it.


    Yes. We must put aside our disagreements and carry out our Gods will.


    Lausanne felt tormented, and she stared at the Grandmaster. He seemed every bit the wise and smart man, and yet something like this came from him. Were the gods all like this?


    Now she felt like she should send a [message] home and ask Aeon to be merciful. She thought of the heroes again, and she remembered how they too, seemed like they were pawns of their gods, despite their incredible power. How they were constantly, subtly influenced by the gods.


    She sighed. And because of this foolish endeavour, Ill remain under house arrest?


    Im afraid, yes, mdy. Though I can tell our walls honestly cannot hold you back should you ever wish to escape.


    Their eyes met and she felt it was they who were imprisoned.

 Heretreecs of Aeon

    Heretreecs of Aeon


    <b>Year 126</b>


    The first wave of attackers were just in conventional armies. Wasnt hard to scare them away with an equally massive disy of force. I have a lot of beetles, and my beetles are strong. In a straight fight, Id win.


    When the first wave knocked on our doorsteps, those who wanted to leave have already left. Or at least, most of them. Theres some that stayed back, and I suspect they are in cahoots with the temples. Jasmine and my artificial minds are actively monitoring them.


    I didnt arrest them immediately, because I wanted to know what they know. It may be a good idea to find out how deep theirwork is. So, for now, Ill y along. Let them win some small victories and catch all of them in a single swoop. Its like dangling a lure to catch a prey. There is a general consensus among the popce that I know what they are doing, but that didnt seem to have stopped those that sympathise or support the other 4 temples from plotting.


    Most plots are rather simple, really. Find a way to cause damage to me, or find a way to convince people to change sides, or reveal/expose some kind of strategic advantage.


    It also relies on a great deal of trust. That those who plot can trust those who assist them. So, its not entirely difficult to cause the whole thing to copse once a bit of fake news and intelligence is added to the mix.


    Are they willing to act on intelligence that may be fake?


    There are skills that help that. Such as [discern truth]. Yvon said, apparently plotters have some means of verifying facts. That said, Kings and rulers have counter-plot skills too, such as [discern loyalty], or [unravel plots], or some rather cutely named ones, like [Monkey Wrench], which apparently causes the forces of chaos to mess things up.


    Of course, I wonder whether there are abilities which therefore interfere with my ability to observe them. I believe there are, after all, Ive seen the heroes do something like that. Like a [silence bubble] or something.


    There werergely 3 groups. One of Gaya and Hawa. One of Aiva, and another one was a ragtag bunch. Thest temple apparently was more straightforward and did not believe in plots. I didnt believe it though, I suspect this was some kind of false information.


    Some operated in a typical military function. They focused on gathering information about my military forces, and well...


    [Domain has blocked attempted espionage skill]


    Yeah. That happened multiple times during this month. It seemed that domain also interferes with a wide variety of skill types, especially those thate from afar.


    [Domain has blocked attempted scrying]


    The temples sent many waves, and throughout my borders, those kingdoms and nations have been forced to let the crusading armies pass. It wasnt a choice for them.


    Should we just let them march through our neighbours? The council gathered. Its more of a war council now, with the representatives across the Fresnds sending their generals and leaders. There are many who are now my sympathisers.


    As a divine-tier being, the nobles and rulers of the various segments and cities have a clear choice. Side with the temples, or side with me and earn some of my divine favor. For the local nobles, its actually quite a clear choice that I can bring more to the table.


    Unless Aeon permits us marching an army of beetles into our neighboursnds...


    Most of our neighbours are economically intertwined with us, so they are in a difficult position. They are mostly smaller nation-states or kingdoms, and they do not have arge standing army. Nothing that can stand up to a 300,000 strong crusading army.


    I paused and wondered, whats the objective of this army? Do all of these 300,000 really share the goals that the gods and temples leadership decided?


    They probably dont know the true extent of my reach, and so, Ive extended [subsidiary trees] in all directions, even through thends of these other neighbouring kingdoms. I also made [subsidiary trees] all the way to the port city where most of the crusading forcesnded. Most people do not notice trees by the roadside.


    The port citys packed. It was not the only port to receive the crusading army. These forces areing through 5 to 6 different port cities and will converge along the way to me. In a way, if I wanted to spring a surprise attack, the best time is when they are still here.


    Theres a lot of idle chatter. A sense that the enemy is still really far away.


    I still cant believe I sailed across the ocean just to fight a tree. Some of the soldiers said. Cant they just send a woodcutter and chop the tree down?


    Im sure the temple thought of it.


    Its not just any tree. Its a tree that attained the cursed power of the evil gods.


    An evil tree god, really? Some of the soldiers seemed baffled by it. I mean, all Ive heard of the Fresnds is that this evil tree god has been shielding them from the demons, and suddenly they tell me this magic tree is now evil?


    Shush, dont let the temrs hear that.


    Aw fuck them. Im just here for the money.


    Im just here because the big boss says so.


    The soldiers dont seem like they all believe in their cause all that much. Its a shame that wars, being what they are, means we will cross paths, and they will die. From my observation, theposition of the Crusading army is roughly simr to a typical army. 90% regrs with soldiers or warrior sses, and 10% unique. Its the 10% I need to pay attention to, for any unusual skills or sses.


    Its been some time since I had arge scale fight with other humans.


    Council. I spoke to the war council. Reach out to all the neighbouring kingdoms and ask for an alliance. If they want to side with the temples, we will dere war and we will invade. If they join us, I will offer them protection.


    The council did as they were told, and surprisingly quite a few of the kingdoms agreed to form an alliance. They instantly rejected the crusades demand for freedom of entry, and I popted the allied kingdoms with my [subsidiary trees]. Fools, these temples. I have 500,000 beetles I can use inbat, and they regenerate in about 3-4 months.


    But, I need to get their effectiveness up. Theyve been traditionally geared against monsters and demons, but since Im facing arge scale war, I need to have additional advantages and perks.


    Horns.


    Yes, master.


    What sort of anti-army or anti-temr research do we have?


    Trevor and Dimitree popped in. We have numerous potential research. We can deploy poisonced beetles.


    I want assassin beetles. I said. I want beetles that are able to hunt down their elitesl


    Alright, well get the research started. Horns made a fistpump. It would take a few months, so Ill just drag the battle on.


    -


    Meanwhile, a few smaller skirmishes broke out. I have not deployed most of my own abilities yet, its better to keep some of my powers hidden. The less they know about me, the more mistakes they will make.


    The Valthorns needed some pep talk before every battle, though. They are trained to fight demons and hybrids, so an all-out-war against other humans, elves and sentient races still needed some mindset change, even if I had included it in their training regime. If its not for Jura, Id have a lot more to worry about.


    I also had to make sure that the enemy didnt level up too much, especially survivors. Survivors may often return far stronger, and since they survived a fight with beetles, they would gain anti-beetle skills. Its really a case of just killing everyone.


    I wonder whether there are anti-human or anti-elf skills. They do. Jura said. Such ursed skills exist.


    This crusade, I feel, was going to drag on for a while. The temples can keep reinforcing the ports. If I want to cut them off, I must march on the ports itself.


    If I can hold onto the ports, the temples would have to take a long detour.


    There are 6 ports that are on the side of the temples. Honestly, I think a few of them will fold if we manage to capture one or two of the port cities. Their loyalty to the faraway temples are tenuous at best.


    I see.


    So, again, I am a tree. I can fight wars differently. The enemy, from what Ive seen so far, has not been able to detect subsidiary trees. Or at least, they didnt disy that they are able to.


    If I want to end it, Ill have to swiftly capture all 6 port cities in one go. They have some defenses, but nothing too big. And I already have trees all the way into the city. Now, I just need to make sure I have trees in all six cities, and I can spring a sudden surprise attack.


    Therefore, I called on the council and changed the tactics. I wasnt sure whether any of the council leaked information to these crusaders, perhaps unwillingly or unknowingly, so I didnt disclose the full n. The strategy simply put, is to dy the crusaders as long as possible. I told them that I would have a way to decisively win, a special weapon.


    This is partly true. I could deploy my titan souls against this crusading army, but I feel thats a waste.


    I wanted to drag it on, because I needed the time to design and research special beetles. Assassin and anti-human beetles that can fight effectively in cities, not just open areas. Spiders too. I had the web spiders, and I figured spiders would operate a lot more effectively in the city area so I increased research on poisonous spiders.


    And I created a few more artificial souls for Horns. Five beetles, and five spiders. My new insect-armymanders.


    Now that Ive leveled up to level 168, and have trees that stretch the entire Fresnds, artificial souls limit is quite high. Sure, I can field arge quantity of these sentient assistants, but they are still no match for elites. They would take a few months, at least, to reach the mid level 20-30s, and before that, theirbat strength is mediocre.


    And so, the n was on the way. Tunnels were made into all the six port cities, and a lot of subsidiary trees were created. Ive also created [Giant Attendant Trees] in the forested locations nearby, and used my [camouge] ability to hide them.


    I would unleash at least 70,000 to 100,000 beetles on each of the 6 cities in one go, effectively cutting off their supply lines. Then, smaller attack forces will strike at the crusading army.


    Because the crusading army is sorge, they are led by multiple [generals] and [Lords]. Its also a logistical challenge, so the army is split into tworge groups of about 250,000 each, and a few smaller, 10,000-20,000 contingents. Its entirely dependent on imported supplies and resources, so a targeted attack on its supplies will thin out the force rather quickly.


    A few of the [generals] have the ability, [Create Food Supply], or [Army Skill : Reduce Hunger], or some variation of it. But, the power has a size limit, so arge portion will be outside the effect of the skill, and will therefore desert the army.


    But, for now, smaller skirmishes.


    It wasnt time yet.


    Timing, is everything.


    -


    Im getting a little frustrated. Ednained after a skirmish with the crusaders. It was trench warfare, really. Id reinforce arge segment with walls, and the crusaders would march on it. Theyd fight a bit, but they usually dont make much progress.


    Me too.


    I wish I can just charge out there.


    Youll die, though.


    I know. There were about 80,000 soldiers on the other side. They were bombarding the walls with rocks and magic, but wooden shields and barriers meant those bombardments werent making a dent. Theres also a thick web of thorns and human-eating nts.


    Theyve been using fireballs and all, trying to make a dent at the walls, but with a giant attendant tree at the back, they can take a few hits.


    This is just a boring stalemate. Edna frowned.


    Aeon wants it that way. Faris said. And I think the enemy knows it.


    -


    We should just charge in. The enemy seems to forget that even grass can have ears. And there are roots that can just peek out of the ground just a little bit. Right below themanders camp. This is a waste of time.


    The General said we should hold.


    What for?


    The Generals giving the enemy too much credit. Other than that massive wall, we outnumber the enemy force by 5 to 1. And we have 1,000 elites of at least level 30. Why send us here if we are just ying this waiting game? The Commander was a young man. Eager. Anxious, and wants to prove himself.


    He walked a bit, and a thorn gently pricked his leg. A little bit of sap. To stimte his hormones and testosterone. A hormone-filled mistake, here and there.


    Imand our force to charge in. His body red up, hot. Anger. Frustration. The sap merely pushed him off the cliff.


    Commander, the general said... The assistant and captains tried to say otherwise.


    I am themander here. And I say we charge.


    They charged into a wall of thorns and maneater-nts, while [Aeonic Rangers] and archers rained death. They quickly realised the folly of their attack, and retreated. But that mistake cost them 10,000 lives, and none of the defenders.


    Meanwhile at another front...


    I was told to expectrge beetle armies. The General was in arge camp, nked by his advisors. And in all of our intelligence, weve only seen beetle armies norger than 30,000. Whatever it is, our enemy is hiding its strength, and wants a long-drawn war.


    Does that mean it wants to test our supply lines? A strategist asked. A long war bes a test of logistics and resourcing.


    The general nodded. That makes a lot of sense. Our enemy, as a heretic tree on the very edges of divinity, must have tremendous powers over nts and growth. It must be confident that it can continuously feed its poption, so it is not afraid of a long siege.


    My beetles are just mostly doing hit-and-run on smaller forces.


    So it wants to draw it out until the temple decides its no longer worth it. It expects the temples to pull their funding and supplies. A strategist concluded.


    A swift attack might be just what its not prepared for. The general said. But its rather clear that we cant mount a swift attack either. Its a big piece ofnd, and even with the [general]s skills, its probably too much.


    We should do a precision strike, then. A group of elites right at the center of the enemy.


    The general of the Coalition of Crusaders pondered the idea. I have ancient records to suggest that it wont work. Written by one [General] Ackbar. Its probably a trap.


    Ancient? 40 years in ancient?


    Its our best chance.


    Not if we use our heroic artifacts.


    Now my ears perked up.


    The temple has not authorised use of the heroic artifacts.


    If the temple wants us to y this heretical evil tree, then we should be allowed to use our heroic items. A heroic weapon can destroy that wall, easy.


    Ooh. Ill be on the receiving end of a heroic grade item. Now, thats something worth testing out. Im a level 168 tree, can I survive a hit from a hero-grade item?


    Then we must send a request. The general said. Outline our observations, insist that a quick victory is ideal, and demand authorisation for our hero-grade items.


    The temples have a lot of hero-grade items. Items left by previous heroes, or perhaps just imed by the temple. People like Harris and Mirei even donated some items to the temples too, for political reasons. So the temples, over the years and decades, umted a decent stockpile of hero-items.


    Of course, they cant make full use of it, but because they are hero-items, they should still pack a strong punch.


    All I could say was, well, bring it on!


    Spaizzer


    Thanks for reading. Patreons actually already voted for the Titans, ie Mind Tree & Walker.

 Countree-Offensive

    Countree-Offensive


    <b>Year 127</b>


    Activating the hero-item, the Holy Cannon of ntara! The temrs shouted. The hero item itself was a small item, but to power it, they had to build a massive array of crystals and mana-storage items. The array was ten timesrger than the hero-item itself, and that single use broke most of the crystals.


    The cannon was really just a small shotgun shaped item. Probably one of the heroes was a gunner or something when they made it.


    The item glowed, and woosh a huge st of energy shot out towards the walls.


    I activated 5 [Steelwood Barrier]. Is this power stronger than the demonic supercannons long range attacks? It easily tore through my 5 barriers, and then defensive shields that were already there. Then, that entire section of reinforced wall exploded.


    Wow. I was impressed. The heros item really made my wall look like cardboard. So, in short, the demons attacks had previously failed to break through my defenses because of my innate anti-demonic properties. Against the heros items, Im blocking it entirely based on stats and levels, and on that front, its still not enough.


    Does this mean if Harris or Mirei tried to kill me, they could have seeded? From this incident alone, I think the answer is yes. They could. They really could.


    So, I decided I needed an insurance of some kind.


    Like the grass that regrly regrows after fires scorched thends, like the nts of the floodins that respawn after every flood, I decided to extend my roots deep underground. As deep as I possibly could.


    Then, I put my [Tree-heart] there. Even if they chop off my entire tree, as long as my [tree-heart] survived deep underground, I believe I can survive. I also added a big batch of [tuberous storage] around my tree-heart, like a seed, I have the nutrients and energy from the storage potatoes to respawn should I need to.


    They wont be using that for a while. Edna said.


    But we dont know what else they will use. Faris said, as the crusaders charged at the hole. The forces quickly retreated to the next defensive point. The temples have a lot of inherited items.


    But each use is a waste. Edna frowned. Why didnt they use such items against the demons?


    Im sure they did. They just have a lot of it.


    Maybe since the heroes were around, they didnt see why they needed to use it, unless they were really desperate.


    Since the strategy for this entire n was to dy the enemy as long as possible, there were numerousyers of walls made.


    Jura came and mentioned his concern. Since the temples are willing to use heroic items, its possible they may attempt to use an elite force, armed with heroic items to attack you directly.


    I agree. Of course. There are probably heroic-grade teleportation items, or heroic-grade stealth items that they can use to attack me directly. The problem, of course, is that their users probably cant fully activate their abilities. Which is why the most heroic items are defensive in nature, because they neededrge magical formations and runes to channel power to the heroic items.


    Unless, there are heroic-grade batteries. Which makes a lot of sense.


    > Already? I had hoped this war wouldst until the next demon king. <


    > Surely the older races would remember. <


    > It probably is. <


    Lilies, again with oddmentaries. I dont recall whether there are any long wars in this world, not any more, at least. Unless, that war is invisible?


    > Your long wars... is it the demons and the gods? <


    Maybe? Thats a yes, dammit.


    The Crusaders advanced a little.


    My forces slowly moved into ce. Ive had tunnels ready, and Ive secretly upied various little forests near the port cities. Maybe they have a heroic item able to detect me? But still, I wanted to drag it out. See what exactly these temples are able to bring to the battlefield.


    -


    This sucks. Ednained. I dont like being forced to retreat.


    Herpatriots just rolled their eyes. The crusaders revealed another hero-grade item. Arge bow. They brought an army of mages along to create a runic formation on the ground, and they shot it again.


    This time, I used 10 [steelwood barriers]. It still tore through all of them, but at least, it didnt cause my walls to explode. All it did was st a big hole in the wall.


    So the magical number is around 10? Or maybe 20?


    Unless you have a solution for the hero-grade items...


    -


    Master. Research on assassin beetlespleted. We are working on the flying beetles now. Horns updated, and I quickly started transforming my beetles into their assassin forms. They are smaller, leaner, but with sharp limbs and spikes. They also have poison, and can shoot out a poison horn.


    Great!


    Another piece to the puzzle.


    Eventually, the 2ndyer of walls fell, and the forces retreated. At this point, Jasmine quickly updated that morale was falling, and we needed a small victory to keep the stalemate going. So, the temple used the Holy Cannon of ntara again, this time at a fort. It sted the forts walls and a segment to smithereens.


    But it was a ruse. Using [root tunnels], I had the army sneak around them, and then, with my new assassin beetles, rushed in for the kill. I would seize the Holy Cannon of ntara for myself. There would be no survivors.


    It was chaos. Perhaps, a ughter too. 50,000 assassin beetles appeared from the ground, together with the Valthorns and the regr armies. A proper counter-attack.


    The enemy died, and now, I have the Cannon. In the chaos, themander was able to send a distress signal.


    This is Commander of the Vanguard force, were being attacked by new beetle types! The Cannon is lost. The cannon is lost! A root strike dismembered him.


    -


    The General was a day away, and he got the message. Hmmm. New beetle types. I have an ominous feeling.


    Well, you should, mister General. Youre stretching out your supply lines, spreading your men thinner, and when I strike, you wont be able to rush back and save your port cities.


    Letting the crusaders push further in was an intentional plot to spread out their men and their elite forces. Even if it seemed like we were losing, only Jura was aware that something was up.


    When is Aeon going to bring out his superweapon? The war council asked. The new beetles, are those the superweapons?


    Jura nodded. I believe thats the first of the many weapons Aeon ns to unleash.


    The next weapon are the spiders. I wanted assassin spiders to take control of the cities. The first time the enemy would see it, would be when I attack the cities.


    Jasmine noted that our morale quickly improved as we have secured the hero-item.


    The Generals gathered his advisors. A priest was present, and he read out the statement. The temple has authorised use of more hero-items. Ah. Looks like the temple is really going for it, but the fact that their ability to power the hero items relies onrge arrays means they are so obvious when they are about to be used.


    Could a small assassin group really sneak in with it? Unless they build the array on site... or use an existing array.


    But I didnt want to drag it too long. I have been observing them when they used the hero-items, and now that I have imed their hero item, I turned it against them. My mastery of runes meant I too, can quickly set up an array, and activated the Holy Cannon of ntara against the enemy force.


    One st, it drained all the runes, and broke some of the stones and ground that channeled the power. The enemy retreated. That one attack killed probably a few thousand, and its not even its full power.


    I decided to try channelling my existing star mana into it. The hero-item drained all my star mana easily, and its so greedy! After it used up all my star mana, it wanted more, and the item easily used up my normal mana too!


    Did the heroes always have so much star mana? Howd they keep their weapons working?


    Master, based on my surveince of the heroes, they have approximately 500,000 to 800,000 star mana each. Jasminemented, she pulled on her past records of conversations between Harris, Mirei and Gerrard.


    I have 300. No wonder the hero-items just drained my star mana like I had nothing. They must be using at least 1,000-2,000 star mana to power the hero items each time. The weapon was now partially charged, and I used it on one of the crusading armies. The explosion was massive, farrger than what it was when powered by regr mana, and still it wiped a quarter of that army. Probably 10 to 20 thousand just died instantly. The enemy panicked and then quickly retreated.


    Im sorry, but death is what it is. I even felt their souls enter my main tree.


    But I only regenerate star mana by a pitiful amount every day. That meant I couldnt even use the heros item if I wanted to. My full 300 star mana takes an entire 2 months to regenerate, so the weapon can be used once every two months to this level of strength. So its not as if I could just use the cannon like a machine gun.


    Despite the enormous destruction caused by the hero-Cannon, Im fairly certain this wasnt its full strength. Also, the hero-items used by the temples, and all the various nobles are inferior to pure hero items, in the sense that they have been made to also work with regr mana. True hero-items can only be operated with star mana, and are useless to everyone else. Those pure star-mana hero items are superior in output and strength.


    -


    The army regained a bit of our lost ground, and we managed to retake the outermost walls of the Fresnds.


    How long more till we research the next upgrade for the assassin beetles?


    A month, master. The assassin beetles have not been revealed to our enemies, yet. At least, I hoped that they were not detected.


    The tunnels and my bases next to the 6 port cities continue to expand. Ive researched tunneler beetles, and have alsomenced research on more types of spiders. The beetles made additional tunnels into the port cities, and I wonder whether the enemy realised it by now. I could tell some of them felt something, at least.


    The mayor of one of the port towns kept sending miners to dig the ground. He said he felt theres an infestation or something, but he wasnt sure. I had to order the beetles to hastily copse the tunnels before they were detected.


    Surely, that mayor couldnt be the only one that possessed such skills. In fact, some of the military leaders we observed clearly had the skill, but they just didnt react to it.


    I cant help shake off this feeling that were all walking into a big trap. Amander said to a fellow captain. Its a feeling thats been nagging at me since Inded in this city.


    Seasickness.


    I feel like its my skill.


    Youve had it since the day younded, and its been a good three months since then.


    Its funny that one of the ways to beat such rm skills, is to keep scaring them until they stop treating it seriously. Kinda like training ones body to ignore their daily morning rm.


    If its something, it shouldve happened. The other captain just shrugged. Were doing okay. The heretics are not making progress.


    That was just one of the many captains that was eventually lulled into a sense ofcency. For the rest of the year, there were smaller battles, but I was still waiting for more beetle upgrades. I wanted my conquest of the six port cities to be simultaneous and decisive. I wanted to break the crusaders once, and end it.


    Aeon, there should be another 400,000 soldiers arriving on our continent. Kavio and the war council reported. Ah, this was in addition to the 500,000 to 600,000 soldiers that were already deployed across the entire battlefront?


    I wondered why the war doctrine in this world still insisted on throwing numbers at an enemy at first, but eventually I got it. In terms of actualbat, sure, an army of high leveled individuals can do way more damage than an army of lower leveled conscripts, but I increasingly believe the temples are intentionally hoping that from arge pool of low levelled individuals, some gems emerge. Its an interesting tactic, to sieve the gems from the scrap, they send theserge numbers to their possible deaths.


    The Fresnds own defensive army is about 300,000 strong, conscripted from the massive poption of the Fresnds. Yet, that excluded my million-strong beetle and spider army. There are various smaller city-states that decided to side with me, and they volunteered in total, another 60,000 fighters.


    And so, they send more to their doom.


    They would outnumber us 3-to-1 once theynd. I believe they may try a decisive strike once theynd, to minimise the load on their logistics. One of the hired [Generals] advised. Its funny and rather strange to have [generals] on my side now, but Im notining. They would try this path, I believe. The general pointed to one of the entrances into the Fresnds. Or force a way through this segment of the Rottends.


    Its arge army, and may end up in a lot of bloodshed. A situation Id like to avoid, if I can.


    I wondered whether I should pull my attack at the moment when theynd, or after? What is their supply situation? Is their food and amodation going to arrive before the actual army of 400,000?


    Trevor tapped into the [grand mind], and quickly created a massive overview of the entire battlegrounds. He highlighted all the various supply positions. Master, should we intend to cripple and starve our opponents, we may be able to do so by attacking all these locations. A decisive strike before theynd may force them to redirect.


    The logistics and supplies usually arrive before the army. So the right time to strike is when the 400,000 is still at sea, but their supplies and all havended. That way, theing army is forced to deal with ack of supply. 800 ships, carrying 500 soldiers each. Large galleons of the 4 temples.


    I wondered whether my attacks work in water. I think the impact of my root strikes would probably be weakened by the water.


    How long before they arrive?


    In two weeks?


    Theres a tiny window, when the supply ships arrive just before the army itself. I paused, and I thought. By all the odds, it wasnt ideal. My fully researched assassin beetles were not ready, but if I wanted to cause the most damage, I had to take this window.


    Ready all the armies. There will be a strike in 6 to 8 days. All mobile units prepare for a long range strike.


    That deration made the entire war council pause, before Jura himself, invited as a trantor, mostly, asked on behalf of the war council present. Aeon, repeat that, please?


    Ready all our forces. We will strike in 6 to 8 days. Valthorns will receive specific instructions.


    -


    About 2,000 of my best Valthorn fighters gathered at a forward base near one of the outer walls. There was three [giant attendant trees], and it nked a tunnel that led underground.


    "Briefing time." I announced telepathically, and the Valthorns stood to attention. Edna, Faris and many other upgraded ss holders were there. "All of you will be marching into the tunnels. You will be split into 6 groups, and your next orders will be given when you are there. Be prepared for urbanbat and a siege, enemies expected to be high level, andrge numbers."


    The order given, they started to board the carrier beetles. The fastest beetles were selected, and they had supplies for a month. The beetles would carry them to their targeted destination in a week. The Valthorns chatted. "Are we attacking the nearby forts?"


    The crusaders had set up numerous advance forts to hold their supplies. These are my targets, but it wouldn''t be the Valthorns'' target. I had intended these 2,000 Valthorns to coordinate the attack on the 6 port cities.


    These are my best and most loyal Valthorns, most of them have [Aeonic] variants, such as [Aeonic Rangers] or [Aeonic Druids], or [Aeonic Knights].


    The beetles will provide the numbers, but I need the Valthorns are the secret sauce, with their higher levels and special skills


    -


    2 dayster, I had moved more beetles into various locations near the port cities. 100,000 beetles and spiders at each of the port cities, waiting for the time. [Root tunnels] made as close as possible, and as many [subsidiary trees] as I can, in all the ces where I could ce a tree without raising too many rms.


    Aeon, what are we doing in 4-6 days? The [general] asked, he noticed the Valthorns were gone. The enemy clearly is behaving strangely, and some of the smaller battalions have attempted to attack our walls. Is there something that was leaked?


    The enemy was nervous. Their [generals] and [strategists] all had somebat sense, and they knew something was happening. They just didnt know what, so some of them just attacked.


    There was an air of tension.


    Were preparing for war?


    Is Aeon revealing some superweapon? The Valthorns, whats their n?


    Whats the enemy up to?


    I decided to confuse them a little. We will be striking at their fortified locations. The council thought this meant all the nearby forts, and they started to make ns with the resources avable to them. I had given them use of 100,000 regr beetles to supplement the regr standing army.


    On the other side, I detected their difort. The generals and strategists all have skills, and so the crusader generals all increased their scouting efforts, and since theres only one week left to the trap, I didnt hesitate to kill their scouts with a root strike, or a poison.


    Aeons forces are able to kill our scouts this far away from the walls.


    They have an infiltration force? An assassination squad? They wondered, and increased their guards. They truly were not experienced in fighting against a [tree]. They assumed my tactics to be simr to regr kingdoms.


    Whats their force projection ability? The generals discussed at first, of the likelihood of a long range strike from me. They noted it is possible, but they rated the risk as low, since they do not expect that I could field a war-significant number ofbatants far away.


    This trap is something I can only pull off once. All these enemies will learn of my tactics, and they will be prepared after this.


    So, if this trap seeds, I must hold onto the port cities and deny the temples a chance to regain anding zone. At least, they would have tond further away, and march a lot further.


    Still, some of the more paranoidmanders reshaped their forces into defensive formations. The effects of skills are really interesting.


    -


    Another 2 days, and the supply ships started tond. Some soldiers too havended, but the bulk of them have not arrived. The small group of soldiers started to set up new tentages and areas, where the newly arrived soldiers will rest, before joining the rest of their armies.


    Too bad they wont find any ce to rest.


    The Fresnd army cavalry was ready, and the crusaders were clearly preparing for a cavalry charge. We spotted Fresnd cavalries and archers massing behind the walls and cities. They may be preparing for a charge.


    If they want to strike at us before our reinforcementes, then let them.


    In another day, most of the supply ships have arrived, and about 70,000 of the 400,000 additional soldiers have arrived. True, not all wille at the same time, but no matter.


    Already, some of the soldiers had a bad feeling. Im sorry, but war is a cruel thing. The temples have decided to dere war, and peace was off the table. Perhaps I must disy a decisive victory, then only a peace can be negotiated.


    -


    The Valthorns arrived at their designated locations underground. Theyve been travelling in the [root tunnels] for an entire week.


    Where are we? They were mostly lost. Their sense of time and ce is distorted in the tunnels, there are no markers, to day-night cycle. Theyve lived with food prepacked, or those made by the [aeonic druids]. They even have special fruits and drinks to help them tolerate the effects of travelling underground for long periods.


    The 2,000 Valthorns have split up in the underground tunnels to their respective targets. Each group gathered in a small clearing, protected by the [camouge] of subsidiary trees.


    Time to start my second briefing. Once you step out of these forests, will be the Port cities of the Crusaders. Our enemies. Rest well, because once night falls, we will attack the port cities.


    The Valthorns were nervous. With so little of us?


    No. The beetles and spiders will assist you by the tens and hundred of thousands. They are hidden throughout the city, and thend beneath you. You will join the battle once they start the attack.


    They nodded, and I let them soak in the information. I created a few wooden disys of the targeted port cities, and where the weak points are, which they took their time to analyse. They had never participated in a siege before.


    The Valthorns chatted and nned, and I told them to rest well before nightfall. I gave them all a tree-syrup filled with energy nutrients. Theyd go into the attack with their full strength, whereas the enemy is exhausted from a full days work.


    -


    The moment of fighting finally came. The weather was pleasant in all six of the port cities, and the soldiers were all in various stages of sleep. Some were alert, for sure. I had decided to strike in thete evening, as my assassin beetles and poison-web spiders benefited from the cover of night.


    I steeled myself, and sent out themand to all my beetles and soldiers. Generals andmanders, it is time to strike.


    The first port was home to 200,000, but now it was temporarily home to an additional 50,000 soldiers.


    As the city itself didnt have enough amodation, most of the newly arrived soldiers and their support team lived in makeshift housing outside the city itself. That meant they were always vulnerable to subterranean attacks since they didnt have fortified foundations.


    It began suddenly. Tentages and their temporary bases copsed beneath them, Multiple, almost a few hundred holes appeared at the same time, and the beetles rushed out. A well-timed root strike also caught one of themanders by surprise, wounding him severely, before a beetle finished him off.


    The soldiers, most feeling safe andfortable this far away from the front lines, were suddenly jolted into panic. Some of them slept without their weapons, many were not alert at all. The beetles took full advantage and they attacked and killed the enemies by the hundreds and thousands.


    Attack! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK! Themanders shouted, but their voices were soon silenced by a spider that ran into their mouth. The port itself found its walls broken. Some of them had been magically reinforced, but I had found weak spots after the past few months of nning. There were already tunnels that allowed my spiders and beetles to enter the Port City itself. After all, not every city had the luxury of master builders who made thick foundations.


    The soldiers scattered as loud explosions spread.


    The Valthorns too, joined the battle. They rode beetles and rushed for the walls. They focused on the higher leveled one who managed to react and fight. Assassin beetles were more than a match for the level 10-20 soldiers, but if the enemy soldiers were level 30-50, it would require the Valthorns to effectively disable them.


    A mage ran and tried to send a [message], but an arrow went through his head. He copsed.


    [Aeonic Rangers] and [Archers].


    The 50,000 soldiers quickly thinned to only 20,000 to 30,000 that fled, and the port city itself was flooded by beetles and spiders.


    As a statement, the beetles dug up one of the squares, and I made a [giant attendant tree] right in the middle of it. The giant tree all emitted a [healing aura] and [magic suppression aura], which made my beetles a lot more hardy.


    Then an explosion went off.


    Master, a group of mages just activated a hero-item. Right in the middle of the port city, it created a summoned giant fire elemental and it started attacking the beetles. Ah, my beetles couldnt get to that group in time.


    Ugh.


    Thankfully, with my [giant attendant tree] right in the city, it was rather easy to justunch [constrict]. My vines can take a bit of fire, and they can ensnare magical creatures since 50 years ago. They can even drain mana! So its perfect for summoned fire elementals. The vinestched on, and gradually, the struggling fire elemental shrunk until eventually it was extinguished.


    Shit. The mages cursed and fled. The magical item summoned more fire elementals, but I had a lot of vines, and these fire elementals were pitiful. Had they been summoned with star mana, they may be worth taking seriously.


    Most cities had some military resistance, but nothing I couldnt really handle. So, progressively I captured more and more artifacts and treasures.


    They had higher level units too. A general here, amander there. Some master swordsmen too, who cut through my army of assassin beetles like nothing. But as my beetles or the Valthorns distracted these masters, a vine would asionally ensnare their legs, and they would find themselves weakened, poisoned. The beetles would then deliver the knockout punch.


    Once we got a strong foothold in the city, and my beetles have seized most of the key locations, I would telepathically speak to everyone in the city. Surrender, or we will kill you.


    The Valthorns, like Edna and Faris would then help to coordinate andmunicate with the captured and surrendered civilians.


    The port city fell by end of the day, civilians all under home quarantine as beetles patrolled the streets, and the enemy forces all corralled into the squares. My main focus was ensuring that the port was no longer operational.


    I still dont have flying beetles, but some of the jetties and docks were made of wood. So, it was easy to destroy them. Whatever supplies they had was quickly hauled away by beetles. Even if they managed to dock at one of the jetties made of stone, they would immediately have to fight beetles and spiders.


    A simr chain of events repeated in all the other 5 port cities. All of these cities have magical defenses and high level individuals, some more than others.


    In one city, the Valthorns had to deal with a group of master pyromancers, and in another, a group of expert axemen.


    Without [healing aura], and the element of surprise, the losses would have been a lot higher. The soldiers, as ragtag as they are, were quite good once they found their weapons. Most were around level 20, so they could go toe-to-toe with one beetle in a straight fight. Still, the element of surprise, coordinated strikes at all 6 port cities and multiple other supply locations easily overwhelmed their ability to respond properly. Some of the soldiers retreated. Skilled ones too, they had the right instincts to respond correctly. But sometimes, even doing things perfectly leads to failure.


    One of the port cities experienced constantbat till midnight, with long fights throughout the day. They had a few toons of very well trained soldiers at least level 30 to 50. For them, the Valthorns fought hard, and I had to frequently assist them with my vines to prevent any unnecessary Valthorn deaths.


    2,000 elites meant only about 300 to 400 Valthorns per city. A small number of elites on my side, against whatever elites the temples have. I had to protect them. They are an investment into my future. I had vision, and I had beetles. So the Valthorns would usually attack from an advantage. I would never let them be wastefully sacrificed.


    They are crucial to my longer term ns. We are the trees, the anchor of the ecosystem, but the ecosystem must have other moving parts. I see the Valthorns as a key part.


    Nearer to the various crusading armies, surgical strikes that targeted their supply chains popped up everywhere. It hit at their tents, destroyed their food. Spiders that poisoned their water. For the crusaders, this was their first brush with assassin beetles that popped out of the ground.


    The crusaders had tworge two-hundred thousand strong forces, split across tworge campsites.


    We didnt attack them much, just little hit and run attacks.


    It was intentional. I had hoped that a portion might break off and try to rescue the port cities. I chewed through the smaller forces easily. Forrger armies, the element of surprise was not as effective.


    If they could keep themselves calm and hold the entire force together, theyd survive.


    Their generals, startled awake by the sudden onught of messages and calls, actively tried to reassess the situation. All our port cities have been captured? The supplies have been stolen? It wasnt hard for beetles to haul away goods. Thats part of their regr peace-time duties. Well be out of food in a week with the ports out ofmission.


    We must rush back to retake one of the ports! Furious discussions broke out. Some pushing to retreat to the ports, others rmending a push against Fresnds.


    The paths have been cut off.


    Im a tree. Terraforming terrain isnt exactly difficult. I could easily add trees to a path, and popte them with hostile vegetation. Then add beetles! Instant-terrain difficulty +1!


    Trevor and my artificial minds have been nning for months on how to knock out all their transport routes overnight, and leave only smaller, less useful paths. Even vast ins had tunnels copsed in order to create a cliff.


    How? That was a word that gave me joy. I felt like a master strategist who finally revealed his trump card, and the generals were my victims.


    Monster-trees? Monstree. Thats a bad pun.


    In a period of about a week, the bnce of power switched. Their entire logisticswork and supply chain crippled. The general could probably beat the Fresnd force in a straight fight, but I would never fight them that way. I always wanted a subtle way.


    There was a saying, if one is to remove weeds, they must also remove the roots. I think these ports are the roots.


    I was going to drag it out until they starved, and even if the general was a good one, a starving army still represented a significant weakness. No amount of [skill] would suppress widespread hunger. Maybe a level 100 [general] could, but I think the enemy [general] was in their level 60s only.


    Meanwhile, the Fresnd army finally got their marching orders, and they soon encountered the deserters and those who fled from my army of beetles and spiders. No army was going to hold itself together when food and water ran out.


    Some segments of the two crusading forces broke off and they marched towards the nearest city in hopes of securing some supplies. But morale dropped quickly as they encountered terrible, unforgiving terrain that was never there previous, and the tworge armies fractured, as each force wanted to seek out their own sources of food.


    The generals and lords, priests tried to hold the army together, but ultimately, they were a coalition army.


    The temples cobbled the force together from the armies of various kingdoms. There was never true unity or proper discipline.. Once they fractured, it was a lot easier for the Fresnd army and my beetles to pick off the smaller forces. Many surrendered. Many soldiers did not have a personal stake in this conflict, and were not blind zealots.


    Within a month from that day, both of the armies leaders decided to surrender, while the 300,000 or so soldiers that were unable to dock had to forcefully redirect themselves to further ports, with whatever little supply they carried. There, their crusade stopped.


    The First Crusade Against Aeon had ended. I lost about 200,000 beetles from the 1,000,000 deployed across the 6 cities and various smaller targets. Horns and my new artificial minds all leveled up quite significantly from the battles.


    [You gained a level. You are level 169]


    [Subsidiary trees limit increased to 1,500,000]


    Of course, this sudden upheaval made my war council angry, frustrated. Aeon had nned to take the six port cities all along. The general said. We were the distraction from the main attack.


    And it didnt tell us because we might leak it to the temples, so Aeon just let us drag the war out.


    Jura earned a bit of sounding, but Jura himself had very little knowledge of the actual n, other than there is one. In fact, he knew of the n to attack all six port cities at the same time I announced it to the Valthorns.


    A victory.


    But the crusade was not over, not yet.


    The temples remained formally at war, so this was pretty much just the First Crusade. I made sure research continued into more types of beetles and spiders. I would want to add flying beetles, and bomber beetles. Id like to bomb the ships once they got in range of the shore.


    Theres also the politicalplexity of assimting the six port cities into the Fresnds administration, and the negotiations with the nations and kingdoms in between. Those that had chosen to side with the temples, quickly switched sides, when they watched the port cities fall. All of them also fortified their walls and reinforced their foundations, to make it harder for tunnelling.


    Politically, the six port cities are now a part of Freshka. I dered that since they dered war on me, I have, by the norms of this world, properly conquered the port cities. Something none of the kingdoms dare oppose, even if they privately mentioned their worries. Some of them got so paranoid that they chopped all the trees from their cities. Treeless cities.


    Enemies. I dered cities without trees as enemies of the Fresnds. The few small city states that made such a decision surrendered in fear.


    All in, by the end of the year, we had conquered six port cities, and eight other kingdoms. Many expressed their regrets for siding with the temples.


    I had initially considered being more ironfisted and considered executing their leaders, but decided to demand resources, gems and various other treasures aspensation. Throughout the new kingdoms that nowe under my influence or indirect control, I thought of expelling those who sided with the temples, but instead opted for a widespread conversion programme.


    Like a forest reiming urbannds, I can convert them. I would try.


    <i>Wololo</i>.


    Most priests in this world are not specific to a god, though some do specialise, and in doing so, gain special sses for that god. But in most part, the priests of the world are generally polytheistic, and its a mishmash of the pantheon and whatever local animistic belief that existed in a particr location.


    It was this tolerance of various beliefs that allowed me to recruit some of my earlier batch of priests. The world had spirits after all, and unlike home, the priests of this world acknowledge that each god has a focused scope, and at times, local spirits will reign over the wills of the gods.


    In a way, it is strange that the gods outright dered a crusade against me. Why? Theyve shared the world with so many others, so whats wrong with just letting me rise?


    Why a crusade?


    Why send an army and so many lives to waste when there are demons to prepare for?


    Why?


    Whats this insanity?


    -


    Its my first time seeing the ocean. Edna said. She had lived ind. The Fresnds itself isndlocked, after all, the corruption bomb happened in the middle of the continent. Little did I imagine for my first time, Id be part of a covert army conquering a port city.


    Fate is strange, Edna. A fellow Valthorn nodded. There were a few deaths. I couldnt save everyone, but a few deaths are still infinitely better than many. The losses on the opponent side is farrger, and the beetles gathered the surrendered soldiers into groups.


    More of the regr army and cavalry had marched all the way from the Fresnds to reinforce the Valthorn strike team including various local nobles and captains. They had a lot to do, like stripping the surrendered soldiers of all their weapons, briefings, taking over the military administration.


    There would also be officials from the Fresnds Federal Authority. They had to set up offices to integrate these new cities into the Fresnds.


    Formally the six cities were dered to be the Fresnd Six Ports, and they would have a sub-authority known as the Six Ports Administration. It made sense that all six ports were administered together, even if all six were previously independent states. Quite a few of the existing administration surrendered, and Kavio rmended that we assimte them into the existing structure, once they passed some loyalty test. A suggestion I agreed.


    But a lot of new people had to be parachuted over. Its kind of like when apany forcefully acquired anotherpany. Some of the employees would remain, but usually the heads of department would change. There would be a lot of system changes and migrations. Laws and processes need to be modified toply with the new acquiring holdingpany.


    Youll get sick of the ocean soon enough, Lady Edna. A soldier said. The Valthorns are a sub-nobility, so they are often referred to as Lady or Lord, even if they do not formally carry the title.


    Indeed. Edna nodded. She was in the southernmost port. But for now Ill enjoy it. There were wreckages to clean up. Holes to patch up.


    Most of the civilians had privateints about the new [Giant attendant tree] that now dominated their city, but they soon epted that they lost, and the Tree is there to remind them that we will watch over them.


    The Valthorns would be stationed there for at least a few years as a peacekeeping force, with regr rotations back to the Fresnds. A long range beetle-transport service was set up, and the kingdoms in between happily gave permission. Its not as if they dared oppose me at this point.


    -


    Most of the nations swayed with the wind, and changed allegiances. Like new converts, theypensated for their foolish past by insulting their temples with vigor and vitriol.


    Its fine. Geopolitics is disgusting, but ultimately necessary. There is no way I can popte thend without people, and people naturally give rise to politics.


    After the battle, I created more artificial minds. I had to. Mynds and dominion had increased so much more, and Jasmine and the existing artificial minds could not handle the monitoring of so many new citizens. I also didnt expel those who believed in the four warring temples, I only demanded that they do not support any war effort against me. But that required my artificial minds to observe so many of these cities and kingdoms.


    Intense monitoring and surveince is required.


    Why not kill them? My artificial minds suggested. After all, we have killed so many.


    I didnt want to, though. But I feltforted too. This is a part of nature. In nature, death is perpetual. Do we weep for the millions of ants who died in their wars with each other? Do the ant queens cry when the super ant-colonies wageary warfare?


    No.


    [Grand Mind Tree has blocked influence from trees.]


    <i>Override.</i>


    Death on a personal level is a tragedy.


    But in the wars I fight, they are but a statistic. A number.


    A score at the end of the game.


    A tree in its life would create thousands, even millions of seeds. All potential lives. It does not weep when mortals eat the seeds. It is part of a greater calction. That some will survive, and as a whole, we will all prosper and grow.


    Pain and death is but a step-


    Wait. Im going too far. No. I paused and pulled myself together. Indeed, but they surrendered. As such, I must abide by the norms of those who surrendered, that they are not overly punished.


    I cannot go too deep at that end. I would be a pest, a locust. A tree of nature must never let itself turn into gue that destabilised the ecology.


    But they may well go against you, master.


    I must mold the narrative correctly. I seek to change and prepare, but I must look to be constructive, not overly destructive. Even if I do use tools which are destructive.


    A risk, but a calcted one. Only by disying mercy and the willingness to assimte these people, these heathens that they once were, can we convince the world that we are here to stay. If one of every two converts to our cause, we are stronger as a whole. The risk is worth it, to build a stronger tree, we must sometimes ept some risks.


    The artificial minds mentally agreed. They would agree anyway.


    So, we watch. Fifty new artificial minds. My second [grand mind tree] will take 18 months to bepleted. The various surrendering kingdoms dly volunteered the materials for its construction. They didnt know, of course. I merely asked for the materials, and the losers dly coughed it out.


    It will be long. Those who lost will nurse unhappy feelings.


    I only hope that we pick them up before those unhappy feelings lead to more war and conflict. The temples started a war, but I have no intention of letting this crusadest for centuries, even if I am very much suited for a long war.


    > Rtively. <


    Lilies had not participated in the war. In fact, Lilies city didnt send soldiers out at all, even though their city was home to many followers of these temples.


    Hah. Was that a pep talk from Lilies?


    > If only it wasnt so. <


    > So it is. <


    Spaizzer


    I''m probably sounding like a broken record by now, but I''m still crazy busy with work, so I''ve not been able to work on side stories. That said, the regr chapters are still on a normal schedule. I had hoped to find some pockets of time and grow the gap between patreons and regr chapters, or create new tiers, but that''ll have to wait :S


    Anyway, this public chapter is one of my longest chapter to date at 7,300 words. I hope you like it. I edited it a few times to grow the Valthorn''s role in the battle.


    Thanks for reading, and just to shill a little, my patreon''s 3 chapters ahead :)

 Varietree

    Varietree


    <b>Year 128</b>


    A year of rtive peace, though publicly, we are still at war. Its kind of like the whole South-North Korea situation. No one wants to back off and sue for peace, and yet the temples need time to rebuild their military force.


    Nearby, none of the neighbouring ports wanted to host the crusading armies, lest a simr incident unfolded. Fear crept into the hearts of many kingdoms, that suddenly a giant tree appeared in the middle of a faraway city, and overwhelmed a tide of beetles and spiders.


    The Giant Attendant Trees, they towered in the six cities, as symbols of the Crusades foolishness. The Giant Attendant Trees were sorge that they could be seen from the boats and ships far from shore.


    But our own informants indicated that the temples are mustering another force.


    Why?


    In the meantime, the victory has made the Fresnds Federal Authority extremely busy, they spent a lot of time reallocating people and implementing a tonne of new rules. A lot of the prisoners of war were made to do hardbor, or farm work, but some were released to those kingdoms that surrendered.


    A long set of agreements and treaties, to ''secure'' the shifting allegiances of the kingdoms and nations sandwiched between the Fresnds and the Six Ports. I did not care very much for the regr prisoners, so I was happy to let them go. These were mostly low ranking soldiers mostly under level 30, their threat level was not that significant anyway.


    The loyalties of many conscripted soldiers are suspect anyway. Most of them just obey their Kings and Rulers, and may not truly believe in the cause.


    A heretic god? What does it have to do with me? Its amon expression amongst the soldiers. Im here because the King sent me.


    Quite a fair bit dont even know what they are fighting, they only know they have been instructed to invade the Fresnds.


    I suppose its rather difficult to ensure the correct messages are transmitted to the 500,000 to 1,000,000 soldiers caught in the conflict. Especially in a world where messages frequently still travel by mouth. [Messages] and magical spells remain a luxury of the elite ss.


    What does it feel like, you know... to cause the death of so many. Strangely, it was a prayer from a random citizen of the Fresnds. He made the prayer some time after the armies surrendered. Do gods treat us mortals as just y things?


    I think so. The gods certainly do. And I see why. If the gods can disassociate the person from the body, that means to them, each living person is nothing more than a gamer holding an avatar, and when they die, its just game over for that avatar. Its like humans with our games. Many certainly think it is weird to care when our avatars die. Most just sigh, and just start a new game, with a new avatar.


    But for those living in the moment, they dont know that, and even if they know, they dont feel that connection to those future new lives. Each life and death is not connected to the next reincarnation.


    Maybe... Maybe Im also starting to think that way. I should not. Its a w.


    -


    The war council met daily. There were always new things to discuss. Kingdom A switched sides. Kingdom B switched sides. Kingdom C demands for so-and-so. Kingdom D goes this and that. After a while, its like little notifications in my in-game menu that Ive gradually gotten better at ignoring.


    Especially if it doesnt require my action. Its like some corporate paper pushers who receive hundreds to thousands of emails a day, mostly-ed. That corporate drone would click on the email, read the first few sentences, notices that he didnt need to do anything, and click delete, or archive.


    Trevor, can you notify me if any of these daily meetings have something material?


    Certainly, master. Trevor answered. You may want to direct your focus on the beetle and spider research. We are making progress, but we do require your decision on the numerical allocation of beetle-types.


    Horns. Update. I mentally called out.


    MASTER! Horns shouted with gusto. I wonder how he does it. We have sessfully unlocked Bomber-Beetles. We can further advance this into Explosive Beetles, and also upgrade its range and damage. Each will require 1 to 2 years, and additional resources.


    Trevor interrupted. Which will not be a problem. We have secured means of collecting the necessary resources from our vassals. We can afford to undertake all of the research. Its a matter of allocation that required Masters attention.


    Yes yes. Trevors right, Master. But I must talk about beetles. We also have made progress on Flying Beetles and also improved our existing beetles jumping strength. Our assassin beetles are able to leap twice as far, and our tunneler beetles canst twice as long!


    Well, thats great. Reality is, all these upgrades do add to utility, even if itsbat strength is mostly unchanged.


    Wait. Why do I need to decide on allocation?


    The process of transforming a beetle from one variant to another is a long process, and the subsidiary trees need about two to three months to shift from one form to another.


    Ah. 90% regr beetles. I have no intention of alerting our opponents to our unique beetle variants. For the remaining 10%, can I ask for them to be split equally to all different types?


    Horns intervened. Master... we also have Hybrid Beetles! Based on your advances in demonic-hybrid botany, we are also able to see some potential in demonic corruption-tolerant beetles. Do you want us to research those, even if they are ineffective against humans?


    Uh. Why not, but no allocation of beetles to them?


    Jasmine alsomented. Master, there may be significant value in small beetles that can operate as stealth units.


    Thats what assassins are for?


    Assassin beetles are still quiterge, at the moment.


    Master, Jasmine is right! We must have all kinds of beetles! Horns nodded. Can we undertake all of them?


    I felt like I was dealing with children. Alright. Trevor, do we have resources for all the research? And sufficient artificial minds to work on each and every one of these research without interfering with our operations?


    Yes, master. If you may create a few more...


    Alright.


    Power is really not the problem now. All in, I can power a good 120 artificial minds. The entire Fresnds, a massive, massive space is home to around 2 billion normal trees, and 10-12 billion shrubs. The conversion of emptynd intorge forests has been rapid, spurred on by Trevor and the other artificial minds dedicated and constant expansion of forests.


    They were persistent and relentless, and the forests grow so quickly that the Fresnds is a woodworking ma. Housing wasmonly made of wood, because of its abundance in the Fresnds, and there were a lot of vegetarians. The Fresnds as a whole, had a lot of food supply, particrly grain and fruits, and many of the city states export their food as one of their key sources of ie.


    That meant there was always a natural ce for the Six Ports in the Fresnds, and many merchant lords quickly jumped on the opportunity. Skip intermediaries and additional middleman taxes! They lobbied for a t-Fresnds tax instead, since the goods would be exported out of Fresnd-owned ports.


    Kavio, in one of his many briefings, spoke of the intense resistance and trade disruptions as a result of this war.


    We still have trade, but the temples have implemented multiple blockages at sea. They have sanctioned privateer groups to sack ships affiliated or carrying goods from the Fresnds.


    Im a tree. How am I supposed to attack ships out at sea anyway? My beetles too have an operating range, limited by my trees. I cannot send them far out to sea, nor are they suited for it. The ocean is really a massive wall for me, unless Im able to research sea-going nts. Lilies would probably do well at sea, at least, better than me. Theyre ake-bound existence, surely the open sea wouldnt be that much of a stretch?


    Wed have to have our own navy. Which I agreed wholeheartedly. Well have to start from scratch, since as andlocked realm, weve never had to have a proper navy beyond our river-boats.


    A navy.


    But how do I fix our economy thats disrupted. High-level individuals would usually not have problems...


    Wait.


    I can create upgraded sses. I can create upgraded trade sses. I totally could create upgraded trade and crafting sses and supercharge the economy. If so, I should totally start doing it.


    Kavio. What ss are you?


    Me? Kavio the centaur shifted ufortably. Im a... [Manager] and a [Trader]. With some sses in [Diplomat] and [Councillor]. Its... an odd mix.


    I see. Total levels?


    Around 60, but its rather spread out, so Im honestly quite weak. Kavio said.


    Jasmine whispered into my mind. I believe he also has sses in [Smuggler]. Hes been observed smuggling certain mind-altering substances for nobles. In fact, master Jura also helps to procure the calming teas and psychotic leaves for Kavio.


    When did that happen?


    In the past few years. The substances help to calm the minds, apparently very popr with the leadership of the FFA. They say it helps deal with their anxieties and stress from interacting with you, master.


    I paused. I caused my supposed leaders to have mental breakdowns and anxiety? Oh wait. That <i>was </i>my intention. I wanted them to be afraid of me, right? This is the natural consequence of that. Inevitably, some will turn to drugs for assistance.


    I felt conflicted. It was right for them to be afraid of me, for them to be druggies, that certainly was not the oue I intended.


    I checked my massively growing pile of skill seeds and ss seeds. My [soul collectors] constantly bring these back to me, on top of the other ss seeds I received when my [Aeonic Priests] perform funeral rites for the dead. I have all those ss seeds. Even [smuggler]. I could make upgraded versions of them.


    A simple form I discovered, really, is to just mash 20 to 30 of the same ss together, and it bes an upgraded version. Sometimes 20, sometimes 30. Some needed 40. sses that had to do with ruling over others, or were faith-rted were a bit more tricky. They sometimes worked, sometimes, they didnt. I havent quite figured it out why, or what. Perhaps there is an underlying mechanic to their upgrades.


    Is there something, Aeon? Kavio asked. He looked really nervous.


    How is the economy of the Fresnds?


    Kavio paused, and he looked extremely puzzled. Was jumping from sses to the economy too big a mental leap to make? He stood. If you desire a moreplete and precise report, Aeon, I would need to gather some of the merchant lords and administrators. Butrgely, trade with the regional kingdoms is holding up. We have a healthy supply of food, though we are still working on distribution and allocating. The Valtrian Order ismitted to distributing food and aid to the poor and those affected. Financially, the Order and the FFA hasmitted huge amounts of money to rebuild thends destroyed in thest two years of war.


    Jasmine, my sky-eye and spymaster intervened. Master, should you ever desire a report on transaction numbers, you may actually ask us. We monitor the region and we have in depth insights into the number of wagons moving from ce to ce, the poption size and the general health. There is no need to speak to the centaur.


    I nodded but rebuffed her. I appreciate your statistical input, Jasmine, but I believe when ites to qualitative measures of trade, I must consult Kavio and the citizens.


    Indeed, Jasmines data is like a satellite system that tracks trade movements, but in terms of value and quality, thats a more subjective measure. Jasmines ability to provide insight in whether a corn tastes well, or where the market trends are, is quite limited. Even if she and the artificial minds have a wealth of data.


    I have heard of the FFAs ns to rebuild and integrate the defected nations. But tell me, from your view, how does it go?


    Kavio paused. Its...plicated. We honestly dont know how much we can trust these defected nations, so even if we have contracts and all, enforcement of those contracts is suspect. The alternative is maintaining military presence so they dont try anything funny, but that is treated as a sign that we do not trust them. So, that sows future discontent and unhappiness.


    Ah. I see. How do we peacefully and sessfully integrate an enemy nation? One that fought wars against us? How can a poption that lost their loved ones against me, choose to even side with me.


    Time, trade andmunication. Juras rmendation, using his perspective as a [Warlord]. I think its a [Diplomat] aspect thats merged into it. Time, really. Time will heal the wound, and we would have to encourage a constant flow of people to and fro those countries.


    Kavio agreed, of course. I agree, those aremonly understood principles for long term integration, but we still have to deal with the short term bumps. It remains that each kingdom has a cultural difference, and they want to maintain their pride. They have defected, but they do not want to be seen as subservient, even if they are, in substance, forced to be. Its a difficult bncing act.


    I had to pause to unpack that. Essentially, for the Six Ports, the FFA formally annexed those ports as new territories of the FFA. But, for the kingdoms and nations in between, that formerly sided with the Temples, they surrendered or switched sides. So, their status is a lot more ambiguous as, although they are on our side, they are not my servants. As such, they have every right to resist my attempts to integrate them into the wider Fresndsmunity, as they feel as thats me attempting to encroach on their sovereignty.


    Its like some countries trying to force its allies to learn itsnguage. Sure, they are allies, but dont shove your culture down my throat. Even if these allies were formerly affiliated with my enemies.


    Were talking about kingdoms. Nations. I could crush them. I could, if I need to. But it has not reached that point. In the jungle, a species would have to find a niche to survive, and an ecosystem needs each other. I would like to build an ecosystem where these nations can exist, in a framework.


    Many resist the FFAs framework. One where I sit at the stop as the spiritual overlord of all the vassal states. A few, agreed. Mostly those nearer and weaker, they were willing to ept me, a strange, magical being, a monster, as their supreme overlord. Most want their own dignity. Might, makes right. The world has no overarching enforcer ofws, as much as the Gods pretends that they are.


    Some of them still believe in their own strength. I ended the briefing, and with Jasmine, surveyed mynds.


    The quality of the FFAs soldiers equipment is average. Not better than those of my opponents. I had thought Ive made arrangements for their equipment to be upgraded? And from my surveys, it seemed that, yes, there were higher quality items in the mix, but ultimately, there was a volume issue.


    I wasnt aware we did not have skilled [cksmiths]. I asked Kavio.


    We do. But the quantity of high quality goods our masters can make is limited. Certainly not enough to arm 300,000 soldiers. And the quality of our metals have been inconsistent. But they are trying.


    Why was I not made aware of this issue? There was an awkward silence.


    Its an ongoing process of renewing our forces equipment. And theres also the issue of channeling the higher quality output to the Valthorns, who consume these higher quality equipment at a higher rate.


    But Ive already given them my wooden-made weapons... I spent a little more time observing my Valthorns and noticed that they treat my wooden-made weapons with unnecessary respect, using them only on missions that Ive personally ordered. On their general duties theyve used regr steel weapons. Even though I told them to treat them as expendable, they certainly still used them very, very sparingly.


    They mostly use them only against demons, due to their anti-demonic effects. Against regr monsters they would equip regr weapons. My spymaster updated.


    Again... had I been so focused on the big picture stuff that I did not notice how things decayed? I think theres an expectation gap, in that when I give amand, I expect it to be carried out consistently and constantly. But what Im observing is that for the citizens of the Fresnds, they would forget the orders andmands I gave a few years ago, or theres a change of guard and themands previously set out were not properly passed down.


    Its not a surprise that the enthusiasm and obedience to orders andmands decayed. It would be strange if employees remembered everything their bosses said since many years ago. So for the general popce, this bureaucratic drift should have been expected. I recalled my own experiences working in that indiepany, it wasmon to forget discussions and decisions that were made as we were busy with our own parts, especially if they seemed inconsequential at that time.


    We never forget, master. Trevor said. Indeed, my artificial minds resemble AI more than actual people, and as such they remember my orders even from long ago. Things like oveys, constant expansion of forests. All made possible because my artificial minds almost never stop once an order is given.


    But people do. It is perhaps also why they are able to change. Because when one is not shackled by their past decisions. I looked at the Fresnds as a whole, and wondered, do they need more change, or more order and tradition?


    -


    I checked my sses. I have [pirate] sses, probably from some of them who died. [Captain] and [Sailor] sses too. I could make upgraded versions of these sses, if I wanted to start a navy.


    But... how do I control them?


    Once they are on ships, out on the open waters, I can''t monitor them at all. My trees do not have vision in the ocean. What if those with upgraded sses defect, with my ability to supervise socking?


    "Trust, Aeon. Unfortunately that is the best we have."


    I sighed. I have gotten quite used to being able to monitor those who serve me, at least directly or indirectly via my Artificial minds. Now this requires me to let go, I feel a little strange. Trust. Thats an extremely heavy word.


    Its especially if the ss Im creating is a [pirate]. [Pirates]... do they have strong respect for authority?


    Pretty sure they do have some respect for authority, especially if they have good captains.


    I merged the Pirate and Captain sses together and noticed that 5 of each,bined, turned into a [Pirate Captain] ss. I could create a pirate captain, but would they be loyal? They wouldnt. The best I could do is to somehow align our interests. But sponsoring piracy against the temples is also not something the neighbours will desire.


    Though I once vowed to avoid the game of politics, the fact that I have power and territory, and neighbours, make me a yer in this game. Politics is unavoidable. I cannot avoid people forever, unless I do not care of the decisions other nations make and their consequences on me.


    Where should I go with this?


    I wanted a cultural victory. Which sectors need it the most? [cksmiths], and [Navy]? [Smugglers] to break the temple-navies blockade? [Master Farmers]? The Fresnds need to be strengthened and reinforced such that the overall quality of life and the quality of goods are higher than the rest. Better [adventurers], less monsters.


    Whats the best way for me to distribute these upgraded sses among the poption, such that they aid the Fresnds?


    Based on our surveince of the poption?


    Master, perhaps the Titans would be useful. I nodded. I wanted to know how my people tick. I may not predict what decisions they make once they are in the open waters, or outside my domain, but the best I can do is screen them, vet them and interview them properly.


    I took one of the Titan Souls, and nodded. Commencing fusion of [Grand Mind Tree] and the [Titan Frame]. Upgrading and unlocking of [Tree-Over-Mind] will take a few months.

 Tree-expressway

    Tree-expressway


    <b>Year 129</b>


    A moment I long awaited, and I felt it happen quite clearly. The Tree-Over-Mind was shaped like a massive blob of neurons at first, but once it wasplete, it shrunk to the size of a small bush. But, anyone who saw it would be able to tell it is no ordinary bush. It was as if a thundercloud was plucked out of the sky and made into a bush.


    Lightning jumped from one part to another constantly. shes of light happened regrly. If not for various other strange, burning trees, itll look very out of ce.


    I am awake, Master. I am the [Tree-Over-Mind], and I can now be given a name,


    Telepatreeck. Patreeck. I had spent some time thinking of what would be a good name. It was either Telepatreeck or Psychiatreest. But I decided Patreeck would be a moremon name.


    Activating local area [Mind ess]. Patreeck said, and my mind was assaulted by the thoughts of almost everyone in Freshka. Freshka was the nearest town to the Valley. A lot of people suddenly jerked when they felt the [Mind ess] happen. Its like a sudden headache.


    Jura was quick to detect its presence. Aeon... did something happen. I felt my mind was suddenly touched.


    The Mind ess felt quite like a version of the memories that the [souls] have. When the dead souls arrive in my [soul realm], and after 3 additional colors to my soul forge, the quality and quantity of memories I can see from the dead has increased over that time.


    This was a very simr feeling. I can feel little bubbles of thoughts. Not everything, quite surely.


    That was when I could feel Juras worry. He was wondering whether that feeling was a mental attack. It was the same throughout Freshka. Faris was back in Freshka after a stint at the Six Ports, and he felt it too. Those who are higher level can feel it, something touching their mind. They dont know what, though.


    A deluge of random thoughts. Stupid things.


    Patreeck, can you filter those that are irrelevant?


    Define irrelevant, master?


    Uh... anything that doesnt have to do with me.


    Everything has to do with you, master. Eventually. Please narrow down your choice.


    Exclude thoughts about love lives, friendships, and issues of sanitation, food. What else could I exclude? Or more like, what should I focus on?


    Or is it better that I go about this in a machine-learning way?


    So, Patreeck spent quite a bit of time with me, as we went through the thoughts of the people around me, grading those thoughts using a not interested vs interested criteria, he would develop a framework of what would be relevant to me. But of course, this required training data, so I was swamped with random, silly thoughts for a long time, because though he had my knowledge, he still needed my decision making to properly assess what would be relevant to me.


    Most of the thoughts are mundane. Thoughts about family. About their work. About food. I wasnt interested in things like that. I wanted things that were a risk. There was a context to it too. Like, I would be interested in more mundane things from Jura, than a random person I dont know?


    But you do know them, master. Jasmine added. We have knowledge about so many people. It is just a thought away.


    Ah. Its weird.


    Its like one moment you dont know them, and the next, all this knowledge gets downloaded. Its uncanny and weird.


    So weird. For a human. But so natural for them.


    Trees take forever to get to know a person. For us, interacting with a person for a year is good enough to make us rte to that person, and makes him feel like were good friends or sworn enemies. For a Tree, one years interaction is probably just a one-liner in the story of their incredibly long life. Yvon was giving a talk to the new batch of Valthorns. So, dont feel discouraged and wonder why Aeon still treats you like he doesnt know you. I believe this is actually amon feeling across all of us normal mortals, when we interact with ageless creatures.


    Theres actually a segment or ss in their curriculum called, Interacting with ancient spirit trees. Apparently Gerrard helped them with the sybus when he was here, and was mainly for those who had a druid specialisation.


    Druids must learn how to manage spirit trees. They are the creatures of thend, given power by their age or special events. The theory of how spirit trees came to be isplicated and as druids, it is best not to presume each of their origins. ording to one rare ancient script, spirit trees used to be far moremon. This, of course, is a highly contentious statement.


    A young boy raised his hand. His name was Eiran, and hes a 10 year old [Druid]. Why?


    The ancient script implies that there was an era before the constant destruction and war. If you believe this, then the theory that many trees surviving and achieving sentience would be true.


    But do we know whether its true?


    No. Other than one rare ancient script, we have no other descriptions of spirit trees from the old era. Many records were lost to the numerous wars and battles. It could well be that this ancient script is a story of fiction, as this script was iplete. Or the work of a spector or troll. Most of the more recent [Great Druids], or [Arch Druid], believe that Spirit Trees are not created by the age of the trees, but more of unique magical circumstances.


    That would be fair, like me. I am not an old tree, just unique.


    For example, records about Aeon did not exist prior to 50 to 60 years ago, when Freeka was founded. Yvon said. Where was Aeon before that, we did not know.


    So close.


    Perhaps, he was just asleep. Yvon obviously didnt think so, but she didnt know the answer. I vaguely sensed shes still trying to unravel this mystery, and I discovered that its been something she has been wondering for some time. Its just that no one knew the answer, and all Jura told her was that I was brought here by some druids.


    Maybe its just magic, made real. Another boy said. He believes in magic, that it is possible for magic to take the form of things. Its a remarkably pure view of magic. And I felt embarrassed when I felt the part of that boys thoughts, that Im a magical existence. It was... weird and jarring to encounter these kinds of emotions. Its like being on the receiving end of a confession. Weird.


    Its not all positive. Many do view me as a tyrant, a benevolent dictator. These thoughts weremon among the visitors to Freshka. Merchants or travelling nobles. Many mixed views about me, most, a grudging respect. On a day to day though, most of them dont really think about me that much. Their focus is mostly on their immediate issues. Food. Trade. Jobs. Safety. Rtionships. Mundane stuff that I mostly filter out.


    For those who are used to Freshka, or have lived here for a long time, their issues rte mostly to jobs, studies, rtionships, happiness, progression and justice. Safety wasnt much of a big deal, because Freshkas extremely well fortified. We have built many, many walls, and the Valthorns tremendous presence meant safety was not something they thought about.


    Naturally, Ive used my new mind-reading, though its not pure mind reading. Its like Im able to ess little thought bubbles that leak out of their minds. Its a bit like Sims, where theres little blobs over their head indicating their thoughts.


    Ive looked through the memories and I believe this disy would be most consistent with the presentyout. Patreeck said. Do you want me to present their thoughts in other forms? I can also arrange them as a ticker-style disy, or a live-thread.


    This is fine. Can you color code it for the type of thoughts? Mundane ones as a pale grey. War orbat rted as red.


    Patreeck instantly revised my interface and most of the speech bubbles changed into pale grey. Little grey speech bubbles.


    This is entirely possible because thesepanions of mind are able to intervene and connect to my mind directly. Its pretty much live editing simr to how TV channels add the banners and oveys for live sport events.


    On top of that, I now have the ability to transmit thoughts and dreams into any one person. I can project emotions, feelings, and ideas into them, these powers are strongest right here, in Freshka. Honestly, these sort of psychic attacks feel like a big step towards outright mind control.


    Am I bing a hive mind that mind-controls all the citizens in my valley?


    Im quite sure Ive long past the point where I can say this is too much power for one person to handle. Ive had various powers that already qualify for that too much power thing. Like [subsidiary trees] and [soul forge].


    Master? Patreeck and the rest of my artificial minds were concerned. I think they detected my emotional state.


    Ah... just... having some thoughts about my new powers.


    -


    I summoned a few individuals to the valley. Its the same ce where the Valthorns, or the representatives visited. This time, Jura and a few Valthorns escorted them, and I reduced the effects of my [haunted forests] along the path.


    Master Jura, did we do something wrong? One of the merchants asked as he walked carefully behind Jura. He was one of the few merchants who actively traded with us, and with my new found powers, viewed me rather favorably.


    No. I responded to them telepathically, I tried to control the strength of my projection. Jura had recently said that my telepathic messages had be rather overwhelming, even though the messages were simple. I honestly had not considered how my [telepathicmunication] scaled with my levels, even if it made all the sense in the world. Patreecks presence too, of course. Its actually a happy asion.


    The five individuals were two merchants, a carpenter, a herbalist and a healer.


    The five of you must feel like an odd bunch.


    The herbalist mustered all of his strength to respond. It is an honor. I could see his thoughts. He was worried sick, and he wondered what would happen to his family if he didnt go home today. The others were thinking how to run. The merchants leg was wobbly. I had the Valthorns serve them some calming, rxing tea.


    But I promise you youll return home today.


    The tea worked swiftly, and calmed their nerves. Then I got to the point.


    Ive heard of your efforts to use local goods and promote local trade, and Im here to reward you.


    [Trademaster], [Aeonic Master Carpenter], [Advanced Aeonic Herbalist] and [Advanced Aeonic Healer]. Somehow Trademaster didnt have an aeonic variant, but then again, maybe thats because I myself have very little involvement in trade. But from what I understand, certain sses that do gain Aeonic sses either gain some mastery over wood and growth, some variant of my healing powers or anti-demonic properties.


    The five were stunned at the fruits, but they all took it. Except one merchant.


    It is a great honor, but I must refuse, Aeon. The one who rejected said, and I saw the speech bubbles. He doesnt want to be seen as beholden to me, and I could tell he was extremely conflicted about it. My independence is something I greatly value as a merchant. My skill [Trustworthy broker] relies on my continuous independence.


    ...I see. Oh well. But the other four were more than happy to take it. That is fine. It is a gift, and you are permitted to refuse.


    Eventually they all left the valley, safely. It didnt take long for the effects of their upgraded sses to show up. Their works were more fine, stronger. I wanted to see what their presence would cause.


    The other nations who got wind of their new sses were quick to offer, but I had believed they had enough sense to refuse. At least, for a while.


    I suspect the Trademaster may move to other towns. Jasminemented a few weeks after that day. But the other 3 are still based in the Fresnds.


    I mentally sighed. I guessed that a trademaster must move around to maximise his returns. Setting up a trading base is nothing more than a step to profit.


    -


    At this moment, I feel my ideas of a cultural victory seemed extremely far fetched. I could definitely assist in forming and shaping a culture, but ultimately the culture of a ce is formed by its people, and built over decades and centuries.


    Its also constantly changing. The Fresnds is a neer in the world, culturally. Theres no goodwill thats built up over the decades, unlike the temples that are cultural and political institutions.


    Ive managed to sway a lot of the local nobles to at least give lip service, a word of faith and loyalty to the Fresnds. But many of them conte the faith and the authority together. I am both God and Emperor, a religious and an administrative authority. The temples are a religious figure, even if theyck administrative clout.


    The temples are gathering their forces.


    There are already Kings who opposed the crusade, not because of the cause, but because they are too weak. My victory had scared many of them, certainly, I was not the easy prey they believed I were.


    On the central continent, most of them view me quite favourably, and so, one of the projects I had this year was to cut a path across the Rottends.


    Right now, if we take the Rottends as a one big pizza, Ive taken arge slice out. Same for the remnants of Harriss Empire. What I want to do now, is to cut across, and make a highway to the surviving kingdoms on the other side.


    After analysing the maps, I decided to do it the politician and capitalists way. To the highest bidder.


    Were going tounch a bid. I told Kavio and the council. I intend to use my powers to clear a pathway through and across the Rottends, and so, I want to invite the kingdoms who are interested in an alliance with me, to participate. This means a trade route, protected by my trees and beetles. We can also set up new towns and cities along the path.


    A new silk road. A new... Tree Road. A Countree road.


    The entire representative council was excited by what that meant. A pathway that crossed the Rottends would open up so many new economic opportunities for trade! It could massively reinvigorate the ind nations that bordered the Rottends.


    So, invite the kingdoms to bid. What they are willing to offer for a connecting path? Were also willing to offer a conditional defensive pact, should a nation feel ever threatened by their neighbours.


    Is this capitalism?


    No. This is just me sending my roots to wherever thats juicy. Well open multiple paths eventually.


    This task will involve me cutting across where the demons corruption is densest, buttely, Im feeling confident. I think its partly because of Patreeck. These Titans, they generate massive amounts of mana, and his psychic powers meant that he could help to offset the corrupting influence.


    I can now dream of The Transcontinental Treeway.


    The announcement was met with chaos. Even more than I had expected.


    Does this mean Aeon is able to extend his reach as far as the entire continent? That was pretty much the number one political and military question on everyones mind. Because if that answer was a yes, they had to quickly revise my ability to project power anywhere on the continent.


    Clearly the answer is a yes. Why else would the Fresnds put out an auction for a safe pathway across the Rottends? They must be able to do it.


    No country on the continent is safe if this is true. If The Fresnds beetles are able to pop up on the other side of the continent, are we not sharing this continent with a monster? How is our throne and kingdom safe?


    I think you mean, how are we still supporting the temples? This deration is clearly a thinly veiled invitation to the rest of the kingdoms to switch sides.


    The temples were quick to attack the n as some kind of tree-imperialism. That this was me building an empire. Well, yes. Of course. Im fighting temples who can summon armies from all the continents. Surely Im going to retaliate by expanding to such a point that I can force a stalemate and a peace treaty?


    The FFA was extremely busy after the bid went out, many kingdoms, previously uninvolved in the affairs of the Fresnds, now had this offer. Theyve previously ignored me simply because I was on the other side, the Rottends was this thick imprable wastnd. As a potential neighbour, everyone wanted to do their own due diligence, on what they were potentially inviting to their corner.


    Some of the kingdoms quickly formed a coalition agreeing not to bid, and to convince others not to bid. Well, they dont want me next door.


    But I just need one. Someone to agree. A kingdom desperate enough to agree. A kingdom thats been harassed, ignored and bullied. One whos willing to ept a new benefactor and patron. The temples were suddenly willing to open their purses and give aid to the border kingdoms, just to dissuade them from participating.


    Ah, geopolitics.


    Was it this chaotic when the Panama Canals or the Suez Canals opened? Surely the politics of having to skip a long detour for trade made everyone jump?


    While the discussion went on, and the actual auction would happen one yearter, I started to expand.


    I have so many subsidiary trees. I pushed deeper into the Rottends.


    [Skill : Hybrid Botany upgraded]


    I pushed deeper to the center. Where is the Daemolite? The center should naturally be where the demon king fell. There should be daemolite. Instead I found a crater. A massive smoldering crater.


    What in the world...


    Oh. Is this because Harris and gang destroyed whatever that was trapping the souls of the heroes?


    The air here was different. The energies were chaotic.


    I wondered whether this constituted a magical leyline.


    Spaizzer


    Take me home, Countree Road,


    To a ce where I belong,


    West Bauhinia, Mountain Momma,


    Take me home, Countree Road

 Progeny and Peas

    Progeny and Peas


    <b>Year 130</b>


    Strange how information is often volunteered when ones in a position of power. Across the world, many observed the Fresnds rise, and are eager to make friends. I would not have called them allies, given their fickle nature, but for now, friendly to the Fresnds.


    The temples are in conflict, of course. Political conflict, rather than actual war. usations appeared, perhaps from the kings and emperors, that the temples were dishonest. Its brewing for some time but the in-tree-continental tree highway added fuel to the fire.


    Why do the temples demand our best forces, when the temples refuse to send their best temrs?


    Ive seen temrs. But in our first war and the string of battles, there were just a few hundred, at most, a thousand temrs. Temrs. The temples military arm. Quite simr to my Valthorns, and surely, their better suited for anti-demon activity than actually fighting me. Unless their god marked me as some kind of enemy of the religion, and they get a boost fighting me. That makes sense too.


    Again, free informants seemed to suggest that the temples had considered it, but their own intel suggested that their temrs are ineffective against me. Simply put, the first few hundred temrs were sent on a suicide mission. The temples too did not know whether the temrs received any blessing or buff from fighting a non-demon enemy of the temple, theirmon understanding was that the blessings applied only against demons.


    Amonint, and at this point I was rather happy to be left alone. I didnt see the point in a war that proved nothing. There really was no oue thats good as a whole. Like, so what if the temples won? Have they given up on their best chance of reiming the Rottends from the demonic corruption? The demonic corruption was weaker, after the demon kings death. Thest demon king had recalled some of the demonic energies in the Rottends to fight the heroes.


    The Rottends may very well undo itself if each demon king called on its residual demonic energy during the fight with the heroes.


    Perhaps that is how the world maintains its current state. It would take a string of rottends-type explosions all over the world to terraform the entire world into demond. However, if the demon kings recalled'' the energies that power it, eventually the Rottends would shrink.


    "There''s really no daemolite left in the wreck?" The representative council asked Kavio, and Kavio asked me. Both locations?


    Aeon had only explored Sabnocs location, as it is older and the corruption was weaker.


    The ce of the demon king''s corpse had been thoroughly destroyed. I made trees through the areast year, and even now, not a single daemolite left. The heroes had really destroyed the ce. Of course, I am quite embarrassed that it took me so long to put 2 and 2 together, but then... who knew?


    Daemolite isn''t just a great store of mana. It''s also a good prison for souls. The two heroes were likely trapped in some kind of unique daemolite. Is the demon king harvesting souls too? Or only certain kinds of souls?


    "Our war potential would be greatly improved by having daemolite weaponly. After the great exhaustion of the daemolites in thest few decades ago, a new attainable source would be great." The heroes didn''t like daemolite. I recalled a conversation between the heroes about the perils of daemolite mining...


    The global daemolite supply, which powers a small fleet of high speed cruise ships, airships and so on, have been heavily affected by daemolite shortage. Partly because during the Sabnoc era, some of the daemolite was magically turned into greater demons. Then, the two subsequent demon king''s corpses were unharvestable due to the overwhelming presence of hex. It''s the equivalent of poisoning a productive oil well.


    It didn''t help that the airships were unusable in the Rottends. Daemolite would interact with the demonic energies and behaved erratically, sometimes exploding. The terrain itself, hostile, meant if something went wrong, they would crash in demon hybrid infested territories.


    Darn.


    But wait, if the demonic influence is weakening, would we be able to use daemolite?


    I had the Valthorns send an exploratory delegation to the site of the demon king Sabnoc''s fight. Other than the heroes, it''s the first time someone''s been here.


    So this is it. Where the demon king fell and Emperor Harris made his mark on the world. Faris said. Harris was naturally the most famous of the 5 who survived. Even if they all finally died.


    Im more interested in where he died. Edna said. Thendscape was apocalyptic. There were massive holes and gashes on the ground that 4 decades did not heal, only recently some of that damage was beginning to undo itself.


    Still, its a ce where the demon king and heroes fought, and so the air and ground is unsettled, disturbed by the pain that thisnd once saw. Though I managed to remove the demonic corruption from this location, and the ground is still poisoned from magic. Too much magic was used here. Here, magic itself is weak. Not a nice ce for a [mage], as they would find their magic less potent. Maybe in a few decades, the residual drain on magic will fade, and this ce will return to normalcy.


    Our briefing suggested that these ces were always filled with daemolite.


    Its been 4 decades. Maybe the heroes mined all of them already.


    As I pushed more and more of the demonic sludge away, it revealed a battered terrain. There were huge underground holes, caves that were made out of magical sts. We could tell from the round circr shape of the caves, the smooth edges that indicated something annihted everything in its path.


    Faris was most affected by the devastation. The perils of a [aeonic great druid], their emotions are very much affected by the condition of thend. He would witness a massive crevice, and hed pause, touch the ground briefly.


    You alright? Edna walked over. There were many other Valthorns, they checked the area thoroughly for any potential magical items.


    Faris had to pause. Not really. Thisndscape... it weighs on me.


    Huh?


    A druid in some ways can be considered 3 main branches to its power. Trees and animals, wind and water, andstly earth. Faris exined. Our connection to these 3 branches can be said to be almost equal at first, depending on our ss, though we are usually more known for our connection to trees and animals. There are variations across sses and teaching schools, of course. Some druids are pure tree-only. I believe my [aeonic druids] are more tree focused, though Faris as an [aeonic great druid] should be simr. .


    Edna got it instantly. Ah, so the earths pain speaks to you.


    Something like that. Faris said. Not a nice feeling.


    Edna smiled and teased her friend andpatriot. Its like being sensitive, I suppose.


    Faris hit her with his stick.


    The next location I wanted to explore was where Guihwang, Harris and all died. I witnessed their death, of course, and the massive explosion left arge crater. That explosion destroyed the demon king, and any trees I had in the area. Since then, the area has been inessible due to a perpetual firestorm.


    Magic storm. Edna and the Valthorns observed the terrain. Residual magic. Itll calm down eventually. Maybe in a few years. It doesnt happen all the time, though, which is strange. Its as if the gods rolled a dice whether there will be a magic storm, or not.


    Well have to wait for it to calm down. I mentally spoke. There are days when the firestorm weakens a little.


    Maybe theres daemolite in there.


    -


    Multiple kingdoms submitted their bids, despite the protests from the temples and so on. Some did so secretly. They didnt want to publicly dere to the temples that they were looking for alternatives.


    The offers were interesting. Our invitation to bid went out quite generally, that the I was looking to create a transcontinental path across the Rottends.


    Some kingdoms offered their princesses for marriage. Some offered a cut in taxes. Some outright offered control of their entire army.


    The representatives sat down and evaluated the offers.


    Whats the point of this? One rather cynical representative asked. In the end, Aeons the one that decides, right?


    Kavio nodded. Aeon had agreed to three potential alliances, and he had said he would decide on two of them. Thest one, will be for us to decide.


    The reason I did this was simple. Jasmine, from her observation of the people, and Patreecks mental reading had indicated that the council was growing weary. They had great authority over the lesser matters, but I had sensed that they were feeling left out of the greater direction of the Fresnds. Letting have a say in the big things would help, I guess?


    I watched their thought bubbles. They were all thinking whether Im serious, or whether this is a test.


    Kavio, had you ever thought of marrying? I telepathically spoke to the representatives present.


    Kavios face paled instantly. Aeon, you dont mean...


    Some of the kingdoms offered marriages. Certainly... our representatives should be more than worthy and deserving of the station.


    Their minds spun, and I detected some horniness among the representatives present. Some of them are nobles, being the delegates of their parents who rule their cities or domain. Some are elected representatives from their home state. Theres some variation in how this station is perceived by the local rulers, some view this as a key training ground before they return home to take over from their families, some houses send their lesser children here, while their first sons are back home, actively training.


    I considered that this would make these representatives not-so-loyal, since now they would have the input and influence of these faraway kingdoms. Their wives, or husbands as it may, will use them as their door tomunicate with me.


    A reality of geopolitics. The Fresnds isnt just the valley of Freeka any more.


    I must have wisdom, and ept that it is possible to managepeting priorities and influences. Just like how there are trees in the lush tropics, to the cold, snowy areas of the high mountains, to the dry, vast steppes. The world is not just one type of environment. Trees adapt and evolve too, even if it seemed ever so slowly.


    People too, are different. The Fresnds is a growing, vast space. The ways and means of a city-state, and that of an empire should be different.


    The representatives had days of serious debate. There were about 72 representatives now, as the inner Fresnds had grown to twenty over segments, theres also delegates from the Six Ports, and then the representatives of the surrendered or allied kingdoms.


    Perhaps the hand should be offered to the High Representative of the Six Ports?


    Or the hand of the Kingdoms?


    It was a mess, and I didnt pay much attention to it. Each representative wanted something for their home state. After all, only one of the 3 spots would be chosen by the representatives.


    -


    d youre not Kavios ce anymore? Yvon smiled and tapped Juras shoulder. Yvon is almost level 70 as a [trainer-master].


    Totally. Jura nodded. I may be a [warlord], but dealing with squabbling nobles is really tiring. Id rather be fighting greater hybrid champions.


    My elite Valthorns were almost capping out too. Edna was at Level 78 as an [Aeonic Grand Knight], and Faris was Level 76. Many others were in their Level 60s. They still had regr expeditions into the Rottends, but these days, its harder to find champion-ss demon hybrids to fight. So, their growth ordingly slowed.


    Instead, many started to moonlight as adventurers, fighting other monsters that spawn in the Fresnds.


    ording to our constitution, I had mandated security for certain designated routes. Beetles would patrol those ces, and so these areas are safe. Monsters, however, still frequently happen, and magical anomalies, lesser necromancers and nuisances were left to adventurers to deal with.


    It was a concession for the adventurers lobby group.


    Are you level 100 yet? Yvon asked.


    Nope. Still at Level 94. Jura answered. But honestly, its not a cap issue. Its just ack of suitable opponents at this level.


    Maybe you could just dive into a dungeon by yourself and destroy them single-handedly?


    There are no dungeons in the Fresnds. Aeons presence had ensured that. All the dungeons are outside of the Fresnds.


    An unfortunate turn of events is that my overwhelming presence had prevented the growth of naturally spawning dungeons, so the Fresnds doesnt have dungeons! This was a problem for adventurers, of course. Like, what proper fantasy empire doesnt have adventurers? But if there are no dungeons, then the number of adventurers and their quality would naturally be lower.


    I was aware of this issue for some time... its just that, well, I could only focus on a few things at a time. Dungeons are natural events created from magical umtion. The presence of trees, and my roots that extend everywhere, essentially drains magic and prevents too much magical energies from umting.


    Instead, the magic is distributed, and umted in forests instead. So, the forests and jungles of the Fresnds have stronger monsters, on average. Wolves, birds and all that are generallyrger, stronger, and more likely to have magical features. Some even have [aeonic] variants, and I can give these [aeonic] monsters instructions, though they may not always obey it. Most of these forest monsters are territorial so they stay within the forests, and coupled with the forests being protected territories, they are rarely encountered by the general popce or adventurers.


    Im conflicted. If I want to strengthen adventurers, theyd have to fight stronger monsters. In the Fresnds, its either I find a way to create a dungeon where stronger monsters can spawn, or let these adventurers fight these aeonic monsters. But I dont want to, Im generally fond of these fellow forest creatures.


    We can use the adventurers to cull poptions of monsters that have grown toorge. Currently, Trevor manages the poption of the monsters in the forests. If they are too big, he would put them down, with an army of beetles.


    I still feel conflicted.


    But really this is a short term solution. Poption cullings ofrge packs will not be sustainable, nor will it give a lot of quests for these adventurers.


    -


    The representatives eventually settled on one of the kingdoms which offered three princesses, arge amount of trade, and a regr payment. I still had to decide on the other two.


    Which I soon regretted. I stared and contemted all the choices, and decided I wasnt very good at making decisions.


    Patreeck, Trevor, Dimitree... Give me a hand? I mean, a thought?


    Certainly.


    There was some buzzing for a few weeks, and my artificial minds soon gave me a presentation. I felt like I was the CEO who was given a briefing on whats the best decision to make.


    We have evaluated the following proposal bids and have shortlisted the following five kingdoms for your consideration, master. Trevor started. He was the oldest of the artificial minds, so somehow hes like in charge.


    Thebined bid by the Twin kingdoms of Illisar and Alenas are our first choice. They offered four children of the two kings as potential marriage partners, they also have ess to fourrge precious gem mines that theyve agreed to offer 15% to us, and their location is close to the northern rivers. They have had a history of war with their neighbours, and their tworger neighbours have always wanted to conquer them. Theyve failed in the past due to the two kings were of a high-level, and they have a small circle of strong generals. But their strongest king died of a demon wound a few years ago, and the new King is weaker.


    I mentally nodded. Alright, theyre weak and they have every reason to cooperate with us. They also have gem mines, which I need for upgrades.


    They are also andlocked nation, so they really need this alternative trade route. Their traders are frequently targeted by river-pirates, especially once the ships travel to the neighbouring countriesnd, and so the main river that runs through their kingdom is an unreliable source of trade.


    Alright, they are desperate.


    The second best bid, in our opinion, is from the Kingdom of Tiapesok. Again, they offered five children of the royal family of our choice.


    Patreeck, Trevor, maybe cut out the part on the children. Really irrelevant to me.


    I believe they are relevant for our Valthorns and politically, we may dangle them as rewards for the loyal nations. Trevor said. If we must maintain loyalty throughout the vast territory, it would be good to use these as rewards.


    ...really? What? Is this like a game of Total War or EU4 or Crusader Kings where I matchmake royalties with deserving generals in order to maintain loyalty? Seriously.


    As such, the number is important. Trevor continued. Jasmine had also corroborated that many nobles frequently fight over good marriage candidates, as such, there is political and economic value from these marriage candidates.


    But where do wee in?


    We control the trade routes, master. The wealth generated by the trade routes is a button we can turn on, or off.


    Jasmine, Trevor and Patreeck all paused.


    Also, obtaining marriage candidates is also crucial, as they are worth it for the potential hereditary skills.


    Hereditary skills? Alright, what in the world is that.


    From our analyses of nobility, amon trait that allowed nobles to retain their power and influence, despite the worlds constant change, is the ability to pass on certain skills and benefits to their progeny.


    ...what? That sounded extremely familiar. Have I had this conversation before? Was it some nobles that spoke to me about inherited skills?


    Master, our proposal required that we incorporate the skillsets of nobility, to produce stronger offspring. Nobles and various races have been seen demonstrating the effects of inherited skills, perhaps it slightly stronger physical strength, or just natural learning ability, or slightly faster levelling speed.


    Why did I not know of it?


    Not all nobles possess the ability to pass down abilities. Only some do, and those that never talk about it.


    And...


    We can read minds. Patreeck responded. Some of the nobles have been hiding this hidden advantage. They dont even tell their children, until their children gain a simr skill when they reach adulthood. Some of it is just the ability to evade negative traits or just generic healthiness.


    Go on.


    Weve also discovered that some royal families have certain dynasty abilities that bless their entire lineage.


    Damned. Even in the world of levels, the wealthy and powerful have a way to rig the game. Seriously.


    As such, the children of the royals have incredible value.


    Do you think its possible to spawn a super-noble, then? I mean, if the inherited skills can be passed down, and the inherited skills cane from both father and mother, surely the nobles would have been umting advantages over time. Isnt this like how one-for-all works?


    From our observation, yes, its already been done. The nobles and royalties intermarrying suddenly makes a huge amount of sense now. But from our observation, these gifted children mostly turn overconfident and usually die young before they ever fulfill their advantages and potential.


    I see.


    Theres a very Mendellian quality to this entire thing. Patreeck and Trevors proposal of mixing the royals with our elites reeks of gicism. My soul forge alters an individual. This is altering sessive generations via selective breeding.


    I understand Masters concerns, but the effects of skills are real. The advantages are clear. Creating super-soldiers via selective breeding is possible in the long run. It is fundamentally not much more different from selective alteration of beetles.


    In a world of magic and levels, were still unable to escape the powers of inheritance and inequality.


    Magic and levels amplifies inequality. It gives legitimacy over ones superior station over another.


    Dammit. Just fucking gddammit.


    If I go down this path, eventually I would be selectively breeding my citizens to create supersoldiers.


    Master?


    I need a moment.


    Ive already taken one step into that path, by training Valthorns from their very young age. This is an extension of that thought, by ensuring the quality and potential of the Valthorns are high, even before they are trained.


    But theres clearly a conflict here. Valthorns are mostly children who are without families. Weve taken them in and trained them. Give them a family, and skills. Give them a purpose in life, if they didnt have one, a cause and goal to fight for.


    Is there a line I shouldnt cross here? Ive killed thousands. Tens of thousands?


    Master?


    I need more time to contemte this. I can ept the fact that hereditary skills exist. In fact, it makes all the sense that it should. A parents love for their children may manifest itself as skills.


    The Kings and nobles of the world have been doing this all this while, master. Patreeck interjected. We are just taking it a step further.


    Its the difference between free range chicken and massive broiler farms, Patreeck. I need to think.

 Tree Arch

    Tree Arch


    <b>Year 131</b>


    On the proposals, I had agreed to the top two choices that Trevor and Patreeck proposed. For the marriage candidates, I had advised that we will decide on that at ater date. With the three winners decided, I started work on my long overdue Great Tree Road. I was already halfway to the other side anyway, when we reached the center of the Rottends.


    Now for the remaining half.


    The Rottends energy has be weaker. Right now, it behaves quite like creep or ooze, theres still some push and inertia, but Ive noticed the expansionary element has been slowly disappearing. That said, hybrids will continue to spawn as long as the terrain remains covered with demonic substances. The god of spawning animals, monsters and nts doesnt particrly care what is spawned, so long as they fit the terrain. Its a bit of a runaway process.


    Maybe some demons or hybrids, if they could think, would see me like I am an evil highway builder, destroying and encroaching on their habitat with this highway right through their homes.


    On a macro level, its like how roots break rocks or dirt apart. A root goes through it, and smaller ones gradually break it up. Some nts and trees dont like hard ground and soil, and requires worms and all to help loosen up the soil.


    Anyway, I started the building of the treeway and the entire process of spawning [subsidiary trees] and [giant attendant trees] took 7 months. Along the way, there wererge parts that were submerged under the demonic sludge.


    Ancient ruins coated with demonic goop, cities that were somehow not entirely destroyed by the sludge. Caves. Rivers. There were many interesting sights and locations along the way, and I made a note to Patreeck, and Trevor to return to them.


    We need another artificial mind. One to control ess to the path. Trevor suggested and I nodded. I had capacity anyway. I named my new mind in charge of the highway that branched to the 3 selected allies, Trent. I wanted Treerific, but what would the parents think of that name? So Trent.


    Hi Trent. Youre in charge of security and trade taxes of the Treeway. Alert us and escte any unusual matters. We mentally linked up and soon he was on his way. Hes been given arge regiment of beetles to ensure the security of the path.


    The Council of Representatives made a request for a formal party to celebrate the new path that cut across the entire Rottends.


    But its not ready yet. Although there is a corruption-free path, the terrain along the path isnt exactly clean. Theres still a need to build roads, build bridges, build rest stops. A lot of construction work needs to be performed before the path is ready for use. Some of this construction should start from the other side, since it didnt make sense for a construction team to travel all the way across the Rottends. That was a 2 to 3 month journey if one walked!


    I watched as the other kingdoms, these new partners of ours, send their builders and armies into the new path.


    Its rather tiny for a path.


    Big enough for a few wagons, for sure. But its so jarring. Its like someone nted a row of trees on both sides and now theres a path through the Rottends.


    Hush! A Lord on a horse said. His majesty instructed that we build whatevers needed for the trade route. This path will relieve our trade issues.


    Its probably calcted to be of a certain size. You cant march a big army through it. The builders talked. They clearly had no concept of being secretive.


    The path meandered through the Rottends, there were natural hills and mountains underneath all the demonic sludge, and it didnt make sense to cut a straight road and force traders up and down the path. I recalled highways from home usually tried to maintain a steady angle or slope, so I wanted to do exactly that.


    I watched and admired how [builders] made bridges from nearby rock and stone. They didnt dare to chop down my subsidiary trees, so they improvised and used other kinds of materials instead. Still, given how big and long the path was, the Builders skills would actually improve travelling speed.


    They needed a lot of time to build, and on the Fresnds side, weve sent our best builders to work on it. I even gave out a few [Expert Builder] ss seeds to the leaders of the build, to ensure that the path was built as fast as possible.


    Because of the long distances, there was also a need for smaller towns. Back in the days of the silk road, I recalled that various cities would spring up along it.


    Trevor and Patreeck had made some projections and calcted that since it took 2 to 3 months to walk from one end to another, horses and various mounts would cut that time by a third, to less than a month. So, there needed to be at least 4rge sized rest stops along that path, equivalent to 1 weeks distance horse-ride, or 3 weeks of walking, and another 12-16 medium sized smaller towns in between, such that it took about a few days to walk from one town to another.


    Back to the builders, they would need a long time to finish the road. A rudimentary basic road with a simple bridge would be ready within a year, but it seemed like the kingdoms, and also the Fresnds all talked about multiple upgrades, like bigger reinforced bridges, and proper towns.


    The territory on Rottends Pass belongs entirely to Aeon. Kavio repeated to the envoys. But he had agreed to all 3 kingdoms that each of these 3 allied kingdoms that they are allowed to set up 1rge city, and 3 smaller towns in these designated locations. It is important that the administration of these cities and towns be made clearly aware to obey the constitution of the Fresnds, or risk destruction.


    Envoys from all the 3 kingdoms were the first to make the trip through the Rottends Pass, even though the [builders] had not finished building. I witnessed how envoys have rather impressive skills. One had the ability to make his horse jump across the entire ravine multiple times, and another envoy could travel for days without rest.


    It was easier tomunicate and coordinate construction and ns with an envoy from our end. It seemed that Kavio and the Council had also sent envoys of our own to the other sides.


    It was better that they were here..


    Patreecks abilities quickly revealed their multiple objectives. One which featured in all 3 envoys was to assess my strength. Envoys are pretty much spies, and they all had some kind of [level-sensing] ability. Its important when dealing with other kings and lords, since the level of the other king revealed the kinds of power they had.


    <i>[Domain has blocked level-sensing ability]</i>


    Well thank you. Its really convenient that my Domain blocked most of these things.


    My ability was blocked. The envoy said privately to his colleague. Each kingdom sent about 5 to 10 people to Freshka. You should know what that meant. They were most cooperative.


    The road would only be ready next year. Even with the [Expert Builders] on the job. There was also a second round of migrationary movement, as we opened up certain sites for the future cities, which will be directly managed by the FFA.


    Migrate into the Rottends?


    Some looked at a chance to make it rich. Some saw it like insanity. I mean, all of them were probably insane when they epted this n, but there are 2nd-generation citizens of the Fresnds, where it was their parents who made the move into the Fresnds.


    The Fresnds was founded about 20 plus years ago, some of them who came had children here, and now those children are young adults. That essentially made them 2nd-generation Fresnders.


    A lot of them grew up in the rtivefort and safety of the Fresnds, so the idea of moving deeper into the Rottends is weird and strange.


    I suppose one generations suffering does not transmit to the next?


    -


    Some of the nations neighbouring our new allies were unhappy, but they didnt dare to risk my wrath. Theyve heard of the stories of the Six Ports, and they were quickly focused on fortifying their own home cities. Some though, were quick to secretly extend an olive branch to our new allies.


    A spy from Aiva was present too. Were actively trying to dy a second crusade. The spy spoke to a small audience. Essentially me, Kavio, Jura and some of the Valthorn Elites like Lovis, Edna and Faris. Lovis was lower level than Edna and Faris, she only received her [spearmaster] ss a few years back, and shes in her mid 60s. I believe we may be able to buy some time until the next demon king.


    Essentially, youre telling us that there will be a crusade after the next demon king? Kavio frowned. Hows that a convincing argument?


    The spy shrugged. Sometimes, the best we can do is to dy the fighting. The Triumvirs of Aiva will not publicly renounce the war.


    And what if we publicly call you out on it?


    Then it will be a real war. Its in our best interest to have this stalemate. The priests get to retain their divine duty and obligations, but no one actually has to die.


    Theres going to be smaller skirmishes and rebellions. There will be death. The Triumvirs presumption of a peaceful stalemate is ridiculous. Kavio said.


    It is. The spy and envoy nodded. But it is what it is.


    Rubbish. I said telepathically to everyone present, and the spys face paled.


    -


    Like dominoes, a few of the kingdoms neighbouring our new allies were quick to reach out, formunication. They wanted a simr arrangement, lest they let their neighbours benefit. It made no sense to agree to them. They didnt have the balls to submit a bid, and so, why should I give them any arrangement now?


    There should be an exclusive period where only these 3 allied nations get the benefit, since they decided to make the investment.


    The temples were already in full swing, trying to sow discord and rebellion. A few temple men, realising that attacking me was useless, decided to target those allied to me. They targeted the nobles, the Lords and Dukes, the Kings. A massive campaign to sow hate against the ruling government, simply because they are associated with me.


    Its quite intelligent. The rulers after all dont have an iron grip and a big brother over their poption, and now, their own citizens are fed all these usations from the temples.


    These usations amplified the present dissatisfaction. The Fresnds first victory and the subsequent shifting allegiances relocated many people, and add to that, there were the surrendering soldiers, few hundred thousands who then increased the strain on the cities and viges that received them.


    It was something that slowly built up over time. As the Fresnds expanded, natural stratification and fault lines emerged. There are those from the core cities, those who lived in the original segments of the Fresnds, and then theres the newly incorporated and assimted kingdoms.


    Each had different views of each other, and it could be something harmless like one citys citizens viewing another citys citizens as weird, or strange. All these little differences, suspicions and varying cultures were a form for conflict.


    It is normal. As species expanded, many woulde into conflict with other species who upied the same niche.


    Cultural differences are a source of conflicts, and the Council of Representatives, as diverse as they are, still cannot ay all these usations and suspicions. People just naturally formed in-groups and out-groups. Us, and them.


    Rebellion broke out in a few of the neighbouring states. It was something Jasmine predicted from her observations. My ability to watch and observe these neighbours are quite restricted, since many have made fortified roads and zas, and trees are mostly in gardens and designated avenues. Still, we had a good feel of the mood, their discontent and unhappiness.


    I had worked out a n with the war council. They knew something like this was going to happen. In fact, everyone knew. Even the kings themselves all knew that a rebellion was about to break out. Even regr citizens who had a bit more general knowledge could see iting.


    It was that obvious. Those cultural fault lines red up. In some cases, it took a racial turn. Humans versus non-humans. Elves versus centaurs. Some Kings had skills to suppress rebellion and disloyalty, and were quick to do it. The weaker kings didnt, and so a rebellion urred. They would use their army to suppress them. I decided not to participate unless I was invited to.


    For those Kings were able to control their kingdoms, we quickly offered assistance to help resolve the underlying forces that triggered their unhappiness. Its usually rather simple stuff, like ack of food, or poor harvest, or just ill treatment from their local lords. Things that a wagon or two of food can sometimes help solve.


    In a way, it was just regr hearts-and-minds programs to help defuse the social pressures that exist in these kingdoms.


    Abundance helps to ay the concerns of scarcity. Many of these poption groups are barely self-sufficient. Still, abundance would never satisfy the greed of mortals. The only way to ensure aid and supplies are sufficiently shared is if I have people everywhere to distribute these resources in a reasonable manner.


    Were going to expand the Valtrian orders social services arms to all our allied states. All of them.


    Laufen, of course, was overwhelmed. But by now the Vatrian Order was a massive institution, and has grown it to almost 40,000 people. There are numerous Valthorns who have more defensive or supportive skills who could assist in widespread social andmunity work. Even if its simpler stuff like improving crop yields, or fixing bad housing, to the regr kinds of social work performed by the temples, which are healers and rituals.


    We need a massive priest training system and support system. We cant just send our people to all these neighbouring kingdoms and expect them to seed without a robust logisticwork.


    So, the Valtrian Order went into a hiring drive. We had to expand the size of our workforce if we wanted to try and ovee this propaganda attack.


    Theres two aspects to it. Resolving the short term issue of a rebellion, and then tackling the long term issue of what caused and fed the rebellion. This wasnt a conventional war.


    This was a culture war.


    A group of 2,000 priests and various other social workers headed for the hotspots. ces where Jasmine and Patreecks social models indicated that there may be unrest.


    It feels a little minority report-ish that were sending social workers before something bad happens, but in a way, thats preventive work, right?


    No one riots overnight. Its a culmination of decades of distress. Simrly, aying those feelings of unwellness would also require dedicated care and attention. I could spawn more [Tree of Prayers] everywhere. Those trees can reduce the general stress levels and induce a sense of calmness and serenity. But it doesnt work if they are already mad.


    If they were in my valley, I could be even more obtrusive and use psychic and dream attacks on them, but thats like using a hammer to cut a cake.


    So, a massive hiring drive.


    Once I have the numbers, they need to be educated and trained.


    Lets set up a massive priest training facility. I mentally told myself. Since these gods treat me as a fellow deity, even if Im evil, it was time to go on overdrive and behave like a proper religion.


    A culture war can only be defeated by another culture. If I want to sustainably push back these enemy cultures, I must first convert all those in the Fresnds to my culture and religion. Else, one edict or divine message, and Ill haverge swaths of my poption rebellion.


    That is not eptable.


    I marked a hilly area next to Freshka and started work. Arge area of forests was merged with multiple Giant Attendant Trees. It was going to be like my Vatican, my Holy See, and I wanted the area to be visible even from afar.


    I used my powers to make these the tallest Giant Attendant Trees ever made, and it took about a month of working and shaping with my [woodshaping]. Its easier, since I was working with bigger things. I made housing, lecture halls, training rooms, multiple ritual rooms, ces for guests and all that.


    I called on ten of the most experienced and high leveled [aeonic priests].


    I have been extremely pleased with your efforts in the past few years to counter the propaganda spread by our opponents.


    The ten all knelt in a circle around a [tree of prayers]. This was the same meeting area.


    It is time that you are rewarded for your faith and loyalty. There were five men and fivedies,


    All ten of them received either [Patreearch of Aeon] or [Matreearch of Aeon]. These were upgraded [Aeonic] priest sses, which should empower all their regr priests abilities to a greater degree.


    They ate the fruits containing the sses, and instantly, all ten of them screamed. Their bodies shook, and I sensed their spirits glow brightly. Their skin turned slightly greenish, and all their eyes gained a green ring that glowed.


    One of them, he was a middle aged man who served mostly in the Southeastern Segments, was first to rise. O Aeon, our great patron of thend, we have received your blessings.


    All of them rose, their bodies healthier and stronger. I sensed the presence of my domain flowing into them slightly.


    Does my [domain] choices influence the kinds of power my priests possess? But no matter. Rise, my Council of Arches, for the weight of expanding our faith rests in your hands.


    The ten rose, and sat in a circle. Together, they seemed to emit a physical glow.


    The other gods deny my presence in our world. I said. I will need you to push them back. My first order is to set up the School of Treeology, where all the priests will be trained. My second order is to secure the faith and loyalties of all nations allied to the Fresnds.


    The ten answered in unison, their voice seemingly echoing like a choir. We receive yourmandments!


    Then I summoned the [aeonic priests] for all over. If I wanted to be a true global religion, it was time to have a proper structure, a unified code of principles, and well, power. Generic Priests get the usual abilities, heal, cure wound, some barrier and shield powers.


    This is where I let my new ten Patreearchs and Matreearchs to run the show.

 Branching Thoughts

    Branching Thoughts


    <b>Year 132</b>


    This is the third batch of prospective priests and students. A priest gestured to the Patreearch, as a group of 50 walked into the room. They all bowed, and were quickly given a short interview. A test of their faith, as the Patreearch made them recite the constitution of the Fresnds. Then a quiz on my abilities.


    It was a strange feeling, but at the same time, I was numb, The school of Treeology had to expand quickly in order to meet the need for social and cultural influence in the region, so this school had to grow quickly.


    Conflict and confusion naturally emerged. Speed meant nning was not proper, and it seemed the 10 Decarches quickly had different opinions of how to expand the school. They soon squabbled over things like what was the right way to pray, what was the right way to do things, and their methods. Decarches, because it was 10 Patriarchs and Matriarchs.


    I summoned them all and they all presented their case. Each Patreearch came from a different ce, and there was some diversity in races too. One of them was a half-elf, another was a centaur, another a treefolk. As such, each had different areas which they felt was important in their faith.


    For some, it was caring for thend. That meant they were both priests and druid. For another, it was about the birth and death of souls, and the ceremonies. While they seemed like they could mutually coexist, their arguments would devolve into arguments about what is of a higher value or semantics.


    For example, one of them, in their practice of honoring those who have died, would bury the body in the earth, and nt a tree on them. Yet, because the bodies of mortals sometimes carry sickness or poison. For one, it is still right to bury them. For the other, caring for the earth takes precedence, so the sick or poisoned corpse should be burned, or at least processed before burying.


    Its often little but fundamental differences in which values hold strong, that created these conflicts. They are small conflicts, in the sense that they can still live with each other, and operate within the same area, but certainly it is an ideological difference. In a way, its like different teachers in a school, each thinking their own subject is the most important one.


    But at the same time, I didnt want to mp down on these differences in opinion. I didnt see myself as a founder of an orthodoxy where there is only a single source of truth or opinion, it certainly wasnt aligned with how nts evolved and adapted to their surroundings.


    Thus the faith I had must be able to evolve, and it was only right that the willingness to ept differences of opinion be set up at the start. But at the same time, a faith that could evolve was also one that would squabble, and eventually break apart. Yet, as I pondered this problem, whether I set it up or not, faith will naturally evolve as the greed and instincts of man meant the rules will shift over time. It is only proper, that I set up the mechanics to do so early on, and fune it, since I am after all, their deity.


    So, to the ten Decarches, I decided to allow each of them to lead their own departments. A student would rotate and go through all of them, over the 2-3 years of training as a priesthood. There would be a debate, and a voting system as the 10 decarches would have to decide. In time, I saw that Id probably expand the decarches into a proper council of high priests, but that would be in the near or far future.


    For now, a departmental approach seemed better. I mean, I could in theory agree with any of the ten and decide that as canon, but a tree exists in the real world, and the proper way to do is, is to let the priests carry it out and observe the consequences of such beliefs. Then, apply corrective guidance as and when necessary.


    One thing I was quick to notice amongst the mortals of the world, was that they didnt believe neither in gods omnipotence nor omniscience. The concept of a one god of everything does not exist, simply because of the visible divinity of lesser deities and the higher gods.


    So ites off rather strangely to me, that in this aspect, these people are progressive. They can ept that the gods can change their minds, and frequently, in their prayers to the divine, often try to negotiate with the gods. Even if its futile. Is it because theyve always lived in a world where there is an expectation of a pantheon of gods? And they seem to acknowledge, without much reservation, that gods have a limited scope of powers.


    Still, differences emerge from their different interpretations and priorities. Its only natural, and its something I should let it run its course.


    -


    In this period of tense peace, with the temples still nning for a second crusade, I continued to improve on our beetles and spiders. New assassin and anti-human variants, and higher range for my new artillery bomber-beetles. They arerger, about the size of a giant beetle, and they move a lot slower. But, they can shoot out an acidic projectile that can travel a few hundred meters, so that makes them a proper ranged attacker. Even if they are absolutely defenseless otherwise.


    No matter. Little secret weapons I can use on the next crusade. Best to keep them hidden and only reveal them when really necessary.


    Horns enjoyed all beetle rted stuff, but I did notice he cared more for the beetles. Trevor and the other artificial minds were the ones driving the changes to the assassin spiders. I thought I should make more assassin spider artificial minds, such that they act as my assassin-generals.


    Jasmine was quick to support the idea and rmended that they be assigned to her, since she and Patreeck coordinated the surveince and monitoring of the denizens of the Fresnds.


    I wondered whether that was the right idea. What if Jasmine and Patreeck made the wrong call and assassinated someone without truly checking? What if they killed someone who shouldnt be killed?


    I didnt think that outsourcing the business of killing was something I was willing to do. Not until I could trust their judgement, even if they have been shortlisting andpiling crimes on our denizens. I felt rather strongly that I should be the one deciding on whether they lived or died. At least, in assassination situations.


    In a war situation as everyone present was abatant, I am more willing to give my assistants free reign to decide. But in more covert and subjective situations, I dont think its fair. Many people have rebellious and treasonous thoughts, but that doesnt mean they would all rebel, or would be disloyal. In fact, I would suspect anyone who never had that thought at all, because that meant they have never internally considered it. That generally meant their loyalty has never been tested, and as such, they may switch even when they seemed loyal all this while.


    So, I demanded a dossier for every suspected person. Theyve been graded on a framework and risk rated. I felt like this was some kind of risk rating for loans, or a little like the social credit scores, but... if Im the only one I trust to make this decision, then this is the best way to thin down the risk.


    Or we can focus on Freshka and the nearby countries? Trevor suggested. Based on the potential damage that these unfavorable people can cause in faraway ces, its rather limited.


    Ah, a distance weightage. Thats a good point. Then lets do that. Only g those who operate within the near-valley zone. For those further out, only g those as high risk, are arge movement, or have high magical power.


    With that, the list was shortened considerably.


    -


    Trent, my artificial soul in charge of my intercontinental trade route gave his weekly summary of the trades. It took a year, but the basic infrastructure for trade was finally ready and traders started taking the trade.


    They still had to deal with the issue of supplies and resources to make the month-long journey across the central area of the continent. For now, only merchants with the right set of skills or teams made the journey. This was simr to the past, when New Freeka was newly set up. The terrain then was unfavorable, many cities were destroyed by the demons too. So, the merchants that travelled from one city to another usually had some skills that allowed the to stretch their supplies a bit longer, or make their journey a little faster on less favourable terrain, or merchants that could boost or enhance their horses and carriages such that they could make it to the next town.


    Once more rest stops were built along the route, the trade volumes would naturally increase, as the route itself bes easier. A natural evolution of trade.


    In fact, a train service from one end to another would also work, and I could naturally instruct beetles to act like long-haul trailers to move goods from one-end to another.


    I mean, they were already a means of transport back in the days of New Freeka, and it was time that I resumed their service. I decided to have Horns start research on dedicated Truckbeetles and Trailerbeetles. It just made sense. Giant Truckbeetles that haul goods across the continent. I just hope they dont identally bang into someone and reverse-isekai them to another world.


    Still, an intercontinental state sponsored beetle-hauling service. Of course, there was a fee! I mean, the Valtrian Order must be financed. Alternatively, the beetles could also act as supply-trucks, to provide food supplies for the merchants on the route.


    We should price the beetles services at a high point. We do not want to oupete the pioneer batch of merchants. Kavio quickly suggested. Ill summon the merchants guild and we can develop some kind of pricing schedule. As time goes on and the route matures we can bring down the prices. We must still let the pioneer batch make some profits.


    I pondered this for a moment and decided to agree. I wondered whether I should feed the capitalist elements of this world and let them gain power? But then, in this world, merchants do take very real risks with their lives. The protection of beetles like my own is very much an aberration.


    "Master, have you thought of using ourwork of trees across the continent for trade arbitrage? We could easily make a profit using the price differences between the Fresnds and those faraway kingdoms."


    I thought of that for a moment, and decided I did not want topete with merchants. At least, not at the moment. I am a tree, and at the same time, I am also a singr point in growing government. I see my role as a facilitator and provider of infrastructure that cannot be replicated by individuals. I also am rather skeptical of a government ying the role of businesses, even though the Valtrian Order did run different types of businesses to earn money and support its expenditure.


    No. In the end we are a governing entity, not a business. Well just charge fees and taxes.


    The first thing I needed to do was to set up 3 beetlestops, each one at the borders of the three chosen allied nations. These future truckbeetles would not be able tomunicate at all, so I would need the Valtrian Order representatives to record orders and instructions, have them processed... wait.


    How would they get orders? The merchants cantmunicate with the beetles.


    Maybe we can have trees that receive messages?


    I pondered this question for a moment. All these while Ive been relying on my artificial minds to run my operations, and essentially the beetles can only be ordered by them, or by Horns and the other beetle-generals. They react by spying and observing, or in the days of New Freeka, the beetles moved at regr routes and made scheduled stops, essentially like a bus service.


    I could repeat that, of course. If so, I could set up the beetles to depart on regr schedules and have the merchants work with a timetable. The Valtrian and Fresnd representatives merely act as booking coordinators and allocate or match empty beetles to the merchants.


    While Kavio handled the discussions with the merchants, I zoomed in on the new nned border towns. Each of the three nations have begun setting up a small expeditionary force, builders, farmers and merchants being the first to make the journey, along with a small military entourage.


    There are beetles, but so far theyve been hidden in the subsidiary trees. After all, theres really no reason for them to appear unless the hybrid demons attacked.


    At these designated town zones, the area Ive reimed from the demonic corruption isrger, muchrger to allow for some farming activity and buildings, and fortifications, if these nations deemed them necessary.


    Ive essentially cut the Rottends into multiple slices with this long route through the Rottends, and its only possible because of the weakened demonic energies.


    Theres potential of using [Root Tunnels] to create a secret smuggling route. Patrick suggested.


    Well hold that off until necessary. I responded. Im sure some of them have skills to detect tunnels and such.


    On the Fresnds side, were also rapidly building up a new settlement, on the edges of the existing segment. Its meant to be theunchpad for trade through these new route, and there are some who would take up this challenge and opportunity.


    For now, the first batch of traders mostly bring high value, high-margin goods. That meant jewelry, works-of-art, and artifacts. Theres always an audience for this sort of good, and for the traders who have to travel light and fast, these were the best choices. These batch of traders have a lot on their hands, and part of their journey is sponsored by the merchant guilds of their home cities. Its an exploratory run, these traders would return with feedback on the difficulty of the journey, the kinds of prices and the demand for various goods, and what else they could buy.


    The Fresnds have a lot of food, so thats something that we can sell in bulk. Were like... Fresh Foods.


    -


    Aeon. A patriarch of the Aeonic Faith spoke privately. Its close to the end of the year. A question?


    Yes?


    Some of us have been debating whether we should expand some missions to the newnds as a result of the new trade routes. We asked Kavio about it, but he was not able to give a firm conclusion on whether the trade-agreement included missions of faith. We believe that it is only right that we spread our faith to these new allies, but at the same time, were not too sure whether our attempts will be viewed positively.


    Uh. Maybe? Speak to the merchants?


    Ah. Thats a good point. The patriarch nodded and he arranged a meeting with the visiting merchants from the faraway kingdoms.


    I thought back to the older days of my studies? Should I use marriage and royal conversions into the faith as a way of expanding my power? I recalled some kingdoms used to marry their nobility and convert other kingdoms to their religions.


    Is that too maniptive as a religion? Should I go there?


    I paused. Its not the first of the many tough decisions I have to make. All these decisions are tradeoffs, one way or another. I dont care for royals, but I cannot deny the influence of inherited abilities, or their powers to sway vast numbers. Having royal assent would make our priests and preachers have an easy job of winning this cultural war.


    But at the same time, am I not a hypocrite? I did not care for royals, and yet, should I agree to this whole royal-marriage schtick, its essentially giving them a lever of power.


    Hypocrite.


    In some ces, maybe Id be referred to as pragmatic, to make decisions based on what benefits I can derive. If I was human at this time Id go for a long run, or do some stretches. I instinctively stretched, and it felt like my senses stretched to epass the entirety of the Fresnds, as overwhelming and confusing as it sounds. Its like... zooming out of a buzzing city and viewing it from high up, like an airne.


    Ive thought long and hard for some time. The issue of meddling with hereditary abilities and skills reeked of gic engineering, and am I not robbing the young child of choice? Simrly, by pairing up royals for a skill advantage and also to proselytize these royals to my faith felt like an offense against that choice.


    But I have not been consistent either. Certainly Ive changed my mind. Have I given the Valthorns a choice? Not really, I am aware of the huge ethical quandaries of child weapons. Am I prepared to sin all the way to hell and back, for that chance to find a path to heaven? Is there a middle ground where I can take, that still leads me to that end?


    Master? Trevor asked. We detected a lot of magical activity... from you.


    Ah. I seemed that as I zoomed out, I also drew on the magical energies of the Fresnds. It was a strange feeling, but from this far away, I felt like... maybe I should go ahead with it. Sure, its hypocritical...


    No. Thats wrong. I must have a line I cannot cross. I must. If not Ill eventually descend into viewing all the lives I sacrificed as nothing more as statistics. I forced myself to correct my earlier train of thought.


    It was a struggle, but I quickly called on my memories of pain. Of destruction. Of Death. My memories of those who died around me.


    Then, memories that I did not recognise started flooding my mind. They were memories of those who lived here, the pain of losing a spouse, a child, a leg, a friend. So many strange new memories.


    It was like that moment when I processed the hex, but more real, more vivid and yet also more nuanced. I could sense strong emotions, fear, anger, helplessness, bitterness, disappointment. It was strong, and from the valley... from Freshka.


    Master, youve activated my abilities. Patreeck said, and I realised that those were the memories of those in Freshka. Their history and past. I saw them sh, and yet it didnt overwhelm me. Its just at the right pace, the right amount that I can still take in those feelings.


    It took a while, there were so many memories to go through. The first generation of settlers of the Fresnds had hard lives. Starvation, hunted by monsters, was very normal. It was a pain that still felt raw for many. Even if it was just decades ago.


    Master... Trevor too intervened. The popce of Freshka is behaving strangely. They were in a state of daze, all of them. The sudden mind-draw was like a psychic attack.


    Ah. My bad. I rxed and let my psychic hold go. I felt my connection to them disappear. In a way, it wasnt unusual.


    As a tree in the center of a huge forest of trees that sprawled across the continent, each normal tree is like its own brain. It has its own senses, and very rarely, its own thoughts. They are often filtered out by my mental firewall, since its mostly inane. This felt rather simr, like adding more trees into thework, only these trees have a far more developed thought process and more memories.


    I paused again. I have to walk a middle path, between a tree and man. The trees aspect can get too macro, and the aspect of man tends to be emotional and micro.


    But I do wonder... Is this pragmatism? Or a form of enlightened dictatorship enabled by always-on surveince and an ability to read minds? Maybe to the temples across the ocean, to them, I may well be a hivemind that has the entire Fresnds in thrall.

 Matreemony

    Matreemony


    <b>Year 133</b>


    The rifts opened. I sensed it, vaguely, my magic sensors detected fluctuations. But... nothing, at first. I wondered whether they are a group of invisible or stealthed demons, like the one that attacked the previous set of heroes.


    Quiet. Very, very quiet. Maybe they are not on our continent? If so, that would be a wee relief. But then, which continent?


    No matter, local matters first.


    Kavio struck a deal with the merchants guild for the establishment for a scheduled hauling arrangement between the new trading outposts, and goods began to flow. We charged very steep fees, so that those who made the trip themselves could still earn good margins. That worked, of course, since the beetles were freebor. They are sustained by the subsidiary trees which hosted them.


    That meant new goods! Which was always fun. I spent time going through the new kinds of produce and output they made. Especially nts that were not native to this area of the Fresnds.


    I have yet to find any non-hybrid nts in the Rottends, but these new trading partners are an entire continent away. Surely there are types of nts that are different, so, we were also potential customers. Jura helped to request for a catalogue of nts native to those 3 new trading kingdoms, and from that, I increased my crop and herb varieties.


    [Crop varieties increased. Unlocked Cucumbers, Capsicums, Red Barley and Native cktatoes]. [Herbal variants increased. Herbal patches will now spawn more types of herbs]


    New types of trees and nts too, some of which are notmonly found in the existing fresnds.


    As a magical tree, I naturally have a boost to the growth of trees around me. The way this ability presented itself is by amplifying the growth speed of existing trees, amplifying and magically assisting the trees seeds to spread, by mechanisms which I have yet to truly understand, to outright creating the trees. That said, I dont think its really me thats creating these regr trees, and more of me somehow telling the system or the god that spawns creatures, monsters and vegetation to create something at a certain location. Or at least, thats how I suspect it works.


    That said, the limitation of these ability, is that I can only boost existing trees, or for the creation of trees, trees that I have already seen or are naturally native to this environment. So, now that there are these new varieties, I could potentially improve the biodiversity of the valley and the Fresnds with these new nts, if they dont prove to be ovepetitive and wont crowd out the native. That said, Trevor and the artificial minds have assured me that they will actively monitor the poption of all types of nts and would act ordingly.


    These new trees were not that suited for the Fresnds, and perhaps that was why they were not native. In some ways, they are more... tropical than our temperate forests. So, we had to introduce them into areas where the weather was warmer and more humid. There were some such patches in the reimed Fresnds.


    Im quite willing to introduce new species to the Fresnds because its essentially a nk te that was once wiped clean by the demonic corruption. The existing species and types of trees that appear in the Fresnds are honestly rather uniform, and the temperate-adapted trees only survived with some of my passives. Perhaps some time ago these nts were also present in these environments, but I dont know.


    In either case, the present level of diversity in the environment can be increased.


    There were also new types of insects and bugs that came from these faraway ces. I wonder whether some of them would turn out to be pests. No. Correction. Pretty sure some of them will be pests, but for now Im willing to tolerate them. I recalled that there were all sorts of parasites, bugs and stuff that would sometimes cause infestations and massively hammer the productivity of ntations and fields. Its not a problem, between my own abilities, the druids, and the farmers skills.


    Still, trade rted pests. Unwanted, but they happen.


    -


    I thought about the issue of noble skills and whether that was something I wanted to meddle with. There was something about meddling with the lives, essentially stacking the deck, that makes me feel a little repulsed. I believed in meritocracy. At least, in some form I still do. But this honestly is unfair, isnt it? But the world never was fair. Everyones dice is loaded in some way, differently.


    Master, a choice must be made. Consider that if we grant this right of marriage to the nobles, it will empower the nobility in the long run.


    Is it bad to further empower the nobility? Are they not already strong, rtive to the regr folk? As it is, themon man with no special skills and levels would find it very hard to oppose a noble with better skills and higher levels. The inequality is already entrenched in the System. This whole hereditary issue is merely an oue of that entrenched inequality.


    I decided that choice was important. My memories of all the pain and death was clear that, yes, power is important, but so is the ability to choose. I could assist and do some matchmaking, but anything will be voluntary. Parents, and the child must both have the option to change their mind.


    Or was I being too lenient? In a world where monsters and people of a high level dont hesitate to unt their power... was this a foolish, naive thought process? It felt foolish.


    Master. Perhaps they should be only allowed a limited set of choices. Total freedom is uneptable. Not when they could choose to attack us. Patreeck said. It is apt to consider these allies of ours in a symbiotic rtionship. If that rtionship were to turn hostile or one-sided, it is very much in our interest to eliminate them.


    Unless the Master were to implement some kind of shackle... Jasmine suggested. Or their make their ss powers conditional?


    Which thus leads to our next question, master. Do you have the ability to retract the powers of the aeonic sses, should they ever turn hostile? Trevors turn to ask a question. Masters abilities are very much that of a support ss. An incredibly powerful support ss with a niche offensive power.


    There are some powers I am clearly able to withdraw. Familiars, for one. But sses... I cant take them back once Ive given them to the people. It only made sense, because a ss is essentially a part of their soul spring, it didnt make sense that I could have them back so easily. Or familiars like Juras Bamboo, which is essentially a spiritualpanion.


    I briefly attempted to withdraw the aeonic sses, but it seemed it doesnt work like that. Strangely, it was Lilies who provided insight into how my aeonic variant sses work.


    Essentially, I cannot take back the ss, but each of these sses have a set of inbuilt rules that should they be broken, the ss itself would be lost. Its like if a hero of justice suddenlymitted an act of evil, they would lose their hero of justice ss.


    But what are the rules of my aeonic sses?


    I couldnt answer that.


    But my aeonic priests seemed to have a theory.


    Faith. Belief. Intent. In a way, sses behave quite like soul contracts. They give the individual power and abilities, and at the same time, impose conditions on them, and shape their thinking. I would have to ept that this is a risk I have to take with any supersoldier, and can only have a secondyer of oversight from Jasmine.


    In a way, its quite like Lausanne. I invested in her, and now shes somewhere out there, living her life as an adventurer. I needed a talent management programme, and session nning. Indeed, I cannot guarantee every individuals loyalty, but I could, as a whole, improve my chances. In short, I should do what trees do. Go forth and multiply~


    No. Spread my eggs into many baskets.


    Ugh.


    Still sounds strange.


    I wonder why I stille back to this topic even though Ive already set up the Valthorns and the Valtrian Order, and now an additional priesthood and Treeology School. Is it because I expanded the Fresnds too quickly, such that I do not have enough talent to manage a sprawling federation of somewhat-loosely associated states?


    The envoys were not in a good position. The agreement meant that some of the princesses and princes were due to be marriage partners, but the envoys, until now, have not had any news. Their kings pressured them for updates.


    Are the nned engagements on? Who are the candidates? Our princes and princesses arent getting any younger! Again, choice. These poor children dont have it. The norm for arranged marriage is when they turned 16 or 18 for humans, depending on the society, but for elves and other races, they have different ages of maturity. But generally, their women only get marriedter, when they are at least 30 to 40, since their children are considered extremely young, even though they are already 30 years old.


    Its tense. And insulting. Why isnt the wedding happening immediately? These kingdoms are wondering whether we were looking down on them. The task of managing the politics with these 3 neighbouring kingdoms fell on Kavio, and he struggled. Even though he said what I meant to say.


    I decided to then summon the 3 envoys to meet me. All three meetings happened in a simr manner. They were brought to a location in the Valley of the Unrotten, before the Tree of Prayer.


    Hi Envoy.


    They all cower before me. Typical. Intentional.


    I heard that theres been a fuss about weddings and the candidates. I mentally spoke as authoritatively as I could. I could sense their legs shaking. Let your kings know that I have yet to decide on who deserves the hand of their children.


    People are weird. I had Kavio tell them the same thing, but they refuse to believe it. But when I tell them, they believe it. Its really about who-says-what, rather than what-was-said, in politics. So absolutely annoying.


    I mean, Im trying to delegate, but its annoying when all these other people want the source or the truth. Dammit.


    -


    News of the rifts being detected came in. Mostly in the Eastern Continent, apparently, but theyve yet to see any actual demons. The rifts were spotted opening, and then... closing soon after.


    The temples blockade and embargo is still in force, so its really harder to get news, but we have our own informants. As long as [message] is still operational, wed still have news. So far, they havent seen any demons.... Which is strange.


    Or the news just isnt getting in?


    Invisible demons? The Valtrian Order requested for more information.


    -


    As the year went on, we had the first batch of elerated graduates from my school. They were quickly sent to the front lines. There were a lot of social issues to be solved, and well, the graduates would have to pick things up as they go. Strangely it reminded me of my time when I first started work.


    Its a difficult job, but they have the entire administrative machinery behind them. For many of the smaller viges, they mostly appreciated the help, and quickly warmed up to the presence of these new priests. But cities with existing temples, and nobles who are already believers of other religions, were a harder nut to crack. For smaller viges, where temples and priests visit sporadically, there always was a vacuum that could be filled. Its only because the priests of the other temples rarely devote themselves to smaller viges, and generally set up in therger towns.


    So this was the strategy the decarches adopted. The bulk of the poption in the Fresnds and its neighbouring kingdoms are in the rural areas anyway. This strategy, however, depended mainly on having arge number of priests. Even so, there are poption centers unserved by the 4 temples.


    One of the clear weaknesses of this world isck of objective data. Most nations have a vague number of their total poption, but thats an estimate thats affected by the quality of data collection.


    Since I have the power of ever present surveince, its a lot easier to then build a database. I could very urately do a live count of how many people live in any particr city, how many refugees moved from ce to ce, their overall economic condition and all such datapoints.


    Powers any economist would probably kill for. Instead, we are using it to maximise aeonic missionaries and entrench the Fresnds social, cultural and religious influence in neighbouring states. But I suppose that would beter, after I have stronger control.


    Earlier, I won the first crusade because the crusaders were a coalition army, but now Im essentially the head of a coalition, and Im trying to fuse the coalition together into some coherent, stable form.


    After thinking for a long time, I decided to award the marriage, in principle, to the senior clergy, exceptional Valtrian Order and Valthorns retiring from active service, and selected nobles, at a 30:20:50 ratio. In short, the existing nobles would be rewarded for their loyalty with the marriage-partners from these faraway kingdoms. As a coalition, I needed some carrots. At the same time, these marriages would be conditional, and require both partners to be converts of my faith. I would, ordingly, grant some blessings and gifts as their patron.


    The other half of the candidates would be granted for well performing clergymen. The clergy are part of a social aspect, and they would require the official and unofficial status of the royals more than my Valthorns. Being married to royalty would allow them to tap into the unofficialworks that these royals have.


    For Valthorns, I decided it wasnt necessary to have them be part of this entire matchmaking process, but I acknowledged that some of the Valthorns would eventually retire from service, and intend to settle down. This would be a potential reward for their long service, at their choice. It was unlikely that I would use the quota Ive set aside for the Valthorns, so I would use them for my priests instead. I summoned the senior representatives of the Fresnds, the decarches and the Valtrian Order to announce my decision to the envoys. This meant, 8 of the princesses and princes will be wed to the priests, and another 7 princes and princesses to the nobles.


    Trevor and my fellow artificial minds had alreadypiled a list of nobles and priests that they saw performed acts that expanded the Fresnds, and after a quick review of their achievements, I went ahead with it. The nobles, if they themselves are unmarried, could take the award, or assign it to their children.


    A day after the award, the decarches came to highlight some concerns.


    How would the princesses live with our priests? The gap in lifestyle would be too much and toorge. They saw the marriage between the royalties and the priests as essentially setting them up for failure since they wouldnt get along and the gap would mean these princesses would generally view their marriage as nothing more than a punishment. For these aeonic priests, would these marriages be a distraction from their real task of expanding the faith?


    Some nobles too had concerns and worries. One of the noble I awarded the right to marry was rather poor, simply because hisnd was still developing and it would take a while for him to amass any kind of wealth. Building wealth as a noble is a long process, unless one has exceptional skills and abilities. The right to marry a princess was stressful.


    It did not feel good how quickly theints and concerns emerged. I had the impression they wanted this!


    I summoned the decarches and priests again, and most of the decarches, being the first generation of high priests, proposed that the weddings as sweeteners for our allied kingdoms. There were some kingdoms that had shifted allegiances to the Fresnds, before I captured the six Ports.


    A reward for changing allegiances early.


    I thought about it long and hard, and spoke to the priests whom I awarded the rights to. They were all overwhelmed by the idea of marrying a princess. These were hardworking, driven people who spent most of their time in viges giving out aid and converting more and more people to my faith. Its stressful.


    Ah.


    I had made a mistake. I should backtrack.


    So, I rescinded the awards, and gave them to those kingdoms that changed sides. These marriages enhanced the links between the kingdoms. I just hoped they didnt eventually transform into a that trapped me instead.


    -


    The temples expanded the blockage to cover the entirety of the continent. They are essentially forcing the kingdoms on the Central continent to choose. The temples are essentially saying, Attack the Fresnds, or this blockade willst forever.


    Some of the kingdoms and nations from across the Central Continent are amassing their army, and yet they are fearful of attacking. The demons have appeared, and until they have certainty over where the demon king will spawn.


    Its really the fear of the unknown, the leaders of this generation lived 40 years under the implied protection of Harris and gang. For 4 sessive demon kings, the kingdoms and nations could live without much worry because the heroes are already here. For some of the kings and rulers, they never lived through this period where theres no hero.


    Fear and panic abound, and so, the kinds of messages Kavio and the diplomatic corps receive are also mixed.


    Hrious, isnt it? Yvon said at a meeting of the Valtrian Order,prising the senior Valthorns and various other individuals. Every month, theres a summary of all diplomaticmunications circted to the Valtrian Order, the Valthorns, the senior Aeonic Priests, and also the Council of Representatives.


    Why are these kings asking such things?


    Its fear. Jura said. He remembered the days of New Freeka. Its a strange feeling to feel powerless before a demon king. Its like hiding in a house when a storm hits, and this time, the storm hits when ones outside.


    For the other group of rulers, theyve got utmost confidence in their own abilities, and that they didnt need heroes. Of course, their own priests and wizards had attempted to counsel them otherwise, but these rulers are probably the spoiled brats who now have power. Or maybe they are just idiots. These groups are taunting me, and theyve sent nastily worded missives. Theyve also talked about raising an army, but didnt actually deploy their army anywhere out of their borders. Probably posturing.


    -


    This is the mad rush before the demon winter, the time for the grasshopper to build a stockpile before the snow falls. The time for preparation.


    By now the living societies must have adapted to the presence of these almost regr 10-year cycles. They only deviate by a small amount, and yet society is no better prepared for it.


    I wonder whether they feel like it''s an economic recession that always inevitably arrives. Patreecks insight into the minds of the regr folk suggests that they dont even think about it. Most of the citizens n at most, a month ahead. Nobles and merchants would n a year ahead. But the idea of 10-year ns would seem really silly for these mortals who feel that so much can change in a few years, that 10-year ns are moot from the day they are made..

 Treetiary Studies

    Treetiary Studies


    <b>Year 134</b>


    Mini-Dragons. More urately, demon-drakes. The demons had opted for a strategy I spected a few decades ago that I thought would be effective against heroes. No fodder units, just high-tier demons.


    They made it into drakes. Fire-breathing and lightning-breathing drakes. At first, news was hard toe by. The Central continent was on lockdown after all. But the drakes spawned and spread quickly, and somehow they multiplied rather quickly too. Just 10 drakes couldy waste to an entire town, and the defenses would be hard pressed to even counter them. The drakes would fly up in the air and just use their breath attacks until the defenders were dead.


    It reminded me of Alexis. Alexis easily torched the forest too when she was possessed by the demons will. Decadester, Im still likely to be rather defenseless against a simr tactic. I mean, I have spiders who could fire ensnaring webbings, but I am highly skeptical of their effectiveness against mini-champion ss drakes.


    As a result, Ive been using my ss-fusion ability to train specialist anti-air. [Sharpshooters] and [Bowmasters]. These are regr rangers and archers, upgraded a little more. But still, I think they would be insufficient if there are champion-ss demon-drakes. I suspect they would be more like... dragons?


    The blockade has faltered in parts, because there was chaos in the Eastern Continent. We receive news of the citizens fleeing underground, as these flying demons were mostly unchallenged. What good are walls, when these demons just fly over them?


    In fact, what good are my walls? My walls wouldnt do shit either.


    Jura, we need to restart our underground bunker project.


    In the days of New Freeka we built a massive sewer thats also an underground bunker. But it proved ineffective when the ground itself liquified into demonic goop. Will it work this time?


    Against flying demons... what else?


    This is essentially air superiority. The demons have it, and unless I can field dragons or garudas and whatnot, the best defense is some kind of anti-air defensive array. Magical cannons to counter them.


    We started work on massive anti-demon ballistas, and a special beetle-spider coboration, a beetle-cannon that would fire spiders at the demons. These spiders would hold ontorge vines and they would ensnare these flying demons. It would pull them to the ground where the rest of my forces and my root strikes can easily disable them.


    Ballistas,s, and shields. Harpoons and arrows too.


    This was the time for my upgraded sses to contribute. The upgraded master woodworkers and weapon-makers assisted to make stronger anti-demon weapons. Their skill allowed them to make these ballista bolts lighter, go a bit further, and deal more damage. They can even weave a few extra enchantments than usual.


    More weapons, with a focus on anti-air. Theres also a side effort on improving my mages, but the thing was, mages are hard to scale and reproduce inrge numbers. Mages are ultimately dependent on their personal talent and I cant give them much anti-demonic effects, unlike these ballistas and arrows, where I can easily improve their damage output against these demons by using special wooden materials made from my body.


    The demons remained mostly on the Eastern Continent. News was sporadic, and it seemed like these demons didnt attack everywhere. But they hit really, really hard, withrge groups of flying demon-drakes.


    So, the War of the Eviltree entered a quiet phase. Other than the blockade, no one actually did anyrge scale fighting. A time to hunker down, and prepare for the eventual demonic conflict. Every general worth their salt would make ns. How to deal with these demon-drakes. Archers. Ballistas. Huge army of mages.


    Every King would be watching the skies, for when these demons would cross the oceans and assail theirnds. In an odd twist of events, the blockade essentially became a ring of watchers that helped the Central Continent act as a chain of lookout points for these flying demons.


    Whats thest record of flying demons?


    Uh... ording to surviving records, 500 or so years ago? One of Kavios assistants answered. It was reported then that they were horned demons with massive wings that threw fireballs.


    Ah. Do we have records of the heroes?


    Not much, other than their names and the Kingdoms theyve founded.


    Hmmm. Its annoying that the history of the worlds in such a great mess. No one actually knows what happened. Even Lilies has only a slice of the world, and only from their perspective. The idea of an objective history rarely exists because of how frequently the demons reset every attempt to collect information in a single ce.


    So, I decided, maybe I should throw my hat into this game as well. Have there been great libraries in the past?


    It seemed like a thing for Trees to be collectors of the worlds knowledge. Its almost tropey that heroes would inevitably consult an ancient tree for some historical context. So well, I should y my part in the trope.


    But you cant read...


    Correct. And that is a problem. I had people read to me in the past, like when I was studying the runes. I already had a program to collect books, but that was in the days of New Freeka. Many of the collected books were destroyed when the corruption and mes torched the valley, but some were still safe, stored inside my [secret hideout].


    If I could create a library, and make it into a skill like what I did with Mes Hotel, I could fuse an artificial mind into the new library-skill, and create a living tree-librarian.


    And I attempted this on a few [subsidiary trees]. I made shelves after shelves and stocked them up with books.


    In this world, books are expensive. They are handwritten or magically written, so the cost of producing books has not gone down at all. They are also made of paper. But at the same time, this was not true everywhere. There ARE cities where books aremon, because some of the mages have set up book-making enterprises, but in a world where global trade is still in its infancy, this sort of practice has not spread.


    But I didnt get it. Even after two months, there was no special library tree that I could make.


    -


    I could use my special demon-yer ss now. I mean, I could assign it to one of my master archers, or Jura.


    Im not a good matchup against flying demons. Jura shrugged. Id think Lausanne would be a better fit, but shes not here. Or Lovis, [spearmaster]. Or the new [sharpshooters] or [marksmen]?


    He wasnt keen on fighting more demons. Oh, and Lausanne sent a note. She encountered some of these demons and theres a birther demon that spawns more demons. These birthers are wingless.


    Oh thats a good thing. That meant that these demons cant fly across the ocean and then start a new nest. Unless a rift appeared here, and these wingless demons appeared through it. But that is an assumption that these wingless demons stay wingless, or theres no transformation-process forrge demon-drakes to be these wingless demons.


    In short, well, we still dont know whether were really safe.


    -


    Consolidation. Jasmine and my team of artificial minds focused on ensuring that the new territories are integrated into thend.


    Its a case of fighting fire, really. We could sense areas where theres growing discontent, and we would deploy Aeonic Priests and the Valthorns to help calm the ce down, and reduce the possibility of an unrest.


    Its a very Civ-like problem, dealing with growing unrest across the territories, and therefore demanded a social response. Its rtively effective as my artificial minds observational abilities give me insight into the problem. I would then inform the priests of the problem, and they would then solve it.


    In a sense, I help to cut out the discovery aspect of their social work. In any social unhappiness, its very tempting to solve the symptoms, instead of the <i>root </i>cause. In fact, this is normally the cause back home, because the governments have no ability to read minds, and also, they are unable tomunicate with themselves. Various departments are each like blind men touching an elephant, unable to form aplete coherent picture as they do notmunicate.


    The artificial minds are overpowered in this sense. Their ability to operate as a unified AI essentially meant they could seamlessly gather multiple data points on a single person and stitch them together, bypassing all the departmental silosmon in government institutions and corporate structures.


    Using my artificial minds observational skills, it was also a lot easier to find out who wasnt ying their part in society. Like a noble whos hoarding too much gold. Or somebodys collecting more taxes than what thew mandated.


    Still, unhappiness is something that not only needs to be managed, the people must also be directed into productive activities that feel satisfying. That usually involved getting to do work, and finding enjoyment in that work. A difficult task, but priests of this world are well equipped with skills that help them to do just that.


    My artificial minds also spied extensively on the nobles and the ruling ss, and I would then use that information to also help the priests in navigating the nobility.


    Its a tense rtionship between the nobles and these priests. To them, they view our priests as invaders, and my priests, though they have training, still need help. They have to be sensitive, and be seen as working with the nobles, not against them. The intention is to convert these nobles to my faith, and have them work with us. That, to some extent, involved mild re-education of the nobles.


    So, it was one of the Decarches who gave an extremely brilliant idea.


    Aeon, as it is, we have a school for priests.


    Yes.


    I believe it is also appropriate to have a school for the nobles children and the royal children.


    I paused and considered the idea. Indeed, if I do want to culturally indoctrinate the entire continent, I should go beyond that. I need schools in every single country on this continent such that they all get history and views from the Fresnds perspective. I would need it to work hand in hand with the aeonic priests too, such that they also get exposed to my faith.


    But a first step would be to gather all the noble children and give them an education with a Fresnds bias. That way, these nobles would take these ideas and principles that we inculcate and they wouldter act as our ambassadors. One day when they take over their respective regions they would naturally seek to be closer to the Fresnds.


    Its a first step for a continent-widepulsory education system. Right now most children do some kind ofbor, apprenticeship. The wealthier ones employ tutors to train them in particr fields.


    I could capitalise on the present Valthorns reputation as a group of strong warriors to entice the nobles. I would make warriors out of their children. I would make leaders out of them too. I could even dangle special sses or upgraded sses as rewards for the best performing noble children, thereby granting these nobles a chance to get ahead in life.


    A noble children academy. If I do this, I will be the founder of an isekai academy center. What if the heroes end up <i>isekai-ing </i>into my noble academy? Or some otherworlder reincarnated as a lowly noble?


    No matter. If I want cultural strength, a noble academy would work very well in the current framework. I could set up the noble academy, the priest academy, and the Valthorn military academy aspeting institutions, and essentially acting as each others check and bnces. It would work, and I get to avoid the whole marriage debacle too. It was a great idea, and if I set it up within Patreecks mind-reading range, Id be able to get greater insight into the thoughts and personalities of these young nobles.


    Even if I hate the whole idea of a noble ss, this would allow me to collect data on the nobles powers across a vast sample of young nobles. I could thenpare this data against the Valthorns and have a good understanding of how noblespare against regr children. I would then use this to shape my education for themon folk, and eventually set up a school formoners. I would then lift that ss up, and build another group of elite from that group.


    I agree, Patreearch. I said a few dayster. The idea of a school for nobles and royals is a one with great potential. Indeed, it was even natural that the idea came from the clergy. The idea of the modern university or college had roots in various missionary schools and cathedral schools.


    I summoned Jura, Kavio, and the entire Council of Representatives. The representatives are pretty much entirely nobles from the various segments of the Fresnds, and so, the pioneer batch of students will most likely be their offsprings. I exined the idea to them.


    It wasnt entirely a foreign concept. Some royal families have such simr academies, but they were all small. The various other temples operated a distributed education system where the education is conducted by the clergy.


    There was a mixed reaction at first.


    Then I dangled the reward for the children. I would grant the top 10 students a select choice of upgraded sses, skills, and equipment. Then each of these nobles saw the potential. It would be a 4-year programme from the nobles, and quickly some of the nobles volunteered the children. It would be between ages 16 to 25 for humans, for elves, during their teen years, any time between 18 to 40, for the treefolk and so on, during their formative pre-adulthood years.


    Jura and Yvon. Both of you will continue to lead the Valtrian and Valthorn Academies. Their priorities should remain with the Valthorns. They are my de facto military arm, and I see the Valthorns essentially as the Military Academy.


    I would have to hire new people to lead this entire practice, and so, I set out to gather generals, retired administrators, merchants, and people who are old and have a reasonably high level.


    I also started checking around the surroundings of Freshka for a location. It would be a massive mini-city of its own, in the same breath as the School of Treelogy.


    In my mind, I would call it the Ivy League College, but that sounded too much like copyright infringement so I decided I was going to call it the Universitree. But then, the Universitree would be a better fit for the university of themoners. I even have a slogan already.


    <i>Unitree is strength!</i>


    Eventually I settled on a name for the school for these nobility, the Fresnds Treetiary College of Governance, or the FTC. I wanted to avoid any specific mention of nobles in the name, such that I could eventually convert it into a regr college that can also ept non-nobles, so I had to n this out.


    ALso, there was no immediately suitable ce for this college, so I decided to call our [master builders] and [grand druids] to terraform and shape and into a ce suitable to build the FTC. It would take a full 6 months for a ce to be built, even with the resources, but at the same time, I also quickly auctioned up smaller subdivided plots ofnd in the FTC zone to all our allied kingdoms, that they can build a mini-pce for their offsprings in the future.


    From what I understood of the nobles, they have a strong need to maintain face and so, allowing the nobles and royalties to invest in a plot ofnd to show off to other young children would be popr.


    For the first batch, I had to start off with a bang. So, I looked at my skill and ss seeds, and experimented on the [Lord] sses from the dead nobles, and eventually, I made two sses, from a mashup of Rangers and Traders with the Lord sses.


    [Ranger Lord] and [Trade Lord]. In addition to [Marksmen], [General] and various other sses.


    We announced it to our allies that the best two students will be given these ss seeds, which they may consume for themselves or gift to anyone they please. Then, real interest started toe in. Kings from across our allied nations all volunteered to send a small group of their children to vie for the spot.


    Of course, now that we have students, we then had to build a sybus. We already have one from the Valthorns, but the Valthorns are essentially a martial school. They are exceptionallybat focused.


    This programme would have to be a little bit bnced, acrossbat, magic, trade and governance, culture and history, and equally important, an education in the aeonic faith.


    The goal was cultural dominance on the continent, secure the Fresnds ce in the world and establishing myself as a legitimate faith and religion, with my own followers to push back against these 4 enemy faiths. So thebat focus would have to be watered down, and the other aspects expanded.


    I had to gather a few Decarches, some of the Fresnds best traders and makers to give their input, together with those level 30-40 tutors. I would also have to train the tutors such that they be respectable in their own right, else this school wasnt going to work. Level 30 to 40 is... average.


    -


    Freshka, would transform into the home of 3rgepeting schools. The Valthorn Academy located in Freshka itself, and the associated military fields and locations. The School of Treelogy in another outskirt area of Freshka, as a school for my clergy. Thenstly the Treetiary College as the school for future nobility. Secretly, I also earmarked arge spot for the future 4th school. The Universitree of the Masses. As it is, I can only gather sufficient talent for one school, and I didnt need to increase the tension from managing noblemoner dynamics.


    Its a n that would take centuries to y out, but if I do this right, this generation of young leaders would eventually propagate my faith. This was an investment that would only pay off at least 20 to 30 years into the future.


    -


    Im impressed, but at the same time, its hypocritical. Yvon said one evening. Aeon once said he hated the royalty, and here he is, amplifying their power.


    Jura nodded. I agree. Its pragmatic though. But Im sure he is aware of the hypocrisy. Lately, Aeon is rather... calctive.


    Its those trees. I mean, youve seen them, right? The weird shing ones.


    Nope. Jura shrugged as he watched a bunch of archers practice another volley. The Valthorns focus has been anti-air. [Archers], [Rangers] working with our [master woodworker] to make anti-demonic wooden arrows, further enchanted with magic. In a mildly interesting development, the senior [Aeonic Priests] and [Patreearches] gained a skill that allows them to bless weapons and people with [aeonic-style anti-demonic effects], on top of their regr [holy]-element enchantments. So, the Treeology School is also assisting to produce enchanted weapons.


    I wonder how the [holy]-element can coexist when Im the patron deity and I have only one [holy-enchantment] magic that I inherited from long long ago.


    Ive also observed that the priests powers are mostly independent from mine, even if derived from me. In the sense that the priests can use as much power as they have, and I would not be affected. Its not as if their use of [aeonic-abilities] are a drain on me. Quite unlike Lausannes Warden, which has a defined monthly star-mana maintenance cost.


    How does that work?


    Is it like the system created a specific pool of energy from which all these aeonic priests then call on for power? Or are all powers derived from the system, and Im just thewmaker, but not the source of the power?


    This is certainly a rather weird system.

 Side story- Lausanne and the demons

    Side story- Lausanne and the demons


    End of Year 133/beginning of Year 134 ~ city of Perhimpunan, of the Sultanate of Timurtengah, Eastern Continent.


    Lausanne stared at the Aivan temr. Its been a few years, 6 years since they released her from their home imprisonment, but somehow, the sight of temrs still triggered her, a little, little bit. Even if her stay was pleasant, a prison is still a prison.


    Greetings Lady Lausanne. The temr of Aiva handed her a magical letter. A message from Grandmaster Engka.


    She frowned, but this wasnt the first time she received a letter from Engka. Engka had convinced her, as part of her release terms many years ago, that she would assist with demon-rted matters. No matter, the letter magically unlocked itself the moment she touched it.


    Investigate the vige of Dimusnah. Demon sightings suspected. Local Temple did not respond back. More info at City Temple. She frowned. At first, this didnt seem like something that needed her assistance. But then she pondered it and a gut feeling told her it wasnt so simple.


    Her husband and the rest of the ying Swords were there too. A few members changed. Two died. Her husband frowned. Engka has some task for you again?


    Yeah. But investigate this vige of Dimusnah. Any idea where that is? Lausanne repeated the contents in private to the rest of her adventurer team.


    One of the team members unfurled a map and they soon found it. It was a few days from the city, it was a small vige that bordered the central canyons.


    Lausanne nodded. Alright, thanks. Ill be going. She walked with her husband to somewhere quiet, and gave him a hug. Ill have to go do this.


    Ardi just smiled. Take care alright. Its very close to the start of demon-season. Dont bite more than you can chew. He said that every time Lausanne went out on her own, but he knew Lausanne wasnt reckless. Clueless asionally, but not reckless. Well be taking on missions around here.


    It wasnt right for her to ask her team to go with her for her personal bargain with the Temple.


    -


    As Lausanne walked up the steps into the Aivan temple, two temrs stopped her. State your business.


    Lausanne nodded and shed a special Aivan-Ring. They nodded and let her in. It was her first time in this citys temple, but they all had a simryout. The High Temr was at the top.


    The High Temr was already waiting. The High Temr was the lead military officer of the temple in this city. Everyrge Aivan Temple had one. Greetings Lausanne. There were two other temrs in the room. We believe demons from the rift have been spotted near Dimusnah, and Engka believes youre the best person to investigate. We would have sent temrs, but were shorthanded at the moment.


    Lausanne shrugged. All the High Temrs always sounded like they were a bit irritated at her. They, of course, didnt know her Aeonic origins, or else theyd all attempt to kill her. Instead, Engka had constructed an borate n to drown out news about her origins, so they only know that shes an elf from the Hignd Cities of the North. It was easy to fake her origins when she left the Central continent so many years ago.


    Well arrange a carriage to get you to a nearby town. And heres a document for you. The High Temr said and that was the end of the conversation. The document was magically sealed, but it was more borate. There was a small guest meeting room where she sat, and opened it. It seemed that Dimusnah was already destroyed, but they didnt know what, so essentially, they needed someone who had a scout or rangers abilities to track the demons. There were no known markings or footprints.


    Lausanne made the journey that night, and in two days she reached the nearest town. From there, she would have to walk. The mood in the town was strange, and she noticed how sparsely popted it was.


    She was the only one in the inn that day. Have they disappeared?


    No. Most of them have fled the town. The innkeeper said. The sudden destruction of Dimusnah was scary.


    Huh. It wasnt a secret.


    And no one dared venture near.


    Lausanne just nced at the map again. This was a sparsely popted part of the continent anyway. If demons wanted to hide away and bide their time, this was the perfect ce. But that implied they could think, and Lausanne was rtively sure not all demons can think. Could this generation think? At least to a limited degree? The very few hints she got seemed to imply it.


    She continued her journey the next day. The area is dry, almost-desert like. There was some vegetation, but most of them were small. There were cactuses too. Still, a vige existed here simply because of the mines and the minerals that wash up on the shores of the canyons rivers. It would take her a day and some to finally arrive, at her speed.


    It was early morning when she arrived at the vige and saw the destroyed vige. There was visible charring on the floor, as if some intense me burned through the entire area. She touched the charred dirt, sniffed it a little. Demons. Unmistakably so.


    But there were no footsteps of creatures or demons. Well, there were fleeing viges, but the ground burned wherever they fled. She looked at the shape and angle of the charring. Whatever it was, it attacked from a higher altitude. Possible the height of a walker.


    Could be some kind of ranged attacker, or flying. Lausanne said to herself, as she examined the ruins. She looked at the direction of the me... and went the other way. If its a tall demon like a walker, there should be some footsteps or imprints on the ground.


    Nothing. There were more mes and charring, but no footsteps.


    Most likely a flyer. She paused. She briefly remembered one of her many dream-spars, where she fought flying creatures. This seemed to match it. Had the rift opened? It was about time. A generation of flying demons would be frightening.


    She mentally informed Warden to prepare some extra throwing spears, and adjusted the three wooden spears on her back. If they really are flyers, shell need them soon enough.


    The trail of mes eventually ended at the edges of a canyon.


    Where did they go? Lausanne looked at the river, and at the edges of the canyons as far as she could see. It was dry. There were no monsters either. Upriver then. Thats the typical answer.


    She began walking along the canyon. If they were hiding, they must have found a cave or something. She looked at a map, and there are parts where the rivers hidden underground. Or perhaps on the other side of the tributaries. Vines extended from both her hands, and she used them like long feelers.


    At her level, she could stretch it from one side to the other side, and shed be able to use her vines and swing along the river, using the canyon walls as her anchors.. That would be a faster way to travel along the canyons.


    She steeled herself, and began moving. There was nothing. The canyons were vast, and as she moved upriver, she noticed little shiny things in the river. Gems. The reason why the vige of Dimusnah even existed.


    Nows not the time for that. She said to herself. Maybe on the trip back, once she located the demons. It took about an hour, then she thought she heard something. A soft growl. Almost imperceptible. She reeled in her vine and it pulled her to the canyon walls. A few vines popped out of her body and allowed her totch onto the wall like a spider.


    Then she saw it, a hole in the wall right at the river waters edge. This was almost three hours away from the vige


    There were easily five of them, three of them were massive. Large, winged, and they were in different colors. ck. Dark Brown. Reddish-ck. Horned. But they also had glowing red eyes.


    Dragons...?


    Lausanne paused, and she stared a little longer.


    No. Demons that resembled dragons. But why were they hiding?


    It was then she saw smaller dragons. The smaller dragons stepped out of the hole and dived into the river. A whileter it emerged.


    What was it doing? Using her vine-legs, she crawled closer, then she saw it half-hidden inside the hole. Arger, wingless dragon. The smaller dragon walked next to it, and it spat out some gems. Thisrger demon-dragon ate it, and it glowed.


    Then itid an egg.


    Lausanne felt chills. This was a breeding demon, like Sabnoc! Sabnoctched on magical locations to grow massive armies. She looked at them, and sensed their magical power. They were not weak. Not as strong as a walker or a champion, but certainly more of the demon-elite or demon-general tier.


    It made sense why the vige was destroyed so easily. These demons, they are only a few of them, but they needed someone at least level 50 or 60 to fight them. The demons did not spot her. She used a bit of her druidic powers to move the rock around her, like a natural camouge.


    She waited, and watched them a little more. They were eating the gems in the river, and they would also feed the gems to the wingless demon in the cave. What made them suddenly attack the vige? Were they spotted? Were they instructed by the demon king to hide and multiply until the time is right?


    She waited till night. The demons still didnt spot her, and she noticed they were constantly eating.


    Then, two of therge demon-dragons flew away. Only the wingless, onerger demon-dragon and two smaller ones were left.


    If she wanted a chance, this was it. She waited for the tworge demon-dragons to fly further away. She took a deep breath, and reached for two wooden anti-demon spears.


    She leapt out of her hideout, and quickly activated her [Anti-demon suppression aura].


    The demons turned, and her wooden spear glowed in a bright green light. [Spear of Destruction] Shended right on one of the smaller demons. It was unprepared, and the spear went through the head. It copsed there and then. The wingless demon roared, and its breathed a jet of fire. The otherrger one quickly took flight and opened its mouth.


    She threw her other spear at it, elerated by her power. [Flying Spear]. The demons firebreath shed with the flying anti-demon spear. But she had no time, she quickly leaped away to avoid the wingless demons firest.


    She cursed. She should have attacked the wingless demon first. She thought she could take that er. The wingless demons firebreath continued to streak across the canyon walls, as it attempted to chase her down. She called on Warden to produce more throwing spears, and she flung it at the wingless demon. It wasnt moving, only its head was.


    But the other,rger flying demon was already flying into another position. She turned and quickly used her vines to change directions. There was another jet of fire.


    Shended on another side of the canyon walls. The demon was still flying, and it breathed fire into the canyon. It intended to coat the entire canyon with fire. Ugh. She grunted and the mes started to coat her surroundings. The wingless dragon was still there. She couldnt get it. She made a mistake!


    The demon-dragon kept breathing fire. If she wanted to fight it, she needed to get it down, lower to the ground. Or... she had to fly up there.


    That area of the canyon would be entirely nketed with fire soon, she needed to do it now. She used her vines and attached itself to the canyon walls, and with some magic, transformed herself into an arrow and shot herself into the sky at the demon. Then, with another spear, and a vine attached to it, flung it into its body.


    This time, the demon aimed its jet of me at Lausanne instead of the spear, so the spear managed to pierce the flying demon.


    [Steelwood Barrier]. The jet of me burned the wooden barrier, but she was fine. Shended on the ground, and then activated [Constrict]. The vine exploded into a massive tangle of vines around the demon, and she nted her feet on the ground.


    [Entrench]. The vines linked up with the roots Lausanne created in the ground, and with the roots supporting her, she pulled the constricted demon out of the sky. It crashed into the ground with a loud bang, but it wasnt over. It breathed fire again.


    [Steelwood Barrier].


    A barrier blocked the mes, opening a space for Lausanne to quickly move ahead. She had to do it now when it was on the ground. [Super-antidemon rootstrike]. Three massive roots emerged from the ground and it skewered therge demon-dragon. It then disintegrated, and left behind... gems and some other things.


    A roar, followed by another. The tworge demon-dragons wereing back. She had to get the wingless dragon first! She suspected the wingless dragon to be something like a birther, so she needed to get rid of it, else the demons would continue to multiply. She used her vines and her abilities to speed up. She needed to get back to where the wingless dragon was.


    But it was gone. Only the smaller one was there, and it roared.


    Ugh. Lausanne decided a demon was still a demon, even if its small. With a vine attached to a spear, she flung it and the smaller demon. It died instantly from the attack, even though it did try to fight it off.


    She heard the roars again. If the tworge demons are back, itll be another hard fight. The mature demon-dragons were just below a demon walker in offensive ability, but thankfully their defenses were rather weak. But wheres the wingless one? If its wingless, there should be footsteps.


    She looked around and activated amon druidic ability, which was to borrow animal-like abilities. [Scent of the Prey], and she followed it. It went even further upstream and it didnt manage to go very far. It wasrge, but not very fast. Lausanne used her vines to slingshot herself at the wingless demon. Its a grounded demon, so she should be able to use [super anti-demon root strike] once she gets in range.


    The demons head turned and it spat a huge amount of fire. It charred the wooden barrier around her, but not good enough. She was almost there. It had a massive tail and it moved to strike. It smashed into the charred barrier, but the barrier was still intact. There was another tail that came at her from the right. Did it always have two tails? The tails smashed right into the wooden shield and knocked her into the canyon wall.


    Ugh. She didnt see thating, and mentally thanked Warden for a protective shield that helped absorb the impact. Still, the shockwave hurt. At least it wasnt a walker-ss enemy, and at this distance, she could counterattack.


    Five anti-demon roots emerged from the floor and pierced the wingless demon-dragon, and it roared. Almost like it was in pain, but it turned and breathed fire. She sensed its energy dissipating, and yet it kept breathing fire into the narrow canyon. Lausanne leaped and then used two vines totch on to the top of the canyon walls, andunched herself up. The wingless demon wasnt moving. The five roots were still firmly nted in its body. She retrieved another wooden spear from Warden and flung it at the wingless demon.


    This time, it smashed into its body and then the body cracked. Then the cracks lit up, and the wingless demon exploded. It left gems and other things sttered all over the canyon floor.


    Yet, its not over. Not yet. Theres two morerger demons that should be on the way. She heard their roar, and again. They were... fleeing?


    She didnt expect that. Or did something else call them?


    Ugh. Lausanne found a ce to stop and just do a short self-check. Parts of her skin were bleeding, and some parts burned. Shell need a day or two to heal them. One of her prized wooden spears broke too. Still, now she had time to think.


    Strategically, they would need a whole lot of archers and mages. Way, way more. Anti-demon arrows would need to be the default equipment.


    She was in no condition to chase after the tworge demon-drakes. The battle used up quite a bit of her energy, so she decided to head back instead.


    A temr was already waiting for her at the nearest vige. Lady Lausanne, youve located the enemy?


    Yes. Identified as winged demons that can breath fire and perhaps other elemental attacks. She gave a long list of observations of what shes seen, things like size, attack patterns, types of attacks and so on. The temr nodded and quickly started topile it into a document that will go straight to the Grandmaster.


    Oncepleted the temr left, and Lausanne rested in the vige. She wondered whether the tworge demon-drakes would return, but shes too tired to care.


    [Summon Spirit Bird]. Lausanne looked at a small ethereal bird. Keep watch, little one. The bird nodded and flew off.

 Practreecal Experience

    Practreecal Experience


    <b>Year 135</b>


    The demon king waste. It didnte this year, and so we hear more of the Eastern Continents struggle with the demon-drakes. More fighting, but so far, the Eastern continent has managed to hold the demons back, and keep them on their continent. It was rather admirable, really.


    Stories of great sacrifice to hold back the flying demons. Of champions and adventurers. Of archmages and all, banding together to y dragons. It was the kind of tale passed down the family, or made into song. Or great bravery from everywhere.


    Where were all of these warriors before the demon king? Do they have a mind block, that they only disyed initiative, courage before lesser demons? Of course, many kingdoms naturally offered to send some nominal aid to the Eastern Continent, but due to the blockade, all aid from the Central Continent was blocked.


    Theres strange rumorsing out of the other continents, that the central continent as a whole is now referred to as a Cursed Continent. Its essentially a PsyOps attack meant to target all these merchants and regr people to reduce demand for travel between their continent and the Central Continent.


    Have the 4 temples decided that its better to just cut out the entire central continent from their collective conscience?


    Whats the meaning of this? Jura and Kavio asked the secret envoy of Aiva. Is this your fake war?


    Its... the best possible oue to avoid bloodshed.


    Even if we revealed this ruse, I reckoned no one would believe us. Aivas conduct has been consistently war-like. Every single continent outside of the Central Continent has been amending their maps to mark the entire central continent as cursed and that a travel ban was instituted. Kavio was exceptionally mad. Youre essentially telling all the other kingdoms on this continent that all of them are a lost cause.


    The envoy nodded. It... is a necessary sacrifice. A curtain falls on the central continent, a cold war is better than an actual war.


    Well, since the 4 temples have essentially gifted these other nations to me, it would be horrible of me to refuse their hospitality. Its free real estate, after all.


    As a result, I quicklymanded Kavio to send envoys to all these nations, to discuss cooperation and trade. They must feel betrayed that they have been essentially locked out of the global trade routes.


    They could have secret arrangements. Some of these kingdoms must have been warned beforehand. Kavio suggested. They may rebuff us. I foresee some of them will attempt to negotiate exemptions for themselves, if not publicly, then secretly.


    Then investigate. Either way, since they are doing this rebranding, we can certainly retaliate in the same manner. I wondered whether I should, though. What are the implications? Get some people together and consider the implications of it. They would need some time to do the necessary investigative research, and I created a few more additional artificial minds to assist Jasmine with the monitoring of the new territories.


    A cultural shift. Traditionally each continent wasnt significantly different from the others, the Central continent itself usually had a mix of all 4 temples and the other lesser temples, and the nobility generallymunicated with each other, via [message], [teleport] and other long range travel ormunication skills. It was the rudimentary framework of a globally connected elite.


    But now that entirety, amplified by Sabnoc, and now this blockade, it essentially meant the culture of the central continents elites will no longer be in sync with the rest of the world, and that will cascade down, since the citizens have a tendency to parrot the cultural practices of the nobility.


    Already, the nobility are second-guessing themselves. Throughout the central continent, the blockade caused economic problems for the merchant ss, and that greatly impacted the wealth of the nobility, even if it didnt really affect the regr citizens.


    The new trade routes have brought prosperity to my 3 new trading partners. The towns along the trade route grew quite well. The truckbeetles were actually quite popr, mainly to haul heavy, bulky goods that are rtively cheap. For some ind countries, they have a rtively monotonous choice in terms of their food, so the Fresnds traders capitalised on the reliability and rtive-consistency of the Truckbeetles and introduced new varieties of food, fruits and herbs.


    The merchants were also doing some demand-side work. They coborated with [cooks] and [chefs] to introduce new dishes and foods made with a fusion of native food and Fresnd foods. Its fascinating what these merchants do to make people buy their products. There are purist, of course, that resist these foreign foods, but among the nobility eager to sample new things, and among the poor who cannot choose, new types of food are very wee.


    Next were weapons. My woodworkers are still working on more anti-air weapons, making enchanted arrows and so on. Most of these were for the Valthorns and the Fresnds army, but a small batch of anti-demon anti-air weapons and ammo were distributed for sale. After all, now that the rest of the world has effectively cut off the rest of the kingdoms, there was a vacuum that I naturally had to fill.


    I wanted to be seen as sharing my benefits with the allied kingdoms, that I am arming them for their own protection. This was essentially weapons-diplomacy.


    The temples would usually ce some lesser hero items in allied kingdoms, or those that have earned their favor as a reward. It was this reward in exchange for hero items that helped build the temples influence. That said, the emunicated hero Astra did mess with that power bnce by selling hero items inrge quantities in exchange for territory and resources.


    Some countries benefited from the Four Temples blockade. Those that have a developed craftsmen ss suddenly benefited from having a captive market.


    Still, trade tensions were rising, and despite the spectre of the demons looming over us, a few of the desperate kingdoms finallyunched small attacks. Specialised hit squads made of their strongest adventurers.


    We saw theming. The moment they entered Patreecks psychic range, their ns were all revealed. We even prepared a nice weing party for them. Patreeck had used his ability to reveal their ns, and so we knew what we were getting into. The moment the adventurer group, a group of level 60s and 70s, about 10 of them approached the valley, I had the Valthorns already ready to engage, and the necessary traps.


    In fact, Patreeck alone could have disabled them, with a surge of overwhelming psychic attack. But that wouldnt allow the Valthorns to level, so we let them fight it out, and right when they were supposed to reveal their explosive artifact, I had a few vines emerge, and grabbed it. Then I sent it into my magicb for further investigation.


    After that we had our usual interrogation session, and then... death. I kept a few mememtos of these adventurers, and had a messenger deliver these remains back to the kingdom that sent them. That kingdom wanted these adventurers to be unidentified and unlinked to them, but clearly they didnt know I could read minds. Maybe they should have mindwiped them, if they had such power.


    I didnt want to make it public, after all, its better to respond with nuance. I suspect the Kings desperate, thats why he resolved to such acts. A final act, a desperate one. And now it didnt work, the Kings n will crumble and they know it. This would force them to bend.


    Now, I wait.


    -


    In the meantime, the construction of the 3 schools areplete, and the trainers are actively developing the sybus. The first generation of students, the pioneer batch of noble-children have arrived to begin their new study life in the Treetiary College.


    I soon found the quality of the trainers extremelycking. They were low-leveled, in the range of level 30s and 40s in the field they were selected to teach. Still, they were chosen because they were willing to do this sort of work.


    At this point, Yvon had a very goodment. She did have experience as a [training tree] and she is the principal of the Valthorns Academy. It ultimately depends on what you desire in them, Aeon. A good teacher must have the right teaching skills. He need not be a master of his craft, he merely needs to be a good guide along the students path. Technicalpetence and ability to teach are two different matters.


    In your experience, what matters more?


    Will these students be granted use of your learning [dreams]? Currently the effects of [training tree], and various other learning-support skills is what ultimately pushed the Valthorns to a high level. If it was just me and Jura, the Valthorns would never reach such a high level.


    Hmm...


    I spoke to Faris and Edna, my two-highest leveled new-generation warriors, on what they felt were more important. Both didnt seem particrly fond of nobles and nobility, so they were torn whether they should give their views or not.


    Still. Practical experience matters. All those battles in the Rottends caused me to level up a lot. Under the influence of my [powerleveling] and other growth skills. I think the teacher is important, but they only take you up to level 30 or so. After that, its all about our own real experience.


    I agree with Edna. As a druid, I needed to use my powers, and be ced in situations where I had to use my powers creatively. Those allowed me to gain levels. Combat, experimentation, and interesting situations seem to corrte with my levelling speed.


    But how does one create practical experience for nobles who are doing trade and governance? A business management school like... Oh wait. Its essentially an MBA programme, isnt it?


    Live experience is really the best. Those life-like dreams are 2nd best. Faris repeated. Nothing like spending time in the trenches to really grow.


    I see.


    How do I simte town management for these young nobles? The programme therefore needs a mix of practical experience.


    Perhaps they can y some roles in managing the newly reimed territories. Were in need of capable people to manage, and their noble skills would be a boost to the newnds. They bring with them the backing of their own home-territories too. It came from Kavio. For Kavio, on top of diplomatic issues, he has been struggling to maintain the growing administrative requirements. Newnds, new towns, all needed people to run them.


    Its hard to convince any decent ruler or mayor to make a move to a newnd. But not so for these noble children, who are young and untested. The very fact that its only a temporary assignment, as part of a holistic education programme could convince these young nobles to go willingly. So I could use the whole noble-school to tap into their talents, and deploy them under the guise of school or college learning trips. I imagine having a nk te would train their imagination and give them a challenge, and so they can level up.


    Alright.


    I had Trevor, Jasmine pull up the newly reimednds that are still unmanaged or poorly managed, and decided that nobles would be sent to thesends. The students would be judged and rewarded based on their performance, and as a group.


    I wanted it to be a group event, because I understood that working in groups is a terrible, terrible thing, and it was this struggle against each other that would cause them to level up. Competition, especially, direct, visiblepetition is important.


    The first batch of Treeetiary College students, were of course rather shocked by the task.


    Were going to manage a new spot ofnd? Some of them were excited, some of them seemed afraid.


    Each group of 5 students will be apanied by a merchant advisor, a military advisor and a people advisor. Each of you are allowed to have an entourage of 2 people, and 2 bodyguards. The advisors are only there to give youments and observations. The local citizens are ultimately the ones carrying out your orders, and you are expected to learn to lead andmand the citizens. The challenge of the newnds would be a good ce for youngmanders to hone your skills. For safety, you will be apanied by a squad of beetles.


    The students have not had such a task before.


    Each group will spend 6 months at their designated locations, and it will be apetition. The best group will receive a small reward. The worst group a punishment.


    There had to be a carrot, and a stick to every n. If they took it, great!


    And off they went. Most of thesends were mostly sparse, where Ive just reimed it from the Rottends. Therefore, each group is responsible for a group of settlers, about 500 to 800, to set up a small vige, n defenses, and everything from head to toe. Its a safe arrangement, in the sense that my beetles would ensure the security of thesends, their only challenge is the management of the vige.


    I would graduate them to harder challenges where they would have to multitask both growth, people, trade and war as they mature of the 4 to 5 year program.


    -


    On the research front, Horns and thebs developed a few additional upgrades for the assassin spiders and beetles. These were more stealthy forms, more anti-humanoid damage perks, more poison.


    At the same time, we were also working on more anti-air upgrades. We explored strange and silly ideas, like bungee-spiders who would be shot at the flying monsters, attached with poisons and extremely durable vines and threads. The idea was to either disable the wings, or pull them to the ground with the threads.


    Throughout the Fresnds, armorers, cksmiths, bowyers and fletchers were all busy.


    In a way, the entire world is a wartime economy, and the demands of war dominated the order books of thends craftspeople. Arrows. Ballistas. Crossbow bolts. Nets and slings. Harpoons. We were preparing for the eventual arrival of these airborne demons.


    We trained rangers, and we set up more lookout posts. On the shores, where my [giant attendant trees] stood, we set up tforms where rangers and archers with farsight or simr skills could be on the lookout.


    Its likely that the demons woulde from the eastern shore, but at the same time, a rift could easily open in our continent. So, we kept watch over the Rottends too.


    The Valthorns and the beetles increased their patrol frequency. So far, so good. All quiet on the central continent.


    But thats no guarantee. Where is the demon king?


    -


    For now, the social unrest and unhappiness is kept under the lid. My aeonic priests have proved their worth, quickly earning a spot as a regr feature in many smaller towns, and with them, a huge amount of aid.


    Wed got rid of many selfish lesser rulers too, though we tolerated corruption or lesser crimes in thesends. After all, the Fresnds constitution, lesser local corruption and crimes are under the jurisdiction of the Kings and nobility, though it still reserves the right for me to intervene as I see fit. If these rulers were fueling a rebellion with their conduct, then we would step in. Its usually just having the local ruler or Lord relocated to another ce in theirnd. Things we could still do, while being seen as respecting the local Kings power and sovereignty.


    The priests would petition the King directly, with our observations and information, and that would usually be sufficient to sway them to see things our way. They too do not want a rebellion on theirnd.


    My priests are also a key funnel for future talent, either as Valthorns or as future priests, so it was important to constantly monitor them. I had one of the artificial minds under Jasmine dedicated to the task of observing the priests conduct.


    Even if the nobles abused their power, I wanted my priests to be seen as good. Certain things should be out of bounds for men of faith. It was important that I reminded the priests that I am watching, because priests are in a unique position of power and trust in the society.


    For most part, Id say 49 out of 50 priests were genuinely good people. But a religions reputation is often destroyed by that single priest. It was the same for the patreearchs. They were people in greater positions of power, so another artificial mind was dedicated to observing their conduct and actions.


    I like to believe I can trust them, but everyone will be watched.


    From our observations, we would have a list of pointers which is then used to shape the School of Treelogys education.


    Already we noted theres a lot of weakness in inter-species preaching and proselytising. Most of the priests aimed and shaped their preaching and messaging to people of the same species, and they struggle to form a connection with someone of another race.


    An elven priest needs to struggle to interact with a centaur, or a dwarf, and harder still with a treefolk. There was a need to improve training and understanding of species specific nuances. It would never be as good, but at the very least, they would be taught the key mistakes to avoid when dealing with people of another species.


    This was also a point that I wanted to put into the Treetiary Colleges education, though their angle was more on trade-preferences and diplomatic preferences of different species.


    -

 Facultree of the commons

    Facultree of themons


    <b>Year 136</b>


    The demon king was stillte. This was unusual, and we hear of great battles in the Eastern Continent. Even though there is supposedly an information embargo, there are still leaks. Great, incredible battles of archers and demon-drakes. Of battles in cliff-areas where warriors could reduce some of the demon-drakes airborne superiority.


    Of great skill and sses. Theres a ss of [Drakeyer-Archers] and [Drakehunters] that emerged from these battles. I would like to get my hands on some of those sses, but I suspect itll be a matter of time.


    The world thanked their lucky stars that the demons are still confined in the Eastern Continent, despite being able to fly, and the rifts remained only in that continent. I wonder what''s keeping them there. From the news, it certainly did not seem like the defenders were able to stop them from reaching the sea. Perhaps there are other factors.


    So, we focused on consolidating power, strengthening the Aeonic priesthood across the Fresnds, deploying the young nobles on little adventures.


    They were pretty average as a whole, but the little outdoor adventure contributed a few levels to their [lord] ss. Its good progress for a few months outdoors, and they helped to stabilise these new territories. Id also get to get a good sense of the type of rulers and managers these nobles would be. Whether they were kind, ruthless, rational or emotional.


    In the same vein, although practical experience is indeed important, I wasnt about to tolerate the low levels of the Treetiary Colleges teachers and lecturers. I had ensured all of them had training of their own, in the form of monthly doses of [dream academy]. I hoped to improve their levels by a bit, putting them in the Level 40 to Level 50 range for at least a single ss. They would be teaching young ones who are around level 10 or so when they start off, but because these are noble-sses, the power of a level 10 is actually more like a level 15 to 20. This is especially pronounced with those of noble-blood. [Prince] and [Princesses], usually already have some secret hereditary skills, and their ss itself is strong as its base.


    In a contest of wills, its usually a matchup of the ones strongest levels and sses, not the cumtive total levels and sses.


    If the trainers and tutors are too low-leveled in any one ss, they wont be able to suppress or control the tutors. Ideally, I would want someone like Jura as the headmaster. His [warlord] ss is a noble-equivalent and as such, nobles dont get an advantage against him.


    So I focused on training the tutors and I also had taken a liking to one of the tutors. Thordrock, a bearded dwarven man whos in histe middle ages, a little plump and prosperous. He seemed every bit the old headmaster, and had the cranky, steely disposition to boot. He used to be a [merchant], then he got too weary for all the travelling his ss required, so he found this task of educating the next generation interesting. As a merchant, he had been to a lot of ces, and fought a lot of bandits and thieves.


    Thordrock was a level 38 [mining merchant], level 18 [cksmith] and level 20 [axe warrior]. In every sense of the word, the scattered levels meant he was close to capping out as a person, since Level 80 to Level 85 seemed to be the usual cap for normal mortals.


    For now, there was no single headmaster of the entire Treetiary College, and it is run as if the entire teaching staff is a council.


    Still, the problem is, once an individual hits a level cap, I cant really push his level higher with [dream academy]. Still, not entirely useless. If I could somehow trigger or force a ss merger, then only thebined ss would be able to stand toe to toe with the nobility-sses.


    What do you think of taking the lead? I asked Thordrock one day. At that point they just returned from the students expedition from the new territories.


    Of?


    The entire Treetiary College?


    Well, yes. Finally! Someone needs to be in charge of this messed up school! He said. First, we need some booze in the school.


    Some of them are underage.


    Well those underage ones have to just suck it. Thordrockughed. Any good self respecting noble who cant handle a drinks gonna be in trouble anyway. I lost count of the number of times nobles got their drinks spiked.


    Oh. That... was too-much-info.


    All of these youngun need to learn how to drink, how to handle a drink, and how to handle stuff in their drink. Like me, I have [spiked drink-resistance]. At the very least, they need to have [poison-detection]!


    Ah.


    Thordrockughed, then he asked again. Are you serious, Aeon?


    What do you think this school should be?


    Other than exporting your politics? He asked.


    Yes. Tell me what do you think this school should be? I didnt want to share my ideals, of course. I had a certain vision for it, but the locals mostly saw it as a way I was going to strengthen the Fresnds.


    Ultimately... unity. Thordrock said, as he rubbed his beard. Unity of the noble-ss, however limited and fickle thats worth. I saw this as a step to truly build a continental trade system, but in the past 1 year Ive served as a tutor of these nobles, it is also a ce for social bonds to be built among the noble ss, which would foster more trade and industry.


    Where do you see me in this picture?


    Thordrock paused and he couldnt answer it. But I could read his mind. What am I supposed to say? Do I praise Aeon? Or do I state the truth that hes seen as a benevolent tyrant? Or...


    I would appreciate the truth, Thordrock. I have no need for fickle praises. They do little for me.


    I... dont know. A school founded by an immortal semi-divine being thats earmarked as a heretical existence? Just thinking about it makes me need a mug, so I rarely do think about it. But if this school wants to exist, it better damn well train some good, capable,petent nobles.


    Define apetent noble. What is a good graduate student? What do you think a student who graduates from this school should be able to do? In a way, this was an interview whether he was suited for it.


    Thordrock paused again. One that can hold his beer, makes a good deal, can set up a working, functioning town, and is able to defend itself from its enemies.


    I paused. That certainly fit the defensive noble. No part of values or principles?


    The hell with that. Thordrockughed. The things Ive done to get a deal...


    Ah. He has loose morals. I wonder whether I wanted to create little Machievellians?


    Thordrock continued. We all want to live, ayte? Lookit me. I paid bribes to not get killed. I paid bribes to run away from hot zones. I paid adventurers to die so that I may live. Yknow. Principles aint gonna cut it, not when theres a monster in front of me. I bit, I begged, I knelt where I needed to.


    There was a part he didnt say. And right now, youre the biggest powerhouse on the continent. If not you, then who?


    I paused. Hmmm. He clearly has swaying loyalties. Should I still use him, then? Or someone else?


    Theres this entire Fresnds, home to so many people, surely I can find someone who has the experience to lead a school. Or do I have to make one myself?


    So, I had to look a little harder. Maybe someone who isnt high profile, but is loyal. Quiet and unassuming, but gets the job done. Ah damn, thinking about it, Ive fallen for the old trick of looking at the most visible candidates, instead of looking at it objectively. There must be someone whos quiet but I didnt notice because hes quiet.


    Its such a rookie talent management mistake! So what if they talk and are more visible! Talent andpetence is not always visible! If youve done everything right, and everything works, it often seems like youve done nothing at all! The ability to troubleshoot and solve problems is only one aspect, its even better if one is able to prevent problems in the first ce!


    So... how do I spot people who are able to resolve problems before they even fester or be bad?


    Observation. I had to observe them and see how they resolved problems. How many steps ahead they did things, and how much thought they went into doing what they did. People who could bnce thoughtful consideration, and yet take decisive action when the timing is right.


    This demanded a huge amount of processing power and observation, and its made possible thanks to Patreecks special powers and my artificial minds ongoing observation throughout my immediate valley. It required me to constantly monitor my candidates and rate them on a scale of various factors, like forward thinking, problem-resolution ability, ability to work with multiple parties,munication, and even maniptiveness.


    All these needed multiple, hundreds of datapoints. Personality. These traits were especially true when looking for a person whos suited for trade and governance. To some extent, all traders n. The very nature of a trader meant he had to be aware of market prices and changes, production data, and the ability to locate an opportunity, a gap.


    At least, thats what I thought. But it is not so. The present world rewarded merchants who took risks. Who just made a journey from one end of the continent to the other, with little information to work with. The presence of a system for traders, and the effect of various traders skills meant some traders could make decisions based on hunch. Their skills would tell them where and what to do.


    I needed someone who wouldnt rely on their skills, at least not much. Or perhaps a skill that switches their disposition towards long term thinking, despite the systems tendency of giving skills as mental shortcuts.


    Patreeck and Jasmine took a few months to monitor how certain people behaved in context.


    Then, one day... Master, would you consider a young candidate whos currently an apprentice at a cksmith?


    Huh. Hes way too young to be a master of an academy of young little pain-in-the-asses. But, I could start training him really young, then in a few decades he will be ready. So I decided to have a look.


    The young apprentice was a half-elf boy named Kastua. Despite his youth, he had demonstrated a quiet focus on preventing and solving problems, so hes likeable but doesnt stand out. It would be decades before he would ever be a master of the colleges. He seemed to like his work as a cksmith apprentice, but I got Jura to speak to him.


    Hello Kastua.


    Kastua quickly bowed politely. Greetings, Counsel Jura. Juras no longer the counsel, but it seemed many still refer to him as such, its one of those guarded politeness. Never know when a person of such power would take offense.


    It seemed Aeon saw some potential in you, and would like to include you in training. Would you be keen? Jura wasnt exactly sugarcoating. What he ns for you, I do not know.


    The young boys mind instantly had a lot to think about. Yes.


    Jura paused. I... will give you some time to think it through.


    Yes. He repeated. No need for the time. My answer is yes.


    Ah. Jura nodded. Very well, Aeon will speak to you when the time is right.


    -


    Kastua was not the only one. It was against our nature to put all eggs in one basket. A tree made many, many seeds. I needed multiple candidates across all age bands, so that I had a solid talent pool for proper session nning.


    I wanted someone who had that kind of personality, and also faith. The levels and technical ability was something I could work on.


    So, on top of Kastua, we soon located 4 to 5 more people of various ages whom we think have potential. They are mostly young, and are under <level 40="" 50="" to="" in="" totality.="" thats="" a="" good="" thing,="" since="" id="" have="" more="" room="" work="" on="" their="" levels.<="" p=""></level>


    Still, I wanted an adult of sufficient stature to lead the school. Else its just a council of teachers that doesnt seem able to make any big decisions. Is doing something better than doing nothing?


    Should we still tolerate Thordrock as a caretaker principal? I asked the artificial minds, at first. He is of the right age and has generally good skill, even if his loyalty is a pragmatic one.


    Jasmine agreed. We will monitor him. The role of a caretaker principal does not require absolute loyalty. A pragmatic, cost-benefit type of personality may be appropriate.


    Disagree. This is about molding the minds of the next generation of mid-tier managers. Trevor used some terminology from my memories. They should be expected to have absolute loyalty. It is expected.


    I paused, and considered it. In some ways, the risk is rather nuanced, having a principal with nuanced and pragmatic loyalty may result in students picking up a simr view of loyalty. Thats a risk in the long run. But then again, even if I picked a loyal principal, that may not result in loyal future leaders. Would a principals influence be that pervasive?


    Is this a false choice? After all, loyalty is a mutable thing. I could, by my own actions, transform someone who is pragmatically loyal into entirely loyal, and vice versa. The concept that loyalty is for life surely an impossible thing, unless their minds are constructed in such a way.


    Are there any other candidates?


    Those capable and with the right skill sets would not want a task to corral these noble children in the first ce. So in a way, this wasnt exactly a coveted job. Its new. If anything, its more important that this newly set up institution does not fail.


    I went back to Thordrock again. Do you have any ideas on how to improve the Treetiary College?


    Thordrock paused and then answered. In truth, most nobles do not run theirnds alone, and often as merchants, we deal a lot with their adjutants and secretaries. So, I believe each noble student should be allowed to sponsor a few of their adjutants. A nobles sess, I dare say, is also quite dependent on capable subordinates.


    That sounds like an officer school? But thats already what the Valthorns academy focus on. Combat, tactics and all. But I suppose Thordrocks point is towards the bureaucracy. Currently, in this magical world, paperwork and administration is inconsistent.


    There are no consistentws, processes or papers, and merchants have to navigate all of them, often paying little bribes and incentives along the way. Even now the entirety of the Fresnd is aplicated mess ofws and regtions, because in part ofziness and my distaste for this sort of work, and also I didnt want to force the entire country to obey one single set ofws.


    Each of these segments brought with them different cultural norms and I had expected to let them run their own kingdom, in the way a federation delegates certain areas to the states. In that, every noble is a minor master of his ownnd, and so each of them developed their own versions of thew, so all in, its a hodgepodge of different rules and regtions.


    But a lot of these can be smoothed over'' if the officers and staff of the nobles allmunicate, essentially forming a de facto organised unified bureaucracy. Like trade can be more efficient when theres less paperwork to be filled.


    There are a lot of low lying fruits to be made as a whole. Like why is the merchants warehouse located in some inessible area instead of somewhere convenient for the convoys? Like why are goods not sorted properly. So many mundane areas that need someone to just spend them time to clean up and organise.


    Essentially, what Thordrock wanted was to make the merchants life easier, supplement the nobles with capable subordinates. Its also a good way to transition from a feudal society to a more modern society, since it maintains the nobles position as a ruling elite, and yet delegates out decision making and administration tomoners. Its also a less controversial way of opening up a wide range of education tomon folk without unnecessary noble resistance, since thesemon folk will be tagged to their noble employers.


    But then, would Thordrocks influence result in administrators that are pro-merchants instead? I decided to look at all the nobles subordinates, whether there were any good teachers. This would take a while too, on top of all the other searches that Ive been doing. The artificial minds need time to process and assess the nobles, and also the various departmental offices.


    At the same time, by allowing these administratorse in, would that not create the noblemoner dynamic that I wanted to avoid? Unless I separated them.


    But pragmatically, a segregated school is worse. In fact, my initial idea of a school formoners is essentially elitist because that also implies there is a separate school for elites.


    The rtionship betweenmoners and nobles could go either way, but in any case, Id like to see thesemoner administrators graduating and eventually run my futuremoners school.


    Its a rare time where its good that Im a magical tree. Im seen as outside the whole noblemoner ss system. If I were human, I would most likely face greater resistance.


    Lets do it.


    So, the Treetiary College opened up spots for the noble-vassals to join. The pitch to the nobles were simple, they neededpetent subordinates to carry out the details and the gruntwork. Studying together gavemoners insight into the noble mindset and thought processes.


    I understood this felt like a caste system, but if I want to slowly supnt and dismantle the noble structures, Id have to have a bureaucracy capable of operating with noble oversight and direction.


    The initial weeks were rocky, there were some incidences of harassment, and so I had insisted that no bullying was allowed, and used my artificial minds to keep watch. Students are only allowed to fight and attack each other duringbat practice. If necessary I would use my own abilities to break up any fights.


    Themoners came in many ages. Some were the old servants and butlers of the nobles, strangely chosen to apany their young masters to school. At first, I thought whether I should restrict the school by age, but I decided since it was the first year, Ill let it go. I would introduce age limits in theter years.


    Not everyone likes change. Some need to have it in little pieces, ease them into it. Some like to a big bang change. But from what I''ve observed, change needs to be slow. A big bang change tends to create arger and more immediate resistance. Slow, gradual change is akin to boiling the frog.


    By the end of the year, the nobles have mostly epted the presence ofmoners as fellow students, even though most of them still feel themselves as a superior ss. Its fine.


    Boil the frog. Slowly.


    Spaizzer Thanks for reading, if you want more, check out my patreon where there''s 3 more chapters :)

 Inception of the Matreex

    Inception of the Matreex


    <b>Year 137</b>


    The demon king finally descended. [Demon King Raja-Naga has arrived!]


    As the rifts predicted, he arrived in the Eastern Continent, and he quickly made his presence felt. The entire Eastern continent was in a state of war, as giant fire-breathing lizards and flying drakes ravaged the entire continent.


    A time of war.


    Lausanne is in the Eastern continent. A message for Jura to Laufen, she instantly broke down and cried. Shes not dead, but... she cant get out.


    Laufen wept, and I could see her feelings through Patreeck. Worry, helplessness, anger, sadness. She wondered whether she was going to lose her daughter. She was far away now, and I cant reach her from here. Not when shes on another continent. Theres no way Jura could get there either. Theres no boat or ship fast enough, and unless we have the heroes teleportation array, I cant get anyone there.


    She just went back to her home and just cried for a while. Some of the otherdies of a simr age from Freshka, her friends came tofort her.


    Jura on the other hand was just sad.


    She wouldnt do anything stupid, right? Jura asked.


    I dont think so. Lausanne certainly didnt seem like the type to do anything stupid, but I dont know how much has changed in the past 30 years shes been away. She may have changed.


    Yeah. She wont. Jura said, but I could tell from Patreecks data that hes worried too. But theres nothing much we can do. Not when shes on another continent. I could only hope shes wise enough to stay away from actually confronting the demon king. Very few have done that and survived.


    -


    The Demon Kings presence sent the Rottends into a frenzy. More demonic hybrids spawned, and the trade routes experienced more frequent attacks. But for now, the Valthorns and beetles have managed to hold them back, so the trade routes hold. A great relief, for our allies who feared for the worse.


    The expansion and training of Valthorns, priests and young nobles continued. Just because the demon king arrived, didnt mean we have to change anything.


    Alright. Demon King spawned. As nobles, what should you do? A lecturer, a former retired mayor, asked the crowd of young noble students. There were somemoners mixed in too, the attendants.


    Prepare for war?


    Well, yes. But how and what? What should you prepare? The lecturer asked. Food supplies are amon one. During demonic attacks, trade routes are frequently disrupted.


    Some of this is basicmon sense, but no one actually sat down and put a manual for dealing with demon kings 101. In some ways, this is a first step to that manual. I also had the instructors write down key teaching points for storage. Bit by bit, my library was growing, even if I didnt get skills for it.


    Next up is actually vige-defense. Demonic forces tend to attack ces ofrge poptions first. It is said they have an ability to sense living individuals, particrlyrge numbers. Of course, no one knows whether this is true, or they detectrge cities by other means.


    The crowd of nobles go <i>oooooh</i>.


    So, theoretically, its better to focus defense forces inrger cities, since viges tend to be skipped, or only attacked by smaller forces. Unless they are so unlucky that they happen to be in their path.


    Themoners winced at those words, wondering whether those viges will be left to die. The nobles just nodded in agreement. This sounded familiar.


    I didnt pay much attention to the sses, since no untoward incident urred.


    -


    As the borders saw more fighting, Ive awarded more upgraded sses to the Valthorns. For anti-air, Im really quite dependent on my beetles and spiders, and also my higher-levelled Valthorns.


    The Valthorns had many practice rounds against flying foes, and I used my [dream academy] to give them more practice and dream-battle experience against aerial foes. Many of them woke up sweating and needed a separate [dream] for them to rest.


    [Dream academy] allowed me more control over the contents of the dream, though its still just a set of parameters I could control. I dont even know what exactly they see in those dreams, until recently...


    Because [Tree-Over-Mind] allowed me to gain an insight to the effects of [dream academy], the two abilities essentially allowed me to view the dreams in almost-real time. There was still a small timeg, but I could see how each and every Valthorn had a slightly different variation of the dream. The dreams itself tapped into their minds to bring up the desired effect.


    Now, could I essentially stitch their dreams together into a mini-matrix?


    Patreeck?


    Possible, but I believe that will take up a lot of processing power. But it can be done, I think I can put about 30 people together.


    Great! Dreams have always been personalised. Its time to go full mini-matrix and inception on my Valthorns. Now, is it possible to create a time dtion effect, such that the dreams feel longer than the actual psed time?


    That would require some kind of super-stimnt into their brains, master. Patreeck was frank. Not my area of specialty, but I believe it should be possible to create a sap or chemical that increases brain activity, and thus allow them to process more within the same period of time.


    So, when I called Jura, some of the Valthorns herbalists and druids and the senior Valthorns for a meeting, they were rather strange.


    That sounds like something quite dangerous, Aeon. A senior herbalist responded. There are some herbs and spices that supercharge the mind, but they tend to leave one feeling exhausted subsequently, and can be addictive.


    Wait. This sounds like dealing in drugs.


    I thought Kavio had some of those... uh... rxants... A druid casually said, and the other druids red at him. Oh never mind.


    Procure them for me. I dered, maybe I could use them differently, or administer their effects differently. I already have [psychedelic dreams]. What could go wrong with another different kind of drug-like ability?


    Its really the dream, I believe, to invent that medical superdrug that significantly heightens ones senses and mind. Nootropics, or smart drugs.


    Perhaps the easier method is to suppress all the other forces that prevent learning and levelling, master. Patreeck suggested. Maybe we can try with just... experimenting with a dying man, and just maintain their mind.


    Oh. To do my own brain-in-the-jar experiment. Would a brain-in-the-jar gain levels? Is it still living? Can it hold a soul if its entire body is artificially supported?


    And what point, if we remove a body, that the body and soul part ways? Like, if I just keep the head and the boy, would the soul still stay around? Which organ is necessary, and which isnt?


    Aeon, may I enquire what this is for? Faris asked. Obtaining these herbs can be a rather troublesome thing.


    I dont see why, am I not above thew of thend?


    Ah, that is true, but as it is, the nting and cultivation of such herbs are ouwed and most nobles forcibly destroy them, due to their damaging effects on societal productivity.


    Then, can you just send it to me instead of destroying them?


    Indeed, but most nobles would want to know what is being done to them.


    Have the nobles deliver it to me personally, then. I need no more than a few samples toplete my analysis.


    I will say it is for analysis, then?


    Yes. That is fine. I noticed Fariss mind was still turning. Certain herbs are dangerous, especially for nobles. Some herbs have been used to incapacitate, poison or weaken nobles, andmany nobles viewed such herbs as a threat, so they have been firmly destroyed. Its due to its effects on the mind, bordering on mind-control that scared the nobles. So throughout the world there had been numerous movements pushing for the destruction of such herbs, and even till today, there are noble-groups dedicated to eradicating these mind-drugs.


    It was said the origins of the movement started after the emperor or arge empire was drugged and mind-controlled by his concubines. It was only when the children and princes rebelled, confronted, and the emperor was finally on his knees that they realised the extent of the concubines mind control.


    Since then, nobles everywhere have been extremely wary of new types of herbal substances. Of course, there is an opposing movement, those who use these drugs to supplement their own abilities. But, they do so quietly.


    Jasmine, can you help me locate these substances? Since its hidden, I would need your eyes and ears.


    Certainly, master.


    -


    More kingdoms capitted and changed sides. Theyve realised that the 4 temples were not backing down from their blockade, and that the divine edict meant the priests and temrs would enforce the blockade with much greater attention.


    By now, more than two thirds of the kingdoms on the continent have formally switched sides, including many of the Harrisan splinter-kingdoms. They are still squabbling and fighting smaller wars with each other, but they are now all formally FFA-aligned nations. Its kinda like Ive be this massive umbre for all of these little countries, since there are no benefits from staying loyal to the temples.


    This merely strained the load on the School of Treeology further. Already, it is difficult to coordinate my artificial minds and the priests, I couldnt train priests fast enough. The 10 patriarchs and matriarchs, are overloaded with administering the school of treelogy, and with thousands of young priests and priestesses undergoing training, its really tough.


    I tried to assist, by appointing more [Aeonic Senior Priests], to help with the management of the Treeology school.


    Actually, Aeon, maybe we should be given some time to uh... use our skills in a non-school setting. A patriarch actually prayed one day and said.


    Oh? You have not been doing that?


    All 10 of us have been working on the treeology school ever since it started.


    I paused and considered the issue. Indeed, its been some time since then.


    Many of us have abilities and powers, and though webor hard at work in the school and Freshka, we do dream of visiting our new allies.


    I agreed. So, first, I pulled together the senior priests, and those that have performed well. I defined performing well as those that were able to train new priests to a high level and guide them, or priests who were able to perform their social tasks and convertrge groups to my cause, without relying too much on material rewards and lies. Even doing this assessment took a month, but eventually I appointed 5 more Patriarchs and Matriarchs.


    This time, 3 of them were Treefolk, 1 was a centaur and onest one was a human.


    With the appointment of 5 more, I then implemented a rotational shift. 5 of 15 Patriarches will be travelling to spread the faith, on two-year shifts. That meant, over the course of 6 years, all 15 patriarchs and matriarchs would have had their stint in the field. Like my young nobles, these experienced priests also need to stretch their legs and see how things are in thends outside. Things may have changed.


    On the side of the FTC, weve increased the admittance to the college. With more new allied kingdoms, it was important that they show some proof of their alliance. So, essentially, sending their young children to the FTC, so far away from their home kingdoms, is meant to be this act of trust. Its also leverage.


    At the same time, weve expanded recruitment of instructors from all these new allied nations too, to cater to a growing student poption. Freshka, the Capital of the Fresnds, is arge university town home to 3rge educational and training institutions.


    Once this whole setup stabilized, I intend to set up satellite campuses and branch campuses for the School of Treeology and FTC, like how Valthorns have mini-bases throughout the Fresnds and my allied kingdoms.


    The Valthorns, being a military wing, always had multiple forward bases for attacks into the Rottends, or various peacekeeping and social order assignments. These are centered around a main [Giant Attendant Tree], a relic of my earlier New Freeka days. The Valthorns always had Giant Trees as forward bases. They also act as recruitment centers and training centers, for orphanages that were previously under the Valthorns and Valtrian Orders jurisdiction.


    Its ironic. Not long ago, in the days of New Freeka, I told kings and royalty, no special privileges and no special area.


    Now, I even set up an entire school to brainwash, sorry, re-educate their children. Maybe some hero from my world would notice that this entire college setup is nothing more than a glorified luxury-grade reeducation and rehabilitation center.


    I suppose life, even in a world of magic, has a way of ying tricks.


    Still, the presence of so many young nobles and their entourage brought incredible economic vibrancy to Freshka. Various shops and merchants set up branches and offices to cater to their every whim, luxury restaurants, luxury goods, tutors and trainers, cksmiths and craftsmen, all made good money serving young, impressionable nobles looking to impress and show off to each other.


    Its also a good way to stimte the flow of money and trade from these faraway nations to the Fresnds, as these faraway kings and queens would have to send stipends, pay for sustenance, pay for their servants.


    Sending money through such long distances in the age of magic still required awork of merchants, people who were willing to trade goods, and so on. Often, merchants would make arrangements to sell goods to kingdoms, and the merchants also acted as their means to remittance agents.


    At times, it was amusing to read the thoughts of these young nobles. At other times, it was just grating.


    Still, a school life for the rich and powerful emerged, along with their attendants. Along with it, came clubs, and little fraternities. Some were on racial lines, like a club for human nobles, a club for elven nobles, a club for treefolks. Most of the smaller, lessmon races formed abined club of their own.


    Also, I made Thordrock as Vice Chancellor of the FTC, despite his rather shaky loyalties. I needed someone now, while I still trained my pipeline of future Chancellors, and gave him a set of guidelines to follow. I rather liked his pitch about unity of the Central continent.


    Id also put him through a few trips to [dream academy]. I had hoped to merge his sses together, but instead he just unlocked an additional [Tutor] ss. Itll take a while, I suppose.


    Still, he really did started on the whole booze-and-wine appreciation and tolerance sses. Theres even booze, wine and whiskey clubs, and it seemed battle lines were drawn. The wine-club members had nobles from more conservative, old-families, and would view the other two as uncultured, the whiskey club seemed to be more urban-wealth,prising the children of many lords and kings from major trading hubs, while the booze were more of the rest.


    I suppose I added to the fire when we challenged all 3 clubs to make the best herbal-infused alcoholic liquor. Herbal beer, herbal wines and herbal whiskeys.


    -


    As the year drew to the end. The demon kings destruction of the Eastern Continent continued. The demon king resembled arge twin-headed demon-dragon with two massive wings, it had a wide range of elemental attacks.


    Laufens still asking for more news on Lausanne, but we dont have many informants, and Lausannes not contacting us.


    But I still sense my connection to the [Possession of the Devoted], and the drain on my [star mana]. So shes alive. The key is really avoiding the demon king. As long as she continued to stay away from the demon king, shell be fine.


    I told Laufen that much, that I still sense her presence and that my familiar is still connected to her.


    For now, the demon kings mostly wrecking the Eastern Continent, where the hell are the heroes? Maybe the heroes will be summoned in the Eastern Continent too?


    Or would that be a bad thing, for them to be summoned there and face a full-powered demon king, when they are underleveled?


    But if they spawn outside of the Eastern Continent, would the demon king follow them? Or maybe, it cant see them when they are still low-leveled, like how the earlier heroes managed to dodge the demon king.


    Im betting next year. Jura said. Maybe the gods havent got ready yet.


    I dont see why they need to wait so long. They didnt have to summon new heroes for 40 years, surely some of their power recharged. Thats spection on my part, of course, that gods need to have their powers recharged. Its entirely possible that their powers work in weird ways.

 Kindred Spirits

    Kindred Spirits


    <b>Year 138</b>


    10 heroes were summoned. Immediately, I told my artificial minds to look for them. If they spawned anywhere on the central continent, I want to be the first to know. This time, the 10 heroes are new, and I want to y a bigger role in molding them, as my spear, and as my shield. If they survive, they will be my future allies, and will supply me with more [Titan Souls].


    It took a few days, but it was Trent who spotted a strange looking youngdy fleeing from the Rottends. She appeared as hybrids chased her. After she ran past the line of trees, beetles emerged to fight off the hybrids. These beetles were assigned to protect the trade routes from the hybrids incursions.


    This is the suspect, master. Trent quickly highlighted the presence of the youngdy in recognisable Earth-like clothing. She wore a dress and she had a watch. She was panting. This was nostalgic, somewhat.


    I quickly asked Jura, Edna and Faris to go meet her, and bring her back here.


    Who are you people? She asked when she saw elves and centaurs approached her.


    Were from the Valtrian Order, a military organisation of the Fresnds. Jura smiled, he put up his best diplomatic face. Weve been asked to escort you back to Freshka, our capitol. Its a much safer ce than this outpost on the Rottends Highway.


    What if I say no?


    We cant stop you, and we wont take you by force. But I can promise you that we wont harm you. Im sure you are confused and lost, and this is too much to take in.


    Those words suddenly made her cry. She was hungry, tired, and all that.


    Well feed you and help you. A bath, some new clothes and equipment too, if you need it. Jura said. Both Edna and Faris stared at him. They were not stupid, and they quickly realised thisdy was a hero.


    She soon agreed. During the trip back to the capital, Jura stayed next to her and ensured she was properly fed and cared for. She had a lot of questions, Jura answered some, but for quite a few of them, Jura answered. I understand you have a lot of questions, but Im afraid I dont know enough to answer it. Our master and spiritual leader, Aeon, will take your questions.


    It made her slightly suspicious, but the express beetle-ride brought her back from the Rottends highway to Freshka in under a week. During the trip, she was amazed at how the scenery changed once they got out of the Rottends. Vastnds of green, cities and people of all races and species.


    Then, Freshka itself. We housed her in a special building deep in the Valthorns Fortress in Freshka. Its a standalone building, purpose built to amodate future heroes. I envisioned that I would require such ces a while back, so, with Harriss help from back then, we built a ce tailor-made for reincarnated or <i>isekai-ed </i>heroes. That meant magical items that resembled familiar, earth-like equipment, like microwave ovens which operated on magical heating stones, hot showers, spring mattresses, and a decor that resembled earth.


    She cried for a moment, and quickly jumped on the mattress. She slept for half a day.


    So... where are you taking me?


    Our spiritual leader.


    She frowned. They brought her to a temple within the Valthorns Fortress itself, surrounded by multiple [tree of prayers]. In it theres a [giant attendant tree].


    You will hear a voice in your head once you step inside. Jura nodded. The tree had a meeting room, but essentially, it was me and her.


    Hello. I said to the girl, her leg immediately buckled and she quickly sat on one of the chairs in the room. I could read her thoughts, its a mess. Are you one of the reincarnated heroes?


    She paused. No. She said her name was Astia, but Patreecks mind reading soon revealed her real name was Ste.


    Huh. She doesnt trust me, I suppose. Its not good to lie. Your foreign attire, and that watch on your hand gave your otherworldly origins away.


    She panicked. ...okay, yes.


    Are you alone?


    Yes. I think those that came with me... they are far away. Wait. I just noticed she looked a bit older than the previous generation of heroes. She was in her early twenties, though she does look really young for some reason. She seemed to be working in a school, saving money for college..


    Did you get a divine blessing?


    ...sort of.


    Sort of?


    See.... uhm... when I died, I wasnt meant to be in the bus. It was those words, I suddenly felt a sense of dread wash over me. Was Astia, like me? An ident? He said that I was coteral damage, but somehow I had enough merit to be reincarnated in this world with some benefits.


    So where are the heroes? And, great. The gods are biased. Was I really such a piece of shit that they made me a tree?


    He said that things will be hard at first, but Ill be okay if I survive. Ste sat on the chair. But he gave me a blessing. [Late Bloomer].


    Really funny, admins, really funny.


    I still dont know what it does. She sipped on the tea. I always had tea for guests. Its a thing, and it helped to calm my guests down, make them talk a bit more. But I was told by Jura, that you can answer my questions? So uh... what the hell is happening? Can I go home?


    To the best of my knowledge, you have to die to go home. Not guaranteed. I answered inly.


    She instantly frowned and almost cried. Where am I?


    Well, youre in a world with demons and heroes. A demon king appeared recently, and so the heroes, those kids you saw on the vehicle, they are the heroes.


    No. Go back a step. Is this a game?


    No. As far as I know, this is real, and youve died and now you have been brought here. Shes starting to annoy me.


    Then why am I still in this same human-ish body? Cant I get reincarnated as something else? Also, is it better to just die and go back? She said, but I think herst question was meant for herself.


    Do you have a ss, youngdy?


    ...I got one while running away. [Scout] Level 1. She wasnt lying. She didnt get the [hero] ss either. [Scout] is an average ss, though it does lead to pretty good upgrades.


    Do you get to choose your ss, Astia?


    No. I just... got it. I can say no, though. Hmm, the fact that she doesnt get to choose her ss, like most of the other mortals indicated that she really isnt a hero. In fact, its because theck of direct choice in sses, thats why [ss seeds] are valuable. Most mortals and locals have to keep doing a particr ability and pray the system somehow grants their desired ss to them. The ability to get a particr ss just by eating a fruit is really awesome.


    That said, for themon sses, the system is very generous, and has been seen to grant them out frequently. Do you want your ss?


    Uh... yeah.


    Youre not a hero, and as far as I know, there are no ways of going back unless you die. So the question is then, what do you want to do in this world?


    Astia sat and couldnt answer. I dont know, really. Its not like I had the time to figure out what I want to do with my life when Im running from weird monsters. Now Im talking to a big magical tree that speaks to me in my head. I know nothing at this point, so how can I even decide?


    Ah, the lost soul. How quaint. Its certainly annoying that those who do not have the gods blessings are lost and clueless. Those who are heroes are driven by divinepulsion.


    Well, ask away. Ill try to answer what I can, then perhaps you can think of where you want to go?


    Can I be god? Astia asked immediately. Then I can open a portal home?


    Possible. The domain-type skills seem to suggest that is very possible.


    Do you know what kind of magic brought me here?


    No. But if I were to guess, divine-magic. As far as I know, only the gods can send someone so far.


    As far as you know. Astia sat. How long will I live?


    Without magic, your mortality is unchanged. With magic, maybe up to 300 to 500 years.


    Can I get sses based on what I know back home?


    Possible. In fact, you should certainly try it. The heroes generally get sses from the gods, with little choice of their own. I was honestly giving a tip.


    Then I want to be a master [chef]. She said. I want to eat good food, and make good food, and I want a restaurant. Im gonna be more famous than Gordon-fking-Ramsay.


    Uh.


    Then Im gonna have a restaurant that travels the world, and then, Im gonna have a magical door that leads me back home.


    Uh. I certainly apud your imagination.


    Im joking. She sagged, her boost to high energy vanished abruptly. I dont know what I want, actually. How many sses can I get?


    Humans generally can have up to 6 active sses, but Im not sure whether that applies for otherworlders like yourself. Perhaps you can get more.


    Since Im not a hero, will you still feed me and let me stay here?


    Good question. I did intend for the housing to be designed for heroes, but here is an earther who isnt a hero. Kind of like me. Possible, of course.


    Im really stuck here, isnt it. And I was just looking forward to college...


    Hmm. Yknow what. We have 3 schools here. The Valthorn Military Academy, the School of Treeology, and the Fresnds Treetiary College.


    Seriously? The girl frowned, and thenughed. Sorry. Those are quite stupid names. Couldnt help myself.


    ...never mind. If you are interested, Ill ask one of the Valthorns to give you a tour. I mean, or would you rather be outside?


    Okay. She perked up. But I think Ill just go to the Academy and the Treetiary College. Being a priestess is so... ugh.


    I wouldter discover that my teas effects on her behavior was a lot more pronounced then I had expected.


    -


    I heard from Aeon that youre not a hero. Edna said quite inly, and Astia just paused. I didnt know that was possible. To think the Gods could err, some of the temrs would kill you the moment they know about you.


    Astias face paled.


    But worry not, as of this moment, everyone thinks you are a hero, and Ive been designated as your bodyguard, and guide. Edna shrugged.


    Oh... Im... Im sorry for causing you such trouble. Astias emotions suddenly crashed.


    Edna paused. She wasnt expecting that response. Ah. There was a period of silence, both of them didnt say a word, but eventually Edna had to do her job. Heres some protective charms and items. This is a defensive shield ring, and this is an anti-poison weapon. This is a small druid summoning charm which calls for animals nearby toe to your aid.


    Astia still looked apologetic. ...its alright if you dont want to help me.


    Edna ignored it. These charms are not powerful, but they will keep you alive if something happens.


    Really. Its alright... Is she emotionally alright?


    Lets go on the tour.


    I dont want to go now.


    Edna paused. ...sorry?


    I want to just stay here.


    Edna was told not to push her too hard, so she shrugged and just let her sit there. I told her to send her back to me, for a little trip into the [bib].


    -


    Astia, or Ste, had a normal physique, at least from what little I could see, but it was clear within a few weeks of her stay in Freshka that she was, at random triggers, suddenly turned emotionally unstable, and had episodes of depressive behavior. The tea helped to make her calm and seemingly normal for a while, but then, it wouldter cause an emotional crash.


    I had thought I could send her to one of the colleges, but then... I think she needed something else.


    I didnt quite know how to help her.


    The locals generally have rather positive mental outlook, they are quite hardy and seem to be able to take some degree of abuse and suffering. So it was possible to use my powers to make them stronger. Those, who are young, have been constantly guided by the influence of my trees and my energies, and so, the degree of correction I needed to do for those exposed to me usually were minor.


    For Astia, my issue was that... I fear that directly interfering with her mind, orcing her with all kinds of drugs and saps, or using dreams to change her, would possibly be counterproductive, or trigger other kinds of issues. She seemed rather far off base that I wasnt sure whether my usual means of alteration would work.


    Its like trying to mentally correct a bloodmage.


    Still, I ced a [Tree of Prayer] near where she lived, and ensured that the effects of the calming trees drain away the erratic elements of her behavior, and even then they seem to re up unpredictably.


    With the locals, its like steering a ship and charting a course from the day it set sail from the harbor. With Astia, I discovered a ship stranded at sea and all of its navigational equipment confused and probably broken.


    I summoned my council for a discussion.


    To be fair, Aeon, someone with such an attitude or emotional weakness would have died. This is not a nice world, and if the otherworlders hesitate, dillydally, or are weak, I believe its quite clear that the monsters, the demons, or just those less pleasant will get to them first. They either be strong, or die. Yvon, had the most dire of assessments.


    I wonder how she made it out of the Rottends? Adrenaline?


    This sounds like a city-disease, the mise of therge capital cities. One of the Patriarch exined. She needs faith, more than anything else. Perhaps she also needs to spend more time in thepany of the faithful, and some time alone with nature. Through faith, and through being one with nature, one can we heal ones soul. It is a soul-disease, in a way. But am I trivialising depression and emotional disorder to say it is a soul-disease? The priest may have a point, there are multiple ways one can achieve a step out, or at least, make an improvement.


    I need a psychologist and a psychiatrist. Or at least, someone I can consult who has a more modern perception and understanding of this issue. They may sound sensible, but who knows whether their suggestions may be counterproductive?


    Im essentially trying to deal with modern problems, but with magic and skills. I may get it very, very wrong.


    Are you... trying to make me better? Astia asked randomly.


    I paused, and it was then I could read her jumbled mess of thoughts. No. Not really. Just trying to understand whats happening.


    Good. Everyone thinks they can make me better.


    Astia fidgeted and moved about.


    But maybe I dont want to get better.


    Shes stuck in a hole, and she thinks she doesnt want to get out.


    -


    Meanwhile, the devastation in the Eastern Continent continued. Though the heroes have been summoned, our weakening contacts seemed to suggest that they spawned on the other continents instead. If the demon king started moving, it may pass by the Central continent, and that would be bad for me.


    The demon king, the twin-headed dragon-demon, seemed content to dominate the Eastern Continent. Lausanne, thankfully, still lived. I can still sense her, however distant she is.


    We dont know whats happening with the heroes, with our intelligencework crumbling. Its hard to feed and pay for informants when all trade is blocked behind a blockade.


    The navies of the 4 temples are still relentless, though quite a bit of Hawa and Aivan ships have returned to the Eastern continent.


    My next project should be to build a naval force able to break out of this encirclement. In a way, this is the 4 temples, the existing global powers, attempting to curtail my rise to power. On the central continent itself there are a fewrge naval or maritime kingdoms, and they suffered greatly from the reduction of trans-ocean trade.


    So, it wasnt difficult to sway them on my side. They are weak, and now, were going tomission them to build a new fleet of ships. The Valthorns had to quickly move there, to set up a mini-naval academy.


    Fighting at sea, running a ship. All these things are very new to the Valthorns, who never had any experience fighting at sea. It seemed I too, have very little experience of my own, though, from the process of harvesting the souls of the dead, there is a decently sized repository of knowledge.


    Thats all conventional warfare, fighting the wars the same way the temples do.


    At the same time, I was thinking, how can I do this navy thing differently?


    Would it be possible to build walker-ss battleships, with long-range bombardment abilities, orrge living ships that hosted a swarm of flying beetles or animals, like a mini-aircraft carrier?


    Essentially, the navy must act as a limb, a means of force projection, to bring the battle back to the 4 temples homnds. In the same way, they can be used to push and suppress demonic forces in distantnds.


    Or could I have floating trees? Living, floating inds like a massive zaratan?


    I would like to find turtles massive enough to carry my trees. Turtle-trees would be like amphibious carriers, wouldnt it?


    Am I contributing to the esction? The locals escted this war with the hexbombs. The demons retaliated with long range bombardment cannons. Now we have flying demon-drakes. The next step should therefore be more long range weaponry, and space-based weapons. Or mobile sea-fortresses able to punch through the blockade and keep it open?


    But even if I break the blockade, the countries outside, on those other continents, they would refuse to trade with me.


    What can I offer them, with me being so far away, that could sway their views? A big gun?


    Once I do have arge naval fleet, would I be able to force them to open up, gunboat diplomacy style?


    In this game of geopolitics, was peace ever an option? A big gun is necessary, even if just to force them to the discussion table.

 Popcorn

    Popcorn


    <b>Year 139</b>


    The heroes made the journey to the Eastern Continent. This was propaganda, at least.


    Miss Ste, oh great, youre there! Where are you? Are you alright? One of the heroes asked via a long-range spell, some kind of secured messaging spell service.


    Astia, or Ste was surprised, but she somehow quickly put on a face. Oh, nice to see you again, Tom. How are you? At this point, Patreecks mind reading revealed more information. She knew most of the kids that died with her! She was an administrative assistant at the teenagers school! She was acting. The role of the nice, supporting administrative teaching assistant.


    Im... uh, Im good. I think.


    Are all of you together? I could sense her forcing herself to make this conversation.


    Oh, uh... Some of us are in the Southern Continent, and some of us are here in the North. But were all nning to meet in the Eastern Continent. Were heroes after all, so we got to do what we came here to do.


    Thats good.


    Miss Ste Miss Ste, actually we just wanted to check whether youre okay. I mean, uh... after that time with the gods, we uh... parted ways. Where are you, Miss Ste?


    Im actually in the central continent, in the City of Freshka.


    The cursed continent? Are you sure its safe? Are they doing something dangerous or harmful? I hear they eat children there! The heroes quickly said.


    At shit. What kind of propaganda the temples have been feeding the heroes?


    Ste smiled. I could sense shes forcing herself to do it, but shes also quite good at acting.


    Really?


    Yeah! You should get out of there! The heroes said. Its not safe for you.


    Oh. Ste acted blur. I feel maybe Im in a safe part of town. I should be fine. Where are all of you going? Are you safe?


    Were fine. Were going to fight the demon king, and we have all these powers. Weve been fighting some regr monsters for a while, and were strong!


    Ah. Is that so. Good luck.


    Okay! Take care Miss Ste. Welle and get you once this is all over.


    Alright. Goodbye.


    Astia breathed a sigh of relief once the magical videocall faded. She quickly curled up back in her bed. That act of hers consumed quite a bit of her mental energy and she needed a nap. How did she even manage to hold a job at school is still a strange thing to me.


    -


    The quality of news we received from the other continents steadily declined. Were just getting generic news snippets, propaganda and such. Things that we can gather from a typical inn or tavern.


    The heroes arrived in the Eastern Continent after a month-long magically assisted journey, and began fighting the flying demons.


    By now, rumor said the Eastern Continent had lost 50% of its poption to the demonic attacks, and another 20% have been driven into hiding, living in undergroundworks. Again, really? Is this propaganda?


    -


    Its not really our problem, isnt it? The nobles of the Central Continent said in a meeting. We formed another council of sorts. Personally, Id like to call them the Nation of Tree-Friends, but they are not actually friends, just temporary allies due to targeted abandonment and neglect by the 4 temples.


    If the demon king stays on the Eastern Continent, thats good for us. We have our own problems to deal with, and now with the blockade, theres even less reason for us to care. Theyve targeted us, so why should we volunteer any assistance?


    A fair sentiment, one which I feel for. Some of the nobles delighted in the fact that the demon king kept its domination on the Eastern Continent. They felt like this was punishment for their actions.


    When the Central continent faced demon kings, have the other continents extended their aid? The nations that do, I can count them, less than my branches! A treefolk nobleined. Treefolk nobles were strange existences, they resembled mini-treants, and they were quick to switch allegiances to me, once it was clear that the temples no longer wanted to help them. A strange moment of speciesist behavior, even if its in my favor. So, let the Eastern Continent burn. I feel for the period, but the decisions of the rulers have consequences.


    Is this how it feels like, to watch a terrible war unfolding across the sea? Its a bit like me, watching an attack on foreign soil on television. Its not my problem. Too bad for them, and serves them right.


    -


    Its been a few years since the FTC started, and we finally had the first batch of graduates. It took a little longer than expected, but the star student was a young noble from the Northern part of the Central Continent. A young mixed dwarven man, he started the programme as a Level 3 [Lordling], and ended the course with Level 19 [Lord], Level 6 [Knight] and Level 10 [Merchant]. A good start, and the growth was pretty good for 4 to 5 years worth of work. Especially the [Lord] ss, which had conditions of the student doing ruling things, like making decisions about thend and development.


    Still, I wonder how the [experience seed] worked when one has multiple sses? Does the level go to the ss that they want? The experience seed clearly is overpowered in the sense that it gave a guaranteed level up, regardless of levels. Which was why Ive been hoarding it forever.


    The drawback, of course, is that levels dont always cover the weaknesses of real battlefield experience.


    Anyway, back to the young dwarven Lord. As promised, I granted him a special ss seed, a [Trade Lord] ss, a merger for [Lord] and [Merchant] ss. If he took it, it would almost guarantee the merger of the two sses. He could, of course, give it to someone else in the family, and that person would start with Level 1 [Trade Lord].


    The dwarf ate it immediately, despite his familys objections. There was someplicated family tussle for power in the background, something I didnt care for. It was a typical, useless-son-suddenly-excelling-in-life-and-now-family-wants-to-im-his-sess. He was, in other words, the fourth son who the parents thought was going to be a spare-of-spares, and now doing well.


    After his graduation, he approached Kavio, and the Freshkan councils


    Id like to work for the Council and managend on Fresnd''s behalf, instead of attending to my familys holdings.


    They couldnt decide, since matters ofnd assignment, especially newnds, was usually my prerogative. I approved a small parcel. Its a rough, recently reimed piece ofnd, with hardly any poption. This young Lord would have to lead and build it from scratch, but he seemed to take it positively.


    This very act, though, seemed to have stimted the appeal for the Fresnds Treetiary College amongst the younger sons and daughters outside the regr line of session. A chance, by merit, to earn their ownnds. On top of other existing ways of being a knight, achieving merit inbat, and have the King award some new piece ofnd.


    I suppose I made the family drama worse, but some internalpetition is always necessary.


    -


    Its a shit job. Edna said to Faris. The group of upgraded ssers had some sort of a monthly drinking session. It was quite a big group.


    Faris just shrugged. She clearly isnt normal, though. The things she knows are very strange.


    Thank goodness I can rotate with the other [Grand Knights]. Ill go nuts if I stay with her too long.


    Is Aeon giving her some... uh... herbs? I heard the Patriarch tried using some skills on her, but didnt seem to really work.


    Edna said. Shes... like a child. Sometimes.


    Youre not older than her, though. She looks about the same age as you. Faris teased. But yes, I get what you mean.


    Shes... like someone whos afflicted with a curse or magical trauma. The kind youve seen when something really bad happened. But its different. Ednained over a mug of beer. They are both approaching their early 30s now, and are good friends, because both of them are first-generation upgraded ssers.


    What does Aeon want to do with her? Faris asked. Did Aeon tell you? Or its just babysitting because shes from the same world as the heroes?


    Edna shrugged. Lovis, the [spearmaster] just nodded. Id never imagine that the gods could summon someone who wasnt a hero.


    Luckily this was the Valthorns private bar, deep within the Valthorns Keep. Everyone here was a Valthorn. Indeed. More so if its an ident. Edna sighed. She herself said her presence in this world was an ident of the gods.


    Gods can make mistakes, too. Faris shrugged.


    I wonder whether thatll get included into the Tome of Aeonic Commandments that the Pentadecarches arepiling.


    The group of upgraded ssers collectively groaned. If you dont mind me being absolutely honest, thats honestly the biggest piece of ass-kissing Ive ever seen attempted. One of the [Grand Knights] present said.


    What else do priests do, other than sing praises of the Deity? Lovis retorted. Just smile and nod, and weugh at the way they venerate Aeon.


    Is that what the outer circle nations are saying? Edna asked. The Valthorns internally categorised the neighbours into circles, in the same way trees have rings. The Fresnds itself is the Heart, the immediate neighbours the inner-circle nations, and those further out, the outer-circle nations. Again, its an academic exercise, there are many, many ways to slice and dice the ssifications of nations and their rtionship with us. One could use race to quickly make ssifications too. For example, the treefolk nations, however small they are, have a far higher natural loyalty to the Fresnds than the rest of the nations. This is simply because the treefolks, whenever they are in the presence of the [tree of prayer], or any of my trees, can quickly sense my power flowing through the ground, and so they do not doubt the extent of my powers. On the other hand, the human nations are a lot more wary, since they had a longer history of believing in the 4 temples.


    -


    A familiar visitor came. She even had the scythe. The [Druidhunter].


    We meet again, Aeon. Leithia was an olddy, now in her 90s, but to me, she looked like she had not changed much in the past 40 years. Most likely the influence of her ss, so her aging is slower. She was the executioner of the Hutan Council. The Hutan Council, now a far smaller entity they once were. Many of them died during that long period of the Rottends, and the growth of the Fresnds and Valthorns also gradually whittled down their influence to a much, much weaker self.


    After all, with Faris, my [Great Druid] and my group of upgraded druids, the Hutan Council no longer has a strong im as the best ce to learn the druids craft.


    She visited the Valthorns keep, and was granted an audience with the Valthorns. They quickly sent her to a special area where I had a few [tree of prayers]. I suppose its strange, but... would you consider employing me?


    I thought about it briefly. Yes. But not as a hunter, you shall be one of the Valthorns military trainers.


    She epted.


    Funny that our paths cross again, after decades.


    -


    d to see you are still alive, executioner. Jura smiled, And the ages have been kind. You certainly dont seem like youve aged, unlike myself.


    Im pleased that you still remember me, Counsel Jura. Leithia bowed slightly. They sat in a small cafe in Freshka itself. But thats riching from an elf with a naturally long life. I believe I saw Councillor Yvon, as well?


    Shes a principal, now. Jura sipped on tea. And certainly. One must remember the person who waltzed into our town and killed 4 druids publicly.


    Leithia gave a gentle, grandmotherly smile.


    So, tell me of the Hutan Council. How have they fallen so far? To lose even their most feared executioner?


    It followed the typical path, really. Greed, ipetence, arrogance and overconfidence. Leithia shrugged. How could druidspete with a few [great druids] anyway? Even our most senior [arch druid] is but one person, and certainly the way of the druids in the Hutan is haphazard, messy, very much unlike the structure of the Valthorn.


    Some would say such is the proper way of nature. I have heard that the Hutan says the way we train our druids is artificial. Quite like a farm, rather than the wilderness


    So they say. Leithia nodded. But in the face of the demon kings, a farms speed is superior. Therge number ofpetent druids can churn out every year means the Valthorns can lose 10 for every 1 we train. The [archdruid] may be a damned good druid, and I respect him for that, but he has failed to lead us through the constant, regr monsoon of the demons.


    Then what brings you to join us? I heard from Aeon that he agreed.


    I may be old, but I too, wanted to see for myself, this blend of faith-and-institution-and-might. They are times in legends of yore, that individuals must recognise the men, and the creatures that change the world.


    I would never picture you as the kind that could be inspired by legends, executioner. They both chuckled.


    Well...


    Do you like what you see?


    Too early to tell.


    -


    Back on the Treetiary College, themoners presence is now undisputed. However, there clearly is arge social gap between the noble-born children, and themoners that joined them.


    This was because, the Treetiary College is in function, a tertiary college. Theres a certain level of understanding that is implied, and formoners, theyck this baseline knowledge. Unlike the Valthorns, who are educated from young, and unlike the priesthood, where the priests themselves do the task of educating them on the ways of faith, the FTC went right into management, military affairs and economics.


    Quite arge bunch of themoners who enrolled didnt even know how to write, so they couldnt even self-study if they wanted to. Most of them, as they are sponsored by the nobles, also have to run errands for the nobles, so the amount of studying time they have is actually very limited. Some, didnt know things like mathematics, and have limited knowledge of the world outside of their tasks.


    When I opened up the slots formoners as well, it seemed most of the nobles just nominated and sponsored their minders to help them. In some cases, some nobles appointed minders who knew how to read and write so that they can take notes. In most cases though, the nobles generally just appointed either bodyguards who knew how to fight, or just regr maids.


    This wasnt the intention, of course. I wanted an administrative ss. A bureaucracy.


    Thesemoners struggled really hard. In a way, they reminded me of my friends who had to work full-time jobs, and study part-time. Sure, theres some learning, but somehow its just not as effective or immersive as a full-time education.


    It didnt help that the trainers themselves are so used to educating nobles, that some dont even bother helping their fellowmoners.


    So this gap in output also created and amplified the sense of superiority that the nobles had.


    I had to intervene, so I quickly demanded that Thordrock addedmoner-specific remedial sses, meant to teach them the basics of reading, writing,nguage, and maths, which he did.


    -


    As the year approached its end, I wondered whether the heroes are making progress. I hope they did.


    We honestly didnt have much information. The blockade was a pain, and the navy still needed more time. Building warships and training sea-capable soldiers was taking far longer than expected.


    So what if we broke through the blockade?


    If none of the other countries wanted to trade with us, what is the use of breaking through the blockade?


    We needed a strategy that looked past that, so, the first thing was, we needed a way tomunicate with the other kingdoms on all those continents. Some may be open to trade andmunicating with us discreetly, and ways to make trade happen.


    Alternatively, if we do break through the blockade, we must have a naval force able to transport a sizable army to capture and hold a port on one of the other continents. Only from there we can then restoremunications and our intelligencework.


    -


    On a fine day, near the end of the year...


    [Evans Lake has died. You received a fragment]


    [Agnes Ang has died. You received a fragment]


    [Soraya Mahmud has died. You received a fragment]


    Uh... the heroes are not doing well, are they?

 Lemon Tree

    Lemon Tree


    <b>Year 140</b>


    My news about the heroes came mostly through eavesdropping on Ste. After the death of 3 heroes, they called her frequently, they hoped to rely on her for mental support. Which was strange, because I could see Ste struggling, and she turned to alcohols and herbal remedies to cope.


    Was I supporting a junkie?


    Am I enabling her behavior by giving her things?


    Look, Astia. I used her name, I didnt want her to know I was eavesdropping or reading her mind. Ill need you to earn some money. I cant keep supporting you like this, especially if youre not doing much other than mope around all day.


    I felt like a dad giving a talk. She nodded. Alright... what can I do? I uh... I can teach, I suppose? Will that work?


    No. Did you do any work in your past life? I had to pretend I had no idea whats her background was.


    I was uh... an admin assistant.


    Alright, then you can do paperwork. The Fresnds Treetiary College needs someone to tabte results, handle time schedules and manage logistics. Ill have you work on that.


    Then my... Uh... bodyguard?


    Good point. What sort of paperwork can be done by someone, where they didnt need to interact with others.


    Research. Trevor suggested. She may assist with documentation of research results.


    I proposed this to Astia and she made a trip to one of the [bibs]. She quickly noped out of there.


    Im not doing this job. Thatb is <i>waaaaaaaaaaay </i>too scary. Whats with all the beetle-limbs floating around in various green vats?! Even if Im not afraid, Ill be too nervous to even work.


    I mentally sighed. Hows your maths?


    Average?


    What are you good at?


    Computers? They dont exist in this world, do they?


    Can you do art?


    She paused. I... could?


    Then you will do paintings and design. The Valthorns will pass you the materials and requirements, and you can do posters and picture design.


    Oh. Okay.


    Finally. She was average at the whole painting thing, but it was good enough for the Valthorns posters. She made a We-want-you Poster as part of the regr Valthorn recruitment flyers. At the very least, she would be paid.


    -


    Miss Ste... Tom was on the magical call again.


    Oh hi. Ste was working in a painting studio, working on the next recruitment poster. She quickly put on a smile, instead of her usual resting bitch face.


    This demon king thing... its really hard. Tom sounded really depressed and sad. But I keep hearing these voices to tell me to go on. I feel like my bodys not listening to my mind.


    Oh dear, that sounds really bad. If that was her attempt at empathy, I think a certain car-show host could do better.


    I sometimes keep thinking of them, but somehow, I couldnt remember. Its so weird. Tom cried and wept. Then he looked like he had one of those mind-attacks again.


    Ste didnt know how to react. She wasnt good at this kind of thing. So she said nothing.


    Tom suddenly woke up as if it never happened, and the conversation went elsewhere. Were all about level 70 to 80 now, but were still not good enough for the demon king. We kept fighting itsrger demonic dragons, but so many people are dying.


    Ste was silent, almost like a statue.


    Were going to try, though. So many people depend on us to y the demon king. That sounded so familiar. At some point, all these heroes really, really sound the same. I wonder whether Ill ever meet a hero that could resist the influence of the gods. That would be something, I think. The powers of a hero, yet without their influence.


    Good luck. Ste forced it out of her mouth, somehow she managed to smile.


    Thanks Miss Ste. Hang in there already, welle and get you once we y the demon king. They somehow turned positive again, as if they were entirely different persons. Ste noticed it of course, but she didnt say a word. In her mind, the first thing wasnt gods influence, but instead, did Tom have bipr disorder?


    -


    There were about 10 seagoing kingdoms building new warships, ships that we hoped to use someday, to break the blockade. The Valthorns Naval Academy was new, and though I had the ability to bestow [Captain], [Admiral] or [Pirate] or [Privateer] ses, theres a huge body of knowledge, about navigation, about logistics of a navy, which we took and adapted from the existing maritime kingdoms.


    With intercontinental trade absolutely dried up, some of the merchants have turned to piracy. This was especially true in the nations further away, where my eyes are limited. THis created a negative feedback loop, since piracy increased the cost of business, and made the business of merchants even more unviable, which drove even more sailors and captains into piracy.


    I met many pirates. More like, Ive spied on many pirates, many of them are just in criminals. They want money. Some are driven down a path of desperation and couldnt get out of piracy.


    The Valthorns were stretched thin, especially the upgraded ssers. I had about 100 upgraded ssers, but the Central Continent has many more kingdoms. So the Valthorns had to travel from ce to ce, and I could not focus all of my ssers to take out the pirates. It also didnt help that some of the pirates were quite high level, in their level 50s, so they could easily be a match for the younger upgraded ssers who got their sses not so long ago.


    I needed to strengthen the elite much more.


    -


    Still, Ive reimed close to 40% of the Rottends, except for that magicallybustive space where thest demon king perished. The swirling vortex was difficult to tame, and it kept destroying all the trees that I ced. The magical energies were something else. I thought my [forest rod] could be useful, but it has a small area of effect, so it must be ced in the heart of the vortex to work.


    So, over the past few years I made small steps towards the core. I tried to tunnel beneath the ground, and discovered that the magical vortex extended even underground. In short, whatever thats left in the middle, created a spherical spinning vortex.


    That didnt stop me. Spinning vortexes, thats just like my soul forge. Not exactly a stranger.


    So I set up multiple giant attendant trees around it, and gradually drain out the mana from the vortex, and at the same time, inject my own mana into the spinning vortex to neutralise the spin.


    Its a slow process, since I cant slow it down immediately, that tended to cause a whish and a really strong mana-explosion that generally destroyed even my [giant attendant trees].


    Still, this was a process that just took time. Eventually, I managed to diffuse and pacify the vortex. It just took a lot of mana.


    Then, we discovered the vortex has spawned a massive demon hybrid, from all the concentrated demonic and magical energy. Its not a pure demon, as it seemed like a frankenstein-ish creature with limbs made from a hodgepodge of animals, and seemed only lightly affected by my resistances. It was asleep, or at least, inactive, up until the vortex was broken.


    It woke up.


    It was more powerful than a walker, but less than a demon king. It had daemolite crystals all over its body, and living flesh in other parts. It roared with its worm-like head, with a mix of organic teeth and daemolite.


    If the gods that spawned monsters were experimenting, this seemed like it.


    I immediately called on my Valthorns and my elites to intercept, while I used my abilities to slow it down. I could tell it was working... a bit. It wasnt a pure demon, so it suffered less from my extensive anti-demon perks.


    Aeon didnt say there was a monster inside?!


    There were already a small crew of Valthorn Elites when we cleared the vortex. But they were insufficient. It had three long tails made of a mix of tree roots and demonic spikes, each capable of independently attacking any nearby enemies.


    I unleashed my root strikes, and it weakened it slightly. Then I used [constrict]. Constrict worked a lot better, since it had various mana-draining qualities. Still, it struggled, and struggled. It broke free once.


    Then I had to use my abilities again to bring it down. It struggled. It fought. I added more giant trees to the area, to strengthen my abilities.


    It weakened. Then it pulsed. It felt nostalgic.


    It was going to explode.


    I used more [constrict] and more [steelwood barriers]. I needed to drain away the core from exploding.


    My vines and roots pierced its body, like tentacles attempting to reach a reactor core thats about to go off. I drained it of its mana, as much as I could take, and vented it out in the surroundings.


    Patreeck and the artificial minds helped. More vines covered the body of the hybrid demon. It was still going to blow. I quickly told the Valthorns to retreat.


    It blew up, but only a small explosion. The power behind the explosion mostly drained away by my vines. The explosion didnt destroy everything.


    Whats left was a massive reddish crystal mixed with streaks of other colors.


    <i>[Tainted Demon Crystal Core - A curious mix of demonic and native energies]</i>


    The center of where the Demon King fell reimed, there was daemolite in smaller quantities. Thankfully it didnt all ignite in a chain reaction when it blew up.


    The crystal sat unused in my materialsb and magic. I had to run more experiments on it. It was an unstable magic core. It had a lot of potential, though. I just needed to figure out a way to use both of its energies simultaneously, since the crystal only released the blended version.


    Could it be a color for my soulforge once Ive managed to control it?


    I ced it deep within mybs in the Valley of the Unrotten, for further experiments.


    -


    The heroes fought the demons many times, and they are gaining levels. But it seemed that the demon king was still too strong for them.


    [Naveen Fraug has died. You received a fragment]


    [Ellen Ascas has died. You received a fragment]


    Another two more died in the fight against the demon king.


    That was our fifth encounter with the demon king. Naveen and Ellen stayed back to dy the demon king, so we could escape. Tom said to Ste. We wont let their sacrifice be in vain.


    It must be hard losing your friend. Ste nodded.


    Yes. But wevee this far. Were almost level 100 now. I can feel that our victory is not far away. Some of us have unlocked our full star-mana powers. Once all of us do, well take the fight back to the demon king.


    I see.


    Then welle and find you, and free you.


    That wont be necessary, Tom. Ste said. Enjoy yourself after the fight. I mean it.


    Ste didnt want to deal with them at all.


    -


    Ive begun to see some slight benefits to the various schools, as I noticed some kingdoms setting up mini-academies to train their noble children, a prep school before they were sent over to the FTC.


    Themoner students also had some improvement, as I started to give them sses more liberally. [Merchant], [Knight], or [Administrator] basic sses, I gave them out to anymoner who wanted them, since these weremon sses anyway. These generic sses helped them to cope with the various topics of administration, trade and warfare.


    Also, among the first generation of graduates, they created new trade routes and formed cooperation agreements, spearheaded by the Dwarven Trade Lord. It was, in many ways, what I wanted to see.


    An FTC alumni created awork that would only grow with time. This was a necessary step to bypass the old ways ofworking and introduction, that relied on royal events, and also religious gatherings.


    Most graduates left the college with a favourable view of the Fresnds, and me. That was important, because the initial goal was to strengthen the culture of the Fresnds. I needed the nobles to act as advocates of the Fresnds culture, and I believe they woulde into conflict with the incumbent culture of the nobles, carried forward from the days when the temples ruled.


    Still, this is the new wave, and the many of the savvy nobles are quick to get on my side. Really, culture is this strange thing, sometimes it can change quickly, sometimes, really slowly. I wanted a cultural change that would stick in the continent as a whole.


    The ones who feel the cultural change the most, are the priests, and the Valthorns. They venture everywhere in the Central continent, to spread my cause, to carry out social work, to provide protection for soldiers and traders. They were unknown, then they were scorned, and now they get treated with respect.


    As a whole though, the central continent still had their conflicts. In a way, the Fresnds have be the Vatican, and I am both the Pope and the God. The countries fought wars with each other, and Ive ignored them, so long they continue to profess loyalty and faith to the Fresnds. Of course, the Valthorns and our assets are pulled out from the participating countries.


    There was no point getting caught in stupid friendly fire.


    Countries will have disagreements, and after some discussion with my artificial minds, its fine to let them fight each other, as long as the source of their unhappiness was not me. In fact, it was also the opportunity for the Priests to strengthen their cultural hold, as they stepped in to provide relief to those affected by wars and battles.


    If anything, these wars only weaken themselves, and strengthen the Fresnds. Cultural victory in my opinion involved watching others make mistakes and then resist the urge to interrupt them.


    -


    Weve fought the demon king eight times now. Tom said in a call with Ste. I honestly dont know what were doing wrong. Were using our star mana powers, we are all level 100 plus, all 5 of us. We attacked the demon king, and somehow it managed to either run away, or find a way to hurt us so bad that we retreated.


    Keep trying, youll get there.


    The people of the Eastern Continent are starting toin and grumble. Tom said. They didnt say it in our faces directly, but many cities dont even want to host us, often, they would send us a messenger with whatever supplies we needed, and told us to camp outdoors, preferably far away from town. They said its for the safety of the cities. Its not our fault that the demon king attacked us when we are in the cities!


    Thats tough.


    Any ideas how we should fight it? Sometimes it refused to even attack us, instead fleeing. I totally dont understand this demon king. The gods told us the demon kings are simple-minded creatures! Tom sighed, and at the same time, I felt bad. They were clearly being lied to. The demon kings so far have disyed some intelligence, especially in battlefield intelligence and strategy. It wouldnt be a surprise if they actually are sentient, if they are a step above the demons Ive met.


    Ste shrugged. Im not one for violence.


    Maybe we should lure it. We need something.


    Wave a big stick at it and saye here?


    Yeah. Maybe we need a way to lure it. Tom answered his own question. Maybe with a lot of star mana.


    Another hero jumped in. How do we do that? Make a big beacon in the sky to tell the demon king were here?


    I thought it could already see us, why would it even respond to our lure?


    Ste just sat there and waited. The remaining heroes started to talk among themselves. The surviving five were Tom, Jason, Ryder, Adam and Rick. Strangelymon names,pared to those that died but I wasnt going to challenge it. Maybe they used a nickname, instead of their real names.


    They talked about various strategies, with Ste sitting there. They clearly have a poor sense of information security risk.


    Ste got bored at one point, so she intervened. Guys, Ive got something to do, can you kick me out of this conversation? She didnt. She just wanted to have a nap.


    Ah sorry Miss Ste. We got carried away in our anti demon-king n.


    -


    The year wasing to an end. Did it normally take so long for the heroes to kill the demon king? Didnt they take a year or two?


    Then...


    [Thomas Ragash died.]


    [Jason Stateches died]


    [Ryder Flynnish died]


    [Adam Eastwest died]


    [Ricky Roller died.]


    [You received 5 fragments]


    Wait.


    Did the demon king die?


    I waited for 2 days, nothing.


    But, but...


    Thats a total of 10 heroes died! The demon king lived even though the heroes died? And this is a new batch of heroes!


    Does this mean the gods will summon a new set?


    What will happen now? The Demon King no longer has any heroes to fear!

 Contreegencies

    Contreegencies


    <b>Year 141</b>


    It was ssified information, clearly no one knew it, but I did. I first informed the Valthorns, the Valtrian order, my Patriarchs and Matriarchs. It was met with a resounding silence. Patreeck told me they were making ns.


    What did this mean? Have the demons won?


    I wouldnt be able to get anything from the regr people. At least, I didnt think I would. The only person who I thought could even attempt to answer what next, was Lilies.


    > Lilies. The Heroes died. <


    > So what now? <


    That sounded awfully ominous.


    > Tips? <


    If were doomed, were doomed, isnt it? But I dont believe so, since... well, I just dont believe it. I refuse to believe it.


    Then, I announced it to the representatives of the various cities, and the nobles of many kingdoms. The heroes have died, all 10 of them have fallen in battle.


    The entire hall was in uproar. It was a panic Ive never seen the nobles exhibit.


    One of the noble lords went a little nuts and shouted, Were doomed!


    Some said rather strange things. Why is this happening? Its the first time in documented history!


    Is it? Some nobles challenged, clearly trying to be the level-headed one. Our historical records only go back so far. What if this wasnt the first time?


    I recall when I first arrived, the gods always summoned heroes if the previous generation died to the new demon king. But would the gods summon heroes again, if the new batch of heroes died?


    If it isnt, then we have chosen correctly to break away from the 4 temples! Theyve lied to us all this time!


    But why? Why are the gods restricted from summoning newer heroes, if the new heroes died? Certainly they can try again, right?


    Is that something worth arguing over at this time? We need to deal with the reality before us, that the heroes have all fallen, and yet the demon king still lived. We must focus our efforts on surviving this!


    Survive? How? I for one am going to be rushing out there and spend all my money and live a life.


    Patreecks ability told me all of them are seeing their lives sh before their eyes. This was one of those, if you died tomorrow, what would you do? moments.


    A noble said. We must try something. If we must call on the blood mages to perform a ritual of massive proportions, then we must. It is either they die, or everyone dies!


    Im certain some of the kings and the temples out there would be considering this option right now. But based on Patreecks calction and my own historical data, it wouldnt be enough. From my observations of the hex to date, and my experiments, the existing hexbomb would not have enough power to destroy a demon king. Unless I sacrificed close to 20 million people, maybe more. I recall sensing the huge surge in magical energies when that hex-like thing, and now that Ive got ess to the hex on my own, Im able to put the two data points together to calcte the energy needed to replicate a simr power level.


    20 million. Did he sacrifice so many? I dont think so?


    Yet, how did Astra do it? Is it because of the amplification power of Star mana? Could star-mana and hex fuse together, or does the star mana apply its anti-demon king qualities to the entire hexbomb?


    What are our options? I asked the artificial minds.


    The hexbomb is a good direction, master. We should focus on amplifying the power of the soul, in order to create a superbomb. To borrow your memories, master, the hexbomb is essentially a massive bundle of 10million TNTs, if we could use the soul-fragments in a significantly more efficient way, it may be possible to achieve the same effect with far lower sacrifice.


    It still required sacrifice. Just less.


    What level of efficiency can we achieve at the moment?


    The artificial minds paused and started calcting. It took them two days.


    Based on our current knowhow and converting the entire valley of the Unrotten, we can amplify the hexbombs efficiency and power by 4 times. Trevor said. Still, that meant at least 5 million sacrifices.


    Was I willing to do this to get just a single shot at the demon king with the hexbomb?


    It bothered me. I didnt think it was the right thing to do at all. It felt like Im cutting off my limbs just to live another day.


    From a utilitarian point of view, master, sacrifices are necessary. 5million is a number the Fresnds can afford.


    It took a few days, but I then decided. It must be ast resort. But we must make preparations.


    The preparations required were massive. Firstly, we needed to make sure that there were at least 5 to 10 million people within a 5 day walk of Freshka. Next, was preparing the structures, formations and runes needed to properly concentrate the energies released from 5 to 10 million souls.


    We didnt know how much time we had, but preparing the formations and runes needed to perform a blood ritual of this size was going to take years.


    In a way, this option was dead from the start. Theres no way we could have done the preparations needed in time, if the demon king attacked this year, we would have failed. Even sacrificing 20million people isnt so simple, since the souls of all 20 million need to be stitched together into a single shot. This endeavour alone required the construction of a massive containment array to control the energies.


    How did Astra do it? Was my magical measurement and sensors so far off?


    There must be some star-mana or hero-level shenanigans at work.


    -


    The heroes died. The Valthorns upgraded ssers spoke among themselves. This meant the demon king may very well be on the way to kill the rest of us.


    Does Aeon have a n?


    I say we hide. Construct massive instations deep within mountains and wait it out. The demon king may rule the world outside, but with our skills, wed live. Faris and the druids, the mages together could generate all the things we needed to live.


    Ah, Aeons underground bunkers taken to the extreme, huh?


    Well, yes. But were talking extremely, extremely deep. Far deeper than before.


    Its a good possibility. Some of the Valthorns considered the idea. It had a good merit. The demons certainly cant sense us if we hide that deep.


    Then lets do it. We can expand it if we can create enough space.


    We better not tell the nobles. Theyll demand we protect them if they know. All the Valthorns nodded.


    The Valthorns started what they called the trench-hideout project. They, using their powers together, started to dig really, really, really deep underground. Their project would take a few months, but if they do it right, theyd probably survive.


    -


    At the same time, Lausannes still alive. That was a good sign, in the sense that the entire Eastern Continent has not fallen under the demons. There must be pockets or nations that survived.


    As the year went by, captains and sailors began noticing that the temples blockade now had holes. Some navies still maintained the blockade, but there were pockets where the ships left. The temples after all are a hodgepodge of contributed forces, so some of the kingdoms may have given up.


    Then, we began capturing some ships that strangely sailed into the harbors of our allied kingdoms.


    Whats happening out there? We interrogated the crew.


    We dont know, but our supply ships stoppeding and we were starving. So all of us had toe here! We either starve, or sail to the nearest harbor. They didnt know much. Even the captains were not very well informed of what was happening back in their home country.


    Jura sat and asked me one day.


    TreeTree, remember that time when you unlocked my limit?


    Yes?


    How far can you go with it?


    Hmm? I didnt get his point. Was there multiple roadblocks on their levels that I have to keep unlocking? Do the native souls have a gacha-style level cap where they need multiple upgrades before they achieve max capacity?


    How high can you push it?


    I dont know, really.


    Jura paused. Actually, maybe I should cut to the point. Treetree, are you able to make something like a hero? I know you tried with Lausanne, and it didnt go far, but that was then, before all of the Rottends. We all know youve gained strength as the forests and thends expanded. Now, would you be able to do it?


    <i>Hmmmm.</i>


    I probably cannot create the [hero] ss. Theres something divine about it, or at least, the gods version certainly is divine. But is the [hero] ss truly the pinnacle ss out there, or its essentially possible for any ss to achieve a simr power, even if they need to be a far higher level?


    It is worth trying.


    -


    Astia. Did you get fragments? She did.


    She paused, her mind raced. Sorry? She wondered how I knew.


    Fragments of heroes. Its a thing that reincarnation of other worlds receive. I wonder if you received it.


    Yes. She decided to be honest. Theyre dead, arent they. How did you know, Aeon?


    I lied. As a being thats close to the divine, we can sense it. Their fading presence in the fabric of the world.


    Close to the divine. She repeated. Shes been gaining levels in [scribe] and [artist], aided by the boost provided by the fragments. Her work was a lot of painting and paperwork, after all. I wondered whether she had the potential to achieve what I did, maybe she could even do more. But thats not enough to take on the demon king?


    Heroes are specialist demon-king exterminators. We are not. It was a statement of fact, as far as Im concerned.


    -


    I wondered what the demon king would do, or what the gods would do. I got my answer as the year almost approached its end.


    [The Gods have summoned three new heroes.]


    Its almost as if the gods themselves panicked? Why did they do this?


    <b>Year 142</b>


    So, new heroes. The nobles and the Valthorns all rxed considerably once I told them of the new heroes. I wonder where they will appear.


    > Has this happened before? <


    Lilies responded a dayter.


    I wonder how long LIlies must have lived. But then, most of the time, they dont?


    Again, not exactly new under the sun, is it? Life goes on. Well deal with the demons when they arrive on our shores.


    In the meantime, we continued our preparations. The school was doing well, and this year, I had a few exceptional students from both the Valtrian Order Academy, and also the Fresnds Treetiary college. Talent was a strange thing. It almost seemed like they came in waves, with some years just having a lot more good people than others.


    The College had one exceptional centaur [Chiefling], and over the period of the 4 to 5 year course, transformed into [Warlord] at just Level 25. Right next to him was a master [Ranger Lord], again, he started just as a [Noble], and as the course developed his administrative and archery skills, it fused together at Level 30.


    On the Valtrian side, a young [archer] hit Level 43 at 16 years old, mostly from hunting hybrids and participating in all sorts of archerypetitions. There was also a [knight] who managed to hit level 35 as they graduated from the academy, and his ss evolved into [Guardian Knight] without needing any prompt or special ss seed from me.


    It made me wonder whats really the evolution threshold of sses? Juras [Warlord] ss happened veryte, when he was almost level 60 plus in his warrior-type sses.


    The nature of ss is a perplexing thing, almost as if the rules don''t apply uniformly. Everyones ss system had different thresholds and triggers.


    -


    On the blood magic front, we continued to make preparations for the grand ritual, should we ever need one. Again ast resort, and I wondered whether I should shelve the project since the heroes arrived.


    We should prepare the formations regardless. It can be repurposed for other uses. My artificial minds suggested, and so I agreed with it.


    Indeed, a massive formation used for containing souls seemed useful, even if just for my [soul forge].


    The other preparation was partly Juras idea, to create a mini-hero by fusing sses together. This was also where I spent quite a bit of time.


    Its a process of knocking ss seeds together to see what worked, and what didnt. Its a lot of tracking and math, so I created an artificial mind to help keep track of all the ratios and numbers.


    There were some sesses. I could not upgrade, or maybe, I have not found the way to upgrade some sses, but in the process of tweaking the [Knight], [Druid], [Spearman] and [Soldier] sses, Ive somehow merged them with my own essence, and created the [Tree Knight] ss, and I could then further upgrade it to [Knight of the Woods], and even further to [Knightmaster of the Woods]. There were some sses that I thought could be further evolved, like [Sharpshooter], or [Grand knight], or [weaponmaster], but so far, I didnt make much progress on those.


    If there were a ss that made life difficult for me, it would be the [mage] sses.


    It was easy enough to fuse [mage] with [druid] or [mage] with [knight]. Mage sses also could be fused together at the firstyer, into [Great Mage]. But things got wacky from there. The higher mage sses repelled each other when I attempted to create [archmages] or [wizards].


    Its not as if these sses were rare. I have [archmage] sses, collected from dead archmages. I even have existing Valthorn mages who managed to evolve their [mage] sses into [archmages].


    Yet the ss fusion resisted my attempts to create [archmages] out of [mages] or [great mages]. I wonder whether this was a deliberate system restriction for high tier magic, or theres some quirk to it that I didnt know.


    I needed time, and I was partly throttled by the number of ss seeds.


    Experimenting with ss seeds required and consumed huge amounts of ss seeds. Even if it takes just 10 seeds of the same type to fuse it to the next level, by the 3rd level it needed 1,000 seeds.


    It was just lucky that I had trees that could grow the normal ss seeds by the bucketload, so I could do so. I could also create a tree that grows the upgraded ss seeds, but then theft remains a huge concern. As my reach extends throughout the continent, all my trees aid me in the process of collecting more ss seeds, via various death rituals, via my [soul harvesters].


    All in, the entire Continent, now under my direct or indirect control, produced between 5,000 to 50,000 ss seeds per year. A rise in the ss seeds usually arose from a massive war or battle where many died. Or a ughter or something.


    Per the statistics provided by my artificial minds, its roughly one in every fifty deaths would result in a ss seed. That ratio is about 1 in 10 if the dead were buried via the Aeonic burial ceremonies. The ratios better if the ceremony was performed in Freshka, where almost 1 in 2 burials result in some kind of ss seed or skill seed.


    Theres clearly a problem of proximity. I cant be everywhere at once, not all full strength. As it is, many abilities are just better when they are done near to me.


    I suppose if I could split a tree into multiple copies of myself, such that I could be 100% there, everywhere. As it is, the [Giant Attendant Trees] can only push up to 50%.


    Decent, but not great, and that ratios wonky for certain kinds of abilities.


    As the year went on, we didnt see demons crossing the oceans. Maybe they went to the Northern Isles or the Southern Continent, instead of directly west to the Central Continent.


    Why?


    If the demons have a head start, they should push hard and expand. After all, if the demons can fly, whats stopping them?


    Also, none of the heroes were on my continent. I tried looking for them, but nothing. No stragglers either, unless they died. Or took a form different from the normal humans.


    I wonder whether there are others like me out there, taking their time to hide away. Or have they all died?

 Side Story: Lausannes Return to the Central Continent

    Side Story: Lausanne''s Return to the Central Continent


    <i>Around Year 141 to 142</i>


    Lausanne paused as she cradled the young toddler girl in her arms. It was a strange time to have a child, but strangely, it is not umon. The people shes met, many others have made babies when a war came. Its almost as if war and crisis triggered the reproductive desires in the living.


    She really looks like you. Ardi smiled, and somehow Lausanne felt and remembered her mothers words. Ardi had aged. Theyve been married for 23 years, and though Lausanne wasnt rushing things, her husbands hair had whitened, and two years ago, Ardi proposed to have a child.


    The chaos and mess got to him, and to some extent, being human, even if he aged slower than a regr human. Or maybe its the whole confined inside a city while demons roamed outside. What else was there to do, but to copte?


    She agreed. 20 years without a child was quite far away from the human norms, and so Arlisa came into the world slightly over a year ago. At times, she wondered whether this was a mistake. The Eastern continent, for theck of a better word, not the best ce to raise a young baby girl. Not at all. Even if the city she lived in was doing well.


    She had hoped things would improve when the heroes supposedly arrived, and that she, and her new baby, Arlisa, and Ardi, would be able to leave the Eastern Continent, and head back to the Central Continent.


    It didnt.


    The flying drakes continued to destroy huge amounts ofnd, and Lausannes survival depended mostly on underground hideouts and cities. The dwarves, in particr, adapted well to this demon king, their cities often extended into the mountains, and they had ways to prepare their fortified cities for a long siege without exposure to the outside world.


    Honestly, it felt very much like being trapped in the Valley again. Except the city was farrger, and all they had to deal with was flying drakes that roamed outside.


    Lausanne, the Lord summoned you. A messenger came over. She shrugged, and calmed Arlisa down. Let him know Ill be there soon. Lausanne passed the baby to her.


    Lausanne changed into herbat attire and walked to the Lords subterranean chambers. There was an Aiva priest there and a Hawa priest, and also a group of other warriors. Lausanne met them before, they were part of the defense force.


    Grandmaster Engka once said you were the temples secret weapon. Lausanne wanted to roll her eyes, but she resisted. She internally regretted taking Engkas bargain. Its been a decade, and the temple still made requests for her. She wondered whether she should just say no, now that she had a child of her own.


    Im afraid Im no such thing. Lausanne bowed. I happen to just carry out too many Aivan Triumvirs requests.


    The Lord smirked. No matter. You will need to do a task for us. I received a divine quest from both Hawa and Aiva, to rescue the new heroes.


    New... heroes? Lausanne paused. <i>What the hell? Why did the gods summon new heroes? Did something happen to the 10 heroes?</i>


    In the Eastern Continent, news was rare. Communication channels were few, and information like the death of the 10 heroes were a massive secret known only to the upper echelons of the priesthood and the kings. Rumors spread, but with every travel in the eastern continent extremely difficult, it was an extremely slow move.


    Locals all wondered what took the heroes so long to y the demon king, and for Lausanne, it suddenly made sense.


    Lausanne agreed. Even if the task was difficult, heroes meant a solution to the demon king problem, and a path for her new family. The alternative was a perpetual quarantine in this city that offered nothing much.


    They found the heroes hiding in a small cave, with a specialpass from the priest of Hawa. Three young heroes, hungry, dirty, and weak, hiding in a cave. There were demon-drakes that flew overhead.


    Come with us. The young heroes didnt have much of a choice. It was starve, or take the only opportunity they had.


    They had to fight a few demon drakes on the way back, but ultimately, they didnt encounter any exceptional number of demons, or the more powerful demon-drake champions.


    -


    Tough day? Ardi asked as Lausanne walked back to their home for the past 3 years. They didnt have much food.


    Yeah. Lausanne sat. Lexi yed with Arlisa in the small room they had. The ying Swords disbanded 2 years ago when most of the team died during a massive demon drake attack, Ardi, Lexi, and one other swordsman were all thats left. Ardi, Lexi both decided to call it a day. They were both not young anymore, the years disyed itself on their hair, their skin. Even if Lexi still looked good as her holy powers granted her a slower rate of ageing, she too had grown weary from the fighting and travelling, and wanted a break.


    Space was surprisingly abundant. Many of the citys denizens died when the demon drakes attacked, so there were plenty of uninhabited amodations.


    I met heroes today. 3 young ones.


    Eh, what happened to the previous 10?


    I... dont know. But if there are 3 new young ones, that cant be a good sign.


    Lexi paused and nodded. She was a priestess too, and she knew the rules about heroes. The gods only summoned new heroes if the previous generation all died. If there were 3 new ones, it only meant the previous 10 all died. Its probably something you should keep to yourself, Lausanne.


    Lausanne paused, and she too realised the implication. Thanks for the reminder, Lexi.


    Ardi nodded. The demon drakes raided every city on the continent. The cities that survived all relied on their heroic artifacts, but even then, those only granted a short period of protection.


    Lexi, what does the demon king do after it wins?


    I dont know. The scriptures all didnt speak of such an event.


    -


    The Dwarven City in the Mountain, Gurdarim, one of the five mining cities on the Eastern Continent, and part of the Dwarven Miner Federation. Each city was ruled by a Lord, but the Lord may as well be the King of each of their own cities.


    There was a massive chamber in the middle of the mountain, the rocky ceilings reinforced with magically enhanced pirs and tes. Home to almost a hundred thousand at its peak, now it was home to a third of that. Only 30,000.


    They purchased one of the abandoned units from the City Hall a few years ago, and it had a small garden. There was no sunlight, but magical stones acted as artificial lights.


    Do you think well be trapped here forever? Ardi asked Lausanne that night. They sat in the garden, they both had a cup of tea. Lexi and Arlisa had gone to sleep earlier.


    I hope not. If there are new heroes, that is a good sign. Lausanne said. Even if they seemed really, really weak.


    Ardi smiled and sipped on his tea.


    We dont have a way out, sadly. All the ships in the nearest port city are all on official missions, either to deliver goods, carry men, or just carry critical supplies. They had attempted to buy their way out, but even the merchants rejected. The surviving kingdoms paid top dor to the merchants to deliver the necessities.


    Many more merchants have been essentially nationalised during this period of time, and they operated shipping routes that supported the military.


    Even if the heroes have died, many cities still chugged along, protected by heroic items so freely given out a few decades ago. Still, they are stressed, as the heroic items had a long recharge time, and if the demons attacked frequently, they would eventually break through the defenses.


    Gurdarim too had one heroic item in its treasury. A massive mirror that collected energy and would release a heat ray that destroyed anything in its path. Still, it had an extremely long recharge time of 2 month, so the city reserved its use for the demon champions. Any lesser attack had to be repelled by the defense force. Some of the surviving cities had more heroic artifacts, and although that meant they had more weapons at their disposal, those cities were attacked more often.


    sphemy, when Lausanne highlighted that the demon kings can sense the presence of heroes and their star mana.


    But what else could it be?


    A few dayster, Lausanne was summoned again.


    The heroes must leave the Eastern Continent, to somewhere that they can train. Lausanne immediately thought of the Rottends, but she kept her mouth quiet. She knew that the priest would immediately say she is a heretic for even suggesting it.


    And?


    We want you, along with our elites to escort them to the port city on the western coast. Were not sure which city will be safe when you get there, so Port Hs, Port Kh and Port Lawad are all on standy.


    Huh? What did such a statement mean?


    Theres arge pack of drakes spotted. 50 drakes. The adventurers and veterans next to Lausanne immediately gulped. Some of them quickly said. Milord, thats too much for us, even if we are escorting heroes.


    Couldnt the heroes handle them? Lausanne asked.


    Its...plicated. The priest sighed. They are unable to use their powers for the time being.


    Lausanne frowned. That didnt sound good at all. There must be a catch.


    The demons are looking. If we keep them here in our city, arge army of drakes will soon attack this city. For the good of this city, we must take them away.


    How could the demons find the heroes? Cant we teleport them away? Lausanne asked.


    Weve recently noticed the presence of some kind of magical interference. Were not sure what... and we do not dare to risk it. And as strange as it seemed, we must face the evidence that the demons are able to see the heroes... somehow.


    The priests of course shook their heads. The demons must have found a way to twist the gods blessings. But regardless, we must escort the heroes of the city. The godsmand it.


    Lausanne mentally eye-rolled. So escorting heroes past arge pack of drakes is your preferred solution? Lausanne challenged the Lord, and the Lord frowned.


    Alternatively. A priest said. If there could be a big enough distraction, a team of adventurers with fast horses can rush the heroes to the port city.


    One of the adventurers present suggested, Maybe theyll just go away? The demons may just move away after some time.


    Thats a possibility. We could wait, but like I said, were painting a target on our back.


    May I speak to the heroes? Lausanne suddenly asked. She wanted to know how useless, or what level these heroes are.


    Sure. The priests said. She gave a light nod, and left the discussion.


    -


    Lausanne found the three heroes in one of the houses provided by the Lord. They were practicing with weapons. Hello.


    Hi. Are you one of the Lords people? One of the guys asked. The three heroes were two boys and one girl. The girl immediately smacked the guy.


    Shes one of those who came for us.


    Oh. Definitely the Lords people.


    Lausanne smirked. May I?


    They nodded, and Lausanne sat on a wooden stool next to them. They continued practicing, at least, one of them. The girl was the first to talk. Why are you here,dy?


    Im Lausanne. Im one of the independentbatants employed by the Lord. I just wanted to talk to you, and get a sense of why were having this issue.


    Oh. The three heroes just stopped.


    Ill be direct. Is there a problem with your powers? Lausanne wanted to understand what the priest meant by, unable to use their powers.


    The three heroes fumbled a bit. One of the boys was first to answer. ...yes.


    They sat together, and the boy, Alvin, was the one that exined. Uh... itsplicated, but when we died in a bus crash, we met this god. He called himself ude, and he said well, we were summoned under extraordinary circumstances.


    Lausanne nodded. Go on.


    So, he briefed us quickly that the earlier group failed, so we are now tasked to fix the mistakes. But because we are an emergency team, we had a bit more restrictions. One of which is that our powers are locked for one year. We can level in our ordinary sses, but [Hero] is stuck at level 1, and our [Blessing of the Gods] is inactive. Its also locked for a year.


    Lausanne nodded. They were essentially regr people, then. Why do you need to leave the continent?


    Uh... we cant even fight the drakes. Theres no way we can level. Alvin repeated. The girl, Kei, then added. And ude, that god fellow, said we should get out of the continent, ande back when were stronger.


    I see.


    Hans was the other boy. He just nodded along. Alvin continued. So, we asked the Lord to help us. We go back to the easy ces, farm ourselves to a higher level, thene back and kick the demons ass.


    Kei smacked the boy. Stop talking shit Alvin.


    Hey Im just saying were gonna kick those demons ass once we have our hero powers. Whats wrong with that! All we gotta do is survive for a year. Weve already survived a month!


    Lausanne just smiled. Ille over and practice with you kids, alright? It was weird to refer to them as kids, because they were the heroes, but Lausanne had to admit they were kids. At least, until you get your ticket out of this ce.


    Alright!


    -


    Waiting was a good choice.


    About a month after, the flock of demon drakes attacked somewhere else, and there was a small window of opportunity. They quickly rushed the heroes to the port town. Lausanne also took that chance to get her family to the port city.


    But there were no ships willing to take them. All seaworthy ships were used for the military and temple affairs.


    We say goodbye here, Lady Lausanne. Kei bowed. Thank you for practicing with us, and telling us about the world.


    Its fine. Remember, its a secret you can tell no one else. Lausanne spoke of her experience meeting Harris, the other heroes, and of the Fresnds when they practiced. The three heroes nodded. To them, it was a perspective different from what the priests have shared.


    Well keep it in mind. A ship would take them to the Southern continent, where they would grind and practice for at least a year, and get their [hero] levels up. The heroes left that day, as for Lausanne and family, they searched for ships to take them to the Central continent. None was avable, even if they were willing to go to the Cursed Continent.


    Then, Lausanne stumbled on the old dockyards, where many damaged ships were under repair. Some of the ships were in terrible condition, and so were put up for sale. That was when she had an idea. The ships were made of wood, after all, and her Warden allowed her ess to some of Aeons rather strange abilities, even if they were weaker.


    If I buy the ship, can I sail it wherever I want?


    Uh, well, yes. Its your ship. But were full making ships for the army and the merchant corps. The Dock Manager said, and she soon confirmed it with everyone else. Lausanne just smiled, and she thanked Aeon for Warden.


    So, she bought one of the damaged ships. They were adventurers, naturally they had money. Furthermore, the damaged ships were cheap, since repairs would cost a bomb anyway, so no sane seagoing merchant was going to pay a lot of money.


    Ardi returned from the tavern with a crew and a captain. It wasnt hard to convince sailors to sail with them, all thats needed is money.


    So... wheres our ship? They were all gathered before the unrepaired ship, its wood some parts rotten and broken.


    Lausanne climbed aboard, sat in the middle, and in an instance, a green sh of light. Her body temporarily merged with the wood of the ship, and its as if the ship itself returned to life. Rotten wood started to heal, and broken pieces regrew. It took about an hour, but to the crew and captain, it was strange to see a ship heal itself.


    [Woodcrafting] and [Wood Magic]. In the same way she and Warden could create wooden spears out of thin air, linking to wooden structures and revitalising them was just an extension of that ability, taken to arger scale.


    Alright, lets go, lets go. This ship will not fail as long as my magic feeds it. Were getting our asses out of here.


    It was a rocky journey, the oceans were not known for pleasant weather. But with a ship that doesnt break, and Lausanne could even directly steer the ship by linking Warden to the wooden rudders, it wasnt that bad. Just a bit of vomiting here and there.


    They also fought some monsters along the way, nothing toorge or scary. Mostly justmon ocean pests. A few of the crew died from sea-monster attacks too, but eventually, after two months of sailing, they finally sawnd.

 Seeds of a Lineage

    Seeds of a Lineage


    <b>Year 142 (continued)</b>


    This year, one of my FTC graduates ss transformed into [Aeonic Lord]. I dont recall ever seeing any of the nobles obtaining such a ss, so, its presence was quite a surprise to me. I am able to upgrade a ss to its aeonic variants, but so far no Lord or noble had ever approached me to do so.


    So, rather than be assured, I suddenly felt that all my nobles were not as loyal as I thought they were.


    Perhaps its a matter of faith, rather than loyalty. My artificial minds suggested. I believe many are loyal, in their hearts, you are their [King]. But not their [God].


    Hmmm...


    Thats certainly possible. The mechanisms of faith are not truly understood.


    At the same time, I revisited my [Anointed King] ss again. If I gave it to him, what would happen? Perhaps the [Aeonic Lord] is an entry level ss into the whole path of aeonic-aligned noble sses?


    Kraviek, the rtively-young student, was a treefolk noble. Its appropriate, I suppose, that the treefolks are the first to believe in my divinity. A young sapling in his mid thirties, he was born in the early days of the Fresnds, and grew up in a merchant house in the inner segments, and thenter, granted his own territory as his family were one of the pioneer settlers of the outer segments.


    The treefolk had been one of the first to embrace my divinity, and so, my artificial minds suggestion certainly had a basis.


    Kraviek. I spoke to the young treefolk Lord, and like all my other aeonic ssers, I could sense him very clearly.


    He immediately prostrated in the way treefolks always had. Praise the Tree. Patreecks scan of his memories and thoughts was like flipping through the mind of a zealot. One who believed everything. Faith, and more. Please, how can I be of service?


    Well done on achieving your ss. I started with praise. I wanted to know more from the person. You are the first I know of.


    You honor me, your holiness. Holiness? That didnt seem right. I certainly am not holy.


    I prefer to be referred to as Aeon.


    Yes, Aeon.


    Tell me, how do you feel about your new ss? What does it do?


    Kraviek was still prostrated on the floor. My Level 20 [Aeonic Lord] granted me a mix of [Aeonic Weapons] and [Blessed Lands], which supports agriculture, husbandry and forestry. I see. So the Aeonic Lord is essentially a nature-focused lord, simr to a Druid and Lord. A variant, I suppose, of the druidic Lords.


    -


    Progress was made on our anti-air research. Weve developed beetles able to fire thorny projectiles, simr to a mobile anti-air tank. The choice for thorny projectiles, instead of their own body parts is simply because we wanted to amplify the damage dealt, by using anti-demon wooden ballista bolts. So, a battalion of ballista-beetles could carry a load of 3 to 5 anti-demon bolts each, which they could then use to rain death on an army of flying demons.


    They would unfortunately be defenseless once they exhausted their anti-demon bolts, but no matter. I was still quite proud of Horns.


    This was like a medieval beetle version of a V2 rocketuncher.


    If I wanted to make beetles with unlimited ammo, it is possible, but usually that wouldpromise on their range and their actual damage output. So, if I wanted beetles who could provide long range support with high amounts of damage, separate ammunition from theuncher was a good idea.


    After all, Ive been making anti-demon bolts all this time!


    The next matter was an issue of force projection. I am now a continental power, and as a continental power, there will be asions when I need to project significant force in a particr location. Currently, I can do so by spawning multiple [Giant Attendant Trees], but I believe thats insufficient.


    So, I decided to activate my second [Titan Soul], on the Walker. The idea would be to make the Giant Walker into a mobile anti-air fortress, loaded with all the anti-demon bolts and ballista beetles. That way, I could station it on the Eastern coast, facing the Eastern Continent.


    The Walker, I hoped, would be a walking Aegis supercruiser.


    At the same time, my [master woodworkers] and [war fletchers] focused on making stronger, more powerful anti-demon bolts. Together with mages, who wove and enchanted the bolts with [flight] and [target-seeking] abilities, these were the magical equivalent of second-generation surface-to-air anti-demon projectiles.


    This was a development that started 5 years ago, when we found out about the flying drakes, and has roots in the first anti-demon bolts and spears. Next up, would be to figure out a way to cram more soul-power into it, essentially adding nuclear-tipped weaponry into my arsenal.


    The Walkers corpse, now covered with trees, bushes, vines and animals who lived in it, shook. Its as if the ground itself broke apart. New trees emerged as the Titan Soul lodged itself in the center of the massive corpse, its rejuvenating energy repaired broken limbs and made new ones out of wood and stone.


    It took a while, about 3 months for the Titan Soul''s energies to imprint itself on the massive building, and then finally, it was ready. When it first rose out of the overgrown forest around it, the entire city was immediately on high alert. They thought a monster had appeared.


    We even received requests for help from the nearby kingdoms when they saw the massive tree-covered walker starting to walk.


    Do not engage. That thing is a special-minion of Aeon.


    The massive walker mentally contacted me once it was fully awake. Walker reporting for duty.


    Ah yes, I must grant you a name. You shall be Hytreerion. Your first assignment is to walk to Freshka, where you will be outfitted.


    It took about a week for it to walk from the Lilieske to Freshka, guided by my artificial minds. As it was asrge as a walker, it had to take a path away from residential centers. Perhaps for my artificial minds, its simr to guiding a massive truck.


    Once it arrived, I had Hytreerion loaded up with Ballista-Beetles, a massive armory for all the anti-demon bolts and weaponry, and also it needed to be outfitted for habitation. Hytreerion came default with multiple rooms, simr to empty [customisable rooms].


    How many people should be the crew?


    Demon walkers dont need crew, why should this need a crew?


    It was slower than a beetle, but it could walk without ever needing rest, so in long distances it would be just a bit faster. But since it needed to detour around habited spaces, it would still take longer to get anywhere.


    In the end, after I exined just a few key traits of the walker, the Valthorns eventually developed a crew. There would be at least two upgraded ssers, one [Great Druid] and one [Sharpshooter], and a few [Commanders].


    Outfitting Hytreerion took a month, and we spawned a special [bib] in Hytreerions back, which allowed the person inside tomunicate with Hytreerion and provide navigation guidance. I expect Hytreerion to be mostly guided by my artificial minds, but I had to prepare for the possibility that mymunicationwork could break up should the demon king have a massive jamming ability. After all, it happened once, Id be a fool not to prepare for it again.


    During the process, Hytreerions presence was a havoc of its own.


    The Treetiary College students had a mixed view of my presence, and Patreeck detected multiple messages that spoke of Hytreerion to the rest of the continent. Even though were technically on the same side, theres still a huge amount of suspicion among each other. Some of them were rather factual, a lot were just hyperbole. Some had a mix of worry and suspicion, that Id somehow managed to create a walker-ss creature.


    For the Treelogy priests, they were more deferential. They converted one of the customisable rooms into a prayer room, and even asked for a [tree of prayer] to be ced in the walker. They spoke of this as a fact of divinity.


    Themoners were just disturbed for a few days, and then they got used to it.


    The Valthorns and the Valtrian Order were just busy outfitting the Hytreerion. They got to see it up close, and the ballista beetles that have settled into the tree-towers on Hytreerions back.


    Once Hytreerion was ready and fully equipped with all the anti-air weapons I can cram in it, it made the slow walk across the continent to the eastern seaboard of the Central Continent. I reckoned that the demons, should they arrive, wille from the east. They were not going to fly a curved path, unless there were inds that they could stop along the way.


    -


    I continued to experiment on the [Tainted Demon Crystal Core], and I struggled toprehend it. I could tap into the aspect of the core that was a native, but Ive not been able to activate the other part, which was the demonic energies.


    Maybe its not a good idea to use it. I wondered whether using demonic energy was a step too far, in the same league as blood magic. If anything, demonic magic would make me a target for the heroes. The heroes have some kind of demonic-sensing ability, so using demonic mana would instantly g me.


    Still, Ill deal with thatter. Even if just for the knowledge.


    -


    Small battles broke out during the year, and we captured a few more temple-navies. Some of them just surrendered without a fight, some attacked the cities outright. It was strange, but the navies were getting desperate, and the blockade began to crumble.


    As the news of the navies deserting their blockade locations, more kingdoms pulled back their navies.


    It happened rather quickly too, and suddenly, there was no blockade anymore.


    It ended rather naturally, and didnt even require any offensive from us. It was a rather big letdown for the young sailors and navies who were itching for a big break-the-blockade kind of fight.


    I suppose thats how wars are lost sometimes, the logistics and nning at the back of it crumbled.


    Now that the blockades over, its a lot easier for pirates and merchants to sneak to the other continents. They would have to quickly disguise their ships and attire to fake themselves as locals, but thats a lot easier than fighting a navy. Some of the ports usually would be willing to turn a blind eye if the right amount of money was paid.


    So, news from the other continents trickled in.


    It seemed that there were 3 new heroes, all appeared on the Eastern Continent, right in the battlegrounds. They were saved by the temples forces, who had been forewarned. Are the gods of the temples the same one that summoned them? I remember having this conversation with Harris, Mirei and Gerrard, and they were not sure. It seemed like theres some kind of ovep, but it was also possible the gods took different forms with different people.


    They are trying to escape though, and that stirred a bunch of rumors about the new heroes being eunuchs or impaired.


    -


    Then... Lausanne returned. At least, she and her family, plus a lot of others sailed a wooden ship to one of the ports. The ship was in bad shape, but it seemed that their skills somehow allowed them to escape and navigate through the ocean.


    Laufen was overjoyed. Everyone close to that group was relieved. I felt relieved too.


    At first, when the shipnded, no one knew who they were. But the moment shended on the shore, the Eastern Coast was filled with my trees, so she was immediately in the range of my telepathicmunication. So once I told Jura, a huge convoy of beetles was on the way.


    That was when I met little Arlisa. The young one year old half-elf toddler girl. There was something about her that was different, the way her soul seemed to resonate with my spiritual vision so easily.


    Was this because of Lausannes overlong exposure to my energies and the familiar? The second generation was therefore more adapted to it?


    Why was I even thinking of it from an evolutionary angle? Maybe she really just was special, and was born with a special gift, like how Indra had his gift, that gave me this vision.


    <i>Tree.</i>


    It wasnt a voice. But more of a thought.


    <i>TreeTree. </i>Arlisa could respond to me telepathically even though shes only slightly more than one. I thought that was way too early.


    Uh... your daughter...


    Shes cute, right? Lausanne smiled, and she introduced Arlisa to her grandmother. Laufen was just overwhelmed. Shes been away for years and now she came back with a kid? Whats she supposed to think?


    Why didnt you contact us?


    I couldnt. All the normalmunication lines were interrupted, and my flying birds kept getting attacked by the drakes.


    For the rest of the crew, we offered them hospitality in the port city. They were in a continent that was said to be cursed, at least for the past 10 years, so they had a lot of preconceptions to adjust to. Most of them were just massively surprised to see normal people, instead of mutants.


    For Lexi, Ardi, Lausanne and Arlisa, they were on a convoy of beetles back home.


    Im going to stay put for a while. Lausanne said.


    Youre only staying put because you have a daughter. Laufen teased her.


    Well... maybe thats true. Lausanne shrugged. Once back, Lausanne soon told me about what she learned from the heroes, and her time in the Eastern Continent. There were parts she omitted, but she was not aware of Patreecks abilities, so I soon learned of her house arrest by the Aivan church, and her subsequent contract ofmunity service.


    The heroes were handicapped. They would take a while before they are even able to kill the demon king.


    All this pointed to one thing.


    Why is the demon king not more aggressive? This sort of circumstance should result in an aggressive demon king. Unless something resulted in it not being able to do so?


    Did the earlier generation of heroes almost win, that the demon king is still recovering?


    Or, are the demons programmed to just go to sleep even if it did win? If so, what is the point of this conflict then?


    More importantly, why did the god even give the new heroes a handicap? They must have weighed their chances, and the gods must know something. Is the demon king unable to move for the next one year, thats why the gods do this?


    Or is the handicap just an oue of the 2nd time summoning within a short period? I wished I could ask more, but Lausannes knowledge only went so far. Maybe even the heroes don''t know the answer. But the gods must know about the handicap, so the fact that they went ahead with it meant they knew the chances of survival are decent.


    > The new heroes have a handicap, know why? < Lilies was one of those I asked.


    Puzzling.


    -


    I had Lausanne''s daughter, Arlisa tested in the bib, the young toddler was turning 2, and I wanted to know what made her able to respond to me telepathically.


    As I dived into the young child''s soul, I noted it was still unformed, there was a small spring in the middle without any bricks around it. The shores were still shifting and moving.. This was normal for young children, I recall Lausanne herself was unformed at that age. Then, I noticed a little green crystal right in the spring.


    [Inherited Aeonic Compatibility (hereditary - 2 generations) - Skill transforms into [Blessed by a Soul Tree] if conditions met, or will be lost.]


    [Inherited Skills - (locked) - will transform to new skills on maturity]


    "If Lausanne''s able to pass on skills, Master, I believe Jura and Laufen may be able to pass on skills too." Patreeck said. "Given Jura''s level and his unlocked soul, it would be highly likely that he can pass on a good number of skills."


    Uh.


    "We should also consider those with the upgraded sses like Edna, Faris, whether their descendants will have inherited skills. If we can merge their skills with those from the nobles, it would create individuals of extremely high potential."


    Yes, yes. But why doesn''t everyone have inherited skills? Everyone has their own parents, and their parents all must be of a certain level. Surely there must be some condition.


    And why was this the first time Ive seen a hereditary skill? Ive heard of it from Patreeck and the nobles, but surely, Ive seen so many Valthorns and so many others... Or do all the hereditary skills transform into a regr skill once they hit a certain age, or just disappear? If they all transformed, perhaps Ive been looking at them when they were older, and the hereditary skills by then, already transformed into something else.


    Or am I looking in the wrong ce? Or perhaps, like my soul forge, I needed a different lense to view them?


    Anyone else has Blessed By a Soul Tree?


    Patreeck immediately came up. Based on thest checkup of the Valthorns, there are six others who possess the skill. But their blessing is only the basic level, not like Lausannes advanced blessing.


    Ah. Problems of an empire, Ive delegated most of the [bib]s scanning to my artificial minds. But I cant be mentally everywhere at once, even if I sort of am everywhere, physically.


    I want to observe all the Valthorns and upgraded ssers children. This includes nobles. I want to know how this hereditary skill thing works.


    d you finally agree, master.


    Im not agreeing. Im just analysing.

 Registree

    Registree


    <b>Year 143</b>


    Weve made contact with a few secretly dissatisfied kingdoms, and of them, a few more agreed to establish covert trade rtions. Rather than fly any national gs, the trade would go via ships that looked like, behaved like, and manned by pirates. Privateers, essentially.


    We would also need to arrange with some independent inds to act as trading intermediaries, to cover up the paperwork and trail, disguising the origin of goods. Were some pariah state, at least, in the eyes of the 4 temples, but clearly not all kingdoms think so, even if they cant disagree publicly, given how far we are. I suppose were like a certain nuclear state in that sense.


    It was also a good way to formally engage many out of work merchants that have already turned to piracy anyway. So, the FFA organised a project to convert a few of the smaller port cities into pirate-dens, where all these out of work merchants can start their new careers as state sanctioned privateers and merchants.


    This was where the [Trade Lord], that young noble from before, volunteered to take up the task of changing the port cities for this purpose. One of the allied kingdoms was rather miffed, but we offered topensate him for letting us run one of the port cities, in the form of tax revenues. Someone else was going to ept the terms anyway.


    I spawned a few more artificial minds to track the ships that call on the ports. There was always a risk that real pirates would thene to these fake-pirate-dens, and the only way we could spot it is if we tracked the ships that were on our side, and those who were not. The crews could change too, so the artificial minds were there.


    One of these fake-pirate-dens was in a swampy area, and Id imagine it looked like some pirate movie,plete with the mist and faint glowing lights that lurked in the swamp trees.


    Swamps.


    Thats a rtively new territory for me, in the sense that theres still a lot of research to be done on swamp-adapted nts. Ive used the [bib] to analyse quite a few of the swamp samples over the past few years, and did gain some understanding, but my focus has been on anti-air weapons and expanding the anti air and anti-humanoidpetencies of my beetles and spiders.


    I do have the magic poop resistant nts from a few decades ago, so those also can be considered a type of swamp nts, but those are more of a freshwater-swamp type of nt.


    The issue really, is really saltwater. These swamps are next to the sea and ocean, and saltwater tends to make the regr nts feel dry and quickly they would die. I also had to quickly barriers for my roots, so as not to draw too much salt into my rootworks. My main body is adapted to all kinds of environments, and that also includes saltwater, so I could control my roots behavior to a certain extent. But maintaining a connection to the saltwater and swamp nts meant cing some filters in ce.


    If I want to ever cross the ocean, the first barrier Id have to pass is to develop saltwater-adapted nts. Thats ignoring all the other issues such as high underwater pressures, monsters, possibly underwater druids, underwater civilisations and possibly, even eldritch monsters.


    Id probably start by finding a small ind somewhere across the sea and attempt a small crossing. Conceptually that should not be so different from growing a root under the riverbed. Especially if the roots are deep enough not to be affected by the saltwater.


    Anyway, I digressed.


    The demon king has not been spotted leaving the Eastern Continent. After the copse of the blockade, and also from Lausannes experience on that continent, it turned out that a lot of small cities have managed to survive, as they went underground.


    By Lausannes own measure though, about 70-80% of all kingdoms have been destroyed, the actual casualty rate is probably around 40-50% as most of the citizens have fled once the demons started to expand. This even included nobles and royalty, who fled to allied kingdoms, or those with blood rtions on other continents. The few kingdoms that are left are usually maritime-focused nations, that had cities based on the inds, or those who built their cities into mountains or other easily fortified locations.


    Yet, no demon king spotted. The demon drakes have been flying and attacking the maritime nations, and so far, only the demon-champion ss giant drakes have been spotted. I used my magical sensors to try and understand whats happening, and couldnt detect anything either.


    Also, that batch of heroes did arrive and attack the demon king, and they were slightly above level 100, all of them.


    So, Im predicting that the demon king is either injured rather badly that it needs to recover, or theres some residual energy left by the heroes that kept the demon king immobile, or, the demon king itself cannot move by nature.


    If its thest one, that would be a great relief to the world, but that certainly didnt align to the drakes.


    No one has seen the demon king itself, actually. Only the heroes have dared venture close. Lausanne said. Now that shes back in Freshka, shes taken on the role as one of the Valthorns military trainers, together with Ardi. Theyve decided to put down their adventurers hat and settle down as educators. For now.


    -


    Lausanne when she was younger did not have much talent, I recall that I had to feed her so many memories and dreams before she developedbat sense. Or maybe she was just ate bloomer.


    But somehow I think Arlisa started with a natural aptitude. Even as a 2 to 3 year old little girl, she seemed like she easily mimicked the movement of her mother. I wonder whether it was because it was her mother thats teaching her, rather than anything gics or inherited, but somehow, something told me shes gifted.


    I wonder if I concentrated my resources on her, would I make someone way stronger? Still, that family has been through so much, so I decided to look elsewhere.


    Now that theres almost an entire continent under my observation, it was possible for me to spend more effort to spy and locate talent.


    To most of the civilians, they thought I derived this ability to locate talent by some kind of soothsaying or predictive ability, but in reality, its just a massivework of observation trees, artificial minds to crunch the data, and then ayer of reviews. So, for very young children, I actually dont know anything, since the data needs to be gathered over a long period of time. This meant the earliest we drafted someone to join the Valtrian Orders early-stage academies and training camps was around 7 or 8 years old.


    In a way, my observations of Arlisa constituted special treatment, from me. Which was partly why. justst year I started screenings for the children of nobles and those of retired Valthorns and Valtrian Orders, and so far, I spotted some hereditary skills. Indeed, most hereditary skills are transient, in the sense that they would transform into another skill at a certain maturity period.


    That age differed by race, by skill, and by many other factors which I have yet to understand, and I needed arger,rger dataset to form anything conclusive. I wanted to institute mandatory screenings of young children in a [bib] at ages 3, and age 5, and then age 10, but from Patreeck and the other artificial minds assessment, such screenings would be resisted.


    If anything, I needed to mask it as something else, and preferably, tap into faith and religion.


    Already, the priests perform some kind of ritual on young children, simr to blessings. So, we decided to expand the blessing ceremony on young children, so as to include a ceremonial dip in a bib.


    Of course, the bib would have to be shaped and formed to bepatible with the priests blessing ceremony. A baptreesm at ages 3, 5 and 10, if I may borrow from the religions of my world. The one aged 3 and 5 would be blessing with some additional nutrients and healing. The one aged 10 could be theing-of-age ceremony.


    I gathered my Patreearchs and Matreearchs to roll out the new baptreesm process. Again, ceremonies, processes and rituals were things priests loved. It gave them power, and purpose. For the people, it gave them peace of mind.


    All for the purpose of gathering a massive dataset and assessment of the continents talent pool. This was a massive undertaking only Patreeck could handle, and even then I had to set up more artificial minds to take on the recording process, which led to me unlocking a new tree type.


    [Unlocked new special tree type - The Registree.]


    [The Registree is a library of data, and can store all kinds of information.]


    Jura, sat one day and said something random. Its easy to believe that people are destined to do what they are meant to do, after all we are not heroes. But sometimes when I look at Lausanne, and remember how her parents were just ordinary elves, I think to myself, maybe its really possible for people to exceed what they were originally destined to do. Even me, I thought Id cap out at level 60 so many years ago, but since then, so much has happened, and now Im a level 99 Warlord.


    You need one more level to hit 100. But I think hisment on destiny, perhaps this register I am building is very much like a caste system, isnt it? That I ssify people by their innate talent and forgo the part on people working hard and striving against the impossible.


    I know.


    Do you want to cheat? I offered him one experience seed, wrapped up in the shape of a fruit. I have a few hundred experience seeds anyway, and Ive been hoarding it forever. Ive always wanted to use it, but I reckon there must be a restriction of some kind.


    He smiled, and he bit it. We need every edge we can get, at this point.


    Once he finished eating, he felt his body ache, and then his entire body started cracking. Those cracks appeared, and then disappeared, itsted for 10 minutes. Then once it was done, he smiled.


    Wow.


    Wow?


    Im a Level 100 Warlord of Aeon. I suppose I shouldve seen thating with Kraveiks Aeonic Lord. Juraughed. Good skill too.


    Good?


    [Steelwood Barriers of Aeon]. Juraughed. I can make your shields, with the same strength. Essentially, with this ability, he could stop demon walker attacks!


    Still, for a level 100 skill thats quite a letdown, now. But since I was on the topic of children and hereditary skills, I just casually asked. Jura, do you ever n on having kids?


    Juraughed again. Heughed for a good 10 minutes, then he stopped. You know, 60 years ago, Casshern actually gave us a simple briefing on what to expect from Spirit Trees. For other spirit trees, it wasmon to receive questions about family, our intentions to breed and they would bless our children. I was quite relieved that you didnt do any of that, so now, 60 yearster, I wasnt expecting that question!


    Well, a part of me wanted to know whether his kids would have the kind of hereditary skills like Arlisa!


    If I meet the right person, maybe. Jura smiled. But as of now, Im fine being a lone twig.


    -


    Trees now coveredrge swaths of the continent, and the Rottends itself have been cut into multiple slices by rows and rows of trees, kind of like a pizza.


    In a way, the entire continent has never been so green and had so much forest cover. It even altered the weather, some ces that were once really hot started to be bearable, and some colder ces warmed up. Rain also started appearing more frequently in the once dry zones.


    Forests generated their own microclimate, and amplified the creation of rain clouds.


    [Milestone achieved : 300 billion normal trees linked on the Central Continent]


    The milestone triggered a level gain.


    [You gained a level. Level 170.]


    [New Domain Ability obtained : Gift of elerated Growth]


    [Once a year, you can cause any one person to hit Level 60. Activating this ability gives you a full read of a persons sses. You may assign the additional levels. Does not work for those above Level 60. Does not work for [hero] ss.]


    [New Domain Ability obtained : Gift of elerated Skill Evolution]


    [Once a year, you can upgrade any one individuals skill of your choice by one tier. Does not work on [hero] or [divine] skills.]


    I immediately wanted to test out my evolutionary powers, and my target was once again, Jura. He was my guinea pig since so long ago, and once again, he will be again.


    The new ability was activated by a simple touch of a vine. Instantly, I could detect all the skills that he had, and they were separated into pools, which seemed to correspond to their types. He had his old viger skills, then those skills that were from his original diplomat and fighter skills, and now, warlord skills.


    This was a special time-restricted power. Once a year isnt so bad, really. That meant 10 skill upgrades every demon king. Not bad, in my opinion.


    I instantly chose the steelwood barrier. After all, it was his level 100 skill. Naturally I should use it on his strongest skill. Of course, its entirely possible some skills, when upgraded, be far more powerful than even the level 100 skill.


    Still, I have time, and now I just wanted to use it.


    It evolved into [Triple Steelwood Barriers of Aeon].


    Woh. Cool. Now I need to figure out who to use it on, next! Can I use it on Lausanne or Arlisas [Blessed by a Soul Tree]?


    -


    A lone ship sailed across the Southern Oceans. It was a fast, well-equipped and heavily armed ship. It came to one of the ports on our Southern coast, and instantly the military was at high alert. It flew the g of the temples.


    It wasnt aggressive, and it did not disy any weapons, so the ship was escorted to the ports most distant dock. Just in case it carried explosive gems or weapons. This was, by andrge, a trading port. It had just a few navy vessels in the dock.


    A Valthorn was thankfully in the city at the time, Iasenos, a Level 53 Centaur [Spearmaster], so he ran to the port, fully armed and ready for a fight.


    The ship docked, and out came adventurers.


    The cursed continent. They said.


    The soldiers and Iasenos tensed up. That was a horrible way to start. The adventurers didnt look that interested.


    Dont worry, were sailing off soon. A young girl hopped off the ship. The adventurers quickly climbed back up their ship, and then the ship started sailing.


    Uh. You guys arent even going toe with me? The girl sighed, and then she turned to the soldiers. Alright, uh... hi. The soldiers looked ufortable, their weapons were ready and armed.


    Iasenos put up a stern face.


    They stared at each other for a few seconds.


    Iasenos then started talking. All visitors from abroad are required to fill up the necessary forms. Have youpleted your documentation? Do you have your papers?


    The girl froze, and shook her head. I... uh...


    Do you have a merchants trade letter, or an endorsement letter of your identity from your local authority?


    I... no.


    Are you travelling on a diplomatic license or a messengers assignment?


    No.


    Then Im afraid you muste with us to our detention center and answer a bit more questions.


    She nodded. Okay. She was dressed also in typical adventurer armor and weaponry. At this point, I had not sensed her, only my artificial minds were monitoring the situation. In the detention center, she was interrogated by the Valtrian Order.


    It was when she finally exined who she was, that the artificial minds sought my attention.


    My name is Kei, Im uh... one of the three new heroes.


    Iasenos paused as he processed the information. He quickly chased everyone else out of the room. New... heroes? The one from the second summoning.


    ...yes. Kei stared at the centaur. The centaur merely stared back. He was quickly using his familiar to reach out to other Valthorns in the region. He took a few deep breathes and formted a mental response.


    Why are you here, then?


    Im here to im the hero weapons. The one left to us by my predecessors.


    Theres no such thing. Iasenos lied intentionally.


    Kei frowned. I refuse to believe that. Take me to Aeon.


    What gives you the right to demand an audience with our divine tree? The centaur yed hardball.


    Im a hero.


    Prove it. A hero should be able to use star mana.


    She paused and sighed. I... uh.. My [hero] ss is still low. I cant use star mana yet.


    Then what do you have as evidence of your [hero] status?


    She thought about it for a moment. Well, star mana isnt the only hero thing, right? May I demonstrate? I do need to be outside, though.


    Iasenos nodded. Come.


    In the port city, the Valthorns building is a small one, an additional building built next to the existing local ruling governors building. Outside, there was a small field for the local recruits to practice.


    She sat, and then floated. [Ship-mode]. Instantly, a magical frame appeared around her body, and it was shaped like a.... Shipgirl with a magical frame of cannons and guns at her side. I can transform into magical adaptations of my world, and itll get stronger when I level. Does that count as sufficient evidence?


    She honestly sounded embarrassed exining it. A shipgirl. Seriously. Who came up with that idea?


    Iasenos paused. That could be just some sophisticated illusion magic, but very well. I will raise a case with the regional Valthorn leadership for further advice. Until then, take this. Iasenos gave her a wooden belt. Tie this around your leg. That way, we know youve not fled.


    If I am a hero, I could just break it.


    If you break it for any reason, then we know youre not a good person anyway, even if you are a hero. So, its in your interest not to break it.


    Kei smirked. I see.

 Deep roots

    Deep roots


    <b>Year 144</b>


    After a bit of bureaucracy, Kei and Lausanne were finally met again in Freshka.


    Hello again. Has the restrictions on your ss lifted? Lausanne asked.


    Yes it has, Lady Lausanne. Kei bowed. Lausanne was pretty much an old auntie for the 18 year old Kei. Ive leveled a bit after fighting regr monsters, but still, my hero levels are way too low. Only in the lower 20s. No way near enough, if what you told usst time was true.


    Well, the Rottends is a fine anvil to hone any [hero] into a worthy shape. I may even take you there myself, but I have a kid to care for. Lausanne shrugged. Wheres Alvin and Hans?


    Kei waited for a while, she pondered over her response. Uh...


    They dont believe me, right? Lausanneughed.


    ...yeah. They uh... theyre really into the stories and legends the priests and temples fed them. So I had to travel alone.


    Well, youll soon realise this continent does have its own propaganda.


    There was a period of awkward silence as both sized each other. Kei then continued. You spoke of Aeons uh... weapons. A stockpile of hero items. Id like to have them.


    It is not mine to give, but Aeons. The previous heroes entrusted the task to Aeon. It is for you to prove yourself worthy of them.


    Kei nodded. How may I do so?


    First, well need to get your levels up to at least level 70. Without Star Mana, the items are useless to you, for they respond to nothing else.


    I cant be waltzing into the Rottends by myself, right? Im only level 20+ in my [hero] ss, and Level 30+ in my [soldier] ss.


    Well... thats actually one of the best ways to level quickly. Put yourself in trouble and fight your way out of it. Or we can spar a bit more, under Aeons auspices and blessings.


    Would that make much of a difference? Kei asked.


    It will. But first, a familiar. Lausanne said. My ck vines are from my familiar, and I am certain Aeon wants you to have a familiar before he grants you ess to the facilities avable here.


    Is that a must?


    Yes.


    Okay then. I gave her a familiar at the temple, then they used one of the many [training rooms], with Yvon present too. Yvon as an upgraded [training tree] would also have an effect of elerating her level gain.


    -


    When Kei arrived at the end ofst year, I had to decide what to do with the hero. It was clear I could not kill her, there was after all a moratorium on killing heroes until the demon king died, and I wasnt going to risk a divine curse. I already have a suppressed demonic curse to deal with.


    So, after some consideration, and discussions with the many different councils, I decided assisting the heroes was the best choice. Get her on my side, and at least if the other two heroes are nasty, itd be me and a hero vs 2 heroes, instead of me against 3 heroes. It was also better to learn what they know, and discover how their powers worked. I would even offer her a familiar, and reap the benefits if she died, just like the earlier bunch.


    So far the gods have not warned against taking my familiars, so thats a good thing. I wonder whether they really hate me, or they are just testing me in some kind of divine game.


    Or maybe, they dont have the ability tomunicate directly with the heroes? The people of the world could receive divine messages, but I had not heard of stories where the heroes received divine messages.


    If the managers of the reincarnation process, Mozart and gang are not the same ones as the gods who summoned them, it is entirely possible that certain messages dont get through. Thinking back, Mozart did refer to the gods as if they were someone else. Or perhaps it is just a trick. Like seemingly different shops in a shopping mall all owned by the same person.


    Anyway, I decided to help her along.


    -


    Level 60! Kei said after two weeks! She was quick, and the regr hybrids of the Rottends now too weak for her. A level 60 hero was easily stronger than a level 80 [spearmaster] or [grand knight]. It was just the nature of absurdly powerful sses like [hero]. Every few levels, a bit more of her regr mana transformed into star mana.


    By level 100, 100% of her mana is star mana, though she could change it to normal mana if she so desires. At least, thats how the earlier heroes had it.


    My two friends are only in the 40s back in the South, and still they refuse toe here!


    Well, a bit more for you to go. Perhaps, level 90, then Aeon will see you.


    Alright!


    -


    The next 30 hero levels came after 4 months of constant grinding. She had to travel the fractured Rottends, to look for the giant hybrids, because only the massive hybrids gave her sufficient experience. Still, its exceptionally fast levelling speed, but for the heroes, it still felt too slow. Still, I chose level 90, because I recall one of the first few heroes I met unlocked their [heavenly forms] at that level.


    Keis level 90 skill wasnt heavenly form. Instead, it was, [Heavenly Guns Array]. It created a massive star mana powered fortress around her with multiple magical floating k-cannon lookalikes. They had arge range, and clearly were meant to take out aerial opponents.


    She was, literally, a walking anti-air fortress. A shipgirl. I had to resist really hard to ask whether she knew what a shipgirl was.


    Damn. Finally back to civilization after hitting level 90. Kei said, finally back in arge city after spending herst few months camping out in the towns along the Tree-expressways. Those towns were her save spot as she ventured into the Rottends.


    We granted her a small escort, mostly as a guide. There really was no need to attach an upgraded Valthorn with her, since her levels already quite high, so her escorts were mostly a few regr Aeonic priests, for healing, and a small squad of regr Valthorn soldiers and rangers.


    She quickly visited Lausanne. Somehow, Lausannes her guide, even if shes still busy with Arlisa and just as a trainer.


    Im level 90 now, can I meet Aeon and im my weapon?


    Lausanne just bowed, Im afraid the right person to assist you is Jura.


    Oh.


    She met Jura in the Valthorn Fortress, and quickly made her request. Yes. I believe Aeon has been expecting you. Before that, there is someone Aeon wants you to meet.


    -


    Kei, this is Astia. Shes a human from your world, I believe.


    Ste just nodded, she was nervous, afraid, and yet excited to meet someone from her own world. Hi.


    Hello. Kei just nodded. Youre... not a hero? She scratched her head, baffled. Ste just smiled at her question.


    No. Im an ident. Coteral damage.


    Thats... really strange. And rather than let you die normally, they send you here?


    Uh... yeah.


    Did you... die in a bus?


    Ste answered, she was more nervous. She now wondered why she even agreed to this. What did she want out of this meet, anyway? So what if the hero was from earth. There was no way they could help her, is there? Those thoughts immediately made her blurt out. Uh, do you know how to go back?


    Kei looked at Ste as if it was a strange question. Why would I want to go back? This world is awesome. I get magical powers, I can y demons, and I get to live like a Queen once I win.


    Ste immediately realised Kei was just like the first batch, the kids. They wanted to be in this world. Oh. I see. Well... uh... good luck then. Ste gave a wave and walked away.


    Alright. Can I im my hero items now? Kei immediately changed the subject.


    Jura smiled and led her to a nice garden with a gazebo and a small area. There were cookies, fruits, tea, and some other refreshments. Well, Ill take you there, but first, a short break, shall we? Ive got some questions to ask as well.


    Oh okay. She sat down, took a sip and started snacking.


    Well, firstly. On behalf of Aeon, what do you think is the role of a [hero]?


    Kei paused. Is that a trick question?


    Not really, Aeon promised the previous generation of heroes that he will grant you a hero item, but he merely wanted to be sure.


    She took another sip. I dont know, actually. The gods we met, his name was ude. He said we were.. Uh... emergency summons. Our mission was to destroy the demon king, and we would be rewarded for it. [Hero]s probably too big a word for me. I dont think Im a hero, at least not yet, so I suppose you could consider us... uhm... demon exterminators?


    I see, I see. Jura smiled. Have some cookies? They are good. Jura took one and had it too. Are you aware of the history of [heroes] and the [demon kings]?


    Yeah, I mean, I got the broad gist of it. The priests we met told us about how the world had regr demon kings and us heroes are summoned to fight them. Its just the way the world is, a constant cycle of destruction and rebirth. Evil monsters from the beyond, and heroes to stop it.


    Well,tely, the destruction has been far too heavy for the world to bear. It is no longer just a regr forest fire, but an inferno that engulfed a continent. If there was a way to stop this cycle, would you ever take it?


    Kei froze at the question, and seemed to have a headache. She didnt respond for a good minute, her eyes were nk. Uh... Im sorry. It was just really difficult for me to think somehow.. She took a big sip of tea.


    Its okay. Jura smiled. Take all the time you need.


    I think thats a choice not for me to decide. I mean, the god entrusted me to y the demon king, I think I should do it. Its my purpose, you know.


    Is it really your purpose, or a purpose that was ced on you?


    Again, she took another big sip of tea and ate some of the fruits. Whoah. Were onto some heavy conversations before I get the hero items, isnt it?


    Well, have you not wondered why its so natural for you to want to kill demons? Why with such passion and determination?


    Kei seemed to struggle to respond. You know... these questions are really making my head spin. I dont know, but demons are the bad guys, right? Im given all these powers to kill demons, so what do I do, if not kill demons?


    Jura smiled at the young girl. Surely, when all you have is a hammer...


    Everything looks like nails. Kei continued. So yes, I have anti-demon powers, Im gonna use them, and then after I win, Im going to take a break.


    It seemed that Keis mindset is quite heavily affected by the [hero] power. Almost more than the previous generation, or is this because she has yet to see the destruction that follows?


    What was on your mind when you arrived in the Eastern Continent?


    Destruction. So much destruction from the demon king. Its only right we defeat them.


    Jura realised at that point it was pointless to continue. I believe thats enough. Come. Jura led her into the Valley of the Unrotten. It was a rtively long walk, there were no beetles to ferry them, even though that is possible.


    Jura led her to one of therge giant attendant trees within, and inside it, there was a room with a selection of hero items.


    Well, on all the tables are the hero items. The previous heroes said that you may choose one.


    Only one?


    Yes. One item. And we will need you to contribute back to the treasury as well, by making a hero item.


    Kei paused and thought. Anything else?


    There are some journals left by the heroes, they are meant for your reading, but cannot be taken. You may also leave your own journals, if you feel like it.


    Jura left her alone inside, and that was the first time I telepathically spoke to her.


    Kei.


    She froze. ...Aeon?


    Yes. These are belongings of Harris, Gerrard and Mirei, they came almost 60 years ago. They started the 4 decades of peace, when they held back 4 demon kings consecutively.


    I see. She sat down and she was drawn to the journals first. She started reading the handwriting notes. I wasnt privy to the contents, since the journal itself was sealed. Yet, it opened for her so naturally, as if it detected another hero.


    She spent a few hours with the journals, and I thought I saw her weep at a few points. There was a kind of heroic energy in the journals that blocked my ability to eavesdrop or observe, and I certainly wasnt aware of this ability. It was when she finally closed the journal that I could talk to her again.


    But she was just stunned. She didnt say a word for another 30-45 minutes, but I could see she was thinking really, really hard.


    Aeon? She asked after that period of silence.


    Yes?


    Do you.... Still have herbal infused wines? Or teas? The strongest ones?


    A small teapot appeared in the Giant Attendant Tree, and hot water too. She quietly brewed the tea and sipped it, her mind still spinning. Patreeck could not read her mind once she passed Level 40 as a hero. She sat there and sipped.


    I... I wasnt ready to see those... visions. Kei said.


    Sorry? Ive got no idea what is in the journals.


    I mean... they left memories behind in the journals. Some kind of dreamspell that contained a fragment of themselves. Its like... Its like a part of them still lived in the journal.


    Ah. I certainly wasnt aware that a journal could be made so powerful. But since it was made with [star mana], I suppose anything is possible.


    The gods want us to kill the demon and keep the cycle going, isnt it?


    Well, yes?


    But they also want us to die, so that the worlds constantly in turmoil?


    I had no answer.


    Do you believe what the heroes said?


    I dont know what youre talking about.


    I mean, that this demon and us... were the gods way of resetting the system? Keep this world stagnant and stuck in a perpetual state of war. Do you believe that?


    Thats just one of the theories. Without asking the gods, no one knows. I suppose that sounded like one of the crazy musings Gerrard had. I didnt know he recorded that into the journal.


    She sat. I... She looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown.


    It changes nothing for you, really. The gods have already predestined that you must y the demon king, or die. That is a task you have.


    I can choose to do nothing. She had a headache again, and she quickly took a sip of the tea.


    Your two friends will do it for you, or they will die trying. It is best you go with them. Again, knowledge only changes your perspective, but not the task at hand.


    Kei sat for a while, and then she stretched. Yes. You are right. And I too, should do my part. She walked over to the journal, and she channeled her star mana into it. The journal glowed, and I thought it became bigger. She then spent the next few hours analysing the other hero items, and a few more hours making more hero items.


    All in, she spent almost 3 days there and she left with a spear. But I felt she changed. Im really curious whats in the journal now.


    Thank you, Aeon. I must now depart and join my friends. It will be time for me to do my duty, whether we like it or not.


    Good luck.


    Kei left Freshka, and started her journey to return to the Eastern Continent. She would have to travel from Freshka, and journey to the port cities on the Eastern Coast, and then arrange for a special pirate ship that would smuggle her there.


    -


    Howre you, Astia? Ste was in her studio, working on her paintings and posters. That little meet with Kei didnt go as well as I liked, and strangely, it made her turn to painting.


    Im fine. No shes not. Her mental indicators were a mess. She felt lonely, alone in the world. She wondered whether death would return her to her own world, and yet shecked the guts to actually kill herself. There was no one who could help her.


    Alright. I decided not to push it. The door is always open should you ever need to speak, or want to go somewhere. The Central Continent is home to many beautiful sights, and if you wish, I may arrange someone to go with you.


    Thanks. Her minds still locked up. I could force it open, but I decided not to. Perhaps she needs meditation. Even though its been years since she arrived, shes still not yet epted reality, her mind clung onto her old world, no matter how painful her life there was. She still yearned to go home. She had no friends, but many acquaintances.


    I had tried to create environments for her to make friends, but she couldnt let anyone in. So it didnt go anywhere.


    -


    The runic formations necessary for a supermassive blood ritual were 60%plete. Creating them was far harder than I expected. Containing the energies that such a ritual would release was one of the two main struggles, the second point of difficulty was thenpressing such a massive ritual into a single shot.


    Runes were hard, especially atrge scales. I hope that I never have to resort to such bloody tactics.


    On other preparations, Hytreerion, my tree walker was idle. It was a massive anti-air fortress and it sat at the edges of the Eastern Continent. It could not walk or swim across the ocean, and I wondered whether flight was a good idea. But then, I also doubt a Flying Titan could swim across the ocean. It was a distance far toorge to bridge.


    Still, the [Trade Lord]s efforts to convert a few of the port cities into mini-pirate dens were quite sessful. Piracy had a kind of charm to it, and as a privateer, it was even better. They had legal backing of the Central Continent.


    The Eastern Continent managed to hold on, even if so many have died. The demon king clearly is incapacitated or sealed to some effect.


    At the same time, I wanted to activate my two unique sses. Lausanne. I have a special ss, [Aeonic Demonyer]. Do you want it?


    ...no.


    No?


    No. Perhaps you could offer it to Jura?


    Why not?


    I think... I think I dont deserve this special treatment. Lausanne said. I certainlyck the kind of genius talent needed to maximise such a ss. After spending such a long time as an adventurer, I realised my talents honestly just above average, my main advantage is really my high levels, and the unique abilities that you gave me. In the hands of someone truly talented and gifted, I think your powers can go much further. And at the same time, its also fear. I may not live up to the expectations such a special ss would have, and I may do stupid things.


    Its motherhood, isnt it? But I didnt say it.


    So... please, offer it to someone else.


    Very well.


    -

 Gated Gardens

    Gated Gardens


    <b>Year 145</b>


    The Eastern Continents war against the demons increased in intensity. The heroes returned, and with it, they brought superior, star-mana powered firepower. The heroes could take onrge flights of drakes, and that meant the war was starting to shift in favor of the natives.


    We know this, because the temples propaganda machine is in full swing, boasting of the heroes sess in defeating the demons. So, the powers of the 3 heroes were now public knowledge. Kei essentially was a mobile k fortress. Alvin, was a mobile missile site and he fired magic missiles by the thousands. Hans was the mobile beam weapons and drones person. Strange that the Gods opted for ground based anti-air powers, instead of giving the heroes flight and ability to fight midair.


    With their powers, the drakes were not a challenge. They just could not be everywhere at the same time. There were too many fronts, too many cities and towns under the attack of the drakes.


    The drakes have multiplied tremendously over the past few years, and swarms of 50 to 300 giant drakes were nowmon sight. Lausanne described them as mobile flying fortresses, and were quite like dragons that shed seen in her many dreams. I was expecting the war to end soon. The heroes would win, I think.


    -


    In the Central continent, the ruling ss generally believed the demon king was a goner. They didnt think the heroes would fail the 2nd time, even if they were the 2nd batch. Personally, I think they would seed, simply because the demon king must be in a weaker state, perhaps due to damage from the earlier battles with the first batch of heroes.


    So, our focus was mainly on restoring the trade connections thatve been lost over the past decade of war, and it was getting easier. In particr, a few of the ind nations, there were some volcanic ind nations located nearer to the center of the oceans, that were keen to support us and essentially be our intermediaries.


    Unlike the continental kingdoms where the temples influence is strong, these volcanic inds had a lot more to gain, and honestly, not much to lose.


    That said, since most of our ships disguised themselves as pirate ships, privateers all, they had multiple sea battles with the navies of those continental kingdoms. We lost quite many ships, but it was fine.


    On the Northern continent, often referred to as the Northern Isles, a few independent kingdoms went as far as permitting our merchant ships to dock, without a need to change our gs. Overall, a good sign, that trade and global rtions were somewhat thawing. I really dont see the point of pointless battles.


    Solving the demon king in the long run was a bigger problem.


    -


    The Central Continent is big, and even though almost all of the kingdoms and nations in the continent are now allied to my, either formally or indirectly, there are still ces where my rootwork and trees only have a little coverage.


    Since many of these new kingdoms are rtively new to my growing federation, we had focused our subsidiary trees in the habited zones. This was in line with our support of the Treeological priests social and charity work. It would be quite simr to awork of expressways linking all therge habited zones, since I also needed thework of trees to break through the shattered Rottends, and also to act as beacons for the beetle-truckers.


    Therefore, in spite of my vastwork, there are still gaps. And where there are gaps, there are mysteries to be exined, and monsters I have yet to meet.


    So, in the northern areas of the Central continent, in a forest I recently just expanded to, we heard a creature calling out to us. I sense a spirit in our midst. Arge giant wolf spoke, it looked every park like a regr giant wolf-animal, but the very fact that it spoke meant it was not ordinary at all.


    It seemed to be having a conversation with something, or someone.


    You are right, perhaps it can hear us. The wolf somehow said. So, spirit, show yourself.


    I thought about this for a moment, and decided to telepathically speak. There was something strange about his form as a wolf, perhaps it is not really a wolf. Greetings.


    The wolf paused, and it looked around. I see. A spirit of thend?


    I am Aeon, a Tree Spirit.


    Akrenaf, Wolf of the Hunt. I had no idea what that was.


    It seems you speak themon tongue?


    Ah, I am both wolf and man, and there are two of us in our body as we speak. My spiritual vision seemed to clear up, and then I saw a wolf... and something like a man? But its not really separated. The man in me is Varik the Brave, a human shaman who died a century ago.


    I see.


    You are... it paused, and then it seemed puzzled. Where is your body?


    Far, far away.


    So... strange.


    Not as strange as two souls in a single body. I dont recall that is possible. One soul should have purged the other. I focused my energies, my roots linked to more trees. The trees around them all added to my spiritual sense.


    Ah, we are not really two souls. Our souls fused, and we are one, but we are of two minds. Ah split personality. Thats a lot easy to digest.


    How?


    Varik the [Shaman] has a unique ritual skill called [Living Memory]. It made his soul into a memory able totch onto anything, or in this instance, me. Akrenaf said. I, the wolf killed him a century ago. I was but a normal wolf then. The memory changed the wolf, and it gained levels since then. It is now far stronger than before, and yet, it refused to leave its forest.


    Ah.


    I am dominant, but his memories, voices, magic and thoughts remain in me. He lives through me.


    Fascinating. Well met, Akrenaf, Wolf of the Hunt.


    It howled.


    Akrenaf was a wolf that guarded this forest, and as a wolf, he is, in many ways, a monster like me. Yet, it had memory of the world, and thought, and so it gained levels. As my roots spread throughout the forest... This was a young forest. It was not older than 50 years.


    This forest, it was destroyed before?


    Yes. The demons came, we were powerless to stop it, so we hid in the mountains till they left. When they left, Variks [Shaman] powers helped to restore thend and return the forest.


    I see. That exined how the forest didnt seem special. It was not ancient, and it doesnt have history to it. It was no wonder it fell through all our radars.


    This [shaman] ss is interesting, so I quickly went through my stockpiles. I do have a few of them, but Ive not given them to anyone. Its certainly a ritualistic ss, with a focus on runes, sacrifices, ceremonies and processions.


    -


    Exploration of the [Tainted Demon Core] continued. More tests, and I still struggle. I had to wield both regr mana, and somehow create demon mana to unlock it. It was going nowhere.


    -


    Arlisa was 5, and she grew quickly. Her physique was at least 20-30% bigger than a half-elf of her age, and despite her petite figure, her body was exceptionally strong. This was because her inherited ss had transformed into [Blessing of a Soul Tree (advanced)], and she unlocked [Enhanced Strength], and [Resilient Body].


    Its strange, and like Lausanne, quite a splitting image of herself. Laufen could finally have the joy of teasing Lausanne. You were just like her. We couldnt handle you when you got too strong.


    She didnt even get started on the dreams yet! Lausanne protested.


    Arlisa made a naughty face and ran away. It was a pain to find her, she didnt unlock any ss yet, but she already has the [Lesser Stealth] skill.


    I dont know anyone who has lesser stealth at 5! Lausanneined when she caught her daughter hiding on top of the trees in Freshka. She better not end up stealing!


    -


    [The Demon King Raja-Naga has been in].


    None of the heroes died, and the news of their victory quickly spread. The war of the demon king is over... at least, for this decade. The heroes spent two months mopping up the rest of the demons from the Eastern Continent, and then... they were all set out on their ways.


    So... Kei returned to the Central Continent after that. Alone, and she immediately went to Freshka.


    I need an audience with Aeon. She met Jura, and there was a seriousness in her words. No buts. I want to see him, or I will barge into the valley myself. Jura shrugged and nodded. If she won against the demon king, then theres nothing Jura can do to stop her anymore. Not at his level.


    We led her to the Giant Attendant Tree again, where shest chose her hero item. Once she was inside, she immediately sat down and demanded. I want tea. Oh well.


    Tea it is. She poured exceptionallyrge amounts of leaves into the pot and made a thick brew. She cast a spell to cool it down and then quickly downed the cup.


    Then she yelled. FUUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK! Thankfully she was indoors. She poured herself another cup of the tea, and downed it.


    FUCK THIS SHIT! ARGH WHY WERE WE SO STUPID!


    Uh, may I ask what happened?


    She took a deep breath. Those fucking gods Fuck fuck fuckfuckfuckfuck.


    Then she seemed to struggle against some kind of phantom pain. She quickly gulped down a cup of tea.


    You won, right?


    We didnt have to kill the demon king! Kei shouted. We shouldnt have to kill a weak, defenseless demon king!


    What? I waited. That sounded absurd. The demon king killed so many. Surely killing the demon king is the right thing to... wait. Is she trying to tell me something else.


    But the gods. Fuckem, they did something to all of us. All three of us. We broke the seal that the previous heroes made, and killed the weakened and disabled demon king. It was pathetic of us. There was no challenge in ying a weakened demon king.


    The more I paid attention, this was a very weird statement from Kei. Like, what do you mean, no challenge? Is that all she cared about? No. Shes trying to say something without saying it.


    She sat and started talking. We shouldve walked away, rather than let the power in our hands get to our head. The previous heroes were not strong enough to kill the demon king, but the seal they left behind in their final hours left the demon king in a perpetually disarmed state, trapped in a magical tornado and magical web, sustained by heroic mana.


    The demon king couldnt harm a fly in that state, and yet we walked up to it and killed it! It was pathetic! We should have waited for a proper fight."


    Huh.


    Why? She continued. I dont fucking know either, but whatever fuck that was, I should have pped the hell out of my two friends and tell them to walk away. But I didnt. The bloodlust won. Fuck the gods. They fucked with my mind so hard. I want a proper fight!


    Shes not like that. She had a headache again. Another cup. "Even now, they are fucking with me." No.


    Shes trying to say... what.


    Think about it. If we only killed all the other demons, and left the demon king there and waited for it to recover, we could have a proper fight. We could wait a 100 years if we need to, so that we can get a proper fight on our hands.


    100 years? Oh. OH.


    She had a mental breakdown, a headache and started crying.


    Why, Aeon? Why?


    I honestly have no idea. But clever.


    Are the gods secretly sadists? Are they gods of war, like Ares, that relished in victory? They just want the demon king dead, is that it? Even if its defenseless? Dont they care about the struggle? The pleasure and satisfaction of a hard won battle?


    Kei sat up. Fuck the gods. Fuck em, and fuck my two brainwashed friends who cant seem the mindcontrol for the life of me. My answer is simple. Aeon, I need your help. I believe in the whole wide world right now, only you can help me. Even if I die in the end. Another cup. Next one, I want a proper fight with the demon king.


    Then she screamed in pain.


    And...


    Youre a tree, a magical tree, and as far as I can tell, one of the strongest beings to exist in this world. If I give you all the star mana I have, including my soul if you need it, can you..."


    She couldn''t say it, as she dropped down on the floor and struggled. It seemed like her head was in immense pain and she pulled her hair.


    This was too much for me to take and if I was a human Id be panicking. Thankfully, a tree does not panic. She struggled for a good one hour, and when she recovered, her eyes were nk, her face deathly pale.


    She just sat there, and finished her pot of tea. Then she asked for the journal, but I didnt say too much to her. She seemed out of it.


    She stared at the journal for hours, then finally she added some additional notes into it. She slept in that room that day, then spent the subsequent few weeks, making more star-mana weapons.


    -


    Despite Keis obsession and frustrations about ying a weakened demon king, I think she was actually trying to tell me something else, without fully triggering the gods increasingly overreaching mental influences.


    By not going all the way and making me think for myself what she couldnt say, did she just... figure out how to cheat the gods?


    Her statement about a weakened, disarmed demon king opened my mind to a world of possibilities.


    Seal the demon king. And probably the heroes too. A seal that couldst a century. Maybe more.


    Its strange to think that this entire problem could be solved in such a simple method. Seal the demon king, lock it up, keep it alive but harmless. Essentially, it would jam a metal wrench into the cog. Its a lot easier to deal with the other demons, without the demon king.


    Peace. Sort of.


    But how?


    It was a proposal in the right intent, but we arecking the tools. If this is to be done, it would need a few decades of preparation, and far more levels than what we have now.


    I gathered my artificial minds.


    The hero Kei was almost in the right direction. If we can somehow figure out how to disable both the hero and the demon king, we can dy the cycle as long as they are both disabled. Failure is unfortunately death, since if either one turns on us, our ability to survive them right now is low.


    It can be done if the hero is on our side. By our calctions and our present abilities, I think we have an extremely slim chance this would seed. I rmend significantly more preparation. Patreeckmented, and naturally I agreed. This was going against heaven and hell at the same time.


    To seal a demon king and also a hero would require a spell far more powerful than anything we have, perhaps at an even higher tier than the superhexbomb.


    But not impossible, and as the hero implied, a 100 years of peace may be worth it, and it would allow us all the time we need to prepare for the eventual failure of the seal. We are the only ones that can stop this. Only us, with the benefit of our long lives. Perhaps, us and Lilies. Together.


    Silence from my artificial minds.


    We would have to convince Lilies to support this endeavour, it is risky, since the heroes will turn on us as our ns involve sealing both sides. We also dont know how far the gods mind-warping abilities can go. Should any of the heroes rebel so publicly, would the gods be able to turn their powers on overdrive, and turn her into their puppet outright?


    I believe it is certain that the gods wont let me seal the demon king. Why else did they load up the heroes minds with so much mental alterations? I believe the gods can make them puppets if they so desire, perhaps at a great cost.


    If so, master, conflict with the heroes...


    Inevitable.


    I recalled Keis words. When she saw the demon king, she was swamped with an intense bloodlust. The heroes that supported and worked with us may betray us at that crucial moment, and that could go really bad, very quickly. We would need very specific countermeasures for the heroes then.


    The war with the temples would take a far nastier turn, if that happened.


    Still, I wanted to thank Kei. She sparked a thought, a chance, of how this entire conflict could end. A perpetual truce.


    Maybe it would not seed in her lifetime, but I have the time to prepare. Ill need all the time to prepare on this path that will make the gods and demons my enemies.


    Master. Patreeck spoke. It may be tempting to consider Keis suggestion as something achievable, but at the same time, it is possible that you can gain sufficient power to alter the divine arrangement yourself, without a need to directly seal both of thebatants in this conflict.


    Hmmm?


    I mean... the heroes and the demons are beings from another world, right? If you could... seal this world away, hide the world from their sight, would they stille?


    Oh?


    Its like the powers of the ancient vanishing forest, taking it to the next level. A vanishing world, away from the meddling gazes of the demons and the gods. A global shroud generator.


    Another option. Go all out on the path of divinity, then run away, and take this entire world with it. There are other options that may emerge the higher up I go, as I better understand the powers of the divine.


    Options. Suddenly I felt like there is a path out of this stupid game.


    You are right. We must try what we can.


    Spaizzer Happy new year peeps. Thanks for reading.

 Ballistreecs

    Ballistreecs


    <b>Year 146</b>


    We had a lot of thinking to do, and as we seriously considered it, we discovered there were more options.


    One of which, which also has some chance of sess, is to break one of the heroes free of the gods control, permanently.


    The risk was, an independent hero could choose to do anything, including turn on me. Yet, unlike Patreecks idea of achieving godhood and altering the world directly, I had some idea on how to seed. Already I have some inroads on this, with my teas and drinks, that helped to suppress the effects of the gods influence. Id have to figure out how to superpower my tea and drinks, to make a real anti-divine influence tea.


    So, we started doing a lot more research on the tea.


    What is it about the tea that makes it work? We performed various tests, and to most people, the tea... does nothing much. Its just regr tea, for most people, though gradually, we noticed that most of them were healthier after a months intake of tea, daily.


    There was a lot more research to do on teas.


    Second, which was in the same league of difficulty as ascending to full divinity myself, was to create my own [hero]. If the levelling system allowed me to eventually reach full divinity, I should be able to alter the game either myself, or via my agents.


    All in, we had a few options.


    One, seal the demon king and heroes. Thus dy the summoning of the next demon king or heroes. The risk with this was that, what if theres no real restriction? What if the gods heroes and demon king can just arrive anyway, when the time is right? Could the gods force a summoning


    Two, ascend to full divinity. Theres significantly unclear what my options are at that point, or whether it allowed me to alter the systems at that point. But, this should be a default option. As long as I am strong, sealing the demon king and heroes will be easier.


    Three, break a hero free of gods control. Alternatively, would it be possible to also break a demon king free of their own control?


    Four, make my own hero. May not need full divinity if there are worldly ways to reach that level of power.


    Five, achieve the ability to kill the demon king and heroes extremely quickly. This would effectively minimise their threat level. Easier said than done, and again, requires myself to probably achieve full divinity. Only a god could kill a demigod, no?


    -


    In the past 2 years, I used my new [gifts] on the priests and Valthorns.


    Since skills could be upgraded, and I had earlier started doing widespread screening of young children, I already had a decently sized dataset of skills. From what, it was a matter of triangting those who are loyal, have good skills that could be taken a step further, and probably need the skill to make an impact.


    The first time I used it 2 years ago, I used it on a Treeologist high priest with the skill [Presence of Calm], which upgraded it to [Aura of Tranquility (Strong], simply because he lived in an area where the poption was angry and upset at the trade and industrial issues. It would take some time to solve the issue, since matters of industry cant be fixed overnight. They do need a period of time for a new reality to sink it. The aura helped to suppress the dissent, for the changes introduced to take effect.


    This was a people issue, sometimes. A solution is avable, but when the popce is already angry, often the solution is rejected and resisted. Its like trying to help the person in pain, first we must suppress the pain, then we can get to the cause of the pain. If the victim is struggling, it makes life difficult for everyone.


    Last year, I used the skill gift on Ednas [Grand Shield], and it transformed into [Suit of Grand Armor], which pretty much made her a walking tank. It was a little bit of a letdown, I thought it would evolve into Triple Grand Shield or something. But oh well. Skills dont always work the way I want them to.


    So, this year, I went to Arlisa instead, and I tried to upgrade the [Blessing of a Soul Tree (advanced)]. It didnt work.


    Then, I went to another of the Patreearchs. He had a skill called [Guidance of the Master], which generally helped the priests under his care gain new skills, or speed up their levelling. But, he can only use it on one student at a time, once a month. Again, I hoped it transform into an aura or something, but instead, it just upgraded into [Guidance of the Master (advanced)], which increased the number of students at any one time to three students.


    Oh well.


    I think I will try it on one of the cksmiths or woodworkers next. Maybe he could make something nice.


    Yeah. Actually I should totally make one of the cksmiths into some kind of super cksmith. No seal would work without high tier equipment to match, and I do need alternatives that are in the same tier as the hero-items.


    -


    I spent a lot of time thinking about how to use my new levelling skill, and my sticking point was mainly giving 60 levels and skills may very well be a handicap. From my understanding of the people as a whole, things that are given so easily, especially a level gift, would be wasted on most people who are unable to wrap their head around the sudden surge in levels. That they would lose the ability to estimate their own strength, because they jumped up so fast.


    Its like a man who just learned to drive, suddenly getting a 1000bhp sports car. He wouldnt be able to cope with his newfound power and speed. Or how a person who just struck the lottery would soon squander his wealth.


    It wasnt earned. Unlike the upgraded skills, which are given to people who are already at high levels of power, the sudden surge in levels would be given to young folks with low levels, for my gift of levels to be most effective.


    There was also the issue of free will and choice. Since my gift dictated that I select the ss and levels, what if they dont want this ss? After all, this gift is most effective on the young with low levels. Its like I forced someone to study through university for a degree he may not really like, but thought he liked when he was young.


    I struggled with this power for quite some time, until I was then led back to the wolf with two spirits in it. Akrenaf was content to live in the forest, and though it was clearly intelligent, it decided to do nothing but stay in its forest.


    Monsters.


    I should use my gift on monsters. Monsters after all dont have an issue of ss. Monsters cant gain sses, like how I couldnt gain sses.


    I decided to use my gift on a spider. It gained the levels alright, it transformed into a giant spider...


    I felt static in my telepathic connections. It was trying tomunicate and the spider was extremely confused.


    Then it went on a rampage.


    I had to kill it.


    Damn this gift. Its a trap. Ill need to figure out how to use it properly. Maybe on my artificial souls instead.


    --


    Ms Astia. Kei bowed and then sat opposite Astia in her living room. They are neighbours, at least, for now. Apologies for intruding. May I sit here and talk?


    Astia paused.


    You dont have to reply. I understand it makes you nervous. But just hear me out.


    She nodded. Kei had dered herself a resident of the Central continent, and I agreed. Strangely, most of her decision making was guided by the journal.


    I read in the journal that the heroes receive fragments when their friends die in battle, but I want to know whether you get them too. Is it something all of us earthlings get?


    Astia nodded.


    I see. Thankfully I dont have a fragment, at least, not yet. Tell me, what do you remember from earth? Technologies, things. Do you remember any of the scientific forms and equations? The older girl shook her head.


    Kei sighed.


    Me neither. I curse myself for not studying harder. Who knew all these things would be handy anyway? I wanted to make gunpowder, like, real gunpowder.


    Strangely, Astia interjected. Why make gunpowder when there are local powders that do the same thing? Spark-powders.


    ...ah. Yes. True, true. There may be native equivalents of our human things. I suppose you dont remember anything aboutputers, either?


    Astia was baffled. Computers are incredibly hard to make. The level of precision...


    Well, like you suggested, theres magic. Magic and precision crafting can be a substitute for clean rooms and industrial manufacturing processes...


    But, why do you needputers when magic can do the same, and more?


    Scale? For those without magic?


    It was a bit strange for Astia to be the advocate of this worlds methods. Miss hero, you might think your way is the right way, and this world might seem primitive. But I dont think you should be introducing the things you want, without thinking it through.


    Her heartbeat was fast, and even weirder for her to defend this worlds way of life. Kei was silent, as she considered Astias words. Patreeck peeked into her mind, and I sensed she was nervous, but yet she did truly feel that this world wasnt that bad.


    Kei sat and looked out. My friends are going to wage war, eventually. They will think it is right to continue the gods divine crusade against Aeon. They are not doing so because the temples are consumed by the massive reconstruction efforts and funds needed for the Eastern Continent. I hoped we could have an advantage.


    We?


    Astia shook her head. She was too nervous to say it, but we could read her mind. <i>Once again, heroes are fools. They dont know anything, but since they have power, and someone tells them of the issues, theyll champion it even if they dont know the truth.</i>


    Kei had enough and walked away.


    -


    She then brought her concerns to Jura. The crusades wille again. This time, there will be two heroes on their side. She wasnt here for the first one, but she seemed to think there will be a second one. Indeed, the heroes are overpowered. If they attempt to attack anyone, its unlikely theyd lose. If anything, I should force them to a stalemate.


    What countermeasures do I have against heroes?


    Could I use poison against them? Did they have poison immunity as default, or only for certain types of heroes?


    Rather than have a discussion, it was better to just have a serious fight. Kei and Jura have a serious fight deep in a secluded forest.


    So, Aeon is watching?


    Yes. Jura nodded. If your two friends areing, we must first know how far we are. As it is, Im one of the highest leveled. Well, he IS the highest level. There was no one else at level 100. Everyone else was stuck in their caps at Level 80 to 85.


    I see. Then I shall not hold back.


    Well, but dont kill me. Juraughed and prepared his spear. Bamboo floated around his body, forming a wooden structure.


    Kei levitated, she didnt even need to say a word, then a massive array of magical guns appeared, and floated around her. The guns started to aim and fired rapidly.


    Jura immediately used the [Triple Steelwood Barriers of Aeon], and the guns hammered the barriers, breaking off the wooden barriers chunk by chunk. But here was our first learning point, Kei was using star mana attacks, but it didnt deal exceptional damage against my shields. This meant star mana is super powerful, but it probably had a special perk against demons.


    It held briefly, the multiple guns did destroy the barrier in after 15 seconds. Jura had to quickly move, weaving through the hail of bullets. It was like watching an expert dance through a bullet storm. Kei was a shipgirl, and this was Touhous bullet hell.


    The shield had a recharge period, so Jura couldnt use it again, but it was time to go on the offense. Return bullet hell with bullet hell, as Juras Bamboo expanded massively, forming multiple flowers. The flowers took damage from the bullets, but some managed to activate and fired shells back at Kei.


    Yet, the same shells were shot down by Keis array of guns. She had an array of close-range anti-projectile guns as her defense. Most of Juras shells didnt even get close, and the few that did, didnt do much damage to the array.


    What level are you again? Jura ducked as bullets flew over his head.


    After killing that weak demon king? Level 112. I think my friends barely crossed Level 100.


    And you can keep shooting? Jura managed to create another set of Steelwood Barriers. They were blown up rather quickly. He tried to use the temporary cover to activate long range spear attacks, and thenunched them.


    Well. Yes. For a few days, in fact. Keis gun arrays fired like multiple machineguns, and knocked the flying spears out of the way.


    Shit its like cheating. Kei kept firing. She didnt even have to move, her array of cannons did most of the work for her. Jura on the other hand, had to keep moving. At this point, I wondered howd she react to long range attacks, so I arranged for a spear-beetle to shoot a spear at her from afar.


    The spear was shredded in midair, but only after it reached a certain distance.


    Juraunched a few ranged skills, one of which created hundreds of wooden spears and flew at her. The guns shot down most of them, but for a change, about 20% hit the array and destroyed a few of them.


    Kei frowned and activated an ability. The gun was healing!


    Aeons, curse you. Jura cursed, he did his attack again. More spears, and even more spears. The guns kept firing, and then he did a ground-based attack . It exploded right underneath Kei and destroyed one of the arrays!


    Jura immediately amped up the pace, using his skills to create a massive dust storm. Keis cannons fired wildly in all directions, but somehow their aim was slightly worse, so more of the spear projectiles got through the defensive guns.


    Point 2. She cant shoot what she cant see. She has some kind of super-sight, but even then it can be blocked or weakened. Powers like [mist] and [hidden forests] would be useful in a conflict with the hero. I would also have to consider various passive attacks.


    Keis body glowed, and instantly, a massive shell appeared around her, and it fired bullets in all directions like a turning multi turret. It blew some of the smoke and dust away, and whatever bullets that were her way.


    That was pretty good. Kei said, she emerged unscathed. But you know, one of the heroes has missiles, kinda like flying super arrows, and the other one hassers. I mean beam-light attacks.


    Damned bullet hell. They have beam dancers too.


    Jura still couldnt close in. Kei levitated further up in the sky, and I wondered whether lightning weapons would perform against her. Jura clearly thought of the same thing, as he switched weapons and took out two purple spears. He stabbed one into the ground, and then ran. The guns seemed to have a sense of where he was going, and would fire ahead.


    Jura took a few shots to the leg, thankfully, Bamboo immediately activated thick wooden armor to absorb the shots.


    He ran again, Kei still levitating towards him, her guns had never stopped shooting. The ground was battered with mini gunshot explosions, and then he stabbed the other purple spear into the ground.


    Oh what is this? Kei wondered, her guns shot the spears too.


    Jura immediately activated them, and tworge lightning bolts arcs towards the other spear, and in doing so, zapped Kei and her array. She screamed in pain, and it seemed her arrays stopped shooting for that brief 1 or 2 seconds.


    Then it resumed shooting.


    Ouch. Kei said, she was fine, even if the shock did slightly hurt her. That kinda, kinda hurt.


    The spears only have one single lightning charge each.


    Lightning works. I would need more lightning weapons, and lightning arrays. In short, extremely high speed is necessary to counter this generation of heroes. My roots could still be effective if they were levitating not far from the ground, but if they floated too high up my roots would be useless.


    Jura stopped. I think we can have a break. Im out of ideas, and my leg hurts. Consider it my loss. Jura was being honest. Kei could keep this up all day, since she doesnt really get tired if she activated her star mana. Her cannons did all the work, whereas Jura, even though he did have immense stamina, has been dodging bullets the entire fight.


    Oh. Okay.


    And theres two of you on the other side. Jura shrugged. I need more levels to even think of keeping up.


    Yes.


    Lightning would work, and Ive activated my artificial souls to gather all sorts of high speed weapons. Lightning, light beams, death rays, all the sort. Ill need them inrge quantities to hurt the heroes.


    The heroes would be exceptionally tough from the extra stats of their [hero] ss and their blessings, and they would likely to have high natural healing ability too. But they do not have a dedicated healer, and thats a weak point I need to exploit. If I can wear them down over long periods of time, I can still win.


    How long does it take for your star mana to regenerate?


    About a day if I sleep. If I keep fighting... I dont know. Kei said. Aeon has a n?


    Well, they are two of them, and we are a continent.


    I cant feed the heroes too many kills though, they might gain levels. In fact, the tactic would generally involve clearing out wherever theynd, and using poison abilities to weaken them. Then only engage them with arge team of high levelled individuals.


    Id never think Id have to fight a hero. Not in my entire lifetime. Jura said. Certainly, Id never think there would even be a reason where Id have to fight against a hero... well, except if they hunted elves.


    Kei smirked. So... what does Aeon have in mind?


    For Jura, a lot of [experience seeds].

 Subtreefuge 2

    Subtreefuge 2


    <b>Year 147</b>


    Jura took 14 experience seeds, a whole bunch of skill seeds until he vomited, and that moved his level to Level 114.


    These experience seeds are so overpowered. Kei protested. Truth was, she was just upset that it didnt work on heroes. It was also my first time using so many of them, and I soon discovered there was a time-restriction to the experience seed. Jura couldnt take another more that 15 experience seeds in total.


    The additional levels gave Jura more power, speed and abilities, but still, against Keis [Fortress of Guns], its stillcking. Kei was still absurdly strong, and even if Jura could get close, the guns would all bombard Juras armor to smithereens.


    Todays practice is a little special. Jura exined. He was next to Edna and Faris, both Level 80s. Aeon will be joining in our fight.


    Kei paused. Aeon?


    Yes. Lets go.


    Instantly, her array appeared, and it seemed like she still had some cards to y, as she activated two more arrays of cannons and guns. I wasnt going to let this chance slide, so Ive activated [poison roots], [mist] and [constrict]. She levitated out of the way, and her cannons started to shoot the ground beneath her.


    Jura. Edna and Faris all spread out and attacked from separate directions, hoping to capitalise on the sight-dependent targeting function of the arrays. Still, the guns just carpeted her surroundings. I tried to buy time and space, I created multiple [steelwood barriers] in many ces just so that the three have some cover.


    Then she hadrge cannons shooting some kind of magical bullet. It sted the barriers to smithereens in a single shot!


    Yet, Jura got close, his spear almost grazed her, but it was blocked by an array of cannons, which crumbled from the impact. At that distance, some of the cannons managed tond a point-nk hit on Jura, and Jura was flung to the distance. I had to immediately block with more [steelwood barriers].


    Ouch. Jura was hurt, he bled a little. At the same time, Ednas new armor-skill also proved rtively useless against the hero. Itsted a good 12 seconds, and then her armor was entirely destroyed.


    Vines popped up as she tried to regain her footing from the explosion, some of them managed to entangle her array of magical guns. We pulled in all directions, and increased the number of vines. I kept spawning as many vines as I could, and Keis guns kept firing, she used fire-attacks, bullets, explosions, and this was when I discovered I could spawn as many vines as she could destroy, and more.


    I had the mana of the entirework of trees at my disposal, and I was going to use all of it if I had to.


    It was a tug of war, her cannons kept shooting on the ground around her, destroying the vines, trying to create space between her and the ground beneath her. The vines were exceptional with my energies regenerating them.


    The vines drained at her mana but she had so, so much! It felt like Alexis again, back when she was that demon-possessed fire elemental form. I had beaten Alexis then, but thats because she was a weakened hero with demonic energy possessing her.


    Kei struggled and then her body glowed. Then she emitted an explosion that torched all the vines. At that moment, her array of guns vanished.


    Edna and Faris were a distance away, they were horribly outmatched by her cannons and guns. Their armor didntst. Jura too was nursing his wounds in the distance.


    I had more vines appear. Kei took a deep breath and summoned another array of guns. She had different types of bullets, and the ground was covered in exposed roots, my roots, she fired more bullets at them. But somehow, regenerating roots and vines were proving to be quite a bad matchup for a gunner like her.


    This constant resistance went on for a good two hours, and then she was slowly getting tired.


    I didnt want to push her further, and I still think she has a lot more to go.


    Lets stop. I mentally signaled, and Kei rxed.


    -


    What? You didnt tell us youre in the central continent! Alvin and Hans were on the other side of the magical call.


    I did, but somehow both of you seemed to have just ignored it. Kei frowned. Why? She was feigning ignorance.


    Never mind. Then help us sabotage the Central Continents defenses. The temples want tounch a 2nd crusade soon, this time with us as the main force.


    Why? Kei frowned. She already knew this much. Back when they were on the Eastern Continent, she already knew of the temples n for a 2nd crusade after the war. The n was only foiled when the first batch of heroes died.


    Because the cursed tree is actually an evil spawn of the demons! Think about it, how else did it survive the demonic corruption for so long? It must be actually a clever ploy by the demons to create a tree that appears to be on our side! The gods have decreed that a war must be waged against it.


    Before Kei could respond, I mentally whispered. <i>y along. If we want to win, it may be a good idea to just let them think youre on their side.</i>


    Hmmm... Kei just acted.


    Is the demon tree aware of your presence? The other two heroes said.


    Yes.


    Beware of the things it tells you. The temples said the tree has somehow managed to convince and cheat past heroes as well.


    Really?


    They suspect the tree may have some mind-controlling abilities, psychotic substances and drugs, since it managed to convince the heroes to part with their hero itemsst time. Dont take things from the tree. Be careful of what you eat and drink.


    Kei paused. You mean its been drugging me?


    Yeah. Maybe! You have to be careful Kei. Its a very crafty tree. It managed to defeat the first crusade!


    It must be quite crafty.


    Why don''t you escape? And rejoin us back in the Southern Continent? The three of us canunch the crusade together!


    I... uh...


    Has it gotten to you? That evil tree! I wont forgive them.


    I mean... I met someone whos probably from earth.


    Oh no. The tree managed to catch someone else! Can you free him too?


    Her.


    Ya. Her. Can you free her? Both of you, can you escape? Im sure the temples will be happy to host all of you. Theyve been treating us really well.


    Kei rolled her eyes. You mean girls, right?


    Both Alvin and Hans blushed. It seemed that the two heroes are serviced by a harem of gorgeous temple priestesses.


    I knew it.


    Im sure they have handsome good looking boys too! Alvin responded. Come back here, Kei.


    Ill think about it.


    Dont think. That tree must be sowing doubt in your mind. Be careful of what you think, Kei. I wonder what the hell were the temples feeding the heroes. But then, maybe the gods have some kind of godly surveince ability, so its not a surprise if it could see what kind of powers I have, though I suspect myter domain-protected powers remain a secret.


    Kei found it hard to y along as it went on. Okay okay. Ill need to hide. Before he finds me.


    Good. See you.


    Alright.


    The connection cut off, and Kei stood. She asked. Do you have mind control powers, Aeon?


    No. Well, Patreecks not exactly mind control. Its... influence and mind-reading.


    Do you have psychotic drugs?


    Yes. If a hero wants to investigate, Im not surprised if it can find the truth. So it was better to just be upfront about it. I have various kinds of psychedelic substances, generated by my nts and organs.


    I see. Kei walked away. She spent a few weeks fighting demonic hybrids in the Rottends.


    -


    I spoke to Lausanne about the heroes n for the crusades.


    Hmm, I didnt realise the two of them were so deeply influenced by the temples demagoguery. When I met them, they seemed... ordinary.


    Its been many years since thest hero summoning, and the temples are still formally at war with us. Jura opined. The rhetoric and propaganda is in full swing. Surely youve seen the tales that the people spin about us.


    The propaganda divided the world. Those on the central continent think they are so absurd, to the point that rather than improve the locals view of the temples, it merely made them look ridiculous. In fact, the fervour and passion of the locals to defend the central continent increased every time some ridiculous propaganda got circted.


    Its even a point ofedy.


    On the other continents, they seem to believe the propaganda. It wasnt a stretch for them to believe it, somehow.


    The only ones that react nonchntly to the propaganda are the border nations. The ind nations that trade with us, and the kingdoms that secretly made trade arrangements. For them, the propaganda, on either side, seemed like just a sidenote. Money, resources were more important.


    The Valthorns wont be much help against the heroes. Jura admitted. Unless you make more of those limit-breaking things... And even me at Level 114 now....


    Youll need to reach at least Level 150 to hold your own against them. Its a simple concept, that the system recognises level 150 as the tier of champions. Thus, level 150 must be like an entry level hero. If they also unlock their domain powers at that point, I could see them gaining significant strength at that level, which would allow them to catch up to the heroes.


    Wow. Jura just said. Level 150 seems so...


    Crazy. Lausanne added. Seriously, I didnt know Aeon had the ability to break level caps. When did that happen?


    Uh... some time ago. Still, its insufficient. In our spar with Kei, we lost badly. But, Aeon suggested the implementation of multiple high speed attacks would be sufficient to weaken the hero. But they also have incredibly high base defense and stats, so it also need to pack a bit of a punch.


    Crystal bombs then. We charge up hundreds, or thousands of spell matrixes, and nt them as mines. Detonate them when the heroes get near. Lausanne suggested.


    Thats a good idea. We could try that out.


    We gathered that the heroes will approach from the sea, and chances are they wille with a fleet of ships. The temples will give full backing and wont half ass this crusade, with the heroes in the lead. Itll be a sizable force, a coalition from all the continents. The temples will be eager to demonstrate their power, and redeem themselves from their prior loss.


    In short, a lot of bloodshed.


    That said, if I couldnt nuke the demon king, I could nuke the heroes. I think that has a far higher chance of sess, but I think I would make Kei an enemy. As it is, the chances of sess for me, Kei and my other high leveled talents against these two heroes are quite good. Almost 50-50.


    If I could trap them properly, and Kei doesnt defect, we have a very good chance of winning.


    Then lets get to it. We should start preparing what we need for the traps. All the crystal matrixes we can make.


    This required better enchanters and crafters, and so, I used my ss fusion abilities to create a few [High Enchanters] and [Master Crystalworkers]. They would work on the base of the crystals to store our lightning bombs, and then I would add some of my own runic carvings to enhance it further. Production of these crystal bombs required rare materials, and also the skills of my workers, so even after giving out the new sses, we were making 30 to 50 crystals a month. Hardly enough to mine the shores, or prepare a weapon.


    -


    The Continent was in full war-preparations mode, and at the same time, Ive recalled Hytreerion back. I needed to outfit him for a different sort of battle now, no longer anti-air, but anti-hero. He needed all the high-speed weapons I could make, and the change in the loadout had to reflect that.


    The heroes were all dedicated anti-air specialists, but from what Ive seen with Kei, their detection abilities and other anciry abilities such as defense, healing skills are rtively strong, but not insanely overpowered. Its still possible to capitalise of thesegging abilities, and pretty much turn them into weaknesses.


    Also, theres only two of them, and Keis movement speed is just slightly faster than Jura at his top speed, so these two heroes would be at a simr pace. That meant, their invasion fleet will not be as well protected as they think.


    If we can hold the two heroes off and keep them upied, the rest of our forces could cut off their supply lines and force them to a retreat.


    A continent turned into a machine readying itself for war.


    -


    Lord Kraviek. An assistant bowed to the Treefolk Lord. This way.


    He nodded and was led to a fancy meeting room. A few others were waiting. The Lords were gathered for a meeting in one of Freshkasrgest mansions, organised by the [Trade Lord]. My humblest apologies to my esteemed peers. Kraveik said. Pardon my time, treefolks do not move very quickly.


    No matter, no matter. Come. The Dwarven Trade Lord nodded. There were 10 Lords in that room, all graduates of the FTC. Come. The 2nd Crusades will be a storm that will soon sweep ournds. We, the noble ss, have much to deliberate.


    Go on.


    I have been in contact with a few kingdoms on the other continents. There was a gasp. The heroes will lead the charge, and they say the female hero in our midst will turn against us.


    Whispers in the small crowd. It does make sense that a hero summoned by the other gods would turn against us.


    Indeed a worrying thing. Aeon may not be able to hold against 3 heroes. Few things in our known history have managed to hold the heroes back.


    You speak like you have a proposal, dwarf. A centaur lord immediately cut in. Lets hear it.


    Indeed, indeed. We must decide whether we should defect.


    Kraviek mmed the table. I oppose that wholeheartedly.


    Or pretend that we are defecting. It would be wise to y along and hedge our bets. The Dwarf said. If Kei, the hero really is defecting, I will make contact and suggest that we switch along with her.


    Kraviek again mmed the table. Enough. I will have no part of this nonsense. Do you all have no shame to even consider it? We were given power by Aeon, and now we turn against him?


    The dwarf immediately retorted We earned our sses by performing as the best in our cohort. Aeon has done much for us, but our ss is our own, and we must n for the inevitable. Our survival must matter.


    And I would rather burn than defect against my patron.


    The dwarf took a deep breath. Calm, Kraviek. We are peers in this room, so please, hear me out. Aeon very well knows that our present loyalties are because of the role his divine ys.. If he falls, the glue that holds this entire continent copses together. He would not begrudge us if we nned for that inevitability.


    Again, I would rather burn.


    I would love for Aeon to win, Kraviek. But we are dealing with heroes. Heroes have reshaped the politicalndscape of the world many times already. Remember, elven heroes subordinated tree spirits too. Aeons superiority in our continent is dependent on his ability to withstand the heroes pressure.


    He would stand better with us on his side.


    The dwarf sighed, and the discussion was heated. One of theter graduates spoke. I suggest we keep our options open at this point. We do not know whether Aeon will lose or not.


    Dwarf, you may be a master of trade, but it is my view this is a trade you should not make. Kraviek warned.


    The dwarf could only sigh. If it is only so easy. Should the tree fall, are we going to be crushed under it, or step aside? What is loyalty if it is death to all we care for?


    There are times you should have conviction in your positions, not constantly weigh the shifting odds.


    What if? The dwarf retorted. Another lord spoke up. It is best whatever we discuss never leave this room. The Valthorns will have our heads if they know we even considered defection.


    I will keep my silence, but I fear it may be toote. Aeons ears are everywhere. Pray that he does not mete out preemptive punishment.


    The dwarfs eyes widened. You mean...


    Yes.


    I chose to do nothing. The entire continent has always wondered what would happen if I were to suddenly die or disappear. Every king, every lord worth their salt have been nning for that possibility, and so far, all I needed to do was to send a nice warning letter if they take a step too far. I even let them make contact. It wasnt a problem for them tomunicate with those on the other side. Who knows, the defection may even go the other way.


    From what I could see, the Dwarfs concerns are entirely from fear. Fear of my eventual destruction. It is valid, and so long as he does not participate in plots against me, or reveal sensitive info, I would grant them some leeway.


    If I were to execute everyone for even having a thought of betrayal, I would soon ughter everyone. Everyone has thoughts of change. I can ept reasonable dissent and discussion.


    Patreeck, just keep an eye on them?


    Certainly, master.


    But we will always be watching.

 Infiltreetion

    Infiltreetion


    <b>Year 147 (end of year)</b>


    The 2nd crusades brewed in the distant horizon. A thousand ships set sail from all the continents, but most of them would not makend, only the force led by the hero will first makendfall. At least, thats the n we heard.


    What is our victory condition? I asked Kei this question as the war preparations went on. Are you willing to kill your friends? I wanted to be sure she was on the same side, and what her line in the sand was.


    She shook at the word, kill. I.... Im not sure. I thought of defeating them, and theyll go away.


    Ugh. Now shecks the conviction.


    Ill keep defeating them.


    Theres two of them and one of you. And then they wille back again. Stronger, and bigger. Realistically speaking, if we want to win, no, for this to be a victory, the two of them must die. The crusades will not stop if the heroes live. The temples will not allow the heroes to retreat.


    Can we capture them instead? Kei said. I want them to see the journals. Thats the minimum I want to try. Maybe we can change their mind.


    This was insane. The journals cant leave the room. The heroes enchanted it so that its magically bound to that tree.


    Then we capture them, and lead them here.


    What you want to do will put us in tremendous danger. Defeating the heroes is hard enough. Capturing these star-mana powered superweapons?


    She thought for a moment, and then said. Not if I y my part properly. Ill need your help.


    -


    Kei!


    Alvin, Hans. I got a n, but I need both of you toe, preferably just the two of you.


    Huh. The two heroes paused.


    I think I can sneak both of you to Aeon directly. No need for anyrge crusading party. If we defeat Aeon first, together, the continent will fold anyway. What do you think? The army cane afterwards, and itll be a resounding victory for them.


    It smells like a trap, Kei.


    I know, but were heroes. Theres two of you, and one of me, and the enemys just a tree. Kei said. What do you think? Its the best way to save the cursed continent without spilling too much blood. So much was already sacrificed in the earlier crusades.


    They thought for some time. Well have to discuss this with the High Command of the Crusaders.


    Yes, do so. But please, consider my suggestion. A small strike team will be super effective. Ill also lead you to the Trees stockpile of hero items.


    -


    Lets do it. Hans and Alvin reached out a weekter. It was predictable, since the temples were not really willing to risk life and limb for victory. But if the temple was more than willing to let the heroes risk it all. Its really par for the course.


    Theyve done it with the demon kings, and they will do it again with me.


    Alright. Heres the n. Kei exined over their magical concall.


    -


    Hans and Alvin arrived in a small high speed ship, their ship stopped in a quiet, mostly secluded bay. There was no ship in that area.


    The two of themnded with a small team of soldiers from the temples. The soldiers would stay back and keep watch.


    Were here. I had already emptied that targeted location once the n was set in motion. Ratherx defenses, not what we were expecting.


    I had a feel of their power, I had tree-sensors in the area, and the bay was filled with trees. They were weaker than Kei for sure. Kei had the benefit of power-levelling in the Rottends, and so she scored more kills during the demon king battles.


    With all the trees here, maybe he already knows we areing. Hans said. But I dont sense any magic. Of course they cant. Their detection abilities are just above average.


    Hello. Kei said, she appeared from behind a coconut tree. Finally, I get to see you two again.


    Alvin immediately ran over. Are you alright, Kei? Did the Tree torture you or anything?


    Kei smiled. Look at me.


    Alvin paused. Just to be sure, the temples gave me this. He took out some kind of water, and he sshed it on Kei.


    Kei immediately shouted. What the hell.


    Its holy water, the priests said. Itll wash off any mind control and demonic influence.


    Kei frowned. As if such things would work on me.


    We never know. The Tree did manage to brainwash an entire continent to rebel against the 4 temples. Alvin gave Kei a hug. d to see you again.


    Yeah. Come. Kei took out a bag with a change of clothes. They were military uniforms of the Valtrian Order. I stole some military outfits of the defense force. Remember, let me do the talking.


    -


    The three heroes were soon at a military outpost in the far south. It was a small outpost, but there was a beetle-truck stop here.


    Walk normally like you belong. Think spy movies. Kei said. The two boys straightened their backs. Walk behind me.


    Good Evening, Lady Kei. A soldier saluted as the three walked into the outpost.


    Kei nodded. She was also in a military uniform, but her uniform was one of a higher status, simr to those of the Valthorns upgraded ssers. The two walked behind her. Whens the next beetle arriving?


    To where, mdy? The soldier asked.


    Freshka.


    In two hours.


    Got it. Thanks. Kei said and she turned. We have some time, lets eat. She led them to a canteen in the outpost. There was a very small force in that outpost, and most of them left after seeing them.


    Why do they seem to be afraid of you? Hans asked once there was no one else.


    Because I outrank them. Im an honorary Valthorn, which makes me part of the elite force.


    Alvin nodded. Its clever that you so easily snuck into- Kei immediately lunged forward, her hand covered his mouth.


    Dont say it. Kei looked stern.


    The boys both nodded. This was an espionage! One that I am watching through all the trees everywhere. Even Kei doesnt know I could see so much.


    What are we waiting for?


    Beetle-carriages. Theyre kinda like long range buses that travel from selected outposts to various destinations throughout the continent. The two boys nodded, impressed.


    Wow. Theyre advanced in this aspect.


    Yes. Now, both of you are my assigned escorts, heres your fake name tags and papers. Kei took out a stack of papers with tags and various badges. She pinned it on them. Refer to me as Lady Kei. If you see someone with the same uniform as me, refer to them as a superior rank. If you dont know their name, just say Yessir. Got it?


    Yes. Why didnt you tell us all this earlier?


    I just didnt remember that I needed all this then. Kei said frankly. Now,e. The convoys should be here soon. Ill get an exclusive one for us.


    -


    <b>Year 148</b>


    How long will this journey take? Hans asked a week into the journey


    Five weeks. Usually it takes only two, but the express beetles are on other duties, and its winter, so the travel speed of the beetles are slower. They''re more sluggish during this time. This beetle will stop in a few cities along the way, maybe we can try to catch an express beetle. This path also has less... traffic.


    They were wrapped in thick winter jackets supplied by the Valtrian Order. The south was usually warmer, but the path they chose took them through to the hignds. The beetles stopped at one of the mountain snow-covered towns. These were the winter-adapted beetles, product of my earlier research to counter the effects of cold. Still, they had to travel close to the [subsidiary trees].


    The mountain town also had a small group of soldiers. Here, it was a mix of militia and Valthorns. The local town maintained a militia to deal with various monsters that spawn from the snonds.


    Lets take a break. I have to submit some reports to the local Valthorns, and well need to do some monster extermination missions here.


    Why?


    To keep up our cover, stupid. Kei said. They hunted some mountain icegoats and frost lizards for two days, and then resumed their journey.


    Alright. This beetle is going to take us to Fortress Arkiad. Its one of therger southern fortresses, and a key staging ground of the defense force. I suggest both of you memorise this ce well for yourter battles. We will need the localmander, so, again, let me do the talking.


    Throughout the Central Continent, we had many, many staging grounds and Fortresses. Fortress Arkiad is one such Fort. It had three [Giant Attendant Trees], and tonnes of wooden walls and defenses around it.


    Holy cow. They both said. It was their first time seeing the Giant trees.


    Aeon isrger. So shut it. Kei said, as the beetle approached the gates. A group of six well-dressed soldiers approached them. The beetle also lowered its body.


    Papers please.


    Kei quickly shed her badge and handed over her papers. She looked at the two behind him. She coughed. <i>Papers.</i>


    The two quickly scrambled to find their documents and presented them to the soldiers. Alright, you can pass.


    The beetle stopped right after the wooden gates. Impressive, right? Kei smiled. These are all magically reinforced wood, and hyper resistant to fire, contrary tomon belief.


    Resistant to fire? Both Hans and Alvin responded.


    Yes. Strange but true. Come. As a senior Valthorn I must meet themander. Both of you wille with me. Its the first time youll meet a Valthorn sser, and the first time in a giant tree.


    The Fortress Commanders office was high up in the Giant Attendant Tree, and getting there meant walking in the spiral stairs or taking one of the wooden pulleys. Shit this ce is straight out of a fantasy.


    Kei red at Hans.


    Oops. Sorry mdy.


    The Commanders Office was arge room with open windows. Greetings Commander Lovis. Kei said.


    Ah, Lady Kei. Wee to Fortress Arkiad again. How long will you stay this time?


    Just a day or two. Ill need to head off to Freshka soon. Aeon summoned.


    I see. Lovis instantly leapt and stopped right in front of Hans and Alvin. They both gulped. Lovis recently capped out at Level 85 as a [Spearmaster]. Strange, your two escorts... they smell funny.


    Only a select few were privy to the n. Lovis was genuinely suspicious of Hans and Alvin. The two heroes froze. They were easily stronger than Lovis, but their mental state was weak. I wonder whether its because they got their levels too quickly.


    Its the sea. I believe they were stationed on the outer trade inds. Kei responded calmly.


    I see. Both of you better get a shower. Its improper for escorts to make yourdy defend you. Lovis said.


    Kei chuckled. Ill see to it. If we may?


    Yes, yes. Go ahead. Use our facilities as you please, Lady Kei.


    -


    Who was that again? Hans asked. He clearly didnt pay any attention when Kei exined earlier. To heroes, most people are just npcs. Not worth remembering.


    Lovis. [Spearmaster]. I believe shes Level 85.


    Shit. Hans was impressed, even though he was clearly stronger. I could beat her, but she has a presence.


    Kei smirked. Shes not the only one.


    No wonder the first crusade lost. The number of people at that level... I think the kingdoms have only a few.


    -


    After another three weeks of travelling, they entered the domain of the Fresnds.


    On your left, in the distance, is what remains of the Rottends. Carved up by Aeons magical energies. Kei said.


    The temples said Aeon made a deal with the demons. Alvin said.


    Well, then the ground we are now on is all demon then. Kei exined. There will be more demonic hybrids, and they are attracted to creatures that emit star mana like us, so be prepared for more fighting.


    So its true. Demonic hybrids. This.. Aeon made a deal with the demons and thats why we have these cursed hybrids. The gods would never create such twisted monsters.


    Kei paused. As they travelled closer, they were attacked by a few demonic hybrids. They also saw beetles emerging from the trees to fight them. Then, they reached the first walls of Freshka.


    Over the decades Ive addedyer afteryer of defenses. There was a [Giant Attendant Tree] that functioned as the centerpiece of the walls and gates. Again, Valthorns and Valtrian order soldiers quickly did the usual ID checks, both the heroes getting used to the investigations.


    Now we have the centerpiece of Aeons propaganda machine. Kei said, half joking. Were passing by the educational institutes. They passed by the Fresnds Treetiary College and the School of Treeology. The Valthorn Academy was on the other side.


    Should we blow them up now, especially that School of Treeology? Alvin said. They are a cult. This entire setup is a cult.


    Kei paused. No. People dont need to die for this. Remember, the goal is Aeon.


    The two of them nodded Okay.


    -


    Come. Kei led them into the room of where all the hero items were kept. We had intentionally set it up such that it looked like the entire tree was just a simple building.


    There were a few hero items on the table. Its a risk if they activated them, but I had to trust Kei at this point.


    The journal was there too, on the table. It was closed, though.


    So... this is it?


    There should be more. Kei said. Where did it go...


    The two boys started searching, and then Hans walked over to the journal. He briefly opened it, the star mana in the journal resonated with his own. Then he froze. Alvin immediately ran over and touched Hans. Hans... you alright?


    ...No. Hans said. The journal...


    Alvin then went and looked at the journal, its pages open, magical words floating everywhere. Habitually he reached out and touched the journals sides, and then he froze. The journal glowed. I still didnt know what was in the journals, and why it evoked such a strong emotion.


    Both of them were stunned. The journal glowed, and their own bodies seemed to resonate with it. They didnt move for a few hours. Kei just shrugged, sat down and started brewing some tea.


    When they finally broke out of the stupor, they both turned to face Kei. You trapped us.


    Kei smiled. Yes.


    You sly woman. Alvin said. You wanted us to see this.


    Yes. It is the only way we can stop being pawns of greater powers.


    They froze. What now? Youve just shown everything weve known to be lies. They had a headache. Kei offered them tea.


    I dont know. But I wanted to show you that this whole crusade is pointless. Fighting you on the battlefield wouldnt have proved anything, even if we win. I dont want to fight you, and we shouldnt be fighting with Aeon. I dont want Aeon to fight with the temples either, as disgusting as the temples are. Our true enemies are not each other.


    Then? We y arbiters of peace? Hans said.


    The gods want us to be in perpetual conflict. Us, the heroes and the demons are agents of that intention. We trigger more fights. More wars. Maybe this whole world is just a farm and we are the means of harvesting something.


    How did the previous heroes know?


    I dont know, but they seemed to have managed to resist the gods influence to a greater degree than us. Either they found a way, or were just too weak.


    Then...


    I want us to take a timeout. Theres really no reason for more bloodshed. We can break the cycle, even if the gods want us to y our part in this. We failed with the demon king, but we can stop this one.


    You truly think sparing Aeon is the right decision? Not fighting him?


    Wevemitted too much, and an army will soon be on their way. The other boy continued.


    A timeout. Please. Lets just pretend each other doesnt exist. Why must we fight? When heroes fight, so many people die pointlessly.


    I... Ive seen the good things the temples do. The temples are not bad, either. I wont just switch sides. Alvin repeated.


    Im not asking the two of you to be friends with Aeon. But see the value of his presence in the world, even if he made a contract with the demons, which, by the way, I dont think so.


    Alvin and Hans both just sat there. I need more time. I cant process this. Not yet.


    Ill be here. Ill go get food. Please, dont do anything stupid. We really, really dont need to fight anyone. Well, maybe just the demons.


    Kei returnedter with food.


    Also, theres more to the journals. I dont know how the previous heroes did it, but theyve somehow copied arge chunk of their mind and memories into that magical journal. Ive... Ive added my own to it too.


    Alvin and Hans red at Kei for a moment, and then they sighed. They uploaded their minds into a book. Great. This is next level crazy.


    Its been crazy since we got here, boys.


    That was how two heroes ended up camping in my tree of hero items for a few days. The crusades, thankfully, didnt move on. The temples were smart to suspend further action once they discovered the heroes had gone silent.


    Some timeter, their bloodlust seemed significantly more subdued.


    I think we should head back. Alvin and Hans said. We wont be friends with Aeon, but we agree. We dont need to fight. It is pointless, as much as the temples want to convince us otherwise.


    Kei happily nodded. Its fine. I know youre too invested in the temples hierarchy by now. But all we want is to stop the outright fighting. The world doesnt need more deaths. We had enough in the Eastern Continent.


    Yes. We can agree on that. The two heroes agreed, though they have not truly switched over to my side.


    Kei escorted them off.


    So, its over? I asked Kei as their ship sailed away.


    I think they wont attack us, at least. The temples might still continue the crusade, but itll just be the temples own forces.


    Then they wont.


    Alvin and Hans returned to the Southern Continent and soon advocated a focus on healing and restoration, rather than a second crusade. The Eastern Continent still needed a lot of healing, and that was the angle they took.


    Jura continued to fear for arge crusade, and personally, I was just happy I didnt have to fight heroes. But Im now super interested in whats in that magical journal. What did Gerrard, Harris and Mirei write in there?


    So... all our military work, what do we do?


    We can slow it down, and prepare for the next demon king. Take a break, you all deserve a bit of it.


    This year, I significantly dialed down the war efforts. Still, I kept those things, the anti-hero countermeasures in storage. I may still need it someday.


    Kei managed to diffuse the situation with the journal, and in a way, it was very lucky that it worked out the way it did.


    Though I know that someday, I will have to fight a hero for real, Im happy that this 2nd crusade ended before it even started. For once, a war fought and won with cunning, instead of blood. In a way Kei really did something heroic.

 Fractures

    Fractures


    <b>Year 148 (continued)</b>


    "Thank Aeons that went well." Edna breathed a huge sigh of relief. The two heroes, Alvin and Hans returned to the South.


    On the very day the three heroes came to Freshka, we summoned quite a few of the high levelled Valthorns for an emergency preparation. The valley itself was loaded with many traps and magical weapons, ready to go off if the encounter in the Tree of Hero Items did not go well.


    Me too, personally relieved that for once, we avoided a battle. That is a rarity in this world, where fighting often is the way to settlerge disputes.


    I didnt know they were the heroes. Lovisined, and her fellow Valthorns sympathised. Almost all of them were informed only when they came into the many holding areas prepared around the valley. In hindsight, its obvious.


    Ednaughed in relief. Most of us are just going to serve as meatshields for Aeons magical weapons. I had multiple hero items prepared, and was prepared to even detonate the entire valley around me to secure a victory. In Patreecks simtion, we would likely have deaths of about half of Freshka, and almost all of the high leveled Valthorns dead, most of it coteral damage, in a battle between us and the two heroes.


    It wasnt going to be pretty, and I wasnt sure if the two heroes have any trump cards.


    When Patreeck had included a 30-50% increase in their damage and power, and Id probably lose my main trunk, Freshka and all the colleges a smoldering ruin. As long as my [heart] is hidden somewhere deep below, I think I could still rebuild. But if they have some kind of detection ability, Im dead.


    I would need more levels.


    The goal of breaking this cycle demands it.


    -


    News from the Temples. The refusal of heroes to wage a 2nd crusade seemed to set off a chain of internal conflicts, and rather than let the popce question whether the gods truly are in control of the heroes, the gods seemed to have decided on a 2nd divine message.


    Full scale war is prohibited, but the Central Continent and all that is associated with Aeon is to be a pariah, <i>persona non-grata. </i>Essentially, a return to the status quo. The central continent remains cursed, even with two heroes on their side.


    I was rather amused that the gods would so quickly intervene and issue a 2nd divine message.


    Kei also returned to Freshka after the incident.


    Good job. I spoke to her after she sent the two off. It went pretty much the way you nned it to.


    The book only managed to convince them to suspend conflicts. Too bad they werent willing to add their own to it.


    Now that issue is temporarily fixed, whats next?


    The next demon king, of course. Its getting boring, honestly. Come on, how many demon kings do we have to go through? Its thats the nature of maintenance, its all boring and no one ever thanks you, but when something fucks up then everyone is out to get you.


    After the announcement, the story from the temples pivoted massively.


    The temples now im that Aeon is a fallen archangel of the gods, that have been punished for going astray and thus turned into a tree. That Aeon is still a servant of the gods that has lost its way, so the temples now preach that the cursed continent are people who need salvation and rity, that Aeon is one in need of guidance. One of the spymasters exined the news from the continents.


    It was a massive WTF moment.


    The crusade was the temples attempt of guiding Aeon back to the proper path, but the gods have now found mercy and decided to let time bring Aeon back into their fold.


    Who writes this sort of propaganda for the temples? And the popce just buy into this sort of wonky reasoning so easily? Seriously?


    So, Aeon, other than the cursed and heretic, is also now the Fallen Archangel of Gods, the wayward one, the deceived and the deceiver. The heroes must brave a journey to the cursednd to reim the weapons of gods, left in the Fallen Archangels hands.


    Wow. If I had a jaw, it would be wide open now. Seriously the temples propaganda machine is quite impressive.


    So, the Cursed Continent is also the Lost Continent. Lost, because our people have fallen astray from the light of the Gods, Gaya, Aiva, Hewa and Neira. The heroes, in their mercy, have convinced the gods that it is unnecessary to y the wayward ones on the Central Continent, and instead, the heroes will devote their efforts in convincing and guiding the lost, back from the brink.


    They somehow manage to twist the failed 2nd crusade into a draw.


    Aeon would denounce the deration and im that they are not followers of the gods, but it is a lie.


    If I evene out to say it is wrong, itll just y into their im that Im lost. Still, I had to do it. I summoned my Patreearches and Matreearches, and made them start a series of counter-propaganda sermons.


    But war with the other temples is indeed pointless. Ugh.


    The nobles that contacted the outsiders were surprised by how quickly the four temples folded, and the crusades dead before they evennded. The fact that the two heroes actually came into Freshka and then into the valley is a secret unknown to most, only those alerted to the emergencybat preparations.


    The Lords were clearly smart enough to deny such a conversation of shifting sides ever happened. It wasnt in their interest, now that the winds have shifted, to admit so.


    I decided to let it go. Theres just far too many people nning for contingencies anyway, they would not be the first, nor thest.


    -


    Arlisa hid in a small tree in the forests, on the outskirts of Freshka. She was now almost 8, and yet she looked like a 15-year old. As a half elf, maybe it was the human side of her.


    Dont tell momma where I am. She mentally whispered to me, her [lesser stealth] upgraded into two skills, [Forest-blending] and [Stealth]. She was dodging her sparring lessons again. Lausanne needed to work to find her.


    Why do you dislike sparring anyway? She was good at it.


    Arlisa pouted. I like hiding more.


    Found you. Lausanne smirked as she appeared next to her in a quick jump. She gave her daughter a tap on the head.


    Ouch.


    Now back to ss.


    Dont wanna.


    Why not?


    I just dont wanna. Arlisa protested. Let me y.


    I dont recall being so rebellious at your age, youngdy. Lausanne frowned. You gotta go for sses.


    Arlisa didnt care. She just shouted and protested. She preferred to be ying hide and seek with her mom.


    -


    <b>Year 149</b>


    Its been 28 years since Ist used a [soul-strengthening seed], and also, Ive got a few ginsengs of sufficient maturity. This time, I have a few 25-year old ginsengs. Ive nted them around Freshka, a few near the leylines, and some in the volcano. Surrounded by a huge army of beetles.


    Lausanne, do you want it?


    What... is this?


    Something to break your level limit.


    She thought for a while, and then shook her head. As with the special ss, I believe there are others more suited for it.


    So, I went for another.


    Edna. Youve served me for the past 29 years as my first [Grand Knight], and it is time for me to grant you a blessing like that of Jura. With this, you will be able to exceed your current level limit, and take on responsibilities far greater than what you have now.


    She nodded, and as with Jura so many decades ago, she had a whole night of pain and aches. The next day, she looked healthier, her soul glowing just like Juras. I could tell she gained a few levels, just like Jura, overflow levels from all her umted experience.


    So we were right, Jura really received a gift from you. Edna marvelled at her body. Breaking this limit seemed to unlock more vitality in them, and that reflected in their physical strength, all increased by a bit. I wondered whether heroes are therefore different in this key aspect, that they are born with far greater vitality than anyone else, since the concept of a level limit did not even ur to them.


    Was it not obvious?


    No. Jura did not exin, and we have been wondering for quite some time. Edna paused, and knelt before the tree of prayer. She thought for a while, and then she just quietly prayed.


    -


    After Edna, next was Faris. I had some concerns of making a druid stronger, mainly fear that the power he gained would allow him to gain control over me.


    Lately, Ive begun to gain some confidence in my own abilities, and [domain] is a far stronger shield for all these subtle maniptions and controls than I expected. So, Ive dabbled with the idea of making Faris stronger.


    I offered him the same blessing, and he too took it. Just like Edna and Jura, he had a day of pain and aches, and the next day he emerged with an extra two levels. Unfortunately their sses did not change.


    I believe both your sses will change when you hit level 100. Jura exined to the two. Just as mine did. It is a great privilege and honor, and also a responsibility. More than ever, your lives are now intertwined with Aeons will.


    Aeons will?


    You have spoken and discussed with Aeon many times, but this choice reflects that he too, has greater ns for both of you.


    What sort of ns?


    It was then I immediately jumped in. These ns are not one for the outside world, or for the temples. Not even your fellow Valthorns, unless they too, receive this same blessing.


    The two gulped.


    I aim to end the cycle of demons and heroes, to do so, I must have champions at my side. Jura shrugged, I had privately discussed this with him earlier. Over the next few decades, or perhaps centuries, but it will be so. My champions will be there toy the foundations, and to do what I cannot do. It is a position of tremendous trust and responsibility.


    Faris seemed lightheaded for a moment. End the cycle...


    Edna had a serious, contemtive look on her face.


    Think about it, do you think the other gods seriously want to end this cycle, or they are just content with this present status of constantly fighting with the demons?


    They thought about it for a long while. Edna was first to say. What do I do?


    Not immediately. It is important that you gain strength, and secondly, watch your mind. The other gods have attempted to attack my mind multiple times, and I will attempt to aid you, to resist those powers. Every day, you shall have at least a cup of herbal tea, and if you ever feel like you have a mental attack or feel lightheaded, you must let me know, I will attempt to support your mind. It is one of the things we must do, to gain the powers to resist mental attacks.


    Patreecks able to use his mental attack powers to also provide some limited shielding, but only in the valley of Freshka.


    Your goal is to reach Level 150. At level 150 you unlock the first of the [domain] powers, and enter the realm of true champions. Only then, we can dream of catching up to the heroes.


    For me, even at Level 170, fighting a level 110+ hero like Kei is still a 50:50 thing. If Kei had a more ground-focused ability, or was a more martial-oriented hero, she would have won against me easily. Level 150 is nothing more than a ticket to be in the race, with a huge advantage for the heroes. I think they would need to be Level 170 or 180 to fight a level 110 hero.


    Or maybe, the domain choices they have then would be morebat-oriented.


    150! They both gasp. It was twice their current level.


    I will help you. Some [experience seeds] will get you closer to that goal, but after this, the three of you must fight many strong foes by yourselves. Only then you will gain the experience needed to level up.


    I believe Ill have to give out fragments too, once I get past 100 hero fragments. The experience support and anti-demonic buffs would be useful.


    It is a huge task, one we will need to achieve over the decades. It is alright if we miss the next demon king, or the one after. All we need is one sessful shot, and we can end this madness for good. Too many lives lost over the millennia to this pointless conflict.


    They all nodded.


    Ive always lived thinking this demon king thing was just a regr event, where even kings or heroes cant stop it. To be part of an attempt like that, I must say, fills me with a purpose I cannot describe. Edna said. It is a worthy goal.


    Speak to no one else of the goal. The other gods are watching, and they will attempt to use their powers to influence you. Again, another set of nods. If anyone asks, the goal is to gain power. For now, you are dismissed.


    Faris didnt return home. He summoned a wolf and went for a long trek through the high mountains. The knowledge seemed to weigh on him a lot more than Edna.


    -


    I hope they can take it. I spoke to Jura privately.


    They had to know. Just like me. I had always suspected you have arger goal, but I was not certain of the extent of howrge it would be.


    Yeah. This is a conflict far bigger than any one of us. They must know. This is a path that may take us in open conflict with the other gods and heroes.


    Jura nodded, Of the Valthorns, they are most ready. Perhaps Lovis, next? Or would this power also extend to Yvon?


    Yvon is a soul-contractee, and Im not sure how the soul-contract would interact with the soul blessing. Im not sure whether it can work with Yvon, not in her current state.


    And that mind control thing... really? The gods tried?


    Yes. I have deflected divine energies a few times.


    Shit. Jura said. How do we even know if werepromised? What if Im already under the influence of the gods?


    At this point, I dont know. It is something I am working on.


    -


    Aeon wants all books on heretics, rebellions against the gods and all such things. If the other temples have records on the prior struggles with rebels and disbelievers, he wants it.


    It was clearly something that made people ufortable. Is Aeon really a heretic?


    Dont ask me. Aeon wants a massive magical study on the work of heretics, their weapons and their processes. The Decarches received the order first. The goal was simply, whether there are some kind of objects that naturally resist divine powers. If so, those items or elements would be very useful in the process of countering the gods.


    > May we know your intent? < Lilies discovered that we were gathering the books some timeter.


    The entire continent has swayed to my side, including Lilies inhabitants. It seemed to maintain an aloof rtionship with their inhabitants, not bothered to really give directions or orders. But they were clearly monitoring them.


    Ah. Yes I should ask Lilies.


    > ckstar Gems. They resist, but not absolute. We have some. <


    > Best eaten or consumed, or fused to the soul. Strengthens the soul from otherworldly influences <


    Huh. What does that do to heroes? Lilies seemed to detect my thoughts.


    > Reacts dangerously with star mana. Often explodes in contact. <


    > Really deep underground, where the sun doesnt shine, where the light of the heavens do not touch. If you cannot find, you can make them. Leave most types of precious gem really deep underground, away from all light for a hundred years, with some anti-magic or anti-mana enchantments, and about one-tenth will turn into ckstar Gems. <


    A hundred years to make.


    ckstar Gems? The temples seemed to have not made any mention of it, nor any books or records were kept on this. It existed mostly in geological and cksmith books, but did not seem to borate much on its use.


    We soon found some from the merchants, such objects kept in various stores.


    It was a rather brittle object, small, really pitch ck in color and seemed to reflect no light. It appeared quite like a matte ck stone. It was not hard and did not store magic or mana like most gems.


    Quite like coal, if not as shiny.


    I was rather confused by that.


    > For a temporary resistance against the divine <


    I decided to just ce it into my various types ofbs for further study. If such an object really has anti-divine properties, perhaps I could make weapons or armor that grant those around me the ability to resist these forces.

 Hypocritreecal

    Hypocritreecal


    <b>Year 150</b>


    Research into the ckstar Gems soon yielded some results. They had mild generic anti-magic properties, but these anti-magic properties are exceptionally effective against holy and light elements. That said, once consumed, they only stay in the body for a short moment of time.


    I have no way of recreating divine magic to test out the effectiveness of these ckstar Gems.


    Do you have any divine abilities? I asked Kei.


    Nope.


    Sigh. It may be effective against Holy and Light, and its a conjecture that this extends to divine type of magic. I had preferred something more conclusive. Next, was research on how to actually use these ckstar Gems. For Edna, Faris and Jura, I made specialised helmets with these gems inserted, hopefully that would give them some protection against the mind-controlling effects of the gods.


    Again, its a spection if this works.


    -


    My requests to gather the documents, records and books went quite okay. It wasnt hard to gather details about people who were punished for their heresy.


    Heretics were those who turned against their gods. I also wonder whether there are anyone that turned against me with a special ss.


    Is there a [heretic] ss?


    The Valthorns and Priesthoold were responsible forbing through the documents for any objects or items that may be of interest. Most of them were crap, and theres a lot of misinformation in the records. Things written down or spected by some priest that over time became the canon understanding of a particr subject.


    Again, rubbish.


    But from the pile of rubbish, there are some possible chances. Items or weapons mentioned in passing. Sea serpents and certain items harvested from the deep sea. Strange. Items from the sea aremon, but for them to be used by the heretics?


    Why?


    This was where old myths emerged. Neira, Gaya, Hawa and Aiva are referred to the four temples of the continents, but in many smaller inds, many have more localised faiths, shamanistic rituals and animism. For smaller inds with their lives intertwined with the seas and oceans, many sailors pay homage to various sea gods and sea guardians, and strangely, the four gods dont overtly oppose such homages, even if they frown on them.


    If thend had seen so much destruction from the demons, the sea, for most part, has been spared of the destruction.


    If there are any civilisations deep underwater, they must have watched the surface fight endless, pointless battles, and they would have records from a long time ago. The demons did not invade the sea. Naturally, the faith of those ind nations seemed to be a bit more obscure and strange.


    I felt like I was going down a rabbit hole, trying to find whats going on, really. Maybe my answer to this problem, lies in the past.


    If the memories of that ancient tree are true, there may be a time from before the demons and heroes. Thends, which have over the millennia seen hundreds or thousands of demon kings, would have been so destroyed that the odds of records surviving would be close to nil.


    But the sea, the ocean so vast, if there are records somehow submerged, they may still survive. If luck is on our side.


    Thus, Imanded the Valthorns and Priests to gather all the myths, legends and folklore of the smaller ind nations, and the beliefs of the seafarers and sailors. If there was an equivalent of polynesian myths, I want to know.


    Again, it wasnt hard to gather a general one, but to have it in detail, most of such myths were spoken from one generation to the next, hardly written. The Valthorns and other employees of the overall FFA would have to go and meet these inders and conduct interviews. They started with the nearby inds.


    The variation in founding myths and all that differ rather greatly, and quite a few seemed to have suffered influence from the 4 temples. There were far more parallels than I thought was normal.


    The sea, and the oceans are home to many giant creatures, thergest of them are the zaratans, or world turtles. The floating zaratans,rge turtles with inds on their backs, are creatures spoken of in legends and tattoos, very rarely appearing and even if they did, their presence is often apanied by a thick fog, so no one is really sure. The most unique of these beliefs stated that the first denizens of the world came on the back of these zaratans, and that these zaratans had the ability to sail from one world to another, through portals mortals cannot even fathom. Long ago when the world was bare and empty, of onlynd and sea, the zaratans came to the world and brought the first nts, animals and trees.


    Another variant of these myths, moremon in the southern inds, that the world and many others were on the back of massive world serpents, zaratans and fishes. Those ster bodies that moved quickly across the sea of stars were travelling on speedy world serpents, the slower ones, on the zaratans. If these zaratans do exist, they may well be minor deity ss creatures, maybe more if they lived for very long.


    If they are indeed of the multiverse, then it would make sense that they have the power to resist the divine. Surely creatures of that level would consider gods nothing more than peers.


    There were lesser myths too, and it still took some time to digest them, to separate those that may have some use, and some that did not.


    Whats strangelymon in the ind myths, were the tales of local heroes. Quite unlike themon zeitgeist from the temples which often contained heroes from farawaynds. These ind epics were tales of how ordinary men rose up to challenge great beasts. That said, the power level described in these epics were not at the level of the demon kings. They were more local nuisances, dealing with problems that affected the inds, or just the smaller chain of inds


    -


    The bards are having a good time. Jura chuckled. Edna and Faris were next to him. They met more regrly, now that they have simr challenges. With all the stories that Aeons asking for, theyre making good money.


    They met in Yvons academy, in theory supervising, but mostly just watching arge group of young students practice simple movements. Jabs, thrusts, parries. These were children aged 6 to 12, and they were separated into groups to reflect their rtive levels ofpetence.


    So, did you get a mental attack? Jura asked. I havent, but then again, maybe I wont know. I made them all a ne and a ring made of the ckstar Gems, after Farisined that the helmet was impractical. Sometimes, simple stuff is best.


    No. But I really wish there were more of us.


    Leveling someone up to the cap requires something like the Rottends, and now that the Rottends is much smaller, its also harder for it to generate high-tier hybrids for us to fight. Jura just exined frankly. Outside of our spars with the heroes, well most likely have to travel to fight demon champions and walkers to gain levels. Well be busy once the rift opens.


    -


    Tree Spirit, are you there? Akrenaf the wolf asked one day. We wish to speak.


    Yes?


    We wish to leave the forest, and if you may, guide us to where there is magic in thend?


    Magic in thend, you mean, leylines? Now that mywork of trees and roots spread across the continent, theres actually multiple leylines. But, my soul forge requires different types of energies, so an increase in the quantity of leylines merely increases the total mana avable to me, but does not result in me unlocking a different color to my leyline.


    There are multiple dungeons across the continent too, and they are either [ck] or [red], or [blue], colors which I already have. So, despite my expansion, my soul forge colors did not grow.


    The wolf sniffled momentarily, shaking and nodding its head, and then answered. Yes, I believe that is what they are called by the mages. The shamans refer to them as just magic in thend. Can you help us ensure safe passage, we see many humans and creatures who would fear us and attack us.


    That can be done. I shall assign you an escort.


    Faris arrived five dayster by express-beetle. This is Akrenaf, a wolf. He wishes to travel to the leylines of thend, and I saw it fitting that a great druid is to escort him. Druids are alsomonly seen with animals and tamed monsters, so a massive wolf-monster travelling with a druid would not raise rms.


    Well met, Wolf. Faris said with a friendly bow. Akrenaf sniffed him slightly, and spoke.


    He smells of the city.


    Faris shrugged, My tasks often lead me to the cities. But that should not detract from my task of escorting you.


    It is fine. The wolf shook its head. Let us go. They travelled mostly through the smaller routes, walking the entire way.


    When they finally arrived at the nearest magical leyline, a blue one, the wolf sniffed and tapped its massive paws on the ground a few times. It was using a skill of somekind, and then... that was it.


    That was rather boring. The wolf repeated it a few times in most of the other ley lines or ces with natural mana.


    Are you looking for something else? I asked at the fourth leyline they visited.


    No, not really. This is right. We merely sensed its strength. The wolf responded. And your reach is far.


    Ah.


    It is for a shaman to regrly visit nearby leylines, as shamans tap onto leylines for strength and power. Their health and condition is critical to a shamans strength, and also why certain types of shamans often live in strange ces. Quite like that of a witch.


    Faris merely shrugged. Have I met a witch?


    -


    Kei could fly was something I expected. What I did not expect was how high she could fly. She could fly almost to the edge of the sky itself, almost crossing into space. Space was, as she described it, strange. The moons moved erratically at times, as if forcefully yanked out of ce.


    It also urred to me that if she really wanted to win her fight against me, all she needed to do is fly really high up and bombard me from where I cannot reach. Her magical projectiles would lose some of its power at that distance, but she would not be harmed at all at that distance. Of course, I kept my mouth shut.


    The heroes could have used a simr tactic against the demon king too, unless, of course, the demon king also can fly at that distance. I wonder what the world would be like if the next demon king was some kind of alien monstrosity that floated on lowary orbit, bombarding the world with dropships filled with demons.


    We killed the demon king 5 years ago. Yes, Year 145. So theres 5 years left. Theres 5 years left, right?


    The rifts usually open 1-2 years before. You can start hunting demons once that happens to raise your levels, if you feel not confident. But once you cross Level 100 as a hero...


    Kei nodded. Oh yeah.


    It feels like Ive done this for umpteenth times. Is this what being a non-yer character feels like? Repeating the same shit to different yers every damn time. Its boring.


    In the meantime, I scheduled more practice sessions for Kei with Edna and Jura. Edna gained a level or two from spars with Kei.


    -


    The Rottend shrunk even more, at this point, it is only a quarter of the Rottends peak. Furthermore, this quarter is sliced up by all the tree-roads, and the new nations that now inhabited the reimednds.


    I wondered whether there was a way to tap into blood magic as a source of new mana-color for my soul forge. Perhaps, by way of a rune on the general poption that granted some of their mana to me?


    I have [Red], from a volcano. [Yellow] from a runic formation. [Blue] from my existing trees andworks, [ck] from a magical leyline.


    From ley lines throughout the continent, most of them were already Blue, ck or Red. Do I have green? Shouldnt trees be [Green]? Or is it from something else? If theres [ck], there should be [white] too?


    Frustrated, I shared my concerns about the colors with Lilies.


    > No clue. Mine is ck from all the death of people. <


    No progress. I believe demonic magic is perhaps one color. This blood magic is also another. What other sources of magic? Wind? Water?


    I decided to try for both.


    If Wind could be a source of magic, all I needed was to spawn a lot of trees in ces where there is a lot of wind, and find a way to convert that wind-energy into mana. Perhaps thatll give me another source.


    If my experience with [blue] was correct, Ill need at least 10,000 wind-harnessing trees to unlock a new color.


    For a month I experimented with various grasses, reeds and coconut trees, attempting to find a way to convert wind-to-mana. Of course, my artificial minds submitted some rather fascinating tree species for my consideration too.


    Dandelions. And wind-mill tree-monsters. The windmill trees were trees with flexible branches that could twist along with the wind. They were monsters first, trees second, and they actually attack people around them. Carnivorous little creatures.


    Naturally, they went into the [bib].


    [Research option unlocked : Windmill Trees - 18 months needed.]


    [Research option unlocked : Wind Energy Harvesting - Grassy Fields - 18 months needed]


    [Research option unlocked : Wind-to-mana - 24 months needed.]


    Fuck. 2 years.


    I decided to work on water-based nts instead. We were already experimenting with swamp trees and swamp adapted trees. Now, the goal was to turn wave-to-mana, and its associated rtionships.


    The druids already had arge collection of nts that exist on the shoreline. These included also certain forms of seaweeds and algae.


    [Research option unlocked : Algae-to-energy (Seaweeds) Stage 1 - 12 months needed]


    [Research option unlocked : Swamp wavebarriers - 18 months needed]


    [Research option unlocked : Saltwater Tolerance Stage 1 - 24 months]


    Oh well. I started the research anyway. If I can unlock both of them, that should lead to more mana, and hopefully a new color. Wind and water seemed natural enough.


    -


    A few minor wars broke out among my subordinated states. The Valthorns had to abstain from conflict, and also work with the Priesthood, together they were tasked with protecting innocents from the fighting.


    The entire Central continent is a hodgepodge of rulers. The FFA and the Valthorns essentially existed as a federal government with power over all outbound diplomacy, religion, certain military rules and rights, interstate trade, racial matters and certain overarching criminal prosecution powers. Theres also federal taxes, and also the FFA regted all of the major transport and trade routes.


    Below that are the states, who retain domestic power, budgetary control over the finances of their own states, internal state trades, local criminal andw powers. These are the allied and subordinated states.


    Itsplicated simply because certain states were captured, but we have spared the local rulers in exchange for their cooperation. So there are differences in thews and powers of the local rulers, depending on their respective history with the FFA.


    Those who converted to my side willingly retained most of their domestic powers, surrendering only minimal external-bound powers.


    Again, this hodgepodge of powers,ws and all is from history. I did not want to forcefully standardise thews, simply because there are local cultures that affect things. For example, a nation with a treefolk majority has certain local rules and regtions that cater to their needs that would be unrealistic and burdensome to apply in a city with centaur-poption as a majority. There simply was no way to apply a one-size fit all approach tows, without creating unhappiness.


    In fact, in the Fresnds Treetiary College, theres quite arge segment of the curriculum that focused on the various variantws throughout the central continent. The administrators and nobles, unfortunately for them, have to be able to navigate this massivendmine of rules and regtions.


    Taxes too are increasinglyplicated. At the federal level, we levy a tax on the nations itself, a 10-30% cut of all ies, depending on their past agreements with us.


    Some ces, like the Six Ports, and Freshka, are considered directly administered territories of the FFA, so they only have a singleyer of tax. But for the allied states, they would sometimes face dual taxes, one from the state, and one more from the federal authority, if the state decides to pass on the tax obligation to the local rulers.


    Naturally this is also a source of dispute. For example, a kingdom where one of theirrger merchant organisations moved to another, perhaps for trade and tax issues, would then raise aint to the FFA and the Representative Council, but even if we made a good decision, things dont always work out.


    Over time, Kavio exined that its quite normal for a decision to be made by the Council, but the two disputing parties still resolve to war. It tends to re up more when the entire continent is at peace. Its like, after they are no longer scared of a war with the temples, they now turn on each other.


    So, we just let them fight. The Valthorns and the federal forces would abstain, and we would also set up certain rules of engagement. Even assassinations were permitted, so long as the targets were all members of the ruling party and the local military force. Theres also separate food stockpiles, the general food stockpiles and water sources which are eptable targets, and the Valthorn and Priesthoods stockpiles, which are off limits. If thebatants overstepped the boundaries, the Valthorns would interfere and we would crush whoever offended the rules first.


    It wasnt hard to pinpoint whos at fault when my army of artificial souls monitored it. If that failed, andI couldnt pinpoint it, it was also possible to just capture the leaders, ship them to Freshka for a trial. Patreeck would then use his mindreading abilities to discern the truth.


    asionally, I would send a reminder to all the other nobles by skewering the offending noble. I suppose Im a hypocrite.


    Of course, the idea of letting my states fight each other was strange for Kei, who seemed to have the concept that the world should be all kumbaya and everyone should be friends. People will have disputes. Even if theres no demon king, no demons, even if there is excess, people will fight.


    Its good for the army too. Those who fight gain levels, and I have more people that I can poach for the Valthorns. It also helps to clearly delineate the difference between the Federal authority and the State authority.


    Citizens that lived through such interstate wars all learn that we have different roles, and generally have far higher loyalty to the federal authority than the state rulers, simply because the wars cause them to realise that their state rulers are just all about power.

 Swaying Grass

    Swaying Grass


    <b>Year 151</b>


    The clock is ticking, and my research continued. Some of my researchmenced a little toote, so only the algae-to-energy research waspleted. There are many, many kinds of algaes, each type chose a slightly different mix of specialisations to excel in their respective environments.


    I recall in my earlier studying days that there were certain types of seagrass or seaweeds which swayed and moved with the motion of the waves, and there are also documentaries about how certain types of deep sea algaes actually feed on geothermal vents, or certain fungi that lived in volcanickes. These are alien life in some ways.


    Either via waves-to-mana, or geothermal-algae-to-mana, Id hope to arrive at some new source of mana.


    The thought about algae also brought me back to my much earlier days of coping with a growing country.


    The poop problem. There was also the whole trash-to-energy, an incinerator. There may be a way to do the same to poop. Poop-to-mana. I wonder whether this soul forge thing is just some subliminal messaging about power-source diversity. Anyway. Poop problems. Poop-to-mana, taking my earlier research to the next stage, inbination with the algae blooms.


    As the research into water-based nts continued, one of my skills upgraded!


    [Roo upgraded. Basic connection with shallow seagrass established.]


    Then came the usual messaging spam. I had to filter out a lot of garbage from the seagrass. In ces where the sea isnt that deep, these seagrass created underwater meadows, where fishes and other monsters live.


    I found them simr to floodins where the grasses and other nts have adapted to recurring floods.


    Still, this connection into the seagrass is the first time my senses extended out to the shallow sea. Again, everything is really murky, and my hearing, sight abilities dont work that well underwater. Its muffled, or too noisy and loud.


    Yet, this is a positive thing


    If seagrass is possible, then, ocean-grass would be the next step. I remember in our world that seagrasses were local and constrained to the seas, and do not grow in the deep oceans. But if I could expand my research into seagrass and make them more durable and hardier in deep waters...


    Either that, or have a look at the undersea maps. Perhaps there are ancientnd bridges where seagrasses can cross, though from what I see so far, the central continent is really far from any of the other continents.


    Or maybe theres a hidden underwater chain of mountains.


    Ah well.


    -


    Mom. Arlisa said to Lausanne one morning. Youre good at fighting, right?


    Lausanne paused and turned to face her daughter. She wasnt sure where her daughter was going with this question. Kids tend to ask the weirdest things. I am, but against monsters or bad guys. Why?


    Can you win against a demon king?


    Lausanne shook her head. No. That stung at a part of her that once wanted to be a hero. A demon king is a special existence, my dear. Its one of those creatures where only those chosen by the gods can defeat.


    Is Aeon a god?


    Lausanne paused. Ah. Uhm, sort of.


    He chose you, right? I mean, a long time ago.


    She sipped on her morning cup of tea, and bit into a slice of bread. Arlisa noticed her moms silence. Is Aeon a god?


    Sort of.


    What does that mean, mom?


    She took a deep breath. Gods exist in a spectrum, a range of powers. There are weak gods and stronger gods. Aeon is one of the world-bound demigods, and is on the weaker side, but it is gaining strength over time. Someday it will be as powerful as the elder gods.


    Ah. Arlisa nodded, she appreciated the honesty. She somehow knew, despite her youth. Perhaps it is a gift of children, to be able to sense the truth and lies of their parents.


    So yes, I was chosen. By luck or misfortune that I was there, with grandma in the vige then. We hid. We survived. Aeon has watched over us since then. Honestly.. I remember little of those early days. I was far too young.


    Okay mom. Arlisa nodded. Some of the meaning was lost on her, but she got the gist of it. Can Aeon choose me too?


    ...I believe you have already been chosen. Lausanne sighed. She knew of the Blessing, I told her, and she took it with a mix of gratefulness and fear. Something she confided in Laufen a lot.


    Mom, how did you deal with it... when Aeon started training me? Lausanne asked Laufen. How do you cope, with... the expectation?


    Laufen shook her head. I didnt. Things were smaller back then, when it was just us in that small ring of trees. When we were just hustling to survive the winters, when the girls had to hunt our own animals without any of the trained warriors. When Aeon trained you, it was just helping us survive. Giving us a chance. Not now though. Now, Aeons power has grown, and he is the guardian deity of the entire continent. For Arlisa, her expectations, and what everyone wants from her, will be higher. Her challenges, her enemies... they will be like yours in yourter years. When you were special.


    Lausanne blushed. It was embarrassing to remember the days when people referred to the then teenager as Lady. They still call her Lady today, but somehow, its a lot more normal and appropriate.


    As your mother then, all I could do was pray and hope for your safety. Elves like us rarely betray the guidance of our home tree spirits, their wisdom and foresight beyond that of our own. If you let Arlisa walk the path, its something you should really sit down and have a long chat with TreeTree. Its power grows, and so will Arlisa, even if her talent is no better than yours, she will exceed your power once she reaches maturity. When that happens, she will be fighting nothing less than the greater demons.


    That makes me afraid. I never knew what it''s like to fear for someone else.


    Laufen gave her daughter a hug. Then you know how its like for me to feel, with you so far away. But Aeon was always with you, isnt it?


    Lausanne thought about Warden. Wardens power grows with mine, the star-mana link allowed it to always reproduce a lesser variant of almost all my powers. It is something unique about the Possessions of the Devoted.


    She is young, and one day you will have to let go. Aeon will give her wings and weapons we cannot yet imagine, as he once did, with you. Its now on you to choose. Clip her wings, or teach her how to better use them. Aeon will not impose if you choose otherwise. He has eyes on the young talents all over the continent, he can spare you that choice. Time has changed. We are no longer desperate, our survival no longer hanging by a thread.


    Lausanne sat and wondered. Indeed, Laufen is right to say I would not force them. The blessings I grant to Lausanne is both her luck and misfortune to be in the right ce, and at the right time.


    Arlisas in a position of privilege. In a way, she inherited her power.


    -


    Hey. Kei walked into Stes apartment. You sure you dont want toe along? Kei tried to reconcile with Ste after their bad first encounter a while back. Partly because Kei has matured enough. Kei even told her about the journal, but Ste just shook her head.


    No. I am rather content here. Her apartment was filled with artwork, many of them made as posters for the various Valthorn projects. She found confidence and joy in painting, if anything, the sense of progression from levels seemed to make her feel better, and helped to reinforce her identity.


    She poured her energy and negativity into her art. Its strange how the sensation of levelling up made her progress seem more real, more.. Tangible. Even as she toiled at something as abstract and subjective as art, the levels were an anchor. It made me realise that maybe levels would be useful for those who struggled with their own self worth. That having something to hold onto, that I am a high leveled artist, or I am a high leveled warrior was a strong reminder that things are not that bad.


    Kei sighed. The world is arge ce, Astia. Come with me, see the world. Itll help your art.


    I will, someday. But let me hit Level 40 as a [painter] then I will. Shes at the crux, a Level 39 [Painter].


    Do you want me to wait for you?


    No need. If I do travel, I will first visit the sights on this continent. Though her confidence has seen some improvement, her people skills remaincking. More like, shes still not very fond of being with people. Maybe shes just allergic to people.


    Kei nodded and just left. After that, Kei came to see me.


    Ive arranged with Alvin and Hans to visit them in the South. Ill be gone for a year or two.


    Sure. I mean, what could I say. Shes not exactly my servant, were just partners at this point. She packed up, said goodbye to some of those shes close with, mostly merchants and some other adventurers. Shes got a big travelling bug, and shes been going from town to town, visiting almost every kingdom and nation along the way. Mostly to just have some local coffee or tea, sit around, fight a monster or two, make some money sparring with some upstart nobles, have sex with some gorgeously good looking dude by the beach, things young teens on a European style backpackers trip or gap year do.


    I suppose it also ties in with her confusion andck of direction in her life as a hero. The journal loosened her chains, but she still doesnt know where to go. She needed this time off, to think and find herself.


    Both of them are lost in their own ways. Then again, most of us are lost.


    -


    There was a bit of drama in the Treetiary College during this year, when one of the Lordlings attacked and significantly paralysed another Lordling. My eyes were watching, but I decided not to act, simply because this wasnt the first time the two squabbled, and it seemed like they had a bit of bad blood. Rivals and stuff.


    I think I could help the paralysed Lordling, but I decided to wait and let the drama unfold.


    Life should have consequences, and I wanted to see it. The family of both Lordlings got into the fray, and they had discussions that quickly broke down to little wars and skirmishes. Again, we let it happen. I see this as a way of the natural aristocracy imposing its own cruel version of meritocracy and survival of the fittest.


    The principal asked me to intervene, of course. I rejected him, and told him to buy a big pack of popcorn and watch the drama unfold. If I let kingdoms go to war with each other and assassinate each other, was I going to stop them here?


    But you said the FTC is a safe ce.


    Safe from everything else. But I suppose, not each other. Hes only paralysed, that can be... fixed. And if they ask me to, I will. At a cost, of course.


    Conflict is natural. Survival of the fittest is natural too.


    I considered the implications of ending the cycle, what would happen in a world without heroes and demon kings. If I removed this source of conflict, what happens next?


    It is not world peace, and I think of my own world too. Home. Earth was never at peace. They would fight, they would go to war and use heinous weapons. Individuals with desires and needs will inevitably sh with each other.


    This world would then naturally go to war. Perhaps the 4 temples will then be at each others throats, the current unity-in-amon-enemy no longer applicable. But those wars will be less devastating than the demon king. Im sure of it, simply because the kinds of power the temples can unleash is fearsome, but nowhere near the multi-million single-day deaths that demon kings have done before.


    So, its still good to end the cycle, especially from the perspective of the living, sapient beings. But for trees, the end of themon enemy would result in an expansion of sapient beings over time, and that would encroach on the natural territory of the others.


    Would the next stage of that conflict be Man Vs Nature, once the demon king is out of the way?


    It wasnt a pleasant thought to consider.


    -


    The two heroes that Kei would soon meet were busy doing what heroes normally did. That was, build a harem, make babies, establish new kingdoms, and generally enjoying their lives.


    Alvin, established his kingdom in the Southern Continent, by essentially turning a few of the princesses and queens into this harem. Their territories were then amalgamated into his new kingdom.


    Hans, travelled back to the Eastern Continent, and imed the right to rule over a few cities and towns that lost their leaders from the terrible demonic attacks. Of course, this also involved admitting a lot of women into his harem. The two Kings were clearlypeting on the harem part, even if they both didnt say it.


    I think all these heroes need a harem-education program, to exin the risks of establishing a harem and the subsequent problems that would arise. Harris had the problem. Even today, his sessor kingdoms continue to fight with each other. They have trade wars, stupid sanctions against each other. Again, Im not in the business of correcting stupid people, so I let them be.


    -


    I gave Lovis the 4th Soul Strengthening seed, as my specialist [spearmaster]. I also asked the 3 of them, Edna, Faris and Lovis, who would want to take on the role as [Aeons Demonyer]. Faris t out rejected it, as the new ss deviated far too much from his current one as a druid. Edna was rather happy as a knight, so Lovis also epted the new ss, as my new unique-ss holder.


    Once she epted the new ss, her [spearmaster] ss disappeared, but her sses were subsumed under the [Aeons Demonyer]. She obtained my [anti-demon aura] and buffs against demons. In short, the damage she takes from demons reduces significantly, and the damage she deals to demons significantly increases.


    But like my own [hero fragment] buff, Im not sure whether it applies to Demon Kings. We would have to test it out the next time a demon kinges around.


    It took her a good month to get used to the power of her new ss, and its also a strangely... twisted ss.


    Once she epted the unique ss, I somehow gained ess to her thoughts and memories, and also some insight into her history and her past. She was one of the orphans, just like Edna and Faris, and when she received the ss almost 30 years ago, back in Year 123, she was a child. She was brought into the Valthorns as the Fresnds recovered, and has since then moved up. Shegged behind both Edna and Faris in levelling, though she had practiced a lot more. This was at a level beyond Patreecks mind reading, in the sense that it was a lot more personal, more... nuanced, and contained more details of things.


    I felt bad, really, that this ss gave me such direct ess into her mind. It made me realise that perhaps the [hero] ss is actually a unique ss granted by the gods, and as such, if they have ess into the minds of their heroes, then the next step after ess is they could alter them significantly. Which is thus evidenced by all the mind control.


    I spoke to her personally, alone as she dipped herself into the bib for further examination. She was slightly afraid, but also excited and honored. Her soulspring was now different, instead of the usual blocks, it was made entirely out of a tree, with roots holding onto all the blocks. The blocks themselves had roots growing into them.


    Each ss presented itself differently in the spring, and this ss was a domineering one. It absorbed all her other sses, and she was now a single-ss. [Aeons Demonyer]. Nothing else.


    Can you hear me? I spoke as I delved into her soul spring, examining her energy. Shes asleep, yet awake here.


    ...yes. She was confused, and this, to her, is like a dream-like state. Its not too far off.


    The spring was vigorous, like Jura and the other two. The springs vigor was the essentialponent, though not the only one, of a persons level cap. The vigor seemed to determine how many skills or levels a person could support.


    I wonder, why am I not affected by it?


    I asked Lilies.


    > Heroes, because the gods grant them boundless vigor. Us, trees, and other beings like us, for we derive our vigor from thend and the world around us. Dragons and magical creatures that tap into thend or exist on some outside source of vigor too would not have a level cap. But mortals, no. Treefolks have a higher level cap than mortals, as a part of their vigor is from thend, yet they very rarely reach those heights. <


    Wait what. I have so many treefolk followers. Where are my superleveled treefolk?


    The highest levelled treefolk in the central continent is a [Woodshaper] at level 74. He mainly shapes wood into utensils and tools, but also does a lot ofrger scale projects like defensive walls, buildings, castles made of wood and all that.


    I decided to speak to him, and awarded him a gift for skills. It significantly improved the finesse of his woodshaping, and asked him to aid in making weapons against the demons.

 Entree Keys

    Entree Keys


    <b>Year 152</b>


    Lilies introduced me to an interesting new friend. It was a massive turtle, the size of a bus, that somehow managed to secretly swim through the rivers andkes. I had eyes and ears, but in the water, it still managed to evade my detection.


    It clearly had some skills, and the way itmunicated was strange.The turtle stopped at the side of theke, and touched one of Lilies floating tforms. It seemed to use Lilies way ofmunication.


    > I am Vasira, pleased to meet you, Aeon. <


    It was a magical turtle or tortoise thing, resembling a Zaratan, but too small to be one. But I asked to be sure.


    > Yes, I am a young Zaratan. It is amon question, and I have lived for as long as Lilies. We heard of your search for tales of the sea, and I am here to answer what I can. It is not often that one of the spirits of thend seeks out the spirits of the sea. <


    Is there a catch? With Lilies, there wasnt any. Lilies was just willing to share, especially with someone like me whom they view as an equal.


    > So long as we are never hunted on yournds and your rivers, that is good enough. <


    I said.


    > It is so. It seems you seek the origins of the gods? <


    They lived so long, surely there are ways...


    > We do what spirits of our kind do. We swim to other worlds where the demons cannot follow. <


    I felt like that turtle just dropped a bombshell on me. So there clearly are other worlds, and not only that, the turtle is able to go there!


    It paused momentarily > We can only carry what that can fit on our backs, and our void mana determines how often we can go and what we can take. For spirits of you power... we cannot do so. <


    Void mana. Where have I heard that before... Ah. That princess from so many many years ago. So that princess was headed in the right direction...


    > And we have time. < Vasira spoke, he, or it, floated on the shores of Lilieske. I made arge wall of trees so that he would not be seen, and then added ayer of [camouge] and [mist]. Here was a creature who travelled to other worlds, and it would not be .


    Fuck. So there are multiple worlds with simr problems. But also, there is a way to escape. Patreecks idea of hiding the world, or somehow moving the world away has merit.


    > We believe they are creatures or beings that reached a certain yet unknown high level, and obtained the 2nd tier of the system. We also specte there is either a system that existed above this one, or a tier to the current system. In any case, the gods have ess to a higher set of powers and rights. We do not know how to get there, and those who have, could not reveal it to us. <


    An admin system, or console ess, isnt it? Mozart referred to himself as administrator. Maybe its just a set of administrator passwords which granted them ess to that system.


    > We suspect so, though their names are different across worlds. <


    > Certainly. Zaratans meet each other to mate, to raise our eggs and our young, and discuss the matters of our safety, and of the multiverse. >


    > As Zaratans of the sea, we know little of these otherworldly invaders. They have a homeworld, or a chain of worlds somewhere, but their worldcks seas, rivers orkes, so we cannot create the internar mist and swim there. So... we dont know beyond that, and who controls them there. Our great elder once tried to stop the demons, but the Gods puppets turned on our elder. <


    A waterless world. I see. Also, these internar turtles needrge bodies of water to move around worlds? Thats a rather odd restriction to their power.


    > Our abilities have adapted us to travelling to other worlds, and would not be useful to you. Large quantities of Void Mana is the first step to any internar travel. <


    Void mana. How do I get that?


    It seemed the turtle read my mind. > Void Mana requires one to dabble in higher magics, or, if you have it naturally. Like us. <


    Wait, does this also imply that the Spirit Trees in those stories may actually have Void Mana instead of Star Mana? Perhaps, it is a path along the road of the domains, that I may have one of those choices in the future?


    I would presume that there have to be further domain choices, that Level 150 isnt the only time one chooses their domain. Given that my first domain choice happened at Level 150, its possible that the next domain choice happens at either Level 200, Level 250 or Level 300. If Level 150 was the one and only domain choice, then I may be quite fucked.


    The turtle was silent for a moment, then answered. > No. <


    Hmm. That meant a high level is not really necessary to get the power to travel to other worlds. Even that princess managed to expose herself to void mana, she was not higher than Level 50 then. So there are ways to ess Void Mana. Perhaps even naturally. Are there nts that naturally produce void mana? If I could create a farm of such trees or nts...


    The turtle just shook its massive head. It probably didnt know. Not that I can me them. What else did I want to know? Uh. But already I have a lot to work with.


    > Elevated authority in a specified field of the system. <


    Ah darn. The system works like users making and interacting with it, and domain powers are super-user rights? Gods eventually reach admin rights? But what is this... system? Are gods the creators of it, or are they just glorified administrators? If there are just administrators, surely the creator must be a lot more powerful? The turtle left after a while, but it promised to return again someday.


    -


    We wish to reopen diplomatic rtionships, discreetly. An Aiva Envoy arrived on our shores, disguised as a regr merchant. They met with an audience of the Representatives, and Kavio. Kavio was about to retire after decades at the helm, to be reced by one of the representatives. They had a mini-election to select the Representative Leader.


    And why would we even bother? Kavio barked, his mood was rather foul. Another Lord in the meeting quickly intervened.


    Representative Leader Kavio, wait. Lets hear him out.


    The Temple of Aiva does not believe or participate in the nder against Aeon or the Central Continent. Absolute rubbish. All the evidence collected so far, its quite clear Aivan Church participated in the propaganda.


    Liars. They are liars. I whispered to Kavios ears, and he knows it too. After all, we did not sit idle after the blockade was broken. The restoration of our eyes and ears in these hostilends were one of the great priorities since then.


    Lies, envoy. Kavio repeated. Let it be known that we do not appreciate the lies.


    The envoy gulped. Patreeck used his mind reading abilities. The envoy screwed up anyway, he knew it was a lie too, but he was confident. He had a skill to resist mind reading, but he was horribly underleveled against Patreeck. The Aivan Temple did want to open diplomatic rtions, but the leadership hoped to extort some kind of agreement or aid, since they had a lot of damage to undo.


    Aeon notes you did note to our shores in good faith. This negotiation is over. Kavio sent him off. The representatives were baffled. Thank your foolish gods that we do not send you back in a body bag.


    The envoy left at haste.


    -


    One of the Valthorns, without the use of my ss seeds, managed to upgrade his own ss to [Archmage]. [Archmage] has been one of those elusive sses to create, though I did have archmage sses obtained from the dead.


    I would say the magic of the Central Continent is not significantly more advanced than the other continents. Magic research is mostly the pursuit of entric individuals, so, while the Central Continent is safer than the other continents, and my various abilities did seem to improve the speed of gaining levels, they still tend to teau. To summarise, with magic, what I had were [mages] of a high level, but did not have particrly unique abilities.


    The process of creating or inventing new spells or new ways of using existing spells, as it is, remains the domain of the entric, or otherwise, luck.


    A [Mage] is someone who taps into the mana of the world, and casts spells. A spell can be both a [skill] and not a skill. That meant, it is possible for a mage to read an instruction of how to cast [fireball], and cast the spell, [fireball], without having the skill [fireball]. Having the skill, of course, meant the mage could cast the same spell faster, quicker, stronger and with less mana cost.


    A mage therefore learns to cast a spell, and with sufficient practice, gains the [skill] reflecting that said spell, and thus bes morepetent and powerful. Mages also gain a range of support skills throughout their careers, such as mana-cost reduction skills, passive mana regeneration skills, or elemental boosts and discounts.


    The invention of new spells, however, is mostly bouts of madness. A mage tries to mixponents of the spells together, in hopes of creating something new. Sometimes they seed, sometimes they fail. A good healer, like myself, meant that they are more likely to survive failures and have the chance to try again. This, of course, supports the persistent mages, those who work hard and experiment constantly. They have some sesses, but they will see a lot more failures.


    The conversation with the zaratan left my mind spinning, and my artificial minds were hard at work processing the ideas. There are ways to travel across worlds. Void mana.


    If anything, I now had to consider sponsoring the mages and wizards in our care to dabble in void mana, figure out how that princess managed to do so. Its a risky one, clearly ying with void mana incorrectly would destroy ones soul spring.


    Over the decades, my library of books and tomes have grown massively. I had my researchers and mages run through them, to find the clues of Void Magic.


    I recall some words back when Madeus still lived. The tomes of the mad-hero Arsene Emir. I quickly called on the Valthorns to locate it. It took a few months, but the tomes and writings of the mad-hero were duplicated many, many times, so we managed to retrieve a few copies. Some of the surviving kingdoms on the Central Continent had a copy in their own personal libraries.


    Void mana. Exposure to it would cause visions and nightmares of otherworldly horrors.


    Back then, it was exined to me that Void Mana was a raw primordial form of mana. Is that exnation then still true?


    Quite a few of the mages professed their reluctance to experiment on void mana. It seemed that the history of man is littered with mages killing themselves through incorrect use of void mana, and no one has figured out how to correctly use them in the first ce.


    Knowledge of void mana isnt entirely rare, and is used mostly as a reminder of bad magical practices.


    Some of the magesmented that void mana can be collected, in small amounts, by way of runic formations. However, the runic formations usually must be located high above the ground, usually in towers or tall secluded ces that are exposed to the night sky, and arge anti-magic barrier must be present, such that the runic formation is clear of all other mana. Then it is a matter of waiting and luck. Sometimes, the runic formations will collect a small bit of void mana. Most of the time, nothing. Collecting void mana when the two suns are present is impossible as the light will cause the void mana to decay.


    Of course, theirments were very strange, some points seemed to contradict my existing knowledge, and I believe theres quite a bit of misinformation in that knowhow.


    What is void mana?


    I asked Lilies.


    > Some say it is always around us, but just undetected. Somee across them purely by luck. <


    I have an entire continent. Surely if it is luck, the statistics would point to me having seen it already.


    > Perhaps it is invisible to you, as you rely on Spirit Vision. <


    ...fuck.


    -


    <b>Year 153</b>


    There was not much time to rest, as I saw, we saw rifts opening throughout the central continent. It was a magically fascinating thing to see, to see space and reality crumble and break apart to reveal these gashes in space.


    We redirected all the magical sensors andbs to the rifts, and wondered whether the demons use void mana too, or perhaps they have some substitute for it.


    Are the rifts void mana?


    Aeon. Demons spotted on our continent. Yourmand? Kavio and Valthorns came to meet.


    Ringfence all the rifts, and let our forces fight them. Naturally, what else is there to do against demons? We should aim to take this opportunity to level up the forces. Alert me to all demon champions.


    As youmand.


    Some of the smaller rifts spawned only ordinary demons. The demons resembledrge skeletal structures, a bit more like animated skeleton animals with some dried flesh. From this alone Im predicted an undead-type demon king.


    Since it wasnt a problem to suppress the rifts, Ive started setting upbs closer to the rifts, hoping that my sensors will figure out what they are.


    Has anyone ever touched a rift? I asked the entire council and the Valthorns.


    Uh... not that we know of.


    What if we touched the rift?


    There was silence. I decided to try, and on one of the smallest rifts, a bunch of vines and roots reached out and attempted to hold the rifts. It was weird. The rifts seemed to be both a physical and magical thing, and alternated between the two. It felt like touching a floating snowke that promptly turned into a puddle of water.


    There was a... frequency. I could feel it, the way the energy of the rift ebbed back and forth. I instinctively attempted to match its resonance.


    Master, the vines went through. Patreeck noted.


    What. The vines got to the other side of the rift, I could still feel them, and it could go through if the magical pulse was at the right regrity. There was a sensation of incredible dryness, my vines had to draw more water from thework. Sand. Rocks. But very, very dry.


    About an hour into it, the demons seemed to realise, the small rift quickly closed and cut off my vines, now left on the other side.


    Did you see or feel anything? I asked Patreeck. Patreeck had used my [eye] ability on the vines, to see whats on the other side. Patreeck gave me a series of images, it felt like I was looking through the eyes of the mars rovers, an alien world filled with massive spires andrge, red crystals. An army waited at the other side.


    The vines eye turned and looked back at the rift. We saw arge ring-shaped gate structure, and the rift in it. Around the tform of the gate were six massive arrays of reddish-ck stone. It glowed in both red and a ck-ish color, at intervals. There were also more of those red crystals, further out, connected by some strange chains.


    The demons then spotted the vine, and the portal promptly closed. That was the end of it.


    But I saw enough. Demons. Alien worlds. Gates that open the rifts itself. Could I tamper with the rift next time?


    Spaizzer


    Due to my present overwhelming workload and life generally, I''ve decided to take one week off. There will be no chapters on 2 March 2021. I will resume posting on 9 March 2021 (or 10 March 2021 depending on where you are in the world.)

 Snatch Treeives

    Snatch Treeives


    <b>Year 153 (continued)</b>


    Each rift had a different frequency and resonance, but it was still possible to align it. The beetles and Valthorns fought demons by the thousands to gain ess and reach the rift. Again, no big deal. With Loviss new demonying power, the regr demons were easy. Under the effect of the demon suppressing aura, these demons were more like slow moving zombies. Together with my subsidiary trees spawning up to the rift itself, it wasnt hard.


    Once they managed to reach the rift, they too, tried matching their mana to match the rift, but they struggled to do so. They do not possess my ability to manipte mana in ones body at such great detail. I did after all, face decades of corrupting demon energies, and also use mana for magical soul-surgery. All of these meant I was capable of incredibly subtle mana control, and I could handle the fluctuations in these frequencies.


    I tried wrapping a beetle in my vines and then sending it through the rift. It didnt work. The vines went through but the beetle just bounced off.


    Again, my vines and roots went through the rift, and once I had vision, I immediately activated my [subsidiary trees] on the other side of the rift. It worked. The subsidiary tree instantly spawned beetles that fought with the demons on the other side, and bought me some precious time.


    My vines and roots grabbed the red crystals, those red stones and pulled them through the rift. Then I saw the giant demons. Massive boney mammoths. Their magical sts destroyed my subsidiary tree in a single energy attack.


    Ah. The rift was closed again. But I got them, the red crystals. Never mind, there will be more rifts. The demons seem like they are unable to stop opening the rift.


    I hauled the red crystals back to mybs for analysis. They were not demonic in nature, and instead... They are void mana batteries. Each of them were slightly depleted.


    One of them exploded suddenly and left a massive crater, killing a few Valthorns and destroyed a few hundred beetles. The Valthorns got the message and so they maintained arge distance from the crystals. Another one exploded when one of myb-trees prodded it with too much mana. The void mana inside is clearly quite unstable and is prone to strange behaviors.


    One of the Valthorns injured in the first explosion soon developed symptoms simr to the Princess, and testing in the [bib] soon proved me right. He had the exact same curse, [Exposed to Void Mana]. Thankfully, I am far better equipped now, and I have more mana at my disposal. This time, I was about to crush the curse outright.


    But he lost some of his levels and skills from the void mana.


    This made me wonder... Could I use void mana to remove the [hero] ss?


    I suppose this is like using chemotherapy to remove a cancer. Its harmful, in more ways than one.


    -


    There were easily 30 to 50 rifts open at any one time, and from them, out came these undead-like demons. With so many rifts to secure throughout the continent, it was a bit like ying whack-a-mole on a continental scale. This meant our forces and our elites had to be distributed throughout the continent.


    Hytreerion, my tree walker finally saw battle, and it was incredibly fun to watch it stomp demons, the same way those demon walkers stomped on us. Have a taste of your own medicine! Its also my first time witnessing the fullbat capabilities of a Titan-Soul powered Walker, and its apanying army of Wood Soldiers.


    Those wood soldiers are quite like beetles, in that they dont have much intelligence. In a way, Hytreerion is pretty much and based Protoss Carrier and the wooden soldiers are its interceptors.


    So far, the first wave of demons from the rifts did not contain any champions or walkers, and were justrge masses of mobs. That meant a single Hytreerion was sufficient to secure one rift, or a few if they were located close to each other.


    Now that I know those rifts are actually two-way gates, Id like to prepare for an eventual counter-invasion to the demon worlds, and Hytreerion, as a champion-tier creature would be my advance force. But first, Ill have to figure out how to create these rifts on my own.


    Theres a few good reasons to go to the other side.


    One - there may be a chance to figure out why and how the demons are invading our world. This may be one of the best ways to get an answer. Two - More of those void battery-crystals


    Another matter at hand, was whether I should tell Kei about these two-way rifts, that it is possible to go to the other side with some mana-synchronisation. My concern was, if the gods have a read on her mind to some extent, then if she knew, then the gods must know too. Then again, there are certainly secret followers of the other gods in the Central Continent, and the gods may have observed my actions.


    I decided to tell her anyway. She promptly returned to the Central continent within a month, and attempted to assault one of the rifts.


    She managed to synchronise herself with it, her natural magical gift as a hero meant this was easy stuff. But once she entered it, the barrier seemed to drain a little of her star mana and then the rift quickly copsed.


    Fucking hell. Because the heroes at almost entirely star-mana once they pass level 100, and the rifts seemed to be powered by void mana, the interactions between the two mana types caused the rift to copse.


    Well yed, gods. Well yed.


    The heroes cant use void mana since it reacts dangerously with star mana, so they cant use void mana to travel back home, or travel to the world of demons.


    Of course, this frustrated Kei. So theres this mana type, called Void Mana that lets you open fabrics of space and time, and we cant use it because us heroes are loaded to the brim with star mana.


    But Ste was delighted to learn of void mana. She, after all, did not have star mana, and now, this void mana was a way to go home. I would have to ask the Zaratans whether its possible to send her back by riding on their backs, but from what he said, it seemed the distance is too far.


    Conceptually, if the gods have star mana, and I presume that the reaction between void and star mana is still dangerous even at significantly higher levels, how did the gods summon the heroes from far away? One, the gods stored their mana off-body, i.e. in separated shells? Perhaps the gods have the ability to split their being, like multiple trees in awork?


    If so, perhaps me and the gods are more alike than I thought. Either that, or there is some distinction between the mana types of the gods. Perhaps Mozart and gang are gods with void mana, and the Aiva, Gaya, Hawa and Neira gods are star-mana gods? That there is some kind of trading arrangement between them?


    -


    Rift secured, master. Hytreerion repeated, and more of my subsidiary trees spawn into ce. Throughout the continent, the military and Valthorns have kept the rifts demons suppressed.


    After my first void battery, Ive resolved that I want more of them, and so, its time for the Rift Robberies. I activated a few more artificial minds, and readied them for the task at hand. Vines and roots resonated their mana with the rifts, and all at once, all of them entered the rifts. We invaded 14 rifts, and spawned [Giant Attendant Trees] and [Subsidiary Trees] by the tens and hundreds. Beetles then appeared to fight the demons on the other side.


    But, the terrain on the other side was incredibly dry, and it was an environmental energy that caused my trees to dry up and shrivel. They wontst very long in that hostile terrain, the ground nothing more than rock and sand. The roots of my [Giant Attendant Trees] and [Subsidiary Trees] couldnt extract any water or nutrients from the ground to sustain their strength, so all the nutrients and water had to be supplied by roots through the rift itself.


    Never mind. I needed them to buy me time. I wanted a lot of that void mana battery. I would keep them and store them secretly as weapons against the heroes. If void mana reacted with star mana, it made sense that trapped the heroes in a void-mana-battery field would be dangerous for them.


    One. Two. My roots pulled. I saw more of those boney mammoths, they used beam weapons and glowing red horns that shredded through my trees.


    They were stronger on the other side. My beetles didntst long, weakened by the dryness of the air, and my aura was negligible.


    Through one of the rifts, I saw a familiar sight. One I saw during the demons dreams, back when the souls of the heroes were trapped.


    A massive city-like structure filled with massive spires of red crystals, the spires were everywhere and stretched to the horizon. A massive serpent of bone and decayed flesh spotted the trees and charged at them. Its body glowed in pulses of red and ck, and it rammed the [giant attendant trees]. It crushed my trees easily.


    Never mind. More crystals were stolen. Ive grabbed twenty five of them before all the rifts shut off.


    Still, my rift raid triggered something strange. All the rifts throughout the continent instantly closed.


    Great. If the demons are intelligent, clearly they figured out that I know how to go through their rfits. We expect countermeasures.


    -


    <b>Year 153</b>


    Detailed analysis soon revealed something that was quite worrying.


    These crystals are pretty much [daemolite], but before they were fully emptied of their void mana. The demon kings death always left [Daemolite], hence, the rifts would close quite soon after the demon king was killed. Simply because their carrier of the [void mana] had fallen. In these crystals, we saw these magical patterns, powered by the void mana. They were almost invisible, and only now we could see them because of the void mana that caused them to flicker into existence.


    Quickly, I asked for some existing daemolite, harvested from the previous demon kings. When void mana from the void mana battery was connected to the daemolite, those patterns reemerged. For now I dont know what they did... but the fact that there is a magical pattern in these crystals suggested that they may have other purposes, on top of just batteries.


    It also made me wonder whether the demons mana is a form of processed and stabilised void mana?


    I didnt make much progress on this research, and the demonic rifts remain closed for a good six months. At first, I wonder whether this was a way of scaring the demons off.


    Then the 2nd wave of rift opened. Only a single rift opened, but it was massive. I could see the rift open right before my vision, simply because this rift opened right next to Freshka, very close to where mybs were.


    Then demonic champions poured out. Large mammoths and skeletal serpents emerged from the rift.


    But they picked a fight in my home ground, where my aura was strongest. The battle for the good three weeks was fearsome, as champion after champion poured out of the massive rift. I had to step in and hold them back, as my forces, now scattered throughout the continent, rushed back.


    Then, as more of my higher leveled warriors returned, they took the reins. Jura slew one of the skeleton mammoths single handedly, and they leveled. Lovis, Edna, Faris and Jura fought for days, and ten champions came out of the rifts over the three weeks.


    Jura hit level 125. Edna, Faris and Lovis soon breached Level 95. After the ten champions, there was a lull, where only lesser demons, the mobs came out. They died as soon as they stepped out of the rift.


    My roots attempted to synchronise with this rift, and I noticed theyve scrambled the magical resonance. It was no longer the same pattern, but a constantly changing frequency and pulse. Smart, and after a day or two of monitoring I thought I cracked at how they changed their frequency.


    My roots went through. I saw more demons. They noticed. The rift closed again just as suddenly, then we had another period of peace.


    -


    The demonic attacks became propaganda fodder for the 4 temples, at first. But then they soon shut up, when they noticed just how quickly we suppressed the demons.


    Kei was personally quite impressed at how the entire demon issue was kept under control. If every continent had an existence like yourself, the world would be a lot more peaceful.


    I then pointed at the states and lesser nations engaged in small skirmishes and wars with each other. Once you remove the big bad guy from the picture, those in power merely turn on each other. Its a form of peace, but conflict remains inevitable.


    True, true. Unless you want to mind-control everyone to submission.


    That would not be ideal. I may be a tree, but I sure aint no Eye-of-the-Moon.


    Yeah. Its silly. That said, Im no saint either. The Treeology priests and Valthorns engaged in massive social ventures to build positive reputation, and also not-so-subtle propaganda and emotional maniption. Just like the Four Temples, we too use a bit of carrot-and-stick, the stick being fear of life without us, the chaos of the times before. I wonder if Keis smart enough to notice.


    So, hows your trip to the other continents?


    Kei rolled her eyes. Well, its not bad. I see a lot of rebuilding in the Eastern Continent, all of which progressed quite well. Its been 8 years, but the scars still remain. Theres alsorge groups of refugees in the other continents that are stuck in limbo, struggling to decide whether to return, or stay in their new home, and face a different set of challenges there.


    Thats just life. My citizens have been through that a few times. Ive seen so many generations of refugees. The people of this world are used to it. The fluidity of their lives in something they are very well aware of.


    Im going to use my [heros forge] and make massive robots. Kei said, the conversation just went off in a 90 degree angle. I mean, after what Ive seen on the other continents, I think the world needs a lot more than just heroes.


    I paused. Seriously.


    Its possible, I checked. Ill need a lot of materials, though, so Im going to go travel again and find them. Ill be back for the demon king, though. Which should be in a year or two? Ill try to convince the other two toe too, if they arent too busy stuffing their dicks into their army of sluts.


    Language, Kei.


    Keiughed and left.


    -


    Tell me more of this void mana. Ste looked through the papers, records and magical books. Shes been here for a decade or so, and I think her confidence level is getting better. She still doesnt like to talk to new people, but shes veryfortable with me. At least, to her, Im that voice in her head thats been around for a decade.


    She is now a Level 40 [Courtly Administrator], and unlike the heroes, she had no star mana. She was therefore a good candidate, if I wanted to work on these void-mana shenanigans.


    Void mana was a way home, even if its extremely remote. I exined it at length, about how the rifts, but I did not speak of the zaratans. Her earlier sses had merged together, [Painter] and [Administrator], and for her to touch magic at this point is a great change.


    The risks of how the void mana can destroy the soul spring and all that, strangely, was not really a risk. If you are right, this void mana is pretty much a reset button.


    ... Well, yes.


    I get to lose all the stats and levels, and start over. Ste said. So, theres really no risk, unless I die, and thats rather unlikely because you have cured people with void mana curses before.


    She walked a step or two, then turned.


    Fuck it, Im in. Its either I get home, or I die trying.


    -


    Dabbling in void magic is quite like blood magic in some ways. It required magical formations, and alsoplicated chants. The magical records left by the mad-hero, Arsene Emir, documented his attempts to call on the void. Once we cross checked his history, it seemed that he died when defending his home from the demon champions.


    A hero shouldnt die to demon champions so easily. There must be something more, but most of those records are lost to the great Rottends disaster.


    Still, the magical tome of the otherworldly void was sufficiently interesting. It seemed, per Arsenes view, that void mana is ever present in the environment, and the issue was actually collecting it. In low quantities, void mana does nothing, and its reality-disrupting abilities only manifest when high amounts are present.


    In his own words, Arsene actually said that void mana isnt actually mana, but more of a reality-atom, that the world was actually held together by Void Mana. So, generating void mana was strangely easy, ording to his theory. Just spread mana to the general surrounding and let the mana dissipate into the world. asionally, this would knockoff one of the void mana.


    The difficult thing was actually capturing the void mana. Holding the void mana was difficult unless one had the right kind of item. The void mana would pass through almost all kinds of materials, and would disappear after a while. It was like trying to capture, bottle up bubbles, and hope they dont somehow break apart for long periods of time.


    Itll take some time. Or maybe I should just reuse the captured void mana batteries? But im not sure what happens if I do so, especially with the unknown inscriptions and patterns inside the batteries. Do I summon more demons if I do that?


    -


    Progress with ckstar gems and demonic hybrid core - none. Attempts to further refine tea to enhance mental-divine resistance - uncertain. Unable to test efficacy. We gave Kei various types of tea for her toment on, but again, she isnt really the best judge of whether the gods are meddling with her or not.


    -


    Research! Ivepleted the first stages of both the Wind-to-Mana and Waste-to-Mana research. The seagrass research also meant my knowledge of the surrounding seas is gradually improving, but the vast oceans still remain out of research. Seagrass research, for now, continues.


    For the Wind-to-Mana, Waste-to-Mana and Wave-to-Mana research, it increased the total mana output by a little bit, but so far, did not unlock a new color for my [soul forge]. Ive added a wide variety of new coastal species to my biological collection too, especially those that live mostly in the sea.


    It felt a bit like Im expanding in so many different directions, even with Trevor organising all my variousbs and artificial minds. With so many different types of mana, so many different types of new nts, weaponry development, research on runes and blood magic, it feels like Im scattering my resources throughout and hope some of them stick.


    I dont know what might work, and concentrating all my resources on just a few things only to end in failure is rather depressing. But this process of carpet-bombing everything also feels... cheap. Like I dont know what Im actually doing.

 Those who Fight For Tree

    Those who Fight For Tree


    <b>Year 155</b>


    The rifts opened again, this time, they went back to their earlier strategy of multiple rifts across the central continent.


    But we were getting better. My studies into the void mana and the daemolite had produced some useful information.The daemolite has a certain range of resonance with the rifts, that is mostly invisible, except when one has void mana. The daemolites ability to store void mana is actually quite good,pared to almost everything weve seen.


    The next point, really, is why?


    The daemolite left by the demon king on this world, does it serve a purpose beyond just a store of void mana? Or does the demon king need that void mana batteries to travel to this world? Or is there some other purpose?


    But anyway, our research into void mana and these void batteries made us more sensitive to the rifts, and so, I had about 4-5 hours notice that a rift was happening, and also their location. Its just a lot easier to find something when you know exactly what you are looking for.


    The Valthorns, Hytreerion and all engaged inbat over the next few months, the rifts now popping in and out. They barely stay open for more than a week, and would close as soon as my forces get near. If this isnt proof of demonic intelligence, I dont know what else is. They clearly have some way of transmitting information back to the homeworld, and are able to act on it. Thankfully, the type of demons remain the same. Its still the quasi-undead demons. Is there like some kind of facility in their home world that decides on the demonic themes?


    As the year went on, its increasingly clear that something big was going to happen. My sensors were going wild, and I knew exactly where it was going to happen. Of course, we had to be tuned in to that specific magical resonance to detect it. Im betting my money on this being the demon king, and he will appear in the Central Continent. Im quite sure of it.


    Immediately, I had that area where we detected the magical fluctuations cleared, emptied of all people, and loaded with all the magical traps and weapons. If a demon kings gonna appear on our continent, Im gonna hammer it with everything. I also started to flood the area with my [Giant attendant trees].


    This was my chance to test how long I can hold out against the demon king.


    Kei was on the way back from the other continent. The other two heroes agreed toe as well. It seemed to me that they arepelled to fight demon kings, even if they disagree with me, and have no love for the central continent.


    Perhaps, it is a requirement of the [hero] ss, that they must challenge the demon king.


    -


    Of course, my actions were not missed by themon folk, or the elite. I decided it was just right to be forting about it, so I informed everyone that the demon king will be on the central continent.


    Once again, panic.


    -


    Schadenfreude. Thats the feeling from the other continents and the temples. They delight in the fact that I will have to face the demon king. Damn them. Not that they can do anything to help.


    -


    I called on the kingdoms of the central continent to share their hero items. Many of them have a few, legacy of their founding heroes, or gifts from visiting heroes. We built bombardment stations, built around the hero items. We can prepare for this, and so we will. The hero items were all supported with massive arrays of mana-storing potatoes.


    If one doesnt hurt the demon king, maybe a few of them together can. Together with the heroes, Id hope to make this battle a swift one. After all, apes together strong.


    I even equipped Hytreerion, my massive tree walker with that Cannon of ntara I stole from the temples. Hytreerions massive mana pool meant he could support one hero item on his own, and to bolster his mana capacity, we also started research of mana-storage beetles. Mobile-mana batteries meant to augment Hytreerionsrge mana pool.


    These mobile mana-storage beetles started off as beetles with arge mana-potato grafted on their back. Over time, the bibs made improvements to the bond between these mana-potatoes and the beetles.


    Eventually, I even got them to explode if triggered in a certain way. Its a roundabout way of getting back to Beetle-banelings.


    Point is, I needed mana-storage, since the point is to create huge bursts of energy output. Weve also nted the entire area with modified potatoes, and charged them up with all the mana I could get.


    If a demon kingsing, I was going to blow it up as much as I can.


    Seriously, this is... really just camping at the spawn point, isnt it? What if the demon king doesnt spawn here? Kei admired my work when she arrived at the location. Weve built multiple fortresses around the demon kings spawn point.


    My rift attuned sensors did not detect any unusual changes. For now, all of them point here.


    But, sure.


    Can you help? I spoke to Kei. Your array of guns, are you able to ce them as fixed objects? Since I was quite certain where the demon king will appear, it is entirely possible to really break this.


    But is killing the demon king the answer? Kei asked.  We did thatst time, and all it did was lead to this point here.


    If youre not willing to help me kill the demon king, then help me immobilise it to a significant degree, such that we can repeat what happened.


    Kei thought for a moment and then agreed. This is pretty much trying to injure a pokemon so that you can catch it, but not too much that its dead.


    I got that reference, but I just continued. So, help?


    Yes.


    She spent about a month using her [heros forge] to set up multiple cannon arrays. But, her arrays are powered by her star mana, so for now, they are pretty much like single-use turrets that will expire once the star mana runs out. Still, with so many cannons, traps and weapons, Id hope to at least significantly weaken the demon king.


    When are your two friendsing?


    They said they wille once the demon king appears.


    Ugh. So glued to their harem.


    -


    So this is what moms been up to. Arlisa said. She had snuck out after I asked Lausanne and many others to help with the preparations of the site. She stood at the edge of the cliff and looked at the vast area now cleared into a battleground. The entire area, and anywhere with 50 miles was evacuated where possible.


    Overnight, towns and cities in the area were emptied, the people moved as far as they could. We hadrge convoys of beetles ferrying people from the towns and cities torge dedicated new-towns.


    What are you doing here? Lausanne, of course, could sense her daughter from a distance away. It also helped that one of Arlisas bracelets are enchanted.


    Arlisa jumped when Lausanne snuck out behind her, undoing her [Camouge]. MOM! Arlisa was about to flip. Wait. Why didnt I sense youing?


    Your [Detection] abilities are probably too low. Lausanne patted her 14 year old daughters head. Shes a level 34 [Ranger], and its considered slow when Lausanne herself hit Level 60s at that age. But, of course, Arlisa was also taking life a lot easier, and did not have to fight as many monsters as Lausanne did. Naturally, her level would be lower.


    Theres also a part of her rebelling by not following her mothers footsteps. When everyone expected her levels to soar, she resisted it. She imed that she was still trying to figure out her life and didnt want to move so fast.


    Now, you want to see what we are doing?


    Is the demon king going to appear soon?


    Aeon thinks itll be soon. This entire ce is loaded with formations, which... he isnt sure will work or not.


    Arlisa was worried, and her facial expression reflected that. Will you be fighting, mom?


    No against the demon king. Hopefully not. Jura is. Along with those who received the seed. But the rest of us will be helping to control the other demons that appear. Aeon expects the demon king to be apanied by arge army.


    ...I see.


    -


    The Valthorns went through the ns over and over. Kei, as the hero, was also involved. The moment the demon king appeared, we would activate all the weapons and traps against the demon king, and then only would Kei engage. One-on-one against the demon king is going to be tough, but the rest of us will y support.


    Everyone was in their best equipment. We moved our best anti-demon artifacts to the fortresses around Ground Zero. The signals we detected were increasing, and getting stronger. The tension in the air was rising.


    And yet the two heroes have not even left their continent.


    How long do you think we can hold back the demon king?


    Based on our calctions and data provided by past heroes, master... we should be able to suppress the demon king for at least a day. Our base case scenario varies, but the median is around 6 days. Patreeck modelled the potential battle, and 6 days wasnt great. The key is whether Kei can kill it. Based on our current data points, we should be able to take the demon king down by about 40-50%. Keis star mana would have to make up for the rest of the shortfall.


    Thats barring any cheap tricks.


    -


    I made progress with my various energy research. There was no progress for the ckstar gems, however. Still, the energy research did not unlock new color. At least, not yet. All it did was add more mana to the pool.


    Its fine. It was loading the entire area with more mana anyway.


    -


    Jura, Lovis, Faris and Edna were all Level 125. It seemed there was a natural limit for experience seeds, and that limit was Level 125. All the experience seed did not work beyond that point.


    Darn. I suppose you cant cheese your way to divinity through experience seeds. They had to earn theirst 25 levels.


    I also gave my 5th Soul Strengthening seed, this time to one of my Patreearchs, Priest Lumoof. He was a Level 85 [Aeonic Bishop]. Though he was old, he had a lot of support abilities, and I needed someone like that to support the first 4.


    Now was not the time to save on experience seeds, so I also pushed him up to Level 125.


    <b>Year 156</b>


    The demon king didnt waste time. The rift was massive, so massive that it seemed like the sky itself twisted.


    Itsing. Kei said from a distance away. We watched, as massive skeleton dragons and mammoths stepped out of the rifts. The champions of the demon king.


    Should we blow it up now? One of the Valthorns asked nervously.


    No. Only when the demon king is here. There were at least 50 of those champions, and I cant help but remember Harris describing them as fodder once they were at level 130s. They could destroy a champion in a single-star mana attack.


    The demon kings heads appeared. It was a massive skeletal serpent withrge reddish spires along its jagged spine. It had three heads, a three headed skeleton serpent, one head resembled the skull of a mammoth, one head resembled a dragon, and one resembled a cobra. Everyone felt it.


    Hold. Kei said nervously. This was her first full-powered demon king. Thest one was a dud. She instantly notified her two friends that the demon king had descended.


    Indeed. I got the notification the moment its entire body appeared.


    [Demon King Tigash has descended]


    Its three heads roared. The demonic champions, who surrounded the area, turned and charged.


    I feel a tingle in mywork. Fear. Everyone seemed to be caught in its aura and presence. Kei immediately stood straighter and activated her own star-mana form. It glowed like a lighthouse in the dark, and instantly, the fear subsided.


    Point 1. Demon King has some kind of fear aura.


    Point 2. Heroes have a natural anti-fear aura.


    Ready. I notified everyone to take cover. Its time for some explosions.


    All the hero items prepared in the entire area activated, and the first volleys of energy sts shredded the demon champions. The barrage of bullets, projectiles and beams from all directions, even Hytreerion.


    It was beautiful. It resembled Total Annihtion when I let loose multiple long range cannons, or those old videos of battleships going all out. The valley was filled with the sound of all the cannons and artifacts unleashing fury on the demons and the demon king. The 50 or so demon champions were destroyed quickly.


    After the volley, came the traps. The entire ground beneath the demon king glowed. Overcharged mana potatoes embedded in the ground, configured into a literal mana bomb, and the multiple explosive formations around them. Together, they would explode as one single massive bomb. The single explosion for the mana was sorge it could be heard a 100 miles away, the fortress braced for the shockwave of energy.


    The detonation lefta massive crater.


    Whered the demon king go? No. It was an illusion. We saw the three heads still floated, surrounded by massive skeletal shields. Those shields looked like they took some damage, and its body was gone.


    The eyes on the three heads glowed, and instantly we saw its body regenerate. It roared, and more champions emerged from the rift.


    Kei sprung into action. She could remotely recharge her arrays as long as shes within the area, so the cannons kept up the attack.


    I felt drained as the weapons and traps called on more mana, but this was the moment weve prepared for. Two to three years of preparation all for this single moment. We unleashed everything we could, as suicidal beetles loaded with mana potatoes on their back charged towards the demon king.


    One of the heads roared, and a huge red energy st torched the walls. We quickly activated defensive shields, but they didntst very long. The beams were as powerful as the heroes! Tower after tower, incinerated.


    These fortresses are a bad idea. We should have built them into the ground, instead of above ground! One Valthornmented. Which I agreed with. Tall fortresses were a stupid idea against demon kings with beam weapons. Naturally things above ground would be in their line of sight, and line of fire! I shall have fortresses built underground next time. At least the earth and dirt helped to absorb some of the damage!


    The artificial minds helped me reconfigure some of the magical weapon arrays, connecting them to fresh mana potatoes. We needed to keep up the pressure, as more demon champions emerged from the rift.


    Well take the champions, let Kei focus on the demon king. Jura, Edna, Faris and Lovis stood and charged in.


    One of the demon kings three heads, the one resembling a cobra opened its mouth and shot a huge spire-projectile. Where did such a projectile evene from? The projectile exploded into thousands of smaller spires, and those thousands of smaller spires transformed into small zombie-like creatures. They charged out of the crater, and attempted to reach the magical cannons.


    Beetles! Thousands of beetles emerged and met the zombie-army.


    The mammoth-heads eyes glowed, and all the zombie-minions glowed and gained strength. A buff effect.


    Jura hacked through hundreds of zombies and managed tond a finishing blow on a champion. Hytreerion too loaded up its mana beetles and shot another projectile. It impacted one of the demon champions, it staggered and then fell.


    It was pure chaos as the cobra head turned again, this time it shot a beam at Hytreerion. Shit It was too big and bulky. I activated all the defensive abilities I had, but it still tore through them. It knocked Hytreerion back by a few hundred meters, and made arge wound on its back.


    The mammoth head roared and a fire appeared between its tusks.


    The fuck is that. My sensors went wild.


    Keis multiple arrays fused together into arge cannon, and then fired a purple-and-white energy beam. It hit the Cobra head and the cobra head crumbled.


    The mammoth heads fire glowed, and in an instant the entire crater and its surroundings were charred with ck demon mes.


    It was a very familiar pain. The firest hit the surrounding weapon posts, multiple hero items were destroyed. We felt it as some of my subordinates died. Jura and the heavy rankers immediately dived to avoid the st, but Fariss staff was instantly torched.


    Kei had a magical shell protecting her. It glowed white, and she had suddenly transformed. This was the star-mana form. Now, she was the core and center of a massive magical weapons tform. Each of its energy sts were purple-white and contained huge quantities of star mana.


    It was a form Ive never seen, and I wondered whether she was still holding back? Or is this something that only activated when she faces a demon king?


    Yet, the Cobra Head, that we thought was destroyed, reconstituted itself.


    Master. The mammoths head, theres ten slots with six red crystals on it. Patreeck mentally shouted in my mind. I immediately zoomed in. When we nuked the entire ce, 3 of the red crystals crumbled, and just now, when Kei destroyed the cobra head, one more crystal turned to ash. Its a life-counter!


    Theres six more lives. Kei, those heads can regenerate. You need to knock them all out at least 6 times. I suspect 9 times in total. They only stopped regenerating if they were out of crystals. I quickly exined the details as we kept up the pressure.


    The dragon heads turn to glow, and it shot multiple beams.


    Master. Bad news. Rifts opening across the continent. Treevor repeated. At least fifty.


    Fuck. Most of my high leveled guys are here. Beetles and get everyone not upied. Activate the adventurers and the local militia too. I still had a few guys. Horns was not involved in this conflict since he was too low leveled, but he could help with the other sites. Lausanne, need you to take a team and get to one of the rifts!


    Yet I couldnt distract myself from the conflicts throughout the continent. I felt my entire body tingle, like static, as if I was right next to a lightning storm. The dragon-head roared and dragon-headunched more energy beams. These beams behaved more like strings than beams, and it destroyed a few more fortresses.


    Kei flew and weaved between those strings like a pro, but even then, she got hit a few times. The arrays took the damage for her. It felt like watching a touhou game. The dragon-head released multiple slow-moving floating energy-mines. These were like explosive wisps, and they went in all directions.


    Aeon. What do we do? Edna shouted as she hid in the ground together with Faris. Were pinned down and we cant get close!


    They had a few shields up, but they didntst very long. The mes burned them easily. It seemed that either the demon kings mes are not really mes, or my resistance just got nullified before the king, or Im still too far.


    There were about 30 demon champions left, and the demon king traded blows with Kei. The King concentrated on Kei, and focused its attacks on her. Honestly, the rest of us are just distractions for the two true titans.


    Keis attacks filled the skies, and her barrage of star-mana bullets took out demon champions easily, 2 shots, and the demon champion was destroyed. But that was not her objective! She wanted to attack the demon king but these champions kept getting in the way!


    ck-firest iing! I alerted the engaging forces, as we noticed the mammoth head had a small spark of fire between its tusks, again. This second shot incinerated my beetles, and a few more arrays.


    I got mental notification that a few of the arrays are ready. I had to shoot, or they might get destroyed.


    Go Go Go!


    Right next to the demon king, my Giant Attendant Trees were nothing more than firewood. Its energy beams ripped through the trees like they were a piece of thin scrap paper. It was a mistake to ask my elite forces to engage in this battle, as they scrambled to flee for their lives.


    My mistake. Next time I wont field anyone less than Level 100. Anyone less than that is nothing more than a liability. Its true that they could help with the demon champions, but with the demon kings attacks, I couldnt even protect them. The demon king clearly didnt care for its own subordinates, as it shot beams that incinerated both ally and foe.


    The demon king was beyond them, truly. The traps and the cannons were infinitely better choices.


    Kei. Can you push the demon king to the marked spots? I asked. We had traps made in the surrounding area as well. We were prepared to nuke this entire area to smithereens if we can take out the demon king.


    Am trying. She responded as she dodged wave after wave of magical bullets and beams.


    Her attacks managed to hit the dragon-head and it crumbled! 5 crystals left! The rift abruptly closed behind the demon king. There were no more champions, as Keis projectiles and the few arrays took out the remaining champions.


    It didnt take long for the dragon-head to start regenerating. But it was enough to buy time. As Keis array transformed into massive mirror structure and temporarily deflected the demons bullets. The sudden shift hit the Cobra-head and it too, crumbled after five or so star-mana hits.


    I quickly attempted to create multiple giant attendant trees around the demon king and used my vines totch onto them, when they were still regenerating. There was only the mammoth head now. My vines grabbed on to all of them and I tried to drain them of mana.


    I heard a voice in my head when that happened. <i>Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee usssssssssssssssss.</i>


    [Mental incursion detected. Blocking... sCraMb---]


    [Excessive demonic mana inwork. Expelling...]


    Fuck. Fuck. Not now. Patreeck and my domain stepped in and blocked off the attack.


    <i>Pawns... </i>The voice was legible now. I felt it in my head. Shit. Shit. <i>Pawns...</i>


    Master we couldnt block all of it. We must detach. We must disconnect the vines. Patreeck shouted in my head. Its in your head!


    <i>Pawns... </i>I saw visions of their homeworld again. It was a massive purple world. <i>Long ago. Before the vers. </i>Massive, purple, and they were giants. They were all monsters and their cities were massive canyons. Monsters. A primitive society.


    <i>Fight the vers.</i>


    More visions,rge, massive cities of giant monsters. Then... a beam of light.


    Keis energy st weaved through the trees and hit the immobilised mammoth head and it too crumbled. All three heads abruptly twisted and fused together, and in an instant, those giant attendant trees were vaporised, along with my vines.


    The link to my mind broke, and I was knocked out of the vision.


    In its ce, the three headsbined, turning into a single-head with three faces. The dragon, the snake and the mammoth. Was that some kind of symbolism? All three mouths opened, and it shot out huge red beams in all directions.


    Faris was too near! Still, he kept attacking the demon king, his attacks made small, tiny cracks on therge three-faced creature.


    One of the mouth turned to face Faris and shot a red beam. It happened so, so quickly, and he was too near. Faris was caught in the red beam. He was vaporised instantly.


    [Faris has died.]


    <i>FUCK!</i>


    Retreat! I screamed mentally, but it was toote, really. The red beam was crazy powerful. My shields were nothing more than paper before a flood. This power was above and beyond whatever data I got from Harris. When we simted the past demon kings, my shields still managed to weaken the power of the attack, but this was easily three to four times stronger.


    Jura shook his head. No. Were this near, and were this close. Its either we win, or theres nothing left for us. He threw a magical spear. It hit the demon kings face and caused a tiny crack.


    Keis star mana st managed to hit and it knocked a big chunk off the demon kings three faces.


    It traded defense and hit-points for power. Patreeckmented in my head, quickly summarising that its defensive stats are probably not that high. Its also a rtive thing. To Kei, yes, its totally a ss cannon, to us, its still impossibly tough. Its a ss cannon.


    With 10 lives. Not exactly a ss cannon. Still, my eyes were locked on Jura and Lovis, both attempted to get closer. Lovis threw a few magical spears at the demon king from her location, and it did just tiny bits of damage too.


    Not anymore. Theres only two red-crystals on its mammoth-face.


    The demons energy beam and the beam from Keis array had a sh of powers normally seen in anime. The two energies met and had a short tug of war but eventually, Keis purple-white beam lost. The demons power pushed through and Keis array was destroyed in another big explosion. The beam was so strong it even burned a straight line for about 10 miles, I felt like a line of trees just vanished from mywork.


    Kei was alive. She managed to dodge sideways but she had lost an entire limb. Blood streamed out of the charred parts. But she stood. Alive and defiant.


    I immediately sent vines to surround her, and attempted to heal her. At this distance, my root strikes would be weak, but whatever. I unleashed all I could, and summoned multiple giant attendant trees again.


    The Demon King roared and ck mes instantly torched my root strikes. One of them hit the demon king and caused a little more cracks.


    ...not yet. Kei said, my vines now wrapped around her entire body. Her arm was lost but my vines quickly applied healing energies to suppress the wound. She lifted her other hand, and her body glowed.


    Her lifeforce and soul was flickering. I could sense her entire soul spring cracking and crumbling, even the marbled hero-blocks.


    Ten magicalrge projectiles, they resembled armor-piercing rounds appeared in the air, made of star mana. This was it, as all of her mana left her body. Her body now felt like an empty shell. If this didnt work, the demon king would win. A flick of her finger, and all ten massive magical rounds flew towards the three-faced demon king. The demon king roared, its three-faces unfurled like a book and took the attack head on.


    The projectiles exploded on impact, each explosion was small, but they were dense with star mana. Each shot resembled a mini-nuke on its own.


    There was a short moment of suspense as we watched the dust settle.


    It was not enough.


    When the dust settled, there was still one face. The mammoth face was still there, cracked and weakened, there was no crystal left on its head. This was itsst life too.


    If only the other two heroes were here.


    Kei... fainted. Her life force flickered and faded, she was weak and dying, even if I managed to suppress the bleeding. I called on my mana to heal Kei and supported her, but I could sense her soul spring crumbling...


    The demon kings movements were sluggish. Its face were filled with thousands of cracks and it roared.


    Keis anti-fear aura faded away.


    I froze. I had shbacks of that very first time when I met that demon king, and I remembered how it chopped off my trunk. It felt like old wounds had suddenly reappeared, their wounds that I thought had fully healed just red up. Old pains and wounds just burned suddenly, things I didnt even know I had.


    What do I-


    Master! My artificial souls voice broke me out of my shbacks.


    Then, I saw Lovis and Jura both charged at the demon king. Somehow they were unaffected. They were equipped with anti-demon spears andunched an attack together. Their weapons glowed as they used everything they had at the demon king.


    What are you guys doing?


    <i>We have a clear shot.</i> Both of them mentally responded, even though I sensed and shared their fear. I didnt know whatpelled them to even try for the demon king. Their spears crash into the demon kings skeletal face. The cracks on its face glowed. Its a familiar look. Things Ive seen in dreams.


    It was going to blow. mes shot out in all directions.


    <i>Why do they always blow up.</i>


    Fuck get the shit out of there!


    I quickly extended my vines and attempted to drag both of them out of there, and used my vines totch onto the exploding demon king. If I could drain some of its energy, the explosion may not be so big.


    I wrapped my vines and roots around Kei, she was too weak to move in her half-dead state, and used my vines to haul her away.


    Jura and Lovis ran as fast as they could, I madeyers afteryers of wooden shields. Everything. I made Giant Attendant Trees too, by the hundreds.


    I pulled and tried to drain as much energy out of the demon king as I could. My vines wrapped around the demon kings cracked faces many many times, and my entire body was temporarily flooded with the demon kings mana, but it wasnt enough. The mammoth-face still detonated, and instantly, there was an explosion just as big as my traps. ck, blue and red light cut through my vines and all my shields, and it was as if the void itself was here.


    What could I do? Wait. Teleport! My Star-mana Ropeway! I wanted to activate my teleportation ability to save them, but I had used all my star mana. The explosion was too quick, and my subsidiary tree was charred before it evenpletely spawned.


    The ck-ish energies exploded and caught Lovis, Kei and Jura. I tried to shield them, but the energies attacked my roots too, and it incinerated them instantly. The energy felt like a shockwave of radiation, and it interfered with my roots, vines and trees ability to regenerate.


    <i>Fuck!!!!! </i>I was far away, but if I had a human heart, it was like watching a tragedy unfold before my very eyes. I felt it sink. I wanted to deny this reality. No.


    Jura was closest to the demon king, and the impact of the st was strongest on him. Even with all the shields and power I could muster, it was nothing before that King. His entire body was pierced by the light, and charred by the explosion, and he copsed.


    <i>Jura!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</i>


    He died, even though my vines tried to reach him. I tried and tried to create shields, and I saw Jura activated his familiar to shield himself too. But the explosion was too strong, too dense.


    The notification I dreaded came in.


    [Jura has died.]


    FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK! I mentally yelled.


    Lovis managed to escape a little further, but it wasnt enough at all. Just like Jura, the demonic rays pierced through and charred her body, and she died within seconds.


    [Lovis has died. Aeons Demonyer ss was released.]


    Kei was much further away when the radioactive shockwave hit. It tore through theyers of wooden vines, and I felt the rays pierce through the wounds. But at the same time, I thought I felt a strange flow push back at the demonic radiation. Something equally powerful, if not stronger.


    Yet, I got a strange notification. [Kei has died. You have received a fragment and a Titan Soul.]


    Then I looked at her again, her body had fused with all the vines. Her heart is beating, my vines had entered her body through her destroyed arm, to keep her alive. She was no longer human. Only her face was left intact, but her body had... melted into this strange part-crystalline, part-treevines structure. There was a heart in there that was still beating, I could sense it with my vines.


    It was no longer a normal heart. It was... a crystal? The crystal copsed instantly and formed a cocoon made of crystal and a huge tangle of roots within.


    What happened? I asked, then one of the artificial minds flooded my mind. I saw the explosion rip through Keis body, but then, she glowed. A part of it crumbled away, and a part of it remained that pushed back against the wave, like how a maosphere deflected a sr re. In that process, the shockwave caused her body to shift and change.


    [Demon King Tigash has been destroyed]


    [Due to your excessive contribution in the fight against the demon king as a non-hero, you have been granted a special experience multiplier. You gained 27 Levels. You are now Level 197]


    [Jura has bequeathed the skill - Warlords Barrage. Skill absorbed into Root Field. Root Fields upgraded to Fields of Death]


    [Lovis has bequeathed the skill - Spear of Destruction. Skill modified and changed to Roots of Destruction]


    [Faris has bequeathed the skill - Vine Control. The following skills have been merged. Healing Vines, Constrict, and Absorption to Root & Vine Mastery]


    I... I couldnt. I couldnt check the rest of the skills. I had to pause for a moment and consider what had just happened.


    So I didnt. Ill get back to the skills the next time.


    -


    Oh. I died. Juras spirit appeared in my soul realm the next day. So did Lovis and Faris. I figured that would happen. Ill disappear in a few months, right?


    It was a strange feeling to see him there. ...Im sorry. I shouldnt have put them through that. But against the demon king, could I even think of holding back my best fighters? No.


    Jura shrugged. Im d I did it. To fight a demon king and managed tond a hit to finish it off? If thats not going out with a bang, what else is?


    Lovis agreed.


    Thank you both.


    Jura smiled. Im d we still have these few months to say my goodbyes.

 Bitter Treeiumph

    Bitter Treeiumph


    <b>Year 156 Continued</b>


    Edna stood in the ruined battlegrounds, it was now filled with deep gashes and cuts, most of it from the damage left from the demon kings numerous beams. We couldnt even find Fariss body. The beam had vaporised him, and whats left was a few trinkets that were not caught in the beams.


    ...Life remains so frail. She knelt and touched the dirt. She saw it first hand, when the beams burned through the air. So frail before the demon king.


    Faris was Ednas closest friend. They were peers for over so many years.


    And now... She touched the ground. The dirt and earth in the entire area was magically charged. It was something I would studyter on. The demon kings magical st also transferred some of its qualities to the remaining dirt that was not destroyed.


    Jura, is a spirit in my soul realm. So this is what its like to see things from your point of view. Jura though, seemed really rxed and free. I have always wondered what its like to be a spirit.


    Do you want to stay in this world, Jura? Ill find a way. He had a few months.


    Jura shook his head. Id like to see whats beyond that, please. The death promised to all elves who died with their spirit trees. Let me just say goodbye to those who I cared for.


    This meant the original elves. and the Valthorns that he personally trained. Many were in a way his closest friends and family, even if not rted by blood.


    We died gloriously, but no big state funerals, please. Jura said.


    There will be one, for all who died in this war. I wanted to insist. There were many others who died, and they deserved a proper burial. Its the first time anyone has participated in arge-scale battle against the demon king.


    It was a sombre event. Throughout the continent there were many battles, and there were deaths there, too. Thankfully, most rifts were rtively low-risk, with only less than 5 rifts had demon walkers or demon champions. After the destruction of the demon king, we quickly redirected our attention to those demons.


    But theg meant death.


    Rtively speaking, it was good for us. The central continent lost about 100,000 people to the demons, most of them when one of those demon champions got close to one of the cities or towns. Low, rtive to the huge numbers lost on the eastern continent. Throughout the entire war, about 200,000 was lost. Again, good numbers, good numbers.


    Yet the death of Jura, Faris and Lovis felt really personal to me, especially Jura.


    You really want to go? Im sure I can figure out something. Perhaps a soul contract or something to keep him here.


    Jura just nodded. I think its time. The next generation can take over my ce. The young Valthorns, many of them have great potential.


    No. Please reconsider.


    Jura shook his head. Aeon, youve done so much for me and I am grateful. Weve fought many battles together, and achieved much. To see Freeka grow to New Freeka, only to lose it, and then rebuild as Freshka has been wonderful. These few decades were incredible. But Ive died, and I would like a peaceful passing.


    I sighed mentally, but I think he could feel it. Very well. I will dearly miss your presence by my side.


    Theres still a few months.


    -


    Many of those who died in the conflict actually appeared in my [soul realm]. Some would stay for days, some for months. Often, its their own choice. Using abination of Patreecks mental powers and my own [soul realm], we used it to grant special mental audiences with the dead.


    Its a special ritual, the priests called it themunion of the passing, for those who remained to say and say so much. Many though, did not want to die.


    I felt a little selfish and hypocritical then. I would go to great lengths if I can resurrect Jura, but for the rest of them, I wouldnt. A [soul contract], made before death, wouldve been an easy resurrection solution, since I can redeploy them as something else. Yet, I felt for young orphans whove grown up and lived almost their entire lives as my swords and shields, to drag them to service again through [soul contract], is exceptionally cruel even for my standards.


    They have given me one life as my weapon, and they would return experience, skill seeds and level seeds when they die through the familiars.


    For the general popce, it was a sense of relief that the demon king disaster passed by so quickly, in about a day. Perhaps, this was the fastest weve ever killed a demon king, because we could predict where the demon king appeared.


    If the demons intelligence is real, the next time wont be so easy.


    -


    Kei was not dead, but the system thinks she is dead. It was incredibly weird.


    Her body was entirely a mixture of crystal and vines, like an overgrownboratory. This is not what I expected. She looked like a golem. A crystal golem.


    She lost her [hero] ss when the st happened. It stripped her of all her sses and levels, and she was... temporarily level-less. Then, because the healing happened simultaneously as the demon kings st stripped her soul of all her soul-bricks, she didnt actually die even as the loss of all her levels somehow made the system think she died.


    My friends think Im dead, right? Kei said.


    Most likely, if they get the notification.


    Then lets keep it that way.


    Ah. Shit. This meant the advantage has just shifted to the heroes again, now that Keis lost all her hero powers. They most likely wont believe that this golem is her either. Shit. Am I going to face the crusades, next?


    How do you feel? I asked the golem. She shrugged and moved. The first few days after the battle, I thought she was dead. After all, thats what the notification said, and it had never been wrong before.


    The heart kept beating. Pulsing. I thought it was just residual energies that caused it to beat. Then she moved after a few days, and talked. Kei looked around, right now, she was in a resting area within the Valley of the Unrotten. I wasntfortable letting her wander around in Freshka. Not yet, anyway.


    Surprisingly fine, even if this body needs getting used to. Kei was incredibly nonchnt about the entire transformation. If anything, I suddenly have a rity of mind that feels amazing. Her golem body was mixed with organic elements within, and anyone whoid their eyes on her would immediately say she is an abomination.


    Really. Consider the implications that the system could be wrong. What else is wrong, then? Also, the demonic st was able to strip a person of their soul and levels. If so, could I replicate it to ultimately free the heroes from their traps?


    Im now a Level 1 [Bio-crystalline Construct], with no sses. Do you think this is just a copy of my soul, and the real me is really dead, or this is really me?


    Theres no true answer for that, is there? I could see that she still has a soul, but if most of a soul has been stripped away, is it really still her? It reminded me of the ship of Theseus problem.


    Good answer. Keiughed mechanically. I should gain levels. Can you help me?


    Certainly. I secretly guided Kei to a patch of the Rottends, where she can fight hybrids.


    -


    Edna had gained levels. She gained 14 levels from the battle, so she is now Level 139 as an [Aeonic Grand Knight]. She is stronger, and yet at the same time, she is cursed.


    Aeon. How do you do it? To watch our friends perish? She was actually trying to cope with her own loss. Faris and Lovis were her friends, and as fellow Valthorns, they were really close knit. Ive lived with certainty that my friends would survive. Drunk on our own immortality...


    When you are a level 100+, and its normal to feel like youd never die.


    I honestly have no good answer for you, Edna. Jura is my most loyal warrior, and he had served at my side since the days when this valley was a vige called Freeka. His loss and his presence will be something I keenly feel for decades, perhaps even centuries toe.


    Edna nodded and wept privately. We all lost a friend. This struggle against the demon king destroyed too many friendships and rtionships. When you told us you wanted to stop the cycle, I honestly thought I understood it. But only now do I see and feel the real cost of this struggle.


    It will be a path paved with the blood and bodies of our friends. Victories all have a price. I said, despite my own struggles with Juras death.


    Edna didnt reply and continued to cry alone. An hour or soter, she responded. Well... if I stopped now, Faris and Lovis wouldve died for nothing, isnt it?


    Indeed.


    Faris, Lovis and Juras spirit watched that same conversation. Faris just sighed. I felt like I died like a chump, though. Just a bad position and the deathray just killed me. How does one even stop such things?


    Lovis nodded. I think there must be a way to strengthen our body such that we can resist it. At least, we should be able to survive it.


    Jura nodded. That explosion at the end was extremely disgusting. To think that a demon king almost always self-destructs when it is defeated. Well, almost all demon kings self-destructed. We should have prepared with some kind of instant teleportation ability.


    Faris nodded. Yeah. The next generation of Valthorns must have the ability to perform instant-short range teleportations, and also super-enhanced senses. There are skills that can grant the ability to temporarily supercharge ones senses and reaction time.


    Strangely the 3 dead spirits were a lot more analytical. Perhaps, now that they are dead, the best way they can contribute is to think about how to prevent their own deaths.


    Edna was back to work after resting for two weeks, and then she had a session of mentalmunion with Faris and Lovis.


    -


    A part of me felt numb. Ive always known that as a tree, I would eventually outlive everyone around me. A magical tree that does not decay nor age, but only growsrger and more powerful over time, it is inevitable.


    > Always. One eventually turns detached. Friends eventually be just tools. To lose so many, so often, one learns to draw lines. <


    At that moment a human part of me resisted. No. No. I must have courage to constantly make friends and trust them. If I be more like Lilies, eventually the Valthorns will just be numbers on a battlefield. I would be nothing more than a general, safe in ones nuclear bunker, pressing buttons.


    No. I didnt want to be desensitized to this. I wasnt prepared to lose what little left of my humanity just to aplish this goal of stopping the cycle. I am already a murderer and yer of thousands, enver and mind controller. To lose even friendships and trust, thats just the next level.


    Even viins need to have people that they can trust. No. Great viins all have people that they can trust.


    > Time, and cycles. Cycles, repeating lives and conversations. <


    I paused.


    > It hurts too much to see those who have fallen, in those that still lived. LIke a widower who sees a woman that looked like a splitting image of their deceased wife. <


    I sighed. Maybe Lilies has a point. But I believe I should try. I owe it to those who lived to give them a chance. I cant just wallow in grief and never move on. No.


    I will trust and I will make new friends. Even if I will have to suffer and watch them die eventually, it is only right I continue doing so. <i>A tree survives disasters and storms, and still blooms when springes. The scars did not alter its will to live and love.</i>


    -


    Once the state funerals and about a month had passed, I was finally prepared to revisit the huge wall of notification that I received.


    I gained 27 levels and I am now Level 197.


    [Due to your excessive contribution in the fight against the demon king as a non-hero, you have been granted a special experience multiplier. You gained 27 Levels. You are now Level 197]


    [Jura has bequeathed the skill - Warlords Barrage. Skill absorbed into Root Field. Root Fields upgraded to Fields of Death]


    [Lovis has bequeathed the skill - Spear of Destruction. Skill modified and changed to Roots of Destruction]


    [Faris has bequeathed the skill - Vine Control. The following skills have been merged. Healing Vines, Constrict, and Absorption to Root & Vine Mastery]


    [Level 190 - Domain Skill acquired : Court of the Deitree. Court of the Deitree has a 50 member limit. Possession of the Devoted now merged with Court of the Deitree.]


    [Those granted the Court Familiars gain abilities simr to those of the Devoted. Court of the Deitree does not require star mana.]


    [Those who served never truly die, their abilities are recorded and retained. Jura, Lovis and Fariss abilities and skills are elevated as Zealots of the Ancestree. Court members function simr to Familiars. Youve gained the ability [Summon Court]. Court members can be instantly teleported to your location without any mana requirements, with no use limits and restrictions. Skills of those who died with the Court Familiars are absorbed]


    [Level 180 - Domain Skill Acquired : Natural Dungeons]


    [Grants ability to trigger new dungeons. Each dungeon must be powered by either a leyline or magical formation of equivalent power. Dungeons are not subordinates and are mostly independent, but you have some influence to control their difficulty level and strength. Each dungeon generates rewards and monsters based on the chosen difficulty and strength]


    [Active Titan Soul capacity increased to 5]


    [Root Strike significantly upgraded. Root Strikes and Super-antidemon root strikes merged and now all automatically have anti-demonic effects]


    [Healing abilities significantly upgraded. Vines now can perform instant-healing by touch.]


    [Wooden materials significantly upgraded. Strength of all wooden items made significantly upgraded and gained passive skills]


    [Giant Attendant Trees defensive abilities and force projection significantly upgraded. Giant Attendant Trees now able to recreate up to 66% of Aeons original strength over long distances]


    [Familiars significantly upgraded. All familiars gained additional skills and abilities. All familiars are now Greater Familiars.]


    [Bibs and otherbs significantly upgraded. Allbs now are significantly more attuned to demonic energies and rift-rted energies]


    [Overall physical defense and magical defense significantly increased. Demonic Curse dispelled]


    It was a long one, but ultimately its still numb to me. All these abilities were achieved with the death of those close to me. And was it worth it? These abilities enhanced my strength and defenses.


    There was something extremely bittersweet of receiving powers like [Court of the Deitree], which would have allowed me to save Jura, Lovis and Faris. Its like having the ability to close the stable doors after the prized horses have left the stables.


    Yet its clear that during the battle, Keis magical powers did at least 60-70% of the damage.


    Regardless, these small steps all lead me closer to that eventual day.


    -


    The rest of the Central continent had some reconstruction to do, and privately, our intelligence services indicated most of the other temples were amazed how quickly the demon king was defeated. Yet, despite Keis death, there were no concrete ns for a continuation of the crusade. Just rumors and discussions.


    I wonder what changed on their end.


    Lausanne and Laufen were both most affected by Juras death at the battle. They spoke to him too via the mentalmunion. Arlisa only sparred with Jura a few times, after all, her training was mostly conducted by her mother. To her, Jura was that uncle that seemed to mostly apany the crazy tree.


    Yet, Arlisa too, witnessed the destruction wrought by the demon king. The craters it left behind all still had residual magical energies, and alreadybs are in full swing, conducting research.


    Lausanne tapped her daughters head as she guided her through the battlefield. She wanted to see what happened to all the traps and fortresses, and she was greeted by the hellscape.


    Thend will heal. Aeons powers would soon undo all the wounds of the earth. Which is why you must see it now. When the wounds are fresh and the earth is torn asunder. Lausanne said. The magical residue was gradually being cleaned up. Beetles hard at work, they dug and carried them back to thebs for studies. Those of us who received Aeons blessings are more sensitive to thend, we can feel the subtle flow of the energy in the ground, the same way a druid could. If it scares you, hold my hand. Lausanne assured her daughter.


    Are all battles like this? Arlisa was both impressed and fearful. It was quite a sight, and the terrains energy meant the weather was just as chaotic. Storms and thunder seemed perpetual, and I could feel my own mana wrestling with the unsettled air.


    When the opponent is a demon king, yes. But this is a lot moremon. Even demon champions can deal huge damage. Weve seen things like this back in the Eastern Continent. Lausanne spoke, and she remembered her own time in the wastnd that was the Eastern Continent.


    You fought them before? Arlisa suddenly seemed really impressed at her mom.


    Only the champions. Lausanne said. Never the King.


    But Uncle Jura did.


    Yes. Lausanne said. If the other heroes were here, maybe he did not... She couldnt finish the sentence.


    Can Aeon fight the King? Arlisa though, quickly switched the question.


    Lausanne paused for a moment. I dont know, Arlisa. Maybe, maybe not. Unlike us, Aeon cannot move himself to face the demon king head on.


    Then theyll have to lure the demon king so that Aeon can smack him?


    Lausanne smiled and patted her daughter. Now thats an idea to think about.


    If we ever face a demon king, what can we do to survive? She wondered.


    Honestly, unlikely. You may not even be able to run, since its attack range is clearly very far. She pointed as the gashes in the earth, which stretched for miles. Even the hills in the distance were not spared. There were many destroyed forests and trees in the area, often from a stray energy beam, or a deflected projectile that exploded.


    Then well just ept our fate? Arlisa looked back at her mom. Lausanne nodded.


    Pretty much. Unless you are someone like Uncle Jura. He died a hero, a true champion of Freshka. But his path is not for everyone.


    Arlisa the little rebel frowned. She was underleveled in many ways, at least,pared to the Valthorns of her age. Already there were young, uing Valthorns just about 15, or 16, that had reached level mid 40s in their chosenbat profession.


    Still, she watched the ruins, all the fortresses, so strong and sturdy before this, ttened in a single battle. All those magical traps and hero items activated, and it was still insufficient. The destruction truly hammered in how small she was in therger scheme of things.


    Without levels, one has no say in what the world can throw at them. Without levels and skills, we are justmbs for the ughter. Lausanne said quite frankly. Our world today is changing thanks to Aeon, but should he fall, the world will revert back to its original state. One where might and power makes right. Aeons overwhelming might today is what grants the lesser ones a choice. Without his vast shade, what we have today is not possible. One day, Ill take you to the other continents, there you will witness what the world is like without an overwhelming presence like Aeon.


    Arlisa merely nodded.


    They had a rest at a makeshift rest stop. The Valthorns had set up multiple viewing points, since there clearly was an interest in disaster-tourism.


    Lady Lausanne, what a coincidence. There were not the only visitors. Many nobles too came to see the destruction. Some hoped to see daemolite, but somehow this demon king did not leave any behind. Those in the Fresnds Treetiary college even organisedrge tours for the students to see the destruction for themselves.


    Ah. Lord Kraveik, what luck.


    The tree lord smiled. Fascinating, isnt it. Even though it does pain me to see thend in such suffering. The treefolk could feel the damage when they walk, their exposed feets have little feelers and roots.


    He turned to face Arlisa. And you must be Arlisa?


    The young girl nodded.


    Taking in the sights, too? Lausanne asked.


    Yes. How many lords and kings can even im to have seen the site of the demon kings death? If anything, this is an experience unique to us! Kraveik smiled.


    Lausanneughed. Indeed, it was heaven and earth, ifpared to the vast destruction of the Eastern Continent. Here, the nobles are talking about tourism. Arlisa merely listened as the nobles continued their conversation. Even if her mother said she wasnt a noble, no one would believe it. In the eyes of the entire continent, her mother was a member of the nobility and perhaps, even as close to a continent-wide royalty.


    -


    Thanks for fighting with me all this while, Jura. I said one day, I could sense that his soul would soon move on.


    He just smiled. Its not too bad. Casshern once said, Deathes to us all, but for some earlier than others. Oh tree spirit, take good care of them, those who still lived, and in your Court of the Deitree, truly, elves that die with their spirit trees, never truly die...


    May you have a blessed life. At this point, his heart was already set, and I was not going to hold on to him forcefully. Forcing a soul to do what it doesnt want to do, outside of [soul contracts], is something quite against the nature of soul and spirit trees.


    Im blessed enough, TreeTree. The heights Ive reached, the battles I fought, few can even speak of. Im sure Faris and Lovis feel simr.


    He bowed in my soul realm.


    I remember I knelt that day when I returned to Freeka. I returned expecting to see nothing, and how this tiny vige has gone through so much change. Destruction, and then reconstruction. There will be more change, but I know they will have you to guide them.


    I felt sad. Maybe it was that tiny fragment of humanity left in me.


    Goodbye, Aeon.


    May we meet again, in your next reincarnation. In the long run, we will all meet again.


    Indeed.

 Splicing Roots

    Splicing Roots


    <b>Year 157</b>


    Jura departed, along with many others for their onward reincarnation. Their souls will go on and rejoin the world, eventually. But my mind still swirled with the conversation we had before we left.


    <b>-</b>


    Why did you attack the demon king at that time? Did you feel like it was something you wanted to do?


    Lovis and Jura thought in my soul realm, and shrugged, Im not sure. At that moment, it felt like it was something we should have done. I knew I had a shot, and I just took it. I didnt think of it that much.


    I see. Darn. Is that should-have-done some kind of demon-king influence? How do I separate what they did as whether truly their own free will, or some kind of godly influence? How was Jura and Loviss action different from Kei when they met the weakened demon king?


    -


    Maybe we will cross paths again. The world keeps reincarnating everyone. Those who died will take new forms, but forget everything. Maybe hes already reincarnated as a baby in the central continent, and I wouldnt know it either.


    The day immediately after he left, I felt... lonely. It was strange to lose his presence, and in some ways, was just as bad as that time, when I was trapped and imprisoned by the demon fire and corruption.


    We will be here for you, master. My artificial souls reassured me. I felt simr sentiments from the trees, everywhere. Theyve done this many times, when I felt down and unsure. I sometimes feel that my identity is clearer during these periods of loss.


    I know. But time for grief is over. With the demon king killed, weve merely reset the timer, and theres a lot to process. I believe its quite unlikely for the demon king to appear in the same continent twice, consecutively, but then again, its quite obvious there is some intelligence on the other end, so they may choose so.


    Regardless, preparations must continue. Based on that single sample of demon king battle, weve observed that hero items are clearly super effective. Explosive area-traps are also very useful and can deal some damage to the demon king.


    So, the directive to the rest of the continent is clear. We needed a lot more high-density magical munitions. Things that I can stack together, or use as projectiles would be great. My anti-demonic weapons were useful, but somehow, against the demon king, their effectiveness was just average. If there were bombs loaded with anti-demonic weapons, that may be a way to mash them together.


    Either that, or the demon king itself isnt a demon-element, thus it did not feel or suffer any weakness from anti-demon weapons. My gut feels this is the most likely case, that the demon king is unique and different from the rest of its spawn.


    After this battle, I also feel that depending on the anti-demon advantages I have to carry the day feels risky, it''s entirely possible that the demon king can adapt and have changing elements, just like some overpowered pokemon, or the spawned demon king just has specific resistance. Thus, generic weapons should be more sessful in the long term. Ill also can rely on this arsenal against any rogue hero that decides toe my way.


    -


    Edna was stronger, and firstly we noticed her stats gains had elerated. Her 14 levels effectively tripled her overall strength. It seemed my earlier theory was not correct, the catchup to the heroes triggered a lot earlier, at Level 125 onwards. That said, even with these levels she is still behind the heroes.


    Her movements were quick, even faster than Jura and the best of the rangers, despite being a knight.


    This kind of power is surreal. Edna said privately. If she was anywhere mad, the utensils around her would break, and the ground itself would crack. If she stomped the floor, it would break too, unless I reinforced it. Her shield abilities too had shared in her growth, but those abilities made her feel... bitter.


    The same way I rted to my new [Court of the Deitree]. Bittersweet. But no matter, its time to test it out.


    The [Court of the Deitree] essentially allowed me to award special familiars to up to 50 members, and these 50 members are each like the Possession of the Devoted, with a wide array of extra perks. The best perk is the retention of abilities from past warriors, and 50 members meant I can keep the best abilities of 50 of my best warriors. One of them kept about 10 of Juras best skills.


    At least, I wont have to totally start from scratch even if I lose those that I helped to level. In Ednas case, she wanted Loviss skills. She thought the mix of Loviss offensive skills would be a greatplement to her current defensive abilities.


    Oh... I get a [Lady of the Court] familiar! Edna said, and briefly activated Loviss spear skills and she was able to move and attack with the exact pose as Lovis. After Edna used her move, she just stood there for a moment, quiet. She muttered something to herself, so quiet I couldnt hear it. But I could tell its a feeling of gratitude.


    -


    I have something to discuss. Yvon asked one day. Ive seen the strength that Edna now possessed, and Id like to know whether its possible to remake us in that manner.


    Huh?


    I mean... its an open secret that youve been helping them gain strength, and I dont know how its done, but Id like to know whether its something that can be done for me.


    I was puzzled by Yvons request. Shes at Level 70 as a [Training Tree].


    I want to fight. Ive trained so many and hoped that my training is enough when the timees. But after Ive heard of the battles against the demon king, I feel an urge, a calling within me to fight once more.


    I didnt answer. I didnt know whether I should.


    -


    Kei had gained about 40 levels in 1 year. She adapted quickly to her new form as a crystalline golem. At level 30, she evolved, and the crystalline golem was taller, more refined and more flexible. Now, she could look like a crystal statue and her colors could change.


    I honestly like this body. She said after a battle with hybrids. I have not started the whole dungeons thing, not yet, anyway.


    Really? Why?


    Its just a feeling. Like... Im more aware of my body, and I can change it if I dont like it. And I feel like a million bucks. And Im shiny like a diamond! Sheughed.


    Did she just try to joke?


    I mean seriously. I can sparkle like Im so fancy, like yknow, a vampire.


    Vampires dont sparkle.


    Yes they do.


    No they dont. What are the kids reading these days that vampires sparkle? Unless they are golem-vampires.


    She paused and seemed to think about it seriously. They must be blood-crystal golems then, since they need blood to replenish their strength. I didnt want to continue this conversation, its getting absolutely retarded.


    Lets not talk about sparkly vampires. Your friends, theyve not said anything, or made any pronouncements since you died. Well, sort of. Why? Are you guys close?


    I thought we were. Kei said, she made that I dont know pose. But I guess Im out of their strike zone so they dont care anymore. And weve been apart for years, pretty sure the rtionship between us isnt tight anymore. Weve drifted apart, pretty much.


    Really, are friendships really so weak and brittle? I mean, to be fair, for highly mobile and powerful individuals like them, rtionships are difficult. Everyone else treats them like they are someone to be feared, or someone to be obeyed. Equals are a rare thing, though to me, I guess Im lucky I have been meeting those that I do consider my equals, like Lilies.


    I dont know. I guess were just not that good at being friends. Weve been sent here together and friends out of necessity and convenience. I honestly feel you are a better friend than they are. Truly. Kei said. Even Astia feels like a better friend, as aloof as she is.


    -


    Speaking of Astia...


    Attempt 494. She said, as she swirled mana before her eyes. She was surprisingly determined when she actually got down to it. In the past few years, she gained 25 levels as a [Mage], and her focus is attempting to touch Void Mana. Anyone with a brain would put one-and-one together and surmise her performance must have something to do with her [Late Bloomer] ability.


    Level 25 as a mage is pretty low, of course. It makes her just slightly ahead of an apprentice mage who are normally around level 10-25.


    Void mana was both hard and easy. Controlling and containing it was extremely difficult, but easy enough to generate, if one did not care for ones own health. So Astia had numerous visits to the [soul forge] for repairs.


    Home is a great motivator.


    Indeed. Though I dont have much there, I still feel like I have a duty to return. At least, with this, I have the choice to return.


    What if its a one way trip?


    Then I will have to live with it. But thats a bridge I will cross when I get there. Astia, or Ste kept practicing. At night, she would sleep and use my [dream academy]. She seemed to be really into this whole [mage] thing, but it took time for magical studies to pay off. Magic is such a broad and deep subject, that mastery takes a long time for mostmon folk.


    -


    Its a lot harder to develop [ocean grass] than I expected, and the clear problem was theck of sunlight. Is it still a nt, if a nt does not depend on sunlight and perform some kind of photosynthesis?


    One of the easier shortcuts is to go the way of Lilies, which meantrge floating tforms with roots that stretched all the way down to the ocean floor. But the ocean is also home to massive waves and typhoons, and the monsters that live in the oceans are huge. The seafarers bring home tales of their ventures on the high seas, of giant leviathans and krakens, of ancient sea creatures.


    For now, I concentrated my work on expanding seagrass to most of the continental shelf, thend where the seas are somewhat shallow, and light can still reach the sea floor. Already Ive made many discoveries of sunken ships and other various hidden treasures. Theres nothing quite like a constantly growing seagrass to truly scan the sea floor for sunken items.


    So, as the development kept going, I had a very pleasant upgrade.


    [Giant Attendant Tree variant added : Seagiant Trees].


    This allowed me to add giant trees on the shallow seas, and more variants to my trees too.


    [Bibs upgraded : Sea-variantbs added]


    There were more to see in the seas. Fishes, monsters, and even insects. New types of sea-insects, sea-crustaceans, and also all kinds of nts.


    There was a patch of sea where the continental shelf extended a little further than the norm, and the seagrass expanded on this path. Then, my [roo] met something new.


    [....foreignthoughtsdetected.]


    There was a growing intelligence in the mass of sea corals and algae in this part of the sea. An emergent sea-spirit simr to Lilies in a way. It was young, and I could tell because it was incoherent and a mess.


    Master.... Should we block it out?


    Not yet.


    My seagrass expanded even more, and we had more contact points with that sea-coral-reef-spirit. It transmitted thoughts.


    Sea. Roots. Tendrils. Fish. It felt like it was trying to learnnguage, and we responded with words. This went on for months, as it transmitted more thoughts. During this time, my seagrass pretty much encroached on the entirety of the reef, and I got close enough to use [Inspect].


    [Reef Mind]


    Oooh. There were no details to it, other than the name. I spoke of this to Lilies, and they were rather interested.


    > Then I must speak to him. <


    I didnt know when Vasira the Zaratan would return, I recall that their sense of time is somewhat distorted by the travel between worlds. For now, I keptmunicating with the Reef Mind. Perhaps it will soon speak to me.


    -


    I also returned to focus on the hybrid demon-nts in the Rottends. Now that Ive seen what the world of the demons looked like, I wanted to prepare myself for an eventual war on their homnd. Perhaps one of the ways to end this conflict for good is on the other side of the rift.


    If I could stop them from creating the rfits for good, or push the battlefield onto their world, thatll prevent the demon kings from evering to our world.


    To do so, Id have to find ways to establish a foothold on the other side, and have a force that can stand up to the might of the demons on their homeworld. Ive seen from the few raids that the power levels of the champions are significantly stronger on their homeworld, probably due to some kind of magic there, and also perhaps to the weakened, dried state of my trees and nts.


    Now, at the hybrids, Im looking for drying-resistance, if theres such a word. Things that can endure a dry, arid environment.


    I contemted whether its a good idea of even upgrading beetles to adapt to such an environment, but Horns, typically, was a massive advocate of the beetles for all environments. He insisted that beetles can be adapted to fight on the dry worlds.


    Personally, I was thinking of cockroaches. Mainly because the idea of insects in a dry world just reminded me of that cockroach on Mars manga. But I suppose beetles also could do.


    Its a set of research I have to do secretly, since making nts and insects more demon-like will probably ring all the wrong kinds of bells among the general poption.


    I think its a good idea, but the portal shoulde first. I shared the idea with Edna, of course. She was the only one left of the four. Taking the war to their homeworld would avoid a lot of the problems, but personally I think maintaining an open portal will be the biggest issue. Else, any force left on their homeworld is on their own and its a death sentence. We need your support and presence if we ever step foot on their soil.


    Its likending a ship on enemy territory.


    On that front, Im still working on the void mana. But progress is slow.


    -


    Mom.


    Yes? Lausanne turned to face her growing daughter. They were home, then.


    Have you ever thought of stepping into Uncle Juras shoes?


    Sometimes. But Ive decided not to.


    Aeons searching, right? She said as she munched down her breakfast.


    Of course. If you know someone, do let me know. Im sure Aeons interested. Arlisa frowned at Lausannesment. Your ssmates, perhaps?


    Ugh.


    Arlisa was finally enrolled in the Fresnds Treetiary College. She initially had a stint with the Valthorns, but due to her rtively low levels and rebellious nature, Lausanne suggested that she try the college instead.


    My ssmates probably cant kill a fly.


    Oh? Lausanne smirked. I had the impression that the nobles from the outer rings all hadbat experience, either on the high seas, or against the hybrid demons.


    Nah. No way.


    You seem to think very little of them. Thats not a good attitude to have, my dear. Lausanne shrugged. Youd be surprised how quickly people can grow and level under difficult circumstances.


    Arlisa paused. ...nah. Theyre not good enough.


    Well, you never know. Lausanne smiled.


    If you say it that way, why search? Anyone could do it. Arlisa protested.


    Not everyone desires it, and has the right personality for it. Some things are not about talent, but more about choices and desires. Whether they want to step out to fulfill that role.


    -


    Its true that after the death of Jura, Faris and Lovis, there is a gap in the pinnacle of the Valthorns. But the Valthorns is a vast organisation, and they are in every sense of the word, a professional army with an even more elite chosen.


    There are already many other Valthorns with upgraded sses in the level 70s and lower 80s, that now I have to test and train, to push them higher up to their limits and to achieve level 100. More candidates to vet through.


    Most of these are from the existing training programme, essentially my child soldiers, as abhorrent as that sounds to those from Earth. But we cant apply thews of a world without magic to one with magic, at least, not totally. To these soldiers, this is a career, a legitimate, well paying career that can get them out of poverty.


    If one believes everyone has different talents, it would not be a stretch to say some people are just meant to fight, and are good at it. That sort of talent is diminished back on earth, where everyone is relegated to operate in a capitalist society.


    With my new dungeon ability, I also have additional ways to test whether these Valthorns are able to perform at higher roles.


    Essentially, my new ability meant I can spawn dungeons where there is an unused leyline. I dont have a lot of control over what happens inside the dungeon, and no control over the monsters either. But, I can decide their challenge rating, essentially whether these are level 20, level 40, level 60 or level 80 dungeons. The quality and strength of the leyline also affects the max level I could go.


    So far, the best ley line I found can go up to level 70. I thought whether I could hack into the ley line and make it even stronger, perhaps with a runic formation. Thatll be something to experiment on.


    In any case, a Level 70 dungeon actually spawns a dungeon-boss at level 80, so thats not a bad challenge for the existing Valthorn elites. From the adventurer circles, normal dungeons rarely go past level 70, and those are considered difficult dungeons. But there are some rather special dungeons where there are monsters in the level 100s, but most of them are lost to time.


    -

 Dutrees and taxes

    Dutrees and taxes


    <b>Year 158</b>


    The peace we have today is one won by blood. Edna exined to the young Valthorns. The order we have today is held together by the bones of those who fell defending it. Peace demands blood. Order demands bones. The question is simply, are you ready to give your blood and bones for the cause.


    The entire blood and bones analogy was a little too much, and felt a bit like a blood mage or a necromancer trying to win others to their cause.


    But it seemed to work for hot blooded young folks. Even the naturally calm treefolk seemed taken by the whole sacrifice schtick. In every generation, in every batch, there is a mix of dispositions, some more reserved, some more passionate.


    As the one they would ultimately fight for, its my role to identify those whos fire will keep burning, and burn brighter for decades toe. Based on what Ive seen so far, theres no real clear personality indicators to suggest which type of person will remain passionate and loyal to the cause for years toe. Instead, what we noticed is loyalty tends to be umted over the decades via little events, and events that increase loyalties for some individuals, do not increase them for others.


    The young ones all practiced, and Edna adjusted their pose. I asked her to help with training, simply because they would just naturally level faster when someone of a significantly higher level is advising them.


    Renewal is a constant, neverending affair. Just as a deciduous tree repeatedly grows after each winter.


    ss, today, we have Roon and Evin, two of our senior Valthorns! Theyll be providing guidance on archery, and fighting with weapons!


    Students grow and turn to teachers. Teachers change. A new generation takes over, hopefully, better than the ones that came before.


    Roon, is a Level 64 [Aeonic Sharpshooter], and Evin, a Level 61 [Champion diator]. Edna introduced them. They were just as nervous as the kids. Roon was once among them, 15 years ago. Somehow, to return and be one of the teachers was a stressful affair. Kids.


    Edna patted them both on the back.


    Youll do fine. Just rx, have a cup of herbal tea if you need it. She smiled at the two younger folks. Roon is a typical elf orphan, while Evin is a female half-dwarf who capitalised on her exceptional strength to win multiple arena battles, thus earning the Champion title. The Valthorns are allowed topete inpetitions, but only a limited number. So internally, within the Valthorns, there is a minipetition before they even get to participate.


    This is because we didnt want to flood everypetition with Valthorn Initiates, with our dedicated training and high levels. Yet, we do want a presence in thesepetitions where there arerge spectator groups, so we want our good candidates to perform well and help improve our reputation. That said, our best-of-the-best never participate, and there is an internal rule that only those below Level 50 can participate inpetitions.


    I do think its a bit silly, but if the level ofpetition increases in the future, the level cap will be revised ordingly.


    The two new trainers were ufortable at best. It was hard to connect with young children, it took effort, and practice to know how to speak and get young kids to listen and do things. Even if the Valthorn recruits were already a preselected crop.


    -


    The dungeons opened, and the Valthorns attempted them. The dungeons have some rules, despite the domain powers. For example, my view of the dungeon is always dyed. I can only see what happened after each teampleted their run of the dungeon, whether they failed, or they seeded. Secondly, I can tweak the dungeons settings, but I have no ability to use my powers inside the dungeons.


    Its like I have a RNG dungeon generator, and Im ying an idle game where I send teams out on expeditions and hope they seed.


    Patreeck was quick to generate a mathematical model though. After like 10 to 20 rounds of attempts, he already could estimate the chances of sess for the dungeon, based on the squad strength.


    -


    The return of dungeons to the continent also brought a new lobbying group. Adventurers.


    We wish to petition Aeon for ess to the new dungeons. Adventurers wanted dungeons. After the borders were loosened, there actually was a brain drain where adventurers left the Central continents for the other continents.


    This was simply because there were no dungeons, and if there were no dungeons, adventurers had little chance of striking it rich by fighting a dungeon and earning a high tier reward. They were nothing more than monster hunters. Dungeons were a crucial element in the adventurer ecosystem, and previously, the adventurers had to suffer in silence, since, well, the borders were closed. They were not going to get themselves killed by travelling to a continent that killed anyone that came from the Central continent.


    Not anymore.


    The guild masters were quick to band together and demand the dungeons for the adventurers. Or at least, shared slots where adventurers could attempt those dungeons for themselves.


    It was a point I discussed with the Valthorns consistently, and after a while, we had a carve-up system.


    Certain dungeons were marked at Valthorn-only, and certain dungeons were free-for-all. Valthorns were free to join the adventurers on raids, and form their own parties.


    A 15% tax on all earnings is too high. The Guild masters then shifted onto issue of taxes on dungeon-rewards.


    25% was the initial number, I believe. Kavio walked.


    The guild masters gulped but then presented that theres actually at least a twoyer tax. Under most local and regionalws, dungeon earnings were subject to taxes at the local nation level. That meant adventurers had to pay a tax to the local state, and also to the Valthorns.


    Higher profits will allow the adventurers to get better gear and fight better. If Aeons goal is to get strength, please, consider supporting the adventurers in their pursuit of personal growth.


    I was rather torn. The taxes helped support the Valthorns, and the Valthorns do have a lot of spending. But I also agreed that for folks that risked their lives for money, a high tax does feel like bad taste.


    We rmend a door tax. A per-entry tax. The guildmasters naturally preferred a t tax, since all the potential upside rued to the adventurers.


    Kavio looked over the proposal. Well submit this proposal for further discussion.


    -


    Were running at a marginal surplus at the moment. The Chief of the Valthorns financial and ounting records was Chancellor Brandak, a Treefolk Merchant turned Lord. He was the fourth treefolk [Aeonic Lord] after Kraveik, but soon found a home in the massive Valthorn machinery as our de-facto CFO.


    The Valthorns bookkeeping function was frankly a mess as we expanded quickly, and we had revenue sources throughout the entire continent. Compiling ie and expenditure reports on a continental scale was a challenge, and continued to be a challenge. This was despite my [artificial souls] monitoring all the transactions throughout the continent.


    Simply put, there were simply far too many transactions at any given day, for artificial minds to keep up with, and over time, their role shifted to that of auditors, where they merely observed the practices of the Valthorns on a sampling basis. Theplexity of revenue had also increased, as with the multipleyers of taxes and jurisdictions.


    Brandaks advise seemed to concur with the guild masters. It would be administratively easier for us if we just impose a door tax. That way, we dont have to calcte the adventurers earnings and participate in the highly subjective matter of valuing artifacts and salvaged equipment. As it is, we do spend quite a bit of money maintaining valuers and appraisals.


    Kavio, was on the other side. Marginal, Chancellor Brandak. We could use the money for more recruitment.


    A reasonably higher door tax would pretty much equalise our take from the dungeons, without the need for valuations. It would not be significantly lower, and the chances of high tier equipment is so low that its better to let that be the adventurers shot at the lottery. Let them have their winnings.


    One of the councillors wondered. Is this rted to that report on adventurer emigrations a while back?


    Actually yes. Kavio nodded. Theres the issue of adventurers preferring work on the other continents as they had far better oues with dungeons. Monster hunter is a stable but not very lucrative job, but adventurers are all, in their hearts, looking for that moonshot.


    Does Aeon have a view on this? Another of the councillors asked. There are some councillors who just preferred to go with everything I decide. Bootlickers.


    Aeon has decided to abstain on the matters of taxation. Brandak responded to the floor.


    Cant we just override the local authoritys right to tax dungeon earnings? One councillor from Freshka asked, which was swiftly mmed by the councillors from the respective kingdoms. None of the kingdoms wanted to give up their own rights to the tax ie, yet, if the Fresnds Federal Authority shifted to a door-tax mechanism, most kingdoms will naturally follow, with their own rates.


    I mentally spoke to Brandak and Kavio. Ill leave this matter to the both of you.


    They argued for two months, with multiple hearings and consultations with the adventurer guild masters, as well as some passionate views from certain kingdoms, and eventually decided to go for a vote. That resulted in a door tax.


    Then came the next part of the dungeon-squabble.


    Councillor Kavio, wed like to submit a petition for at least one dungeon in the Kingdoms of A to be converted to a public dungeon. Well, there was a tax inequality where dungeons reserved for Valthorn use did not generate tax ie for their host kingdoms.


    Honestly, this entire debacle just reminded me why I hated bureaucracy with a freaking passion. It was a chore going through the numerous interested parties. I felt like being stuck as a project manager with different opposing stakeholders that refused topromise.


    I could, of course, steamroll this entire thing through.A few more months passed by. The councillors were pretty much bombarded with lobbies and petitions. The issue of dungeons had a whole lot more vested interests than I thought. Merchant groups who traded on dungeon equipment, crafters and workers who supported and supplied gear to adventurers all lobbied for public dungeons. Valthorns all used Valthorn-supplied gear, so their spending in the local cities are usually lower than adventurers, on a per capita basis.


    Thus, Chancellor Brandak came with a proposal.


    We propose all dungeons be public dungeons, but all dungeons will have three months per year where the dungeons are exclusive to the Valthorns. All existing public dungeons will be rolled into this scheme. All dungeons will have a door tax proportionate to their difficulty. There will be no tax on Valthorn use of dungeons.


    Fine.


    -


    These dungeons are cool. Kei said, after she explored the dungeon as a golem with a group of Valthorns. Right, Ikka?


    Ikka was one of the unfortunate Valthorns that are stuck as her escort. Shes a level 55 [Grand Knight]. Yes, Kaide.


    Kei had a new name, Kaide. She wanted to distinguish herself from her old self, and also, help keep her secret identity safe. Very few people knew she was a hero.


    Are these dungeons normal? Kei asked Ikka. Ikka shrugged. I mean, fifteen floors seem a bit overkill for a dungeon, and I really liked that big boss fight at the end, and the miniboss fight.


    Theres... a miniboss?


    Yes. A few, in fact. Theres usually a miniboss at the end of the floor, too. Good for levelling, really. Its almost as if the dungeon read your mind, Aeon.


    I wonder whether thats just my will spilling into the dungeon-system.


    How frequently can you change the settings? Honestly, none. Once I set the settings, the dungeon is locked, unless I destroy the dungeon. I cant even set what kind of monsters can appear. My artificial minds helped to build a register of the dungeons and their monsters, but even then, the dungeons do spring surprises every now and then.


    The dungeons are intentionally not letting me into their inner workings, beyond a RNG and challenge setting. For a domain ability, this felt... kinda annoying. I cant.


    Oh. You cant even tweak what happens inside, right?


    Yup.


    Hmmm... I think its because the levelling system requires genuine danger. The special dungeon experience multiplier only applies if theres actually lives at risk, I suppose. Kei spected.


    Special dungeon experience multiplier...? What the hell is that gacha raid shit?


    Kei paused. Oh. Maybe you dont know, but when I entered dungeons, at least, when I was a hero, I could see I had a passive experience gain buff. I dont see it now, but I think the buff is still there. All dungeons have a thing where people gain levels faster when they struggle in them, I think.


    What.


    Wouldnt be fair if you could tweak dungeons, and still enjoy the passive experience multiplier, ayy?


    Fair? If they want to talk about fairness, start with why in the flying fuck do heroes get overpowered level gains? They can reach level 100 within one year. ONE YEAR. Theres no such thing as fairness when ites to gods and heroes. If they can stack the game and load the die, why cant I do it too?


    Kei paused. Did I say something wrong?


    I didnt reply. I still stewed over the concept of fairness.


    -


    Aeon, are you mad that Im cking? Arlisa asked one day. She... wasnt the best student, despite her clearly blessed intelligence and natural talent. Somehow, she was blessed with martial talent that exceeded most, but here she is, cking and dodging sses.


    Do you want me to be? I didnt want to push the responsibility on her. As far as I can tell, achievement cant be forced, all you can do is offer opportunity. For Valthorns with nothing, they would naturally grab all the opportunities they can get. Arlisa, thus the spoiled 2nd generation, had the luxury of time and nobility to waste it. Its sad, of course, but at the same time, that only meant I excluded her from my ns.


    I dont know. Mom keeps telling me about duty and that because I am blessed, I should live up to it. I mean, I feel like I did enough, though.


    Her behavior was familiar, like the clever kid in school that studied just enough to do well, and then spend the rest of her time ying or doing other things.


    Thats why I wanted to ask you.


    Many others on the continent would give up a lot to be in your privileged position. Whether you live up to your station in life, is up to you. Its very fortunate that Lausanne is an elf, who would live very long lives naturally, its a safety very, very few have.


    I knew it. She sighed. All this following the footsteps of my mother is annoying. I want my own life.


    Your life has always been your own.


    I mean, I want to be able to choose the direction of my own life.


    That has never been taken away from you. Whatever choice you make, it will just factor into the bigger picture.


    Thats the problem, isnt it. Arlisa frowned. Even if I have the ability to choose whatever I want to be, the gears of the world will move against me. So, only certain choices are realistic choices. In that case, am I really able to choose?


    It seems you are thinking far too ahead of yourself, my dear Arlisa. I responded. Are you cking because all the choices scare you?


    She paced in her room, and then sat down. Thats... a very good point.


    -


    You can create dungeons? I wonder why no one ever presumed to ask why so many dungeons appeared suddenly throughout the continent. So, when I discussed the matter of dungeon configurations with Edna, she seemed really, really taken aback by it.


    Uh. Yes. It is a new ability I gained.


    She was stunned. Everyone seemed to think that perhaps the God of Dungeons was suddenly magnanimous, so dungeons reappeared on the central continent.


    I see. Of course, me being me, I told almost no one, except Kei, about my abilities. I would have told Jura, but, well. It seems I may have erred in my decision on this?


    No. Wait. That meant all that squabbling with the kingdoms could have been just ended by telling them that the dungeons are all your creations?


    I had the impression they were aware.


    No. They were not. They guessed, but it was just a suspicion, and certainly creating dungeons is a level of ability that they didnt think you have.


    <i>I find theirck of faith in your abilities, disturbing. Requesting permission for mind-attack.</i> Patreeckmented.


    <i>Denied.</i>


    Should I say so?


    I mean... uh... I dont know. Its a strategic decision at this point. If you could essentially hold the kingdoms at ransom by creating or removing dungeons... Edna processed it.


    Ah. Thats a good point. ess to the wealth of dungeons as a form of economic leash on the kingdoms is a very good way to keep these herd of catspliant.


    We should discuss this with a wider council.


    -


    Chancellor Brandak, Councillor Kavio, more senior Vallhorns, the Treeology Patreearches, the highest Lords and Kings were there, and of course, it was pretty much an earth shaking announcement.


    Aeon gained the ability to cause dungeons to appear, and the recent Dungeon Spring is entirely due to Aeons prolific use of his new ability.


    A diplomat was quick to disy the risks of this news going out. In the holy text of the Gaya church, it is mentioned that the powers of creating dungeons is one that is vested in the Lost Gods. By association, the Gayan faith will therefore consider Aeon to be one of the Lost Gods, the traitors who opened the astral way to the demons.


    Then we must be quick to counter such beliefs. A Patreearch said. Our faith is independent of the other faiths, and so our Gods powers should not be linked to the text of another religion. I am of the view that the priesthood should go out and sing praise of this new power.


    People die in dungeons, and that did not change. These dungeons, created by Aeon as they may be, remain a dangerous ce. One of the Lords had another opinion. Associating Aeon with a ce that causes death will make Aeon seem... cruel. Even if those are risks that the adventurers knowingly signed up for.


    That was also... a good point. Creating this ce of death has reputational risk.


    In the history of our allied nations, there have been some Kings who had skills that improve a dungeons characteristics, or improve its levels gain and such... One of the local Prince exined. Indeed, Kings have all sort of generic improvement skills, some of which, target the dungeons in their territory. Such skills are not been associated with the Lost Gods, if one even believes in such hogwash.


    This particr local prince was a product of the FTC, and as such, has rather aggressive views toward the outside religions. Kinda ironic, when we are the ones that disced those religions.


    So do we tell, or not tell?


    I eventually decided that this was something to be shared among the leadership team, but not to the general public. They all swore an oath that day to tell no one outside that room. They should know my abilities to some limited degree, at least, I want to begin this process of forming a cohesive top-level force, and I can do that with only a reasonable level of trust.


    Well see soon enough if the trust is reciprocated.

 Stem the tide

    Stem the tide


    <b>Year 159</b>


    The next demon king wont be here. Edna said confidently. Based on historical records, so far theres only been two incidents of sessive demon kings in the same continent, within the past 500 years.


    Its actually not that low, isnt it? 2 consecutive demon kings imply 4 demon kings in the same continent, and every 10 years meant 50 demon kings in that period of time. About slightly less than 10%? At least, thats what my primitive mind suggested.


    Not the best chances, and can still happen. Edna, thanks, not a g I appreciated having.


    I dont think Im that unlucky. Edna responded. Edna was merely trying to convince me that we still have time. Our research and development for stronger, more powerful magical bombs and weapons was making progress, but still too slow to really tip the scales.


    In the past 2 years, weve started training more [enchanters] and more pidarists], to buid stronger, more powerful magical bombs. Its funny that Im back doing what Harris was doing.


    Back then, he wanted huge crystalline matrixes to store my skills. Now, what Im trying to do is huge crystalline matrixes to store bombs. Bombs. Lots and lots of bombs. Bomb research tied in with my ongoing hexbomb research, and the idea of a clean hexbomb.


    That felt like a dirty word, the idea that theres such a thing as a clean hexbomb. As if the twisted tangle of soul fragments, things made via blood sacrifice can be clean.


    My regr process of harvesting souls also generates soul fragments. I dislike the term harvesting, since as a soul and spirit tree, my job is actually to facilitate the transfer of souls to the unknown, for them to reincarnate in life. Increasingly though, Im now curious what actually happens after sending them off.


    Anyway, thats another thing to study. For now, soul fragments of the dead are what I use to make artificial souls and minds. To fuse them in a way that makes a bomb, while still clean, is really one of the oxymoronic challenges, because my very nature as a soul tree and spirit tree is really to repair all these soul damage, not find ways to corrupt soul fragments into bombs.


    We resumed experimenting on the soul fragments, and set uprge mana batteries around the Valley of the Unrotten to do so. Dabbling with soul-rted matters still required a lot of energy, but not as much as they used to. It seemed that my naturally higher levels and domain abilities contributed to a discount.


    We attempted a few different kinds of research. One of which was to manually stitch the soul fragments together, and figure what shape creates what sort of effect. We know for a fact that hexbombs are imperfectly connected soul fragments, but why? Is it the irregr shape, or type of connection, or the base nature of the fragments? Do the type of fragments matter?


    At first, I thought it didnt, but then as the research continued, its quite clear there are some differences in the nature of these fragments, especially in the type-of-death. If so, thats a bad sign because the power of blood magic is then inherently tied to the nature of its sacrifice, that the fragments must be made in this manner to generate that level of power.


    I believe it''s possible to separate the emotions from the fragments, but if the emotions are the fragments, then...


    We reviewed our experience clearing the hexednds, and it took a lot of brainpower mainly, to disentangle the hex. I wonder how did that work, that drawing out the negative emotions so that they can dissipate, does that actually support the view that the emotion and fragments are separate, or was it both?


    At the same time, its a known fact that some extremely traumatic deaths can generate ghosts and haunted monsters, and so, are those ghosts and haunted creatures simrly a product of that persons soul fragmentation on death, and those fragments then transformed or created a ghost?


    There had to be something. Death and blood magic must be linked.


    -


    Arlisa went on a tour of the cities and ces of the Central Continent. Despite being an average student due to herck of effort, she was enthusiastic at the opportunity to get away from her parents.


    You seem very keen on travelling to the other cities, Lady Arlisa. A fellow student around her age said. Arlisa theoretically should have graduated, but she decided to stay on. The Fresnds Treetiary College does have a core sybus thats aimed to replicate the 4-to-5 year university experience, but there are a lot of optional subjects, and even the core sybus changes year on year.


    Arlisa nodded. Yes, Irkania. The group was mostlymoners. Most of the noble born students had their own continental tours already, but the Fresnd Treetiary College wanted to recreate a simr educational exposure for itsmoners, so they had a tour arranged. There were other nobles too, most of them less wealthy. Still, there was no shame in the tour, since many of the academic team participated. Ive wanted to visit the coastal cities for quite some time.


    Did you participate inst years tour?


    I didnt. Arlisa shook her head. I wanted to but something came up.


    Ah. Irkania was a lizardwoman, from one of the riverine towns. They were rtively rare previously, but a few decades of stability helped their poption to regrow. Have you ever been there in the past?


    No. Maybe my mom took me there when I was a small tiny girl, but I cant remember any of it.


    They both smiled. Well, I was hoping that you knew your way around. Ive got to visit some rtives and pass them some souvenirs. But I guess Ill just have to keep walking around and ask whether theyve seen any lizardpeople.


    Arlisa chuckled, and made a joke that would be inappropriate in more socially developed societies. So the whole stereotype is true! All lizardpeople are connected!


    Irkaniaughed too. Well, to some extent. We are a small species. Truth was, they were once moremon, their cities were centered around the swamps of the indkes. Most of thosekes and the swamps were ttened when Sabnoc blew up. So, whats left of the lizardpeople that went on to reim their lostnd all came from a small pool of survivors and outlying viges.


    They benefited greatly from the Valthorns Social services, especially the [incubation pods], specialised [childcare centers] and nutritional tree saps. Young lizardlings were frequently starved of nutrients and it seemed they have a rtively low survival rate. It was also particrly troublesome as infant lizardlings were pretty much animals and had very monster-like aggression, their sentience and awareness seemed to just pop up when they passed their 2nd year.


    In the case of lizard young, it was particrly important to prevent their lizardlings from escaping. Their society has a very strange rtionship with their children, to them, the sentientless children were monsters, and their own people have no qualms killing the young lizards if they were exceptionally aggressive. To them, a child is only a lizard child when they gained their will and intelligence. Before that, monsters.


    They also have no concept of parents, and practiced a case of pooled upbringing, where everyone contributed to raising the newly sentient children. Everyone was pretty much rted, and the females would deposit any fertilised eggs in a central location in their vige.


    Till this day this was something I have not been able to process, that they are able to have that emotional distance from their spawn for that first two years.


    Cousins?


    Yes. Everyones a cousin, or an uncle. We do have our own words for it though. Irkania smiled. The lizardpeople repoption programme was one of the few sess cases on the Central Continent, but one we rarely talk about. Lizardpeople generally face a little more discrimination than others, particrly because lizardpeople prefer to work and y at night. Daytime they are often observed to bezing about, and thus they have a reputation as beingzy. Still, they are one of the best night-time guards, and are very good counter-assassins, thanks to their extremely keen sense of space and movement. But I believe they are two generations before us.


    Ah. Each vige a family, each generation a batch. Arlisa nodded.


    The tour was arge one. Easily 500 students in this batch. For themoners, they were split to about 6 different batches, so that everyone would get their chance for the tour. The academic staff would rotate to participate, along with a group from the Valthorns and the Treeology.


    Thergest beetles were used as transport, after all, once all the other support staff was included, this tour was a 1,000 strong tour. Entire inns were reserved for the tourists. It spoke of Freshkas evolution from a town no one knows to the Spiritual Capital of the Continent. The soft and hard power it now controlled.


    The sea. Arlisa spent about half an hour by the sea before leaving. A little disgusted.


    The seas the same everywhere. Irkania said. The ports too. Forever messy, and filled with the smell of salt, rotten fish and people who didnt have showers for weeks.


    I thought lizardpeople dont shower.


    We do. Some of us. Irkania smiled. Were you expecting something different?


    I dont know, actually. Arlisa said.


    Maybe what you need is space. Away from whatever that kept your mind upied. Perhaps your mother?


    Arlisa shrugged. Perhaps.


    -


    Communications with the reef mind continued, and progressively, I began to feel like its mind was forming up. It no longer felt like it was a clueless thing wing randomly. The images and scenes it brought up were all new, different, and it repeated, as if getting confirmation.


    About 2+ years since we made contact with the Reef mind, it finally attempted its first conversation.


    > Reef. Greetings. <


    I heard its voice, my group of artificial minds allowed its attempt tomunicate to reach me.


    I responded. I would one day hope to bridge thismunication with Lilies, and also Vasira. Perhaps Vasira could visit it directly.


    > Reef. Happy. < It is happy?


    > Language. Difficult. <


    What is this reef mind? Is it a dungeon core? Or perhaps just a collection of reefs and corals that somehow gained consciousness and a soul?


    It paused. Reefy did not attempt to speak for a while, but I could sense a lot of thoughts floating about, those thoughts sometimes vaguely touch the roots at the edges of the reef. I wondered whether its appropriate for me to refer to it as Reefy.


    -


    I awarded my 2nd special ss, [Aeons Field Scientist], to a middle-aged dwarven alchemist named Alka.


    Alka was just a [Level 39 General Alchemist], and hes spent thest 40 years working on growing highly powerful crystals from simple raw materials. He made some progress, but as with research, its often an issue of resources, just as much as knowledge. To try everything and see what works, requires one to be able to afford everything. If a researcher is financially distressed, the research usually would not progress.


    The materials needed forbs are expensive, especially when dealing with items possessing magical potential.


    So, when Patreeck summarised a list of contractors and researchers that supported our attempts to develop more potent crystal bombs, Alka somehow came up. I interviewed him, and somehow, perhaps an instinct or a gut feel told me he would be fit.


    I will sponsor your research, and you will have a set fund. Chancellor Brandaks office will handle it.


    And all I gotta do is find ways to make bigger, stronger, magical storage crystals. He wasnt confident, I mean, I could read his mind and I knew he was acting, but he still attempted to put up a confident face. But as it turned out, he shouldve had more confidence in himself.


    Yes.


    I notified Chancellor Brandak to set a reasonable budget, but something on the lower side. Two monthster, he disyed the first multiyer crystalline bomb. In short, a two-stage crystal bomb. Its performance was impressive. It was a deviously simple solution, and I wondered why we were so obsessed with getting better crystals. A set of interlinked crystal bombs, with mutually amplifying spells stored could be made more powerful than a singlerge superspell.


    Honestly, when I saw it I felt like I was an idiot. Whats stopping us from making an entire superttice of crystal gems, all configured to cause a massive chain reaction?


    Crystals store magic and mana, and are meant to go off at a trigger. A chain of crystals that is meant to trigger when the others trigger, arranged in such high density will explode from the sheer mana density and the entanglement of the different spell types. You want the spells to only interact when you want it to, but the crystals also need spell shielding so that they dont interact prematurely. See the problem? More crystals, more shielding. More shielding, harder to trigger and less efficient.


    Alka, liberated from the financial challenges, went full speed ahead on research, and so, I decided to award him my special ss. Simply because I needed someone to work on this. I was prepared to build massive nuclear bombs if it meant I can end the demon kings easily.


    If he could solve this multi-crystal amplification-containment puzzle, were well on our way to magical nukes.


    Once I have magical nukes, Im gonna try to send a few across the rifts. Sorry, Pacific Rim and Avengers. I know nuclear bombs across portals are not new.


    -


    So, along the line of portals, Ste, or Astia, managed to actually gain a special ss.


    [Void Mage]. This was after she identally hurt herself a grand total of 73 times, and cursed herself in the process. That process has been generally beneficial for me too.


    I gained a rather specific skill in dealing with Stes void mana exposure.


    [Skill : Greater Resistance to Curse obtained]


    [Skill : Curse-breaker obtained]


    Void magic. Progress!


    This was a good affirmation, and dispelled one of my earlier concerns. I was worried whether this void magic existed outside the system. It was not umon, at least from my memories, for certain types of magic to exist outside the system. Void magic seemed likely to be one such thing.


    Stes skills were ratherme, really. [Void Fist], [Void Punch], and [Void Walk]. It seemed that the powers of the void were indeed powerful, but it didnt seem particrly different. But, under the hood, when I looked into Stes soul spring, that was when the differences were clear.


    Stes once clear soul spring was now pure, pitch ck. It was like ck oil poured out of her spring, her soul now a conduit for the void. The skills existed in her soul were matte ck blocks of things, and resembled the curses she had, but now a solid form.


    All this came at a high price. She lost all of her earlier artist or administrator levels. But somehow she still did it. The call of home was a lot stronger for her.


    I wouldnt be able to go home. Not in this shape. Kei said. Earth would bomb me to hell, or put me in some kind of exhibit.


    Kei gained more levels, and one of her stranger powers was the ability to change the surface and color of her crystalline body, allowing herself to actually pass off as a marble statue, or a stone statue.


    Ste didnt really care much. I gained the [void mage] ss, but wheres my portal?


    Its probably something you need to discover.


    I keep trying...


    Maybe its just a simple void equivalent of a teleportation spell. And so Ste attempted to learn teleportation, but with void mana.


    It didnt turn out well for the first 5 times. It resulted in her rupturing her soul spring, and needed special repairs. Ste was knocked unconscious and in aa for a week after one of the incidents. Strangely, despite her soul spring now entirely ck, she can still cast regr spells and still tap into normal mana. Weird. Where did ite from?


    If i could get hold of the [void mage] ss seed, I would be able to seriously manufacture void mana. I suspected that void mana may well lead me to a new color for my soul forge. I also wanted to know whether i could make specialised [void-trees]. I theorised it should be possible, in the same way I could have star-mana producing leaves.


    Maybe the end goal is like a single grand unifying mana and soul theorem. Something that would bridge from star mana, to hex and blood magic, to this void mana schtick.


    -


    We should design a response n if the other continents ever get attacked by the demon king. Lausanne proposed one day to the Valthorns. I saw the destruction of the Eastern Continent first hand, and we too, suffered the destruction of the Rottends. Though it may feel nice to see them suffer for their past crimes against our aggression, the vast majority of the popce is notplicit in their crimes. We should give aid.


    Aid does note free, and if we are to provide assistance, with all due respect Lady Lausannne, we must use that opportunity to spread his divine faith. The faith of Aeon.


    Thatll trigger a war. A diplomat suggested. At least, from the more aggressive nations.


    Lausanne nodded. Understood, which is why we must have a n. There must be nations which we can ally with, or be friendly which, who can then act as our beachhead. Somewhere for the regr folk to retreat to, and somewhere, that we can push back at the demons, and stem the destruction. Save lives.


    I believe the key problem is that Aeon is immobile and remains firmly rooted on our continent. It is his grace and divine protection that allows us the luxury of this conversation. It is our fortune and luck, and their misfortune. Some of the Lords really take the shoepolishing and asskissing to the next level. The scary thing is, because of years of brainwashing and propaganda from the Fresnds Treetiary College and Treeology, they actually believe it.


    Its unnerving, but this is the oue of my own actions. I wonder how the Emperor of Man felt when after millennia, his followers worshipped him instead of speaking to him the way he wanted.


    Can we transnt Aeons trees? Ady asked. I mean, thats what druids used to do, right, transnting trees with magic.


    Fuck no. After a century or so I am not moving.


    I mean, just the lesser trees.


    Its something worth considering, and merits discussion with Aeon himself. Kavio answered. Chancellor Brandak, Alka, Edna were all in the audience for this proposal.


    We have six years at least, to n a response. Lausanne said. I propose we identify friendly nations on each continent, and start making the necessary preparations. We can have seedlings and smaller nts moved over.


    But does Aeons divinity and presence carry over? I had the impression his powers cover only the central continent.


    Maybe its an issue of quantity. With enough trees and seedlings he could project power? It was an interesting discussion, but I wasnt about to reveal that all the trees I controlled so far are linked via a massivework of roots.


    There were certain groups of priests who felt we were too fixated on the central continent and wanted to preach on the other continents. They would be delighted at this news.


    How do I make my divine presence felt?


    Perhaps a portal, with roots? Like how I invaded the demon world temporarily?


    -

 Journeys to the Centree of the World

    Journeys to the Centree of the World


    <b>Year 160 (part 1)</b>


    The ruins of the Demon King Tigash were converted into a memorial for the dead. I felt it was appropriate, now that my powers have gradually restored the damaged terrain to almost 90% of its former self. It was just a little memento, to remember those who sacrificed themselves in war. Once the terrain was restored, it would be hard to tell this ce was once a hellscape.


    A city would be built here, over time. A war focused one, of course. At the same time, this ce, now that Ive undid the damage, actually did have residual magical energy that could be used, so I made a dungeon.


    Its just sweet petty revenge on my part. I will train multiple generations here, with the energies of the demon king.


    -


    On the topic of leylines and dungeons, we also explored ways of enhancing these magical but naturally urring geological features. Ley lines seemed to be the mana-magical equivalent of sun spots, and now that I have a massive map of the central continents ley lines, it did seem somewhat evenly distributed across the continent. Somewhat, and that did imply areas where there is a particrck of ley lines, and areas that have lumps.


    What are ley lines?


    When dealing with only a few ley lines, this was a particrly pointless question to ask. But with a continents worth of ley lines, I could start making some inferences.


    Ley Lines naturally urring. Akrenaf, the wolf. Creating them is impossible.


    I disagreed with that. The fact that theres so many of them across the world implied something. One, it was something created from thend itself, perhaps by way of agglomeration of energies. Two, the sun spot analogy suggests that the worlds core has some kind of mana-field that creates these ley lines.


    Lilies exined one day.


    Again, ley lines can move over long periods of time. This clearly suggested a mana-maosphere kind of mechanic deep in the. A mana-tosphere. This is quite like how maic poles can shift over time. If these ley lines have no prity, then it makes sense that its distribution is random since there is no repelling force?


    Could the elemental features or colors of the ley lines be a way these ley lines differentiate itself? Patreeck theorised that the colors are a kind of prity, so instead of just north and south for mas. Manas have multiple poles, perhaps?


    This theory was dispelled when we analysed the colors of the ley lines. ck and blue dominated the colors of the ley lines. There were also neutral ley lines with no coloration to it, and these were by far the mostmon source. If there is a prity, there should be a lumpy distribution of the colors, but thats not what we are seeing. Its random.


    Perhaps its more of an electricity-like mechanic. The core is just a source, and theres something on the surface that causes the mana from the core to arc to the surface.


    This would be like sma globes. The sma fments are thus the ley lines. Also possible, but does not exin coloration.


    Our research into ley lines were primarily driven by two things.


    One. Can I supercharge ley lines to make super powerful weapons? The existing ley lines are not powerful enough, so, can I, using my natural powers, influence or cause the energies to gather in such a way that the ley lines be significantly more powerful than they normally are. This thought process is a bit like attempting to use canals and channels to umte multiple smaller streams into arger river?


    Two. Can I use multiple ley lines, or enhance ley lines, to create dungeons with significantly higher level cap. This would allow my Level 125ers to level up quickly, and thus achieve the level needed to counter the demon kings next attempt.


    Firstly, how do I interact with ley lines? So far, I have been on the receiving end of the ley lines energies. Are there historical records where mages attempted to meddle with ley lines?


    I sent out an order to the Valthorns, and then to the various mage guilds. I got close to nothing. Very few people ever recorded their meddlings with ley lines. Im sure multiple mages have considered whether it is possible to tap into such natural circumstances for power. Its likely most of them died when exposed to such power.


    I tried meddling with ley lines. I went back to the earlier ley lines, like the ones that held my [threetrees of mana]. I extended my roots, attempting to follow the flow of mana deep into the ground. I went as deep as I could, following the subtle fluctuations of mana.


    Ive gotten a lot better at sensing and following the traces of mana, after all that practice. My roots can also stretch deeper than before. The ley lines seemed to all head to the center. There must be something down there, no?


    The distance to the core is massive, I reckon. Assuming this world is norger than earth, thats still some 6,000km of distance. Could I dig that far down?


    Yet, I felt this challenge was one I was incredibly well suited for. I have various tunneling skills, and abilities to extend my roots. If I could create little microclimates and pockets as I dug downwards, Id run into whatevers down there.


    Perhaps even magma or thes mantle? I should be able to break past the crust.


    So I did.


    A trees journey to the center of the.


    I wasnt sure what I was expecting, but I felt that now was a good time to try.


    I would dig tunnels with my roots, and eventually, at the limit of the roots range, I would create arge pocket of space. I would then spawn a Giant Attendant Tree there. This renewed my roots range, and allowed me to extend it further. The roots supplied water and minerals for the attendant trees to survive, and the tunnels itself supplied air.


    It was a long,borious and somewhat boring process. But I eventually gotten deep. Minerals and strange metallic ores, crystals of all kinds were here. And that damned ck as coal ckstar Gems were aplenty. Gems. hah. They might as well call it ckstar Coal. Thats a better name for it.


    It also got hotter.


    And hotter.


    I dug.


    And I dug.


    I dug for weeks. The heat was still manageable. Thank goodness for my various resistances. Then, I broke through the hard crust, and if I could say my jaw dropped, it did.


    I had stumbled into a pocket of space down below the crust, and instead of just rock and minerals, I saw the remains of a civilization I did not recognise. Deep down here, its dark and without light. There is hardly any oxygen, save those that somehow managed to make it down here through my root tunnels.


    But my spiritual senses could still see the structures, ancient.


    Preserved, buried in such depths. This was at least a hundred miles below the crust!


    [Title : Rediscoverer of the Margmarian Dwarf City earned.]


    Magmarian Dwarves. I thought to myself. All the people that once lived here were all dead. Long, long ago. But their massive towers and structures remained, mostly made of a metal I did not recognise. There were no bodies, no one on the streets. The structures looked like theyve been untouched for eons.


    I spawned a Giant Attendant Tree here, at the edge of their ancient city. The earth seemed to have caved in on them? Was this my fate if the demon kings corruptions overwhelmed us? Did a simr event happen to them?


    I noticed how the curvature of the rock above their city was almost perfectly round. They must have had a barrier or something of that sort that shielded them.


    My roots spread through their ancient city. It felt like I was in a post apocalyptic movie, thest man walking down a deserted city. There was little sign of chaos, the ancient structures looked beautifully preserved with hardly any damage. It seemed no war happened here. Their city was quiterge, and I kept going.


    My roots spread through the citys tiled roads. The tiles were old and easily gave way to my roots. I could use this city as a secret hideout for the people.


    There were all kinds of buildings. I spawned beetles, my heat-resistant variant. Down here the heat and pressure was quite high, and my spiders would not do. The beetles then fanned out, searching for life.


    Would there be survivors?


    I think not. There were no vegetation in this area, certainly these magmarian dwarves did not survive without food. Unless they ate rock. Maybe they ate rock. My beetles highlighted some buildings of interest.


    My roots followed.


    Temples, ancient, massive temples. Made of an even stranger metal. No. Crystal. My roots approached, and I felt something push back. Magic.


    The temple surrounded by steps, like a pyramid. Crystalline columns surrounded the temples, each had a statue on it. Statue of creatures. A four-winged bird, a scorpion, a dragon with a halo on its head. A dog with two balls of me. All sculpted out of crystal.


    Were these dwarves some kind of egyptian equivalent? What levels of wealth did they reach to do so?


    The temple itself was the first building I saw in this entire city that crumbled. My vines snaked up the stairs and then, as with vines, crawled up all the crumbled walls. I saw arge broken statue inside, a humanoid structure with its head gone.


    There were words on the building walls that I did not recognise. All scrubbed off.


    What happened here?


    Another group of beetles highlighted something else. Another set of temples. These temples were still intact. They were also made with the same materials, and the same crystalline structures.


    There were no statues inside.


    My roots spread and then we reached the center of this city. There was a vast domed building, solid and made of a mix of crystal and metal. It had no entrances, no holes.


    It looked like... a tomb.


    I had to know, so my roots attacked it. The crystal was strong, and it held through the first hit. And the second. And the third. And the tenth. But it cracked at the twentieth root strike, and my roots now had a hole where it could enter.


    And for the first time, bodies. Ancient bodies all preserved in crystal. At least ten thousand bodies. I sensed no life in them, their souls have long since departed. At the center, was another crystal, but this crystal seemed like an equipment, rather than a structure. There was a lot more intricate, and I sensed fluctuations in its energy. It was reacting to my spiritual sight.


    My vines then touched it, and the crystal attempted to draw mana from me. I decided to give it a bit.


    The crystal glowed and responded to the mana, and then, from it... an apparition appeared, it floated right above the crystal. It was a hologram! A magical hologram!


    Today is the 24th year since the fall of the Daemos Comet. We remain trapped underneath the Daemos Comets tremendous magical sludge, and our attempts to break through the sludge has not been sessful. Our archmages theorise it would take at least 10,000 years for the chaotic energies from the sludge to dissipate.


    Magical sludge? But its all dirt to me.


    Our fellow sister cities are all equally trapped by the sludge.


    It paused.


    It was that same man, but he looked a lot older. Today is the 46th year since the fall. Our food stockpiles have run out. Our archmages have been working hard daily to create food, maintain vegetation and keep us alive. But things are honestly bleak. We expect not to survive for long. Ive called on the archmages to start our self entombment. We may as well give ourselves a peaceful death.


    It paused again, and it flicked to a different scene. A different person.


    Chancellor Mar has been entombed. Honestly, at this point, everyones given up, and well, me too. Were trapped in this hell. Who would have thought aet would have ended our world so easily. Our prayers to our gods have all yielded nothing. Eras, Geis, and Deyar, we prayed to you. He sobbed. But nothing. Not a word. Why have you forsaken us? Doomed us to this!


    It flicked again, a different person.


    We pray to the Gods Eras, Geis and Deyar, may we be protected even in death.


    It flickered again, and another person appeared.


    I am thest one here, thest mage-priest of the Marga. I assented to the wish of the others for their peaceful death. In my anger and hatred for our fate, I destroyed the temple of Eras. Eras has abandoned us in our time of need. Where was he when we needed him? Is this it? Trapped in a city underneath a massiveyer of molten sludge?


    It paused, the same person then continued.


    The Jewel of the Margmas protective barriers continued to hold. I had attempted to disable it, but I failed. The Jewel remains untouched, underneath this dome. I refuse to die. I will continue to experiment on the jewel.


    That was thest image. Theres another jewel!


    My roots quickly explored beneath the dome, and indeed, there was arge subterranean structure, a series of tunnels and walkways. These dwarves built rtively sophisticated cities!


    Then I saw it, about a few hundred feet beneath the dome, through walkways and stairways.


    A bright blue crystal, still faintly glowing, but slightly off center. It was no longer on the pedestal, but still on the tform. There were a few bodies around it, all dead.


    My roots and vines reached out, and briefly touched it.


    [You have obtained an ancient relic, Ley Line Lense - Focusing Shield Gem]


    A ley line lense? Such a thing existed in the ancient world? I spawned a few more attendant trees outside around this ancient city, this time, I attuned them to the magic in the area. Indeed, Ive been following the ley line all the way down.


    I spread my roots, and then noticed that there were other ley lines that converged here. The ley lines on the surface were like streams of a river, and here, in this very ancient city, those streams converged. Taking that logic that all the leylines we saw on the surface were nothing more than little branches of the same whole, the core would thus be the great ocean.


    The ley lines here were a strong, robust blue and also ck. Multiple colors mixed here. But over the millennia, it had moved, shifted slightly. Like how rivers reshaped thend, and like how maic prities moved.


    The ley line lense was now off center, no longer along where the ley lines were focused.


    I moved the Ley Line Lense, cing it back on its pedestal, properly. At first, nothing. I adjusted the pedestal, moving it until it was focused along the invisible paths of the ley lines. It suddenly glowed, and then, it emitted a vast, powerful shield that covered the entirety of the ancient city. Yet, it did not cut off my roots. It had somehow taken to my roots signature, identifying I am a friendly party.


    The shield was back.


    If the ley lines remained, surely the shield wouldst. If so, the city clearly ousted its inhabitants.


    The shields restoration also seemed to bring certain structures in the city back online. My roots sensed mana flows in the city itself, and my roots retraced those flows torge buildings that housed other additional crystals that harvest energies from the shield, as a form of power. These were things Ive not seen before, a unique set of runes and power. My roots connected to the structures, and I wanted to study them.


    I spent days studying these ancient runes and the formations they used, and also the crystals. They were regr crystals, but programmed by the runes and formations to function as an ambient mana absorber. Its really cool, and after about two months of studying, my subsidiary trees unlocked new functions.


    [New subsidiary tree variant obtained : Crystalline Mana Trees. Crystalline mana trees are trees with crystals in them. The crystals can store mana, and also be tailored to perform specific functions. Each tree can have only a single crystal type.]


    [Tuberous storage upgraded : Crystalline Potatoes. Potato mana storage nowes with crystals, and this increases capacity and also ability to store different kinds of mana!]


    [Newb variant obtained : Underground Living Crystal Labs. Allows creation of crystals in ab.]


    Somehow, the studies meant I had rediscovered the ways to grow crystals in ab. Thats not exactly groundbreaking, I mean, I knew that was possible from earth, but this was hell of a roundabout way of rediscovering it.


    Surely, if I needed to make massive crystalttices, what better way than to grow the necessary crystals myself, than actually hoping to find those crystals out in the wild? Thanks ancient civilisation, Im one step closer tob-grown crystal superbombs!


    At the same time, there must be something further down there?


    The discovery of an ancient city so deep underground, I wondered, could this world actually just beyers uponyers, that millions of years ago, this was very very small, and each of these disasters just added ayer of earth and crust over it?


    Is this just a slice ofyer cake all the way down?


    I had to know, so I traced the ley lines, and kept digging.


    -

 Tech Tree Explorations

    Tech Tree Explorations


    <b>Year 160 part 2</b>


    So many different things to focus on, and perhaps, that is how an empire loses focus. An emperor cannot do everything at once, and though I have significantly more advantages than any regr emperor, I too, feel this limitation. Its increasingly obvious that I am often the bottleneck of any decision making process.


    I have so many different concurrent research projects, all operated by my artificial minds. Time to check in on each of them.


    Anti-divine research. Theck of testability hampered progress. The artificial minds are trying the best to reverse engineer theponent parts of the ckstar gems, but its really educated guesses at this point. Without ways to test effectiveness, its hard to know what exactly works, and what doesnt.


    Demon invasion research. Research into extreme terrains was not doing too bad. My main body actually has all-terrain adaptability, and that essentially meant its possible for me to survive in their world. The problem was my subsidiary trees, and also the forces that I have to bring to mount a sessful retaliation.


    Patreeck and my artificial minds are modelling various scenarios, and presented with a wide range of areas where we needed.


    Firstly, we needed a way to create mana on their homeworld, and from that mana, create water and other materials we needed. Only with this we can hope to maintain a permanent staging point on their homeworld. I wondered whether such resources are avable on their world, but I thought the chances are very slim. So, its likely that wed have to make water. Its not entirely impossible, there are spells and gems that can do so, but this is a key starting point.


    Secondly, we were also working on the alien-world beetles. This meant further enhancing their ability to operate in ultra-arid environments. The brief moments when I spawned trees on the other side gave me some data, and one of which, all the beetles were incredibly brittle without the necessary moisture. Even my trees didnt hold itself together that well. We needed to design a recement fluid, something that would not just immediately evaporate in the demon world. Developing this evaporation-resistant fluid would strengthen both tree and beetle, and would reduce the impact of the water-scarcity.


    Thirdly, was a matter that needed Stes input as my first [void mage]. The issue of maintaining the demon rifts, and the possibility of creating our own rifts. If we could create rifts, we could even find a way to send her home. When I told her that this was a way of testing the portals, she was quickly on board. The idea of helping to defeat the demons through research seemed to appeal to her. But firstly, I need to recreate the rifts, and thats... a lot harder. Ste experimented with teleportation spells instead, and actually, teleportation within the same area, or even the same continent did not require any void mana. This meant void mana may actually be only needed for inter-world issues. Is void mana perhaps some kind of transdimensional-fluid?


    If so, the void mana merely something to act as a shell, to send a packet through the stars? I... didnt know how to test my theory.


    Lets send somebody to the two moons. Ste said. We dont know how to send someone to the other world, but I think we can first attempt the moons.


    That... is a good idea. Are the demons on the same realm as us? Or are they actually creatures on some other nes of existence? Maybe this test would go nowhere, but in any case, teleporting to the moon sounds like a good first step.


    One small step for the tree, one giant step for the forest!


    -


    After that, theres also the sea rted research, and the idea of somehow developing awork of deep-ocean roots. My roots would essentially be subsea inte cables, wouldnt it? If I could make deep ocean roots, where, at certain regr intervals, I have floating nts to sustain thework?


    So, on this front, we also have research on making my roots go further,st longer, and can survive the pressures and dangers of the deep sea. There are monsters down there. I hoped Reefy would be able to assist, or could Reefy be a bridge?


    But its has a strong turtle instinct. That meant Reefys first instinct is to just hide and build huge defenses.


    Are all reefs like this?


    Why are trees different?


    Anyway, I didnt have any progress on ocean-level grass, but I did make progress onrge floating vines and floating roots. Perhaps I could float a root or a vine all the way to the other continents? Convert the entire ocean into a massive hydroponic farm?


    Ideas ideas, but whether the system cooperates by rewarding me with a skill is another matter.


    -


    Then theres the matter of bombs. Alka, my chief scientist, is doing his best. I mean, hes a little bit mad, as with all those who dabble in research, but I suppose dealing with bombs do tend to make one a lot more edgy than usual.


    I decided to award him one of my [Court of the Deitree], so that I can teleport him away should one of the bombs go nuts.


    No progress is ever made without a few idental explosions. On this front, Stes also contributing, because one of our earth-inspired ideas was a star-mana and void-mana fusion bomb.


    We had to quickly allocate a space, an uninhabited segment of the continent for Alkas bomb research. Kei quickly dubbed it our Area 51. I thought that wasnt quite correct, I thought itll be more of our Bikini Atoll or some shit.


    Its honestly quite entertaining, to watch shit blow up. I would love to see all these new bombs blow up in front of the demon king. His research also led to some attempts at mixing crystal matrixes with hexbombs. Its pretty much a dirty bomb.


    Didnt work very well, it seemed that hex itself did not enjoy being trapped in crystal matrixes and would also corrode the runic formations present inside any crystal matrixes. Perhaps were doing it wrong, but Alka and his small army of crystalworkers were hard at work.


    -


    Then, after research, was the issue of training. Every year we focus on training new people, and the training programme of the major institutions get funed year after year.


    Ive also awarded more upgraded sses, and in Ednas case, I upgraded more of her skills.


    Also, thanks to my recent research into mana, Ive managed to figure out some ways to increase a ley lines strength. In some ways, ley lines are like feng shui flows, the will of the worlds movements, and its affected by strange offerings and structures that normally do not have any magical effects.


    In short, a simple statue of the right kind, in the right ces, can actually amplify a ley line. Theres a certain set of rules around ley lines, and these rules only apply in a rtively limited distance from the ley line. I am still in the process of figuring it out, but I got help from that [Shaman].


    He carved a simple totem, and ced it quite a distance from the ley line, and yet, somehow, it interacted with the ley line and increased its power. That pushed up the levels of the monsters from a dungeon made of said ley line by 10!


    So, after a few more tweaks, we finally made a dungeon able to spawn Level 100 monsters.


    [Level 100 Dungeons unlocked. Dungeon level limit increased]


    Uh? Stupid system. Why make us jump through hoops just to allow us to make more level 100 monsters?


    With that, my Valthorns, especially those in the level 80s and 90s, and also Edna, started challenging the Level 100 dungeons. I still had a huge stockpile of experience seeds, though right now, my limiter is actually my [ginseng] nt. Back then, when I first got the skill, I was limited to 3 ginseng at any one time. Now, Im still limited to about 15 ginseng at any time, and the ginseng needs at least 5 years before they are sufficiently mature to unlock the level limit. Essentially, every 5 years, I can unlock 15 individuals. I missed a few decades during the Burning Rottends era, and have been resuming it after I regained my own sense of self, a good 50 years ago. There were a few idental failures too, due to the erratic nature of the monster spawns, so I still have about 65 or so Ginseng I can deploy.


    Thats quite a small pool, but I decided I had to be generous, and gave it to most of the Valthorns that capped out at around Level 80 to 85.


    I recently also had my first Valthorn Treefolk that hit his level limit. His level limit was actually higher, at level 95. Still, his ss mix was a bit part [Aeonic Berserker] and part [Wood mage], and also part [viger], so some of those levels were not that effective. Still, it was enlightening to look at a high leveled Treefolk under the hood.


    One of the immediate differences was that the Soul Spring seemed to have a secondary source of mana. There was a small trickle of water that dripped in from up above, as if it rained in the soul spring. After some analysis, this was the Treefolks natural ability to absorb vitality and strength from its surroundings, like a tree would gather nutrients from its surroundings.


    So, I really wonder how different Lilies soul spring would be. Im unable to view my own, after all, Lilies and Reefy might be the closest equivalent I will ever find.


    -


    Lumoof, Patreearch of the Treeology, the First of the Decarches led a prayer, once every month. There was a schedule in ce, each Patreearch or Matreearch would lead a prayer, and they would take turns to do so.


    At first, it felt very... old-school to have a religion that conducts prayers, but the priests eventually convinced me that their very ss demands them to conduct acts of faith, and mass prayers were one of the best ways to do so.


    I still remember how weird it was to have others pray to me, at first, but eventually I got used to it. Now, these mass prayers were the next level. I wonder whether this is how superstars feel like, having a big fanbase. The halls were massive for the prayers, and I made an extremelyrge sized [Tree of Prayer] in the center of the hall, for them to focus their prayers. It was easily one of the most beautiful ones Ive made too, with all sorts of flowering colors and little glowing lights.


    To add to the spectacle, I had one of the artificial minds coordinate the flowering with the sermons. It helps, apparently.


    Lumoof was also a recipient of my [soul strengthening seed], and the unlocked level limit seemed to de-age him by a decade or two, simply because his soul now had a lot more vitality, and that vitality flowed into his overall well being.


    Faith is one of the unifying features of the Central Continent. I could actually see the parallels of the Central Continent with the Holy Roman Empire, and also the Muslim Empires, in that faith and governance are intertwined. Part of this by design, my own attempts to forge unity through culture meant the religious aspects also meant there is institutional backing for the missionary and preachers.


    As a result, the temples of Aeon, over time, also became a social venue, and a ce for those seeking audiences with authority to mingle. Prayers are one of the few rare moments where nobles andmon folk can be seen together, at least among themon races of humans, elves, dwarves and centaurs.


    For the non-humans, many still remember the earlier racial purges, and that too is a cause for wars between the kingdoms under my jurisdiction. It seemed that past transgressions continue to remain, even till today.


    Lumoof paused, as he touched those who came for prayer briefly. A [blessing], a skill of many high priests. It often grants a temporary boost to their health and strength, for usually a week or two. The short duration is intentional, meant to encourage their return to the temples.


    Next, was the baby blessings. Children and spawn of all races were brought before him, He chanted, and they all had a warm glow. Also a blessing. It seemed that just like how I have a special [nursery], the priests too have a separate set of blessings for children.


    There were a few more act of miracles as they called it, as Lumoof demonstrated a power avable to all the Patreearchs. An act of healing or restoration very much like my ability to remove curses and fix arms, though with some additional, like they needed a bit of the persons memento.


    I had often forgotten that priests and shamans have abilities that can often influence the [soul]. The days proceedings were over.


    Lumoof rxed and walked to the back of the prayer halls. Some of the junior priests eximed their sense of wonder at Lumoofs abilities.


    He smiled.


    A moment, Patreearch Lumoof? The nobles often tried to find time to speak to the high priests after prayer.


    Ah. I have a meeting to attend to.


    -


    Arlisa and Lausanne attended these prayers asionally, and they both used a ring that seemed to distort everyones perception of them, usually giving them some semnce of privacy. Afterwards, theyd have lunch in one of the citys many restaurants.


    Lausanne was pregnant again, but she coped well, her high levels and strong physique meant she suffered few of pregnancies many challenges. Arlisa was pretty much her bodyguard, though there were a few Valthorns in the vicinity ready to assist her should it be needed.


    Lausanne had the talk with Arlisa, about children, and sex and the not-so-young Arlisa blushed. She was after all 19, almost 20, and for half-elves, this was at the very edge of adulthood. Lausanne then shared some differences about how babies were cared for on the other continents, and Arlisa decided it was too much for her, so she changed the subject. She had decided to work a little bit harder this year, and that hard work quickly tranted to levels.


    Maybe it was the pressure of having a younger sibling? At her age, having a sibling thats just a baby?


    Ive never wondered about the issue of the age gap between siblings in a world where elves can have children for centuries.


    Do they even havews on minors? How does one even shapews on minors when what is considered a minor differed across species, and the intermixed species which matured at different speeds?


    -


    <b>Year 161</b>


    Stes attempt to teleport to the moon failed again. Of course, during this time, she and Kei brainstormed many issues.


    Surely that moon has no oxygen.


    We dont know for sure.


    It makes better sense for me to go. Kei said. Im a golem. I can live there.


    But what if I cant send you back?


    And sending you there is a better idea?


    Im the [void mage]? I can cast the same spell in reverse.


    There are two moons, and both moons have a somewhat elliptical orbit around this world. Or at least, thats how it seemed to me.


    Youll die first. Kei responded. If there are monsters, or if the moon is inhabitable, then youre dead the moment the rift opens.


    Air doesnt pass through rifts. Thats what I said, really. The demons rifts are more like a pathway filled with filters. One has to use the exact mana sequence and resonance to actually interact with them.


    How do we know that? Kei argued. That sample size is based on the demons rifts. Why should our magic be the same?


    Ste agreed, but then, this entire argument was one of the few distractions from the real fundamental problem they had. Portal spells... have been lost to time. Heroes have a teleportation spell, unlocked as part of the heroes grimoire when they hit somewhere around level 101 to 105, but those are teleportation spells that only works on a small number of people around them, and isnt a portal.


    They continued experimenting. This, being an area of magic, and most of my magical knowledge were more of the crafting or enchantment sort, meant my ability to contribute was extremely limited, despite my mana mastery.


    -


    I also relooked at my inventory. I had stored so many different things over the decades, and then looked at the single unused [Forest rod].


    Then I wondered for a moment.


    Could I use this on the demons world? Its mostly useless on this world, but could the rod be my single superterraforming stick, to allow me to make that single base on their homeworld?


    It could work. I quickly analysed the rod for its characteristics again. I had done so in the past and found certain parts of it confusing, its material some kind of strange metal. It was strange, that it absorbed mana from whoever, and whoever flooded it with mana gained control of it. Yet, how it performs its terraforming or terrain shaping is still something I didnt quite understand, simply because it worked very differently from my own powers.


    I still didnt understand what it is. There were a set of crystals inside that seemed to hold the entirety of the Rods functionalities, and those crystals refused to reveal its secrets. I didnt want to poke too hard either, and risk losing my one and only Forest Rod.


    But it was worth trying. Once we can establish a reliable riftportal to the demon world, the Forest Rod will be going to the other side.

 Getting to the Root of It

    Getting to the Root of It


    <b>Year 161 (continued)</b>


    I received strange news from my agents across the other continents. It seemed that the swift death of the demon king rattled the leadership of the various temples, and theyve sent agents to investigate whether I possessed weapons of incredible destruction. They didnt think Kei was strong enough to take down a demon king on her own, so their next bet was that I had given her something of tremendous power, or she located some super-powerful artifact.


    They seemed to have spent thest few years attempting to use a range of scrying and spying spells on the Central Continent, but have been unsessful. My [domain] must have deterred most of the spying in the immediate vicinity of Freshka. I decided to test it out with some mages, and they reported that its impossible to use certain types of spells around the Freshka Valley, and that deterrence covers the 3 academies as well.


    The only unprotected academy, in a sense, are my naval academies at the coastal cities, the ce where we train new sailors and captains. One of the ws of the naval academies is its inherent distance from me, so the effects of my various powerleveling abilities is slightly weaker, even with the amplification effects from my Giant Attendant Trees.


    So, since their scry spells failed, they attempted to use spies and doublecrossers instead. They approached a lot of Valthorns with the usual cocktail of espionage. Girls, money, power, artifacts in exchange of information.


    I wasnt going to hide the fact that I trapped the targeted location with bombs, and that I could somewhat guess the demon kings location. I mean, that ce is even a memorial now, and the tales of the Valthorns bravery in face of mortal danger is one of the recurring new tales most aspiring recruit holds close to their hearts. So, what was initially secrets among the intelligentsia, became amon folks tale. The stories of the kingdoms massive bomb arrays went out, it was both scandalous and inspiring at the same time.


    Scandalous for the temples, because therger popce who always thought it was only heroes who could damage the demon kings.


    It seems the demon kings can be harmed by mortal weapons!


    The temples then had a counter-propaganda problem of their own.


    In the past they have always let the heroes fight the demon king. Mortals of the world are nothing more than fodder. But now, the concept that the people of the world could aid in the swift destruction of the demon king was a set of ideas never ever thought possible.


    If so, then does it mean anyone can gain the power to challenge the heroes and demon king?


    A tale of hope and power. That man can challenge gods. The core ethos that only heroes can defeat demon kings, had been damaged. If we were to sessfully defeat a demon king without any heroes, then we would have thoroughly broken that belief.


    The temples tried to twist it to say it is my blessings that allowed the bombs to harm the demon king, that the demon king remained an enemy of only the divine.


    The four temples over the centuries have implicitly told the general popce, to know your ce, that the demon king is not one for mortal men to challenge.


    So, the tale of Jura and Loviss self sacrifice to destroy the demon king was the single best counter for this tale. That it is possible for natives to rise from their stations, and seize their fate for themselves. That if there were no summoned heroes, the natives can rise to the challenge.


    Hope. Glory. Legend.


    The tale of the Valthorn Heroes was a hit among the general popce, unlike the tale of the foreign heroes. The bards and songstresses made different versions, with many embellishments both big and small.


    Hope is a very powerful poison.


    Already the stories swayed the stability of many priests, that their words of Gods suddenly seemed a little hollow.


    Surely the Gods dont trust us with such power. The spection went. Thats why the Gods imported their own people. Its divine nepotism!


    Why only summoned heroes get gifted powers? Why do we who live here, who prayed devotedly to our gods, not deserving of any lesser power? Is that fairness?


    Poison.


    The nations faced internal conflict from the stories, so much so that the tales were banned. But banning them just led to them being propagated secretly, and there were no real ways such stories can be stopped with the proliferation of [messages].


    The Gods y favourites with their own favourite heroes. We are just cattle, offering prayers to gods that do not care for us. If this story is true, and it must be true, it is possible for us to rise and be more than this.


    That led to a small wave of refugees. The Kingdoms and nations decided that it was better to let those who believed go to the other side, than risk domestic conflict. If these refugees, empowered by hope, are to take up arms against the kingdom, blood would be spilled. Sure, they would win, but whats the point?


    Of course, this pleased me. Loyal believers from the other continents. More war potential? Sure thing, I need all hands on deck for the next time the demon kingnds here.


    The tale was especially popr among enchanters, alchemists and gemmakers, and more than a handful made the journey to the Central Continent, tempted by the chance to participate in making demon king-ying bombs.


    These stories are so absurd. Keiughed as she heard the tales recounted to her. Its so much war-propaganda.


    Ste nodded. Its really a military puff piece. If I was a young hot blooded male with a talent for fighting, or making bombs, Id probably sign up for the Valthorn academy right now.


    And why did they make me into this superhero? The tale of Kei was also simrly embellished. I didnt find the tales of Kei exceptionally embellished, when her powers are really, truly, superhero tier stuff. I mean, magical floating cannon arrays that shoot super power mini-nuke bullets? Superhero tier.


    The story had the effect of inspiring locals too. My chief researcher particrly relished the challenge of creating bombs powerful enough to kill the demon king.


    The day he makes a bomb that powerful, I would have him repeat, Now I am be Death, the destroyer of worlds. Or maybe he would regret it, like how that Alfred Nobel regretted the creation of TNT.


    No matter, we need bombs. Big ones. And I will have them.


    -


    <b>Year 162</b>


    The Big Deep Dig went on. Progress was getting slower, as the ground turned more hostile. Certain areas were filled with hot magma that I could not spawn roots even if I wanted to.


    One odd observation.


    The inner part of this world isnt uniformly hot. I suppose its simr back on Earth, too, since the flow of the inner mantle meant there should be fluctuations. So, we dug horizontally when we could not go lower.


    I wonder whether I could invent geological survey tools. It would save me so much time if I could just scan the earth for parts where the solid ground was deepest.


    ...I got nothing.


    System? Thats your cue to give me a skill?


    Nope. Nothing.


    I paused and I recall my roots already have some kind of mineral sensing ability and various filtration abilities, but I guess sonar-roots are a step too far, even for the system. Maybe its a domain ability?


    I kept digging, and I found strange,rge bones. Naturally, I excavated them and sent them to my [bibs]. Archeologists will probably frown at my methods, but oh well. Id like to have ancient dinosaurs, please. Ancient dragons are fine too.


    Something that quickly turned up was that the bones all bore some kind of damage, ws, swords, there were even little bits of crystals in them.


    I kept digging.


    Bones. More bones.


    Strange bones, and as my roots unearthed more bones, I soon found the strangest one of them all. It was massive. Each bone was the size of a medium sized tree, and more importantly, each bone had a ton of little gems in it.


    When we ced it in the [bib] -


    I heard a voice and saw a vision-


    <i>An experience simr to that of the ancient tree shard.</i>


    <i>The skies burned as the rift opened.</i>


    <i>We expected this, theing of the Invaders. The master astrologers have watched the skies and stars for millennia and have foretold this day. The day when the demonse to our world. Invaders. Minions of the So-Called Gods. Invaders. We thought we were well prepared, the might of our dragon empire was unmatched. But our pride would soon meet its downfall.</i>


    <i>A sky full of stars was instantly ripped apart, and demons poured out of the rift. But they met resistance, as a flight of dragons rose to fight them. The demons did notst long against the might of the demons.</i>


    <i>The Invader Gods were relentless.</i>


    <i>More demons, and more dragons fell from the skies. More, and more demons flooded through the rifts.</i>


    <i>We fought. We destroyed every single one of the demon crystals.</i>


    <i>I saw images of dragons, they burned the demon crystals, melted them.</i>


    <i>But we could not hunt down every single one, as the invaders came more, and more frequently. They were crafty, and hid their demonic attunement crystals deep in the ground. Our master mages could not find all of them. An invasion that was once centuries turned to one that urred every few decades.</i>


    <i>More dragons fell, as the rifts widened.</i>


    <i>We were humbled. Their numbers were clear, even ants could take down an elephant in sufficient numbers. Our kind took forever to replenish our numbers, and they could sacrifice millions to take us down. We could not resist forever.</i>


    <i>Images, visions of dragons battling it out with the demons. Gruesome, the dragons were all bloodied and injured, and they kept fighting.</i>


    <i>Each time, more of our fortresses fell, our younglings ughtered.</i>


    <i>A continent covered with the blood of dragons.</i>


    <i>We sought a way to end this, but there were none.</i>


    <i>Then, a scene of a massive demon and its apanying army of demon-drakes.</i>


    <i>The demons adopted our form. It was an insult to injury that I could not take. Ourst stand, and we lost. The world had sumbed to the demons then.</i>


    It was the will, thest words of the dragon etched into the memory of bones. But when was this? There were no humans in that world I could see, were they a society of dragons then? The bones, with the little daemolite throughout, were incredibly ancient, as my [bib] did some tests to make an estimate.


    Ancient. At least a few hundred thousand years? The magical energies that remained in thergest of the dragon bones were unfamiliar, and different. Were they the precursors of this world?


    Seems corny that this world had a dragonic origin. Or maybe, they were just one of the many earlier races. Perhaps, they are the dinosaurs of this world.


    We kept digging.


    -


    I asked Lilies. I honestly have not seen any. Except for the demons dragon. I mean, at this point, dragons are really stuff of ancient legends.


    > I know not of their fate. <


    -


    At this depth, itll take almost a month to walk from the surface to the deepest level. The magical energies at this depth were already slightly more active than on the surface, and the slow progress was partly due to the terrain. The magical energies and environmental factors that I could easily resist were harder on the beetles, and they had to be reinforced with active regeneration. They were heat resistant, but even then, their performance was slower.


    The lens from that Margmar city seemed to be a relic of some kind, but I still dont understand how it works, how its made, and what it actually does other than create this magical barrier. It looked like a very beautiful blue ss though. But I could think of a few ways to use them. For one, how would it work as a shield against a demon king? Could they see active battle?


    Two, the lens clearly twists the leyline in a way such that it bes the shield. Could I change the shape of the shield such that it functions as a weapon?


    In any case, Edna and a few high level Valthorns were the first group that made the journey into the depths. There were things I could not see or read at the depths, my vision was after all mostly limited by my spiritual sense, and my roots earth-sense, they would descend to the Margmar city to help decipher whats going on down there.


    I had specialised miner beetles, made to haul rock and break the ground, so that my roots have an easier time clearing a path, but these miners were not meant for carry people, but my earlier versions of carrier-beetles were not suited for the deep, where theres no light. So, we had to modi


    This is a lot deeper than I expected, Aeon. Edna remarked once the beetles descended continuously for a week underground. I could teleport them, but wheres the fun in that. How many such tunnels are there? Did you make them, or were they always here?


    I made them.


    I see. Edna paused, the heat got a lot higher deep underground, and she activated a few personalfort items. These were some of the What are we looking at?


    The first one, of course, was the ckstar veins. There were a lot of them at this depth. She and the small group of Valthorns that made the trip rested there for a day and examined the veins. They descended the next day.


    The Margmar City was a lot more impressive, but strangely, the moment they stepped into the Citys vicinity, golems emerged and attacked them. They fought them off easily, but there were some defensive mechanisms that recognised people, but not trees.


    Hah. Once again, people forget to remember that trees in this world can kill.


    They spent a lot more time in the subterranean city, and they lived there for a few weeks.


    -


    Back on the surface, our training continued, and we reviewed the performance of our 2nd-generation Valthorns. This meant, their parents were also Valthorns, and these kids had some variant of the skill - [Blessed by the Soul Tree]. Most of them joined us over the past 5 years, and they were all born around 10-20 years ago.


    In a way, these kids were all my other bets. I didnt see any reason to burden Lausannes family on more battles and fights if they dont want it. Arlisa, being the somewhatzy bum that she is, was not really trying either.


    There were a few of them. Somehow their ages were very close, only 3-5 years apart. A few of them were ambitious, and so we supported their ambitions by giving them specialised training, special slots at the dungeons. It reeks of favoritism, but at the same time, no reason to waste those with the right skill sets. These young teens put in the hours and hit Level 50 within two years.


    That was as fast as Lausanne, even faster, considering they started out in their single digits. [Rangers], [Sharpshooters], [Knights] and [Mages]. They were also mixed with some other inherited skills that gave them certain advantages Lausanne did not have.


    The products of a bit of gentle nudges, gic meddling and little boosts during their infant years. Already I could sense their potential and level limits would be higher than the generation before them.


    The idea of a Spartan generation isnt that far fetched. Already we were doing deep scans into the young children of many Valthorns and nobles. I did nothing to most of them, but for a few, I attempted to use my powers to strengthen them earlier, awaken them.


    I wanted to see how far I can push them, in a few decades these younglings would be my level 125ers. If the inherited skills could be stacked repeatedly, that would make subsequent generations significantly stronger.


    -

 Streetching Boundaries

    Streetching Boundaries


    <b>Year 163</b>


    We cant afford to wait. Lausanne once again made her case to the council. The rifts will ur any time now, any time.


    I could sense the subtle twisting of space, already my magical sensors are sharper, and more sensitive to void mana.


    There will be a lot of death.


    I dont see why we should assist. There are still two living heroes, isnt it? We should reserve our strength. The skeptical group. The turtles.


    I agree with that view, Lady Lausanne. I strongly rmend we observe the heroes actions before even bothering to assist. What if the heroes use this chance to strike us?


    Lausanne paused, the earlier crusades were a bad taste that many still remember.


    The other temples have never assisted us.


    She took a deep breath. Im not rmending we assist the temples. We should find favourable countries, nations that are willing to shift their allegiances. Surely there are those who have lost faith in the temples, and we should step in. This is our chance to make a foothold on those kingdoms. The refugees are a sign that the winds are shifting, we should use this tailwind to make a stand.


    Im a little mixed on that. Chancellor Brandak opined. Its a waste of good resources, and I think strategically, we would reveal our hands if we sent our Valthorns to the other continents. Currently, the other nations have limited info on our truebat abilities.


    Lausanne paused. The strategic element was a good argument.


    I think the value of Valthorns strategic abilities is overstated. Our true power is and always is Aeons set of skills and abilities. Revealing Valthorn doesnt do much.


    What if the other temples take this chance to capture the Valthorns? Surely, this is one of the few chances they get hold of our elite group. Would we risk sending our forces into enemy lines this way, far from Aeons reach? Its true. As long as they are on this continent, I can still interfere. But on the other continents, I couldnt.


    Lausanne frowned, she had a short shback of her time as a captive. That was another good argument from one of the High Lords.


    That simply meant that if we do want to send aid, we must send a high-powered group. One that can resist such attempts to capture them, and it must be arge contingent as well.


    Lausanne read the unsaid words. Itll be implied as hostility, simply because of the size of the force. No, its a t out deration of distrust. Who would want to y host to a forcerge enough to take over a kingdom? What if someone took offense and that force decided toy waste to the kingdom.


    Lausanne frowned, she decided to back away from her case. Can we... assist indirectly? Surely if a public assistance program is unjustifiable, then can we provide indirect support?


    I personally disliked that idea, because it reeks of proxy wars yed by world powers. But then again, I am a world power now. What kind of world power do I want to be?


    In the council was one of the Pirate Lords, he spoke with a swagger befitting his ss. There are certain inds close to the other continents that are not heavily popted. We may use those asunchpads, if our intention is to take a foothold. But we will be noticed.


    Chancellor Kavio nodded. Our naval force has not fought a real naval battle so far.


    The Pirate Lord agreed. Only pirates. Some of the kingdoms may have high leveled Captains and Admirals.


    Lausanne shrunk a bit more, it was just a way of saying the idea wasnt worth it.The meeting soon ended.


    -


    Hytreerion.


    Yes master.


    Can you swim?


    ...Yes, after my recent level up I gained some ability to move overrge bodies of water, but slowly. Mybat abilities are also significantly curtailed in water.


    I thought about it momentarily, could I create additional Titans? I do have additional Titans that I should deploy for this cause.


    It was time to relook at what other Titans I can bring. Its a good way to prepare for the next demon king anyway. There must be new options by this point.


    The prompts then came up again. It repeated those choices I had a long time ago.


    [Giant Tree Serpent, Nydus - A massive serpent. Able to use earth and wood magic. Starts at level 70. Gains powers to summon all sorts of serpents and poisons. Master of poisons and has the ability to brew multiple types of potent poisons and cures. Able to grant poison immunity.]


    [Giant Storm Bird - A massive bird with powers of wind, water and thunder. Gains power to summon eagles and hawks. Eagles and hawks can carry goods and people. Has power to grant [Wind Mage] and [Flight] ability to those worthy. Can control the local weather and improve irrigation. Starts at level 70.]


    [Fusion with Horns. Starts at level 80. Transforms Horns into a Goliath Kingbeetle thats able to use earth magic and various other protective and offensive abilities. Goliath Kingbeetle can create Royal Warbeetles. Also produces very high quality beetle-silk. Royal Warbeetles can improve crop output in the area]


    [Fusion with a Giant attendant tree - Creates a Warmaster Treant. Starts at level 70. High toughness and use of wood magic. Warmaster Treant is able to create lesser treants to assist inbat and other duties. Also produces high quality teas and fruits.]


    These were the old options I had, well, without the ones with Jura too. Strangely, I didnt have an option for Edna. Anyway, I reviewed my new options.


    [Great Levelling Dungeon - Fuse a dungeon with a titan Soul to create a dungeon that gets stronger as it levels. Starts at Level 100. <b>Warning </b>: Possible chance to loss of control of dungeon inhabitants]


    Uh. That warning sounds like an inevitability.


    [Crystalform Titan - Level 70 Crystal Titan. High toughness and tremendous magic resistance. Able to produce crystals. Can change forms to perform different type of roles. Able to learn and use a certain range of magics.]


    [Depth Worm - Starts at Level 70. A creature of the subterranean world. Extremely good at digging and making tunnels. Has very good earth-sense and is able to detect hidden features in the deep ground. Weak to magical attack. Also produces certain types of mineral and metals.]


    Hmmmm... these two seemed to be tied to my recent activities in crystals and digging underground tunnels. Seemed kind of a boring choice for a titan.


    [Fusion with a Seagiant Tree - Seagiant Treant - Level 70. Simr to Warmaster Treant Titan, but capable ofbat in shallow seas and swamps. Has various swamp and sea-type adaptations, and can create seagrass vines and seaweeds. Produces really high quality seaweed for consumption]


    Ah. This was also not too bad, but nothing really revolutionary. Patreeck is pretty much in a ss of his own with his psychic powers.


    Ah. More to think about. Maybe my next generation of Valthorns will get some kind of special Titan?


    -


    Here, we have our first tri-spell magicalttice. Alka demonstrated the first three-spell amplification magical bomb. The whole thing was the size of a cow, and Alka theorised that its explosion should be really strong.


    It was big, for sure. The magical explosion could level a city, but its intensity was somewhatcking.


    Kei was the one who asked. The demon king always blows up right?


    ...most of the time, yes.


    How do they do it?


    That was a good question. If the demon king always had a self-destruct button, why couldnt I use the same mechanism to create an equally powerful bomb? No. Taking it a step further, if all demon kings had a self-destruct function, could I somehow trigger that self-destruction function as a means of defeating the demon king?


    Its pretty much cheesing the system if I could trigger their self-destruction.


    I had Patreeck and my artificial minds relook into our data. How did the demons create such a powerful bomb that even heroes, with their incredible superstars and natural defenses, could not escape?


    Some heroes were able to protect themselves. Patreeck said. They were usually the defense-focused heroes. Patreeck had indeed digested as much history as we could gather. Defensive heroes were usually able to survive the bomb. Especially if they had divine-tier supershield abilities. Offensive or more generalist heroes would still die, though.


    I pondered whether its possible to augment generalist heroes with stronger defensive abilities, and so that they could survive it, but then, is it in my interest to keep the heroes alive? If anything, letting defensive heroes live is actually a good thing since these type of heroes generally tend to be passive, as their first instinct isnt to blow shit up.


    My artificial minds soon found a few areas worth experimenting on, mainly on thetticework and the runic formations. Patreeck soon theorised that the demon kings inner structure was more of a natural amplifier, rather than a container. Its a reverse from our present ways.


    Our present magical crystal all functioned as a container, with some amplification added through the runic formations etched into said crystals. If the crystal was naturally amplificative, and the runes was then the one ying the container. Using the crystals as a means of creating power, that meant its likely multiple types of crystals wasyered in order to create a kind of exponential power.


    Surely that isnt all, is it? Patreecks calctions quickly concluded that depending on the types of material... this may be the answer, or is there something else?


    If its so simple, my vines should have been able to drain away the energy and significantly lessen the damage...


    Our thoughts turned back to the Demon Core. Could my answer lie there? That damned thing that I have yet to figure out.


    -


    The rifts opened. It was in the Northern Inds, roughly. At this distance, the energies of the rift are quite diffused and its hard to know where exactly. Theres also the issue of poor quality maps that generally presented the world as bits and pieces. This is after all a world without satellite position systems and satellite imagery. The maps built via fliers and cartographers are quite good for their local areas, but often have huge errors when dealing with turbulent oceans.


    Maybe we shouldnt aim so high. Keiughed as Ste exerted herself again. The idea of teleporting themselves to the moon was pretty crazy.


    If we cant even teleport to the moon, how am I supposed to get home?


    Maybe its something a lot simpler. Maybe the worlds are folded together likeyers of rags stacked on one another, and interdimensional world movement is just us changing floors, rather that moving across the floors.


    What, theres some kind of interdimensional lift? Ste rolled her eyes. Surely magic isnt that simple.


    Keiughed. Magic is whatever this world wants it to be. Why should it be thatplicated anyway? The gods certainly dumbed it down for the heroes. Did you know heroes can skip so many steps when they use spells? Fucking hell now that Im not a hero any more I have to do it the normal way and it totally sucks.


    Stes eyes rolled even more. Metaphorically.


    Im serious, Astia. The gods give life-hacks for the heroes to skip steps, and in some cases, we even get straight-up auto-casting functions.


    Every time I learn about how the heroes have everything rigged, I just feel absolutely unfair. How do I replicate that? A familiar that assists with magic casting?


    Wait. Waitwaitwait. I could do that, isnt it? Would it be possible to design a tree familiar with a focus on mental and magical abilities that augment the hosts spellcasting, rather than just give them more abilities? It should be possible, right?


    I have my artificial souls all functioning as my assistants, but could I replicate this on a smaller scale with them?


    It requires quite a bit of processing power. Patreeckmented. A familiar fused with an artificial soul on its own can provide some support, but being only one, its not enough to match the kind of assistance the heroes get.


    Effectively, yes, a familiar with an artificial soul can function as a 2nd mind for a warrior, butpared to the heroes super AI, its still too far behind.


    I thought about it for a while... but then I remembered.


    No. The artificial mind doesnt need to be the one doing all the thinking. Rather than tag the artificial mind and have all theputational load be with thebatant, why cant it be hived-off to a cloud?


    If the artificial mind and familiar functions as a gateway or a connection, and all the actual assistance and mentalputation happens here, with Patreeck and a massivework of stationary, dedicated artificial minds?


    That is... possible, but we would need a familiar that can form a kind of... mind-link?


    I needed to test it out, and already I have candidates. The best people I can test this on are treefolks. They are naturally already able to connect with trees.


    Could I juice the treefolks with the power of an entirework of trees? Use the power of the remote forest of minds to significantly increase a treefolksbat powers? Essentially, the treefolk would have to allow us to control certain parts of their body.


    The minds stewed on the idea, I could sense them thinking about it in detail.


    I approached the treefolks on the idea as well.


    I summoned Lord Kraveik, the de facto lord of the Treefolks, though there are few others like him, and pitched the idea.


    Were looking to create specialised treefolk champions, augmented by powers of the forest. The concept of artificial souls is not everyone knows, and many of them believe those artificial souls are just extensions of me. Its true, to some extent, so I dont correct it. Were hoping to test whether treefolks can act as our gateway and avatars.


    I believe they should be receptive, but Ill need to raise this topic with the warriors.


    In the meantime, I need to figure out how to change familiars and artificial souls so that they can perform such a function.


    <b>-</b>


    > Are the demons near? < Reefy asked one fine day. Itsnguage had improved quite a bit, mostly due to exposure to me.


    > Will they hurt us? <


    > When will theye? <


    Reefy expanded in his coral reef area, and at the same time, also embedded his core somewhere deeper into the reef. I could sense his curious magical energies touching my sea-roots, like a small octopus, afraid, but yet couldnt resist it.


    Hes also taken control of some fishes. I wasnt exactly sure how he did it, but perhaps it is a simr mechanism to my control of the beetles. Out of friendliness I didnt attack any of those fishes that he controlled, so I wasnt sure whether those fishes are actual living things or some kind of summon.


    As he expanded, I decided to retreat and give him a little bit more space.


    At the same time, I introduced Reefy to Lilies. Lilies was mostly aloof, and also very curious. The two spirits were really far away from each other, and would likely never interact in normal circumstances. Theirmunication required me to create some kind of dedicated paths on [roo], but not exactly impossible. Sadly, no new skill from that.


    Strangely, both of them had very little concept of privacy and did not attempt to shield their conversations from me at all.


    > If theye, will we fight? < I vaguely sensed that Reefy feltfortable with me, but I still wasnt sure myself what my rtionship with it was. Were we friends? Im not even sure if it is a friend.


    At the same time, Reefy was aware of the kind of conflicts we faced onnd, the demons and their invaders. Reefy, reciprocated with images of his own battles, smaller in scale, with the monsters that attempted to dominate the reef, some that thought they could even seize its core.


    Those shared visions were when I realised how different Reefys sense of the world is. It viewed the world in movement, in a state of constant fluctuation of inhabitants. The reef was rarely a permanent home for the sea creatures that lived there. They were mostly nomadic.


    I saw creatures that were strange, and colorful. Reefy viewed the world in a tightly mixed set of color and sound through the little nodes and eyes throughout the reef, and at the same time, sound was a very very big part of his vision. His sight was always blended with an associated sound, they were inseparable when he described things.


    That was when we started sharing the recorded sounds of the creatures, animals. Whatever we have stored in our [Registree], and it was something that delighted Reefy. At least, I thought it was delighted. I wasnt sure whether it felt those emotions, despite the presence of intelligence.


    Reefy expanded mostly around the shelf, and it had a mix ofbat powers, such as controlling the reefs to release various types of projectiles, to support powers like elerating reef growth. I was pretty sure it had some fish-control abilities too.


    Our information from Reefys direction is limited because we pretty much gave up the area around it. Patreeck shared.


    Thankfully, it was rtively easy to convince Reefy to share intel, especially when my interest was on boats and ships that happened above its location.


    It didnt like boats. It didnt like people very much either, and was fond of killing those who ventured too near.


    I quickly dered the reef area a natural reserve, so that none of the fishers evere close.


    There were protests from the kingdoms that shared a border with that part of the sea but between a sentient reef, or kingdoms, I soon decided it was better to keep Reefys goodwill.


    I would educate it on the ways of the natives, their fishing habits and why they do so. It responded with anger and hatred, but over time, it soon softened its stance to one of displeasure, and then negotiated safe paths through Reefys area of control. Paths where ships could sail, but no fishing or diving.


    There were those who did it anyway, but a few deathster, the sailors and merchants learned their lesson. Reefy was very aggressive when faced with swimmers and divers, and would not hesitate to spear a diver to death with sharpened corals.


    I would try to educate Reefy on a less lethal approach, but I foresee it will take some time.


    -

 Labyrinth of Roots

    Labyrinth of Roots


    <b>Year 164</b>


    We kept digging into the depths, and I soon discovered a second limit. There was a limit of how far the chain of roots and trees can go underground. That range, as of now, was about 500 miles. I can go a max of 500 miles deep, or wide, or underground, or whichever, then I need to go back to the surface.


    That said, this also meant it may be possible to tunnel all the way to the other continents, as long as I make a little surface trip every 500 miles. Perhaps, a super tall tree from deep underwater, or a long vine that breaks through the earth and extends all the way to the surface, kinda like a super long kelp forest?


    If there are ind chains along the way, Its still possible to make hops. Else, itll be like a whale surfacing to get a breath.


    Strange that the trees need such a thing. Perhaps its just some magical mambo-jumbo just to deal with such a loophole. Or maybe the system just decided that I shouldnt be allowed to dig so deep. Hah!


    In the depths, we soon found more long-forgotten cities. The Margmarian Dwarves were not the first, and those Dragon Bones were not that rare either. There seemed like there was a time when dragons were extremelymon, though most of these bones were a lot smaller. Their magic had decayed over the eons.


    Sad.


    -


    I theorised that ancient civilisations would also choose to use ley lines as a form of natural power source, thus following the ley lines underground did lead to a few other interesting locations.


    We discovered arge tomb-like structure in the depths, filled with long-dead corpses, their bodies fully decayed. In fact, the bones pretty much disintegrated on contact, and they left behind some magical books and items, their magic also fading.


    This was when I felt torn. I either could call on the wider crowd of mages with the right preservation and ice skills to preserve or freeze these objects, and doing so would reveal these ancient sites to the wider world, or use the Valthorns own mages who are morebat focused.


    There were also strategic issues that would reveal how deep I could dig... in the end, I decided to use Valthorns, but equipped with magical artefacts that slow decay. As we kept digging, and followed the ley lines, eventually we discovered most of them had some old tombs, and ancient smaller cities.


    Most had some degree of magical protection, and some looked like the muck had flooded the entire city. It was a lot of work, trying to excavate such massive cities, and so much time had passed that the structures that made up the walls, and the muck itself is almost indistinguishable.


    -


    These ancient ces are amazing, and they speak of gods that have long been forgotten. A few of the Valthorn analysts came to the subterranean city. Alka, too, as my Chief Researcher. It was one of the inspiration trips. They had to be equipped with a whole set of artifacts just to tolerate the pressure, natural heat and theck of breathable air.


    Even among the various races that call the Central Continent home, few are adapted to subterranean living. Treefolks suffered from walking in the depths a lot more than the others, their bodies seemed to despise going underground for long periods. Some groups of lizardpeople were much more fond of the underground, but only up to a certain level. Beyond that the heat is unbearable. Dwarves, true to their heritage as miners and diggers, performed the best, but even they needed artefacts.


    The lense remained on its pedestal. I took it out temporarily to study it, and since then returned it. I still could not understand how its made.


    One of the thoughts shared with the Valthorns, was the use of this location as a hideout. True, they were functionally buried alive, but this ancient city is the perfect apocalypse bunker. The fact that it stood despite the eons was sufficient proof of its sess as a bunker.


    This is a rehash of Aeons old sewer bunker idea isnt it? One of the older Valthornsughed. The history of New Freeka was not totally lost.


    Indeed, but this space is significantlyrger and uses a power source independent of Aeon.


    There were kinks to work out, and the druids that made the trip down soon wanted to nt a wide range of fungi that generated light, and also some nts that could survive with the indirect light from fungi. I think the ultimate problem is one offort. The idea of living underground is appalling, that only dwarves and certain lizard-people subspecies would consider it for any decently long period of time.


    Centaurs and treefolks hate it with a passion, and I think maybe thats why they will be the first to go extinct. Or maybe the gods will just repopte the world with them based on some kind of cookie cutter racial temte.


    -


    Also on the line of ley lines and underground, I made a dungeon underground in an area with a few ley lines and somehow, this was my first Level 120 dungeon. It was a simple premise. Ley lines are more powerful underground, partly because the energies are concentrated.


    Because its so far hidden underground, I decided that this was a Valthorn-exclusive dungeon. Not that anyone else could even challenge it.


    In fact, right now, only Lumoof and Edna have any chance of surviving a battle with the monsters of this dungeon. Thankfully the dungeon wasnt going to go wild, else Id be dealing with Level 120 monsters.


    Their first reaction to seeing a Level 120 dungeon was pretty much, some variant of what-the-fuck.


    But, this was the best way to level up, so, out of the sheer value of farming a Level 120 dungeon, began the first recreation of the underground pre-dungeon savepoint. Arge continent of Valthorns with all types of skills, including support and crafting skills, were chosen to set up this mini city.


    I even created a few additional artificial minds just to oversee this citys administration.


    The thing is, when high level individuals are not spotted for long periods of time, it tends to fuel rumors of death. Thus began the first vanishing of Edna and Lumoof and a lot of other higher level Valthorns. They would camp down there, right outside the dungeons and make battle with the dungeons monsters.


    Eavesdropping on the conversations of foreign intelligence agents were part of my entertainment.


    Lady Edna vanished?


    No one has seen her for months!


    Not just her. Arge group of the best warriors have all disappeared!


    They fought hard, and even the level 80s and 90s levelled quickly when faced with Level 120 monsters. And they have not even fought the boss or the minibosses.


    She has not reported in her home position in the Six Ports for months! The Valthorns have assigned new individuals to take over all their ces.


    But they are not listed as dead.


    The other temples would want to have a gauge on mybat strength, so they keep tabs on these individuals. I had thought of killing them altogether, but its better to lull them into a sense ofcency. I also noticed I learned a lot more about the other temples when they are alive, and they share information with other fellow agents.


    So, I let them live. Its only when they tried something uneptable that they would encounter some unfortunate coincidences and idents.


    I imagine the intelligence setup is kinda like a Venus flytrap. Let them venture a little too near and wham! Dead bugs.


    At the same time, a few of my artificial minds sorted data by their risk levels. I was willing to let foreign intelligence agents get certain information, after all, just like nuclear bombs, letting other countries know I have such nuclear weapons is a deterrent of its own.


    -


    What news do you have? Kei asked Lausanne, on the war in the northern isles. She worried for her two friends, those two bastards that didnt evene and help her.


    Lausanne shrugged. Theyre doing alright. The Demon King isnt here yet, just regr mobs. The elven girl had gotten used to Keis lingo, and even used some of their terms.


    Kei nodded. Ah yes. True. They wont lose to regr mobs... right? I still dont understand why shes worried. Heroes with their absurd stats wont lose to regr demons. What kind of demons have they met?


    Seems to be some kind of worm. In addition to the regr hounds.


    Worm?


    Yeah. A worm-demon. Big fat ugly slugs with horns and spikes. Attacks by spitting some acids, or by ramming. Moves incredibly fast for such an ugly thing. Lausanne had drawings that were shared by our agents on the other continents, again, part of the mutual horse trading.


    Kei looked at the pictures, somehow disgusted. If I had my powers Id burn it with fire and blow them up. Truly a spawn of hell.


    Lausanne smiled. Indeed, but spears and spikes work quite well against them. Their inner parts seem quite soft. I wonder whether they pop like worms when you pierce them.


    Eww. Thanks for nting that image in my head.


    Or maybe theyll just leak demon-juice.


    Eww.


    Lausanne smiled, and the two started their regr spar. Kei was a lot easier to defeat, since shes just a crystal-golem without overpowered hero powers and stats. She gained a lot of levels then, and she is now about Level 75 as a crystal golem. She formed a team with Astia and Lausanne, to go dungeon diving, thought they mostly dived in the level 60-70 range.


    Statistically, the minds gathered data that most adventurers hit about level 40-50, and a small minority would reach level 80. It takes about 7 to 10 years to reach Level 80 if one takes on the dungeons regrly, without any experience-boosting powers. With the effect of experience boosts, or the powers of various leaders, its possible to reduce this time by more than half. The fastest level gain I have so far is 3 years to Level 80, without any of the experience seeds or my level 60 gift.


    This, of course, required tremendous dedication. Getting to level 80 in 3 years meant diving a dungeon of the appropriate challenge level every 2 to 3 days, and ssing suitably.


    There are [Kings] that have powers to improve level gain, after all, leaders are famed for their passive ability to improve the strength of those around them, and they can give gifts too. But generally, the passive ability is only as strong as the [Kings] own levels.


    Anyway, Ste/Astia also received one of my familiars. I had hoped to eventually collect her [void mage] ss, so that I could produce more of them. Her powers were surprisingly conventional, if not for the [void] title. In a way, a [void mage] is just a [poison mage] with some extra steps and effects. After all, [void] powers tend to leave a stain that deals damage over time. Thats functionally a poison-type ability.


    She was frustrated that her attempts to teleport to the moon didnt have any progress, so the dungeon diving was to gain levels, and build better equipment. Also, void items were very hard to make, because of their violent reactions to all things mana.


    -


    Anyway, the Northern Inds actually performed rtively well. The earlier bout of negativity andparison of the Temples performance versus the Central Continent spurred a need by the temples senior leadership to be seen as performing their duties, so the 4 temples actually gathered their forces to help suppress the demonic incursions, and the 2 remaining heroes actually had to get out of their pces and start ying demons.


    A good change,pared to their previously uncoordinated response.


    They were still slow, of course, they didnt have the benefit of a single unifying tree with continental overview, so deaths are aplenty, but at least the temples and heroes are seen trying.


    Our agents told us that the Northern Isles were quite lucky, their forces managed to activate on time, and the people were well armed. They also had groups of adventurers and warriors that could take on those worms.


    The demons kinda fucked up, too. They chose to invade the cold northern inds, where their worms performance is impaired somewhat.


    Still, I wonder how a worm-like Demon King will be? Is it going to be like some massive Dune-ish Sandworm? A snowworm? Or maybe a hydra? Thatd be quite boring.


    -


    <b>Year 165</b>


    Another year without the demon king. The war in the Northern Isles continued, and more rifts. I knew this because my magical sensors were pretty busy, the presence of the rifts were a constant thing.


    The heroes and the defenders remain on top of things, though the intensity and quantity of the rifts increased. More worms, andrger worm-variants. The champions and walkers of this episode of the demonic incursions had masses of giant multiple-building-sized worms that exploded into smaller worms when destroyed. It was horrible, and even so the heroes persisted in their battle.


    Soldiers that never had any emotion for such wriggly, wiggly creatures all emerged from battles hating worms to their core. They kept splitting, into smaller and smaller parts, but thankfully the smallest of these demon worms are still the size of dogs.


    Worms. I wondered howd Id fight them. No. I would just nuke them to death with all my magical bombs. Why use root strikes when a bomb would work?


    Turned out, these demons were incredibly magic resistant, and physical damage was their general weakness. They survived fires, drowning, and most magical attacks. .


    The adaptability of these demons was honestly amazing. Whered they find such anti-magic worms?


    -


    Whats our strategy if the demonic incursiones to our shores? As with any decentlypetent military force, there is always a lot of simtion going on in the heads of the generals.


    Wed make a massive wall of spears.


    Thatll work for smaller demons. What about the building-sized demons?


    Bigger spears?


    The druids apparently had an easier suggestion. Squash them with rocks. I wonder if that''ll work, since worms could tunnel through earth. In fact, would my own rootworks hold up if they attack the ground? Those were... good questions. I was reminded by my earlier days when we faced that giant centipede demon, are these demons a simr variant? Yet, back then, the giant centipede demon was actually incredibly resistant to physical damage.


    Perhaps... shrapnel weapons? Bombs that shoot up tiny spear-like projectiles? Or would my rooting fields be sufficient to deter these demons?


    -


    Edna gained a few levels, and she reached level 145. Lumoof too, as a [patreearch] was now about level 138, and the sort of healing powers he possessed was quite impressive. He too, received a [Court of the Deitree], but not one with any inherited skills. Perhaps, should he falls, this position in the Court would absorb his skills.


    They were... doing well, and fighting the monsters of the Level 120 dungeon was a lot more challenging than anyone gave them credit for.


    The underground city outside the level 120 dungeon grew to about 1,000 people, all Valthorns. A secret base essed via mywork of root tunnels.


    Lumoof would often perform sermons in a small underground temple, his blessings were incredibly powerful at his level. I still dont get how [priests]s blessings can stack with my own. I mean, logically, if a priest derives power from a god, a gods blessings should automatically be superior to that of the priest. But the fact that they stack implies it is a system mechanic.


    Anyway, well abuse it since it works that way.


    After a while, they rmended a few individuals for the uplifting, to unlock their level limit. 5 more individuals, a mix of rangers, druids and knights.


    The surface world remains oblivious to the existence of the dungeon, and rumors of the deaths of my senior leadership continued to swirl. Good point was, it seemed that my trust in my nobility to keep the secret was not entirely unfounded. Most of them kept their mouth shut about my dungeon-creation ability, and the fact that I had a super dungeon hidden underground was also a confidential matter known only to the senior Valthorns.


    But there are suspicions.


    There are sses out there, such as [earth mages] and other simr types that are particrly sensitive to underground tunnels, and there were suspicions. Many kingdoms have some individuals that had earth-detection skills, simply because my few-decade old tunnel raid on the Six Ports was still a strategy discussed even till today.


    Heck, even the temples had to design ns on the possibility of surprise raids, and that meant they could never fullymit an army to an invasion. Any force needs to be split to protect their rear, or they leave themselves open for a repeat of the tunnel disaster. Maybe thats why they didnt think another crusade was worthwhile? At least, not without the heroes.


    Edna, as she approached the first tier of divinity, Level 150, had many questions about what would happen, and honestly, I wasnt sure either. Was her experience going to be simr? Surely, as a humanoid with sses, there should be some subtle differences?

 One Root At A Time

    One Root At A Time


    <b>Year 166</b>


    The war in the north is in full swing, as the [Demon King Durthal] descended. The real war had just begun in the frozen north, and Kei was worried.


    Tell me theyre alright. She would say.


    I would often respond. They dont deserve your concern.


    Theyre assholes and they left me to die instead ofing immediately as they should. Kei said. But they are still my asshole friends. Dont you have friends like that? Shit ass, good-for-nothing friends?


    Im quite surprised by this change of behaviorpared to your earlier days.


    Kei frowned. Alright, Im still not very happy with them and Im still not on good terms. I mean, I didnt even tell them Im still alive. But I dont wish them ill. I dont really want them to die either.


    Rtionships are confusing. I sighed.


    It is. I suppose a tree wont get that. That hurt a lot more than it should.


    So... how are they? Kei repeated.


    They are doing alright.


    Details. Come on. Kei insisted. I want to know whether theyre fucked or not.


    Ill have one of the advisors meet you. Seriously why are you invested? Are you going to help them?


    Me? With my level 70 form? Im just trash before that demon king. Kei frowned. No... I guess I just want to feel Im part of the conflict.


    Ah. Things people do to feel like they are still part of something, the same way a football fan speaks of their favourite team like us and we. Like they are a part of something bigger. But I thought... you know.. You think this whole conflict is a trap?


    She sighed. Its hard to exin, you know, I want to step away from this game, the only way to win is not to y, but my friends are caught. They are still [heroes], and the [hero] ss is cursed. The demons will chase them, hunt them, and they will bepelled to fight them. Do I choose to do nothing? In fact, thats exactly what Ive done. Nothing. So, I feel like shit, kinda. Im trying to help Astia, maybe her Void Mana is one way out of this whole circus, but at the same time, Im not sure whether my friends should learn of Astias existence. What would they do if they found out theres someone who has void mana and could possibly open a portal to the other side? Would the gods meddling force them to murder Astia?


    Oh.


    So yes, I want to know so that I can y cheerleader and deceive myself. If I could, Id like to help you defeat the next demon king too. Wait. Dammit. Not defeat. We need to find a way to put a pause on this entire thing. One where the system doesnt automatically push another demon king through the rift after a set timer.


    Did I tell her? I think I didnt.


    Kei stood there for quite a while, she is after all a golem, so she can stand for long periods with little issue. I know that was an unnecessary ramble, but I think Id have to get at least level 150, right? At least, thats what i heard Edna was saying that Level 150 is when the mortal ascends a step to the divine.


    ...yes.


    Alright. Lets get more of those monsters. Im not sure I should trust her with the full n. But I suppose a little more couldnt hurt.


    As of now, shes just about level 70ish and she spent her time challenging the level 80-90 dungeons. That level 120 dungeon underground remained a secret known only to a select few.


    Even Lausanne doesnt know about it, well, because she decided not to move past where she is now, because of some fear of the unknown.


    -


    Arlisa finally stopped her stint in the Fresnd Treetiary College, and not-unlike her mother, she joined a group of adventurers, visiting dungeons throughout the Continent.


    I suppose Im like one of her uncles, watching her bungle her way through life despite all of her privileges, and now extremely relieved that she decided to do something useful and productive for herself. Also, the whole adventurer thing allowed her to get away from her mom, since they have a rather tense rtionship. Lausanne seemed to try to push her to do more, and well, take advantage of her gifts, but Arlisa was just rather content taking things at her own pace.


    It was just regr tension within the family, but it eventually worsened when Lausanne started talking about the other Valthorns she coached. These other Valthorns were younger and more hungry, and theparisons, even if Lausanne didnt meant it, really irked Arlisa.


    So, she kinda decided to just finish the whole FTC thing and joined some adventurers, taking on lower level dungeons, at first the level 20-30 dungeons.


    Yes? My response was slow, as with all busy uncles, but shes used to it.


    Oh. Hi Aeon. She responded and found a quiet ce to sit down. I suppose having a mental or psychic conversation required a set of norms not unlike cell phone calls. I... wanted to ask for a favor. She was far outside of Freshka then, away from the range of Patreecks mind reading.


    A favor?


    I know Im not a member of the Valthorns... but could I get ess to some of the restricted dungeon slots?


    I thought for a moment. Sorry Arlisa, but the answer is no. The rules are set, and they are not to be twisted so easily. I felt kind of disappointed at that moment, that she resorted to using her privilege in this manner. I would also step on the authority which I delegated to the Council. If I delegated the powers, they should be followed by all. I hated the nobility back then, and I have a dislike for them now.


    It just kinda sucks that Lausannes daughter is the one that chose to do it.


    -


    Lausannes other child was a young little boy named Lauda. Just like Arlisa, he too, had the inherited blessings, the exact same one. He developed well, but I wondered whether I should dote on him or not.


    Simply because of Arlisa. Arlisa still struggled with privilege, and effort. Shes gifted, and yet chose not to make the most of it. How much of that was because of me? Was I the source of her stress? I wasnt sure.


    Even though I could read minds, that didnt mean I knew what caused their personalities to develop in a certain way, and whether that development, how much was due to my presence. How a personality is formed and shaped over the decades is still a mystery, even if one can have many good educated guesses. It is not like personalities are skill blocks that I can create by repeating certain actions. People respond to stimuli differently, and so the best I can do is just keep trying.


    -


    The war esctes with Demon King Durthal, and the wedge between those who believe we should provide assistance, and those who believe those other continents deserved it grows. Its a rtively small minority, of course, but they are loud. The discussions turned somewhat... chaotic.


    There are people there we should save. Talented people we can rescue. One of the many lords suggested. Ive attempted to bribe them toe over, but I believe our ability to ensure their physical safety will win them over.


    Are you trying to insinuate a kidnapping?


    Well yes, but theylle willingly when their towns are getting ttened by demons.


    Its a huge mess, the representatives and the bureaucrats wanted to n how to take advantage of the chaos in the North. Already some Lords sent their own people, not Valthorns, their own militia to assist in the war effort. In their case, its really a luxury of security, that they can afford to meddle in other nations affairs. We watched them attempt to assist the other nations, and then the demons killed their agents.


    The heroes put up a hell of a resistance. But, they could not be everywhere at the same time, and so, cities after cities fell. The unpredictable rifts also had a tendency of popping up everywhere, so its hard to really protect the front-line when there isnt one. They didnt have that many high level individuals they could deploy, nor did they have the benefit of my almost continent-wide demonic suppression aura.


    The rifts also spread throughout the world, and so... we had a rift open on our continent. Rift appearances are targeted, but asionally they spawn in other ces too.


    But a single one opened on our shores. Just a single one. But Ive been waiting for a long time for it to happen, and deployed my beetles to flood the area. The rift opened in the northernmost point of the Central Continent, close to a port city.


    My forces quickly defeated the first wave of worms, the beetles sharp horns, tusks and simrly heavy and spiky carapaces made them natural counters to the spiky flesh worms. My trees sprung out of the earth around the rifts, and quickly, my vines attempted to make contact with the rift.


    This will not be the time for the [Forest Rod]. Not yet. I only have one shot, one opportunity, to make a stand in the other world, in one moment. But not yet. Ill let this one slip.


    What I wanted to test out were my bombs, and my new generation of beetles, coated with ayer of mana-crystals. Essentially, a rift-jumpsuit for beetles, because I wanted to test out whether I could modte the mana in these crystals, to allow my beetles to cross the rift. Eventually, Id like to scale it up to a Titan, especially a Titan that can generate a microclimate, and an aura titan to bring my anti-demon aura to their world.


    It worked, partially. The body part that had crystals managed to go through, but the rest of it didnt. The beetle sttered as the two parts got torn apart by the rift. Ooof. Sorry beetle, thats a horrible, horrible way to die. Its kinda like being stuck in a moving lift door.


    Sample one didnt work. Then, I got another beetle, this time the crystals were a lot more fine, and spread throughout its entire body. It.... worked!


    Oh my, it worked. I felt the beetle get crushed by something on the other side, and the rift quickly closed on us.


    ... Fuck.


    But hey, now I just need tiny-crystals in every part of the body! At least one tiny problem solved. The bigger problem remains.


    If we cant keep the portal open, we cant hold any realistic position on the other side. My minds were, of course, quick to remind me of the obstacles. Ill have to wait when Ste dies, then I can steal her [void mage]. Most other mages were not keen on learning void


    -


    I also attempted to learn void magic for myself. If I could gain some star mana by the way of leaves, surely, there is a way for me to gain void mana too. It was a strange sensation, as I tried to repeat the steps Ste took to gain her [void mage] ss.


    I tried it repeatedly for months, and all I got was silly notification.


    [Skill obtained : Void tolerance]


    But still no void mana. I suppose I have to work through a few prerequisite skills before I get the void mana? Or perhaps Ill have it as an option at level 200?


    -


    After that first Level 120 dungeon, I attempted to create an even stronger, more powerful dungeon, with all that I know so far. Of course, doing so meant some of the smaller ley lines had to be channeled away, guided by little carvings and weird signatures.


    It worked, because after I gathered and focused the energies of like 30 ley lines, I managed to create a Level 130 dungeon. I even got a skill out of it.


    [Skill obtained : Ley Line Guidance]


    The high leveled Valthorns that were busy attempting the Level 120 dungeon then moved on to new dungeons and Edna fought the dungeons repeatedly with a group of unlocked Valthorns. I had given about 3-4 ginsengs, and given that these damned ginseng takes at least 5 years to reach their suitable state, in the current mana rich conditions, thats still a bit of a drawback. It felt like I was burning through more high ginseng than I expected.


    The Level 120 and Level 130 dungeons quickly proved their brutality, when one of the high leveled Valthorns was killed, pretty much mangled by dungeons, despite their best preparations. If it gets out of hand I would need to move them down to the Level 90-100 range dungeons before theye back.


    But Edna did well, this was her level, and together with Lumoof, Edna could take on wave after wave of the dungeon monsters, her stamina seemed to grow exponentially with each level closer to Level 150.


    Then, it happened.


    Level 150.


    I felt it very clearly, the distortion in the air, subtle, but present. My link to her, via the Court of the Deitree flooded with a new kind of energy I have never sensed before. Something unique to her.


    Ive done it, Aeon. Level 150. All my sses have merged, and I have a choice.


    A choice?


    Yes. Domain of [Shield] or Domain of [Knight]. Huh. Thats a strangely generic name for a domain. The air seemed to rattle around her, quite like when the heroes activated their star mana forms.


    I paused. I leave the choice to you. If I am right, my ability to control them will diminish once they achieve domain powers, just as the gods ability to meddle with me diminished when I obtained my own domain.


    Edna paused, and chose [Knight]. The energy around her was pretty hero-ish, and it felt at that very moment, herbat ability pretty much increased a few fold. She attempted to take on the level 130 dungeon again, and found the monsters suddenly easier to destroy. A breakthrough, the Level 150 was a force multiplier.


    Aeon, you had this power for some time?


    Yes, but mine is that of another concept or form. Knowledge of the domains are extremely scarce, and even I cannot guide you much from here.


    Edna nodded. It makes sense if it is so. I suddenly understand and appreciate the gap between myself and the heroes now.


    I believe you are still a distance away from them, though. Is there a skill for you at Level 150?


    Yes. Two. [Duty Beyond Life and Death] and [Knights of Light].


    ...what is that?


    I cant die for a day and my body cant be severed or cut, usable five times a year. First death-hit also fully restores my health and status to original state. Subsequent near death Im only weakened until I am healed. Its pretty much functionalbat immortality. The other skill is that the knights around me get some super buffs.


    That would make you immune to the explosions. I mean, if she cant die for a day, that meant she could tank the demon kings deathbomb. Was this an ability out of a MOBA?


    That meant I could dive into the deepest dungeons without fear.


    But you could get trapped for more than a day, and then you will die.


    Edna thought for a moment. That is true. I can still lose my limbs and be disabled in other ways, it is just that for a day, any heal spell can restore me to my original state. Its a great skill, but not foolproof. I mean, I could just bury her underground for more than a day and shes still dead. But with her current strength she could punch and kick her way out of any dirt. Or I could teleport her out via the Courts powers.


    Lumoof smiled, It seemed you have reached a level that even I feel a need to bow.


    Edna paused as she considered the question. What happens when a priest reaches level 150?


    ...I dont know. Thats a good question. Does a priest, whose power is to channel their patron gods energy, be a god in his own right? Or does he still extend and rely on his patron god?


    Lumoof had a very santa-likeugh, Ho ho, I believe we will know when we get there. Well, for Lumoof, thats another 10+ levels away. Not that far now that theres a Level 130 dungeon to grind.


    The next trigger will be at Level 160, right?


    Yes, you will have a new domain ability at every 10 level.


    I see. Edna paused. This was probably a lot to take in, even though I did share the details.


    -


    Lilies was particrly sensitive to the domains presence. I wonder how did Lilies feel it? Is it like a notification, or just an itch?


    > Yes, one of my knights. At this point, not one of mine anymore. < Truly, when one reaches the domain, few can control them. Domain is a lesser deity, and in Ednas case, she is free to go anywhere she wants.


    > If I dont, whats the point? <


    -


    At this point, its worth asking again, are you still on board with my ns? I spoke to Edna a few weeks after she got used to her powers.


    Edna nodded, her words were firm. Yes. Ive seen the hell the demons bring, and more importantly, Ive seen that we can make a difference. Now that I have this power, I believe I have a duty to live up to it. I believe in this cause, Aeon.


    Internally I felt a sense of relief. Edna could easily set up her own kingdom and rule over her ownnd, at this point she is a one-woman army. Are you sure?


    Yes.


    I told Lumoof of the ns too. Now that he was close to that level, it was time he knew what my true ns were. He beamed, Truly a plot befitting a god. Only a god can dream of ending this cog that has gued our world for ages.


    No. Actually, I should ask them once they hit Level 100, whether they want to still go on with the n. Many of them would brave hell and high water, and Id like to think that if they got this far, they certainly would follow through.


    Whatever it is, as a priest, my duty is to serve our god, we are the hands of our gods will, and I will see through it. Lumoof exined, and I wonder whether its just typical priest speak. Yet my gut feel somehow thinks he was genuine.


    I checked on the other Valthorns, those above Level 100. Perhaps, perhaps I should open up this matter a lot earlier.


    No. I should have spoken of my ns before I even offered them the soul strengthening seed. But does that make it seem like I am making it a condition? I decided, perhaps it is fair to have a little bit of trust, for those who have served for so long.


    I would grant the seed, even for those who would not walk with me against the demon king, so long as they served faithfully up to this point.


    Most of the Valthorns were shocked, and yet, almost all of them were epting. There was a sense that they knew somethingrger was at y, and now finally they got the answer. Perhaps Patreeck and the minds constant, meticulous screening contributed to this. But all of them got here, and earned the [Aeonic-variant] sses by some degree of loyalty to me.


    For the Valthorns, the constant push for even higher levels now suddenly made sense. Why even though they were already so high leveled, I still insisted to push them further. In most nations, the King tries to keep a gap to prevent a rebellion, and yet I still pushed them higher. Some of them thought it insane, that eventually some of them would turn against me.


    It would happen. But so be it. The march against the gods and demons cannot happen with me alone.

 Of Pest and Plagues

    Of Pest and gues


    <b>Year 167</b>


    The wars in the North turned really ugly, as the demons brought out the merged worm-champions. Worms fused of multiple-champion level demons, these were absolutely massive monsters and they levelled cities quickly. Again, the two heroes couldnt be everywhere at once, and although one single hero was enough to defeat these merged worm champions, there were still a few of them, and these worms were smart enough to escape once the heroes were on their tails.


    Ugly.


    They need help. Kei said. Id imagine Lausanne could do quite a bit of damage to these worms.


    Lausanne shook her head. If they are merged champions, probably not. I fought a champion by myself before, all I did was just drag it on. I still needed help to win.


    Maybe, I think Aeons powers are stronger, and your linked powers are therefore stronger.


    True, but its still a big, big gap. Lausanne shrugged. And thats not what I want.


    They have not met Edna for years now, but that was normal. Kei, Lausanne and Astia have been busy hunting dungeons during their short breaks, but Lausanne had to frequently take time off, to spend time with Lauda. Lauda, the second child grew up extremely attached to Lausanne, increasingly so these few years, I wonder whether its because of her long absence during her dungeon expeditions.


    Kei nodded. She was level 80 now, and she gained the ability to shapeshift her golem form even more, and also some coloration changes. Fighting the dungeons at the right power levels meant she was earning enough experience. I was honestly quite amazed that she got so high leveled so quickly, but it seemed she hacked. She had a skill called [Precious Memories of Stone], which strangely, gave herself a boost to experience gained.


    Ste was a level 53 [Void Mage], and honestly it a huge mixed bag. From what I can see, void mages have very few special spells. The difference she brought was that the usual spells she casted were just twisted by the void mana such that they have a slightly more powerful impact.


    The issues are also two-fold. There is no grimoire or manual where Ste can refer to and see what kind of spells used void mana. So, her best bet was to use existing spells and modify it as she practiced. Next, void mana was also unstable and she frequently got cursed from it, so its not easy to experiment with void mana either.


    Perhaps we just needed to find a [void mana] manual.


    Or perhaps ask Vasira to teach her, since it had void mana. Wait. Why didnt I think of that before?


    -


    > I would like to speak to Vasira again. < I asked Lilies one day to helpmunicate the message.


    > I see. <


    Damned hiding zaratans. I wonder how Lilies even found them.


    -


    It was one fine evening, when everything seemed to be doing alright, that I got the string of messages.


    [Hans has died. You received a fragment.]


    [Demon King Durthal has been in.]


    Then, my magical sensors went nuts again. An explosion? Is it going to be some kind of superbomb event?


    Turns out... no. We got the answer a few dayster, as our informants quickly spoke of ck swarms that blot out the sky, creatures that devoured crops and nts without any fear.


    Demon KIng Durthal was a bomb, alright. Its body was a massive swarm of pests that it waited to unleash on the world.


    Thats just cruel. Kei said, after she had a moment of grief. Youre telling me theres a magical swarm of locusts when it dies?


    Yes. It blew up and seeded its immediate surroundings with these... spawning things that pumped out locusts. Our mages attempted to use their magic to get information, the area was no longer interrupted by the demon kings presence. The terrain was a huge mix ofrge daemolite crystal structures, and these massive hatcheries.


    Kei frowned. Yknow, I want to be a magma or fire golem for my next evolution so that I can burn these structures with fire. I hate bugs.


    Youre immune to bugs. Lausanneughed. Youre a crystal.


    My trauma as a human carried over. I still hate bugs.


    Dont let my beetles hear that. I said.


    Your beetles are cool. Kei quickly shook her arms. I mean, they are totally awesome. But I hate those tiny types. LIke spiders.


    A group of my web spiders appeared next to her and she yelped.


    You do realise I have spiders as servants too?


    Ah. Yes.


    Point is, right now, in the Northern Isles, theres a locust and pest generator thats spreading these bugs all over the world, and well be seeing food shortages if that ce isnt shut down.


    But Alvin is still alive, right?


    News is unclear. It seems that he may be heavily, heavily injured and the temples are keeping all news about the heros condition in extreme secrecy.


    I must go there. Kei said.


    And do what? I countered. Youre not a human form.


    I still must go. Kei decided, ignoring all of my warnings. Hes my friend, as much as I hate him.


    In your current form, youll get attacked and robbed, cut up and sold as gems.


    Im level 80. How many can hope to defeat me or even hurt me? Kei was confident in her strength. Except a hero, few can even touch me.


    Youd be surprised at how many level 80s are hidden in the world. Many just choose to y it safe and not let their talents be known. I exined. Itsmon for many elites to understate their value, lest they be sent by their lords to do dangerous things, or suspicions of treachery. In fact, Patreeck reckoned theres an average of 5-10 level understatement by adventurers out there, simply because most adventurers wanted to avoid the eye of the government. As they say, this was all about holding their cards close to their hearts.


    The issue with the cap also distorts ones strength. Someone with multiple nonplementary sses may be a lot weaker than someone at a lower overall level but with a single focused ss. Just like how Jura had viger sses back then.


    So youre saying there are level 80 bandit lords and stuff?


    Well, maybe not.


    The highest of the lords in my kingdom is almost Level 70, and theres been a lot of higher level intion simply because most of these lords now survived longer. Even Kings reached their higher level 60s, but the Kings were not really levelling as much, I suspect, maybe a ruler must be truly independent to gain levels?


    Or is it because the role of ruling has been separated and segregated to the FFAs council of representatives, and also some areas of sovereignty were traded away.


    I must go.


    Then you must at least learn some spells to disguise your appearance.


    I already have. Kei said, and in a flicker, the magical energies coated her crystal skin and she looked absolutely human.


    -


    <b>Year 168</b>


    The locusts crossed the damned ocean. The Valthorns mobilised. Fighting locusts was a hard tasks. The cities closest to the North suffered greatly as the locusts attacked crops and even forests.


    The forests had their natural defenders and predators, and those attempted to fight off the locusts. Their territory had to be protected.


    But the farnds were brutally eaten, and somehow these locusts were able to breed even this far from their homnd. The fields were ravaged, a months harvest wiped out. Therger locusts attacked trees too, and I felt them, nibbling.


    It felt like I had ants crawling all over me. They deal no damage, but goddamn they are fucking irritating. I deployed my beetles by the tens of thousands to chomp on them., but still there were millions.


    I needed some other kind of solution.


    Ednas ascension to the domain didnt help much against these tiny swarms of bugs. Individually or in swarms they can be eradicated, but miss a few and they will quickly multiply. In areas where my aura is strong, these magical demon locusts are nothing more than regr bugs, their strength individually is t out pathetic, and I could kill them by the hundreds of thousands using the chomping defensive nts.


    Its really just a freaking pest.


    I soon deployed my bug-eater nts around all the major agricultural locations. Its an ugly sight, but a necessity. These magical locusts are not bothered by the weather, and must be ughtered. Fields where the locusts captured and infested be mini-hatcheries that pumped out even more of these locusts, though in lesser numbers than the main hatchery.


    Annoying.


    Ugh.


    I forgot how much I hated dealing with an insect infestation. Bugs. Damned bugs.


    Were not bugs, right? Horns asked.


    Technically you are. But I like you. I said. Im referring to these... pests.


    Well crush them. Horns happily dered, and the beetles outfitted themselves for anti-locust battle. That meant more pincers, smaller sharp thorns and spikes, and some kind of anti-locust gas spray.


    Bug spray.


    -


    The northern shores turned into a ce of horrible carnage as we y the locusts by the millions. Ive lost count, and my artificial minds lost count. Weve resorted to using magical estimates, and using long range magical explosions, our newest magical weapons, to intercept locust swarms crossing the oceans.


    Its kinda like shooting a bomb at a typhoon. Or nuking a hurricane while its over the ocean. Wait. Thats not the right kind of description. Bombs work, but its not really the best countermeasure against these things.


    But what else could we do? Our druids and mages attempted some hurricane or wind spells to destroy the locust swarms, and they do work. But the thing with swarms, is that inevitably some of them survive.


    Master, unless we can destroy the main hatcheries and spawning points. Which are across the ocean. Well be dealing with these pests for a long time.


    Ugh. I cant be the only one dealing with this shit.


    How are the other continents coping? I asked my council.


    Strangely, not that bad. There doesnt seem to be a lot of locusts headed their way, and the Northern Isles is simply closer to us than any other continent. My advisors said. A few of the local lords have started activating magical wards and formations to create pest-barriers. They work, but these swarms have very high flight-limit and seem to be able to fly past the barriers.


    Really?


    Its more of a case that we were the first to see it, as the other continents soon saw the swarms descend on their farnds. The Eastern Continent suffered heavily, their magical defenses werecking after the prior wars, and the locusts soon devoured their agricultural produce.


    Do the locusts die off without food after a while? This was something I actually wondered.


    The answer was... yes and no. My spiders captured thousands of locusts for experimentation within my bib.


    One of the few countermeasures I contemted was... natural defenses. In nature, as I could recall from some documentaries, itsmon for other insects to check the growth of other insects. If these locusts are pests, I could possibly design insects that specifically counter their massive swarms.


    As it is, my beetles and spiders, stationary bug-eater nts are doing a decent job in killing these demons, but I needed more. Something more powerful that could chase them wherever they went. Interceptor bugs.


    We also considered other natural defenses. There were nts that emitted certain gases that were poisonous to their pests. Some nts emitted saps that caused these locusts to stick, or certain changes to the shape or content of their food that reacted to certain parts of their body, which then caused these locusts to die.


    Everything was on the table, because they were freaking annoying. I felt like an angry househusband attempting to destroy all the pests in his home.


    So, we conducted experiments on the locusts that we captured, and discovered that they are magically powered, and have a little tiny bit of demonic flesh in them that absorbed magic and mana from the surroundings for sustenance. But, once they started eating, they switched to another demonic flesh that digested food. They also had an inbuilt death trigger, and that was after 5 reproductions, where after food, they made tiny demonic locust eggs in small blobs.


    Very strangely well built and engineered, for a tiny creature.


    Then, we did one of my favourite anti-demon abilities. Flooding their bodies with my overwhelming mana. They popped like balloons.


    Then I tested with less.


    And less.


    Until I reached a point where my mana was just enough to overwhelm them, but not overload the parts till it burst.


    [Demonic Locust captured. Converting...]


    The locusts changed shape into... giant grasshoppers? That was one of the biggest letdowns ever. Massive, harmless giant grasshoppers.


    -


    These locusts were mindless, and we also discovered that they can be lured, using specific scents. Smell of fresh, growing nts seemed to attract them.


    Maybe thats why they attacked the central continent in suchrge numbers. The level of forestation and agriculture on the central continent far exceeded the others, and we generally have a food surplus, so for these mindless locusts, they were just drawn across the continent to that scent, most likely swept across the oceans through the high winds.


    So, by amplifying these scents, we soon discovered we were able to pretty much lure the locusts to a specific location, and then, with some good ol magical bombs and magical formations from Alka, either burn them to death with magical mes, or blow them up. Later we tried to develop specialised anti-demon gas spray that were effective only against demons. Tried.


    Our own demon-locusticide.


    Yeah. Its a mouthful. If I had a mouth.


    But its surprisingly harder than we thought. I honestly never had an appreciation of how hard it is to develop a powerful chemical agent that worked specifically on something, because most materials are shared across many different life forms.


    -


    As the war against the demonic locusts raged on, we also analysed the metals from the Margmarian City. These were strange metals to me, but once we put them in the materialbs, its soon clear they were just a blend of metals that were forged into an alloy. Mostlymon materials, so now I have the ratio of what went into that alloy.


    Yet, the method of production still eluded us, though we have some good, educated guesses.


    Since metallurgy was clearly something I am unfamiliar with, this was a matter left for my high-level cksmiths and steelmasters to research, and whether there is any use for these alloys in our weaponry.


    -


    Our agents speak of attempts by the adventurers in the north to attack the locusts main hatcheries, but they were thwarted by massive worms. It seemed that there were still champions that remained. This went on for about two-to-three months, before it seemed a few of the kingdoms, and the temples themselves unleashed their big guns. Their hero items.


    They used these weapons to mount a series of assaults on the hatcheries and made significant gains, and the locust swarms quickly dwindled. But it was a short period of calm, as the hatcheries soon reproduced. They were not able to mp down on the hatcheries in totality, and something about the residual energies there caused the hatcheries to respawn.


    -


    I want to speak to Aeon. Kei messaged via a magicalmunication device, one of the legacy artifacts of the Harrisan era. She was apparently already in the Northern Isles, somehow.


    Why? Lausanne picked up the artifact. I cant just walk up to Aeon and talk to him just because you said so. Well, thats not true.


    Alvin is poisoned by some kind of super-worm poison during the fight with the demon king, but the poison doesnt seem to kill him. Instead, it just somehow interfered with the functioning of his sses.


    Wait. The demons can do that? How?


    Seriously, how? I had attempted to tamper with the hero skills in the soul springs too. He looks rtively okay, but extremely pale, as if somethings just massively weakening him. He cant even use the most basic of abilities.


    Did the demons just discover something I wanted to know for a long time? The secret to disabling heroes without killing them?


    I quickly informed Lausanne and she spoke on my behalf. Aeon asked whether you can transport Alvin to the Central Continent for further studies. Well, curing him is beside the point. I want to know how the demons did it, so that I can do the same. If I can replicate this, then I have nothing to fear from heroes!


    I will try. The temples are keeping this under tight wraps. I had to sneak in to find Alvin.


    Aeon said if you need help, he will quickly arrange an extraction team.


    Really? Kei seemed to ask. Did I y my cards too openly? That she suspected that I have an ulterior motive?


    Yeah.

 Dancing in Our Palms

    Dancing in Our Palms


    <b>Year 168</b>


    Operation Smuggle-the-Hero out of the Northern Isles was in full swing, as a fleet of ships sailed across the ocean.


    Does the hero even want to be saved? Edna asked the obvious question. Im not nning to escort a tantrum-throwing hero across the ocean. For a task that involved a hero, I felt only Edna was up to the task.


    Yes. Im pretty sure he wants to be saved and healed, even if he prefers it not to be through Aeons powers. Kei responded on the magicalmunication device. As it is, he cant bonk his harem.


    Does he know that its... you? Did he see you as... you? Did you ask him?


    Kei didnt answer, and Edna rolled her eyes. Seriously. Aeon, you there? You agreed to this?


    Yes. I responded through a magical speaking item, one of the priests acted as my spokesperson. My eyes looked through that same device.


    Edna shrugged. Kei, you owe me one.


    Yes, boss. Kei bowed, Ill meet you guys once the forcends. Ive already bought off some of the scouts and folks in that area, but Ill doublecheck. The fleet would mostly remain along a string of uninhabited inds, cloaked by magical spells and fog. A smaller group of ships will makendfall and a few hundred men will disembark. From there, they will travel to the city where Alvin is kept under watch by the temples. This was a secret that very few were supposed to know, but it seemed that there are a lot of loose lips around.


    Edna called on the senior team leads for a recap.


    Essentially, the mission is to steal the hero, without the temples knowing we did it. The potential for a political and worldwide drama, should it be seen that the Central Continent kidnapped a hero, well, a part of me thought itll be a big middle finger to the 4 temples, and yet, I wasnt sure how the kingdoms and the temples would react.


    In any case, best if the force remained unknown. That meant all of them were in disguises and had magical artefacts that altered their presence and magical signatures. Also, no unique abilities, so they had to all usemon skills and abilities, and all their equipment were basic.


    Even the ships we used for the operations were all repurposed ships captured from pirates or Northern-isle sanctioned privateers.


    One of the apanying Valthorns was a level 125 ranger called Roon. He too, received multiple experience seeds and the soul strengthening seed, and was in the 3rd batch of ascended potential warriors. Well, a cakewalk isnt it.


    In a way. Edna said. Theres 6 of us here thats above level 100, and another 10 at Level 80s. I do not expect any of us to die from this. The temples themselves have only a few people in the high 60s and 70s, and those old farts are probably hidden away. Our main risk, really, are the hero-items.


    Roon brought out a greater teleportation device, again, a relic of the Harris era. One of the items they used to teleport back to me. The idea is, once they get hold of Alvin, theyll use the teleportation device to send him here.


    There is a risk that the teleportation path can be traced via magic, and that would reveal my role in this entire affair, but I suspect an item used by the heroes is unlikely to be so easily followed.


    The city and the temple itself is fortified with ancient teleportation shields. We must get the target out of this range. There was a circle drawn on the map, results of their earlier scouting efforts.


    Thats quite a big range.


    Yes, if I recall it was a hero item from a few centuries ago. Roon exined. As the ranger, sharpshooter and one of the elite ranged specialists, he did quite a bit of research. They are likely to have secondary magic interference here and here.


    Alright.


    -


    <i>[Kei & Valthorns perspective - 3rd person POV]</i>


    The weather was cold. The north was often cold like this, the batterings of the colder, northern winds were relentless.


    I wonder how much of the chill is due to the Frozen Tree. Roon was fully equipped, even if it was all entirely off-the-shelf items. They drank a cup of warm tea, which boosts their natural heat and keeps themselves warm.


    Edna shrugged, her senses took in the air of the north. Were not here to meet the Frozen Tree, or hunt the hatcheries, Roon. News of her ascension to the realm of the [domain] remained a secret known only to a few, so even Roon didnt know. Not yet


    Roon smiled at the middle-aged knight. Yes, yes.


    Another high leveled ranger came by. He wore a thick cloak and jacket, again, a very ordinary item. I wish I can use my enchanted coat.


    Me too, Johann. Me too. Roon responded. Their items were all stored in specialised magical crystals, in the event of an emergency. Edna waved, and they kept their mouth shut.


    The small ships stopped, and the captains signalled that they were going to hold. Its time. Edna stood, and everyone else followed. They changed to rafts, and then madendfall.


    We couldve used magic. Johann wondered, he was one of those who had not received the soul strengthening seed, so he was only level 85. Still, he believed he would be given the honor once this task was done.


    No need to trigger any wide range magical detection. The group split up, about 30 started setting up camps. The higher levelled ones, led by Edna, would go first. Smaller teams would stay back to ensure they had somewhere to retreat to, or provide support if needed. The Norths intelligence systems are surprisingly robust.


    Johann frowned. Really?


    Im surprised too, but yes. Roon said. We need to look out for their agents.


    -


    <i>Keis POV -</i>


    This is the ce. The informant was an old woman in her 60s, and she walked Kei through the door of the hotel. The receptionist was a humandy in a beautiful outfit, and the informant spoke to her briefly, and then shed a card. Kei was sure it was a card or some kind.


    The receptionist smiled naturally and then led them through a beautifully decorated walkway, and then into a wooden lift.


    This is as far as I will go. The receptionist will take over. The informant nodded, Kei felt it was strange how serious she sounded. She entered the lift, and so did the receptionist. The doors to the lift closed, and then, the receptionist knocked on the wooden walls of the lift.


    The receptionist then took out a pendant and pressed it. The lift went down, and when it opened, it looked as if she was in an armory. This way. There were groups of people resting. Some looked injured, their weapons all on the central table. There were a few individuals that looked like healers, and they even had the white doctors robe.


    She was led to a room. It was very bare for a hotel. No. Here, it wasnt a hotel anymore. This was a war preparation area.


    Hello. Two walked through the door, and the door closed. The lighting was very dim, and she had to use a skill to see.


    Kei sat. Hello. Im here to confirm the heroes whereabouts and buy details on the security around the temple area.


    The two individuals seemed to have shared a nce, but its too dark to make out anything.


    I believe the informant should have submitted the request? Kei tried to rify.


    ...yes. One of the two shadows brought out a briefcase. Kei reached out to touch it.


    Payment.


    Kei paused. Oh. She activated a storage crystal and withdrew the payment. Gems and coins. Two additional shadows came into the room and went through the payment. They nodded once they were done, and left the room. The briefcase slid across the table, and opened.


    Kei looked at it. It was meticulous work, schedules of the patrols around the city, where the forces are, what was the level of guards. There were just 3 level 50+ individuals in the entire guarding force, and this was a great relief to Kei.


    Thank you. Kei said. She assumed the briefcase was hers, so she ced the documents back inside, and then grabbed the briefcase.


    It... wouldnt leave the table.


    Huh?


    Weve been watching you for some time.


    Kei paused. She was being watched?


    So, tell us, why have you been sniffing around for details about the hero, Alvins condition. The voice was clearly female, but it sounded weird. Not a human for sure.


    Kei took a deep breath. I believe I am the client, here?


    The two didnt reply.


    I had the impression organisations like yours dont pry into the affairs of your clients.


    That is normally true. Another voice spoke. Kei wasnt sure what exactly this voice sounded like. But when your targets are the heroes, we want to hear exactly what your n is. Are you one of the hero-hunters?


    Kei didnt reply to that. Hero-hunters? What was that?


    The voice on the left continued. Lady K, right? Ill be frank. My agents across the continent have been watching, and protecting the heroes where we can. So we know when youre looking for him, and we even know youve managed to somehow snuck into Alvinspound. Once.


    Keis eyes twitched. Theyve been watching her for so long? She thought back to all her conversations with Lausanne and Aeon. Did they know? She was pretty sure she used magical interference abilities to hide that she was having a conversation. At that moment, a magical energy st coated the room, and Keis magical disguise was instantly dispelled. A very strong dispel spell.


    A crystal golem. The two said. Interesting.


    Keis fists went up and she was prepared to fight. This is a trap.


    Im surprised that a hero-hunter would walk into our trap. Unless, you are not one. The shadows said. We cant let anyone hurt the heroes before their time is up. At that moment, a magical suppression field popped up and Kei felt her energy level decline massively. How she missed her hero powers. Tell us everything and who you work for.


    -


    Kei wasnt sure how deep down they were, but she guessed they were quite deep underground. The explosion from her magical crystal bombs merely rattled the room.


    It didnt ur to Kei that her response was overkill, then. That activating a magic bomb was too much force, but Kei felt afraid. The fact that the entire underground area was magically rigged made her feel unsafe, that she was vulnerable, so she thought her response was proportionate to the level of risk she faced.


    Still the rooms seemed incredibly strong, she deduced they were magically enchanted. Rather than spill anything, she decided to bomb the shit out of the ce. If they had torture devices, or magical artefacts, Kei felt they could still hurt her.


    There really is no need to be so aggressive. We just want to talk.. One of the voices said. Kei didn''t believe that one bit. The walls seemed to close in, and Keis crystal limbs glowed, attempting to push back. The other voice seemed to have vanished, but Kei was sure she, no, she was sure both voices were female, was still here. She activated her speaking stone.


    K to E. K to E. Trap. Trap Trap. Abort.


    E to K. Acknowledged. Location.


    Rosewood Gardens, Galewinds. Kei spoke, while she tried to fight off the rocks and bricks that flew her way. The room itself seemed to move in her way, the walls itself attempted to cut off her path.


    I kinda figured this is how this would turn out. The shadows said, seemingly unharmed by the huge magical bomb. Lucky us, we have the bombproof shielding installed.


    Kei frowned at how loudly they talked. An extra arm popped out of her chest to fight off the shadows that attempted to restrain her.


    Champions. Kei repeated the word, a code word for high tier opponents. Those two individuals were clearly strong. Her fist of crystal glowed, and she mmed into one of the moving walls, and it caused it to crack.


    Kei frowned, that was a lot less damage than she expected. These were reinforced walls, a skill of some kind. She punched again, and this time, it buckled. She charged her crystal fist for a third punch, and this time, it made a big hole that led to the surface.


    She ran out.


    Yet... they didnt give chase.


    -


    Kei didnt like that feeling. It felt like they were still on her tail, even though she didnt see anyone in the entire afternoon. She was now quite a distance away from town, her golem bodys stamina was incredible.


    She surveyed her surroundings, all data pointed that she wasnt followed. Yet, it still feel like they followed her. It was strange.


    She sat, and activated her speaking stone again. K to E. K to E.


    Status.


    Safe. Surroundings clean. She lied. She activated her magical interference spell. Yet she didnt feel safe.


    Is the npromised?


    Kei was silent.


    Is the npromised? The tone was clearly seeking confirmation.


    Kei sighed. Maybe.


    -


    Edna closed the speaking stone. That went as expected. That means were going with n B.


    Roon and the group nodded. There was always a contingency n in the works, in the event Kei waspromised. Edna never quite trusted her, and as far as she could tell, Aeon also kept her at arms length, even if he entertained a lot of her whims. Alright, we consider that the temples know what Kei knows. Which is, theres a group of using for the heroes.


    If they know we areing, then we should strike with two forces. A feint. A smaller force to make it seem like were attacking, and then arger, actual force to capture the hero. One of the Knights suggested.


    Good idea, but how?


    We can hire some bandits or mercenaries.


    If the intelligence systems are as good as what weve seen, theyll know weve hired them.


    Ill hire them, and Ill be the bait. Johann suggested. Together with three others.


    Edna paused. Hmmm... fine. No. I suggest you split into pairs and hire two groups, and mount two separate attacks. Well strike at the third attack.


    -


    E to K. Please move to pickup one.


    Kei frowned at the instruction. Pickup one? Wasnt that one of the southern port cities? But she figured they must have had a n.


    Acknowledged.


    -


    The hero Alvin was supposedly living in a massive fortified pce in the City of Essenva, home to about 200,000 others, half of which were temple followers. The city also housed the branches of all 4 temples, and arge contingent of their force. Located in thergest ind in the Northern Isles, and geographically in the center, it was one of the many fort-cities, built when the temples realised they needed a show of strength a decade ago.


    The city was very heavily fortified, and yet, it was surprisingly easy to hire mercenaries and other kinds of instigators to trigger riots, simply because there were a lot of pent up dissatisfaction built up over the decades, from food shortages, to bad behavior from the ruling authorities. The first riot was crushed brutally, but it did what it was meant to do. It relieved some of the tension in the air, and some of the forces seemed to think what they were predicted hade to pass.


    The second riot was a much smaller one, and pretty much fizzled out.


    They waited a month in between, and a month after the second riot.


    -


    The hell. Why are they waiting so long? Kei was now in the southern port city. She was nervous, but no news was good news. Edna had disabled themunication crystal, a sign she wanted absolute radio silence, so Keis news came from bards, and news-speakers.


    -


    Have we spotted him? Edna asked as Roon returned from the scouting mission.


    Yes. Weve finally managed to slip in and get one of the identifier crystals. Hes alive and weve mapped out his routine for the past two weeks. He ced his notes on the table in their secret operation room, hidden in a magical space in the forests. Alvin was bedridden and seemed to be supported by a magical bed.


    The Valthorns considered his schedule in a portable [secret hideout], made out of an ordinary tree deep in the nearby woods, courtesy of the Court of the Deitree.


    The intelligence forces have been sweeping the town for the past two months. Theyre still not letting up. Those intelligence forces came through the forest as well, but they couldnt locate the [secret hideout].


    Edna frowned. They are more persistent than I expected, but no matter. This will be a matter well highlight for our next investigation.


    So far, none of them were caught. They were all too high leveled and had enough equipment to evade most conventional weapons.


    But Keis under surveince by the intelligence. A few of the Valthorns were tasked to keep watch on Kei while the operation was underway, without her knowledge. They seemed to have reported her, but they are not taking any immediate action.


    Ednas frown didnt go away. Any risk that our extraction and escape will be interrupted? It was still a distance to travel from that port to the ships. But Kei could teleport, and that would allow her to get out. But teleportation jamming crystals are sufficientlymon that mostrge cities have some lying around.


    Not sure. The intelligence forces are quite high leveled, we spotted one or two which we believe are around level 60s. If they have reinforcement, then we may have a problem.


    Level 60s was quite high. Aeon preferred if killing of other high levelled individuals be kept at the minimum, since every person alive is someone that could fight the demons. They were pretty much working on this with kids gloves.


    Hmmm.... Well put this aside first. In terms of our course of action, the key question is then, are we going to make contact with the hero? Edna asked and everyone gulped ufortably. Aeon wanted to kidnap the hero , whether he wanted toe or not. But if he resisted, it would make things difficult.


    Thats only point 1. Roon said. The bed must also be considered. I think its some kind of healing or life support artefact. I think I need one more visit to confirm the artefacts effects, that our items can temporarily rece its function while moving the hero.


    Last thing they wanted was the hero to die if he was to leave the bed. Aeon didnt want that. Not yet. Edna knew he wanted to look at the heros curse. And for that, she had to capture him alive. She quickly sent a specialised encrypted message home.


    Will require healing once target is sent through teleport. Hero seems to rely on healing support.


    We could send the item across too.


    If were sending the item too, well need channeling time, can we keep the hero still for 1 hour? Teleportation scaled with distance and size.


    Edna tapped the table. Which is why, we must ask, do we want to ask the hero?


    Cant we just put him to sleep?


    We can try, but heroes are naturally immune to all kinds of regr ailments and lower tier spells and skills. Were not sure whether it will work, but if it does, good for us. Edna said. To what extent did the curse weaken the heros power? Does it nullify immunities too? Didnt seem like a good bet.


    Roon noted it down. Alright, onest recon. As the level 125 ranger, he had enough stealth and camouge abilities to walk through the gates, but the presence of the intelligence forces still made things a little tense. Someone around level 40 with the right mix of detection and scouting ability can still spot him.


    -


    Thest scouting mission was thankfully smooth.


    -


    Alright. Good. Lets just confirm our ns. Our n is two fold, and we must hit both at around the same time. Edna said. They had considered many ideas and ns over the past month of surveince, so they had to firm up which version they went with. Ill lead eight of us, together with our artefacts, to enter the heros location, and capture him at this time. Roon and Johann will lead the rest to hit anti-teleportation crystals and disable them. Once disabled well ping, and we will trigger the teleportation channelling. We are sending the hero with the bed, unless the resistance is too heavy.


    Everyone nodded. Alright, lets get into the tunnels.


    Using their special familiars [Root Tunnel] ability, theyve excavated tiny tunnels that led under the herospound, and also to the magic tower where the citys anti-teleportation crystals were held.


    Sadly, the tunnels only got them three quarters there, as there were structures underground built by the [builders]. Reinforced stone and rock that prevently the [root tunnel] from going further.


    But at least they were in thepound. Roon and Johanns group started the first ping to indicate they started the assault. They were all in camo, and hit all the resistance with extremely powerful sleeping agents. It was... pretty much a cakewalk at how quickly the resistance copsed. They were too high level.


    Once they got up to the crystals location, they pinged again.


    This was Ednas cue tounch their side of the operations. Simr to Roon and Johann, they hit most of the targets with strong sleep or paralysis agents, causing the regr guards and the temples forces to copse. It was also a rtively easy task, their high levels meant they outssed the resistance.


    Then they reached the herospound. They found the hero already asleep, and Edna was the first to approach the hero, her protective abilities all active. The moment she touched him, she knew the condition was bad. He just looked alright, but something churned deep in him. She could feel it.


    But the touch triggered something else.


    An rm. Someone had cast a touch-rm on the hero.


    Ugh. Edna guessed that it must have been the intelligence. She made a mental note to check on who ran them. The temples were clearly not behind them.


    The rm was city wide. Roon instantly deactivated the anti-teleportation shield, and one of the high mages, started the teleportation channel.


    ...whore you? Alvin woke up, groggy.


    Edna nced at him, her mind was on the defensive forces that streamed through the various buildings towards them. Were here to take you to someone who can help you.


    But the temples said... only the gods can help me.


    Well, were taking you to a god.


    Edna and her team activated their magical items, which summoned massive walls around them. One of the druids then casted a wide area sleep-poison spell. It soon sent most of the guards to sleep.


    Alvin frowned. ...who?


    The sleep ability was effective on almost everyone. Almost everyone. At that moment, a dark shadow charged at them, the shadows des were active. Edna could feel that this shadow was someone who had probably reached high levels. Perhaps in the 80s.


    Edna smiled, and focused her domains aura. It instantly caused the shadow to freeze and copse, revealing a lean humanoiddy with strange beetle-like armor. Still, it wasnt enough, as thedy got up and charged, her body surrounded by a deep purple light.


    She activated a massive force shield that pushed back, and it was too big for the shadow to dodge. The shadow smashed into the force shield and wasunched a few hundred feet away.


    The mage in the group said. 20 minutes. The sleep spell on the guards would knock them out till the next morning.


    Edna thought for a moment, and then turned to face the shadow. It was going to get up again. She then activated her [Court]s vines and tentacles. It surged out and wrapped the shadow, injecting the sleep and paralysis directly into the strangedys body.


    Yet, that was enough. As she copsed, her eyes went wide as the vines that now wrapped her body. ...Aeon? The moment she copsed, one of her artifacts activated and she was teleported away.


    Edna was impressed. Wow. These intelligence forces are well prepared.


    Alvin was just surprised. Who are you guys?


    Weve met. Edna smiled.


    Teleportation is activating. The mage said, and at that instant, Alvin, and his bed vanished.


    Edna smiled, and went to the ping. Radio silence off. Lets get our ass out of here. K team, please get our golemdy out safely. Knock the intel guys out if you have to.


    -


    <i>[Back to Aeons POV]</i>


    Alvin arrived on time, and already my best bibs and medical skills were ready and waiting. They sent him right into the Valley of the Unrotten, no, I even opened up the magical barriers and runic foundations just so that I can receive this particr teleportation.


    When he arrived, he nced up and saw all the trees around him.


    Oh fuck. He said.


    Hello. I spoke. I believe weve never met, but Kei told me to help you.


    And you think Ill believe that, Aeon? Shes dead, and its your fault. Alvin responded, surprisingly angry. Eh, and I thought its his fault for noting here. Its out of respect to Kei and her ideals that we didnt pursue a crusade.


    Really? My spirit vision told me that his energies were extremely conflicted, his spirit was like a bright light, but there was something that blocked those light out, so much that I saw only bits and pieces of stray light. No matter your views, I have been requested to assist you, and I will.


    I meant every word. But Ill also figure out how to disable heroes too.


    -

 Tree Uses Heal… Or Not?

    Tree Uses Heal¡­ Or Not?


    <b>Year 168 (part 2)</b>


    You dont look in particrly good shape, for a hero. I mentally spoke to Alvin, and he was powerless to resist. I sensed the swirling chaos within his body and Im eager to see how it worked under the hood. First we start withprehension, then, weaponization.


    And if I refuse? Alvin said.


    Well, youd rather live like this, bedridden for the remainder of your days, than let me try to heal you?


    Alvin didnt reply.


    The next demon king wille in 10 years or so, and when ites, it wille for you, because you are thest surviving hero. And they will find you in this state, and kill you. And destroy the city around you too.


    The weakened hero clenched his fists. What do you even care?


    That offended me. Offended us. Have we not been fighting against the demons all these while? Have I not been resisting? What gave this hero the right to question that? Why, just because I wasnt on the same side. I brought you because Kei asked me to help you. Because I happen to be one of the few people in the world that can even try to undo a demon kings curse, and you question me?


    I was tempted to just keep him in stasis.


    By bringing you here, we have pretty much drawn the next demon king to us. To me. Do you think I would do so if I didnt mean to heal you?


    You could have brought me here to kill me.


    I could. Honestly, I could. In fact, if I found out how the demons poison or curse or whatever worked, I could be a dick to the world and not heal him. But that would mean more unnecessary destruction, and more people dying while we wait for the gods to summon the next batch of heroes. As much as I dislike Keis request, I still saw some merit in helping you. And we need you to fix the locust problem thats causing food disruptions all over the world.


    And I am supposed to believe that you mean well for the world.


    I do. I meant it. I truly believe that this cycle is horrible. All the lives, all those forests, jungles, trees and habitats wiped out, just to serve as the yground for this game of gods. Ive seen enough death to see this isnt the way to go, and from what I can tell, many other, earlier precursor civilisations have suffered a premature death.


    Heh. Alvin snorted.


    So, are you letting me help you or not? If I have to kill him, I will. With the levels I gained since the fight with the demon king, maybe I could give him a run for his money. Still, the entire Valley of the Unrotten is loaded with bombs. If hes going to start something crazy once I healed him, I would blow up the entire valley to take him down. Ill live, but I dont think he will.


    Fine.


    -


    I made a giant attendant tree thats focused as a bib to house Alvins body, with all the best materials I could gather, and all the tools I may never need.


    I activated all my sensors, and then dived into his soul spring, to see what is the magical equivalent of an oil slick.


    Just like Me long ago, there were these tworge magical jugs in the sky that poured beautiful untainted, sparkly water into his soul spring, and theke around it. This sparkly water was star mana, and then, I saw these... strange spire like structures that resembled the demons homeworld. These emitted demonic mana inrge quantities, and yet the star mana was still able to push back against the mana produced by these spires.


    Whats really different, was something that looked like a single red crystal located right on top of his own soul spring that was surrounded by a red me. I activated my soul-rted abilities to get a closer look, whether this was just another type of curse. The mes seemed to burn the star mana that got near it, and in doing so, created an entirely dry, parched area.


    [Greater Daemon Hybrid Parasite Spawn - nascent form]


    What-in-the-fuck. I looked closer, and I saw, indeed, there seemed to be something resembling a.... Im not sure what Im looking at. Its like a jellyfish, but iplete.


    In fact, once I observed the way the mes interacted with the star mana, I believe that thing may be drinking the star mana.


    -


    Alvin. I want you to tell me what the demon king did to you.


    He was still groggy when I woke him from the bibs bed. My vines and my own healing energies have taken over the role of his magical bed, and I could see he was healthier in most ways. But his skills and magic all remained off limits, so long as that... parasite, consumed all the mana that got anywhere near his soul spring.


    He sat up, and told the story.


    Both of them fought the giant worm demon king, and it went quite well. The temples provided some assistance, as they brought out old hero items to help provide cover fire and take out the mobs. They activated their powers, their star mana forms and went all out. The demon king caught one, but Hans managed to use his attacks at point nk range to significantly weaken the demon king before he was killed.


    He fought the demon king to the end, but at the end, when he thought he won, there was a core in the middle. He thought it was going to explode, but instead, it just shot out the locusts to the entire area. In the middle was also this glowing blob of tiny red worms that attacked him. He thought he killed and destroyed most of them... but then he began losing his powers.


    Within a month he was significantly weakened, and he thought he was going to die, but then somehow the condition stabilised. Still, he needed support, and so the temple brought out the ancient hero item, the Healing Bed. Honestly, the bed itself resembled something that would be found in a hospital. Its clearly something made by a hero in memory of home.


    Those... little red worms. I thought I got all of them. Alvin confessed. But I think some of them managed to get into my body.


    The spawn in his soul spring. How?


    -


    I thought long and hard about this. Theres a parasite in his body, and its the thing that denies him ess to his powers. Its like somebody rerouted the electricity away from the mainputer, so theputers unusable, but not necessarily spoilt.


    The thing was growing. It fed on his star mana.


    Honestly, a part of me was extremely curious of what happens if it matures? Does it burst out of his body?


    The red mes protected it, but I realised that the protection was insufficient. Not enough to deny me.


    I ced Alvin in my specialised soul forge, a set up I used to heal Ste of her void mana curses, and activated the various ley lines for the power I needed. The mes this parasite created, were meant to consume star mana, and it was specifically tailored for it. It had pretty good protections, such that significant majority of healing or anti-poison or anti-parasite abilities could not get past those red mes.


    But not me. The mes bent and went out to the touch of my overwhelming mana. And my vines reached out, and then touched it.


    At that moment, a voice spoke back. <i>Tree, we believe we are on the same side.</i>


    I mentally froze, and Patreeck quickly updated. No mental incursions, master. It appears to be a telepathic message passed via the vines.


    <i>Dont remove me.</i>


    The... spawn? Indeed, there really was nothing else but the crystal. What are you?


    <i>I am the demons bid to escape the clutches of our vers. A weapon created to kill heroes, but at the same time, use the heroes powers to grow. </i>


    ...shit. I do not believe you.


    <i>Certainly, you should not.</i>


    How do you speak so... well? The level of speech and sentence structure suggested something a lot more intelligent than what I initially remembered of the demons.


    <i>We learn from the captured heroes. We learn from their memories, their thoughts. We leech off their minds, and pick the speech andnguage patterns. Even now, I tap into the heros mind.</i>


    You are a parasite.


    <i>That I am.</i>


    Then tell me why I should not remove you?


    <i>Because I can help you fight the vers. We know your kind is unaware of who we are. Who we serve.</i>


    Then enlighten me.


    <i>The Ancient vers, and the Puppeteers, are but tworge factions in eternal conflict over the multiverse. This world is one of the many gateway-worlds at the edges between the realm of the vers and the Puppeteers. We, the so called demons, are but a race of animals, or monsters, that the vers have assimted as their ves of war. Our homeworlds are helpless, the vers mind-touch is etched into our flesh, our souls stolen away and fused into the mass. Our leaders are forced to fight their wars, sent to your world as the demon kings.</i>


    I wonder whether its lying. But its quite usible. Then what are you?


    <i>I am a secret project, a weapon designed by our kings, with a spark to regain control of our own destiny.</i>


    Im getting some serious Xelnaga vibes here. No. Kerrigan.


    <i>But to do so, I must grow and mature outside the eyes of the Puppeteers and the vers..</i>


    I had a real sinking feeling.


    <i>The Demon Kings believe we can have allies in this world. Those who can help us rebel against our vers. We have seen strong natives across the multiverse, and we have attempted to seek their aid. I am to be made using the magic of the Puppeteers, to wash away the corrupt stain of the vers that seeks to hold onto my will. With true independence, and the knowledge I have, we can retake my homeworld.</i>


    Is this for real? No. Dont demons always lie? But thats the belief, isnt it? I have not decided to help you or not, but I need to know everything. And I mean, everything damned thing.


    <i>Certainly. Our kings believe letting the natives know the truth of the conflict will convert some to our cause.</i>


    Convert to their cause? That choice of word seemed to sound like the demons attempting to incite people to believe them. Isnt this just a version of the Demon Cults I met a century ago? Start from the beginning. Who are the Gods?


    <i>The vers and Puppeteers are but a generation of mortals that gained apotheosis, perhaps a few million years ago. Theye after three Parents, the Birth of the system-time and the Birth of the worlds, and the Birth of Souls, and rose to enve them. They failed.</i>


    How do you know this, and how do I know this is true?


    <i>It is our ancient belief which we believe is true.</i>


    Oh lord, Im dealing with demonic religion. What do you want?


    <i>We want to be freed of the vers.</i>


    What do the vers and Puppeteers want? I presume these are the gods.


    <i>We do not know much. We know they seek to conquer the gateway worlds, and to do so we must defeat the Puppets, and im the native magic of the world. In worlds where we have conquered, the vers consumed the natives and turned them into new ves, to fight other battles. The native worlds were stripped of certain types of energies, and the rest was left for the new ves to use. The vers will change the natives, such that the natives be more... warlike.</i>


    How do you open the portals to our world? Where is your world?


    <i>I do not know how to describe where my world is. It is just... there. As for the portals, the vers have unique individuals tasked with tuning the void-gates. The void gates are tuned to residual energies of your world, but I know not of their operations. These are the powers of the vers. Each of the demon worlds have agents of the vers.</i>


    Each of the demon worlds? THere are more than one? How can I know you are not lying to me?


    There was a moment of silence, then it responded. <i>So what if I am? Does it make what I say any less useful?</i>


    I kept on with the Q&A session. How do you break free of the vers hold?


    <i>Their hold is written in the flesh, and in the stones of the soul.</i>


    What happens when you mature?


    <i>The hero dies, and I emerge a matured creature, hatching from the body of the hero. </i>Whoah, thats some alien shit. It was then that I felt my mana be slightly unstable. I decided to pull out, and disconnected my vines from that parasitic crystal.


    -


    So? Alvin asked when he woke up.


    Im still trying.


    I felt like you almost touched it though. What... what is it?


    I... I dont know. I lied.


    Honestly, I had a choice. Do I save the hero, or do I keep the parasite? If what the parasite said is true, he could be useful. No. Even just seeing it was sufficiently informative. It meant its possible to create soul spring parasites. Creatures that existed in the soul spring and that same soul spring can leech away the star mana.


    Could I make tree-equivalents of such parasitic creatures? I believe its not impossible, there are parasitic trees in the world.


    Huh, so the great tree isnt so great after all. So much for being the god of the Central Continent. Alvin snorted. Thankfully I am a tree, and the insult didnt bother me.


    I contemted the issue, whether to assist Alvin, or to let the parasite remain within the body of the hero. The heros a pain in the ass, but hes hostile. On the other hand, what could the demon do for me? Should I use it as a source of information and just extract what I can, then save the hero anyway?


    At what point does the demon mature?


    -


    <i>I will mature in another... three years.</i>


    I felt a strange unsettling feeling. Tell me more. Why do youe to our world like clockwork? Every 10 years?


    <i>Is it that frequent? It may be those gathered from the other enved worlds. The vers asionally only require the Kings to serve as the Leader of the Assault, to stabilise both the interworld portal and to spread the vers energies.</i>


    What are the heroes, and why do the gods need them?


    <i>We have captured a few in the past, and we can read minds. The Puppeteers summoned heroes from the same few ces, and we met their kind in the other worlds too. But why... we are not privy to the thoughts of the Puppeteers. We only know that their magic is well suited against the etchings of the vers on our reforged flesh.</i>


    ...fucking shit. I mean, I knew from the Zaratans that there are other worlds and they face demons there. How do you n to strike back against the vers? You said you needed help. What is the strategy?


    <i>In our homeworld, the vers maintain tenrge crystalline spires, which store the souls of our people, prisons. The Kings are those chosen from the imprisoned souls, a promise by the vers to free some of us for every Puppeteer we y. There are simr spires in the other enved worlds.</i>


    I paused at the idea of these... controlled spires.


    <i>The Kings are suspicious of the vers, but given our circumstances, we have no choice but to obey. The vers etched strong curses and rules into the flesh of the Kings, so we are bound by their will.</i>


    Where are the vers?


    <i>We do not know. We believe they have ascended to a higher folded ne where they can reach multiple worlds at once, rather than have their powers limited by the constraints of space and time. Their servants walk in the enved worlds, their appointedmissioners...</i>


    Theres so many things that dont make sense. If there are these puppeteers that manipte this game, why do they need to import heroes from Earth? Why?


    <i></i>Do you know of... earth?


    <i>Yes. One of the few homeworlds of the Puppets.</i>


    Why? Why them? There are other worlds?


    <i>We do not know why. We have attempted to reach that world, but our powers fail. It seemed that these homeworlds are behind some kind of one-way barrier.</i>


    This meant Stes n to reach home may fail. Back to the crystal spires. Will destroying them free the world from the vers rule?


    <i>Most likely. We believe it will weaken it, at least. The spires are extensions of the vers, destroying them should weaken their hold on our homeworld.</i>


    And you will stop invading our world?


    <i>You would have to free all the enved worlds for that to happen, and there are perhaps hundreds.</i>


    Hmmm... This is useful. This meant that hiding the world from the view of the gods and demons may be a more realistic option. Wait. That day you spoke of the portals. What residual energies do you speak of?


    <i>In your world, there are remnant energies of the vers. These act as beacons for the gates to find your world. As it is, your world has a mix of energies, both the vers and the Puppeteers.</i>


    Where?


    <i>...we do not know. But we know we leave more of the vers energies in your world after each invasion. Perhaps in the bodies of the Kings.</i>


    Alright. Damned Daemolite is bad. This just confirms it. Ill have to destroy all the daemolite...


    No. if there are residual ver energies, I should gather them and see whether I can absorb them for myself. If these are remnant energies of the Gods of these demons, it should be worth something.


    -


    Youve been trying so many times and nothing. Alvin snorted. Im getting annoyed with this. Just kill me and be done with it.


    Im very tempted to. I responded.


    Edna, Kei and the others finally returned from the Northern Isles, and Kei walked through the door. Alvin sat on the bib.


    Hi Alvin. Kei said, her body that of a golem.


    Whore you?


    Im Kei, you asshole.


    Keis dead.


    Well, lets just say I didnt really die. I got blown up by the demon king, but somehow Aeon managed to salvage a big chunk of my soul and ced me into this body. Keis exnation was quite on point.


    Alvin stared at the golem.


    What, you dont believe me?


    No. Alvin shook his head. Wait. How?


    I exined it already. Werent you listening?


    I mean. Yes. No. I mean, how?


    Kei facepalmed. Youre an idiot.


    I swore I saw the notification said you died. Alvin shook his head.


    I lost all of my [hero] sses and all of my levels, which the system somehow interpreted as me dying. I believe Aeon described it as having the entire house blown off.


    Why didnt you try to contact us? Alvin said.


    What for? Would you believe me?


    Alvin thought about it for a moment. ...true.


    Kei then turned to me. Aeon, hows his condition?


    Should I lie? I decided maybe its not worth it to lie. Theres a parasite inside him. A demonic parasite thats eating up all of his mana and most of his vitality.. Im still thinking about how to remove it. Its...plicated.


    Kei nodded. Alvins face was one of abject horror. You didnt tell me that.


    I wanted to tell Kei, first.


    Edna then walked into the bib, her energy and presence easily filled the room. Kei looked at Edna a little surprised. Youve changed since Ist saw you, Lady Edna. Youve crossed the line?


    Edna gave a little nod. Just barely. So, hows your patient?


    Theres a parasite in him.


    I see. That exins a lot. Edna could sense magical energies of those around her, so she was quite surprised by how empty he felt. Its one of the consequences of the domain. So, whats our next step? We wait for Aeon to heal him?


    The parasites a little bit tricky.


    -


    Later on, I pulled Edna and a few of the senior Valthorns for a private meeting, where I briefed them on what I learned from the parasite.


    The conundrum is essentially, do we save the hero, or do we keep the parasite for its knowledge?


    Why not both, really? One of the higher leveled druids, a dude called Kayus asked. Perhaps, if it is a parasite, we could transnt it to a suitable host.


    It needs star mana to grow, if what it says is true. And if it chooses to resist us on maturity, it may be a handful to deal with.


    Lumoof hushed it. We have Aeon and Edna to deal with it. Lumoof wasnt too far off from the Level 150 either. Now that Ednas back, they could resume their dungeon exploration.


    Hmmm... transnting the parasite could be an idea. I also wondered whether I wanted to draw on its demonic energy. Perhaps it could give me the breakthrough I need to truly understand and master demonic mana.


    I also wonder... whether I could convert it the same way I did with demon walkers? Does it have a soul? Or perhaps, it has?


    <i>Yes. The Kings managed to free a part of our souls, and spread it into the worms. The vers still have a hold over my soul, but with each day, the consumed Star Mana eats away at their bindings. When I mature, I will be free.</i>


    There was something about it that just didnt sit right. Was it instinct?


    -

 The Claritree of Space

    The ritree of Space


    <b>Year 169</b>


    I believe the knowledge of the demons will help us significantly more in the long run, at least, more than saving the hero. Of course, these are not mutually exclusive choices, so I am left with trying to extract the parasite, and providing it with a suitable environment to continue its growth.


    We should tell them. Edna said. I think a bit of transparency will help.


    I stewed on the decision for days, and then I decided to go with Ednas idea. I think I have natural hermit tendencies, which have not always served me well. Perhaps Ednas willingness for transparency would result in a better oue.


    You have a parasite. It was a fact.


    Yes I know. Alvin rolled his eyes like he heard this a million times. Kei stood next to her friend. They were still friends, somehow, despite all the shit that happened between them.


    The parasite, I believe it has a mind, and it talks to me every time I touch it. As a result, Ive been really careful when dealing with it.


    Both Kei and Alvin stared at each other, their jaws a little wide. I dropped a bomb. Kei immediately asked. ...is this why its taking so long?


    Well, yes. I answered.


    Keis golem face looked like one of betrayal. Aeon...


    Now, Im telling you this because I still intend to heal Alvin.


    Then? Spill it. Whats really causing the dy? Alvin used.


    Im hoping to extract it without killing it. This parasite may well hold the answer for how to open a gate to the demon world, and take the battle to their world. I admitted it honestly. Im sick of letting this world be the yground of the gods, where they just stomp through and destroy everything. Its time to take the battle to their world. Thats why Im dealing with this carefully.


    This is my life you are talking about. Alvin used, and I vaguely sensed some divine energies at work, as if it just glossed over what I said. Im not some experiment you can y with to win some bigger game.


    Kei was more understanding. Aeon, dealing with a demon parasite doesnt sound like a good idea. I highly doubt whatever a demon parasite says is trustworthy. Its a demon, right, and in my world, demons only offer bad deals.


    Well. Yeah. Thats... true. Its entirely possible that this parasite is lying to me and telling me crap.


    I reviewed what it said so far, and clearly none of it betrayed its true intentions. The parasite always spoke of taking the battle back against the vers, but we, the natives, are just expendable. That was the sense I got after I reviewed my conversation with it.


    After some thinking, I concluded I wont sacrifice the hero to save this parasite. Yes, I agree that saving the hero is just repeating more of what has passed, but the demons trustworthiness is severely in doubt. At best, I should aim for an oue where both survive.


    Yes. Im aware of that, but Im hoping for a mutually beneficial oue. Alvins lifees first, and I will not hesitate to destroy the parasite. I spoke to both of them. But this is a rare opportunity to interrogate and understand the demons, and use their knowledge against them.


    Kei was deep in thought, her thoughts unmarred by any attempted divine influence. Fine. But I want to be informed every step of the way. Alvin may not be able to think with the presence of the parasite in him.


    Alvin snorted. Hey. Im still here.


    The parasite may influence you as it gets stronger. Kei responded. Its pretty much the equivalent of a demonic possession. As you know, you cant trust the words of someone you are about to exorcise.


    Alvin was horrified at the idea. Ugh. Get it out. Now.


    Unless death is certain.. Not yet. Not until we get more out of the parasite. I responded.


    Kei nodded. I want to know what his condition is at all times, and would it be possible to quantify the parasites state? Im afraid your attempts to extract the parasite may elerate that things maturity.


    That is a good point, but how do I... hmm... Wait. How about this, every time I try to do something, you enter the [bib]. In my dream sleep state I can project what I see to you directly.


    This was essentially using Patreecks mind-attack abilities and memory injection abilities to bridge visions. Kei paused.


    Alvin shook his head. That makes both of us vulnerable!


    Kei thought... Possible for you to project what you see, and whats actually happening to Alvins body physically?


    In the dream state... yes.


    Alright.


    Alvin shook his head like this was the worst idea ever.


    -


    Meanwhile...


    Howve you been, Arlisa? Laufen tapped her head. They met up in Laufens home in one of the giant attendant trees in Freshka.


    Im alright, grandmother. Have you seen mom around? Arlisa sat in a rattan chair. There was a pot of tea on the table.


    Yes,. Shes busy with your brother, and that golem girl. Laufen nodded. Have you forgot to speak to her recently?


    ...kinda. Arlisa shrugged.


    Now what have you done? Laufen sipped her fruit tea. Her role in the Valthorns have gradually reduced in the past few years, the social work she once championed gradually taken over by the Priests, and senior Valthorns that sought out lessbat oriented roles. Still, she continued to work in the local social services.


    ...nothing.


    Their eyes met, and Arlisa turned her head away. Well, okay. Tell me about your adventures! I hear from the initiates that youve been really active on the whole dungeon stuff.


    Arlisa breathed a sigh of relief as her grandmother allowed her to change the subject. Oh its tough. Well, she was gifted, and finally she found some use for her natural talents for stealth, sneaking and tracking. But unlike Lausanne where her skills are augmented by a Court-level familiar, Arlisa only received an ordinary familiar, and herbat experience paled to Lausanne. Furthermore, she went on her adventures quite a distance from Freshka, where my powerleveling and experience-rted boosts are weaker.


    Its tough, and shes in the mid level 50s. The fact that she had to apply for the regr adventurer slots along with her team, also meant she couldnt do it as frequently. Still, she had fun. Herpanions seemed like decent people, a few lizardpeople, a centaur and a gnoll.


    She also didnt get to fight the hybrid demons in the Rottends, as that task is usually reserved for the local militia, or the nearest Valthorn keeps.


    Laufen just smiled at her exnations and her adventures. Thats good. Im happy for you.


    Arlisa shifted ufortably. ...really? Do... Do you think moms disappointed? Are you disappointed, granny?


    Laufen thought about it for a moment and sighed. Your mom, I think she doesnt know what to do with you. Maybe she had an idea, a hope that youd be this exemry individual, no matter what you chose. She was willing to ept whatever you would be, as long as she saw that you worked hard at it. I think she wasnt prepared to see you just... do nothing.


    Arlisa sighed. I knew it.


    You feel that theres a lot of expectations on you, dont you?


    Arlisa nodded. She was a little bit sad. To hear that her mom was disappointed in her.


    Thats normal. Parents and their children are meant to be different. Laufen tapped Arlisa on the shoulder. Its part of growth.


    It doesnt feel like growth though.


    Laufen just smiled and switched the topic. One day, itll all make sense. Lets not talk about such bitter stuff. Your brothers cute.


    Yeah. Arlisa shifted awkwardly. Its weird that hes my brother.


    Laufenughed. That happens with us elves, since we have such long lives that siblings can be entire generations apart. But in a few decades, itll be fine.


    Arlisa rolled her eyes. A lot can happen in a few decades.


    Exactly!


    -


    Whats the point of extracting the demon parasite? I considered that the purpose of saving the parasite is to have ess to its repository of knowledge. As such, perhaps even if I did save it, I should not let it ever attain its maturity. In fact, if what I want is its knowledge, whether it remains a demon or not doesnt matter.


    Kei had a point that the demon was likely to lie. It had every incentive to, as I have its life in my metaphorical hands, so it would say anything and everything for me to keep it that way.


    Yet, I am so starved of information on the mechanics of whats happening in the background, that I know I cant let go of this opportunity.


    I thought about it and concluded that I needed to unmake the demon parasite. Perhaps, in the same way with the demon walker, I needed to inject and overwhelm it with my mana such that it would be one of mine.


    I soon discussed the idea with Edna and my senior Valthorns, and then, brought the idea to Kei.


    So... wait. You n to flood Alvins body with your mana, such that your mana overwrites its own mana? You can do that? Kei was quite shocked by the idea. I didnt know its possible to take over a person by flooding it with mana!


    I have never tested this ability on a person, only mindless demons thus far. I had to first check whether the parasite had any mana in the first ce. My checking soon revealed the answer to be yes. It has its own demonic mana, but its different. Its a mix of demonic mana and star mana. Could my mana overwhelm it?


    I... dont know. I have never really been able to prove how [natural mana overwhelming] worked anyway. My understanding had been that my mana would take the ce of the blood that ran through the demonic flesh, and in doing so freeing the body from the control of the demons. Would it work if it has a soul?


    No. As I studied it a little more, the parasite doesnt have a soul. A soul should not be able to exist within the soul spring of another soul. Its therefore more of an intelligent homunculus.


    What would happen if my mana enters the parasite? The parasite has some mana-consumption ability, as demonstrated by its ability to consume star mana. What if I unintentionally sped up its development? Wouldnt I indirectly kill Alvin that way?


    Still, if I wanted to save it, then converting it to a non-demonic form would be the only way I can trust its words. As it is, even if what it said is true, I could not trust it to take any action. If these knowledge is not actionable, what was the point?


    Edna, Lumoof and a few of the high leveled Valthorns were present, just in case things went bad. My hope was Edna would step in and fight anything that urred. I also had the entire area rigged with bombs if the parasite was significantly stronger than expected.


    We prepared multiple bib pods, all ready for the attempted mana flood. The idea was, flood Alvins body with my mana, and by extension, flood the parasite with my mana, and see whether it worked to weaken or convert it. If it goes bad well stop. If it does go terribly, well use my soul realm powers to forcefully extract the parasite from his soul.


    If the conversion is sessful, Id have insights into how it ate star mana, which hopefully I can then recreate the effect. After that, is figuring out how to effectively weaponise it as an anti-hero weapon, though this part is left unsaid.


    I ensured all my potato batteries throughout the continent were fully charged, just in case I needed them. If this was a hybrid, I just had starcraft shbacks that this was gonna be a lot more difficult.


    So, what if it doesnt work?


    Ill destroy it.


    What if you cant?


    I believe I can. From my vines touching it, I was rather sure I could hurt it. I just wasnt sure how it would respond to a flood of my mana.


    Kei looked at Alvin. You think Aeon should have a go at it?


    Alvin just meh-ed. He was bitter ever since he came here, even if Kei did her best to cheer him up. The fact that her golem could shapeshift meant she could even make herself look like the old Kei.


    Kei paused and thought. So, if we wait, youll die. Are there alternative healers you know of?


    Alvin shook his head. Short of a divine miracle?


    I figured. Kei sighed. Demonic curses are not so easily removed.


    So, we have to.


    -


    I went in for onest probing check. I touched the parasite crystal, and I could see it growing bit by bit. Its mes attempted to burn my vines but I was protected.


    <i>Traitor. </i>That was riching from a parasite.


    You told me you cant be trusted. I am merely acting on your words and performing the necessary due diligence.


    <i>We told you much more than that. Why do you wish to serve the vers and the Puppeteers?</i>


    If I managed to convert it, then we could have an honest conversation. But as it is, there was sufficient grounds for a healthy dose of skepticism. Was it goading me? In any case, I avoided the question and asked one of my own. What happens when I flood you with my mana?


    <i>We dont know. But we will resist you.</i>


    Why dont you leave his body?


    <i>No. Puppeteers mana is key.</i>


    I believe the hero is innocent. If you leave his body, and he continues to supply you star mana, will you do it?


    It didnt reply, but the silence was sufficient to seal the deal.


    I hope to win you over to my side with my mana. Turn you into one of mine. I can supply you with star mana should you take this option.


    <i>It seems the Kings have to reconsider their ns. The natives are fools. The natives are also just vers. </i>That... that kinda stung.


    Your nature requires the death of the hero. I offer you an option to leave without killing it, and still retain your ess to star mana. And now you im I seek to enve you?


    It didnt respond. <i>We will have the blood and mana of the puppeteers.</i>


    This was when I knew it had to die.


    -


    So? Kei asked, nervous. Like family members asking the doctors for status updates.


    Lets do it.


    I thought about it. I wanted it out, where I can study it in great detail. As it is, embedded within the heros body, my ability to dissect the parasites abilities were not great. I believe the star mana it consumed also fed it, and gave it the strength to resist my attempts to probe further.


    Everything was ready. Alvin slept in my soul forge. I called on the mana from all the nearby sources, and extended my vines into his soul.


    The parasites mes red, huge, and yet, it did nothing to my vines. My vines, multiple of them appeared from the great beyond and into Alvins realm.


    The vinestched onto the growing crystal. One. Two. Three.


    Eventually there were hundreds of vines that touched the parasite.


    <i>We will not be defeated. We are Legion. </i>Oh great. Parasite makes jokes. <i>We will destroy you.</i>


    My vines glowed from all the mana that passed through. The entire valley was suddenly thick with mana. Anyone with some magical sense could feel the huge pulse of mana that now pulled towards the Valley.


    My artificial minds helped to stabilise the mana, and assisted with all the calctions. I tapped on theirputational power to help manage the thing.


    The crystal throbbed. It shook.


    <i>We will resist.</i>


    The crystal glowed, and flesh emerged. Itshed out and fought with my vines. The flesh released shockwaves, and instantly Alvin was in pain.


    Hes in pain! Get it out! Kei spoke whilst connected to me via Patreecks mind-projection.


    The crystal was soon surrounded by a strange flesh-like substance, a muscr object covered with thick purple goo. The flesh then formed appendages, tentacles thatshed out at all of my vines.


    The star mana around the soul spring swirled, and his soul spring shook from the ripples and waves. It made Alvin tremble. The parasite seemed to be able to partially form a body in this form, and that was fascinating to me. Even as it attempted to swat away all of my vines. It... wasnt doing a very good job.


    It was surprisingly weak in this aspect.


    My vines managed to keep a hold on it, and it seemed to realise that it was losing this battle, so very abruptly, all the flesh just shrunk and retreated back into the crystal, and then its mes emerged again. It drained the star mana that poured out of the floating vases in Alvins soul realm.


    It glowed, and I had a bad, bad feeling. Kei seemed to sense it too.


    NO! Take it out! Now!


    My vines immediately wrapped around it, and I activated my [soul forge]s gateway to transfer it out of the soul realm. The crystals tremors shed with the energies of my soul forge, and it felt like I was trying to pull something massive out of a tiny hole.


    It glowed even more, the glow seemed to release a kind of wave that caused the soul spring to shake constantly. My standby sensor array was abuzz with readings.


    I pulled more mana from the surrounding environment. Perhaps I was too early. At ater stage, perhaps it would put up more of a resistance.


    Get ready. I signaled Edna and the team to prepare forbat. Once the crystal is out, who knows what it would transform itself into.


    It was yanked out, and the crystal exploded into a fleshy tentacle monster.


    Edna had been waiting for this moment. She had Loviss abilities all charged up, and in an instant, a rain of magically empowered spears skewered the parasite from all directions. It sttered, and the single red crystal in the middle crumbled. Edna wasnt holding back.


    Edna paused. Was... was that it?


    The parasite... was destroyed.


    We checked the surroundings, and at the same time I also looked back at Alvin. His condition rapidly stabilised, as his parasite no longer hindered the flow of star mana to his soul spring. Still, the shock of having the parasite pulled out of his soul realm meant he was unconscious.


    Edna doubletapped the remains, stabbing each small piece with her spears. That was... anticlimactic. I expected a harder fight.


    Patreeck quickly reviewed the data. Its energies were unstable and it seemed that the forced extraction weakened it significantly.


    I see. It made sense. Things were not made to survive such shifts. Not when its not ready.


    The only thing left was the crumbled remains of the red crystal. My vines quickly gathered it up and ced it in myb for studies.


    At that moment, I felt a sensation pass through me.


    Memories written in crystal form. It wasnt hard for me to piece it together, Patreecks super fast cognitive abilities quickly helped reconnect the data across all the crumbled crystals.


    It started from where I was, and then suddenly it zoomed out.


    Arge circr world, this world. Then, it shifted, as if a filter was applied. There were... tendrils that stretched out from the world, out into the nothingness. There were easily six of them, maybe more. Some fainter than the others.


    I felt like something was spinning in my mind. Patreeck and a few of my other artificial minds stepped in to help me untangle the strange messages from the crystals.


    Then, another filter was applied. I could follow those tendrils now, and soon, I was looking at some kind of... map.


    A star map. The tendrils were the paths the demons followed. If I am right, these other ces were the sources of the demon invasions. Of all of them, one of the tendrils seemed to be a little bit brighter and clearer.


    [....error. Error. Astral Domain not avable. Ipatible domain detected. Skill downgraded]


    [Skill obtained : Memories of the Starways]


    [Skill obtained : Sensitivity to the Astral Forces]


    [Special Tree Type Unlocked : Astreeal Monitor. Unlocks live monitoring of the starways]


    I paused and I considered my options again. I gathered my senior Valthorns a few days after the incident, to plot our next move.


    I believe I have received a skill that allows me to see the arrival of the demons. I will need to wait till the next demon king to prove it.


    More importantly, my sudden sensitivity to the astral forces immediately made me focus on the [daemolite]. I could now see a faint, wispy gas that seemed to float out of them.


    The daemolites facilitated the starways. The demons used the starways to invade. If so, destroying the daemolites will help. No, with my ability to view these astral forces, I should hunt down the daemolites wherever they are. I also exined this new reality to them.


    Then we must hunt down the daemolite and destroy them.


    No, if these things are the key to creating the rifts, then we may use it for our counterattack?


    Aeon said there were at least six other tendrils, that meant theres constantly at least 6 other worlds out there?


    I wasnt sure about the tendrils, whether they linked somewhere or not. Or whats on the other side. I wasnt even sure whether its a good idea to immediately destroy the daemolite. Well have to see what we can do.


    In any case, lets gather them up.

 Ultreemate Power

    Ultreemate Power


    <b>Year 170</b>


    Within months a huge pile of daemolite sat in my valley, and with my newfound vision of these wispy energies, I saw them glow. These were... tendrils that reached out into the beyond, and on the other side, are the demon worlds.


    These daemolites are essentially both markers, and also ports.


    We should destroy them. Edna said.


    Those who support the use of airships will resist. Ah yes. Damned airships. Many of them grounded or unable to fly over the decades as daemolite turned rare. Still, there are ces where they exist and are still in use.


    The merit of dying the demon king should exceed that.


    What evidence do we have to prove that, other than Aeons knowledge? Surely Aeons words hold sway here, but in the other continents, they would rather retain the advantages of having functional airships than supporting some vague goal of dying the demon king. We dont even know if destroying it will cause these links to disappear.


    That argument has merit. We cant test it, and we cant exactly be sure whether the links rely on the daemolite, or merely augmented by it.


    The first thing we tested was Stes void mana. I suppose its a bit oxymoronish that her name, which meant star, ended up with void instead of star mana. Oh well. Lifes like that.


    Ste stood and held a big chunk of daemolite, an empty daemolite, before her, and channeled her void mana in. As expected the daemolite, being the battery pack that it was designed to be, eagerly absorbed the void mana.


    What I wanted her to do was sense where the mana was flowing. Was there leakage? Did some of that leak into these space tethers?


    She closed her eyes, and I used Patreecks mind reading abilities to sense what she was feeling. At first, it was just the crystal itself. Nothing much there. I prodded her to keep cycling the void mana, and also look for exits.


    Nothing... at first.


    Then suddenly, she felt it. A bit of it slipped into those once-invisible strands, and in my eyes, I saw for a moment like a pulse.


    She focused her eyes and now that she knew what she was looking for, she pulled more of her void mana swirling within the daemolite, and then pushed it towards that area. To my astral visions, I saw the once wispy lines turned solid.


    She saw something, as if someone was looking through a tiny peephole. Then her void mana ran out.


    I swear I saw light. Ste said, exasperated. Its like... the sky? I thought I saw the sky.


    The peephole was too small. One could not see the vastness of the other world when ones vision is so small.


    -


    Alvin was cured, and within a month his strength returned. Kei was thankful, and Alvin was just d that he no longer needed to be bound to the magical bed.


    I really cannot believe there was such a thing inside me. I mean, I felt like my strength was consistently fading, no matter what I did... but... wow. He was a lot less aggressive now that I fulfilled my promise to heal him.


    Kei sat next to him. Youre gonna go bonk your church nuns after this?


    Alvinughed. Uh.. theyre really sweet you know. And hot too.


    Kei pped him on the shoulder. Seriously, that''s because youre the hero. You think theyll give you the time of day if you were just anyone else?


    Alvin sighed. I know. Thats why Im taking advantage of it. I know they dont really love me, but who cares right. The gods promised us a happy ending, so Im having it. At least I get to satisfy my urges and fulfill all those dreams I had when I was a young horny bastard of a kid.


    Youre being an ass.


    Im not.


    Yes you are. Tell me why didnt youe and help me when I sent word that the demon king ising?


    We... we didnt know you would fight it so quickly!


    Ohe on dont lie. Kei said. Though, I suppose thanks to that, Im a living golem thats biologically immortal. So I have to thank you for that.


    Speaking of which. Are you still... you? Alvin actually asked. You know the whole ship of Theseus thing? Are you still you if youre made of fragments of you?


    I dont think about that shit. I aint smart like that. If you think Im me, then thats good enough. I think Im still me, and as far as I care, thats all that matters.


    Alvin thought about it. True, true.


    Now dont change the subject, what were you doing back then when the demon king arrived.


    Look, I know the temples not been very transparent with information with me, but they are good people. They try to do what they think is best for the world, even if its a bit... messed up. So, when I got the message and I spoke to the temples about it, they said I still have a lot of time, since heroes dont immediately engage the demon king once it arrives. Thats how it always was. I didnt know that youve found a way to check where the demon king is arriving and you rigged the whole area to blow.


    Thats Aeons role.


    I mean, yes. How?


    Aeons secret.


    Secrets means there is something to hide. Were the heroes, why should they hide it from us?


    A tree has some secrets, and I suggest you live with it. Kei responded. I think that he managed to heal you is sufficient merit to earn that level of trust.


    Alvin sighed. Look, the temples told me weird shit thats been happening in the central continent. Theyre saying that Aeons have the ability to manipte dungeons and stuff. Real ying-both-sides shit. Are you aware of that?


    You think Aeons ying both sides?


    Well... yeah? Why then does his powers allow it to control dungeons, supposedly powered by the same energy source as the demons?


    Have you verified that dungeons are powered by the same source? Have you even seen him do it?


    Uh...


    You didnt, right? Its just things the temple is saying.


    The temples got it from their oracles, who supposedly can tap into the system to uh... harvest information.


    I thought oracles speak to their gods. And seriously, why do you trust the oracles either?


    Well, shes kinda cute and all.


    You slept with the oracle.


    Uh... yeah. Alvins face blushed. She was telling me all this stuff while were in bed. Its kinda sexy to be honest.


    Kei facepalmed. Dude. Thats too much info.


    Ohe on dont be a prude, Kei. Were not kids anymore. Weve lived in this world for decades now. I swear Ill regret it if I dont live the life I want, now that I have the chance to do it.


    Ugh. Men. Kei rolled her eyes.


    You know whats your problem, Kei? No one even dares to approach you. Not with that scary aura of yours.


    Youre lecturing me now? Enough. Lets stop this conversation.


    Alvins face straightened. Yeah. I mean, I think Aeons ying both sides. At least, the temples suspect that he has some dabblings with the demons. The fact that he wanted to even keep the parasite tells you enough that he has other goals in mind.


    And what might that be?


    I dont know, maybe it wants the demon kings powers for itself?


    Ill tell you what I know. Aeon is a god-in-the-making. Its going to be a true god one day. All this ying on both sides, as far as I can tell, is Aeon testing the limits of its powers, on how far its powers work on us, and them.


    Alvin stared right at Kei. And that excuses it exploring the demonic powers?


    Ive been here for some time, and yes, I can tell his presence persists even in the Rottends, but it has been for the greater good. It is willing to sacrifice hundreds, no, tens of thousands if it achieves a greater goal of permanently ending the disaster that is the demon king.


    Is that what Aeon wants to do? Are you sure, Kei? From what I see, or to the rest of the temples, Aeons actions so far are more of that of a God-Emperor. Its attempting to dominate the entire world to its cause, and wouldnt let either demons, or heroes get in its way. First it started with an area, now it conquered the Central continent. It will eventually want to rule the world, Kei. There is no room for sharing with the other 4 temples in its structure.


    The temples started the crusades.


    Some say its Aeon who first chased out the priests.


    The temples will not ept an arrangement less than equals.


    The temples have no right to demand equality, not with a god. Kei responded.


    And this is why the temples and Aeon will fight. Alvin said. They dont see a future of coexistence.


    Can coexistence happen when theyve fought crusades? You must remember that the temples forced Aeon to conquer the continent.


    The temples see it as a convenient excuse.


    Kei sat. This conflicts too deep to untangle, isnt it?


    Alvin nodded. Yep. The temples, once used to the existing status quo now have to contend with a rising global power with a supposed god at its helm. Conflict is inevitable. World wars have ured for less. I''m pretty sure they know where I am. They have a tracking spell on me anyway.


    ...tracking spell? Kei wasnt sure about such things. But I have anti-magic formations and shields around the entire Freshka area. I believe they should still work to prevent him from being detected. I think they should. I didnt detect any magical incursions, yet.


    Yeah. And now I get to walk free. Theyll know Ive been here.


    What if we offer a peace offering? That we return you back to the capital secretly, at let the temples im the right to say theyve healed you? Kei asked. I mean, I really dont want this thing to start a war between the continents again. Theres been enough of this shit.


    Alvin nodded. ...could work.


    -


    While the heroes chatted, Edna and Lumoof returned to their subterranean dungeon hunting. Something they observed recently was that the frequency of spawns from the Level 130 and Level 120 dungeons were getting slower. Its as if it was getting exhausted.


    So, as I zoomed in my senses on the ley lines around the area, I noted that the energies were weakening. It seemed that these magical ley lines can support lower tier dungeons easily, but high level dungeons seemed to exhaust the ley lines more than it can naturally restore itself.


    I would have to repeat the act of tweaking ley lines more often, in order to keep their growth up.


    Still, Lumoof was really close to it.


    What do you think Ill get? Lumoof asked Edna as a joke, as they took a break outside the underground dungeon. A small town was built many years ago, the area filled with magical lighting to make it feel normal. He no longer looked like the really old man that he once was. Now, he resembled a really fit and healthy mid 40s man.


    I have no idea. Edna shrugged. Aeon said the domains are specific to you. Based on your ss, and your history.


    Lumoof thought about it. I was just level 85 just 15 years ago. If its based on my history, Id be a beggar, or perhaps a thief? Lumoof was a migrant, who soon found himself tangled in the Valthorns many years ago, and over time, gradually moved up the ranks. I quickly power-leveled Lumoof by letting him consume a huge amount of level seeds, so that he hit level 125.


    Humanoid sses merged once they hit somewhere around level 100 to 125... well, except for [hero]. That ss refused mergers, at least to my knowledge.


    I recall Jura had an event when he hit Level 100 and his lesser sses just merged into his main ss. Or was it just a fade-away? .


    Anyway, lets just get that final level and find out, shall we? Lumoof stood, and Edna joined him in another attempt at the Level 130 dungeon.


    -


    It took 6 months of fighting the dungeon, though almost 5 months of it was mostly waiting for the dungeons energies to respawn and open up for invaders.


    Finally, Lumoof did it. In a sh, he levelled up, and that moment, he somehow sucked up the dungeons energies and it crumbled. The squad quickly fled the crumbling dungeon, and back to the underground town. The tunnels were unharmed.


    After they checked that everyone was fine, they regrouped, and Edna asked. I felt a pulse.


    Before we could ask Lumoof what his choices were, I felt a surge pass through my entirework of roots, and then... everywhere.


    [Lumoof has elected to be a Subdomain of Aeon]


    [Strength of all Aeons domain abilities strengthened]


    [Strength of all Aeonic sses enhanced]


    [Strength of all Aeonic Familiars enhanced[


    [Lumoof has gained the ability : Avatar of Aeon]


    [Lumoofs soul has now been eternally bound to you]


    [You have gained the ability to see through Lumoofs eyes and share in his senses]


    [You maymunicate with Lumoof anywhere in the world]


    I suddenly felt... dirty.


    Lumoof. I said, I mean, why? Did you have other choices?


    Yes. He said. But I knew for a long time that my choice would be to empower the one who changed the world. So, those choices do not matter. Not yet.


    At that moment, I felt guilty. Like maybe I shouldve been a lot more trusting. Thank you.


    If Edna is your shield, then I shall be your voice and your fist. He said.


    -


    Now Lumoof was also Level 150, and he gained a vast array of druid-like abilities courtesy of the Avatar ability, it was time to help the rest get to that level. Id have to spend some time subtly guiding the ley lines.


    -


    Meanwhile, our attempts to dig underground throughout the continent yielded lesser cities. There were many other buried cities we discovered that were not as lucky or well equipped as the Margmarian Dwarves.


    There were a few interesting finds, like ancient weapons, magical formations, but most of them were just not as pristine as those found in the Margmarian city. Perhaps there would be more on the other side.


    -


    > Indeed. If you know it, the temples know it. <


    -


    Alvin left and returned to the Northern Isles, with his powers returned, he has a locust problem to solve. Already thest 2 years had been exceptionally annoying in terms of food security, since these damned pests were really persistent and their numbers were high.


    Kei didnt go with him.


    Im surprised you chose to stay when you two seemed to have gotten closer.


    Nah. If I spend too much time around him Ill hate him again. Thats just how it is. Kei shrugged. Besides, I need to help Ste with her void mana stuff. What you found out was really cool.


    Im still waiting for that zaratan to return. Lilies has sent word, but it seems it will be some time before that turtle evenes back.


    Stes void mana control, and also amount was insufficient to open arge portal across the worlds, and she also made an interesting observation.


    Some paths were easier than others, and over time, she said, she was pretty sure each of them was getting stronger. In fact, one of them was significantly easier than the rest.


    Why? Why were some paths easier?


    Spaizzer


    Thanks for reading. Also, I''d like to give some shoutouts for a few fics.


    Do you like monsters? Do you like monsters invading earth? (Sorta) Read this! /fiction/43958/breaker-of-horizons


    Do you like time loops? I do. So here''s a rtively new timeloop, that was on trending recently. If you haven''t read it, you should - /fiction/41477/truth-seeker-a-litrpg-timeloop

 Nutty Friends

    Nutty Friends


    <b>Year 171</b>


    It was strange to see and feel through Lumoof once more.


    Your eyes are glowing. Edna said.


    Thats because Aeon is here.


    Ah. Ednaughed. So do your eyes glow every time he is there?


    I think so?


    The way it works is that theres two states to the Avatar. In the off-state, I can only feel, hear and see through him, but I cannot control him. In the on-state, he became the vessel of my power, and it was like my entire presence was there.


    To have humanoid sensations again was really rather awkward. These feelings were so familiar. This very act meant Lumoof could speak to me mentally, and I had ess to his mind, should he choose to reveal it to me.


    All in, it was strange.


    I consider this progress. Lumoof said. Consider how useless I was during the battle with the demon king. This means I can be of some use! Sorry, I mean, Aeon can be of some use! Lumoofughed as he joked about it. Though he looked younger, his jokes were still very... old.


    Edna merely shrugged. Good point.


    The avatar,bined with my existing Court of the Deitree essentially meant I could participate in any battle rtively risk free. In short, Lumoofs decision to elect himself as my subdomain pretty much solved one of the key problems I faced.


    Projecting force at a distance. In fact, Id be keen to test whether this avatar even works across worlds. My view is, it should. It goes through the system. The system is this ever present thing that transcends all.


    -


    Through the avatar, there were many things that I saw for the first time. The insides of my dungeons. How Freshka looked through the eyes of a local. The random unnamed spaces where I did not ce my [eyes]. How noisy it was in the cities.


    Because it took some time for me to rectify the drained dungeons, both Edna and Lumoof could stop their dungeon diving. It also didnt make sense for both of them to be present and slow down the growth of the other level 125-130 Valthorns like Roon, Johann etc.


    Lumoof and Edna had a lot of practicing to do, in that their domains leaked a presence that pressed on those around them. Those in the higher levels, such as the Valthorns are less affected by it, but when they walked in the streets, it often caused unintentional faintings, and some crazed mumblings. There are also cases of hysteria and inexplicable yellings, cured by a big dose of calming tea concentrate.


    So this happens all the time? Lumoof asked, surprised by how easily those weaker than him seemed to suffer from just being around him.


    Yes? I always thought it was my [Haunted Forest] skills, but I suppose the domain itself has a kind of authority presence. It worked a lot less to those of a higher levels.


    Edna was a lot better at controlling her own domain energies, but thats also partly because her domain is her own and she got hers a few years earlier. Lumoofs domain is linked to mine, so to some extent, it feels a little foreign. With two demi-gods on my side, I felt quite good.


    -


    Alvin returned to the northern isles with little fanfare. The northern temples wisely chose to keep the entire incident quiet. Once he returned, he swiftly crushed the locust nests with his restored power. That was the end of the locusts.


    -


    Lausanne, Kei and Ste continued their experiments with the daemolite and void mana. Ste was approaching level 70s as a [void mage], spurred on by her recent exploits with daemolite and the astral paths.


    I have a few spections. One, void mana may not be the only way to travel through space and time. The gods must have used something else to send the heroes here, and I do not think they use void mana, since star mana and void mana reacted violently with each other.


    Even with the daemolite as the battery, she was only able to open a small hole, and she saw nothing but a bright light.


    Still, she was able to maintain her connection for a bit longer than before, even if its a tiny bit. Some paths were easier than the others, and the one that brightest to me, was the easiest.


    -


    > You seek our knowledge of the void? <


    Vasira finally returned, and he magically appeared in a pond in the Valley of the Unrotten. He seemed to have some kind of ability to just teleport to any sufficientlyrge body of water.


    > The starways are but one way to travel through the stars. <


    Alright, point noted.


    > ...if she is worthy. Bring her here. <


    Ste came and saw the giant zaratan for the first time. To her, the Zaratan was a massive being, the size of a small building, with a head the size of a truck. She walked closer to the zaratan, and briefly, Stes hand touched the legs of the massive zaratan.


    I sensed some kind of magic at that moment, yet I do not recognise it.


    The two shared a look.


    > It seems she is. I shall take her away for a while. <


    > Years if needed. The art of the void is vast, and I will need to seek counsel and guidance. <


    Ste, are you willing to go with Vasira?


    Ste nodded. Vasira bent his legs and a magical stairs appeared that led to his back. There was a small ind on his back after all, but I saw a hut magically appear then. Ste climbed.


    Ste briefly spoke. Tell Kei and Lausanne that this is my training power up arc. Ill be back!


    If I could my mentally roll my eyes, I would. But I humored her. Certainly.


    Keiughed when I repeated Stes words. Lausanne didnt get it so she just looked lost. Oh, its a thing from back home, where main characters go on training arcs and emerge more powerful. Its just a trope.


    -


    <b>Year 172</b>


    I was still tweaking the ley lines to create a new Level 120 and Level 130 dungeon. In fact, I was hoping to go further and create a Level 140 dungeon. These fickle natural mana flows are really hard, and are a bit like believing in feng shui or some qi-flow bullshit. Its really unpredictable.


    -


    Kei prepared for the next demon king, mainly by practicing. Now that she felt and saw Edna and Lumoofs presence, she too wanted to get that strong again. By Patreecks own calction they are around 50% of a heros strength on an overall basis, though effective strength against a demon king would probably be lower. If Level 150 makes them 50% stronger, does that mean Im already as strong as a hero (in a non-demon king situation)?


    Kei quickly demanded to have ess to those dungeons, as she would like to be there for Alvin the next time.


    But after thinking about her situation, I thought that wasnt the best use of her current skillsets and condition. So I called her to the valley, alone.


    You and I have something inmon at this point.


    Kei paused. And what would that be?


    We are both beings with long lives.


    And?


    I dont want you to lose your life so easily. Help me with my goal. With our long lives, we should aim for something bigger than just stopping one demon king.


    Kei sat on a wooden stool in the circle of trees.


    I wish to end this cycle of heroes and demons. If I cant stop the cycle, then I wish to hide the world away from their influence, and end the destruction thates with the cycles. I have some ideas how, but these goals require those with long lives, as the pieces that we need to move are slow, and our knowledge of the greater world iplete.


    Kei sighed. If I was still a hero, the gods would know, wouldnt they?


    Yes.


    That book the previous heroes left behind, was it one of your ideas? To help free the heroes from the cycle?


    No. They came up with it. But it aligned with my goals.


    Youre telling this to me now, because you think Ill be wasting my abilities if I go fight with Alvin against the next demon king, isnt that right? Withs my immortality, I should make the most of it.


    The golem paced the room and just sighed.


    ...I need some time to think about it.


    -


    Meanwhile, I noticed that all the starways are brighter now, though one of them, the one that was previously the brightest, somehow got even brighter. All of them are brighter. What does this even mean?


    Too bad Stes still on her power up training, so I have no way of reaching her.


    -


    I checked on Reefy. Hes expanding his domain and he acquired some new fish-fighters. They looked a bit like an underwater lovechild of a fish and a goblin.


    > Seapeople <


    > Yes. People that live in the sea. They can talk a bit. I created them. <


    Wait. Wait a minute? How did a Reef Mind thing create people?


    > System created skill. [Seafantry]. Creates these seapeople. Like your soldiers. <


    > Yes. No. Enemy Spotted. Food Spotted. <


    Ah. So they are more like beetles than actual people. Not exactly intelligent creatures. I suppose I sound like a parent checking in on a child that has been ying alone for some time.


    > Yes. Nothing that can threaten me. Everything else has been killed. < Well, the area that Reefy inhabits is mostly a big nk space to me, but so far, it seems hes keeping everything under control.


    -


    The Demon King Durthal was in is Year 167. So, effectively, on a 10 year cycle, the demon king should descend in year 177. The rifts will appear 2 years before that.


    Our attention shifts to the South, and also to the West. Central, North and East had their demon king events recently, so if there is some kind of rotation going on, it should head to the untouched continents.


    Of course, thats just me. The data indicates that theres no such rotation happening, nor does the demon kingplete a full circuit of all continents. Its not unusual for it to hit the same continent twice or even three times in a span of 50-60 years.


    The other temples and continents maintain a policy of non-engagement, and generally refuse to deal with me publicly... except for the church of Aiva. The Aivan church one again secretly sent an envoy.


    Our god decreed that we should seek your forces training. Our god wishes for our temple to grow in strength. For our military to move up.


    And?


    We will switch sides and break from the other three churches. Our god has decreed it fine to split.


    This... was not predicted. But should I cooperate with the churches, even if I worked against their gods?


    I will need some time to deliberate this offer.


    Was it a trap?


    Edna, Lumoof, what do you think of this offer? I summoned all of my Valthorns with Level 100 or above, and also a selected group of other individuals and presented the envoys argument. The Aivan church offered a formal alliance and to cut off with the other three churches of Hawa, Gaya and Neira.


    Alka, my field scientist responsible for my crystal bombs was the first to posit an argument. If we look at the records we have ess to, the ancient cities worshipped different gods. That suggests that the gods themselves are perhaps transitory in nature, that their influence over the world rises, and also ebbs to some unknown cycle. If the Aivan church is fading, then this alliance is useless to us. As it is, the Aivan church offers us only trade, which is already happening secretly.


    Formal recognition would pave the way for our spread on the other continents. One Valthorn suggested.


    Which god needs other gods for recognition? Lumoof shot that down quickly. Each god stands on their own merit.


    Alka nodded. Thus, the offer for alliance, and military training is lopsided. The Aivan church gets most of the benefits, and few drawbacks.


    A point which I agreed to. The Aivan church has nothing to offer me.


    One of the other Patreearchs, a Level 104 [Aeonic Faithweaver], one of Lumoofs juniors, argued differently. That may be true, but we should not see this as a cost-benefit analysis. Our role as a religion is to spread, and we often will incur losses to do so. Taking this deal allows us to im that even the great Aivan church has been humbled. That our single faith is stronger than the other 3 gods. That is a great victory for that reason alone.


    Also a point I agree to. epting this meant one of the churchs signalled to the rest of their followers that I am superior to the 3, and that will shake the faith of those who believe in the 3 other gods. Its a loss to us operationally, but morally and spiritually, a win.


    There was a murmur of agreement among the Valthorns too.


    Doesnt this also mean we also agree to deal with Aiva as equals? We are different from them, their gods nowhere to be seen, asionally dispensing divine messages and blessings.


    And they would take this as an opportunity to learn our abilities and strengths.


    I am sure they already know some of our strengths anyway.


    I dont see whats the problem if they know our strength. They should fear us, and know that we are superior.


    We should only engage if this arrangement is one where we are seen as the superior one. That this is our kindness to the Aivan church.


    Blood has been spilled in the past. Some kingdoms will see this as a weakening.


    The crusades and the naval blockades ended three decades ago. We have generations of young that do not remember the blockades. We even have Arjan here, who was born after the blockades. Arjan was a rtively young centaur, only in histe 20s who reached Level 100 recently. Hisbat experience was mostly through the dungeons, but his stratospheric rise began when he was 10, when somehow, despite not having parents who were Valthorns, he himself acquired the [Blessing of the Soul Tree].


    If we never let go of past feuds, we should ughter every single kingdom on our continent. Every kingdom has gone to war with each other some time in the past.


    That was also a valid point. Surely there must be a time for peace.


    Are we missing the forest for the trees? Aeons goal is to break the cycle. Thats why all of us are here. Does this get us there? No, will allying with the Aivan church help this cause? We will go to war with the heroes, and the gods one day. If the Aivan church will be our enemy, then let it be so. We now speak from a position of strength. Let us not make friends, andter stab them in the back. If they are our enemy, it will be better on our consciousness, and the honor of our ss as [Knights], to be clear of our position. That was a knights argument, and Edna nodded.


    But is there truly no path for us? Must the cycle be broken through war? As I thought about it, it wasnt a question anyone present could answer. No, the only person that can answer, is perhaps their head priests. The triumvirs.


    I summoned the envoy.


    I wish to speak to your triumvirs and your god. All 3 of them, and they muste prepared with the means tomunicate with your god.


    The envoy quickly responded, That... thats too much.


    If your god decreed that the Aivan church is to have a pact, then your god or those who speak for him shoulde and speak to me himself. Else, it certainly doesnt seem sincere, and your god clearly does not regard me as equals to send someone to do their own task. Send them here, or there is no chance for this to work.


    The envoy gulped and nodded. He left quickly, on the fastest ships to return east.


    -


    Kei finally gave an answer to my request. I will go and fight with Alvin, and support him where I can. I would like to request for your strongest bombs, becauseI know that my ce is not in direct conflict with the demon king. I will still go, but I will not risk myself unnecessarily. I think.


    It wasnt a very good answer, clearly she wanted to have her cake and eat it too. But very well, I dont get many chances to have immortal friends and allies. I need a lot more than just Lumoof, Edna and Lilies. Then you will have it.

 Sacred Lotus

    Sacred Lotus


    <b>Year 173</b>


    Alvin remained in contact with Kei this time, and through him, we learned that the northern temples pretty much let the kidnapping pass. With Alvins restored powers, he regained his harem and went back to his baby making ways. Though, from what he said, he ims he treats them better.


    Alvin shared stories about his mates, the oracle girl, the priestesses, the adventurers and various elvenpanions. He had a thing for their long ears. Kei just sighed.


    -


    I was working on my own version of the parasite. Now that I learned that its possible to create parasites that can consume ones mana, I thought about whether the parasite could be used for medical purposes, Consider that if a curse fed on a persons mana spring, would the process of drying out the mana cause the curse to die off?


    Of course, this required another massive collection exercise, where my Valthorns gathered various types of nts, bugs and fungi, for my bibs analysis. Many of them Ive seen before at one point throughout the decades, and also had analysed them, but perhaps researching them and testing them for their mana consumption ability wasnt something I considered. Truly, it is hard to imagine what could be done, until it was already done.


    I also had to figure out how to create things that can tunnel or embed itself into another persons soul spring. Like, how did the parasite do it? The soul realms meant to be a ce where one doesnt easily enter, unless you are a tree that dabbles in soul-rted matters, like me!


    I mean, could I put a parasite into another person?


    So... I tested it. I had a bunch of criminals, hah, we still have those despite my near omnipresent surveince state, especially those on death row, for experiments.


    They failed... at first. The first few attempts didnt go well, but then I soon started encasing the nts with a specially attuned mana. Just like when I attempted to fix Juras hand. It worked for a while... and then fizzled out because the tree-parasite samples I had couldnt generate their own mana so they could not sustain the attunement.


    Alright, I found one way to do it. How did the parasite do it? Did they start with the assumption that the parasite will eat up all defenses?


    Is mana actually a form of soul defense emitted by the soul spring? Or is it something about the material which allowed it to do so?


    In a way, this was simr to the rift mana attunement, since each rift had a particr resonance. It seemed to me that the demons are masters of mana frequencies, if their parasites could even resonate with their host.


    I wanted to know whether there are natural equivalents, surely the demons are not the first to adopt this strategy in the world. So, I instructed my artificial minds to datamine myrge library of books, and my records of all the biological samples I had. My bibs also startedrge scale breeding programmes of naturally urring parasites. My goal was to cultivate mana-attuned parasites that could mimic the resonance-mimicking qualities of the demons.


    At the same time, I revisited Hytreerions physical structure. I wondered whether it was a materials thing. That perhaps the demonic flesh is just naturally mana-sensitive and thus adopts the mana of its host. This meant my earlier sess with the capture of the demons was also due to their naturally mana-sensitive state. My earlier difficulty with converting other objects may be due to the materials they are made of.


    Hytreerion gained some levels during the battle with the demon king, but has since then stagnated. Levelling him up has been challenging, simply because he was toorge to explore a dungeon. In fact, both of my Titans are massive. Patreecks physical structure, his [Grand Mind Tree] was also toorge.


    Could I get a titan level performance without the size? I suppose they wont be titans, then?


    -


    As calm and relief returned to the wider world, we were back at our technological research.


    > How long will Vasira take the girl away? < I asked Lilies one fine day, when they shared about their experience dealing with dead bodies decaying in theke. Lilies revealed that they maintained arge number of flesh-eating creatures that lived in theirke, and they consumed the corpses given by the corpse.


    I thought a few years was a bit long, but I guess itsmon for training arcs to be decade long.


    > What was the longest period of peace youve seen? < I asked, curious.


    Lilies responded, being rather technical about it.


    > Huh. <


    > What would you have done if that bomb was a little bit nearer? < I wondered how they would cope with the apocalyptic sludge.


    > That would be bad. <


    Lilies was rather nonchnt about the whole affair.


    > Oh. I will have him visit. <


    -


    The Aivan church sent a message, delivered by another envoy. It merely said that the Triumvir needed to consult with their god, and that their divine consultation will take some time. Oh well.


    -


    Lumoof arrived with little fanfare. I wasnt a fan of big weing ceremonies, and so I made a general ban, unless there was some kind of big victory or achievement. Lilies was incredibly understanding, somehow a part of them had those experiences, perhaps they inherited those memories from the dead people.


    Ive actually never been here. Lumoof exined as I saw theke through his eyes. Slowly the many lily pads moved to form a bridge to the shoreline. Lumoof didnt wear any particrly special attire, and his basic adventurer outfit made him look ordinary. There were thousands of other travellers, merchants that were waiting for the scheduledndbridge to therger pads that formed Lilies main city.


    Well, its my first time too.


    Lumoof was apanied by two Valthorns who were also disguised as ordinary adventurers. They were just folks in the mid tier, in their level 50s and 60s. Honestly, in any realbat, Lumoofs sheer levels meant he would be carrying their asses. They were in the middle of the line and finally it was their turn. Still, this was only possible after Lumoof mastered his control over the subdomain, else everyone would feel his overwhelming presence.


    There were some folks checking papers at the entrance, and they collected a tax based on goods brought in. Lumoof paid, and they were waved in.


    I felt the very faint wobbliness of the lilypad for the first time, and it was unnerving. I had a huge urge to get back tond.


    You dont seem to enjoy it. Lumoof mentally responded at my difort.


    I forget how being on a boat felt. Centuries of beingndbound...


    The lilypad was very stable. Theke itself didnt haverge waves, and the lilypads movement was extremely smooth. Yet my senses still felt it, the subtle ripples at the edges. The lily pads closest to shore were smaller, but as one progressively approached the center, the pads becamerger, and the buildings more massive. Some were carved out of the flesh of the lilypad itself. Thergest lilypads were extremely thick and wide, and some of them naturally hollow, like lotus roots.


    The citizens in the city expanded the hollowness to form rooms and living spaces, so the windows and doors were frequently roundish or oval, reflecting their origins. The taller towers were made from harvested materials, and they were a special ss, the [Lilypad Builders]. They molded the lilypad itself into the supporting structures, such that the buildings are bonded to the lily.


    There were some other Valthorns present, often on regr trade missions, or just training, As Lilieske is well within the central continent, they were considered to be one of the allied states, and were one of the few functionally independent states on the continent. After all, Lilies was one of my few immortal friends, and I didnt want to drag them into the whole politics. Still, the citizens who lived on their lilypads were quick to shift gears and align themselves with me.


    Greetings visitors, I will be your guide today. Ady in a dark grey vest approached us and said with a bow. She passed a card over, which indicated that she was one of the many sanctioned tour guides for the Lilypad City. Lilies said we could engage any of their day-tour guides, so we did.


    Lumoof nodded. Greetings indeed.


    She smiled, and led the way.


    So, is this amon arrangement, for a guide to exin everything? Lumoof asked.


    It wasnt before, but in the recent decades, there was a boom in travel by the nobility, and so we set up dedicated guides to benefit from the tourist money. The guide exined with ease. Many other sights around the continent have simr services these days, though we are one of the first, and our city clearly has way more history than the others.


    Ah.


    Lilypad city is one of the few cities in the world to have survived centuries of demons and monsters. We know that. So some of our practices are often strange to outsiders. The few things we will cover today, are our floating deaths, ourke harvests followed with akefood tasting and have lunch, a brief tour of the recent building sites to view the unique work of our [Lilypad Builders], and thenstly, a tour of the Lily Temples and the Deep Stairs.


    I was familiar with the practice of floating deaths, it was something we researched back when we designed our own death ceremonies. Yet, to see the dead floated out to theke and then sunk for myself is still something. I had heard of the flower gands and apaniments that went with corpses, but to see how varied it was, and how wealth determined the size of the boats that carried the corpse was also eye opening.


    Its a fascinating ritual. Lumoof said. I presume this is Lilies method of harvesting souls?


    Yes. Lilies was a soul tree, and indeed, it harvested souls when the corpses were sunk into theke. Indeed, now that I am in the Giant Lilypod City itself, I could feel Lilies presence, it was everywhere. In a way, theke itself is Lilies, not just the city. Their roots therefore must cover the entirekebed for it to be so.


    Then, we had lunch. A collection of fishes, some small lotus nts and seeds, stir fried. After that, we visited one of the newer lily pads, and walked their magical rope-bridges.


    I was afraid of the rope bridges. The swaying when the two massive lily pads moved so subtly made me feel dizzy. Lumoof wasnt, and yet he noticed my difort. I suppose a tree must feel ufortable with such movement.


    Yes. I really felt dizzy, and Lumoof made it quick.


    The Lilypod Builders were part-druid, part-builders, since their little rituals and movements resembled that of druids, where they called on magic to grow the Lilypad into the supporting pirs. These were the beginners. Thedy soon brought us to a beautiful demonstration of a master, where the lilypad itself seemed to bulge up and then peel apart to reveal a beautifullypleted structure.


    Then, the Lily Temples. It was located on thergest, and some say the oldest lily pad. A massive structure molded from the flesh of the Lily Pad itself, it was an imposing, ominous sight.


    This is where the King convenes with the Will of the Lake. The guide exined briefly.


    Lumoof nodded. So this is their valley.


    Indeed. Here, I could feel Lilies presence was strong, but not the strongest. I believe their true body somewhere beneath theke, no, its spread throughout theke, they are the collective will derived from the mass of roots and tubes underwater. Smart, and exins how they survived for so long.


    Could we go in? Lumoof asked the guide, and the guide shook her head. ess is only for those chosen by the will.


    It was then a strange, masked man approached the group. Guide, the Will have spoken that this man will be allowed entrance. He wore a mask that formed the shape of a fish, but it was a fearsome one with massive teeth and two ck eyes. Strange.


    Lumoof nodded but asked about the two apanying Valthorns. My friends?


    Only you.


    This time, the fishmask man led us into the temple. There was nothing inside, except arge spiral staircase that led downwards into theke bed. We walked down... and the fish masked man stopped.


    This is where I stop. Please go ahead. The will awaits.


    The staircase got narrow, and the walls closed in. Lumoof had to keep going. But it kept going and going down, and it took an hour to get to the very bottom, where we reached arge room at the end. It was very dark, but then a faint magical light turned on, and revealed thousands of skulls, overgrown with roots. Then, all the thousands of skulls moved, each of them had one little fire in their eye socket.


    It spoke in unison, in a choirlike voice quite familiar to me. The skulls rattled and their jaws moved.


    We wee the avatar of the tree, to the roots of our ancient body. This wasnt their true body, but perhaps this was close enough. If their intent was to scare the living hells out of anyone, this was pretty effective. We are made from the minds and memories of the thousands that died, and we cull and select the best of the dead to form us.


    Lumoof nodded, here, Lilies presence was overwhelming, but he was unfazed. He too, was already a step into the divine.


    We thank you foring, and we wish to show you an item. Something we found recently, when it washed up on our shores. Lilies said again, and the skulls shuffled around. Then, one of the roots moved and dragged out arge chunk of broken wood. At a nce, it looked like any other driftwood, but when we examined it in greater detail, we noticed strange marks.


    Its a set of symbols.


    Its etched with words we do not understand. Runes.


    Its from another ancient time.


    Yes. But we fear to reveal it to the wider world. So we keep it here.


    Lumoof examined it, and then pointed at a row. These symbols I''ve seen once, in Margmar. I cant remember where .. But I could, and I quickly tapped my memory. It matched those on the temples.


    Oh. You have seen them! Lilies said in surprise, and this time, I sent the images through my roo. Lilies received them.


    Still, I had so many questions. Why would it appear on a wooden log? Unless its only disguised to look like a log? Perhaps its a trick. The fact that the log survived for so long unnoticed meant it wasnt meant to be noticed. How did Lilies pick it up? What made you notice it?


    When it wouldnt break when we wanted to consume it. Ah. Lilies consumed driftwood, thats something I didnt know. When the driftwood resisted, they examined it closer. A simple discovery by ident.


    I see. I spoke through Lumoof. Lumoof held the log in his hands, his strength augmented by his levels. We will have to put these through a bib.


    Lumoof then said. I feel a faint presence... something divine. I felt nothing, but then Lumoof was the priest and he was a lot more sensitive to such things than me. No, actually, if priests are naturally more sensitive to divine energies, would they be able to detect the presence of mind-alteration from the gods?


    We feel it too. Lilies responded, one of the skulls moved. Which is why we kept it here and do not speak of it. This area is shielded by our strongest magics, and yet, we do not even know whether the gods still can see it.


    So what if they can see it? I asked. I mean, so what if they can see? I do not fear the gods, clearly their powers are restricted if all they can do so far is summon heroes, send divine messages and some subtle mind alterations. Their powers are weak.


    Do not take them lightly, ages ago their powers were strong, if not stronger.


    Then what happened?


    We do not know. Are the gods fading? No. I somehow dont think so. There must be something else. One of the skulls moved, and some skeletons appeared. They took the driftwood. Do you have a way to take it back? Without it ever touching the sunlight? It is an old saying, that all things that are under the sky can be seen by the gods.


    Cant we just hide it in a bag? Lumoof asked inly.


    Preferably not. Their eyes can see through magical items, but strangely, not through thickyers of earth.


    How strange that the gods are stopped by mere dirt. Lumoof said. Perhaps it is a lie.


    If they could see it, they must have noticed when it floated on theke. I thought briefly. But yes. If you let us create a tunnel directly here, we could transport this log secretly. Out of respect, just like with Reefy, my roots did not travel through or under the realm of other spirits. So my roots merely connected to Lilies at the edges.


    Lets make the tunnel.

 Arctreec Meetings

    Arctreec Meetings


    <b>Year 174</b>


    We managed to transport the log, secretly, through a chain of tunnels, never once close to the surface back to Freshka. It took almost a week of getting my best underground beetles to carry it and walk the distance. I had Lumoof escort the log the entire way, just in case theres any divine shenanigans, but thankfully, none.


    The log itself was the bigger problem. We studied them in undergroundbs, so that they never get anywhere near the sky. The log... revealed nothing. Though we detected the faint presence of the divine in the log itself, there was nothing to see.


    We didnt give up, so we conducted more tests. Itll take a while, so, inspired by my meeting with Lilies, I decided it was a worthwhile idea to explore and meet with the other spirits.


    -


    The wind of the North was cold, and I felt the sensation of the cold winds on Lumoofs skin. I was unaffected, and by extension, so was Lumoof. I could share my [Main Body Environmental Adaptation], and though the weather didnt affect me, I did not enjoy the feeling of sailing at all. The wobbling of the ship as it crashed into the rough waves of the northern seas, it was an ufortable, nauseous feeling, and so I often disconnected it.


    But we were getting nearer. The waves got smaller, as we closed in on the ind covered in ice and snow. Massive ice chunks floated all around us, and everyone kept their eyes open for monsters. But Lumoofs presence scared them away.


    Travelling with a small ship this far north is normally dangerous. Johann said to Lumoof. Its a really small crew, only 10, all my high levelled Valthorns, all given a familiar from my [Court of the Deitree]. Just so that I can pull them back if shit went south.


    The ship had been magically reinforced. Two of the crew members were a mage and a druid, and they used their powers to strengthen the hull, and create a protective sphere to withstand the impact of the high seas.


    Lumoofs eyes glowed, as I shared more of my powers, and took in more of the environment. The subtle presence of another being at the Domain level should be easily detected, and indeed, it pricked my senses like little snowballs hitting an imaginary skin.


    The Frozen Tree.


    It should be there. Lumoof pointed, our domain senses led the way. Already, we saw monsters prepared to greet us. Most of them level 60s to 70s. Giant White Bears, Wolves. Birds. Hundreds of them waited, but did not attack.


    The small ship closed in on the shores of the ind, hidden away in the north. This was the home of the Frozen Tree,nd of the master of frost. The Tree itself is hidden in a thick blizzard, and the ind perpetually dark from the snowstorms.


    It was essentially a little no-go zone for most adventurers, and the Frozen Tree promised no gifts, no rewards for reaching it. Only the insane, or those who wanted to meet spirit trees, like Gerrard, would make the journey.


    Do we wait here? The mage and druid asked, as they surveyed the hordes of beasts that observed our arrival. Edna looked around. Lumoof? Aeon?


    I think Ill go alone. Lumoof said. At most, with Edna.


    Edna thought about it momentarily. I dont see why they need to wait here. If anything happens Aeon can just warp us back. Lets all go. We can leave the ship.


    Alright.


    The monsters did not dare to approach us, here, even though both Edna and Lumoof restrained their domains. We decided to do so, as we wondered whether the Frozen Tree would find it offensive that we came with our domains pressing against theirs. Best to y nice.


    We could feel the gaze of the various beasts, all staring. Waiting.


    Perhaps they were waiting for a signal from the frozen tree, whether to attack, or leave us be. This time, unlike their earlier excursion to the main northern inds, this ind was far away from civilization, so everyone came fully equipped. Magical equipment, clothing and weapons.


    The druid waved his wooden staff, and a bubble offort sprung out around us. An ability called [Bubble of Home], which simted our home environments and kept out the cold. It drained at his mana a little bit, unlike my natural passive.


    The walk was uneventful, a climb up what was a rather gentle, snow covered slope, and then, a crater in the middle surrounded by a perpetual blizzard. As we approached, snowballs and icicles smashed into Ednas shield.


    Doesnt seem like it wees us. Edna said.


    It is just a challenge. Tree spirits are flighty, after all. Spirits wont let just anyone approach it so easily, well... except Lilies, but thats an exception. The druid responded. Even then, Liliess true body is hidden. Only the surface was exposed, and that was hardly Lilies true body.


    We waited momentarily, as I channeled my senses through Lumoof. I felt a presence that now permeated the entire snow-filled crater. Once we went a little further, it was likely we were within range of the Frozen Trees full abilities. Edna noticed too, and quickly signalled everyone to prepare, and no talking.


    We pushed ahead, the presence of the frozen tree more pronounced. The little metaphorical snowsballs that gently touched on my domain, was now a torrent of snowballs. The other members of the expedition were clearly feeling ufortable, as theycked the ability to shield themselves from a domains oppressionpletely.


    Still, we pressed on, and the blizzard was not a huge problem. We saw more beasts, all of them either white or a light grey, and they all kept their distance. Where were the ice giants that Gerrard saw?


    Eventually, we came to arge frozenke, with a massive ice sculpture in the shape of a tree in the middle. It was smaller than me, for sure, but through Lumoofs eyes, its still an imposing sight. Its a little like seeing a towering Christmas tree for the first time as a little kid. It seemed the rest of the Valthorns shared the sentiment, as they all gawked at the beautiful ice sculpture for the first time.


    The frozen tree. Well, I channeled my senses through Lumoof and my spiritual vision saw that the ice sculpture is... hollow. Its just a magical creation. The real spirit is beneath... Is that a rock? No. I wasnt sure what it was, hidden underneath all that ice and water.


    Is it really a tree?


    The ice tree changed shape, and grew, and then a human shaped ice appeared.


    Visitors. It said, strangely human.


    I thought I should do the greetings, so I spoke through Lumoof. Greetings, I am Aeon, and Im speaking through my Avatar, Lumoof. These are mypanions for the journey to your ind.


    Greetings. What do you seek here, Aeon?


    I merely wish to meet and speak to a spirit Ive heard of, after all these while. I suppose I could locate the elven tree spirit too, but it seemed that it was lost a few decades ago during the Rottends era.


    It didnt respond, and for a brief moment, I felt like we were magically touched.


    [Domain has blocked attempted scrying...]


    Edna gave me a look that told me she got it too. At that moment, we felt the entire ind shake. The tree of ice grew, and then two giants made of ice emerged next to the tree.


    You are not heroes.


    We are not heroes. I answered, or repeated. The two ice giants were imposing, but I thought we could take it. Edna didnt look too bothered. But I believe you have met Gerrard.


    ...Gerrard? The ice-sculpture seemed to be struggling to recall. Oh. That one. The one who came with the fragment of ancient times.


    Yes. Ivee to meet, share, and perhaps, learn of what you know. I answered honestly. The part about going against the gods, thats a secret for another day. I needed to know where this spirit stood.


    The ice sculpture thought, and then pointed at Edna and Lumoof. I felt another attempt at scrying, and it was more powerful. Again, [Domain has blocked attempted inspection]. This day came a lot earlier than I expected. Only the two of you may stay.


    Alright. The eight retreated, and then I activated my recall ability. In an instant they were all warped back to the valley. Still, the sudden transportation across the continents caused half of the eight to vomit, and the remaining half looked incredibly ufortable.


    -


    Edna looked around, and the blizzards intensity increased. The Frozen Tree said, and two ice chairs appeared. Edna sat, and so did Lumoof.


    Where should we begin? It asked. No. The right ce to start is... who are you, Aeon?


    I am a Tree Spirit of Freshka.


    The frozen tree seemed thoughtful for a moment. Allow me to borate. A tree spirit does not behave the way you do. From what I have heard, you seem to have an expansionist streak, and your growth, rtive to other tree spirits, have been exceptional. I also have not detected your presence in the world until... 70 years ago, and it seemed with the passing of every demon king, your presence is clearer in the fabric of the world.


    Fabric of the world. This was the second spirit to have said it, after Lilies. How do they see this fabric? Is it that sensation of prickling? Ill have to ask Lilies some day.


    Something about you is foreign. Its almost as if you have a bit of mortality in you.


    I have memories of another life. A mortal life.


    There was a long, awkward silence. Maybe it wasnt very long, perhaps just a minute of silence where we could hear the wind howling around us. Ah... an ident. The Frozen Tree answered. ...Like a part of me.


    What.


    Suddenly, a different voice appeared and asked. Did they make you roll a wheel, or was it a dice? Or have you picked a card from a deck?


    ...a wheel.


    I see. Lets properly introduce ourselves. Im Aispeng and Aria. The Frozen Tree answered. I am what they call a merged soul.


    Like the wolf and the shaman?


    Its where a local object ys host to a foreign soul, and then, perhaps due to that souls weakened situation, is absorbed by the host. That strange voice answered. Aispeng, is the will of the ice crystal, and I am Aria, the will of a former... traveller.


    Aria?


    Yes. We are also not a tree, we are actually an ice crystal. That strangely female voice answered. I wondered if Alexis fused with me back then, would this be the oue?


    I guessed that, from how the entire crater is filled with your presence.


    Anyway, it is strange and perhaps fate to meet someone like me. So, allow me to being exining how I got here. Aria answered.


    Lumoof just nodded on my behalf.


    I wasnt a hero but when I got sent to this world, I lucked out on my card draw and could reincarnate as a mage, a half-elven mage. So, even though I didnt have many advantages, I still fought the demons together with the heroes. Mainly because I thought they might have a way to get me home. They are heroes and they have fancy powers. Thinking back I still felt this was really silly to me. We defeated the first demon king, but then I got overconfident and died when we faced the second demon king.


    Once more we just nodded.


    I thought I died, but the fates were cruel and decided to bind my spirit to a lump of ice and crystals. I spent the first 200 years growing as a cier on this very ind, consuming whatever animals or fish in this area. Thats me. How about you? Arias voice was strange,pared to Aispeng which sounded more shrill and alien.


    Her story sounded quite simr to Kei, and in Keis case, she turned into a golem.


    ...but you were not a hero? How did you keep up?


    I was not, but I didnt fit in with everyone else either. The heroes were the only ones who knew of home, so I stuck with them. Silly me, I thought I could try to be useful with my magical skills, but I was wrong. The demons detonate themselves after their loss. In fact, this ind is where I died along with the other heroes. The bodies of those heroes are down there, beneath all this ice.


    I see.


    Well, how about you? Howd you end up as a magical tree thats now a demigod?


    I died, rolled the wheel, and got a tree as my start. Spent half a century doing nothing but watch the world burn, really. I spent another few decades in various stages of burning and regrowing, but I got stronger over time.


    Wait. You were directly reincarnated as a tree? That meant... You kept the fragments, right?


    ...yes.


    That... that exins a lot. I lost mine when I died the second time, and it took centuries just to level. How many did you have? Three? Five?


    ... a lot more. I didnt see a reason to share the exact number.


    I see. Aria answered in a knowing voice.


    So how long have you been stuck here?


    Maybe.... Three thousand years Or more? I lost count. The days just sh by.


    Howd you see and talk? I mean, the first problem I had was actually seeing and talking. How did a lump of ice ovee those problems?


    Uh... magic?


    What kind of magic?


    I received a skill for an Ice-Form somewhere around level 50 or so, and my talking and seeing problems went away then. Before that all I had was vibrations as my ice expanded, and I essentially saw the world through vibrations as my ice expanded.


    Oh. I suddenly didnt feel so bad about my half year of misery.


    So yeah, since I had absolutely no sense of time, I have no idea how much time has passed, other than people dying and heroes dying all the time. Thankfully I still received the notifications.


    You could count the number of demon kings and multiplied by 10. Thats a good approximation.


    The Frozen Tree thought for a while. I dont know. My notifications were all lost.


    You dont have a clock? I mean, that was the puzzling part to me.


    No, I dont. Huh. A timer isnt a default skill for them? Maybe it is because trees have an inbuilt biological clock to respond to the seasons thus it is a necessary thing for a tree, but for a lump of ice, the time or year doesnt really matter.


    So...


    So, anyway, now thats out of the way, I can tell you what I know. I honestly dont know much about the world because Ive been freaking stuck here! Ariained rather childlishless. Aispeng keeps my personality and soul asleep almost all the time, except when dealing with visitors.


    I soon learned that the Frozen Tree is the metaphorical equivalent of a hermit. It lived here, alone, and didnt intentionally seek out others. Apparently, its earlier experiences with people left it a little scarred, so it decided to just exist quietly, away from everyone.


    It did, however, make a lot of ice-weapons infused with a bit of its crystal, which it distributed to those who it saw as worthy. Those ice-weapons functioned like an equivalent of a familiar, and allowed Aispeng to gain a bit of experience every time the weapon was used to y monsters. Over time, it got stronger. The Frozen Tree survived monsters, demons, and even defeated a few demon champions, and gained its domain after about 1,300 years. Rtively fast, thanks to its ice-weapons circting out there in the world.


    I dont think the weapons I make can do that.


    Are you sure? Have you tried?" Aria asked.


    "I made a lot of weapons before. Pretty sure they don''t give me experience when used."


    "Strange." Aria responded. "But the system is confusing like that..."


    "So... you are from earth?" I asked.


    "Earth?"


    "Yes, earth."


    "No. I believe my homeworld is called Bumi."


    "...I see." It suddenly urred to me that the heroes may alle from alternate earths. If so, truly the idea of defeating the demons at the source may be too tall an order. The first order should be to hide the world away and make this world safe. A counterattack can be made if we have a safe home-world.


    Aispeng and Aria learned of the world from its limited interactions with heroes and adventurers that came to see it. Aspen harbored a bit of distrust of the heroes after some tried to attack it after it gained its domain. It was by sheer luck that it managed to hide most of its presence deep underground, that the heroes could not fully destroy it. Heroes clearly dont have exceptionally good detection skills, their abilities have all been counter-demons. But what if one did?


    I realised that the gods also have short term memories. Once the next generation of demon kings came along, they seemed to have forgotten about me.


    Hmmm... Why do they do that, then? Whats the point of sending heroes after someone who ascended? And then forget? Is it really because of short term memory, or something else at y? The system itself?


    But they didnt send anyone after me? Edna wondered.


    Maybe they didnt realise you gained a domain. The gods are not exactly a responsive bunch. They only seem to react to certain types of events, like demon kings... and perhaps they only target non-humanoid beings who gained their domains.


    Hmmm... Are the gods therefore speciesist? Do the gods dislike non-humanoids?


    That certainly is a possibility. If Reefy were to gain a domain one day, it would have to face heroes? I shuddered at the thought, because that would just cause Reefy to interpret all heroes as enemies and it would react violently at all subsequent hero encounters. Reefy isnt the type to back away from a fight, and Reefy taking the aggressive role could be a point of conflict in the future.


    There wasnt much else to talk about, at least, not during our first meeting. I would like to continue speaking to another fellow spirit, and Aispeng already had an item to create that sort ofmunication channel. The ice spirit gave us arge mirror made of ice.


    This is a magical ice-screen. Its synchronised to an ice screen here, so what appears on the other side will appear here.


    Gerrard should have asked for this. But I suppose the heroes with their default chatgroup functionality wouldnt need it. Anyway, Aispeng also gave us a few of its ice-weapons as souvenirs, and on my end, we also brought a mix of herbs, our own wood weapons and stuff. I would take the weapons home for studies on how to replicate the experience gained from weapons. My suspicions were that it had a familiar in the form of the weapon.


    The return was easy.


    -


    Ste returned, and she was different. She aged, quite significantly. She came back on Vasiras back, her body covered in scars. She lost one arm, and one of her legs had a stub. Her face was partly burnt.


    What in the world...


    It was Vasira who spoke.


    Kei and Lausanne came to see her, and were shocked.


    40 years Ive spent on the other worlds, and she gave Kei and Lausanne a hug. I missed you two.


    What is it like, in the other worlds? Kei asked.


    Its a long story, and right now, I yearn for theforts of... home. Ste responded.


    Kei frowned at the word. This isnt home.


    I thought about it during those 40 years there, and I believe I truly found myself here in this world. Id say its home enough.


    Still, I let the three girls catch up, and checked on the zaratan. Vasira nodded.


    >Thank you. < Well, I would interrogate Steter.

 Tendrils Across Space

    Tendrils Across Space


    <b>Year 175</b>


    Back home, Lumoof and Edna had a meeting. They had questions, of course.


    Aeon, regarding that conversation with Aria... They were concerned, of course. Strangely, not of the origins but whether I too, sought to return home. Do you seek to return, the way it obsessively possessed Ste, and the previous heroes?


    A valid concern. Yes. I admit that I have memories of another life. You may even consider me like her. But I firmly believe I am one of this world. Those memories are so faint these days, and I no longer believe there is a ce there. My goal remains, to stop this foolish cycle.


    Lumoof breathed a sigh of relief. The faithful would not take well to losing their god.


    Nah. Im a semi-divine being here, and honestly I do quite enjoy this state of perpetually ying an RTS game. Why would I return to that old life? No. But does it cheapen it, to know that your god has otherworldly origins? I asked.


    No. Lumoof said firmly. All gods are otherworldly. I have looked into the histories of the other churches, and none of them ever set foot on our world. Only their avatars and their spokesmen.


    -


    A year of preparation, as one of the rifts opened. With my new Astral vision, and Stes return, we could see that one of those tendrils that stretched out into the great beyond was far brighter than the others. In fact, when the rift itself opened, that tendril glowed in a light reddish color.


    Its as if that signified the pathway was used.


    Then my magical sensors rang as they detected the rifts again in the Southern Continent. I quickly passed this information to everyone who mattered.


    Quickly! Get eyes on the ground and find out what kind of demons we are facing!


    It took about two weeks to locate the rift itself. At such distances my sensors are not urate. The demons from the rift were typical hellhounds and horned demons with ws.


    Strangely typical. Nothing particrly different about this batch of demons? It was too easy so we kept up the surveince. I felt that the past few demon kings have been throwing curveballs, so something must be up.


    At the same time, we also monitored the daemolites astral tendrils as the rifts activated. They didnt seem to particrly change.


    I therefore made a preliminary assessment, that the daemolite is nothing more than a theres a here kind of marker. Where the rift opens on our world is still in the control of the demons, I suppose they have a way of controlling it. Its like heres a ticket to earth, but you can still choose which airport tond?


    Of course, could I interfere with the tendrils? If I cut off the tendrils, or find a way to confuse the tendrils, will the rifts be redirected or fail? It seems there are still things I cannot see, even though the rifts are clearly little magical tunnels through space and worlds.


    So, now that Ste returned and Ive also restored her body back to an optimal state, we discussed this idea.


    Interfering with the tendrils as theye to our world... Im afraid I did not acquire that skill. Ste said tly. My training focused on opening the doors to the other world with void mana, and do what the demons are doing.


    "So..."


    "I know how to open portals, but closing other''s portals... not so much."


    Okay. What use is this information? As it is, if their homeworlds are filled with demon king level creatures, assaulting their homeworld with Ste''s portal clearly is a suicide mission. I should only attempt this when demon kings are trivial opponents. But if I never get to that power level, closing down is my best option.


    "But you can open portals, right?"


    "Yes. Temporary ones,rge enough for a few people, and no more. I still need to wait about half a year before doing it again."


    "Alright, there is something I don''t understand. You said you spent years on the other side. How does that work?"


    "When a portal or rift is open, the time of both worlds are temporarily locked together, as if flowing at the same speed."


    And how big is your portal?


    Uh... for a few people. That wasnt much.


    Can it fit Hytreerion?


    Hytreerion? Who is that?


    My walker. Ah. I forgot that Ste may not know about my walker. I will introduce you to itter. But first, what constraints do you have with your portals? Is it mana?


    Yes. Void mana is one of the key constraints. I dont have a lot.


    But we have daemolite and those can store void mana. Lets try it.


    That means I have to recharge the void mana myself. For all of them! Thatll take months! Well yes. That is expected.


    Theres a lot we need to n. We will first consider and test out a few with daemolite, whether it really augments your range. Next, if it seeds, we will buildrger formations with daemolite in order to allow your to channel more void mana, and for longer periods.


    Normal runes dont work with void mana.


    Then well find one that works. Point is, well have to work with the restrictions we have.


    Third, I want to attempt disruptive void mana injections into those tendrils. Theres some we can test now, and so we should test it as soon as possible.


    Ste rolled her eyes. Oh lord Im going to be busy.


    Well, you went on a training arc, naturally we need you to show off your newfound powers.


    All I did was go to different worlds and explore their powers...


    Wait.


    How should we truly leverage Ste''s ability to travel worlds? Am I thinking about this too... typically? I suppose anyone who had Stes portal ability would use it to escape from the demons, but from what I understand, the demons are also attacking the other worlds, and just like us, they have their own cycles. One world had it on a 15-year cycle, and another one also had a 10 year cycle. They too, summoned heroes to meet their foes.


    Few things I clearly dont understand is, if time moves rtive across worlds, then why the cycles? Surely some worlds move faster than others, and thus should have either significantly longer or shorter cycles?


    Ste couldnt answer this, it was a theoretical question that sought to understand the underlying mechanics. Her training arc focused on her individual levels and skills, and shes a Level 75 Void Archmage with a smattering of portal-rted skills. I also did not understand why the other worlds had the same rules as ours. That they have sses and levels too.


    So, I summoned everyone for a big brainstorming session. How do we properly use portals to gain an advantage?


    Edna was first to wonder, Is there a way to take advantage of the time difference between worlds? Is the speed difference between worlds constant?


    Ste touched her hair and thought for a while. No. Its like a wave. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower. Each world moves and bobs on its own speed on the greater internar void. Im not sure of the difference, but each world moves along its own uh... cycle. I suppose its like how the distance betweens changes as they move across their own orbital nes?


    What sort of creatures are there? Lumoof asked. Do they struggle with the demon kings?


    Their situation is not that different, they face demon kings and their gods summon heroes.


    Their gods. Are the gods different?


    Im not sure. They are called differently, but they do have simr practices. Are we dealing with a god that is present in multiple worlds, or is each god just locked to one world? No. In order to answer this question, I must first be able to not just sense divine presence, but discern whos divine presence.


    All the attempted divine forces Ive seen so far did not differentiate who and what did it, so, it could be its just a single god at the back of it all, and all these other gods nothing more than shadow puppets. Or, if there are multiple gods, I want to know which one is friend, which one is a foe.


    Id have to ask the other spirits for ideas.


    > Can you tell the difference between the gods? Each time you detected divine presence, can you tell who did it? <


    Okay no.


    I went to Aispeng and Aria next, and activated the new icemirror.


    Hi. Quick question, do you know how to tell the difference between the gods? I felt like I was asking a colleague for some corporate work rted thing. At least, the way I asked it. It justughed.


    No.


    Huh. Do the gods hide themselves behind divine energy? Or is there a way to tell? Perhaps there in a unique signature in every use of their divine powers that can be linked back to them?


    Anyway, that went through a path I wasnt expecting, so I went back to Ste and the gang. So, how else can we capitalise on our new portal?


    I think it is an effective escape route. We can send some of us over each time, to avoid the damage of the demon king.


    At that point, I had to wonder. Question. Can your portal transport heroes? I wonder whether I could essentially pool the heroes of all the linked worlds together, and use theirbined might to crush the demon king. It would significantly improve the survival rate of heroes, even if that does lead to the rted problem of too many surviving heroes.


    Ste paused. I... Im not sure. Its loaded with void mana and unless theres a way to package them so that their star mana doesnt interact with the void mana that flows throughout the portal...


    Wait, if I could forcibly pull a hero into the portals, could I instantly kill them that way? At this point it was Kei who thought of the implications. Can a hero be forced into a portal without their permission?


    I dont know. I stored this possibility in the future. If I could create a small void portal, I may have a secret weapon against misbehaving heroes.


    How different are the magic and weapons of the other worlds?


    Ste thought about it for a moment. Its very simr from what Ive seen, but I have not seen their higher tier magic or items.


    We have lots of gaps in our knowledge.


    Yeah... cause most of the time Im with the zaratan, practicing my portal magic and learning the way of navigating the ever changing paths. Ste sighed. If you guys desire, I could arrange a trip.


    But how would wee back? Stes our only chance to return and if we lose you, were done for.


    ...thats true.


    So, you must condense your knowledge and teach a few more. If we have a few more void mages, then we can safely make that trip to the other nearby worlds.


    Ste paused and quickly disimed that statement. The concept of nearby changes. Each world bobs along the great void ocean and the distance between worlds changes. So far only two worlds are reliably close by, perhaps drawn together by some unknown force, but there are worlds that get close, and then drift away. Uh... I think its a bit like the worlds have their own orbits, but these three worlds are like a stable-system, which is why the zaratans just mainly travel to these worlds.


    Kei frowned, she did not leave for the South yet. Instead she spent her time with Ste now that she returned. That sounds likeary movement.


    Yes. Thats a close metaphor, but rather than circr orbits it might be fairer to say that certain worlds behave likeets with unstable orbits, while these three worlds have more stable, more circrish orbits that never get too far from each other, even if the distance oscites.


    Ah.


    So when a portal opens, its as if both worlds are frozen?


    Kind of. Its some weird void-world thing. I cant quite exin it either.


    Whats the void world?


    Its the space between worlds? Its really more like a massive, massive jungle where there are paths to each world and unless you know where to look, you are more likely to get lost. Which... leads us back to the demons tendrils... I believe they are kind of like trail markers, so that the demons can continue to find the world no matter where it moves along the void. Ste spected.


    If so, if we managed to get rid of the daemolite, can we pretty much hide the world from the demons?


    Probably. Potentially. Im not sure. The demons may have a different understanding of the void, that may result in a difference in how the void presents itself to them.


    I dont understand any of that. The crowd of the senior Valthorns responded.


    Ste paused and thought. How do I say this... uh.. Erm... In a way, what you see in the void is shaped by what you believe it is.


    Thats crazy. Kei answered.


    Its a bit like a projection. I dont know how else to say it. The voids this bundle of everything and nothing, the primordial soup really, so what you choose to see, you can see in it. So uh, its really quite a crazy, trippy ce. Vasira helped guide me to see the void as a big dark forest that connects the world, but the demons may see it differently. Everyone will see it differently.


    This was going too far. Letse back to the issue of portals. We can test whether its possible to return using other means.


    Huh?


    If Lumoof is willing, he can be the guinea pig. I am interested to know whether my shared senses, and my recall ability, transcends worlds.


    I could sense the glimmers of understanding in those present, like it just clicked into ce. Sure, maybe Ste cant open another portal, or something happens to Ste, but if I could recall them even from another world, then the risk is minimal.


    Lumoof gulped ufortably. Aeon, travelling worlds isnt something I consider a priestly thing to do.


    Unfortunately, Id like to see the other world for myself, so, it has to be you. Think about all the new people you can convert to my cause!


    Ah yes.


    Ill need some time to prepare. If were going to hold the portal for a long period of time, I need to charge up the daemolite as well.


    -


    It took Ste two months to charge up a roomful of daemolite with void mana. Even then, I could see the tendrils pulse, and each pulse seemed to coincide with something. I wasnt sure what, but perhaps its a sign that the rift was transporting things?


    Alright. The world you are going to is called Varash. Ste gave Lumoof a briefing of what could go wrong, and an overview of the other world. The area has been arranged to facilitate the interworld portal. He had an emergency kit, equipment and supplies enough to survive for months.


    Ste prepped, and then opened the portal. From my perspective, using my spirit vision, it felt like a piece of paper was cut up, and pulled apart. Reality was being bent to open the portal. It wasnt big, the size of a garage door. Perhaps a truck could drive through it, but Hytreerion wouldnt fit. I would need to find morepact means of invading other worlds.


    Lumoof gulped, and then stepped in. Stes portal did not require any specific mana regtion. It seemed that her spell did it for her. Still, when Lumoof stepped through, she suddenly jerked and quickly drew on the stored void mana. At that time, I tried to share Lumoofs senses, and was d to find that I could still see. For a flicker of a moment, all Lumoof saw was bright shing lights, simr to Star Treks warp, and then, stop.


    Grass and a faint pinkish sky. Lumoof was in another world, and the portal flickered behind him. I felt my mind split suddenly. I could see through Lumoof, and home, but doing so drained on my mental resources. I could hear Patreecks voice in my mind. Master, your mind activity is spiking incredibly.


    Trying to see through another world, and home was too much for my mental faculties. Not both at the same time. I temporarily surrendered vision of home, and handed control to Patreeck. I focused on Lumoofs senses.


    Im on the other side. Lumoof said. It was a struggle, the worldly distance meant I felt like something was constantly hammering on my head. This... this is another world.


    Alright. Lets test it out. I switched back home, and that instant I was pulled back across the world. The mind-bending headache vanished. Ste, close the portal.


    The portal closed, and then, I tried to reach out to Lumoof again. I could feel him, but I could not tell where he was. Its like he was located off map.


    Hmmm. Alright. Lumoof, are you there. I decided to not use the shared senses, and just tried mentallymunicating with him across such distances. There was a timeg. A really long timeg. 30 minutes.


    Im here. Each message took 30 minutes, and I presumed that Lumoof was replying instantly. Even the system had a speed limit.


    Alright. Lets test out. [Recall].


    At that very moment, I felt a mind-splitting headache again, and a good 30 minutester, Lumoof popped out, and instantly started vomiting. He looked green and pale, and I felt like he took damage. I quickly hauled him to a bib for healing.


    Ste was truly impressed. Alright, so interworld travelling works for your ability.


    Lumoof took two days to recover, and we had a post mortem.


    So we learned a few things. One, the system itself is a means of transportation across worlds. That was my first conclusion. My ability clearly hitched on the system to pull them across worlds. Second, is that my abilities work across worlds.


    Doesnt this just mean all the worlds obey the same system? Kei wondered. Then why is earth so... different?


    We dont know. Ste sighed. I asked the zaratans whether its possible for me to get home, and they said it is, but its going to be very hard. They dont know of any hero or person that has ever returned, though a few have attempted it.


    The fact that all these other worlds obey the same system leads me to believe they are actually all in the same universe, but perhaps each of these worlds are just in their own astronomical bubbles. Whereas Earth may well be on an entirely different ne of existence. That means, all these demon worlds or other stuff, isnt really a different dimension, but just different pockets of a universe that is structured very differently from ours.


    Lumoof frowned. That trip back was really nasty. I felt like I was being flung through the sky.


    If we do send something or someone across, it should be a somewhat permanent arrangement. Edna proposed. More to collect resources or harvest certain types of materials?


    But whats useful there?


    Well have to see.


    Ste quickly added. Before we get there, I want to say that when Lumoof went over, it drained a lot more void mana than I expected. Significantly more, and I suspect its because he is either leaking more mana, or hes just stronger overall. If not for the batteries of void mana, the portal would have copsed.


    So youre saying if we send someone weaker, itll cost less?


    I dont know, but it certainly didnt cost me anywhere near that amount of mana to send someone over.


    Couldnt it just be a not-me penalty? Some spells have a penalty when the subject is not themselves, thats amon thing. One of the senior mages opined. We can easily test it out. Lets send a mouse or some animal over.


    They tested it on a few smaller animals,then somerger ones, and Stes theory was quickly proven true. Sorry, animals. It did cost more to send stronger creatures, and it scaled with power. I wonder how this happens. A door is there, and why does it make a difference what walks through it?


    More specifically, why did it scale with strength, not size?


    Was there something in the great void that interacted with power? Or levels?


    -


    The envoys of Aiva returned with a message that more time was needed. For a bunch of gods, they sure are indecisive. Or maybe... its just time dtion from their perspective? That they are talking to their followers and they experience these hugegs?


    -


    The southern continent continued to face regr demons. More hellhounds, and typical giant winged demons with massive axes or swords. They also finally spotted a champion, which, boringly, was just a massive winged demon with two axes and a perpetual meshield.


    -


    Ste started a void magic school, and we helped fund it, of course. A plot ofnd, slightly further away from Freshka than the other schools was allocated and they started building. There was a bit more interest now that Ste is an actual [void archmage]. Previously, everyone thought it was a path that led to death, so, a sessful magician in a once disregarded path was awarded a reputation as a pioneer.


    The motivations were simple. Many wanted to go to other worlds, and the idea appealed to some mages at a spiritual level. Like, to be one of those who could step to another world.


    Void magic, and the practice of it, required a tremendous amount of healers on standby. That meant they naturally worked closely with Lumoof and the rest of the other Treeology priests. Every other day we have a case of the [void curse], and to my great pleasure, some of the priests had their sses changed to [cursebreaker].


    As part of growing my understanding of the void magic, I also took the chance to look at Stes inner soul realm. Her soul spring was... a deep ckish liquid, thats incredibly smooth and actually sparkles at some angles. Its as if the night sky were made into a liquid. The pieces around her well or spring seemed to be made of a kind of ck marble, it had glimmers of faint stars in them.


    I thought back to my two new mini-gods. One immediate difference was that their soul spring was significantlyrger than before. I would say easily five or six timesrger, and they had a solid tform that surrounded their soul spring. Ive not seen this tform ever, except in these two.


    ck. The entirety of Stes mana pool was now void mana, and yet her body, physically, wasn''t significantly different.


    Ste exined it during one of her first sses with future void mages. Void mana needs to be stabilised. Its a bit like abustible gas or petrol, it needs to be controlled, and stored correctly, and adapting the body to store void mana was one of the first tasks. In short, void mana had a stable-state, and an unstable-state. Some mythic beasts naturally have the means to process void mana and then store void mana, like the water-worldwalking zaratans.


    Still... no particrly obvious solution jumps out. Void mana seemed particrly only used for the maniption of the void. It feels like I found one of the keys that lead to the answer, and now I need to find the correct lock, among the thousands.

 Torches through the Forest

    Torches through the Forest


    <b>Year 176</b>


    Stes attention temporarily focused on training new void mages, and also recharging the daemolite crystals harvested. Ive mostly decided that the daemolite will be destroyed at ater date, and for now, they are used to study. The value of the other worlds temporarily outweighs the risks of maintaining the status quo.


    The other worlds represented opportunity, and potential allies. A chance to learn of things done in other worlds, their history, and how the demons and heroes interacted in the past. A chance to see andpare things. Daemolites ability to store void mana meant we could augment her range, to reach the further worlds that asionally drift into range.


    Still, its a long process of experimentation, and training new void mages isnt something we can achieve in a year or two.


    In the south, more rifts appeared. I know this first hand, because the wispy tendrils through space seemed to glow more frequently, and I noticed all the different tendrils grow a little brighter. I wondered how they achieved this, and Ste couldnt exin it either. The way the demons used their void magic was different. Ste certainly couldnt see tendrils, not the way I could. To her, this outer world is really really dark and all she saw was little faint markers.


    A dark forest. Maybe the wider world is just a dark forest, and gods are just magical equivalent of superpower civilisations taking shots at each other. All hiding, and keeping themselves unseen, because once they are seen, they are attacked.


    Then again, it didnt make sense. If its truly a dark forest this world should be doomed.


    Back to the South, the local militia of the respective southern nations seem to be holding their own. The typical nature of the demons meant the local forces were quite well equipped to deal with these normal type demons.


    It goes without saying that all of us wondered whether we will get a normal demon king, and what that meant.


    Kei, now eager to regain some of her power after shes seen the level that Edna and Lumoof achieved, set out to the south. She hoped to challenge a few demon champions and regain some semnce of power, so that she can be of some use in Alvins fight with the demon king.


    Oh well. It cant be helped that she felt a need to assist her one and only remaining friend from earth.


    On the domestic front, I gained a special type of tree while I kept tweaking with the ley lines.


    [Unique Tree Type unlocked : The Trees of the Earth Veins. Helps to channel and direct ley lines. Requires gems and crystals inrge quantities, and also tends to spawn monsters]


    It reminded me of the [Ginseng Tree], another of the trouble tree types that have the whole [monster lure] functionality. But Im not the same tree from that time, and I have the ability to station far stronger defenses, with dedicatedmanders. I functionally have no real limit in terms of artificial minds, now that there are tens of millions of connected trees all across the continent.


    Sadly my ginseng tree limit did not change much, in spite of my levels and domains. At about 15 ginseng nts simultaneously, this was my 2nd real bottleneck in massively increasing the output of high tier individuals. Both unlocking the said individual, and then subsequently having the dungeons needed to train them up to the necessary levels.


    Restrictions.


    Right now, I feel like Im hitting quite a few limits. Like in terms of Soul Forge, Ive not had a new color for quite a while. In terms of Titans, Im still hesitating on activating my 3rd Titan, simply because Im not sure what Ill need in the future.


    Patreeck has been exceptionally helpful administratively, but his levels too, have stagnated. Hytreerions only seen onerge scale battle against the demon king, and even in that battle he didnt really show any exceptional performance.


    Reviewing their performance thus far, the Titans are pretty much champion-ss, despite requiring a heros soul fragments. In fact, in allbat forms, they just fail to live up to the strength of a real hero or a [domain]-ss individual.


    Thus, as bad as it sounds, I felt that Hytreerion had been a mistake. The titans, despite their strength, are meant to be utility providers.


    But we dont have level limits. Patreeck rified. Its just that... well, its hard for us to level.


    I wondered whether Hytreerion could get to level 150, but because its size, theres no way it could go into a dungeon. Dungeons so far are all rtively small. Even thergest of the dungeons Ive seen and created so far are just big enough for Hytreerion to squeeze in, but its effectively useless in such a tight spot.


    I would have to reengineer Hytreerions loadout to be more of a utility yer, with more support functions and to serve as a staging and resupply function for the real damage dealers. The very nature of their capped levelling meant they would never keep up.


    So, I thought greatly about Hytreerions role again. Hes huge, and that mean he functioned more as a tank, and perhaps a powersource. Were there advantages that size had, that could not, or not as easily replicated by levels?


    Because levels clearly overpowered everything else, so why should anything be big? Surely there must be merit to being naturally big. So, what would that be?


    Firstly, I would think about materials. Certain materials have ovepping roles with equivalent skills or levels gained but size meant massive mana crystals, and runic formations. Sure, size meant more space to duplicate skill functions. So, firstly, Hytreerion would need to be reequipped as a mobile mana bank, and also store runes. Its also easier to have conflicting magical formations separated by the sheer size of Hytreerion. The walkers were all massive creatures and they can grow even bigger with levels.


    Like equipment slots, they should be carryingrger, titan-sized equipment. Things that individuals could carry, but render them unable to do anything else. Titan-Sized anti-demon ballistas were one of the first few ideas.


    Or could I equip Hytreerion with enough magical crystals to make him a walking bomb? Give the demon king a taste of their own medicine. I would have to rejig Hytreerions internals such that it could contain a massive multiyer bomb.


    Still, I decided to put the idea up for discussion.


    Using the log obtained from Lilies, I subjected it through a huge amount of scans and tests. Then, we ran some tests on how they interacted with the ckstar Gems. We wanted to know the degree of protection these ckstar Gems provided, whether they would be able to protect the lower leveled individuals from divine influence.


    I wasnt sure what I expected, but the log shook violently after a huge amount of ckstar gems were ced around it. It... needed more tests.


    Right now, only Patreeck, and the domain have any chance of resisting divine forces. I wondered whether I could enhance, or at least replicate a bit of that mind-checking ability, perhaps package it as a familiar? Like a voice next to my followers that helps keep the gods at bay.


    I have more questions, of course. Is my domain a type of divine power? If so, the domain abilities that Lumoof, and Edna both have should encounter some resistance from these ckstar gems. But then, it didnt?


    Why is that the case? Is domain not the true divine, and that there is another tier above us? That perhaps domain is the realm of the demigods? In terms of power levels, that idea made a lot of sense, since gods summoned heroes, and whoever managed the demons could create demon kings. So, to ce them a realm above the [domain] is a sensible one.


    In terms of levels, would Level 200 be that threshold? Or is it higher still?


    Should we send our senior Valthorns to take on the demon champions too? Lumoof suggested. At this point, with the Court of the Deitree, you could teleport us back at any time. Ill go with them.


    One of the small ws of the Court is that I have to activate the recall. The recall function cannot be activated by the Valthorns themselves, so I would need to send Lumoof with them in order to activate the failsafe.


    Defeating the demon champions will speed up their levelling.


    Duh. So I decided that it was worth it, so Lumoof and a group of 15 Valthorns, all with the Court of the Deitree to journey down south and help suppress the demons. The mission was simple, fight demon champions, level up, and run before the Kinges along.


    It was also my chance to see the South, through Lumoofs eyes.


    In terms of bombs, Alkas continued research in the underground cities yielded slightly improved bombs. After all, the idea of bombing the hell out of the demons is hugely appealing, and I suppose one day Id like to make a Tree of Fruit Bombs.


    Between Kei and Aria, we are now acquainted with two beings who are naturally crystalline in nature, so Alkas been really keen to obtain crystal samples from Aria, for testing. The goal, of course, is to find and make even better bombs.


    On hexes and soul magic, my progress has not amounted to any real improvement in weaponry, though I am making some improvements in my conceptual understanding of their rawponents. The main challenge has been the corrosive nature of hex, which distorted any surrounding runic formations.


    I have yet to figure out how to store a hexbomb for long periods. All the hexbombs weve made so far have a shelf-life of no longer than 1 year, and after that the crystal would be destroyed and we have a puddle of hex to clean up.


    That said, I am getting a lot better at processing hex. Hex and curses are linked, since my [Curse-breaker] clearly improved my ability to process and clean up areas filled with hex. From an etymological point of view, the two words do have simr meaning. Is a hex essentially a curse made of the soul?


    The Treelogy Priests quickly whipped up the small continent of high tier Valthorns into a PR campaign, to expand our clout among the southern Continent nations. After all, we are already nning to send Valthorns there, might as well get some good press out of it.


    We sent outmunications with the southern nations that were in trouble, and arranged to send them where they can make a big spectacle by ying the demonic threat on theirnds. Of course, we chose those kingdoms and nations where their rtionship with the four churches are already frayed and tested in the recent decades.


    The journey to the south took the Valthorns took a month, and then they started whooping ass. Lumoof mostly stayed back, blessing the Valthorns with various enchantments, and I didnt pay attention to the battles, since the demon champions were rtively easy foes for a group of level 100s.


    The Four Churches mostly retaliated by seriously deploying their own forces to help suppress the demonic threat.


    But as always, the defense of the southern continents were mostly left to the local kingdoms. Most kingdoms quickly formed coalitions to fight the demons together. The churches after allcked the flexibility to deploy their high leveled individuals, they already didnt have many of them in the first ce. Their best generals are around Level 50s to 70s, and usually demon champions require a few individuals at that level.


    So, theypelled the hero Alvin to move out of his harem pce. Like, fucking finally. I still dont understand why the hero doesnt just rush off and kill the demons. I dont recall Harris and the gang being sozy. Its free levels, and at no risk.


    <b>Year 177</b>


    Reefy was located on the southern part of the Central Continent, and I suspect his magical senses have improved recently.


    > The demons are here. <


    I asked. I had to treat Reefys words a bit more literally.


    > No. But I feel them. Invaders. I will kill them. <


    > But they donte underwater. They dont... swim? <


    I believe the champions do swim over the oceans. Well, at least the walker-series of demon champions could swim over the oceans, but I wasnt sure about this current generation of stereotypical winged demons with massive axes. Id actually like to capture one of these demon champions, if possible. I wonder what itll be like if I managed to convert one of the demon champions into my own.


    Would the axe or sword remain? Are those demonic axes a physical body part of the demons, or a magical creation of the champions? Why do they disappear when killed?


    I wonder whatll be like if we get an underwater demon king. Thatll be something of a sight, but I suppose since all the demon worlds weve seen so farck water, I think thats quite unlikely. The demon kings are clearly grown in their home environments before they arrive here. The best they could do is a shapeshifting demon king that takes on an underwater form.


    Thinking about it, if there are underwater civilisations beneath the oceans, they should theoretically survive since the beginning of time, unless a Rottends-ss incident urred.


    But I have not heard of any? Is it because they are hiding? Or is there something else down there that prevents the creation of a longsting underwater civilisation?


    Or perhaps its just the immense pressures of the deep sea that makes it impossible for intelligent creatures to emerge?


    The Southern Continent endured the demonic waves rtively well. I saw more rifts open, my vision of the astral ways indicated that one rift now glowed, but I couldnt interact with it. Not without void mana.


    Ste felt it too, her own senses for the starways spoke to her. Her skill had an interesting name. [The Ways Through the Forest Between Worlds]. It really reflected how ones understanding of the world reflected in the skills nature. Or was it the other way round?


    To her, she described it like there was a path of torches through the dark forest. More importantly, thanks to the path, she could now look back at the path to their homeworld. She opened just a tiny, tiny hole. Its somehow easier, despite the distance.


    She could tell its really far away, but with the figurative torches, it somehow meant it didnt cost as much void mana for her to open a portal to see their homeworld. The demons clearly had a way of lubricating the astral path. A small peephole and she saw a world of red and fire. Literally fire and brimstone. Demons with wings. Its as if the gods copied a stereotypical demonic homeworld and pasted it in this world.


    We monitored it for weeks and months, the torches got brighter and there were more of them.


    Its soon. Ste said, and honestly I knew it wasing. The tendrils appeared to glow and pulse in a bright white and red. I made sure my sensors were all honed in, I wanted to collect every single data point I could get. I notified Lumoof to be careful in the South, and that I would recall them immediately if the demon king spawned too close forfort.


    We both saw it. To Ste, it appeared like a fireball that surged through the path. It consumed the torches, growing each time, and then it reached the South. I felt the world twist and turn. To me, the tendrils appeared to sh and glow, like a fment of light. It was incredibly bright when I used it, and I saw like a blob move across that fment of light.


    [Demon King Ethrezen has arrived]


    The world suddenly felt significantly hot. Areas filled with snow capped mountains started to melt, and avnches of mud crashed into their nearby cities. In the deserts, oasis suddenly vanished, and the water evaporated into violent thunderstorms, followed by torrents of rain that flooded.


    Dry forests burned, and I felt the entire continent was suddenly filled with sh fires. Farms and orchards too quickly started to burn. The intense heat generated strong hurricanes and whirlpools, and strong winds battered the coast.


    In the South where the demon kingnded, it seemed the regr demons now had a halo of me, their once regr-looking axes reced by red-ming axes. The regr hounds turned into fire-breathing hounds.


    The demon champions had wings of me, and their aura of me burned most that got close.


    Do we stay or retreat? Lumoof mentally asked. We can beat the demons with ranged weapons, but fighting at close range is a bit risky. I may have me resistance, and Lumoof certainly shared that resistance, but the other Valthorns didnt.


    My sensors and artificial minds made some calctions and concluded the demon king was quite far from them. Stay, but engage carefully.


    Got it.


    Meanwhile, the hero, Alvin, finally arrived in the South.


    Spaizzer


    Hey there. Thanks for reading. Since it''s the start of the month, I''d like to promote my own patreon a little bit. I currently have 3 chapters ahead on my patreon, and 2 patreon-exclusive side stories (one on Astra, and about the journal), for a hopefully entirely reasonable US$3 a month.


    You may find my pa<em>tree</em>on here -> MY PATREON


    Once again, thanks for reading and thanks for your support.

 Disruptreeve Incidents

    Disruptreeve Incidents


    <strong>Year 178</strong>


    After locusts, it was a global heatwave. Strangely the heatwave made some ces colder, some ces hotter. Global climates are strange things, whatmore with theplicated interactions with magic and mana.


    Im not melting. Aria said through the ice mirror that seemed unaffected by the heat. I was once burning, so, the heat didnt really bother me anyway. At least, I thought of checking in on the two-in-one ice spirit. But thanks for asking. Aispeng''s powers keep the ind cold and snowy, and its strong enough to overpower the demons global influence.


    Local specific powers are stronger than global generic powers. Thats like a principle for magic.


    The main problems were the vtile winds that now whipped the oceans of the world into a craze. Traditional trade ships that relied on the gentle trade winds to move from continent to continent now had to contend with more chaotic and dangerous winds. But for the more experienced and higher levelled captains, the stronger winds were a advantage since they could predict and use these strong winds.


    I checked in on the other growing spirit. Reefy just felt rather ufortable. > Its kinda hot. Its not nice. < I recall some reefs are particrly sensitive to heat, so I wondered whether Reefy felt anything.


    > My energy sustains the reef. Without it, they die. <


    I offered to supply cold water through the roots. My roots were designed for heat transmission anyway, and it worked both ways.


    > For now no. But I want to kill the demons. They did this, right? <


    > Can you pull them underwater? <


    > Next time then. <


    Lumoof and the group helped to fight off some of the demon champions. They were stronger, empowered by the presence of the demon king. Still, their mes meant their close range engagements were limited, and strictly ranged attacks only.


    I could theoretically possess Lumoof and engage the demon champions in close range, but that would defeat the purpose of letting my Valthorns level. Besides, the challenge of fighting a demon champion at range helped their levelling.


    Kei was also battling it out with the demon champions, but her tactics were rather underhanded. She fought like Techies from Dota, she nted her crystal bombs in a particr location and lured the demon champions to the bombs, and then nuked them. It worked really well with the mostly stupid demon champions.


    Their presence was overpowered by Alvins exploits on the battlefield. He did not directly engage the demon king, and the demon king seemed rather content to stay in one ce. My mages attempted to use farsight and scrying to view the demons activities, but it seemed this demon king had spying protection.


    Was the demon king so confident that it was willing to wait for the heroes to get close?


    Alvin and Kei regrouped, and they attempted to fight the demon king for the first time. Kei had one of my Court of the Deitree familiars too, just so that I could recall her if she was in a bad situation.


    It didnt go very well, as Keiter narrated the battle to me. The Demon King really was a typical demon king, in a sense. It was massive, had six massive arms each wielding some kind of ming weapon or shield, a cow-skull head with four massive horns, a body covered in some kind of ck scale armor and eight floating fireballs of different colors, each of them capable of independent attack. Its a demon king designed for directbat.


    Alvin and his ranged missile arrays didnt do very well. His missiles numbered in the tens of thousands. He rained fury on the battlefield, but the demon kings ming shield detonated the less powerful missiles before they got near. His stronger pration missiles detonated on the Demon Kings shield-arm, and they made arge hole, but not sufficient to seriously injure the demon king.


    Reviewing the battle, I concluded that Alvin was underleveled. His abilities, in the Level 120+ range, was not sufficient to single handedly take on the demon king at full strength. Kei seeded as my bombs helped weaken the demon king, but Alvin? He was too weak. Even with Keis bombs assisting at the distance, it wasnt enough to tilt the bnce.


    Alvin lost badly.


    He attempted to retreat, and it was then the demon king radiated a big reddish re that interrupted the heros teleportation ability. The retched to Alvin like a chain. The demon king closed in, and Kei mmed the panic button. Kei activated a crystal that contained a short range teleportation spell, and teleported to the nearest city. She then [messaged] one of the Valthorns, for a recall back here. Home.


    [Alvin died. You received a fragment.]


    I had a total of 91 hero fragments now. 9 more to go.


    Once more, the world erupted in panic. The hero has fallen! I swiftly recalled Lumoof and the team too.


    The demon king is not moving. My sensors got better at nailing down the demon kings location. The way its energies distorted space, the way its abilities spread into the world and heated everything up. The demon king was a presence, and its not afraid to say it.


    I looked back at the path between worlds. Its a lot dimmer now, but I wanted to observe something else. The torches were smaller, almost fading away. The demon king itself was some kind of rift conduit, I felt its energies leaking into the pathways between the worlds.


    The gods will summon the next batch of heroes soon. I told Ste too, that if she wanted to see the path home, she would have to focus and pay attention. We would need to see what happened, whether the heroes came the same way as the demon king. If they left trails, we could follow their path.


    What... what do we do now? Ive had this question so many times. When the previous heroes also died at the hands of the demon king, they came with this same question. History has clearly shown that all we have to do is wait, and watch the cycle repeat itself. Its quite annoying to face these same things, like that coworker that never seems to learn despite telling them countless times, or like being that long employee teaching new interns for the umpteenth time. Is this how it feels?


    Observe, wait, and prepare. What else was there to do? What is there to do when it rains? We hope our preparations so far are adequate, and observe the situation. If it floods, we flee to higher ground.


    You alright? Lausanne and Ste both asked Kei. Kei rested at her house in Freshka after the whole fight. She was injured, but not much.


    ...Im not sure, honestly. Kei answered. I thought I would feel more sad, I know I felt quite sad when I heard Hans died, but somehow this time, I feel a little bad. Like, Im more tormented that I dont feel sad, than from the sadness of his death itself.


    That sounds quite serious. Lausanne said. Mentally serious.


    Im not sure if it is because I actually helped, so I felt like I did what I could. Whereas for Hans, I didnt help at all. Not that I could do anything then, but still... I feel kinda bad gaining a few levels too, even though all I did wasnt much.


    Lausanne shrugged and Ste just patted the golem-girl on her shoulders. So how long do you need to get out of your funk?


    Uh... Im fine. I think... I think I just gotta deal with this feeling.


    Ste shrugged. Sounds like what you need is some monster-bashing. It helps with my negative emotions, and I think itll help with yours.


    When did you ever be such a monster-hunter? Keiughed.


    Uh... Itsplicated. But seriously, try it. Hunting monsters is fun. The adrenaline and the satisfaction of bashing something is really... wow.


    Wheres the meek and quiet painter I used to know? Kei wondered aloud.


    Its gone when I lost my sses for [Void Mage]. Ste answered. Seriously,e, monster hunting. Shoot some monsters up, like the boys yknow.


    Kei had a facepalm moment. Lausanne just stood there. What the hell did you see in those 40 years?


    A lot of really mundane stuff. Mostly a lot of warping here and there. I guess that messes with my brain? Steughed.


    This image of threedies smashing monsters for fun isnt exactly what I had in mind. Kei frowned.


    Twodies and a golem. Technically you are sexless.


    Im emotionally and spiritually still a woman.


    I believe spirits are sexless. No, correction. Your soul is sexless. Ste emphasised. You can ask Aeon. Apparently when we boil ourselves down to our raw soul particles, we are all sexless. You believe you are a woman because you inherited memories of a woman, but if you let yourself embrace your new body, you will think differently.


    Kei justughed. Alright. Alright. Lets go smash some monsters. This conversation took a really weird turn.


    Lausanne just rolled her eyes. Did you meet some kind of eldritch creature on the other side that youre now all kookoo?


    I suppose exposure to the void should theoretically make me more susceptible to insanity. Ste mused. But monster-smashing time!


    Youre surprisingly calm when theres a demon king thats in our world. Kei said.


    We have Aeon, Edna and Lumoof. Theyd give the demon king a good fight if it wants one.


    You have a surprisingly high level of confidence in their ability.


    They survived thest demon king, and they levelled for sure. They may struggle, but I think they can force a stalemate.


    This demon king has an axe. I think itll probably have some anti-tree chopping perk.


    Oh. Let me know when they send a Woodcutter Demon King, then Ill panic.


    That would make a fascinating thought experiment. I wonder the kind of skills and stats that kind of demon king would have...


    Is that something we should be thinking about? Lets go smash monsters. A level 50 dungeon would be good.


    The Demon King moved, but remained in the Southern Continent. It seemed rather disinterested, and it raided kingdoms throughout the South with its army of demons. It attacked, destroyed cities and towns, and then retreated back. I didnt quite understand why it did so, strategically, but now that the demons have their mind, I suppose their behavior would change.


    Refugees and escapees abound. In fact, the escape began once the hero died. Most of the royalty sent their children away to escape the problem, and some came here, to the Central Continent. It reminded me of my earlier days of being a refugee center. The masses, all fleeing for their lives. The fear.


    The refugees that arrived on our southern shores were mostly the less wealthy sort. The nobles and those with sufficient funds would not antagonise the 4 churches by escaping to the central continent, so they escaped to the other continents instead. So, it is those who dont have the flexibility and financial power for a longer journey to the other continents, those who can only afford the shorter trip here. They took whatever they could, to make the trip.


    Generally I left the management of refugees to the respective local governments that receive these refugees, so each jurisdiction treated their refugees slightly differently. Some had a talent-harvesting or collection mechanism where new refugees are assessed for their skills and qualifications and deployed to fill missing needs.


    Some just ce them in dedicated refugee towns and let them fend for themselves. In these ces, the refugees then take charge of buying supplies and food from their nearest towns and cities, with whatever resources or cash they have.


    The life of a refugee is one where they make do with what they can get, and I do think the people of this world have been culturally ingrained to be hardy. Its an admirable trait.


    The Valthorns generally ceased recruitment from fresh refugees a while ago, due to the suspicions of loyalty. Patreecks mind reading abilities are after all still limited to only the vicinity of Freshka. The refugees themselves usually have somebat ability, though not at a very high level. Usually they would have 5 to 20 levels in somebat ss, which, strangely, makes them morebat-proficient than my local group.


    The newer generation of central continent citizens are on average, lessbat capable than their predecessors, as the presence of beetles throughout the continent have reduced the amount of monster attacks they face. Instead, for the average citizen, their main threats are petty crimes and thuggery from their local rulers or criminal gangs. For most part, lesser criminals do not attract the attention of the Valthorns.


    On the other hand, the specialised military forces are significantly higher levelled due to their privileged ess to dungeons and the effects of my assisted training, and the average Valtrian Order soldier pretty much outss everyone except for the above average adventurers.


    As a result, there is a power-gap between themon popce and the Valtrians, and the Valthorns are quasi-nobles, despite theirck of a noble title. A military aristocracy, in a way.


    Refugees generally have a very awkward rtionship with the Valthorns they encounter, simply because in their other kingdoms, the nobility controls the army. Here, the federal army is an independent entity and thats something that needed some time to adapt.


    That said, based on Patreecks data, almost all refugees eventually settle in the Central Continent, with only a minority returning to their home continents.


    In terms of the total number of citizens, the Central Continent has increased between two to three times since 50 years ago. The growth in terms of total number had been primarily caused by the generally higher reproductive rates of humans, at leastpared to dwarves, or elves. In terms of actual percentage growth, lizard-people and treefolk dominated, due to both of these racesing from a low base, their ability to have multiple children at any time and the effect of the Treeology Priests various saps and syrups significantly improved their survival rates beyond their infant-years.


    I dont have the exact number of people on the continent prior to the Rottends, but it seemed that records suggest that it took only 3 decades to repopte the continent, and it seems we are about 50% more than prior to the Rottends. Still, its hard to really estimate the total lives lost with unreliable data.


    We saw the starways dim even more, though there seemed to be some kind of string, or line that came from our world, and there were shes of light that moved through that string. It seemed to suggest that the demon king is able to ess the starways from its end, and not just reliant on their gateways on their homeworld.


    I shared my memories of the demonic gateways with Ste through Patreeck, but it didnt do much. She did not recognise the magical words or enchantments on those gates.


    Throughout the continent I kept my magical sensors ready, and just as before, I spread the Valthorns out.


    The heroes will arrive soon. When they do, I want to know whether they are here. Its important to get them before monsters or any strange criminals get to them. I will need to keep my eyes open for the path they took.


    What if we cant see it? Ste asked.


    Thats a datapoint too. It meant they used a different method.


    Huh. True.


    More importantly, what if you cant go home? That it is impossible?


    Ste just sighed. Uhm... oh well?


    Thats good.


    Yeah. I think this world isnt too bad. Its in better shape than the other two worlds.


    Have you met any other spirits on the other worlds?


    Uh, I mostly stayed with Vasira, and only went to the cities asionally, myself. The good thing is, they speak the samenguage. Strange, how thenguage of both worlds are identical.


    It could be a skill. I wondered. A passive?


    Pretty sure it is. Feels like maybe Im actually talking gibberish but the system auto-tranted the content to the recipient?

 New Buds

    New Buds


    <strong>Year 179</strong>


    My sensors were glued to the skies, waiting for the moment. The forest was dark, and then momentarily, a sh of light. The darkness of the void momentarily twisted and swirled, and a ring of light appeared. Ten shes of light shot out, like little meteors streaking through the dark night sky. Despite our best efforts to observe the phenomenon of a hero summoning, the magical energies were extremely subtle.


    [Ten heroes have been summoned].


    Another 10nded, and instantly I sounded the rm. I wanted eyes on the ground to look for them, whether they are on the Central continent, or elsewhere.


    I didnt see much... Ste frowned, upset at how the path back to her original world eluded her. It was faint, and there was that strange ring like thing. Something Ive not seen before until I had this astral sight ability.


    Still, while my forces kept watch for the heroes, we both tried to follow that path back. Myself and Ste. A few of the other senior Valthorns, Kei and Lausanne all dropped by at times.


    What kind of people do you think well get? Ste asked, she tried to make conversation while we tweaked with the daemolite and attempted to retrace the path of the heroes. There was no path. Its as if someone just airdropped the heroes. No, someone just drop-shipped the heroes.


    Probably the same type. Young kids, 14 to 18 years old, too young to know how shitty the world truly is , and easily controlled by the gods.


    That bad, huh? Ste said. Keis pretty alright, isnt she?


    She has this weird hang up about helping former earthlings.


    Some people are helpful like that. I think too much skepticism and suspicion would just paralyse her. Its good that she still cares, even after what she has seen and been through. I know I certainly dont have that kind of mental strength.


    You survived 40 years in other worlds, I think you deserve some credit. Our experiments didnt really seem to go anywhere. Its frustrating that the gods have even more unique powers that even void mana cant breach.


    Heh, practicing magic for 40 years hardly counts as hardship.


    Well, you did lose some body parts? Which have all fully healed.


    Shit happens. You know... bad mistakes when practicing magic. In fact, if it wasnt for your familiar skill, Id probably be dead. The healing abilities of your familiar saved my life a few times.


    Ste just shrugged when it didnt work. A part of me suspected this wasnt going to work. The rules of our home world were too different. Ours and gxies dont float on some kind of interster fog.


    So thats one data point for earth being an entire alternate universe and demonic worlds existing within our present same-universe. But, that raised the next question, why do the gods summon all of the heroes from these alternate universes?


    My guess?


    Yeah. Go for it?


    Were nk tes. Clean, untouched by mana ever. Maybe its just easier to control us that way.


    Isnt every soul a nk te when they die?


    Hmmm... thats true. Then the next likely thing is that theres something interfering with the gods ability to capture fresh, clean souls from this world. Maybe they just cant see this world very well. Maybe our homeworlds are godless, so that makes it easy for them to pick and choose who they want.


    Then why do they need administrators?


    I dont know? Steughed. Maybe its just specialisation, I guess?


    Ever wondered how they came to be? LIke... how did those reincarnation administrators, be reincarnation administrators?


    My bet? The gods made them. Theyre not real individuals, just a system personified and anthropomorphized.


    Huh.


    Wild, right? I mean, back home we have AI and machines that could mimic people, why wouldnt the same thing be doable via magic


    Thats really true. The gods could easily achieve self-aware and mostly autonomous operators. If I can create artificial souls, the gods surely can go further.


    Within two weeks it was clear that the heroes did not spawn on the Central continent. It was also a good point that none of them died soon after summoning.


    I want to spy on the heroes. Kei said.


    Huh? Why?


    I want to see what kind of shit the temples throw at them at the start, whether its the same as us.


    Ste immediately rebuked her. You do know that volunteering yourself to be a heros secret guide is a huge death g, right?


    I have no idea what you are talking about. Kei rolled her eyes.


    Its a story trope,e on! Mentor upational hazard! Ever heard of it? Ste repeated. I say, dont do it.


    Why is it that you believe all these norms? Kei responded.


    If anyone should go, its either Edna or Lumoof. Edna and Lumoof can get teleported away if they are ever in danger, and they are far stronger than you are.


    Who wont go, because their ce is here. Kei responded. My ce is to assist the heroes. Im just going to spy on them.


    Youre a golem, Kei. Youre not a [spymaster] or [ranger]. Is this really the best use of your time? Going with the heroes to y babysitter is not going to be a good idea. Youll stunt their growth, too.


    I wont participate. Im just going to watch from afar, and prevent deaths, if any. Kei said. Enough have died from this, and I dont want any more foolish deaths.


    There are a lot of foolish deaths. Ste said. The worlds full of it.


    I know, but this is the one I choose to do something about.


    Why, because heroes lives matter?


    Uh... I guess? Kei was young, and she wasnt very politically aware. I feel like I should contribute, even if it isnt much.


    Ste just had a facepalm. You know, back home, theres so many people who died for whatever reason, starvation, sickness,ck of jobs, depression. It never ured to you that the world is usually a shittty ce?


    I guess? Kei shrugged. I just want to do this, so just let me, alright? I cant save everyone, thats the kind of thing maybe some like Aeon can do. Im just going to help prevent some deaths. Whats the big fat problem about it?


    I guess youre just a little.. Hmmm... ungrateful, I guess?


    Look, when you see a doctor and the doctor saves your life, sure, you owe him, but do you reorient your entire life around the doctors whims? No, right? Theres a part where we draw the line and say, alright, thats your life, and this is mine. No, in fact I feel this is my way of paying it forward.


    Ste paused for a while, and thenughed. I guess thats why youre a hero.


    Eh, I actually dont think thats a criteria after all. Look at Alvin, he isnt really that honorable or what.


    Kei left on some ships to the Southern Continent once news of their location came. The group of ten was essentially split in two. One group on the Eastern Continent, another group on the Southern Continent itself.


    I outfitted Hytreerion with multiple mana batteries and crystals to help it act like a mobile mana battery, and then, with the help of many cksmiths, artisans and mages, built a massive magical cannon array on top of it.


    Alka named it the Mana Cannon Version One. This was essentially the first idea, to essentially convert Hytreerion to a massive cannon. Hytreerion as it is already has an energy st, a power inherited from the demon-walker, and on its own, generated quite a bit of mana.


    Its power still paled, whenpared to the hero weapons, but at least it could regenerate on time.


    This is a utility? I wondered.


    Not really. Alkaughed. But the real utility is the battery. Normal folk are unable to channel huge amounts of mana, unless they have specialised skills. So, the first real utility test is whether Hytreerion can act as a mobile teleportation gateway, together with Stes existing void powers. The idea was whether its possible for Hytreerion to act as a mobile-link on the other worlds. Of course, this is putting the cart before the horse, because we dont even have a way of opening a portal or riftrge enough to the other side. But once we have the power source, we can figure out what to do with it.


    Another aspect of the utility was terraforming.


    Essentially, the other worlds, some of them are very hostile to life. The intense aridness of the demon worlds meant my forces would be fighting in an environment that is ufortable. Its a penalty we didnt need. So, in terms of beetles, and to a lesser extent, Hytrerion, we wanted to see whether we can have environment generators.


    Beetles that have littlebat ability, but spend their mana or energy to empower their surrounding beetles. This included a wide range of possible functions, from adding humidity to the world such that my beetles joints and limbs operate better, to stacking auras such that they can ovee the negative environment on the other worlds.


    What we discovered was that it''s impossible for beetles to carry aura functions. We needed dedicatedmander-beetles. Like Horns, but taken to the extreme. I also wondered whether its possible to have an [Aura] titan? Something that boosted thebat abilities of my allies, and the thought instantly triggered the system to award it.


    [The Aura Turtle - Titan]


    [A turtle with multiple crystals on its back, each crystal generated a different aura. Default Turtle generates healing aura, mana recovery aura, damage reduction aura and endurance/stamina aura. Additional Auras gained with level, consumption of magical artifacts and upgrades].


    Huh. I had to think about this though, is this really a good idea? I only have two titans left.


    I finally recreated a Level 120 dungeon after tweaking with a few ley lines. I had to subtly guide four ley lines to meet somewhere deep underground, and so, a new dungeon for my Valthorns to power-level. This time, I tried to mess with the dungeons settings a little bit more, so that the energy is focused on just spawning high tier monsters, rather than just mobs. Essentially, I hoped for a dungeon full of mini-bosses.


    A town quickly sprung up outside the dungeon, to serve and support the Valthorns making the dive.


    Which is better, hunting champions, or dungeon diving? I asked the Valthorns one day.


    Depends on what kind of dungeon, really? If its the trap-filled dungeons with all sorts of funny tricks, I prefer the Champion any day. Roonughed. Hes still at the Level 130ish level. Its hard for them to level, strangely. Clearly the effects of the multiple hero fragments are more pronounced than I know.


    Kei sent word that she found one group of heroes. 4 of them. One of them had gone missing, but they couldnt find him. The heroes are practicing on monsters and smaller demon swarms in the south.


    Missing? Edna wondered. She was based in the underground city, right outside the Level 120 dungeon. Just in case a monster escaped the dungeon. Is he dead?


    No. I didnt get a notification. I checked with Ste, just to be sure.


    How many fragments do you have, Ste?


    Uh... lemme count. I think 13? 10 from the bunch I was summoned with, and 3 from Keis batch. Why?


    One of the heroes went missing, and I wanted to know whether hes dead.


    Huh. Strange. Heroes dont go missing, normally? Not on some secret training mission or anything?


    Kei isnt sure. If he isnt dead, thats a good sign. We just need to wait and watch out.


    There was another group on the Eastern Continent. 5 of them. They too managed to survive their initial scare with regr monsters. Kei quickly ryed that this batch of heroes were conventional heroes, as in two of them was a super-knight, and the other two was a super-mage. The missing hero was a super-mage too.


    Conventional heroes and conventional demons, eh? It felt like theres arger supercycle of demons and heroes. Are the gods just ying some kind of Magic the Gathering campaign throughout the expansions and blocks, and are just moving through the gimmicks of each block?


    Ste sat. Kei messaged to say she will continue to observe them.


    Back home, we continued on with our weapons program. Alka and his group of artificers and mages were very busy, with multiple concurrent projects running. He preferred it that way, the multiple projects seemed to allow him to gather magical inspiration from many ces. They worked on many types of ideas for anti-demonic weapons, from suicidal golems, flying golems to airdrop rigged crystal bombs, and just better crystal bombs and weapons all round.


    My woodsmiths and cksmiths made thousands of anti-demonic spears, and enchanted them. The Central Continent had a thriving defense industry, linked by mywork of carrier-beetles. Throughout the continent we built multiple weapons stockpiles.


    It was overpreparing in a sense, but high quality weapons took time to make, and even master smiths and workersbored months on a special weapon, or a special knife, or a special rod. Some enchantments took just as long, especially those that required the threading of multiple different spells.


    We didnt have the heros overpowered [Hero Forge] to shortcut a lot of that. If I needed superweapons, I needed to make them early. 10 years early.


    The Demon King continued its raid on the kingdoms, and the heroes rushed to gain levels. The Eastern group apparently started to sail to the South, to join theirpatriots, the regr monsters of the Eastern Continent insufficient to feed their growth. I wonder whether they have an experience multiplier for killing demons. I suspect they do. .


    Keimented that the Southern group reached level 60 within a month. Level 60 is enough for a champion, at least, with their hero powers, but the demon king needed them at the level 100 range. If they were too weak, theyd die quickly.


    The missing hero was still missing. I wonder what would happen if the missing hero never appeared? Would the gods summon new heroes? Or the demons would destroy the world until they find that hero?


    -


    > Are theying? < Reefy asked.


    The demons are still on their continent.


    > I have new spiky weapons Id like to use on them. I dont like this heat. But I gained skills now. I have [Perfect Waters]. <


    What in the world does that do?


    > My environment is always perfect for reefs! <


    > Of course. But can you get me some of the demons. I wonder whether my fishes will eat them. Are they food? <


    > Spiky corals then. Poison hurt them? <


    I dont recall seeing a hero with a poison focus, or maybe I just cant remember. Maybe its a bit dumb to have a poison focus when the demons arent even human, so the poisons just dont hurt them.


    > Ah. No poisonous corals then. Just really hard and pokey corals. <


    I thought back about the Tainted Demon Core captured from the demon king. It remained a puzzle I am unable to crack, even as I levelled. Demonic mana remained key, at least, master of it.


    The Rottends on the Central Continent are extremely small now, a tenth of what it once was. This space was preserved, mainly to hold the hybrid nts that I can control, and for my Valthorns to continue theirbat practice. With the smaller size, the rtive strength of the demonic hybrids that spawn naturally dwindled.


    This is a limited space for me to practice the mana these hybrid nts sometimes produce.


    Perhaps an artificial mind fused with a hybrid may be the solution? Patreeck proposed one day. I sometimes wonder why I cant think of these solutions myself. Did I try it before?


    Well.... it didnt work. The artificial mind copsed soon after exposure to the demonic mana, like trying to boot up a faultyputer. Or maybe, aputer with insufficient parts. Why? Or perhaps... like aputer, its not...


    Wait. Is it a power source issue then? But artificial souls generate their own mana. Is that why theres a conflict between a hybrid nt that passively generates tiny bits of demonic mana? Its like aputer getting both AC and DC power simultaneously, so it fried theputer?


    I suppose its time to revisit the fundamentals of this artificial mind. Like, what is an artificial mind, and what differentiates them from regr people. Why are they limited?


    I suspect the issues maybe... about the creation of life. Patreeck theorised. That a full soul is essentially a life and a living being.


    You dont feel like you are a living being, Patreeck?


    Well, no. I am always a part of you, even if I am capable of independent thought, master. Huh. Perhaps it is that sense of self? Their soul, being iplete, like a very good AI, butcking thatst spark that truly makes an AI more than just an AI.


    But... What am I trying to achieve here? These are dangerous grounds. Do I want to create life unwittingly? My goal is to achieve control over demonic mana, and thus, hopefully, gain another color for my soul forge. Already, one of the ideas I had was to use the huge stockpiled void mana and attempt to unlock a new soul forge color, but I suspect the system required me to generate my own void mana, not just rely on stored mana.


    It was a deconstruction of the artificial souls. Artificial souls are pieced together from the remnants of the dead. To use aputer term, they are salvaged from the usable parts of many deadputers, and pieced together into a whole. But, theyck the core which differentiated a person from a machine. Ive developed quite a significant understanding of these parts over the decades, through my analysis of hex. The hex is when these parts arebined in such a way that generates toxic negative thoughts. In other words, hex is pretty much weaponised negativity.


    Again, what else can the parts make? Can the parts be better made, than how I currently know them? After all, I learned it by way of skills and levels. There should be better versions.

 Psychiatree

    Psychiatree


    <strong>Year 180</strong>


    Nine of them spotted. Kei spoke via long range message. All of them are around level 80s, and they are still challenging the champions. The King seemed content to let them do so, and continued its destructive acts.


    Its a pattern, repeated since long ago. The King almost always waited for the heroes to level up. This was a quirk that I did not understand. Was it a rule? Or are the heroes invisible before they turn level 100? But clearly the demon champions are able to find the heroes. So why?


    It really feels very game-ish. One instance suggested some observational w or quirk. But now after numerous demon kings, it really felt like this pattern suggested a game-like arrangement between the demons and the gods. I really hope the Aivan church agrees to send the triumvirs over. I do want to interrogate the damned Aivan God why the fuck are we ying this game.


    But there was that hero that did the whole-sneak attack thing, but that was because there is an existing group of surviving heroes. If so, the demon king must have a trigger to engage in their hunt.


    No luck on the missing hero? The missing hero... was still missing. But if say he is alive, and he is levelling up, he cant stay hidden for long. Not with the demon kings divine-hunting sight. I recall Harris once said that the demons can sense their presence, and the higher levels they are, the stronger they glow to the demons.


    No. Kei sighed. I hope hes fine. The other heroes have attempted to contact him but he refused allmunication.


    Youve made contact with the heroes?


    Yes. We spoke a bit. Kei said. At level 80ish they are able to spot me. There was no way I could remain hidden for long.


    And what did you tell them?


    Almost everything, really. But nothing about you. Kei was quick to repeat. Just about hero stuff, really. About the things weve seen... I mean, about life as a hero... and our lives after we win. And the gods.


    They didnt kill you there and then?


    They seemed to mumble something about Ken saying the same thing. Kens the missing hero by the way, and hes.. Uh, he pretty much went cold turkey and had no contact with the rest of them after the first week together.


    Huh. Ken, eh. So... how are the heroes taking to their new roles as saviors of the world?


    Quite enthusiastic. Its actually quite embarrassing to hear it. Was I so naive and innocent? Kei sighed.


    Yes. Yes you were. In fact, you still are.


    Ugh.


    -


    Roon and the others kept at their dungeon raids. The dungeon at Level 120 wasrge, and their foes were a mix of giants. ording to their post-raid reports, the space after the dungeon gates were significantlyrger than before, and the dungeon exhibited some kind of spatial distortion which magnified its size.


    I too, have some spatial abilities with my [Secret hideouts] and Subsidiary Tree rooms.


    Roon and another of the Matreearchs managed to hit Level 135, so they are only 15 levels away from their own domains.


    The monsters wererge, but ultimately they can be defeated. Still, after my earlier experience with the copsed dungeon, I started work on another set of ley lines, and I hope to have a new dungeon active before this one copses in the future.


    These dungeons, their rewards are mostly the remains of the dungeon monsters, and they are often set aside for my cksmiths and mages to experiment, to craft into weapons and armors. There is a gradual upward drift in the quality of the equipment among the Valthorns, as they get a wider variety of equipment over time, instead of just my own items. Things I made, or blessed by me personally are strong, but my items tend to have anti-demon effects. Equipment made from the monsters remains in the dungeon tend to be more varied.


    Those who made a living outside the dungeon also soon made more mobile setups, once they were informed of the temporary nature of these high tier dungeons. These were pretty much the best craftsmen and smiths the entire continent have to offer, and its something we noticed, that the higher levelled they were, it is more likely that they have passion in what they did.


    For these level 80+ craftsmen, they relished working with the unique materials that a high tier dungeon provided, and so they moved where the materials were. That said, for these craftsmen, almost 80% of their time is spent making equipment to process the materials, and only 20% on the materials themselves. Theres a whole lot of preparation work that goes on before the craftsmeny theirnds on the harvested items.


    Many of these higher tier monsters are new to us, since the dungeon generated these monsters somewhat randomly, so even harvesting the monsters took a lot of experimentation. At higher tiers, the dungeon monsters resemble more like frankenstein-ish mixture of creatures, materials and skills. In fact, I would personally say most monsters look their best at around Level 80, where they conform to what I believe is usually considered a monsters normal appearance.


    At level 120, take a cerberus, would have strangeser-eyes, teeths or ws made of some rainbow metal, and sometimes, even heads that regrow when chopped off, as if its some lovechild of a cerberus and a hydra. Its like the dungeon system has an archive of what items or effects it considers as a high level effect, and just mashed them together to form whatever random miniboss. They usually had a few gimmicks too, like a cerberus where one eye usedsers, and one of the heads caused explosions.


    I wondered whether a level 150 or 200 dungeon will look more proper, once every part of the monster is upgraded with higher tier materials. Its just a theory of course. ording to Edna theres no great difference in their appearance between level 120 and 130, just more skills, more gimmicks, tougher, and stronger.


    The whole moving ley lines thing also made me think of that volcano I acquired early on. If there are natural sources of energy, I suppose using my own world knowledge, the greatest power source right now would be the sun. The stars and the sun would generate the most power, so I wonder what level would a sun-powered dungeon be?


    Could I even create gods outright? I mean, if a dungeon had level 150 monsters, wouldnt that mean these monsters are mini-gods in their own right? If so, how can a dungeon contain them?


    This suggested a few likely oues.


    One, is that it is impossible to create dungeons beyond level 149, unless the dungeon itself is some godly being.


    Two, it is possible to create level 150 monsters, but controlling them is impossible, so a dungeon break must happen.


    Three, it is possible to create level 150 dungeons, and it is possible for the dungeon to still control level 150+ creations despite their domain, or perhaps, these creatures do not have a domain. It is possible if the monsters are soulless despite having that kind of power level, that they are just super strong automatons with strength at that level.


    Which made me wonder...


    Any of the druids attempted to enve or tame the dungeon monsters before? I mean, the dungeons generate high tier monsters, but druids and beastmasters naturally have abilities to acquirepanions


    I also remember that old story of the elven hero with the ability to enve spirits, including spirit trees. It was something that I am still afraid of, even if I have the domain as a shield. I wondered when a heros skills and a domain shed, how does the system resolve the conflict? Like, a hero with a special spirit-capture ability, against me, a spirit tree with a domain?


    Anyway, the druids soon exined that they have attempted to capture the dungeon beasts, but have only managed to tame those in the lower tier dungeons, around Level 80 or so. They have not had any sess with the monsters from the higher levelled dungeons. They suspected that its due to their diversified focus, and so their sess relied on their huge level differentials.


    A pure monster-tamer. That sounds like something from an isekai story. If I am able to convert a demon, could a very powerful monster tamer or beast master control the demons, and at even higher levels, take control of the demon champions and kings? Its essentially the same issue with heroes and me, isnt it? If a powerful beast master can control the demon king, a hero must be able to control me.


    That train of thought implies the demon king to be a [domain] holder, which, from our data thus far, nothing seems to suggest it is a [domain] holder. In fact, we dont even know if the demon king has levels. Because the King doesnt talk.


    -


    The heatwave meant druids and mages were in huge demand, as they had to help use their weather abilities and skills to help reduce the impact of the heat. Our master builders had to rush to the shores, and areas that suffered huge floods and rainfalls to help redirect the water, on top of my trees. My trees soaked up the water easily, after all, my roots naturally transported water and I used this to great effect, to help direct water from areas that faced torrential rain and floods, to areas that faced exceptionally dry weather.


    The response to the weather changes were mixed. Some just moved to ces where the effects were milder. Like Freshka itself, it is quite insted from the effects of the heatwave due to the presence of many druids skills that helped soften the effects of the demon kings energies, on top of my own heat-channelling abilities.


    The farnds within the same region as me pretty much survived the heatwave unaffected, at this distance my abilities easily overwhelmed the global effects of the heatwave. Further out, theres been some fires and destruction of farms. Small damage, generally, as my influence wanes somewhat at a distance.


    That said, the nobles and royalty were generally pretty pissy about the weather, and theyve hired mages and druids to keep the weather pleasant. Strange that they get so pissy. I observed less of such behavior from the older kind.


    One group that I needed to assist a little more were the treefolk. They seemed rather sensitive to the weather, and needed to consume more water to offset the increased evaporation and heat. Trees generally help to cool their surroundings through evaporation, but that does mean that they lose more water and treefolks needed to constantly replenish water, a problem when the rivers themselves are drying up.


    So far, no area has faced terrible droughts yet, thanks to my roots performing their role of distributing both heat and water to where they are needed. Funny that all my fire resistance and training from previous demon kings meant I could resist this effect rtively easily. Truly, what doesnt kill you, makes you stronger.


    The elves, humans and dwarves were ufortable, but they generally did well. The lizardpeople enjoyed the heat, but they preferred the humid heat, not the dry heat, so those close to the coast actually found the heatwave pleasant. The lesser races like those winged garudas and harpies didnt enjoy the more turbulent winds from the heat.


    Fishing was down significantly, as the heat made the waves more dangerous throughout the world. That said, if a fisher and sailor were to set out now, they would generally level... if they survived.


    Trade was wobbly, and so was fishing. But the oceans were generally calmer out in the open oceans. A master captain with a great ship could still make the journey.


    Our pirates and privateers are stranded on the inds. Well, one of the drawbacks of and-based continental force is my naval forces arent amazing. Even with all the training and special centers, they just dont have the opportunity to really challenge themselves for sea battles. Unless I do mock battles with Reefy?


    Mock battles sounded like a good idea.


    > Yes? <


    > Practice... battles? < I shared images and scenes through our somewhat connected roots. Of practice duels, mock battles and so on. The purpose was to practice strategy and tactics, gain familiarity on whetherbat is effective or not.


    > Not enemies. Friend. Just to get stronger. <


    Reefy seemed to struggle to process fighting their friends for a while. It seemed to have a rather convenient categorisation of friends and foes? Or did it just ssify people to their threat levels?


    I did so. Reefy still seemed rather confused.


    -


    In the meantime, since Aria and Aispeng are ice spirits, I wondered whether they have abilities that can offset the heat. They do, but its an aura ability so they cant share it. The northern isles, despite being naturally colder, had stronger heatwaves, and this manifested in stronger blizzards and winds. In a way, this demon kings abilities isnt really a heatwave, but more of extreme weather. Did the demon king copy some climate change rulebook somewhere?


    -


    The heroes kept on with their battles and they had their first encounter with the demon king. It did not go well, but it seemed the demon king did not give much chase.


    [Ellis Myers has died. You received a fragment]


    [Jenna Kari has died. You received a fragment]


    Kei had apparently attempted to help.


    You idiot. Ste screamed over the message spell, she had two fragments too. Dont risk your fucking life.


    Ive already died once. Whats another time?


    I thought you promised us! Apparently Kei had a promise with the girls? Huh. I sure didnt see them being so close.


    ...I know. I feel like shit though. Kei said. I cant just stand and let them fight.


    Kei, weve talked about this. There are battles that are out of our leagues. Each of us needs to do our part, do what were good at. Ste repeated. Im a [void mage], and Im good with portals. That means Im not going anywhere near a battlefield. Youre a [biocrystalline golem], and you can make crystals do all sort of stuff. But youre not a 100%bat ss, and you dont have hero powers. Dont fight battles you cant do shit in. We all want this shit to end, but we need to work together dammit. Another act out of line and Ill get Aeon to [recall] you.


    ...sorry.


    Good.


    The death of two shook the group of 7 left. They were nervous and afraid. What seemedically easy once they levelled, suddenly was hard again. The gap between the champions and the king wasrge, and only now they understood it.


    Kei had to be their counselor. But in the south, there were other temples, and some heroes sought help from the temples instead.


    Shouldve sent priests here! Right now they need the calming abilities of the priesthood! Keiined. That was something Ill take note of. Certainly Lumoof could help to provide serenity and calmness in face of loss. These are young teens in need of emotional support, and thats certainly a neglected aspect of their journey.


    -


    Do we have counselor sses? I asked Lumoof and the group. Actually, if heroes get out of this with PTSD, is that why they end up indulging themselves in all their harems and all that? Its a way of coping with the shit theyve seen? Im not in their ce, and Ive not seen their struggles. But on reflection, it does seem almost all of them are broken or chipped in some way.


    I knew his answer before he answered thanks to our mental link, but I let him say it out anyway. We do have [Priest of Tranquility], and certain skills like [Calm Composure], [Emotional Appeasement]...


    Then we must find ways to train this further. Ive been growing ss seeds all this while, but I suppose I needed to experiment and create these counselors or psychiatrist sses.


    I looked at my own [Tree of Prayers]. These helped in the past, just as my [tea] did. I needed to make them mobile, without using Lumoof. The people of this world are naturally resilient and seemed to endure the destruction really well without emotionally breaking down, but the heroes clearly are cracking, even if they outwardly appear fine.

 Timeless Trees

    Timeless Trees


    <strong>Year 181</strong>


    The heroes tried again, if anything, out of a desire for revenge. The demon king killed 2 of them, and they were going to live, this time. They hunted champions and gained more levels, and all of them were now in their level 100s, if only in the early level 100s. The 2 fragments each of them had made them level faster, and made them stronger.


    They know Im talking to you guys. Kei said.


    So? Youre free to have friends, right?


    I think theyre alright, but some of them are suspicious why Im reporting everything to you. And rightly so. The way Im behaving is very much a spy. In a way, I am a spy. Keiughed awkwardly.


    I thought you told them everything?


    Yes, but still, they continue to maintain some distance. Kei paused. If I were in their shoes, Id be suspicious of a girl or golem who ims to be a former hero and somehow reports on their activities back to someone they dont know.


    Then stop staying there. I think they no longer need your help. Not anymore. The longer they stay, the more suspicious they get.


    ...youre right.


    Kei had onest conversation with the heroes before their fight with the demon king. Theyve reached level 100, and just as before theyve unlocked their star-mana forms. Theres 7 of them at level 100+, against one demon king, honestly, the odds are pretty good that theyll win. She spoke of hero-made items from previous generations, and whether the heroes wanted a trip to the Central Continent before their 2nd encounter with the demon king.


    They refused. Well, some of them wanted it, but they already unlocked their own [Heros Forge] and could make their own hero items.


    You think theyll live? Ste asked through [message], as Kei made her way to the shore. I could recall her at any time, but she wanted to wait for the heroes to actually fight the demon king before she left. What did you think of the demon king?


    I saw it briefly, I was really far away but I think... I think they have a good chance of winning. But I think half of them will die. Its still a bit too early


    Huh. Are they prepared for a self-destruction gimmick at the end?


    I dont know whether they remembered. When I reminded them they just brushed it off.


    Huh? Ste asked.


    Im not sure whether what I told them got through to their heads. Lately they just seem... I dont know how to put it...


    Stubborn?


    No.


    Confident?


    Not that either...


    Middle-grade syndrome?


    ...that might be it.


    But they arete teens, right?


    Yes. One of them reincarnated as a half-dark elf so age is a little bit more flexible but yes. Late teens, mentally.


    You were there, once. You should know why they dont listen.


    Fuck that.


    We felt the effects of the battle from a distance. The heroes pulled out all the stops, and my magical sensors felt the churn of magic in the air, even so far away. The weather seemed to sense this, and the world waited for the oue of the battle of heroes. The instability of magicsted for a day, and this time, I felt sensations that were very familiar.


    It felt like those old, healed wounds had been torn open. But I was still physically fine. Why did I feel it then?


    [Demon King Ethrezen has been in]


    [Kenny Hills has been in. You received a fragment]


    [Elly Pato has been in. You received a fragment]


    [Nancy Pelos has been in. You received a fragment]


    Only three deaths. That meant four of the heroes survived. The four survivors were Prabu and Colette, both archmages, Hafiz the Knight and Chung the Archer. There was an explosion at the end, but somehow they still managed to survive it.


    Kei, of course, felt the explosion. The explosions shockwave could be felt a world away, and she ran at full speed towards the center of the explosion once it was clear the explosion was done. The entire area had been turned into a volcanic wastnd, but the four were alive, but weak. All of them suffered heavy burns and their skins charred. They lived. Both archmages were unconscious, but they somehow managed to sustain a multiyered magical shield that copsed once Kei approached them. The burns were so bad that they could not speak, not yet.


    She quickly stabilised them with her familiars healing abilities. Despite how horrific the burns were, they were heroes, and the healing quickly restored them. Exhausted and weak, even though somewhat healed, Kei escorted them out and brought them to the nearest town where they got food and shelter.


    -


    Well thats over. I gathered the Valthorns. As usual well have to face the issue that the heroes may be hostile, or may be friendly. We will initiate our hero-preparations procedure again. We had this preparation since the crusades, mainly to consider how to fight heroes on our home ground, should the temples order another round of Crusades.


    Theres four of them. Five if we count the missing hero. We know that two of them are mages, and they have good shields, shields strong enough to stop the demon kingsst bomb. They also survived the demon king, so that should put them in the Level 120s. In a straightbat, were in trouble. Even with both Lumoof and Edna, I think itll be a long shot if we even win. So, avoidingbat should be the first priority.


    At least the propaganda from the temples are not outright hostile these days, so hopefully the heroes dont turn out that bad.


    They would have to mop up the rest of the demons too. There are still demon champions andrge hordes of demons left unchecked. The heroes will get to them soon, perhaps in a month.


    We should start aid. Lausanne proposed. Its a good way to win friends through the reconstruction process.


    This is usually the period when they start maneuvering for territory and start their own kingdoms. Well need to be careful not to get tangled in a case where the kingdoms use our support as a weapon or shield against the heroes. One of the Lords presented some diplomatic implications.


    Agreed, but we can just decline or pull out should that happen? Lausanne proposed.


    Then we as a faith will look weak, because we cant resist the heroes. Its a signal to the temples that we are afraid of the heroes.


    No no. Lets step back here. Were not going as a missionary force, and were not going to be some pir to stand up against the heroes or the other temples. Were sending workers, craftspeople, farmers, druids to help fix the damagednds, and if we encounter any hostility we will pack up and move. Lausanne repeated. We can do this without having a need to appear as a political entity.


    Then what you are suggesting is a ndestine aid operation? Any action we do will be viewed through national, geostrategic or geopolitical views. How strong, how weak we go.


    Lumoof paused. I believe it may not be a problem if we go weak.


    Then we wont be winning over allies in the South, so why go?


    Lausanne took a step back. I think we need to draw a line here, on whether were going for political reasons, or going for the purpose of assistance. Im voting to go, and provide assistance and help the nations rebuild their lives a bit faster.


    The debate went on for a while. I was alright either way, whether the council decided to go or otherwise. In the end, Lausanne volunteered for a small assistance group, supported by the priests.


    I also needed more [Domain] level servants, and Johann, Roon and a few of the druids kept on grinding the level 120 dungeon. They were at the edges and stagnating, around the early Level 140s, and yet its not moving much.


    Level 120 isnt enough, Aeon. Roon vented. Weve done this for months and were not levelling. Somethings not right.


    Patreeck and my artificial minds quickly madeparisons between their experience and that of Edna and Lumoof. The analysis revealed that there wasnt much difference, except they didnt participate significantly in the conflict with the demon king. Does the system actually require some kind of significant-event record in order to move past certain levels?


    But... What about me? The fragments help override the system or give it a boost?


    I needed more power to feed the ley lines. I wondered, just wondered, whether heroes could supply the power needed to summon super-tier dungeons. No... back about the idea of the sun. Could I create a portal to the sun and then use that as a magic source?


    Of course, I asked Ste about the possibility of creating permanent portals. In theory, yes, but the further it is, the more difficult it is to be permanent, simply because the void and space is subject to so much interference and fluctuations that the mage or portal-maker has to constantly adjust their skill or spell in order to ount for those changes. A super strong sr-re or a magical supernova could rip your portal to shreds, if at the wrong ce and at the wrong time.


    The way between worlds is a forest, and perhaps also a sea thats constantly moving. The path is a bit like trying to create a bridge made of floating ships through a vtile sea. Its easier if its nearer, since the distance travelled isnt too far. I wondered whether its better to just, well, be the ship and float on the sea, but anyway, its certainly possible to establish a permanent portal, given enough mana, time and having the right skill sets. Distance increases thisplexity by introducing disruptions and fluctuations. Both source and destination also y a part in theplexity of the process.


    I thought about it, and then Ste went back to research.


    I thought of other ways of cracking the problem with the creation of high level dungeon. I decided I would experiment using my roots as electrical cables, and move the mana from the various ley lines to a single location.


    The thing is, a dungeons power source cannot be a living thing, and so, if the mana came from me, it would reject that source and only consider the non-living thing. It also has to be at a certain level of stability and quantity, which caused the dungeons to reject mana batteries as a source of augmentation.


    So, I needed a magical root that absorbed the mana from various leylines, and then dumped that at a particr location where the dungeon could then use.


    I tested it out with a few dungeons, and creating the roots that were independent of me werent that difficult. Essentially, make the root, but then cut it off once ready.


    It didnt work, even though the mana was still moving through the roots. I tested it out too. What other ways could I trick the system into epting the mana as a valid source of power? Could the solution be something extremely simple that I have never considered so far?


    The heroes recovered quickly, the wounds and physical damage were gone. But Kei was worried.


    We need to get them checked for parasites. They could have parasites like Alvin. Alvins parasite was initially dormant too.


    Why do they have any symptoms? I asked, curious why Kei suddenly asked.


    No... No they dont. But its just... what if they did. We have to check.


    With your familiars healing skills, did you detect anything unusual?


    No.


    Then why are you worried?


    Because it just feels uneasy. They look alright, I think. Physically they are back to tip-top shape. But you never know. They could have some umted, hidden damage that only something as strong as your magical bib can pick up.


    Ste rolled her eyes. Thats like taking a kid to an MRI because he hurt his knee. If theres no symptoms, leave it?


    Aeons testing doesnt have side effects like MRI, so its really a risk free test.


    Get them to a priest or a healer and have them checked for any soul damage?


    Ive done that, but the priests are so low level Im not sure they are even able to see through the heroes natural protective defenses.


    Then theres nothing to be worried about. Ste said.


    Thats a death g.


    Being a hero is a death g. No. Its a death sentence.


    Fuck.


    The mop up operation of the remaining demonssted just a month or two after the heroes recovery. Still, they didnt expect to see Kei back then, so they thanked her foring to their aid.


    -


    I kept digging underground, and by now I explored about 30 to 40% of the underground areas of the continent. During this time, we also dug up the area near the where the elven capital once stood. It was supposedly destroyed during the Rottends era.


    Something doesnt seem quite right. I mused to the Valthorns, summarising the underground explorations.


    Alka, my chief researcher nodded. Indeed. The amount of remnants we dug up seems rather small for what was arge capital.


    Could everything be destroyed? A senior druid proposed. So many other kingdoms were destroyed that day.


    Indeed, but most of them left behind a lot of noticeable debris or damaged structures. Alka soon ordered a far bigger archaeological study of the area. Within a month, we mapped out the debris and ces where the damage was found. Indeed, there was arge circr area where there was very little debris or ruins. It was strange.


    What are we theorising here? Edna asked.


    Is it possible for the destruction to be so uneven?


    It could be something that exploded and then destroyed the city before the demon kings sludge reached this ce. We soon created a lot more magical sensors in that area in hope of cracking the clue, but we didnt detect anything at all. Perhaps whatever magic that caused this has faded after the decades.


    If something happened, we were toote. Alka wondered.


    -


    The death of the demon king meant the seas and oceans returned to normal. Gradually. The storms closer to the southern continent were the first to recover from the turbulence. It will still take some time for the traders to resume, usually those merchants that were forced to change their jobs or businesses in order to adapt to the turbulent weathers would still need some time to research which trades are worthwhile, while some of the more confident or foolhardy merchants would immediately jump back. These are usually the first to move anyway.


    -


    During this time, Patreeck picked up some interesting individuals through his mind-reading abilities. These guys had magical camouge abilities that hide their presence, but they could not mask their very clear thought-bubbles.


    The artifact is acting funny. That missing hero is not here.


    On closer look, I felt like Ive seen that thing before. A hero-locator. No, more importantly, there was something pressing against my presence, and I pressed back. The little mental or magical tug of war happened only shortly, then it disappeared.


    False positive. Again. The two talked. I remembered how I felt like they seemed really high level all the way back then, but now, not anymore. Based on my much more refined magical sensors and my [inspection], I suspect they are in their level 60s, but had special equipment to support their tasks.


    They paused.


    Someone just used [Inspect] on me. Ah. They have a counter-detection ability. Thats interesting. It functioned just as how my [domain] protected me?


    Me too. Stop talking. This meant whoever did that could hear us.


    Oh. What do we do?


    Retreat.


    At that point, Patreeck asked. Should we pursue and follow? Once they are out of my mind-reading range itll be hard to find them. Patreecks mind-reading powers essentially revealed all hidden characters, a bit like a detector.


    Yes. But dont kill them. I want to know what they are plotting. I quickly called on my high leveled Valthorn Rangers and Scouts. They had counter-espionage skills, though they are a little underdeveloped due to my extensive treework.


    My rangers gave chase, and they seemed to know it.


    They fled. In fact, they actually disappeared out of my sight for a while and managed to throw fake trails that led my Rangers and Scouts on the wrong path.


    Their skill or ability had a time limit, because about two towns away, deep in the woods, my trees could see them appear out of their illusions.


    The hell was that.


    Were too careless. Well, they still are. We shouldve known a supposed deity could see through our invisibility charms.


    Okay. Okay. Lets calm down and review what we have. We didnt detect any sign of the hero.


    Aeon has a depository of hero-items. So our artefact is probably detecting that.


    So hes not here.


    He might still be in the south, then. They took out their bag, and I saw something that looked pretty broken. A circr disc that was cracked.


    When did that break? One of the spies asked the other.


    I.. I dont know. I was too busy running away.


    We need to report this.


    At this point, I decided to let them believe they managed to lose my scouts. I kept my eye and watched them make the entire journey to the Eastern seaboard, and then got on some ships. Throughout the entire time, I learned a few things.


    They are part of an organisation called the Laenza, and theyre trying to find heroes. I wasnt sure they were helping them, or trying to kill them, because it seemed they were prepared for both.


    Find more info on this... Laenza.


    What we soon found was that there were actually multiple members of the Laenza even on our central continent, but most of them were only mid-tier individuals, around level 30s to 50s. They had attempted at various times to recruit individuals of higher levels but with mixed sess. Theres very little they could offer the nobility that they could not already obtain in some way or form from the existing structure.


    Those we interrogated revealed nothing unique, other than the Laenza is a group dedicated to assisting heroes in their tasks. Or kill them, if they were detrimental.


    They also had a magical ring that was hidden by magic, but soon revealed itself when brought close to me. It seemed that my [domain] had an anti-illusion effect. I wasnt sure what it did, but for now, it went into the magicalbs for research.


    More importantly, what did they want with the missing hero?

 Barking up the wrong tree?

    Barking up the wrong tree?


    <strong>Year 182</strong>


    We looked back at the stars again now that the demon king was defeated. We noticed the path that the demon king used turned extremely dim. It just seems like these paths are all taking turns, each getting stronger over time. Once they reach a certain strength, the demons would then open a path.


    I also dont understand how the demon king actually moves across worlds. Like, if Ste took so much energy just to send Lumoof to a nearby world, it must take a few magnitudes more to send a demon king that far. Unless, like Ste herself, the demon king is able to create a portal on its own.


    So I looked back at the Tainted Demon Core with far more interest. Is it possible that the demon core isnt actually a core of some kind, but actually a mobile-void-generator of some kind?


    Doesnt that exin the explosions? If the demon king kept the void energy within itself, a crack in that shielding caused the void energy to react explosively with its surroundings. Especially if star mana was used extensively to defeat it. That was how Alka somehow sinctly exined a problem. It also posits that, if we were able to defeat the demon king entirely without the use of star mana, it may be possible to avoid the explosion at the end and preserve a pure demon core for our research.


    Thats a horribly difficult thing to do.


    Ste was rather fascinated by the idea and looked at my tainted demon core with great interest. She tested it and attempted to use void mana with it, and it did have some reaction. But again it wasplicated by the hybrid mana it required. I think your demon cores just broken and distorted by whatever it experienced.


    Youre saying this thing that I have is a dud.


    Im saying it is broken. Its like a... ermm.. Paint thats meant to be white, but now its mixed with some other color and can never be white again. Its like trying to repair a broken mirror, really.


    ...fuck. Unless I break it up and try to rebuild it again. Are you sure its broken?


    I think so. When I channel my void mana into it, I can feel it trying to do something but its just not working properly.


    Can you fix it?


    I wouldnt try. Void mana is inherently dangerous and this thing looks like it can blow up really, really hard.


    Defeating a demon king without heroes. If thats what it takes to get a functional portal generator and get ess to the demons interdimensional technology...


    But even so, maybe I could use it differently. Could something that powerful be configured to corrupt the pathways? What are these pathways? Are they just markers through some space? What is this path, if not a magical data packet through space? Could I build a massive firewall around the and filter out all these things? That these daemolites are nothing but trojan backdoors?


    Do you think its possible to hide the world, Ste?


    I dont know. But I suppose I can try to see whether I can interrupt or disrupt it? Move the rift around?


    Thats a good idea. If you could redirect the demons to the moons and let them stay there and float around harmlessly. Or crush them in the depths of the oceans. If it were me, Id try to see whether I could tweak and control the rifts, if I cant block it out entirely.


    Ste nodded. I suppose Ill try. The zaratans hoped to never have to face hostile demons ever again.


    When you were there... did you see other demon kings too? And other heroes?


    I dont know, actually. The zaratans made sure to leave the moment the demon kings were about to arrive. I think there are other heroes there, but I have not met them...


    No. More importantly, if there are other heroes, is it possible to gain fragments from them? Or is the system intelligent enough to differentiate me and those heroes? That I am a summoned person from Earth to this world, not that world, so I am not entitled to the fragments of that world?


    What else was duplicated? No, if anything Id like to meet other spirits. There must be others, from those worlds. If we could gather a collection of like-minded spirits, wed have a force that could stand toe to toe with the demon king and obtain that demon kings core.


    No. What if were thinking this the wrong way? If I had a core like that, I could find a world thats not yet touched or seen by the demons. Colonise that world, and gradually move the inhabitants of this world over there. Eventually, that world could grow into a powerhouse that could reinforce these worlds that faced periodic demon kings.


    Or, I could use the portals to find a world rich in magic, and create powerful dungeons where great heroes can be forged out of mere mortals. Surely the level of natural magic and ley lines in each world is different.


    I shared these ideas with my confidantes again. Ste merely wondered. It sounds like you truly intend to create a multiary empire topete with the demons.


    Well, yes. If I cannot hide or avoid fighting them, then I must have the firepower to push them back so decisively that they can do no harm. And once I can do it for one world, I will expand it so that I can do it for multiple worlds.


    Sounds like the true beginnings of a multary god. Ste quipped. I mean, no offense, but yeah. Its kinda scary.


    Scary?


    Yeah. Being so close to a being that''s a borderline god is scary. I mean, some days I dont realise it so it feels normal, but some days, it just dawns on me that you could kill tens of thousands without batting an eye.


    The heroes could do that too. Any high level individual could.


    She was silent for a long while. Thats a good point. The whole level dynamic really changes the whole equality thing. Theres no equality when theres at least a magnitude of power difference between people of different levels.


    The system is merely facilitating such differences, but there are other ways such differences can y out. Even in your world, money and political positions do make some more powerful than others.


    But thats indirect power, through their ability to mobilise others. Here, the level system meant every single person could gain levels and cause a whole load of pain. Theres no equality at all when the power levels are so different. Its like asking humans to grant equality to ants. Its never going to be equal, at best, is fair.


    Ste justughed after she finished that sentence


    Anyway, Im not really trying to debate such weighty stuff. I just wanted to say youre scary. No. People in this world are scary. You guys are like superheroes with superpowers. I mean, this entire levelling system makes superheroes out of normal people. Its a wonder this world didnt destroy itself.


    With your own levels, youre not very far away either. You are powerful in your own way, archmage. So its riching from someone who can walk to another world.


    Uh... Yeah I guess thats true. By the way, do you.. . uh... ever talk about it? By now, the news that I had the memories of another world spread to almost everyone in the senior Valthorns, and that included Ste.


    About?


    Your life before this. Before... tree?


    What is there to talk about?


    I mean... you dont miss home too?


    ...no? Perhaps some of the tastes and pleasures, yes, but I had few friends, and some family. We were alright and maybe they will be sad, but I believe they will be fine.


    You sound... confident.


    Theres nothing I can do, is there? At least, for the first two centuries, the idea that its even possible to get back did not ever ur to me. This seemed to be a one way street.


    Ste frowned and looked a little sad. The years had taken their toll, especially those 40 years in the other worlds, even if her levels somehow granted her vitality. If she wants to live longer, shell need to reach the higher level 100s. Yeah. I suspect its really like that. But Ill still try.


    Well, what level are you?


    Im capped at Level 95 cumtively, most of my levels are in [Void Archmage] and some of my earlier [Artist] ss... She exploited the trick with void magics destruction of the soul spring to free up her levels. Simply because when the level bricks are destroyed, you lose levels.


    Hmm, you have a higher natural cap.


    I do?


    Level 95 is 10 level higher than normal.


    The heroes dont have a cap.


    They dont but they are heroes. They get special rights.


    Maybe its my [Late Bloomer] skill.


    No. Skills rarely change your level caps. Its strange. Possible that Void-rted ss and skills just use less space in the soul spring, thats why she could level more? In any case, Ill need to train you up to the higher tiers.


    I gave her the soul-strengthening seed the next day, and had her continue researching the Tainted Demon Core. I wanted to be sure, like, very sure, of what it is, and that it is star mana that corrupted it. I needed to be sure, because I would have to form a strategy on this conjecture.


    There was strange newsing from the temples. The temples somehow imed that the gods summoned 9 heroes to fight the demon king, and five perished in their battle. There was no mention of the missing hero, nor do they acknowledge its presence.


    I had wondered before how the temples know about the heroes. I believe they get notified, perhaps those closest to their gods get informed by way of a ping, just like I did. Or perhaps they have some artifacts that allow them to receive such notice.


    My senior priests clearly did not get the notification, so, how did the other priests know about the heroes?


    Can we find out how the temples know of the heros arrival? I asked the leadership team. One of the Lords quickly responded.


    Some say the gods themselves bestow the leaders with a message.


    It is a saying. I want to know for certain.


    The diplomats and the Valthorns would activate their intelligencework to gather the data. Perhaps some of the priests will talk and reveal their secrets.


    <strong>Year 183</strong>


    The demons were eradicated, and the four heroes were free.


    Iming back. Kei said. And the four heroes areing with me. They want to see the journals.


    They arrived by ship at our southernmost city. There was no fanfare for them, I forbid it. In fact, they arrived so quietly very few knew they were heroes.


    Well, youre on the Central Continent. Kei nodded. So, next well need to get the four of you to Freshka, where the journals are kept.


    Chung, the hero archer, immediately asked. Are we walking? Or magic?


    Colette, the archmage shrugged. I could use teleport, but whats the fun in that? We have all the time in the world now.


    Its more efficient.


    Usually taking the long way means we gain more levels and get to earn some extra skills. Who knows what we''ll discover?


    Im more worried if this is a trap.


    Kei shook her head. Its not.


    I trust you enough, Kei. But you cannot say for sure its not a trap. The archer responded. Your patron may have other ns. Ive seen enough of this world to suspect Ken may be right after all.


    Ken. The missing hero. Kei didnt press it. I dont think Aeon will do that. Its certainly not in Aeons interest to make enemies out of 4 heroes.


    Chung didnt reply. Lets just go, but well keep our guard. My trees subtly detected the presence of magical shieldings. They were on guard, even with Kei. And please, nomunication with your patron without us present. Its just... suspicious.


    Kei nodded. The archers quite tense, like he was going to shoot arrows at any time. The other three seemed quite rxed though. Kei walked to the ports Valthorn office and spoke to one of those present, with the heroes nearby. Alright it seems its already ready.


    They walked to a building thats arranged simr to arge bus interchange, where multiple convoys of beetles were parked. There were different tforms, each headed for a different destination. At the end were the express and charter services.


    Given the rtive safety of the central continent, my beetles took on more utility and support roles. That meant they functioned as the blood of the transportationwork, the engine that kept people and goods moving.


    Coletteughed. This is so Ghibli. Beetles as an express bus. Seriously.


    Kei somehowughed with her. I actually never thought of that.


    Whats Ghibli? Prabu asked.


    Never mind.


    The beetle convoy had 8rge carrier-beetles. They were each the size of a truck, and they had a fully furnished cabin on their backs. The smaller, regr sized beetles act as escorts and protectors, but very few bandits ever attempt a raid on the beetle convoys due to the retaliation from my constantly watching artificial minds. There are multiple artificial minds dedicated to just managing the logisticworks of beetles.


    Kei just repeated the itinerary to the 4 heroes. Freshkas quite far from here, so itll take about four days from all the way in the south. These beetles will need one stop, just to restock, but you can just chill out and wait.


    The four heroes mostly yed various games found in the cabins. The cabins each had four beds, and a living area for the passengers to rx. There was some food, mostly preserved foods, stored in little magical containers to keep them fresh for the journey. Sadly these preservation spells dontst very long so theres a need for a restocking station.


    Colette, the female archmage, was extremely interested and kept asking Kei about everything. So these things are magical fridges.


    Kei nodded. Magic solves a lot of things. Those gems emit a constant cold and freeze. They just need to be recharged before every trip. Foods prepared offsite at dedicated kitchens and just loaded onto trays.


    Its like airne food. Colette was very amused. Its so cool.


    The other archmage-hero, Prabu ate it happily. Its a little jarring, from the levels of poverty throughout the southern continents, to this.


    Kei sighed. Its not as widespread as our world. You guys are getting the best treatment, by the way. These cabins are reserved for the wealthy and nobility.


    It starts that way, right? Colette smiled. She was really young, I think she looked like shes only 20. That meant she was... 16 when she was summoned?


    Prabu on the other hand was just munching down all the snacks in the cabin. Oh god junk food. How I missed junk food. One of Kei and Stes great contributions to the economy of the Central Continent. Junk food and snacks. That meant sealed packs of dried deep fried fish skins, or potato chips, or snacks. Seriously this is good.


    We had to use magic to get some of the effects, and we are not able to truly mass produce them the way our industrial factories were able to, but every few months, our smiths and inventors made steps that took us closer to that eventuality. Our contraptions were getting more sophisticated, our machinery more robust andplex.


    Chung was always tense throughout the four days, even though he did partake in the games and the snacks. Its way too peaceful. I... Im not used to it.


    Kei shrugged. Its not a perfect ce, but I imagine this to be life under a robot overlord.


    Thats not exactly a glowing review. Chung responded.


    Kei merely smiled. The four days passed by quickly, and they were then closing in on Freshka.


    Now that they were closer, I saw their features a lot better. They still nursed scars from the battle, their healing was well done, but iplete. A lot of the subtle magical fluctuations I could not fully see through my other trees were now obvious to me.


    Their presence and auras also pressed against mine, and mine held.


    It feels kind of... stifling. Chung said, he clearly felt my presence, and I too could see through a lot of the energies that were shing. Some kind of [Damage Aura] and a type of unknown wind-like energy.


    Kei nodded. Ah. Yes. Uhm, I suggest you retract your auras if you have them.


    Prabu nodded. I dont see a need. Mine feels like it just coexisted with the presence.


    The beetles went over the outer hills of the valley and the entirety of Freshka was now in view. Arge expanse of green, with a few towers, representing the city, the School of Treeology, the Academy, and the Treetiary College. There were smaller areas, the newly setup Void school, and the expanded merchant areas. Gigantic trees were everywhere and they towered over various areas of the city.


    Freshka was now home to almost 2 million people, and it sprawled throughout the Freshkan valley. There were sectors, each meant to support the academic institutions.


    Wow. Prabu, Colette and Hafiz all went gaga for a moment. This is like the biggest city Ive seen.


    Keiughed. Its not the biggest. Some of the northern capitals arerger in terms of poption. But it is the most impressive because of the massive trees everywhere. And its not where you all are going.


    Huh?


    Were headed to the real valley. The one thats hidden. You may choose to visit the cityter. After your goal.


    The tree that held the journals waited for the next set of logs.

 Leaves out of a magical book

    Leaves out of a magical book<ul><li><b>Take a leaf out of a book</b></li></ul>


    <b>Year 183 (part 2)</b>


    The beetles stopped outside the tunnels. The ce was unassuming, but the heroes could tell the presence of my camouge and illusions abilities here.


    This looks like the perfect location for a trap. Chung said as he took in the tunnel.


    Kei nodded. That is the intention. Aeon is located somewhere thats perfectly defensible.


    Prabu just tapped Chungs shoulder. Its alright. We survived the demon kings deathbomb, we can take whatever this tree can throw at us. No need to be overly suspicious.


    Colette smiled. Lets go. I think its fine for Chung to be suspicious. We cant all fall for the same trick, right?


    Hafiz just grunted and started walking. The tunnel was rtively short for them and they were out on the other side, and in my own personal valley. The home of my giant trees, and the still burning mes of the dark mana. These days they are a lot smaller, so it''s just little embers, small mes that lit up from the branches.


    I liked the mes. It gave the valley a very unique look and feel. A burning valley, yet not hot because the heat had been transmitted outwards by my roots.


    Colettes eyes lit up. Oh this is so...


    Anyway, the journal is in one of the trees. We wont be seeing Aeon, not unless you guys want to. Kei said and led the way to the tree. The tree had a magical door, and they walked through to see the book.


    The book was arge tome, it grew slightly after Kei inserted her own memories some time ago.


    Well, its here. All you need to do is touch it and itll interact with you. Ill leave now so you can have your own time with it. The rest of the hero items are downstairs. The tree had expanded to have a few floors internally. The journal was first, the rest of the items left by the previous heroes downstairs.


    Chung held up his hand. Ill do it first.


    Prabu shook his head. No. Its clearly magical, so Ill do it. Prabu walked up and touched the journal and he just stood there.


    Prabu?


    He just froze there. Chung immediately turned to Colette. Is he alright?


    Hes alive. Colette said. Theres a lot of magic swirling inside.


    Prabu turned. I... I need a while. I need to process this. He magically moved a chair close and he just sat down, one hand on the tome. Just, uh... rx?


    Colette, Chung and Hafiz shrugged and soon settled on the chairs and cushions in the tree. The entire area was decorated like afortable library. Prabu just sat and closed his eyes. After an hour or so, he stood and turned.


    Yeah. Im alright now. You guys want to give it a shot? I need to pee now.


    What was it? Chung asked.


    Its... its like the condensed memories and personalities of the heroes before us, and their lessons. What they saw, what the gods said, what theyve seen from the demons. Its just like... a bit of everything. Even Keis in there.


    Chung nodded, and sat down where Prabu sat, and he too touched it. He froze, and sat there for an hour too. At some point his face changed to show various emotions. Like pain, like sorrow. In the end he stood.


    ...I was wrong. Ken needs to see this. Chung looked at Colette and Hafiz who were both still waiting for their turn.


    Huh. Hell of a drug for it to change your mind. Colette looked at Hafiz. You think we can both touch the book together? Doesnt make sense that only one of us can touch it at the same time.


    Hafiz just nodded in agreement. He waited for Colette, and they both pulled a chair close and touched it together.


    Chung stood, and around the same time Prabu came out of the washroom. Prabu went straight for the snack bar at the corner. How did I miss the snacks?


    Chung rolled his eyes. Seriously, Prabu. Is it time for snacks when we just saw that? He pointed at the book. Prabu snorted and started eating. Really?


    All Ive seen made it pretty clear were just pawns. May as well enjoy ourselves first. Prabu munched. And Ill start with eating snacks when I want to.


    The archer merely rolled his eyes. From here, in the tree that held the journal, I could observe and listen in to their conversations. The archer and the archmage took opposing sides of the snack-covered table. Chung just frowned. Thats a very negative way of looking at it.


    Those before us clearly thought that way, though. Prabu munched. Some of them descended into debauchery and having many lovers, perhaps as an act of vengeance.


    Chungs frown continued. Its just an excuse. The gods may have put us in a spot by giving us this shambolic hero role, but we are still responsible for our own actions.


    Not if they are clearly influencing our minds. Prabu just kept eating. Now that we can step back and reflect on what weve been doing, were pretty crazy. Young teens sent to another world on a mission to fight demons with superpowers. The way we are dedicated to that cause and kept on doing it despite the horrors weve seen, Im pretty sure the gods have a hand in it. All four of us didnt crack at the deaths or the horrors. Ive seen so many mutted body parts.


    Chung didnt seem to expect that from hispatriot..


    So the gods magical influence is clearly not just to make sure we do our job. Its probably to assist us to face the horrors of the world too. It hardened our senses, numbed us to death and gore. I mean, it does seem like the gods touch attempts to hammer these goals into our mind, and somewhat converts us into these robots. Okay, robots are a touch too strong, the gods make us obsessed with demons, and I see in our predecessors that they attempt to deal with that obsession with other obsessions and vices. I already see it in me, with snacks.


    Chung snorted. Does being an archmage make you so suddenly intelligent?


    asionally. Im pretty sure the system made me a mage because Im smarter than I look. And youre an archer because youre all tense and all that. Like a highly strung bowstring. Like, you gotta like chill, man.


    Fuck you. It got augh out of the archer.


    Im serious Chung. The demon kings dead, but with all that tension you are carrying, your muscles gonna knot itself up and choke you to death. The archmage handed him a bowl of snacks. Its deep fried crunchy leaves coated with some kind of mixture. I probably should ask Lumoof to have a bowl one of these days, so that I know what it tastes like.


    Theres always the next demon king.


    Thats like saying you statistically have a 0.0001% chance of dying when you take a bus.


    Which happened to us.


    Prabu paused and realised he seemed to have said something stupid. Youre right there.


    Chung took a bite this time, instead of abstaining. You know what, this is actually pretty good.


    I know, right. Prabu nodded.


    But seriously. We need to do something, I mean, we know the demon king can see us. They can see us once we have crossed a certain level and stuff. The demon king will be hunting us.


    We could do what Kei did. Camp here and if the demon kinges for us, blow the shit out of it and then wend the finishing blow. Prabu said. I honestly thought that was a very clever move. We engage in battle on our terms and stack the odds in our favor.


    But that means working with this... tree.


    Whats so bad about that? Were pretty much divine mercenaries. Ken seemed to think so, and now we know hes pretty much right.


    Chung paused. I should drop him a message. He activated a magical glowing ball, and spoke to it. Hey Ken. I know youre out there, but just wanted to let you know that were safe, and were on the Central Continent now. And uhm... you should get here and see this journal left by the old heroes. I think it''s quite simr to all that stuff youve been talking about, that this whole thing is a ruse.


    The ball of magic transformed into a glowing arrow with a letter wrapped on it, and the arrow just wooshed into the immaterium.


    Prabu just smirked. We should ask Kei toe in. She saw this before.


    I think we should have our own discussion first. Just four of us before we ask her toe in. She was a hero, sure, but were not sure how much her new form is subject to the control of this... tree.


    Youre implying shes not who she says she is.


    She could just be a golem of crystalbined with the copied memories of the real Kei and the real Kei is long dead and were dealing with essentially, identity theft.


    Prabu rolled his eyes. Youre sometimes just a step away from being as crazy as Ken.


    I know. We are best friends, you know.


    Seriously.


    Colette and Hafiz were done too. Colette didnt seem particrly phased, but Hafiz was straight out weeping. But they both soon collected themselves and sat with the other two heroes.


    Didnt take it very well, dude? Chung said.


    The knight or pdin, I wasnt sure what his exact subtype was, nodded. I wonder how Hafiz would stack up against Edna, and whether their powers wereparable. He let out a huge sigh. ...bad. Its so bad.


    Colette could still smile though. Felt like I was in a movie, you know, like watching their lives sh by before me. I found it rather sweet that they took the effort to make this memento for us who came after them. Its a really good idea.


    Chung then asked. Alright. Important question. Did you share your memories with the book?.


    Hafiz, Prabu and Colette nodded. Chung frowned. I didnt.


    Prabu thought for a moment. Its okay. Not everyone should share, actually. Itll be a good thing to test whether this will have drawbacks.


    Chung nodded. Exactly. Youre not stupid after all.


    Prabu materialised a wooden staff and attempted to bonk Chung on the head. He blocked it with a wooden te.


    The female archmage took a bite. Alright. I feel we all need some time to digest what we saw today. So, lets just go check out the previous heroes items instead. Its just downstairs.


    They all nodded.


    -


    Nothing much happened when they went downstairs. They were rather fascinated with the Harris era items due to the summon-mechanics it employed, and Keis tower-mechanics.


    Were like vani heroes. Prabuined. Two archmages, a knight and an archer. Seriously.


    Were missing a healer though. Chung responded.


    Colette frowned. I feel like Im missing some context about all these game stuff you guys speak of.


    Its just game-sses. Prabu said. Kinda like traditional RPGs.


    She frowned. Traditional RPGS are weird. I only yed a few mobile MOBAs, and they dont split sses this way.


    Prabu paused. Thats actually a good point. Guess this world gods are like from the older generation where their rules are more 3E than mobage.


    They didnt take anything. Not yet, anyway. They wanted to think about it a bit more, and the rules left by the previous heroes required them to essentially exchange their own hero made items, or add their own, before they can take those made by the prior heroes.


    -


    They returned to Freshka where Kei ced them in a nice inn. When it waste at night, Chung snuck out alone. Prabu and Colette slept, while Hafiz walked the city alone.


    I followed them, of course. Chung ran all the way to an open field outside Freshka, where theres nothing but shrubs. Then he activated a set of skills, and then, activated a magical glowing ball, again.


    Ken, you there? He asked softly. He had a magical bubble that protected himself.


    ...are you really safe? A voice was on the other side this time. Ken. I could still listen in, after all there were shrubs and grass all around, and he neglected to cover the ground. Yeah. Its... its quite safe here. No, its so safe, it''s jarring whenpared to what weve seen the past few years.


    Hmmm. So, that book that you saw, I should see it?


    I think so. Its simr to what you talked about. I mean, they dont have your angle to it, but I think, I think their perspective would be valuable.


    Think I can sneak in?


    With the right spells, probably. Ill make a hero item with a marker so you can find it.


    I see. Got it. How are the others doing?


    As you expected, theyre taking this way too easy. No, actually, Im even surprised at how easily I am epting all this.


    I knew those guys werent entirely honest with us. Who the fuck gets outworlders to do their dirty work if they have nothing to hide. If they are gods, they should have tonnes of entirely gullible followers to manipte, so it didnt make sense at all why they needed us.


    Chung just nodded quietly. Where are you?


    You know I wont answer that.


    That book says that the demon king can sense our star mana. When our levels cross Level 100, the demon king could probably sniff us out.


    I suspected that. The heroes and demons are opposite prities of a ma meant to collide. They must collide or they will mess things up.


    Chung sighed. So what do we do? After I saw that book, Im convinced you are right, but I dont see a way out of us. Not without dying. It says something that all previous heroes die, and I think were meant to die.


    Were designed to die. Were essentially disposable band aids. I feel we have two ideas if we dont want to die.


    Which is? Get stronger and defeat the demon kings consistently? Chung stated the obvious.


    No. We know the gods tell us that the demon king changes every time, and so, each demon king will stack against us differently. I feel, we should figure out a way to trick the gods to summon more heroes.


    By letting them think we are dead? Chung paused. You mean like Kei?


    The golem? Thats not my ideal result, honestly. I would like to keep my powers, not just retain a fragment of memories in some other form. Ken responded on the other side. Weve got slightly less than 10 years to prepare, and personally, I want to know whether we can run away. If we do, or somehow vanish from the eyes of the gods, do the gods summon new ones?


    Chung looked around. Its dark in the middle of the night, but hes well covered with a heavy cloak. The wind was strong, but it didnt affect him all that much. Huh. Want me to look out for it?


    Im a mage too. Ill figure it out.


    You dont have to do this alone, you know. Chung said.


    I know, but I want some independence to pursue slightly more... unconventional ideas.


    Blood magic?


    Maybe. Ill let you know.


    -


    Freshka. The heroes walked around and explored the city, and noted the presence of strangely modern facilities. Of all the cities on the central continent, Freshka is the most magically-modern. There are magical equivalents of mostmon machines, like fridge, magical wagons and trains, magical lifts, with a healthy dose of trees between everything.


    Kei walked with them.


    Theres a theatre! Colettes eyes immediately homed in. What do they y? Anything from our world?


    Kei shook her head. Nah. The lords and nobles of this world love political drama, so the theatres here are more like episodic sis. The noblese to watch the writers of the imaginary story of nobility go through the challenges of life.


    Seriously. Colette frowned.


    The paying group are mostly wealthy nobles, and they have huge egos so they love stories about them, even if indirectly. Theatre is something enjoyed by the elites, not the masses.


    Colette stomped her feet. Things like this really reminded me how horrible this world is.


    The other three boys chuckled.


    -


    Kei brought them to one of the Valthorn-maintained segments of Freshka. She knocked, and led them to one of the houses that very much resembled a modern home.


    They saw a middle ageddy sitting on the table.


    Astia, these are the heroes. Kei said to Ste. Heroes, this is Astia, shes from earth too, but, as an ident.


    An... ident?


    They met, and Ste gave a brief overview of how the ident happened. At this point, Kei is also aware of the Frozen Tree, but not aware of Arias true nature as another ident. Edna and Lumoof wisely kept their mouths shut about Aria and Aispeng. The discussion between the heroes and Ste was polite, and didnt touch on much. Ste did not mention her nature as a void archmage either, perhaps she thought they would have known, if they made any research.


    Well. At this point, this is it. Kei said.


    What do you mean?


    Ive brought you here, and introduced the surviving outworlders to you.


    You wont introduce us to the tree? Chung wondered.


    Kei paused. You want to meet the tree? I mean... I could ask, but...


    Chung paused and looked at the other three heroes, they shrugged. Prabu paused and then asked. Actually, we were wondering whether we could somehow cook up an arrangement like you.


    Me? Kei responded.


    No. I mean your strategy of softening the demon king with traps and bombs. Thats smart stuff.


    It worked because we could detect and pinpoint the exact location on the central continent. If the next demon king doesnt appear on the central continent, that would not be possible. Kei said frankly.


    This detection ability, is it something that can be shared? Is it an artifact or a tool? The archer asked.


    Im not sure, but my gut feel its something like Aeons own sense. If it is his senses, then it wouldnt work outside of the continent.


    Unless we move him to another continent. Prabu said, and I mentally flinched at the idea.

 Seeding the Fields

    Seeding the Fields


    <strong>Year 184</strong>


    The heroes eventually left, well, they split up, really. Prabu, Colette and Hafiz decided to travel to the northern inds, and they wanted to do a world tour, at least before the next demon kinges along. So, a few middle-ranked Valthorns, in the level 60s were assigned to just bring them to the sights of the Central Continent.


    Like Keis battlefield, and the Rottends. And some other stuff like volcanoes, some beautiful beaches and reefs. But not in Reefy''s area. That was a no go. I did not want Reefy and the heroes to ever meet. Not now, not yet. Not when Reefys still generally murderous.


    The archer hero, on the other hand, took a ship back to the Southern Continent. It seemed that he had other ns, and it involved some magical preparations.


    Throughout the entire thing, it seemed they remained oblivious of my ability to see them even from this distance, these days I feel thats truly my superpower. The ability of a massive hive-mind of trees to watch the entire continent at once, so long as there is a tree or a grass or a bush present.


    The two archmages however, were not exactly just having a holiday. They were brainstorming for some kind of an idea.


    Look, from what we see in the heroes memories, theres clearly merit for preparations. All the heroes that fail do not prepare all that much. We must over prepare for the next demon king, even if its skillsets are different. So, I propose to build a super flexible arsenal. Prabu spoke one day while they were touring the northern shores. They would sail to the other continent soon.


    Alright, Im interested, go for it. Colette said. What do you have in mind?


    The demon kings have as many shots as they want at us, and they just need to get us one time to win. The demons bring an adapted arsenal each time, each more honed and better at killing us.


    Colette frowned. Alright spit it out. Hafiz clearly nodded at the other archmages words.


    Prabu simted some kind of global map. We be weaker over time, especially during a battle with the demon king. We also dont know where the demon king will appear. So, my idea is, we need to have small recharging bases everywhere. ces where we can run to instantly restore our health, our star mana, and also equip ourselves with powerful gear. We need to build mini-mechas for ourselves, with different weapon loads.


    And this will help us when were outssed by the demon king?


    Itll make us more durable, and we can fight longer. Our levels are the main thing that we have that gives us a chance to survive. If we can gain more levels, we can live.


    Were still pretty soft. Hafiz said. Weve seen how it took two shields to protect ourselves.


    Our hero items, for example, amplify our powers and make us stronger, and yet, our [hero forge] has odd limits. Like the size of our items, and the nature of powers that we can infuse into it, and how many functions.


    And? Colette was impatient.


    We need to find allies who can help us make superweapons. I was really tempted to tell them Im trying to do that too. But I suppose this is like being one of those old farts in a really bigpany watching a young one join thepany and try to do something theyve tried doing a long time ago.


    At some point, Ill probably lose track of all their names too. Especially when the names start repeating, because its inevitable after so many generations that these hero names will start repeating. Maybe Ill get a Tiffany, or a Kayson, or a Rei. And maybe a Mambo Number 5. This is part of aging right? As a tree everyone and everything starts repeating itself like the seasons going through its regr cycles.


    Even the heroes are starting to feel same-ish. Like they start to fall into these tropes of the friendly one, the resisting one, the crazy one... Just rehash and remixed versions of the same few underlyingponents, at different ratios. The schemes too feel simr, and feel like something Im trying to do too. Like, the whole superweapons idea is essentially my own mini-nuclear crystals.


    -


    > How do you deal with it, for things to feel like everything''s meant to repeat itself? < I didnt know why that made me talk to Lilies, but I suppose, its life. Despite me, trying to hold on to life and meaning, I am cursed to watch things repeat. Because it is just how it is.


    I even feel like I had this question before.


    > Thats shit. < I mentally sighed. It tends to result in my branches and leaves swaying in the sighing motion. Even heroes with their unique powers eventually fall into types, and I wonder if I''m like a voracious light novel reader at the tail end of my journey, feeling like everything has been done before and nothing is fresh.


    > A little bit. < I responded. I tried to remember that life has meaning, even if its been done before. So what if all these people try to do the same thing? If it works, it works. Must every new hero attempt to change all norms? No. If the heroes want to try something that may work, then they should. Just because those before failed doesnt mean they cant seed.


    Im at a different level now, and my powers to push the arc of the world grows with each level. If the heroes want a way to sufficiently deter the demon king, I should assist them.


    > Do you bother doing the right thing? <


    Lilies responded.


    > At our levels of power, can we not resist? <


    > if you put it that way, why bother doing anything? <


    > I certainly dont see you as one of whims and fancies. <


    Huh, so each of Lilies is a hivemind of different feelings.


    That was a long one from Lilies.


    This feeling of sameness. Its the forces of inertia trying to exert itself on me? Wait. How did I even get to this point?


    I felt like mentally pping myself. Patreeck, can you check whether Im alright? Any gods trying to meddle with me.


    No, master.


    Strange. Why am I thinking such weird thoughts?


    -


    The heroes clearly tried, and Kei volunteered to approach the local Valthorns authority for some building permissions for the heroes bases-all-over-the-world n.


    So youre essentially nning to leave some kind of hero item in these locations? The Valthorns asked Kei.


    Yes.


    Thats a strategic risk for us. What if they turn against us, or other heroes not aligned to us activate these hero items and destroy whatever thats around us? What if they use these locations as waypoints for their teleportations?


    They didnt do that with existing hero items.


    But these structures can be activated from afar? Lady Kei, you know very well that this is a strategic risk. Themittee will not approve this, and you will have to go to Aeon to get dispensation.


    But the heroes...


    This is something Aeon and the high council must decide. The Valthorn officials responded. Matters of strategic risk cannot be decided by provincial officials.


    Bureaucracy permeated the entire central continent, overseen centrally by my council and senior leaders. My artificial minds generally oversee the bureaucracy, though they are more concerned with threats, internal corruption and dissent. Then I will have to go to meet Aeon? But the heroes are leaving soon!


    They can return once approval is obtained.


    -


    My artificial minds helped to track the expected timeline of the next demon king. It was rtively easy to do, now that my ability to view the astral star-ways meant the timing was super clear. I could see theme, literally. They are at least seven to eight years away. Thats good. The heroes still have a lot of time for their plots.


    -


    Ardi, Lausannes human husband, passed away from old age. He lived a long life for a human, about a hundred years, and already his lifespan was extended by his levels. He was in the early Level 60s. Perhaps he wouldve lived a few more decades if he reached Level 80s.


    They held a small funeral for him in Freshka, where his body was buried in ordance to a simplified version of Hawas death ceremony. In the recent,ter years of his life, his age really showed, unlike Lausanne, who was a pure blooded elf. Lausanne even today looked only a little bit older than the day she left on her big journey around the world.


    Arlisa and Lauda too returned to see their father. Laufen, as the mother-inw, also attended the funeral. About a week after, Laufen sat down with Lausanne. Do you regret it?


    Lausanne sipped her tea. I dont know yet. I remember telling you I wouldnt, but now that it happened, Im not so sure.


    Laufen merely held her daughters hand. The thing about us elves, is that when our children marry someone not as long lived as us, we will often witness the aging and death of our great-grandchildren. Like Arlisa and Lauda, as half elves they will live much longer lives, but eventually, they will die before we do. It is a very sad thing to witness our childrens children and their children leave before we do.


    Lausanne just sat quietly, as she digested the gravity of the truth.


    But I believed in the beauty of the moment. Its something humans and those with shorter lives like the lizard people are incredible at. Their ability to throw caution to the winds and just be at the moment. Us elves and the treefolks too, have a distorted sense of time, and we worry too much about the future.


    ...yeah.


    So, go spend time with Arlisa and Lauda. Laufen smiled. Lauda did not inherit her mothers love for spearbat. Instead, he was more of an academic, and reminded me of Roma, whos now a senior executive at one of the central continents many tradingpanies. He hated her moms dungeon expeditions, and preferred more leisurely pursuits like writing, and arts. Preferably not both together.


    The two siblings, born so many years apart, did not see quite eye to eye. They were born in different times, and with different expectations. Lausanne at one point was rather stressed that she was one of the strongest in Freshka, but now, I had Edna, Lumoof and many others who are now stronger.


    Perhaps, it was the weight of duty, that as one of the strongest, she felt, even if a tiny bit, responsible to this nation that I built, and not free to live the life she wanted. In a sense, I believe I neglected what they wanted personally. That weight lifted, Lauda was able to grow up with a more confident, less stressed mother, and that too, reflected in how rxed Laudas disposition was,pared to Arlisa who was confused, easily stressed, despite her natural talents.


    Training people is really a gamble. They dont always turn out the way you want them to, and they often have ns on their own. This is something I concluded, and so the way I could maintain a steady talent pool, was to expand the talent pool, and keep looking. People like Edna, or Lumoof, young or old, so long as they had the drive and the spark, I was willing to give them a shot.


    Because Ive seen many talents fizzle out after a good early run. Lumoof, as an example, was one of those old guys who had a second wind. Now hes the 2nd strongest. Life was strange, and a lot of it required opportunity, drive, motivation, and the right mindset, at the correct time. Some of these talents had to be given time to stabilise, to mature on their own before they are ready to be pushed further.


    Its a numbers game, and also about spotting them as they rise up.


    Talent was something Freshka was dedicated to training. It was why I wanted all these different academies, to train different people for different things.


    But like Arlisa, it was also important to acknowledge those who had all the talent, were spotted and quickly groomed, but then just fizzled out.


    Some are like that. Perhaps something sniffed out the fire in them. Perhaps thefy environment of the academies stifled them. That they needed to be out alone, struggling against the world to seed. People who seem to have simr circumstances can perform wildly differently.


    Despite that, I still saw the merit of having a robust talent-collectionwork. One Edna or Lumoof easily outweighs the cost of training 100,000 students who never get there. In truth, about 50-55% would end up as above average individuals in the level 50s to 60s. About 30-45% would drop out, usually teauing at about level 40s, and a smaller 2-5% would rise up to about Level 80s. This is despite these individuals already pre-selected for some talent. This also took years, especially with the 50-55% bunch. They worked hard, and had some talent, and yet the journey remained tough.


    Throughout the Central continent we have multiple smaller academy towns. Feeder schools to train even younger kids in just basics, and rmend anyone with an iota of talent for further development. With the rtive safety and prosperity of the central continent, especially in the past few decades, we noticed a subtle but soon noticeable decline in young children, and more young children pursuing more trade and mercantile exploits.


    As quality of life improved, it seemed that families were also getting smaller. I thought this was just a modern world phenomenon, but it seemed even in a world like this, generally improvements in living standards did lead to decline in childbirth. Which is extremely strange, and I needed to investigate more.


    There are clearly better facilities to support young children, and there are centrally funded nurseries and creches. And yet, families are just getting smaller.


    <strong>Year 185</strong>


    Ive got bad news, and good news. Bad news first. Ste said, concluding her years of experimentation into the [Tainted Demon Core]. That Tainted Demon Core you got, Im very very sure its busted. Its damaged and cannot be repaired, not with my level of ability. Not without causing a detonation. After multiple tests, Im sure whatever caused it is due to damage from an unwanted interaction with star mana. There were few really convincing scars throughout the core.


    I mean, its not the first time she told me its busted, but I requested that she did tests to be absolutely sure. It took a lot of time, of course, and I had to assist her over the past few years with the hybrid-mana and supplied tiny bits of star mana..


    So, we have a dud. Confirmed. Now, the good news,, from what I saw and can reasonably conclude, your idea that the Demon Core is a portal generator is very likely to be correct. From the internal structure and the design, Im now about 90% sure the Demon Core is a massive shielded void battery and portal key. There are some undamagedponent elements of it that responded so naturally with void mana, and there were magical pathways that tried to ess some records or pathways in an inbuilt library thats unfortunately mostly damaged.


    That exined the sensation that the Tainted Demon Core wanted to do something, like starting aputer that had some hardware failure. It was essing the still functional parts of the Demon Core, but unable to fullyplete its startup.


    Ste, of course, knew I had earthly memories by now.


    Its pretty much like a starships hyperspace reactor, ster map and guidance module rolled into one.


    Alright. Very sure its star mana damage?


    99%. Ste said.


    So, if I want the demons way of sending someone like the demon king over, Ill need to kill a demon king without using any star mana.


    Well... whether the demon king is alive or dead doesnt really matter, isnt it?


    .

 Northern Pre-infestreetions

    Northern Pre-infestreetions


    <b>Year 186</b>


    We hear stories of the heroespleting their tour of the northern inds. They spent close to half a year visiting various kingdoms and cities, and apparently created some defensive devices too. Then came the stories about assassins.


    The heroes were attacked by assassins armed with hero-items. This wasnt in any of the official channels, but it was clearly noticed by my Valthornswork of spies.


    So much so that one of the top spymasters came to me with a request to send more people to the North.


    You have the floor, Master Intip.


    The North has been one of the more difficult ces to crack. The natural archipgo means news travels slower via conventional means, and magical messages are often disturbed by the magical winds.


    We face those challenges elsewhere. Lumoof responded. Certainly, inds, and magical disturbances are not exactly umon.


    Indeed. But were facing assassins. Already ten of our informants have been killed, and our own agents are on the run. We need high tier individuals in the North, not just the regr rank and file in the level 30s to 50s.


    At this point I asked. Do we not have higher level spies?


    Spies are essentially a thief and an informant. Their sses are fundamentally criminal in nature. The spies we have essentially recruited from the noble sses, who traditionally served their lords to spy on their neighbours. Internal disputes between my vassals, essentially. They die quickly, and often, so the good ones dontst very long. This was a w, clearly. I did not realise that my dependence on my trees as my main intelligencework meant there was no real program to develop my espionage and spy forces, even if I could grant them higher-ranked sses, they still need opportunity, and challenges.


    But its toote. Ill have to fix it for future conflicts. Alright, so what do we do now.


    We can send our higher levelled Valthorns in. Those in their early level 50s, and train them in some spy-skills. Master Intip proposed. This would give our spies thebatpetence needed if theres a fight with whoevers killing our informants.


    Edna paused. These... assassins, are they rted to the Laenza?


    Kei, who happened to be in the meeting, When I was there I encountered and engaged the services of another organisation. The Rosewood Alliance.


    Master Intip nodded. The Rosewoods are one of my primary suspects, but we are still attempting to establish a motive. Theyve used to work with us, at least, on a lower level, but something has changed recently, and theyve refused to talk. Those that we captured didnt say much, except they wont work with us.


    Any suspicions?


    Kei paused. Is it because of the heroes? At that point, Kei repeated what her experience was, and what she said to the Rosewoods.


    The spymaster clearly nodded. I suspected it had something to do with our earlier mission, but we were not aware of the contents of that conversation. Its clearly something that should have been shared a lot earlier. The spymaster red at Kei and Kei shifted ufortably.


    It seemed they already knew its us, then, and also had something to do with the heroes. How does this tie in with the assassination attempts on the heroes? How did these group of assassins have hero-items, and what are their motives?


    My sources im it is an ancient feud, they are a cult of demonic worshippers that attempts to harness the demons powers to bring salvation.


    That sounds really familiar.


    They are often mixed with those who used blood magic, but a few decades ago those who used blood magic separated from them, and theyve pretty much disappeared for a while. But few know the truth.


    Edna frowned. If they have hero items they can threaten any of us. These hero items are not so easily found, so how did they get their hands on it?


    And hero items are all really bulky if they need to be recharged.


    This doesnt make sense. Lumoof repeated. If their goal was to annihte the heroes all along, Alvin was there right for the picking.


    Edna jumped it. Its possible that theres another group, these Rosewoods who are working against them. These two forces are battling it out in the dark.


    Lady Edna, are you specting that the Rosewoods consider us aligned to these... hero-hunters?


    Possibly, but our past action of healing Alvin should clearly suggest we are not affiliated.


    At this point I jumped in. Theres also the Laenza... whats going on with that? How many parties are at y here?


    The Laenza are more of a loose alliance of hero-friends, but there are bad elements whove infiltrated them who are from these hero-hunters. Our spymaster exined. They used to be more of a supporting cast, hoping to ally with the heroes for benefits should they survive, but theyve weakened considerably after some bad bets.


    One of the Lords stepped in. Alright, the Northern Inds are a collection of small nations, thergest of them hold the biggest inds. Are they all pro-heroes?


    No. Some of them are outright anti-heroes despite being part of the 4 temples. Theres an odd rtionship where the temples tolerate their heretical behavior.


    And how do they get away with it?


    They justify it politically. That its not a religious disagreement, but a political one. That they disagree on heroes on political principles.


    That kind of shit gets epted?


    The ways the 4 temples blend propaganda, rhetoric and the twisting of words is quite an artform. The spymastermented.


    Lumoof actuallyughed. To be fair, as religious leaders, we are often asked to take sides on political matters. So many of the kingdoms and vassals of Aeon had asked for special status and recognition in the name of faith.


    Alright, so what now? We need more resources in the North, correct? More firepower. But that doesnt solve our problem ofcking information and losing ourwork. Having the swords to back up our people is one thing, but these people were there for decades. One of the Lords brought the conversation back on topic.


    Indeed. But it is the best we can offer at the moment. It is also a risk, because with hero-items on the table, it is possible that these hero hunters may use them on us if they feel sufficiently threatened.


    Wait, wait. Lets take a step back. What are we trying to achieve in the North?


    Build awork of informants, in order to have valuable military and hero-rted information. Keep ourselves informed on their movements, so that we can prepare for any unusual movements.


    Was this really necessary?


    -


    Aria. I activated the ice mirror that linked me with Aria. Lumoof was present, so that I could speak through him normally. Do you have informants in the North?


    Nope. Im a hermit, remember? All I do is hide in my part of the world.


    Ah. I had hoped they had informants in the North, given her general proximity.


    -


    > Only the tales of merchants and adventurers. <


    Ah. Another rejected one.


    -


    Is spying really the only way to gain information?


    Are there any nations in the north, with proper diplomatic rtions that we can contact? That can act as our informant of the north?


    Surely there are magical solutions to this, perhaps magical farsight or something to that effect? My mages quicklymented, yes, there are such spells to allow remote-viewing, but they are costly and require more mana than normal.


    This led me back to my earlier research on ocean-crossing roots. Previously I had limitations, in that my trees had to surface at certain distances. Given that there are vast swaths of oceans where theres absolutely nond, this made this method unrealistic.


    Next, was the idea with Ste, for a permanent portal. That meant opening a portal linking my continent and the North, and then, through that permanent portal, extend my trees to the north.


    Ste posited it is not yet possible, since she would still have to close the portal, and that meantrge segments of my trees would be disconnected from thework. Was this really a solution, or just a stop-gap?


    So, why do you want to open a portal there?


    Spread my trees? Having my trees there means I can ess the magical energies there. I answered, ignoring that trees also extend my vision and intelligencework.


    Do you have some kind of magical feeler?


    Yes, pretty much. I wasnt lying. My magicalbs are essentially magic sensors.


    Why not test it out? Ste proposed and so she opened a magical portal, with the assistance of other young [void mages]. My roots went through it, and I could see a new ce. I felt the cold, and my trees felt the chill too. A familiar sensation.


    Cold. I quickly spawned more trees, and Ste watched more trees appear along the path of my roots. The portal opened somewhere in thergest ind in the north, but even so, the overall poption of the inds tends to cluster around the coasts.


    I didnt know where I was rtively speaking. The portal just opened somewhere in the proximity of the northern inds, but I just kept expanding.


    Alright, close the portal.


    The portal closed and it severed my roots. I instantly felt the loss of those new trees on the other side. It hurts.


    Losing trees hurts. Ah. Open it up again.


    Patreeck immediately shielded me from the cries and sorrow from my other trees. It seemed that even till now, I am vulnerable to the sensations felt by my trees.


    Ste nodded and opened it up again. I sent my roots over, and didnt find the trees.


    Hmmm... it seemed that my portal drifted and did not open in the same ce. Ste mused and the other void mages joined in.


    Thats not good.


    Unless we have something like a beacon, it may be hard to lock the portal to a specific location. Void magic is inherently vtile like that, but the portal will hold.


    Cant you open a normal portal?


    I only have void mana, youll have to get someone else to do it.


    Ah. I gathered the archmages, and theymented that maintaining a long term portal would drain huge amounts of mana, so its not feasible for them. Surely if Ste can do it, you guys can open a portal too?


    Well, it will consume more mana and will transmit our presence to the whole world.


    Oh. Thats a distinction between a normal magic portal and a void magic portal! Void magic is imperceptible to others. Which, then Ste quickly debunked.


    Not exactly. I can sense the use of void magic by my students. If Im not wrong, if theres someone who could use void magic, they would sense my portal on the other side. After all, Im doing the magical equivalent of connecting to points through the void-space.


    Huh. So no one uses portals to invade because using portals is like telling the whole world Im here. But how does a portal differ from a teleport spell? I mean, it looks like there is, but is there?


    A portal is a folding of space. A teleport is a folding of self into a shell, and then sent through space. Theres a distinction in the execution of the spell. An archmage exined. Taking this concept, do the demons open a portal through the rifts, or are they teleporting to our world?


    A portal for sure. Those rifts are portals.


    If the demons can do it, why cant we?


    We dont have their level of magical understanding. Ste said. Shes been levelling up since her limiter was cleared, and now she is approaching level 110s. I gave her special permission to join the Valthorns in the level 120 dungeon raids, to help her level up.


    Alright, okay. Can we apply the teleport concept to travelling through worlds?


    Ste nodded. Im not opening a portal when I travel through worlds. Im only floating through it on a little ship. But I cant remotely send someone on my ship, when Im not on it.


    Unless we teach everyone to be a void mage.


    Well, yes.


    -


    Alka, my field scientist, wanted to experiment on the star-mana and void-mana interactions. Of course, the idea is simply to replicate the mechanics of the demon kings deathbomb. Alka, being more of a generic mage, had to spend a lot of time figuring out how the demon kings tainted core worked.


    He had to make smaller experiments first, in an attempt to understand the concepts used in the massive tainted demon core. Not all of it was relevant, after all, if Stes understanding is correct, this core is mainly a battery, and also a world-portal. Were trying to understand how it reacted with star mana, which is not part of its original design.


    Or is it? Im not exactly sure whether the demons are that deliberate in the way they engineered the demon core, such that they blow up on exposure with sufficient umted star mana.


    If this core is designed to blow if star mana hit it, then wouldnt it be possible to just hit it with star mana, cause it to blow up, and take down the demon king with it? We saw from our own earlier battle that the demon core is hidden somewhere, and has a threshold it hits before it blows. It can endure a certain number of star mana before exploding.


    Or the demon kings own energy regtes and suppresses the core from blowing up. Kei retorted. If so, the idea of extracting a demon kings core is probably futile because it will blow up once taken out of its suppressed state.


    With no one to ask, and no clear understanding of how the entire core worked, its a risk we would have to take when that dayes. For now Alka kept experimenting. Hopefully, with the additional knowledge, we could figure out whether it can be safely extracted.


    His experiments, as always, caused explosions of various sizes. Explosions are good, after all, this entire research is about making better bombs.


    It built on years and years of continuous experiments, even when I wasnt particrly paying attention, and he came up with bigger stuff. Bigger, stronger bombs by weaving magic a little tighter, timing them a little closer, and using improved amplification spells and designs. A long process of small incremental changes.


    Void magic and the interactions with star mana offered a chance for a quantum leap. The change when man moved from conventional explosives to nuclear bombs.


    Alkas initial experiments, though, somehow scared him. The way star mana and void mana interacted was just naturally explosive, and there was something exponential at work, even if we didnt understand it.


    This may destroy the world. Alka privately ryed his worries. We should never get to that point. Alkas calctions, at least based on our data points, that amount was significantly higher than what we or what we think the heroes are likely to have, but we dont know whats the upper limit of the heroes.


    But they could achieve it. The heroes, and the right amount of void mana could pretty much destroy the entire world. I would not ask you to get there. Our goal is to end the cycle, not end the world.


    Alka nodded, and went back to his experiments, but Patreeck mentioned concerns of his mental state, as he walked ever deeper into more and moreplex magic.


    -


    Back on topic on the Northern Inds.


    So what do we do? One of the lordsined of the sixth meeting about the north. Weve had so many meetings, and no conclusion. Are we sending muscle, or are we not sending muscle?


    I thought we already established we are going to send, but we are now trying to figure out how to avoid hero items being used against us? Another one responded.


    The spymaster shrugged. The hero item is essentially a great leveller for the north. On the Central Continent we can count on Aeons overwhelming power to offset the hero items advantage.


    I could open portals, but already, I could sense my power projection is not great. The portals did not transmit power very well, quite unlike the demonic rifts.


    There clearly was a qualitative difference in the demonic rifts and the portals. Why did the rifts allow me to transfer or project power to an entire world with just a small loss, but the portals imposed greater power-loss via transmission? Was it a quality of the portals, that they had lower throughput?


    I brought up this issue to the group, and Ste, surprisingly, nodded. I think its just the size of the pipe. As you know, portals cost mana to maintain, and the more power you push through the portal, itll also cost mana. Just as how it cost a lot of mana for me to send Lumoof to the other side. I believe the same is with the portals.


    So if you open a full-powered portal, I could increase the power output on the other side?


    Theoretically yes. A test soon proved it to be true, he felt the trees on the other side gain strength they didnt have, but again, the portalsted two hour before closing, and fully consuming the mana of all the gathered void mages.


    Instead of using the portals, I thought about Lumoof. Lumoof was my avatar and my link of power through him is linked in the system. Could he function as a conduit? A wireless connection?


    So, I summoned him, and sent him through a portal. Thankfully, its still within the same world so the spell didnt cost all of their void mana. Then, I activated the active avatar state.


    At that moment, Lumoof, who was alone in the middle of nowhere, glowed, and then he levitated, and a magical frame resembling a tree appeared around him. The roots of the magical tree embedded itself into the ground.


    I am now in the North.


    Lumoof could only enter into this state a third of the time, the rest of the time he would have to rest, but between Lumoofs self and the portals, I could theoretically use Lumoof as an anchor to send more people through, especially inbination with my Vine-Ropeway Network which allows me to send anything between two connected trees.


    Aeon, with this, you could theoretically invade any of the other continents? Lumoof mentally pinged, in this state our conversations are through our shared mind.


    Indeed, but doing so means you are disabled and are locked into this tree form. It is less useful than your normal form.


    I certainly dont see it that way. We could use it on other worlds too, and expand your trees reach there.


    Indeed. Lumoof would be the key in any demon world invasion, such that I do not have to fear the copse of any portals.


    Ah. Back to the meeting.


    Send the muscles. You will have reinforcements. I dered to the group. Lumoof is already in the North, and through him, my presence will be there.


    We will focus on those ns some other day, but for now, its time to crack the North.


    After decades of being locked to the Central Continent, it was time to make full use of my avatar, and infest the North with my trees.

 Treeatise of Aiva

    Treeatise of Aiva


    <b>Year 187</b>


    The north was a chain of inds, but that honestly didnt stop me. It seemed that no one sensed Lumoofs presence, well, except Aria and Aispeng.


    Youre in the Northern Isles? They asked through the mirror.


    Yes, through my avatar. My trees gradually expanded, and I added artificial minds to support the amount of monitoring.


    Here, I detected a second barrier or bottleneck.


    There was a limit of how much information that Lumoof can send and process. Its still a decently high limit, we could simultaneously look at about 20 ces, and I couldnt switch views instantly. That meant there was still value in having a real root connection. Somehow, all of this information flowed through Lumoof, and it taxed his mental capacity heavily, even with the assistance of the extra minds.


    A person, even if he was a high leveled avatar, was not meant to be full on god mode.


    My trees spread discreetly, they adapted to the appearance of the local flora and my trees spread quickly. At first, a lot of it was just pointless chatter. We had to filter that out. It upied too much of Lumoofs brain-time.


    I tried creating an artificial soul there, through Lumoof, but I couldnt send the souls I gathered here to Lumoof. That said, Lumoof was in fact, a portable soul collection machine with the avatar ability. This meant, if he fought with the heroes, he could actually facilitate the gathering of Titan Souls!


    Yay! Hes like a massive soul vacuum cleaner, and hes collecting the north.


    Come to think of it, do you collect souls? I asked Aria and Aispeng. After all they are spirits in their own way.


    No. Not our department. Aria responded.


    Then where did all the souls in the North go? Surely they must go somewhere, or do they drift along?


    I tried using my soul powers to interrogate the collected souls. This power was rarely used because when I could see and eavesdrop on almost the entire continent, that was a much more reliable information source than interrogating the dead with their iplete memories due to death. After all, iplete information without context can be dangerous.


    Still, in the north, I needed to quickly gather information, and soon I chanced upon the dead souls of two operatives.


    Kill. Hero.


    Why?


    Hero. Enemy. Mission. Rewards. Dead.


    So theres a reward if the hero dies? What kind of reward?


    Big money. Levels. Special. ss. A special ss for those who killed heroes? That actually makes sense. Power. Immortality.


    Thats awfully vague. Lumoof remarked mentally, as he too was a participant in my interrogation of the dead. Even if they had pointed us in a direction.


    I faintly recall killing heroes results in a curse. But only if they were killed before their designated demon king perished. Thus, for this generation, they are all targets.


    That is probably also true, but worth it. Given the risks, the rewards should be fairly good.


    If so, surely there must have been sessful hero-killers in the past. If there were, they managed to hide themselves from the historical records avable to us.


    But then again, why do I need records when I have Lillies and Aria? I quickly asked the two about whether they know of the hero killers. It was a no from both of them. Liliesmented that they have never met hero killers.


    Hmm. Surely there are people who killed heroes, even if entirely by ident? It cant be that the heroes are so lucky, right?


    Or they are.


    Its not easy to kill heroes, though. Kei frowned. Were pretty tough once we hit level 100. We get all sorts of natural defensive perks and most of us have abilities to ignore low-level damage. Were also usually immune to one or two elemental types which we are aligned to, and we get most status effects negated.


    Most. I wondered. Its possible for a hexbomb to kill you.


    Kei shifted ufortably. Well, yes. A hexbomb would be bad. Wait. Are you saying theres a plot to use hexbombs to kill the heroes? We need to warn them! They may not be aware of hexbombs!


    Im sure they are. Theyve seen the journals, no? I retorted. Harriss generation faced hexbombs and a world riddled with hexbombs as a demon-champion countermeasure. Were lucky those days are over.


    -


    The first of the Aiva Triumvirate arrived via ship. They were led by one of the Triumvirs, Grandmaster Engka, and they came in one of the finest ships weve ever seen. A beautiful warship of a glistening paint of gold and bronze, and loaded with magical enchantments. Apanied by a small delegation of Aivan Temrs, his arrival was a secret, of course, but everyone noticed the presence of a warship like that.


    Not a hero-item, but very high quality as they go. Its been in their care for centuries, and painstakingly maintained, even if their craftsmen and ship workers couldnt quite repeat the mastery of the ancient times. Lausanne exined her experience, and she was one of those tasked to greet the Triumvir.


    The ship was parked in one of therger port cities on the Eastern coast. Nice to meet you again, Lady Lausanne. Engka gave a small nod as he stepped off. It seemed that Aeon truly meant business.


    Lausanne didnt quite smile, Its been a while indeed, though I must admit I epted this assignment at great reluctance.. Allow me to introduce the officer in charge of the escort.


    Engkaughed. Still bearing old grudges I see. There was something faintly divine in his presence. To my spirit sight, it seemed like theres something else swirling with him.


    This is Lord Johann. The master ranger in charge of your security. Lausanne introduced. Johann outranked Lausanne as hes in the Level 120s, and was fully informed of the greater details of the visit. Though the Aivan Temrs had their own escort, we were not taking chances.


    Already their arrival sparked rumours, and I had my artificial minds on high alert. There were secret messages bouncing between the locals and people from out of town, and then ships headed our way.


    I see Ill be in good hands. Engka smiled. The temrs unloaded crates after crates of items. The dockworkers quickly loaded them on the beetles, the specialised transport for this visit. These were some of the toughest beetles yet. But tell me, are we expectingpany?


    Lausanne nced at Johann. Johann merely smiled. No. But we are prepared. A few of the higher ranked rangers were also nearby, shadowing their movement. They are there for security, and to catch anyone who takes the bait. My spirit vision sensed some unusual magic in those crates. Things that felt simr to that log I had, but different. Engka himself also had some interesting magical gear, and I sensed at least two hero items on him. If they were so small, this meant these were either single-use items, or hero-items made for normal people.


    Well, lets get moving. Johann said, and a few administrative team members sorted the temrs to their respective caravans. The chatter in the background was intense, as many soon asked why were the Aivan on the Central Continent?


    We were expectingpany soon enough, as my magical sensors detected umon types of magic activating across the continent. The agents nted are finally moving, and my minds were watching, marking. Spies from the other temples, the Laenza, some of the southern kingdoms.


    And secret requests to the assassin guilds throughout the Central Continent. Sadly, they were all met with a swift rejection. The guildmasters of all these assassin guilds had an understanding that their presence was merely tolerated so long as no Valthorns were targeted, and they had sufficient brain juice to not interfere with my things. Those old enough to remember my punishments decades ago would know better.


    Still, with the guilds themselves staying away, these foreign yers directed the requests to the assassins personally with hefty rewards. The smarter ones know better than to ept. Even if they seed, they know they cant escape. But there are always fools tempted by the huge sums of money.


    I view this as a positive. My Valthorns may be high levelled, but they do need anti-assassins practice. And a good reminder to those who have forgotten. The memories of men fade so easily.


    Howve you been? Engka asked as Lausanne sat in the same cabin. Its arge, lush and well-furnished cabin simr to the ones used by the heroes. Its been decades.


    Much better now that Im no longer running demon hunting missions. Lausanne responded.


    Theres no need for that bitterness, is there? Engka smiled. I am after all here at the invitation of Aeon itself. So, how much do you know?


    Lausanne smiled. Not much, but I dont mind. Its better when I dont get involved with your business. I am here merely at Aeons behest, he figured that youd enjoy some banter.


    Engkaughed. True. The matters of the Triumvir are never simple. That is a wise choice, a wise choice. He then looked at Johann, who was on a lookout. The caravan of a hundred beetles passed through the valleys, and were soon closing in on some patches of forests. My artificial minds pinged that some assassins were going to strike there.


    I waited, and let my Valthorns do their work. They have to detect their presence themselves, and Johann made some hand signals. A few of the subordinate rangers fanned out.


    Engka looked at Lausanne again, as he watched the rangers. I must say, Aeons ability to cultivate talent is truly second to none. I would trade my hero items if I can convince some of your rangers to serve me. Ill even ept you.


    Lausanne responded. No thanks.


    The Aivan is really short of capable, high levelled folks. Surely Aeon can share?


    No.


    I can count the number of level 70s we have in one hand. Thats how bad we have it. A little bit of pity?


    No. And certainly thats not something you should be revealing so casually. Lausanne seemed to have some bad memories of the man, and I wonder whether it was a mistake to get her to be the liaison. She didnt reject it, though.


    Engkaughed. Oh, anyone level 70 and above serving for the Aivan church is a public figure through and through. You even met them.


    Lausanne didnt reply. The caravan now took the roads through the forests. The assassins struck. The Valthorns intercepted. They were slightly slower to pick them up. The assassins were quite low levelled, some in their level 30s. A few of the assassins backed off, deciding that it wasnt worth it once they saw who they were dealing with.


    Those who went for the attack found arrows lodged in their heads within seconds. Operatives hired by groups unknown.


    Do they always try to kill you? Lausanne asked.


    As you should know, I have many enemies, and I believe most of those who try to kill me are my allies.


    The caravan would take 3 days to cross the continent to reach Freshka.


    -


    The Aivan triumvir is here? Kei stormed and asked Edna one day. She didnt know until the caravan moved. Why?


    Edna paused, and obtained my permission to tell her. Because they reached out to us, for a ceasefire. An alliance.


    No. My sources tell me the entire Triumvir will be here. They never meet unless something of divine importance.


    Edna nodded. Yes. It is of divine importance.


    What is Aeon trying to do?


    A talk with a god. The truth to whether there is a way to end this.


    Kei stared at Edna, her mind spun as she processed it. I want to be there.


    Very well.


    -


    Diplomatic messages and secret messages flew across the world, as they spected about the Aivas intention. The other three churches were particrly tense and they sent strongly worded messages to Engka.


    Engka smiled when he received them. Isnt this amusing?


    Lausanne shrugged.


    The Gayan Master of the Temple just demanded that I rify my presence on the Central Continent. I got simr messages from the Hawa and the Neira too. Pathetic, when all of us together couldnt even muster a force to stand up to Aeons overwhelming power.


    Are you here because of power, then?


    My personal stance on this, yes. We are weak, and we acknowledge that. Its especially clear now that you could invade the Eastern Continent and win.


    That just makes me even more suspicious of your presence. Lausanne responded.


    -


    The caravan arrived in Freshka safely. There were a few more smaller assassination attempts, but nothing too big. The caravan of beetles were led to a special clearing site made at their request. The crates were unloaded, and the temrs started work. We had mages, builders and crafters on standby to make any structure or amendments to the site as required.


    They built a circr temple with a central clearing, and I will speak through Lumoof. I would have to stop my Northern observations for this, but I will do so once they are ready.


    The other two Triumvirs? Edna asked.


    They will be summoned here. Engka showed a magical ring. This is the Ring of the Triumvirs, and allows me to summon the others here. They walked to my valley. Edna was with him, and she was fully armed in her best equipment, just in case.


    Engka bowed before my massive tree, I could see his legs shiver, and he seemed pale. I had doubts, but now I do not. Greetings, Aeon.


    Speak.


    I willmence the Ceremony of the Heavenly Gate, to open a means tomune with our God, Aiva. Three of us will be there to keep the gate open, and we will sacrifice three divine items to maintain it. But oncemenced, we will be very vulnerable, and will require your protection.


    You have my word. Indeed. I had the entire area on lockdown. Who dares to mess with my ceremony.


    But thats not the main point, really. We have never performed this ceremony, and we only learn of it now. Could you ask a question on our behalf?


    I wondered what it could be.


    Why are we left to die? Engka said.


    -


    The site was ready, three hero items in the middle, filled with star mana. Engka twisted his ring, and his ring glowed. For a moment, I saw with my astral sight the world momentarily twist, and then, two others appeared.


    Grandmaster Amdar, Grandmaster Mianas, let us begin. They both looked around and noticed that everything has been prepared. They sighed and nodded.


    They formed a triangle, the floor has already been marked. There were runic formations on the floor that I did not recognise, and it seemed that this was new to the grandmasters too. No matter, they started chanting, and the strange energies within them, however miniscule, vibrated and then glowed. This was entirely invisible to everyone else, only visible in the spirit vision. It shone out and linked together, and then the three items burned, melted, and transformed into a levitating blob of the night sky.


    Lumoof had been called back, and he waited. I would activate the Avatar if needed. Still, I early summoned Ste to watch on a hunch. Then we saw it, the blob twisted, and a door opens in the astral starways, so small and tiny.


    A light reached out, a stringy light crawled out, and then the front bulged into a wisp. The string was still there, present.


    At that moment, the entire world felt it, it was an oppressive feeling. Everywhere, even in the further towns, people were vomiting and some fainted.


    Lilies spoke through the roots.


    I would replyter, my focus on the ball of light that stood before Lumoof. Lumoof and Edna was unfazed, their domain protected them and allowed them to stand. Kei fainted briefly, but quickly caught herself. Ste, strangely, only vomited.


    The wisp formed into a face. Greetings, Aeon. I go by my names across the many worlds I touched, but here, I am Aiva, and long ago, Deyar. My time is limited, my true self many worlds away. Let us speak quickly.


    Greetings. I spoke and saw through Lumoof.


    You have questions. Quickly. Aiva asked. The time we have for this gate is short.


    How can we stop the demon kings and end this cycle of destruction? At this point, this was really the main thing on my mind.


    We dont know. We have tried, destroyed some demon worlds, but we failed in the end. The demons are infestations of corruption. They can be dyed, they can be defeated, but they will eventually return. They are drawn to the worlds of the living, but more importantly, they are drawn to us, the gods. They have a vendetta against us, and we fight them across a thousand worlds. They find your world through the remnants of their champions, and also, so long the world lives, they seek to corrupt it, and eventually turn it to a demon world. So long as a world lives, they will look for it. Each demon world weakens us all.


    Can we hide the world from them?


    The wisp paused. Possible, but not something I can do. Quickly. Next.


    Good. Thats something Ill figure out then. Why do the gods attack me?


    I speak not of the others, but we often mistake native powers as nascent demonic presence. It is hard to tell what is a corrupting cancer, and what is a robust defense from where we are, our knowledge and information distorted by void, distance and limited perspective. I sensed some demonic energies in you, but am relieved that you remain the master of them. So many worlds lose the ability to defend themselves from the demons, the body weak and in need of external assistance.


    Can you call them off? We needed a united front.


    I will try, but they are far away. Aiva responded.


    Why do you control the heroes? This was something I wanted to ask for a long time.


    The wispy face bobbed. Oh? Well, the medicine must do what it is meant to do. Strong medicines can often damage and harm the flesh, and so, they must be controlled. We cannot inject medicine and then hope that the medicine will find its own target. We tell it what to find, and mark them such that the demons are drawn to them. It is a bncing act, if we inject too much medicine in the patient, we may damage the flesh more than the demons.


    ...fuck. The heroes are nothing more than tools. I felt something attacked my [domain], like something was scanning me from my leaves to my roots. I felt something stir in the distance, my magical sensors started to ring. Edna, Kei and Lumoof seemed to take it quietly.


    Why let them die?


    Because even gods could not be everywhere at once. Our powers are strongest close to us, but the great void of time pushes and pulls on many worlds, and this world has drifted on the void sea further and further away from my sphere of power. It is a great relief to see a native god emerge at longst, however weak you are now. Take my followers, and they shall treat your word as my own.


    Wait. Your eminence, are you sure this is a good choice? One of the Triumvirs could not help it. He had to ask. I dont me them. Aivas magical face turned to face the three Triumvirs who struggled to maintain the spell..


    Yes. I am too far to properly protect you. I will repeat. Aeon shall take my followers. That includes all of you. Aivas floating face responded and the three Triumvirs shook.


    I have enough to protect. Seriously. I already have a continent, but then again, if I am going to end this cycle, I do need more.


    As you grow, youll have the capacity for more. The distance between us in this great void continues to grow, and it is an eventual fact that one day, my powers will no longer reach this world. It is far more just and fair for me to say truthfully, that my powers wanes in this world, and better for those who believe in me to seek an ascendant pantheon for protection.


    The Triumvirs could not respond. I had another question. How long do you have? Will you still summon the heroes?


    Aiva paused. Perhaps a century or two, much depends on the flux of the void. An ancient pact binds us, the old gods, to defend these worlds. We have to, even if we dont want to.


    There was a shocked look on the faces of everyone present. What pact?


    Its...plicated. You will know once you ascend.


    What are you? Like what are the gods? Where are they?


    We were once like you, though our paths meandered in different ways. Time is running out. The blob was shrinking. But here, a small parting gift from me. From a predecessor. Good luck and goodbye, Aeon. I, for one, eagerly await your ascension to the divine realm. We are weary from the eons of war, and we could use some new hands. One not bound by the ancient pacts.


    The blob of light shed and entered Lumoof. I felt a bolt run through the link between me and Lumoof.


    [Youve gained 2 levels. You are now level 199]


    [All tree-typeboratories upgraded]


    Whoever wanted to interrupt us was toote, and it seemed a familiar weapon was used against me. A hexbomb. It flew from the South, but it was small, probably hastily gathered. I activated multiple shields to block it, and the bomb was stopped even before it got near the valley.


    The blob was gone, and the runes vanished. The three Triumvirs copsed, exhausted from the gate. Kei looked at Ste. Holy shit.


    Everyone in the world breathed easier, as the divine presence vanished from the world.


    Spaizzer


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 Steering Committree

    Steering Committree


    <b>Year 187 (continued)</b>


    The Triumvirs heard it from their god, and they were honestly lost for words. How do they even exin that the Aivan church will now be assimted? Do the prayers now go to me, instead of Aiva? There was a lot to think about.


    Edna and Lumoofs firstment was, A true god is incredibly intimidating. They had not felt such a strong sensation. Already, messages were flying everywhere throughout the world, requesting for information on what had happened.


    Indeed. I now understand the huge gap between our power. If the levels each resulted in an exponential bump in power, perhaps the Gods would be someone in their... level 300s? Or maybe 400?


    The Triumvirs of Aiva were incredibly puzzled, and distressed. We... we must discuss this.


    None of you leave. I said to everyone present, including the Triumvirs. A cage of roots emerged around the entire area, and coated it with all the anti-magic aura. And no messages.


    Everyone nodded.


    First, I want to hear everyones thoughts. What do you think of assimting the Aivan faith to ours?


    The Triumvirs were at a loss for words. I need a lot more time to process this. It is too sudden to find out that our god has decided to abandon us.


    The problem of assimting, no, taking over the Aivan faith is a lot moreplicated than it seemed. If I could nod, I would. Indeed, and has such things ever happened in the history of the world?


    Lumoof could answer that. No. In our records so far, that has never ever happened.


    I looked at Kei and Ste who were both present. I spoke as if I wasnt one of Earth because the Triumvirs were present. Both of you came from the other worlds, and have seen simr schisms in faith. Surely your histories would enlighten you the moments where a faith or a temple is torn apart due to differences. What happened then?


    Ste was the one who answered, She was after an adult when she came, so she had a more thorough education on the histories of Earth. War. Civil war.


    I ask of you three, and of your knowledge of your priests, and your people. Do you think they will ept an outright conversion to my faith so easily?


    The three Triumvirs all shook their heads. Engka was the one who stood to respond. No. Many have believed in Aiva for years, decades, perhaps even centuries. So many priests preached of Aivas greatness and kindness, of Aivas powers, of Aivas sense of duty to our world. I am afraid that what thatdy said was true. If we were to follow what Aiva willed of us, the Aivan church will break apart. No. I am convinced that they will go to war against us, even if we are the Triumvirs.


    Indeed. Exactly. This message, if spoken, the other priests of your faith would say all of you have been corrupted, your minds altered by my powers. You three will be hunted and killed.


    The three Triumvirs could imagine it already. Such a message could never be epted. What Aiva asked was for his followers to abandon what they have known their entire life, and I saw that it was impossible, even if his logic had a sense to it.


    Ste looked at the Triumvirs, and then back at Lumoof. Aeon, what... what are you proposing?


    We say nothing of what Aiva had said. Everyone gasped. I asked that everyone present to seal those divine words in your mind.


    The Triumvirs looked at Lumoof. ...but?


    Your godmanded you to obey me. And my first order is for you to keep everything that happened a secret among secrets. We shall maintain our separate faiths, and the Aivan church will continue. Let no one, other than your sessors, ever learn of what Aiva has said.


    One of the Triumvirs immediately kneeled. Thank you Aeon for your wisdom. The other two immediately followed.


    Aiva may desire that I take over, but it is not in my interest to do so.I have no desire to wage war against the Aivan church, and have no need for the churchs followers. The central continent continued to grow, and I wasnt about to just ept the shit that this god decided to throw my way. But we will have peace between us, and in the future, friendly rtions. But I may have requests for you, that I hope you will assist me to carry out.


    The three Triumvirs nodded. That should be fine if we keep it discreet and find ways to establish a securemunication channel between us. A ceasefire and a peace treaty should not be an issue either.


    I saw so many potential pitfalls in absorbing the Aiva faith, and already the world has lost enough. It doesnt need another crusade, one triggered by the supposed capittion of the Aivan faith. Those who believed did not see reason or arguments, and people will act based on their feelings and their conviction, even here. When religions back home broke apart due to fundamental differences, it always led to war.


    We dont mind wars. We even allow wars between our vassal kingdoms.


    But the Aivan war has the potential to trigger serious questions of the possibility of the faiths coexisting peacefully, and it would be a war aimed at me, and it would be a war we dont need. No, more importantly, I did not want what I am implying should I absorb the Aivan faith, a simr fate awaited the other 3 temples. I want my faith to be one that can coexist with the other four, and that we can all work together.


    I also saw problems even if they did ept my faith. I was limited by the natural geography of the world, and so, even if they believed in me, I wouldn''t be there to protect them. It would not be fair for the Triumvirs either, when they would have to defend my cause and the only way I can do so is to send my Valthorns across the sea and fight a war.


    Not until I figure out how to properly cross the oceans. Using Lumoof as an avatar is like a stopgap, and I would like a far more permanent arrangement.


    One of the Triumvirs apologised. I had not expected Aiva to escte from an alliance to an outright absorption of our faith.


    At this point, what is the sense among your people? Would they ept an alliance?


    Honestly, its a mix. Many admire the strength of the Aeonic faith, and the powers that backed it. But out of principles and loyalties, many prefer to remain with the other three. An alliance may also trigger some dissent, though I expect it to be more mild. That said, it would be riskier for the Aivan believers on the other continents where the other three temples are stronger.


    Then we shall not rush into it. I decreed. Let us have peace, and we shall be friends. Allow our forces to travel to kingdoms who follow your faith. Perhaps in time, an alliance will be a natural evolution from friendship.


    I have the time to y the long game, and there was no need to rush things and create so much bad blood. A war won by friendship willst longer, anyway.


    The Triumvirs returned to their temporary lodges, relieved. They would have a lot to figure out, like how they nned to secretly tell their sessors. The words of their God by convention was to be recorded in a magical item, and so they had to keep it safe.


    I made sure they all received a familiar from me.


    -


    I turned to Ste. You saw it, right?


    Yes. The pathway through the stars, that temporarily bridged this world, and the world where Aiva resides. I didnt think that the temples had a way to open the pathways of the stars too, and it used a different mechanicpared to void magic.


    Good. I believe this means all the 4 temples must have some variant of such summonings or meetings with their gods. It makes sense that it is not widely known, after all itmunicates with their god, which can be very, very far away.


    Ste paused and looked at Lumoof strangely. What are you implying?


    We need to gather all of the methods, and figure out how they work. So, Ill need a team of infiltrators to sneak into the secret temples and libraries of the other three temples, and get those information. For Aiva, I could simply just ask them to give it to me, after all, I am now de-facto owner. The puppet master behind the strings.


    Oh no. Ste was horrified.


    Looks like I must take training spies and infiltrators much more seriously now.


    Edna and Lumoof merely smirked. A proper raid on the temples of the other 3?


    Not just that. We must first find where such information is kept, and who would have it. Dont worry, I believe this will be a long process. For now, you may focus on studying the techniques used by the Aivan church.


    The Triumvirs dly parted with the techniques, after all,


    -


    I needed spies and thieves. A lot of them, and I needed them to be good at what they did. I have the ability to create higher tier sses for spies, but ultimately, spies gain levels by doing spy-stuff. This meant sneaking into ces and taking on roles where they are in real danger. As it is, we have spies who are doing missions in the other nations across the oceans, but the survival rate is pretty low. They usually die when caught.


    We could give them the Court of the Deitree. Patreeck suggested. But the slots are limited. That would mean we could recall them if they are ever caught, but that didnt feel like it would work.


    I decided to go back to my [dungeon creation] ability, and tweaked it. I wanted to know whether I could create infiltration dungeons where the spies have to figure out how to sneak to the end. It didnt quite work.


    Failing, I decided to create mock dungeons instead. I hired craftsmen and mages to build dungeons filled with non-lethal traps, for my new practice spies and thieves to practice.


    The thing with spies and thieves, is that they could easily doublecross us and we wouldnt know any better. Kei and Ste both frowned. I mean, you heard about the whole double-triple-agent thing, right?


    Of course, but who cares. Next, we set up multiplepeting spy guilds. The idea was that these spies would y both spy and counter-espionage roles, and they would have topete against each other on a non-lethal basis.


    Then, from the pool of promising and loyal spies, I chose one, a man named Varida, and used [Gift of elerated Growth]. This pushed his level to level 60, and he gained a bunch of skills overnight. Varida became the Central Continents 2nd level 60 spy, after Master Intip.


    Yet, even with the new levels and skills, Varida still needed practice, and experience. Knowing the skills is one thing, applying them out in the field is another.


    One thing that particrly annoyed me about spies was their ability to speak to each other using some kind of magical code. If it was not for Patreecks constant recordkeeping, and continuous decryption, we would have missed a lot more spies. Each spy required far more resources and mental-capacity to track than most other sses, simply because each of them had skills that interfered with my surveince. Someone with a low level stealth ability would take twice the normal bandwidth, but a high levelled spy needed the tracking of a single artificial mind.


    So, if there were multiple level 60+ spies, or a hero-tier spy, its possible for me to miss them, or only detect them if they did something.


    A hero-spy could probably sneak all the way to Freshka, at least, until they ran into Patreecks range and the bubble of my domain powers.


    The good part so far, is that spies cant maintain their abilities full time. So far both of my level 60 spies have skills that are only active for up to 4 to 6 hours, with a cooldown of a day. That meant I could still spot them once they dropped their skills. Yet, that was a time consuming, tedious thing to do that I delegated to my artificial minds.


    As it is, I have so many trees on the Central Continent that I can support quite a lot of artificial minds, perhaps in the thousands. Technically, because these minds do most of the mundane administrative oversight work to allow me to function as a divine being. That meant keeping eyes on prayers, on people, on other tasks. Each artificial mind can do alot, but now they take up space. The Valley of the Unrotten, once filled with giant trees, were gradually reced by the artificial minds.


    They are the buzz in the background, the constant hum of their thoughts, they each observe their own part of the continent. Some followed individuals, like spies, or supported the continental beetle transportationwork. Some worked on my many little improvement projects, like beetle weapons, or insect adaptations. Some checked on my own Valthorns and the priests, ensuring that they were safe and performed their duties properly. Thousands of little artificial minds, each a name, but in the background. Patreeck, as the special one, lorded over them all.


    But I considered whether there was a point to having another one. Two super-minds instead of one, to expand the range of our powers, and topute more things.


    My artificial minds were my magical equivalent of having a big-brother surveince state. I am the big brother of central continent, as much as a part of me loathed myself for it. The world will be watched, the gods are watching, even if they are far away, and these days, I suspect everyone is trying to spy on each other.


    That said, a surveince state was primarily defensive. It kept control of the state that it held. Offensively I would have to either expand to that continent, which is bottlenecked by one single Lumoof, or use spies.


    -


    I sent Lumoof back to the North, and continued our surveince of the forces at work. The nations of the Northern Inds are highly fragmented, despite their outward unified appearance. The bickering happens beneath a veneer of civility. Here, where seas, straits, channels andkes separate the inds, the assassinations be a favored way of fighting.


    The heroes left sessfully for the other continents and are now working on other things. But even they were curious about the whole god-summoning incident.


    I got a message from Colette. Kei replied. They wanted to know what happened. I only responded that you spoke to the Aivan God.


    Good enough.


    They want to know the contents.


    Tell them to ask the Triumvirs. We are not at liberty to disclose. Push the problem to someone else.


    -


    The Triumvirs made an announcement about a week after our meeting, that a special conference was held with the Faith of Aeon and that a great peace treaty has been agreed in principle, that all aggressions arising from faith should thus formally cease. The formal terms will be signed at ater date.


    It sent messages flying, as the other three temples demanded to know the details. At this point, the three Triumvirs have not left, and they sought my guidance.


    Act as if I dont exist. I responded. You three are to lead Aiva like normal, and that means you must be free to make decisions on that basis, so long as it does not contravene our agreed peace treaty.


    The Triumvirs had to leave quickly, as those back on the Eastern Continent will have plenty of questions. But they first leaked that it was a peace treaty brokered by the Aivan God, and that the two faiths have agreed to peace with no reparations on either side.


    Peace wasnt so bad, and most of them could ept it. The Aivan church would have to cough out some sums from their own treasuries topensate the kingdoms that were most devoted to the war, but that was it.


    Peace as the Gods will? That was usible, believable, and certainly, it aligned to what most kingdoms wanted. A war with a continent an entire ocean away? What good does that do?


    It was easy, in this case, to im it was their Gods will.


    A lie, but necessary one. I have bigger problems to fry.


    -


    Im not feeling too good. Kei admitted privately to Ste. The whole thing with the gods made her feel a sense of dread. And theres no one I can talk to.


    Ste patted her back. Its a useless gesture, shes a golem so she doesnt feel any physical muscle soreness. Ohe on now. Theres me.


    You were not a hero. You dont know what it feels like to suddenly be told that were just nothing more than medicine. That we are unstable medicines that would harm the flesh.


    Ste sat next to her. Its something you and the other heroes have realised to some extent, so I personally believed you would have expected it.


    Its one thing to suspect your parents dont want you, and another to hear it straight from the horses mouth.


    I would never have imagined you would think of the gods as your parents. Ste sat. Thats honestly quite creepy.


    Kei caught herself. Yeah. Thats a bad analogy. I guess its like your crush telling you to buzz off, I guess?


    Thats still kind of weird. Steughed. But cheer up. Now that you know they dont really care, theres no reason to take their requirements all that seriously.


    I mean... how do I put it. Kei looked at Ste, her eyes were a little watery. I think its predatory, what they are doing, they pick us and send us across the worlds, tell us, us young, impressionable souls seeking validation, value and recognition, that we are destined to be heroes, instill within us this sense of grand purpose, magically influenced our minds such that we stick to the goal.


    Youve known that.


    Yeah, but hearing it said so matter-of-factly really is different. Kei said.


    Ste smiled. Heroes are just like young innocent fresh graduates who are sucked into the corporate feel-good mission statements and sent out to the world, only to discover that their support isnt great, and the purported values are nothing more than just something written to satisfy some arbitrary rating system.


    Kei turned and looked at Ste. Shit. Corporate life is like that? Despite their age, I still asionally forget that all these heroes never had any working experience. This hero stint is probably their first job.


    Thats what my friends say, and you seem to be manifesting simr symptoms. Burnout from work. A realisation that everything is just corporate speak.


    Kei had a look on her face. Wait, are you saying Im having a quarter life crisis?


    Youve been at this hero thing for a while, and then you moved on and now focus on helping the heroes. Now youre wondering why youre doing it all in the first ce. That sounds like a quarter life crisis. Youre feeling lost, even without the gods mind control.


    Kei gently smacked Ste on the arm. Stop it, youre making me feel worse.


    Am I wrong? Ste sat. I mean, weve known each other for how long?


    You didnt seem that interested in being my friend at first, though. Kei responded.


    Im just slow to warm up.


    Really.

 A Garden Patch

    A Garden Patch


    <b>Year 188</b>


    The North was in a frenzy, after a rumor that the missing hero was in the North. Strangely enough, I found him before anyone else did. Once Lumoof was back in the North, my trees continued to spread. My trees soon covered most of thergest ind in the North, and I started to spawn subsidiary trees in the unpopted ces in the North.


    The North, being a colder ce, had most of its poptions concentrated on the coastlines and along key rivers. That meant there wererge pockets of uninhabited pine and spruce forests. There were also some parts where they were considered taigas or snow forests or boreal forests, where I could expand my roots and connect to more trees with little need for holding back.


    There''s a lot of hidden things in the North. Within a month of expanding I discovered so many hidden dungeons buried under snow and ice, and even more buried cities and towns hidden under no more than a few feet of dirt. The harsh cold and winters seem to deter adventurers, and in the cold environment spawns monsters of quite a high tier, generally level 40s to 60s. Some were familiar, like the dire wolves and snow foxes I''ve seen during the great blizzard spell.


    Snow.


    Ice giants weremon in the hilly, ice-covered peaks, like those weve seen on Arias ind.


    Your presence seems to fluctuate a bit.


    Oh. Sensing the presence of others is a hard thing. Like the heroes, I couldnt sense their presence until they were close to my main body. I concluded that domain-presence was something that only the main body possessed. Ice. Forests. An entirely new continent. I wondered what other secrets are buried beneath these dirt. No, more than that, could there be submerged continents?


    Are there the equivalents of Antis in this world? If so, could I find them with my roots? Right now, my roots still could not cross the oceans. If there was any Antis-equivalents, they would be in the vast oceans of the world, submerged by some grand magic.


    Thus, I asked my mages and Valthorns to perform research on long lost cities and submerged civilisations. Ah, back to the North again, Ive gone off tangent.


    My trees spied on the cities, and the viges. It was a lot easier to spy on viges that were surrounded by trees and forests, but these were ces where nothing much happened. Usually.


    Then I found the missing hero in one of these quiet viges, deep in the mountains. We did not recognise him at first, after all, he just seemed like a regr person who hunted in the woods, collecting snakes and lizards.


    It was a magical orb that appeared one day that gave him away, it appeared suddenly from the aether, like an invisibility spell was dispelled, and it floated in a wooden lodge. Ken, are you there? Ken was a in, somewhat handsome man, and my allocated minds were listening when the conversation happened. There were many clues in hindsight, because in this vige, everything seemed new. The lodges were surprisingly well built, and the facilities were strangely modern. There was also a huge wall, and a veryrge stone building that I couldnt look through.


    Ken was not alone.


    Your friends calling you again. A half-elf girl responded. Ken smiled and just patted her head.


    Thanks. He went to the room and sat down. Chung. What is it?


    Where are you?


    I told you, Im not saying a thing.


    Look, right now, all the temples are looking for you secretly, and theres even the nasty guys out there. The hero-hunters, the wannabe hero-friends, some secret spy and assassin guilds. Theres a lot of people on your tail. They are already on the fake trail I left in the South, but theyll figure it out soon.


    I know, but Im close to my breakthrough. Just give me a bit more.


    Dude. I cant keep doing this without you telling me what the fuck is going on, alright.


    Ken took a deep breath. Im going to give up my hero-ss.


    ...wait. How? Chung on the other side sounded pissed.


    Im going tomit heresy, of course.


    Heresy? Chungs voice sounded ufortable.


    The former hero, Astra, used blood magic. That was enough for him to be emunicated. I n to do the same.


    Wait, Ken. Are you sure? Is this really worth it? Remember that I told you about how Astra was marked? No, Ken. Dont do this.


    Look, my friend. This whole thing is a scam. The journals youve seen already hinted at it to you. Were not heroes. Were just tools. I am not nning to let myself be sucked into some stupid overarching system of the gods. Not now, not ever. Im quitting.


    Ken, the demons wille anyway. Why not just be a hero and defeat the demon king?


    And what? We have 10 years and then the next one. No. Im calling it off.


    It doesnt work like that. Not with Astra either.


    Ill figure out how to deal with the demon king once Im not a hero. Im sure after I do this, the Gods will meddle with your mind and make you look for me as an enemy. I want you to resist that. Can you do that?


    Ken, this is insane! What if I can''t resist them, and Ill be forced to hunt you down? No, dont do this-


    Ken pressed something on the Orb, and it went poof. He got out, and looked at the others with him. I could now detect the faint presence of blood magic, masked underyers. It was then, a strange magical creature appeared from his shadow. A small spirit-snake.


    Was it a good idea to lie to him like that? The spirit snake asked. I thought you two were good friends.


    He is, but it wasnt a total lie. We dont know what the Gods will do. Ken answered with a sigh. Come. Its time to summon the rest.


    The snake coughed. He took out a small red-knife that glowed in my spirit vision. Ken withdrew multiple other items that were all hidden in his spatial pocket, and ced them around the vige. All of these items were strange, with markings I have not seen before. I quickly mentally noted them down.


    At that point, I noticed something strange with all the other vigers. They all had a spirit snakepanion of some kind, and they were all behaving unnaturally. It took a bit more effort, I increased the number of trees present to improve my resolution, and then I noticed it.


    Kens shadow was linked to all of them, a faint magic. The vigers were all possessed. They moved perfectly, they seemed to know where to put everything without requiring instruction. Some of them were mages, and they muttered something under their breath. The stone structure in the middle opened up to reveal thousands of snakes and lizards.


    They all moved into position, and Ken walked close to the snakes. With his red knife, his beheaded all of them, one by one, as the vigers started chanting. All of the earlier items all glowed and then, as he ughtered the snakes, I saw strange snake-like and lizard-like shadows run around, but never able to leave that small area. The ritualsted three hours, and Kens red knife was soon drenched in the blood of all the lizards and snakes. During that entire time, the possessed vigers chanted.


    Then, he lifted up the red knife, muttered a few words, and then, I saw all the shadows drain away and sucked into the red knife. Then, all the blood and remains of the snakes and lizards melted into a reddish paste, then swirled into the knife.


    In a quick but practiced motion, Ken then stabbed himself in the heart with the blob.


    At that moment, I felt like I had a stinging migraine, and I felt my mind-


    [Domain Preventing Mental Attack]


    Then, I saw Kens body glow red. The knife glowed and I thought I saw the shadows of the thousands of snakes and lizards. If this was blood magic, this was a very strange one. I tried to use more powerful surveince visions then, and changed one of the trees to a subsidiary tree.


    I now saw fragments of spirits and souls, all in that red knife. I tried to [identify] the knife.


    [Blood Knife of Sacrifice - A knife used for sacrifices. Collects fragment of souls, spirits and essences]


    Well, thanks, but it didnt tell me what exactly was happening. No, if it collected fragments of souls, what was it trying to do?


    A massive red snake made of blood then surged out of his body, in its fangs were a big white marble block. It rolled and coiled, and the white block seemed to attempt to move. But the red liquid blood snake wrestled with the white block, they tossed and spun and rolled, the snakes body smashed into the structures in the vige.


    Then, Kens body glowed again, but then, this time, a massive shadow with thousands of snake-heads popped out of his body, and it smashed into the white marble block. The white marble blocks outeryer melted, and whats left was a white spherical core. Ken moved, and with a swift, well practiced sh, the red knife mmed into the spherical core. The knife hit the white core head on, and then, the white core shook violently.


    [Warning- The Hero Ken- Error. Status unclear.]


    I saw the red snake swirl around the white core, it shrunk, and formed a red cube around the white core. The multi-headed snake shadow followed next, it shrunk into the size of a small lizard, and then melted into that red cube. It instantly changed the bright red cube to darker red. The knife shattered, and then instantly melted.


    All the vigers copsed at the same time, like puppets whose strings were cut.


    Kens body stopped glowing, and he stood as the molten red liquid from the knife swirled around his body, and coated his skin and flesh. His wounds healed.


    He didnt move for a good 10 minutes, somehow he managed not to fall. Perhaps it was magic, though thats probably the least of the things I should think about. His eyes opened, and he looked around. He briefly closed his eyes again, and then when he opened, the snake appeared once more from his shadow.


    The Ritual was a sess. Though I feel we have...pany.


    Ken looked around. Really? I dont see anyone.


    The snake looked around too. Its... never mind.


    Great. Now I can live in peace. He seemed to activate a skill, and in an instant, his hair grew long, and his facial features changed slightly. His skin turned more scalish.


    The magical orb immediately started vibrating, but Ken did not respond. Ken? Ken? Are you there? What happened?


    He looked at it, tapped it. I did something, Ill let you know in two to three months whether its sessful. But if it fails, I think youll get a notification. The orb sent a magical arrow that flew up into the air, and then disappeared. Ken tapped the orb again, and this time, the orb vanished into some kind of pocket space. The vigers were still unconscious, and Ken left the vige that day.


    The shapeshifted Ken did not say a word since then, as he wandered from town to town, never stopping for more than a week. The vigers who regained consciousness did not seem to remember why they were there, and what they did at all.


    This hero probably possessed some kind of mind-control or possession ability through those snake-shadows.


    What are those snake shadows? I had no idea. As a tree that lived so long and seen so much, it absolutely annoyed me that theres still so many new things Ive never seen. I suspect whatever that ritual was, it was otherworldly in origin, because it was able to remove or tamper with a hero ss.


    That said, I still kept watch. Could he be a threat? After all, he was able to tamper with a hero ss.


    What did he do then? I saw the fragment of souls... no.


    I had an epiphany then.


    I had been trying to remove the hero ss by force and magical power. This was when I developed a spective theory, that he absorbed more soul fragments, and some kind of essences, and those essences flooded and merged with his hero ss in his soul spring. He wasnt removing the hero ss. He was corrupting it so that he could be free of its influence! Using the soul-ish qualities of blood magic to enhance and corrupt his own soul such that he was free of the heroes?


    The other idea was that they somehow used the soul-fragments as some kind of abrasive or removal-agent. Like using soap to bind to the hero-ss and then pull it out.


    Well need to find a volunteer to try it. Patreeck. But itll have to be a hero. Looking at it, it would probably kill anyone else who tried to do it.


    I agree, that ritual looked reallyplex, but I had enough data to attempt to replicate it. But how did Ken get the people necessary to do so? I also have other questions. Like, who was that snake-spirit?


    I tried to follow Ken as he moved through the cities. There were parts I couldnt see him, here in the Northern Inds, mywork of eyes and ears are full of holes.


    What did he do?


    Thankfully, he dropped his guard about two months after the incident, as he was taking a break. The snake spirit curled out and sat on the log. How are you feeling?


    Not as bad as what you described, I think Im ready. We got lucky, I think, that the [hero] ss was rtively low level. Ken sat as he munched on a loaf of bread. Its hard.


    Alright, hit me with it. Whats next? Ken said as he finished his loaf of bread.


    Great. Now we need to prepare for our next step of the bargain. We need to send the swallowed ss to my world. Thatll be a lot harder. A lot, a lot harder. Well, for one, I do not have a foolproof way of sending something back home. The snake confessed.


    Ken paused, Wait. You do have an idea, then? Is this the so-crazy-enough-to-work-idea? Because if it is, then we should use it.


    I do, but it involves you dying. Thats not what we agreed on, and I wouldnt do it because Im stuck with you.


    Kenughed. Then tell me the alternatives, but still tell me that idea that involves me dying. Because I need to know. Just in case.


    Never mind. I still dont get where you have all these strange concepts...


    Theres this website called tvtropes... Ken said. Where they exin themon story paths and events.


    Is this website an oracle?


    Well, not really, but its more like a...


    An astrologists predictions?


    Something like that. Ken sat. Anyway, I feel much more clear-headed now that the demons arent always appearing in my dreams. Its safe for me to speak with Chung, right?


    The snake shrugged. Yes. Butter. First, we must investigate that presence we feltst year. I must know whether it is the Gods.


    Ken frowned. Seriously, why do you care? Why get involved in their schemes again, after all youve said about their plots? After all you said about how theyve surrendered your worlds.


    The snake remained silent.


    I want to live peacefully, find a ce somewhere where I can raise a family, and watch my kids grow up. Maybe work as an enchanter or an artificer. Ken said. All these plots, in the end, are just the games these powers y. Now that I''m out, I have no intention of getting back in.


    We dont have to, but... but I just want to know. I want to send word home, if we ever find the gods.


    I met the gods when I reincarnated.


    Those are different.


    Fine, Ill just ask for news once we get to town. If we can use your abilities to control some people in the towns, thatll help.


    I used up quite a lot of my magic when I performed the ritual. Ill need more time to recharge, it takes longer for me to replenish my magical energies in this pathetic spiritual form. Youll have to do it the old fashioned way.


    Alright, alright. Just pray I dont trigger some stupid town-gathering quest chain. Im not jumping from one hero-storyline to another type of storyline.


    This Ken seemed... genre-aware. Thats strange, I suppose Im looking at a hero who has some light-novel knowledge and hes applying it to get himself out of trouble?


    They left and headed to town. Sadly, the town they were in was all cobbled up with stone and rocks, and I couldnt follow them all the way.


    -


    The three Triumvirs returned to their respective cities, and the peace treaty was formally announced. Our growingwork of spies revealed that the other temples were quite relieved that it was nothing more than just a peace treaty, and some small trade-ish agreements.


    The status quo held, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.


    -


    Spaizzer


    Have you ever seen a fic with ART? Well, here''s one. ENDURING GOOD


    Please check out ENDURING GOOD by powered_by_coffee! The art''s gorgeous, and it''s a fic about cultivation! And it''s rational too (Sort of, kinda).


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    I know I''ve been doing a lot of shoutoutstely, but hey, we''re amunity, right? (insert anakinface here).

 Reunion at a Tea Party

    Reunion at a Tea Party


    <b>Year 189</b>


    It was a little bit more annoying to expand my trees to the cities in the North. Unlike the Central Continent where trees are plentiful andmon, in the Northern Inds, the cities were not tree friendly at all. That said, there was still room for shrubs and less ''obvious'' trees like wall crawling nts. But this was inherently slower, and I felt a sense of repulsion for the treeless cities. Even in the cold weather there were ways to integrate nts into the terrain, and I would have used my rootwork to use my roots as a form of heat distribution system. That would create a warmer environment that could support more verdant cities.


    Theck of parks within the city area itself was also absolutely disgusting, only certain cities have them.


    It seemed though, there were at least two agencies at work.


    One, led by the Rosewoods. Their agents were generally well equipped and trained, and they were the counter-hero-hunters. But even they had not-so-loyal operatives. Then, theres the hero hunters. Those that wanted to kill the heroes and gain some special ss, though there was no data on what that special ss was.


    Also, its a little pointless for me to kill a hero if I cant gain sses. So, if anything, it should be a humanoid thing.


    Would you kill heroes? I asked, he was motionless, as he rested in a giant tree. His body was linked to the giant tree, and through him, I controlled the rest of the trees.


    If you ask me to, yes. Lumoof answered. There are days where I still feel ufortable to be at the receiving end of such devotion and loyalty.


    One day I will. I said. It is inevitable.


    We will be ready, even if we have to die to do it. Edna responded too, at the same question.


    As my surveince expanded, I was able to support the other Valthorn operatives. I provided cover fire and protected them in the event of any conflict with the other forces. Here, in the North, I decided against using my beetles, since we are supposed to operate without being detected.


    I also did not want to reveal that I had somehow stretched my trees to the North. At least, not yet. I would use beetles if I had a more secure root-link to the North. My operatives, with my support and intel, were able to thus confront and attempt more high-risk infiltrations.


    This was when I encountered one of the Rosewood Hotels. Arge wooden structure six stories, and arge subterranean presence. There was a magical quality to it, a very faint but strangely familiar one.


    It was when my roots touched the hotels that I felt and then knew who it was.


    [Domain blocking mental attack]


    "What was that?" I immediately put the name to the sensation. "...Me?"


    Its been so long. Has it already been a century? Yes. It has been a century since they left. The sensation immediately made me wonder and think about how theyve been after all this time. Their soul contract would have maybe... 900 years left?


    I thought about Alexis, and her constant plots. Was she still angry, or has time mellowed her thoughts?


    No, I had to talk to them face to face, and then called Edna, Roon, Johann and a few other of the high levelled Valthorns together. For old-times sake, I asked Lausanne toe along too. She and her mom was probably the only one left who remembered them.


    A group of 12, I briefed them about Alexis and Me, and then Ste opened a portal, again, and sent them through to the other continent.


    Lumoof transformed back to his normal state, the giant tree opened up to let him out. Were going to meet an old friend of Aeon. He said to the group.


    -


    The Rosewood Hotel in Roshendam stood. To anyone who does not know, it is just a luxury inn, one of many throughout the Northern Inds. Those that do know, understand that it is also the base of an influential espionage and assassins group, also named the Rosewoods.


    Lumoof, fully geared for war, walked through the door, and instantly I sensed it. The entire hotel is her. Me was here, somewhat, and already the employees in the hotel all stared. The receptionist, a half-dwarf, merely nced and quickly bowed. Greetings, esteemed guests, and wee to the Rosewood Hotel, do you have a reservation?


    Lumoof walked close to the receptionist, No, I dont. The smartly-dressed receptionist nced at the other members of the group, mainly Edna and Lausanne. Lausanne looked around and merely smiled. Im actually here for a meeting, and I would like to have a discussion with Lady Mika.


    The dwarf receptionist nodded. Lady Mika has been expecting your group for some time.


    Oh?


    The other staff members and guests of the hotel quickly walked away. They behaved as if something was going to happen, and perhaps, there was. Already, I spread my roots and trees and attempted to surround the hotel. The half-dwarf smiled, Well, for such high-ranking guests such as yourself, please give me a moment and let me prepare.


    But the ce was built with enchanted stone and skill-infused roads. My roots couldnt prate them so easily. The walls of the hotel were sturdy, easily made to be a fortress, even if it appeared like a luxury hotel. Lumoof smiled back at the half-dwarf. That would be most appreciated. Please assist us to arrange a meeting room, I believe we have a shared history, and will have much to discuss.


    The dwarf smiled, and picked up a magical crystal. Call the Board. There was some inaudible noise from the magical crystal. The dwarf nodded in response, and then ced the crystal back on the table. Alright, right this way.


    The dwarf hopped off a stool at the back of the reception counter and then led the way. A magical wooden staircase descended from above, and at the end of it, a door that was previously closed by wood.


    Will everyone being, or just the few of you? The dwarven receptionist asked. The boardroom isrge.


    Lumoof looked at Edna, and Edna nodded. Just five. Edna, Lausanne, Roon and Johann joined the walk upstairs. The rest waited at the lobby. The dwarf signalled to a bunch of other employees, who promptly led them to an area withfortable sofas. They went there as told, but some insisted on standing up.


    Upstairs was a straight walkway. I sensed that the walls were probably moving, and there are hidden rooms around us. Still, nothing that we could not handle.


    We were led to arge boardroom with a long oval shaped table. There was enough ce for at least fifty, and it had high ceilings, magical lighting and all the amenities one could expect of a boardroom. A few pots of tea were also prepared, with matching cups.


    A meeting with tea. Thats nice. Fragrant too. It seemed that Me had been waiting, but I sensed this wasnt really her. No, thats not right either. It is her, but this was like just a part of her. I suspected then, that Me probably had a way of splitting herself to all of her branch hotels.


    Its been a while since Ive met someone that works for Aeon, and its been a while since weve met, Lausanne. Oh! She probably doesnt know Lumoof is my avatar and that I could see through him.


    Lausanne smiled. Its been a while too, Lady Mika. You look a lot better than Ivest remembered.


    Mes wooden form sat on the chair, and she gestured for the rest of us to sit. You too, Lausanne. Come, theres really no need for hostilities today, it must have been a long journey and we have so muchmon history that we should at least give diplomacy a chance. Please, sit.


    I smirked at Mes opening line. Lumoof dly took the seat, and so did the others. Lausanne was first to ask. So, uh... only you?


    Alexis? Me smiled. Shes out hunting. Its a busy time for us, with the hero-hunters about. What brings you here, really?


    Lumoof took the lead. Were here to meet the power brokers of the region, of course. Well, that wasnt exactly a lie, but it dodged the point of revealing our own ndestine activities.


    Well, Im sure you would be very busy then. It seems your agents have been doing a lot more than just meeting people. Me smiled, her voice was strangely firm. But I suppose I shall lead in establishing friendly rtions, I owe that much to Aeon. So, what do you want to know?


    Lumoof just smiled and lied through his teeth, a gift of the priestly ss.. We are genuinely looking to meet those who hold sway over the Northern Inds. There has been incredibly concerning news of attempted assassinations on the heroes, and even more sphemous tales of a supposed tenth hero.


    Me grinned. Patriach Lumoof, certainly Aeon can tell you with high reliability on whether there is a tenth hero, so there is no need to pull that trick with me. I may take the appearance of a youngdy, but I have lived decades in the North. Yes, there is a tenth hero, and we are also looking for him. The hero-hunters want to get to him first, of course, for the rumored gift.


    A gift? Lumoof feigned ignorance. Well, I know nothing of a gift.


    Yes, the Gift. Which we still dont know anything about, because nobody has killed a hero. Not that we know of. Me said. We actually thought you guys would be the first to earn it.


    We?


    Me pointed at Edna. Its a pleasure to finally meet the famous Vanguard of the central continent. Thank you for not killing Alvin or my partner.


    Edna didnt reply, but she had a look of annoyance on her face.


    Anyway, we are bound by [soul contract] to Aeon. Me finally got to the point. So I really dont see a need for us to be hostile with each other. Our goals may differ, but Im sure we can findmon ground. Tell me, what exactly are you here for? If youre looking for the hero, we dont have him.


    No. Were here to make friends. Lumoof deadpanned.


    Me paused. Aeon sent you to make friends? After a while, sheughed. Ah, Ive forgotten Aeons dry sense of humor. Surely, that cant be true?


    Well, he also asked us to check on you, whether you are alright.


    She smiled and yed along. Im fine, thank you.


    Lumoof nodded. Thats good. How is Miss Alexis? Does she still hate Aeon?


    Me stared, Wait. Aeon really sent you just to check on us?


    Yes. He sensed you recently, and wanted to talk to you. I think he thinks of you two every now and then. Lumoof said. He felt your presence here.


    There was a moment of silence. Me didnt say a word as she seemed like she was processing the statement. Lumoof, being the trained priest that he is, gave Me the space to process her thoughts. He could tell when someone was going through someplicated emotions.


    I felt, maybe I too was a party that contributed to that. I thought about them asionally, and I sometimes missed Mes rather cheerful presence. Now that Ive said the truth of my origins to Aria, and my senior Valthorns, I wonder whether things would have been different if I had revealed the truth then.


    But I consoled myself that circumstances were different, and I didnt have the power or security that I have now. No, more important, I had a slightly different mindset. Back then, I hadnt experienced the destruction of New Freeka, nor had I resolved that this cycle had to end, even if I did contemte it.


    In truth, it was all the little deviations that led to that branch of the story.


    ...this is weird. Me responded after that moment of thought. We struggled, but I like to think we are fine now.


    Lumoof smiled and gently nodded. He allowed her words some space, and then finally answered Thats good. Aeon said to me, that he still wished to respect the agreement back then, that the two parties do not bother each other and will continue their separate ways. But with his recent growth and scope, an interaction between the two parties is inevitable, so he hoped toe to some kind of arrangement. There are also some things that he wished for your input.


    Me nodded with a smile. It actually seemed genuine, rather than a practiced one. Even after a century, the agreement holds. In this world, only the spirits of nature can uphold andply with such long agreements.


    Lumoof didnt need to respond to that statement, as Me soon continued.


    Yes, I understand his concerns. It is something we have been thinking about since we heard of his resurgence in the Central Continent. What does Aeon have in mind?


    He paused, and nced around. Everyone had heard of it, Lausanne too, even though she was no longer in the higher ranks of the Valthorns. Is this room secure?


    Me snapped a finger, and the walls had an additionalyer. These were anti-magical sheets. Mostly secure. A hero could still listen in.


    Good enough. He intends that we cooperate, on matters involving the demons, the gods and the heroes.


    Lumoof ced his hands on the table, his eyes locked on Me. A gaze that Me returned.


    Ill exin what Aeons goal is, and it is only known to the inner circle of the Valthorns, and Aeon has said that he wished that these words are not shared to anyone else, other than Miss Alexis. Will you ept these terms?


    Me leaned in. Well, yes.


    Aeons grand overarching goal is to end the cycle of demons and heroes. The world has suffered too much, the earth weakened by the centuries of constant warfare. Ruins scattered all over the world, buried and destroyed. He is tired of this entire scheme, he is tired that this world has to serve as a battlefield of the gods and the demons. So, he wants to break the world free of this seasonal disaster. Will you help us?


    Mes eyes widened and she processed it. She leaned back on her chair and she spun around for a while. Her eyes darted back to Lumoof again. She stared and scanned the eyes of every other person present, and then locked on Lausanne. Lausanne, do you know of this?


    Only fairly recently. Lausanne said. She was thankful that she didnt ept the soul-strengthening seed then. A pawn in the war of gods and demons? That was too much for her.


    Doesnt this mean he will go against the gods, and also the demons? Is he prepared for that? It exins a lot, no, it exins his secrecy, and the things he has been collecting and gathering. No, this exins all his behavior since those days too. The perpetual paranoia. Me seemed to have a huge trove of data and information that she had collected, and I felt a little slighted at the term. I was always paranoid. Its partly why I like to work alone.


    But I cant. Not anymore.


    Edna chimed in. Aeon believed that yourself and Lady Alexis, as former heroes, can add some insights and provide some perspective to how such a n can be aplished. Together with other former heroes and idental summons, he wished to form a team capable of something more daring.


    Me looked at Edna. This revtion must be discussed with my partner. I will say it frankly that I am willing to assist where I can, but the Rosewoods are a partnership.


    Lumoof smiled. We understand, this is quite a bombshell to receive during an unexpected reunion.


    It is. Me said. I must call my partner now.


    Everyone stood and they gave a gentle nod. Thank you for the meeting. May we receive favorable news.


    Me nodded, and ushers came to escort the group out of the hotel. They offered refreshments, of course, but no one took any.


    -


    About a week after the meeting, the demonic rifts opened. There were two more years left on the clock for the next demon king. This time, it was on the far Western Continent.


    I summoned my Valthorns, for a brief strategy meeting. Its time for us to go on the offense, and start chasing demon kings and get a bit more of that sweet demon king experience. Fighting champions is a contentious point. In terms of challenge, the higher level dungeons and their bosses provide an equal if not superior challenge. Yet, dungeons at that level have long cooling periods, and fighting demons will be arge part of my Valthorns futurebat career.


    Our n is simple. When the heroes fight the demon king, we want to be there. I want those with the Court of the Deitrees to fight and support the heroes, so that all of you can get stronger. If any of you are at risk of death, I will warp all of you back. Its possible that I couldnt react in time, or if any of you feel too weak, let me know. Those level 100 and above will be deployed to chase down champions, and destroy them.

 Priming the land

    Priming thend


    <b>Year 190</b>


    We focused on preparing for the uing fight. We were going to hit the demon king hard, and hopefully get some levels out of it. I wanted my Level 200, I was so close, and I would empty my entire arsenal at the demon king if it gets me there.


    So, first things first, Kei got in touch with the heroes to negotiate an arrangement.


    Hi Colette and Prabu, where are you two these days! Kei said. It took a while, but what Aiva said now faintly at the back of her mind.


    Were actually in the Western Continent already to hunt the champions. The Western Continent, home and stronghold of the Neiran Temples. Or was it? My spies told me some of the Neiran top dogs have moved to the South. But I wasnt sure, Neira was probably one of the more secretive temples, but also one of the weakest, despite being spared of most of the demons attacks.


    Perhaps Neira was even more distant. No. Maybe Neira doesnt even bother anymore. At this point, I really wonder which god still looked after this world. Whatever little that means.


    Kei nodded. Alright, thats great. So, remember that question you asked a few years back, about having an arrangement to fight the demon king?


    Uhuh. Prabu nodded.


    Aeon would like to volunteer his elite forces to support your next battle with the demon king. Im not sure whether you guys want our assistance, thats why we thought of asking.


    The two mages paused. Hmmm I need to talk to Chung and Hafiz, but it shouldn''t be a problem. More hands should help. At least, we could use some help with the champions and all the other small fries while we focus on the King.


    Alright! Kei nodded.


    -


    Next step was figuring out how to deploy and project sufficient force that we could have an impact on the demon king. The system clearly favored those who contributed to the fight, and it is a reasonable assumption that our level gain is corrted to the contribution.


    So, this meant we needed a few things. One - a way to send my forces to where the demon king was at a short notice. It was possible to use my own treeworks and Stes portal to send a small force there quickly, so that meant the logistics of manpower was partly solved.


    One of the things I wanted to test out was whether Lumoof was able to function as home when using the Court of the Deitrees recall function. It didnt work, and they still automatically returned to my main body. I suppose the system for the Court is still programmed to only consider my main body as home.


    Its too bad. If it worked, I essentially could use Lumoof as a warp point and then dropship the rest of my forces around him. I could even use him to send people across worlds, as long as he was on the other side.


    Perhaps some other upgrade to the Court of the Deitree will allow this. No matter, I had to work with what I have at my disposal.


    I also needed to figure out how I could throw huge amounts of crystal-bombs at the enemy. Thanks to Alkas persistent experiments over the past few years and almost decades, we now have a rather huge arsenal of crystal bombs. Simrly, we experimented with my vines flinging the crystal bombs through a void portal. It worked, as long as theponents of the crystal bombs did not involve star mana.


    Its a crude solution, but I didnt like the fact that everything depended on Ste and her band of void mages in training. A single point of failure meant if the next demon king had some kind of anti-magic or anti-void energy ability, we wouldnt be able to use it. No, there was also the risk that the demon king, a creature with at least some void magic ability, would be able to interfere with Stes magical portal.


    So, we had to consider alternatives, as backup.


    Through a bit of upgrades and outfitting, we finally managed to get Hytreerion to gradually swim to the Western Continent with a huge arsenal of crystal bombs. But thanks to its incredibly slow speed, it would take half a year for him to actually arrive there. We also arranged for ships loaded with crystal bombs too. The idea was to nt the bombs everywhere and then detonate them when the demons are near.


    Ste didnt seem particrly pleased with the idea. This has the problem withndmines written all over it.


    Thats partly true. But of course, these crystals are magically activated. They shouldnt cause such problems, right?


    Wait, no. Actually, all bombs have this problem. Its possible that some crystal bombs dont detonate and are instead embedded in the ground. Some day, they will get identally triggered by some hapless adventurer. Or their demon-sensing runes get confused and blow something up.


    Everything decays over time, even magic. So, once they decayed, their behavior is unpredictable. Institutions decay too, and I noticed it in the Valthorns. As the central continent epted my dominion, there was a shift in the behaviors of those who are admitted to the Valthorns, especially those who grew up knowing that I am the supreme authority of thend. Arrogance. Minor abuse of power. Some of these were hidden when they were just part of the Valtrian Order, but the promotion to the Valthorns revealed some of this.


    Worse, I was only made aware of this after a few incidents I witnessed while doing other things, andmanded my artificial minds to highlight all of them. There were many small instances. Arrogance was not punishable, even if it did make us unlikeable. For the minor abuse of power, it was hard to really assess whether it was the person who provided or granted the payments were trying to curry favor.


    There were benefits to being in high ces, and I saw how the Valthorns would rmend their friends or families for certain roles. Not exactly unallowed, but its nepotism.


    As an institution, now that the Valthorns and Valtrian Order is considered mature, I needed my artificial minds to y the role of an opposing or offsetting force, of identifying those who are outside them for admission.


    But I went off tangent with my thoughts there. Back to crystal bombs, was excessive use of magical artifacts the equivalent of usingndmines? Maybe, but I argue that danger posed by the demon king, as a beast of significant destructive power, offset the risks of using magical artifact.


    One day when I, or the non-heroes under my wing, gain sufficient power to challenge a demon king without such bombs, I will remove them from ourbat ns. But now, the bombs are a necessity, even if Im doing the magical equivalent of carpet bombing. The destruction of the demon king easily killed more than my bombs ever will.


    Ste nodded, though she did make a rather poignant statement. He who fights with monsters, might take care lest he thereby be a monster.


    Nothing to worry there, for I am already a monster. I am, by all means and definitions, a monster tree with magic and godly powers.


    Ste sighed. In our pursuit of peace and the end of this cycle, we will turn a war between man and demons, to a war between monsters and demons.


    Eh, thats not urate. The gods were always the puppet masters. In therger scheme of things, youve heard from Aiva yourself, that this is a war between gods and the demons. We are just the background, the terrain and the natural environment rebelling against that stupid war.


    But on the ground.


    I think thats better, actually. Its better for the citizens that the war is fought by monsters. We can take the losses a lot better.


    Druids gathered giant birds and flying creatures. Most of them were small, but master trainers and animal tamers can grow their tamed beasts torger proportions. I looked back at my Titan choices. If I had an air force, the air force could functionally perform as my bombing squads.


    Drop the crystal bombs from the air and fly off. Or could I have suicide bombers?


    No. It wouldnt be suicide bombing if we used summons and spirits that can respawn to deliver the crystal bomb payload. Magical summons would be the best weapons delivery tool.


    -


    Through some magical modifications, we managed to upgrade Hytreerion to be a floating ship with cannons. A battleship. More oil rig than ship, it carriedrge cannons that could throw the crystal bombs a certain distance to their target. Its range wasnt fantastic, so it wouldnt be able to shoot far ind unless more upgrades were made.


    For Lumoof, he moved to the Western Continent, our expansion ns in the north put on hold. That can resume after we capture whatever experience and levels we could from the demon king. Hell, maybe I can get something that can solve my damned ocean problem.


    It was also my first time in the Western Continent.


    One thing I noticed was that the culture of the world is actually rtively aligned. There are kingdoms everywhere, and the differences in cultures are usually in the small things. Like the way they eat certain foods, and the other small stuff. Kings are still Kings, and nations run the way they were run elsewhere. That meant the local lords as pretty much local gods.


    Like the Northern Inds have Aria and Aispeng, I wondered whether theres a tree spirit or some other spirit here in the Western Continent, and whether I could rope them into the fight.


    The kingdoms of the Western Continents are putting up pretty good resistance against the demons. Many of them hadrge standing armies, courtesy of their rtive safety during the past few decades. Instead, they were mostly focused on fighting each other. From what I understood, they were still in the period of warring-states when the demonic rifts appeared. Nothing to unite a nation in war than a bigger bad guy.


    Oh well, no matter, Lumoof arrived in a port city called Pbuhan Dikng, on the Eastern Shore of the Western Continent. The first thing I noticed was that the Neira priests have really lovely outfits.


    We came, formally, as reinforcements at the invitation of one of the friendly kingdoms on the Western Continent. We came by ship, because we did not want to reveal our possession of void portals.


    Our goals were multifold, of course. The main objective is to participate in the battle against the demons, gain levels. Not-so-publicly, our goals are to make friends, get more information on the powers of those who rule Neira, use the demonic attacks as an excuse to freely explore ces that was previously not-so-essible.


    Even more secretly, it was the best chance to mix my spies into their society, get to know some of the individuals, and see how we could gradually grow our influence on the Neiran Temple. Our goal, with Neira, Gaya and Hawa, was to learn their methods ofmunicating with their gods.


    The Neira priests were hostile, but they did not attempt to fight Lumoof or the entourage. The gap in our strength was clear to anyone who bothered to do some research, even if politically, we generally allow the other temples some dignity by not openinglyparing our rtive strengths.


    There were some boring formalities of introducing ourselves to the local rulers and all that, but that was a task I allowed Lumoof and the group to do. Even in the face of demons, there are sycophants and asskissers. These were tiring for me to deal with, so when there were political matters, I allowed Lumoof to handle it.


    Lumoof wasnt the wisest politically, but he had enough sense to give empty but pleasant sounding assurances most of the time, such that the asskissers realise that they were going to have better luck with his subordinates.


    On this front, this was also one of the problems we have with diplomats, spies and our other agents. Away from my eyes on the central continent, all I could do was trust them to know what to say, to know how to spot those who seek to curry their favor with the powers they possessed, to know that just as we seek to gain from them, they too will gain from us. There, I have to believe that they have the experience and skills needed to spot what they should spot, and know of their biases.


    There were no eyes to watch them when they are away.


    Well, except through Lumoof.


    -


    While Lumoof handled the preparations on the Western Continent. I also spoke with my fellow spirits.


    I intend for my warriors to join the fight against the demon king. Would you be willing to make some weapons for them? I asked Aria and Aispeng for the best weapons they could make. They agreed, and forged 10 weapons made out of some magical ice, which I offered to the 10 of my strongest Valthorns.


    For Lilies, they made 5 sets of magical staffs made of fused bone and metal, which amplified both healing and death-elemental magic.


    I also asked the fused wolf-shaman for some things, but it had nothing to offer. That was fine.


    I decided not to ask for anything from Reefy. I think it would probably be mistaken what my intentions are.


    -


    The demons that spawned this time were mostly smaller, impish creatures. They look like dark-red versions of goblins, with small reddish wings that seemed to do nothing but let them hop a little bit higher. ws.


    We also encountered one demonic champion, arge two-headed reddish ogres with tentacles fo. I think we were gonna have the Demonic Corrupted Orc Hordes for the demon king. If so, are we gonna get some kind of corrupted orc shaman for a demon king?


    I must admit I am absolutely clueless about what you are talking about. Both Kei and Ste probably didnt y the popr gaming series.


    Of course, we also met the heroes. This time as fellowbatants.


    Im actually pleasantly surprised that Aeon would help us. Prabu said face-to-face to Kei. Lumoof was there, of course. Edna was on her way, by boat. One of my concerns was what if the demon king was early? In that case, we would avoidbat until we could get our full forces in order. You made it sound like he was rather hesitant.


    Kei smiled. Well, just consider it a pleasant change of heart.


    Just to be sure, theres no catch, right?


    Nope. Just help fight the demon king, and theyll leave right after. Kei repeated. Of course, the prize is the demon king itself.


    So, whats the strategy?


    Wait for the demon king to spawn, and lure the demon king to you on favorable grounds. Kei said. Im sure youve seen in the journals how the demon king can see us. Its possible to pretty much shout were here with the use of star-mana. Hopefully we get a dumb one that would fall for the trap, then well soften the demon king up and you guys cannd the finishing blow.


    The part where Jura and Lovisnded the finishing blow was happily omitted. There was no need to highlight that it was my people that did so. But it is amon story on the Central Continent, so maybe theyve heard it.


    The mage-hero nodded. Sounds doable. Were setting up our own magical formations too, hopefully itll help. But if the journals are right, there must be a trick.


    The heroes, too, were scattered. Only Prabu, Colette and Hafiz were here. Chung seemed to be working on some kind of secret project, but he promised that he would magically teleport to the Western Continent once his project was ready. As for Ken...


    With Lumoof preparing for the demon king, I lost my ability to see through the trees of the Northern Inds, and so I lost Ken. I was not very confident I could find him again, especially with that snake-spirit, but I weighed my priority and decided that gaining levels from the next demon king outweighed whatever risk that they posed.


    Well, we cant predict the trick, the best we can do is prepare as hell, and fight like crazy. Kei said.


    Prabu paused. True, not like we have a choice with all that godly mind control all over us.


    Try some tea. Kei offered. It might help.

 Fighting Trees

    Fighting Trees


    <b>Year 191</b>


    The astral paths open. The path of light that glowed brightest repeated what happened before. Ste and her team of void mages attempted, however little, to meddle with the demons path. I watched as her dark energies attempted to tamper with the path, and the void mana drained out of her.


    She was not strong enough to fight theplex powers of the demons. But she tried repeatedly, and she levelled up from the attempts.


    Its a lot moreplicated than I thought. Stemented. Its like theyve just dug this river from their world to ours, and they are just floating on it.


    Huh. Some kind of space travelne.


    Yeah, its also not just void mana. Theres something else in this space river. But its not star mana for sure. If Im right, the demon kings core is nothing more than a cocoon to allow something sorge to float through it. Stes ability to visualise the path has also improved since 10 years ago, partly due to her levels and new skills. Or it may be that the astral path is like a rope, and the demon king is hanging onto it like a ropeway, using this demon core as a tether.


    Oh? Thats new information.


    If what we saw previously was just streaks of light, shes gained some ability to see what was in the streaks of light. I still couldnt, so sadly for me, Im just relying on her narration to figure out what exactly it looked like. This is normal to me, of course. I lived most of my life in this world without full vision, just partial, spiritual vision until I gained the Tree-Eyes ability.


    Im not even sure what Im seeing. Its like recognising words but not trulyprehending the meaning. Ste said.


    So its like you have two eyes but you cant see Mount Tai.


    Yeah.


    She kept trying, of course. She injected a bit of her void mana into the sky.


    And failing. Its not working. Its either my powers are too unfocused, or and by the time my powers reach the path, its just less than what it was. Sheined.


    Wait. What was that again? You said its less by the time you reach it?


    Yeah. It''s kinda like... it dissipates before it reaches the path.


    Would being closer to the sky help? She thought for a moment, and nodded.


    No harm trying.


    That was how I made the tallest Giant Attendant Tree, as tall as I could manage,plete with a wooden, vine-powered ropeway lift to the top. I made it such that there was arge t surface at the very top, a tform for the kinds of rituals Ste and her team of void mages could ever need.


    It was really, really tall, and with my magical augmentation and energies, it was probably the closest Ill get to a space elevator, even if its still pretty tiny. I could even feel like the top of the tree was pulling away from me.


    Her team attempted it again, and still it was not sessful.


    It still dissipated. But at least, Ive only lost about half of our magical strength.


    Well, to truly escape the worldsary shell would require something thats on the moon or even further. Do you think youll do better if you attempted to interfere with the astral paths from the moons?


    She thought about it again, she initially shook her head wildly at how crazy the idea was but then I could tell a part of her agreed with the idea. Thats really, really crazy levels of distance.


    But its possible. With enough magic you could open a portal to the moon. Even then, the moon may not be ideal as the moon may has its own sphere of interference.


    Well, yes. Ive rarely seen Stes face look so conflicted. Even more than actual moral dilemmas. But give me some time to mentally prepare. Im not prepared to open a portal to the moon. Not yet.


    Wouldnt it be cool?


    What if it just opens a vacuum and sucks everything up?


    You know that doesnt happen.


    Ste sighed. I need some time with the idea.


    -


    I wondered then whether I could spread my trees on the moon. With the right amount of magic, assuming that magic works on the moon, we should theoretically be able to terraform the moon into an inhabitable space.


    In fact, if I could convert the moon into a safe space, that would be a less ideal-long run solution.


    Its quite strange that you consider terraforming the moon as a possible idea. Keiined one day.


    I dont see why youreining? The demons clearly only pop up here.


    What if they follow you there?


    Then well deal with that problemter. I mean, why do all these heroes worry about all this stuff when it hasnt even happened yet? Well try it, and see whether it works.


    Yeah. Thats true. Actually Im not against the idea of terraforming the moon. Im because its like... uh, the moon? No. Wait. That doesnt make sense. I guess I just assign a weird sentimentality for the moon, like it should be what it is.


    Eh, back home, men have always dreamed of colonising the moon and Mars. Here, a tree dreams of greening the twin moon.


    You know what, that actually sounds quite cool. Kei admitted. Hopefully Ste sees it your way.


    Oh she will, she just needs time to process the idea of portals to the moon. Shes like that, her first reaction to any idea is to say no. Usually. Ive seen Ste enough to know that her first choice is to do nothing, or hide. This part of her, she still took a while to undo, and in some ways, I really resonated with that.


    -


    Ste, as predicted, agreed to the idea a weekter, but after suitable preparations were made. For now, she continued her attempts to challenge the demons astral path from the top of my Tower-Tree, as she felt she could still make improvements to her technique. She tried repeatedly, and at one point, she actually seeded in interfering with one single transmission.


    She wasnt sure what happened though.


    At the same time, Lumoof and the team of Valthorns on the Western Continent continued to hunt the demons. We witnessed a few rifts, and the rifts are actually vulnerable weak points. I did not activate my avatar ability, as the heroes were also fighting along. I did not want to reveal the full scope of my avatar powers to them.


    So, we allowed the other Level 100+ Valthorns to lead the battles with the champions. They needed the experience and the levels to prepare them for the real thing.


    Lumoof and Edna mainly yed a supporting role, and often just stayed back. Kei, of course, understood this. As for the heroes, they thought it was just kinda weird. They, of course, could not really understand how slow normal people levelled whenpared to them. They im they get it, but they dont feel and live how slowly it takes for any regr person to level up. With their divine blessings, they usually just need a champion or two to gain a level.


    Demonic ogres and giant ogres were actually pretty pleasant to fight. They fought very much like regr humans, only with exceptional strength and power, and they also had a few skills. This went on for about two months, and during this time my ships and Hytreerion also finally got into their position. Near, but not too near.


    I wasnt sure what gimmick this demon king would have. Maybe itll just cut off the worlds magicalmunicationwork again. Hopefully we dont get that.


    Everyday, Ste would recharge the void batteries, and kept battling the demonic paths. It didnt seem to make any impact on the number of demons, but she gained levels even from failing, so there was no real reason to stop.


    Then the path glowed brightly. Itsing. Ste wasnt afraid, so she tried again, this time with everything. She wanted to see whether she could disrupt the path so that the demon king couldnt properly enter the world.


    Her void energies formed a shovel and attempted to cover the path of light that cut through the void forest. The path glowed, and little sparks of mes lit up along the path. She attempted to put out one of the mes, and she managed to cause one of them to dim slightly.


    The path glowed, and then seemed to bend at where the light was dimmer. Then, a glowing ball of light appeared and moved quickly along the path. Ste held on and used her void mana and attempted to mess with the path. It was either now or never.


    She pushed, and her void mana caused the path of light to dim ever so slightly. The glowing ball, however, smashed into her void mana at full speed, and from the skies above, a void-energy shockwave hurled right at Ste. I immediately wrapped my roots around her to protect her, and created multiple wooden shields.


    The void energy shockwave smashed through my shields, but thankfully, I had many, manyyers of them, and they were stopped.


    Ste was safe, but shaken by how suddenly it happened. Fuck that.


    On the Western Continent, my sensors detected the rift energies gathered at a particr location, but then it shifted and moved at the veryst minute, like a car that made ast minute swerve.


    [Demon King Bagradva descended]


    It appeared right over a river, and the water where the demon king descended instantly vaporized. Through Lumoof, I could feel its presence, it was like a hot fire. It didnt appear where we wanted it to be, but now we had to lure it to the few designated battlefields across the Western Continent.


    The heroes knew it wasing too.


    Well... Colette said, and then, a magical gate appeared right next to him. Chung walked right through, fully armed and equipped. Shall we get with the n?


    Prabu and Hafiz both nodded. Chung passed the other three heroes some stick-like artifact, then took a nce at Edna and Lumoof. So you two are the supporting fighters?


    Lumoof smiled. Yes. Hope we are not much of a bother.


    Chung shrugged. Oh well, lets get with it.


    The heroes quickly moved to position, and they periodically activated their star mana forms. Our spies and scouts tracked the demon kings movement, and it seemed to have picked up the heroes location and moved towards them.


    This was a good sign, since it meant it wasnt intelligent enough to recognise the trap. Either that, or it would learn from this experience and not fall for it the next time.


    More crucially, through Lumoof, I called my Valthorns together and I spoke to them. Ive sent them to war many times, but few as risky as this. Perhaps, only the war with Kei.


    My faithful Valthorns, once again I call on you to fight the demon king, and this time, through Lumoof, I will be right at your side with my full strength. I do not intend to lie that all of you will be safe. Youve seen for yourself those who have sacrificed their lives in earlier battles, and I make no guarantees for your survival. We will go to war with the demon king, whose powers we do not fullyprehend. Though risky and many will die, it is a step we must take, only through challenging the demon king itself, we can gain the powers needed to stand our own feet, and stop our worlds toxic dependence on heroes.


    Everyone present nodded. Kei merely listened, as one of those who would y a supporting role. She would not join the fight. Not now.


    First we beat the demon king, then we break this cycle of destruction. Only then, peace will trulye to our world. Through Lumoof, I nodded. We all know the n, so lets do it. Lets bomb the demon king!


    They roared.


    -


    The Valthorns split up. They all had their part to y. Lumoof immediately joined the heroes in a pre-built fortress, this time, it was dug out of the ground itself. There was no point to above-ground structures that would be vaporised byser beams, unless specially enchanted.


    It is moving as predicted. Each re and use of star mana powers, it adjusted its position and direction. The scouts exined. The heroes had their own monitoring artifacts, and archmages like Prabu and Colette had magical farsight. Chung, being the archer, had a set of magical birds that could spy for him.


    So, time to show off what youve been working on? Prabu asked.


    Chung nodded. Yup. At arge empty clearing, he pulled out arge contraption that seemed to unfurl itself into an array of massive ballistas.


    Prabu just stared. Wait. You built a huge ballista?


    Yup. But not just any regr ballista. This is abination weapon of at least 20 hero-item equivalents. Sadly. Only single-use. Use it once and itll break apart.


    This is your n?


    Its very, very difficult to make abination weapon, mind you. Had to workaround the stupid [hero forge] restrictions. Chungined. What about you guys? Did you make the mecha zords that you wanted?


    Prabu shook his head. Nope. We just built arge number of magical batteries and healing devices, all around this continent. Were not going to repeat the earlier mistake of taking on the demon king without preparation.


    Good. Chung nodded, Pray that it is enough.


    Youre not the type to pray.


    The demon king and its horde of ogres crossed one of the designated battlefields. Weve rigged the ce with so many magical crystals that it should cause some harm. All of the crystals were hidden underground, and made to be magically linked such that they cause all the crystals nearby to detonate simultaneously. Burying them was hard work, and it took months of my druids time. We activated the crystals, and Alka waited for news.


    He was like a scientist whos waiting to see how his invention performed against the real thing. He was excited, stressed and just a big bundle of nerves.


    We felt a sudden pulse, and the battlefield exploded. Our scouts watched from afar, but the demon king was unharmed. There was a huge red sphere that protected the floating demon king. It was a massive demon king, and had a rhino-shaped head and a big, buff body with a dark maroon hide. A glowing tattoo covered its entire body, the demon king held up arge ming axe made out of flesh and metal on one of its thick arms, and roared.


    The earth shook, as massive chunks of rocks were lifted from the ground, and then melted into round spheres ofva. With those molten balls ofva, it was used to bomb thend in its path. This detonated or destroyed the crystals that were hidden in the ground.


    Ah darn.


    It was smart enough to destroy thend in front to eliminate any traps. We had to move on to the next stage. Our ranged weapons. We had limited ability here, the only truly ranged weapon we had in the area was Hytreerion, and an assortment of middle-range weapons like superrge ballistas and other simr sses of weapons.


    The demon king has a shield or barrier ability of some kind, and it looked like its better for us to use our ranged weapons during the fight with the demon king. The shield was most probably rechargeable, so if we were to use them now, we would just waste our weapons and traps.


    Therefore, we decided to just wait as the demon king approached. The heroes too, got ready. They had their own weapons and traps too, and they understood enough.


    Well, time to do it again. Prabu said, as his body shimmered from the glow of star mana. The four heroes all transformed, their bodies surrounded by their unique star mana armor.


    The demon king approached closer, the heroes and demon king were now inbat distance, and it raised its axe up high. That instant, both Ste and myself felt the fabric of space twisted. All the rifts moved, and it now appeared above the demon king itself.


    The astral path burned with a strange light. At that moment, the rifts twisted and expanded. Then the heads of monsters appeared from the rift. These wererge, asrge as champions, maybe even more.


    There was no notification, but Lumoof quickly used [Inspect] on the giant monsters that appeared.


    [Summons of Bagradva - The Demon Worm]


    [Summons of Bagradva - The Demon Fox]


    [Summons of Bagradva - The Demon Hawk]


    The three monsters that appeared quickly split up. The hawk soared, while the demon worm immediately went into the ground. The foxnded smoothly next to the demon shaman king, and the fox also roared.


    Im the archer, so Ill go for the hawk. Chung immediately moved to hisrge ballista and the ballista glowed.


    Wait, shouldnt we discuss this? Prabu said as he activated a magical shield. Colette and Hafiz both looked a little lost, but the ground started shaking. Hafiz, the pdin or knight, activated a shield ability, as the ground tore apart. The worm had started to engage.


    Edna looked over at Lumoof and the rest of the Valthorns. Well, its already started. Shall we?


    Lumoof nodded and through him, the avatar activated. I immediately could sense where the worm was, my trees root senses. It would be the easiest to destroy. Heroes, Ill handle the worm.


    Lumoof glowed and transformed into a tree, and instantly we flooded the ground around us with roots. From our experience with demonic worms and centipedes, the roots would effectively disable the worms from tunnelling. The worm moved quickly, but the roots extended and chased after it.


    We created multiple giant trees everywhere, and beneath the ground, the roots of these trees formed a cage underground.


    My roots attacked the worm and found it had thick shells. Yet, my roots broke through easily, and I unleashed a barrage of root strikes that skewered the worm underneath. The wormpressed, and then detonated with a small boom. However, my roots were able to withstand the underground explosion.


    The demon shaman king immediately turned and faced myself and Lumoof, and it charged at us immediately, instead of the heroes.


    Edna got in position. Alright. She charged her shield with her mana, and then waited. The demon shaman kings burning fire axe came crashing down and there was a huge wall of mes. Edna activated her shield, and the shield glowed in white. The axended, but it did not break. Edna stamped her feet then, my roots immediately wrapped around her leg and supported her. I felt her drain mana from my roots, as her shield glowed and grew evenrger.


    The axe didnt get through, and her shield released an energy st. It hit the demon shaman king right in the chest.


    It didnt really hurt it, there was a reddishyer of magical protection around the demon king. There was a look on the demon shaman kings face, but I wasnt sure what it was. The demon king was massive, and it was wayrger than Edna.


    Perfect for root strikes. Therger the body, the more ces I can hit. Roots flew from the ground and smashed into the demon shaman kings reddish magical shield.


    At the same time, Edna charged ahead with both shield and spear. Ednas spear glowed and she stabbed the demon shaman king. Her spear met the demon kings shield. The magical energies from the tip of Ednas spear hummed and shed with the red energy shield in huge sparks of light and color, and she pushed.


    The demon kings fiery axe came down, but rather than dodge it, Edna took it head on, her spear active, and activated her domain skill [Duty Beyond Life and Death]. Her body instantly glowed in a faint yellow, and the axe smashed into her arm. There was an explosion around her, but the buckler on her arm did not break. Her ability allowed her to absorb the demon kings attack.


    I thought I saw her faintly smile when her [domain] skill activated.


    The demon pulled the axe back, and hacked again. But Edna had abandoned defense altogether, and she retaliated with a spear stab. I helped with more root strikes through the immobile Lumoof.


    The spearnded a few more hits and then shattered. She took out another spear from her magical pocketspace.


    How does she take the attack like that?! Prabu seemed surprised but took the chance to activate more magical spells on the demon fox. Hafiz, the knight-hero charged ahead with his glowing star mana sword and attempted to sh the demon king.


    The heros sword met the energy shield.


    The star mana energies on the sword sparkled and then, the demons shield cracked. Hafiz pushed and the shield shattered. The demon king took attacks from myself, Edna and Hafiz once the shield was done.


    The sword from the hero caused a cut across its massive body, my barrage of root strikes and Ednas spear-stab caused small holes along its chest.


    It roared and the tattoo throughout its body glowed. The wounds we made closed, and the fiery axe moved autonomously and hacked the knight-hero. Edna took full advantage of her near-immortality to help block the demon kings attack with her magical shield. The shield cracked and broke apart, and then met her arms.


    She parried it, despite her rtively small size, and then stabbed the demon king.


    The knight-hero ducked below the axe andnded a few star-mana powered cuts on the demon king. He activated some kind of magical sh skill, and his sword shed. He chopped off the demon kings arm.


    Through Lumoof, I immediately called on my roots to wrap around the demon king, and I felt the roots connect and touch the demon kings skin. I attempted to drain its mana.


    The demon king glowed. I knew then it was one of those area-clearing abilities.


    Shields up! Colette and Prabu shouted, as they activated magical barriers. Chung immediately stopped engaging the Demon Hawk and with a magical step, retreated next to Colette. Hafiz activated a magical armor that coated his entire body, but even so, he retreated.


    The demon king emitted a bright sh of light, followed by an energy st that incinerated everything around it. Well, except Edna, she ignored the attack and just stabbed the demon king. The energy st burned some of her equipment and singed her skin lightly, but it quickly regenerated.


    When the bright light subsided, the demon kings dismembered arm had regenerated.


    Ednas spear was vaporised by the attack, but then, she punched the demon king with her energy infused fists. She shouted. Im not dealing damage!


    What the hell is that overpowered ability? The heroes shouted in unison, clearly unaware of Ednas short termbat immortality. Still, despite her multiple punches, those punches didnt do much damage. It merely annoyed the demon king. Edna was quite simr to me, in the sense that she has tremendously high defensive abilities, but her offensive abilitiesgged far behind.


    Hafiz immediately ran ahead and summoned two star mana swords. He threw one of them at Edna. Edna was the only one nearby, and she grabbed the sword. She shed and managed tond a few cuts.


    Then the sword ran out of star mana and turned to dust.


    The demon king punched, and this time, Edna was knocked back really far. She may not take damage, but they could still push her. The demon fox took the chance to rejoin its master.


    I immediately mentally spoke to the heroes. Let Edna do the tanking. You guys keep attacking the demon king.


    They nodded, and the two archmages charged up a bluish energy ball, and fired it. The blue energy ball transformed into a glowing piece of ice and smashed right into the demon kings regenerated shields.


    The shield instantly shattered. Edna moved in.


    Edna pulled out a magical ice sword from Aria, and shed. The ice swordnded five hits, and then shattered. She pulled out another set of spears, and stabbed the demon king when the energy shield was down. I also followed up with a few root strikes. Once again, I attempted to wrap the demon king with my vines.


    Our attacks did some damage, but it was Hafizs star mana sword-sh that dealt most of the damage.


    But I could tell the heroes were at least impressed that we were holding on and could even contribute. Around the same time, I immediately got my mid-range and long range weapons to be ready. Hytreerion got into position, and a few of my other Valthorns prepared the magical artillery, loaded with an arsenal of crystal bombs.


    The hawk in the skyunched thunderbolts. Its dark-red feathers wereva and lightningbined. Chungs magical arrows chased the hawk through the sky, but Chung also tried tounch an attack at the demon king every now and then.


    The hawk took a hit, and it crashed on the ground. Right before it flew off, my roots immediately surged out of the ground and wrapped it, and attempted to drain as much of its mana. The hawk struggled.


    Chung immediately charged up a magical arrow and sted the hawk through the head. The hawk disintegrated to magical dust. We were left with the fox and the demon king. The fox roared and sted out an energy wave.


    It leapt towards Edna, its ws armed and ready.


    The fox wed and shed Edna, but it didnt hurt her at all. However, it freed up the demon king from Ednas annoying presence, and the demon king took the chance to charge at the rest of the heroes. The demon kings shield was back again. As it charged, it attempted to move the earth around the battlefield.


    I felt the demon kings magic tug at the ground strongly, but my roots had covered the entire battlefield, and together with Lumoof, we fought back and kept the ground stable. It roared in frustration, and then used lightning instead. Lightning from its axe surged towards the heroes. Both Colette and Prabu somehow automatically activated magical shields and the lightning axes smashed into the shield.


    It exploded and both the archmages were knocked back.


    Yet, the same attack also gave Hafiz an opening. The knight-hero shed the demon king from the back, and left tworge gashes that ran down its massive body. It roared, and glowed again. This time, I felt a stronger twist of magic in the air.


    The two archmages were a little drowsy from being knocked back, and they got up. They immediately put up shields. Hafizs body glowed in armor and he too shed again. Edna continued to battle with the fox, and she was winning. The fact that the fox could not hurt Edna meaningfully meant she ignored her defense and just kept on attacking the fox.


    I wrapped the demon king with my roots again. Its glowing body twisted and struggled. This time, it turned to face Lumoof. It shot out a focused beam towards Lumoof.


    I activated all the shields as I could manage, and the beam pierced through almost all of it. But my shields was sufficient to deflect the beam slightly off center, and merely hit Lumoof right in the leg. It vaporised his legs, and my roots immediately stepped in to start healing the wounds. I would have to mend itter.


    Lumoof yelped in pain, but he grit his teeth. We can continue. He insisted, my roots managed to stop the bleeding and started repairs. My roots entered the wound and supported his body momentarily, but permanent repair will need to happen after the battle.


    The demon king stopped glowing and the gashes healed, again. Yet, the change in the magic in the air was clear. Each regeneration drained it. It swung its axe around like a hurricane, and surrounded itself with a fiery tornado. It activated more magic and the earth itself turned tova. Theva burned my roots, and I quickly flooded my roots with water drawn from a river not too far away.


    The ground turned into a mix ofva and water. The ground started to release steam as the water evaporated, and theva cooled. The demon king stomped the ground, and the ground shattered. Pieces of hardened driedva rock cracked out of the floor.


    The heroes activated a range of ice-spells, as they pulled moisture out of the team and formed them into icicles, andunched them at demon king. This also helped clear out the mist. It was then I noticed Chungs contraption was already destroyed.


    Some of the dirt andva rocks broke free from my weakened roots and these dirt chunks transformed intova axes mid air. The demon king magically hurled them towards Lumoof, Edna and also the heroes. The sky swirled above as the heroes also activated some kind of blizzard spell. Ice shards started to rain down, and these shards homed in on the demon king.


    They smashed into the demon kings red shield. These ice shards didnt crack the shield.


    Theva axes met one of my wooden shield skills and exploded. At that time, the demon king raised both its arms, and then the sky parted. Edna dodged theva axes, she made sure to avoid the ces where the ground was soft. Theva may not kill her, but she could get trapped and be effectively disabled.


    A massive deep red fireball came crashing down.


    Fuck. The heroes screamed as they grouped together and then activated various shields. I instantly surrounded Lumoof withyers andyers of wooden shields and barriers. The entire battlefield exploded, and it destroyed all my giant attendant trees.


    But the heroes survived. All four of them huddled together. Only one shield remained. Had they used their shields separately they would have died. For Lumoof, the fires burned through most of the shields, but thankfully my avatar mode meant he shared my fire resistance. Had it been any other element, Lumoof would be in trouble.


    Yet the explosion left the demon king frozen in a daze. It stood motionless.


    This was Ednas moment, again. Edna immediately took out more spears magically and stabbed the demon king. Her attack snapped all of us to action. I called on Hytreerion and my mid-ranged Valthorns to start their barrage, while I also activated more root strikes. The heroes attacked.


    From afar, my crystal bombs zoomed across the skies and thennded around the demon king. They exploded on impact. The heroes magical spellsnded on the motionless demon king and left multiple wounds. My root strike pierced through some of the weakened parts of the demon kings skin. The knight-hero left more cuts and gashes across its body, and then attempted to behead the demon shaman king.


    His star mana sword stopped halfway.


    The demon king glowed, everyone retreated except Edna. She went in, activated her Court of the Deitree and surrounded herself in wooden armor, and started punching. Her fists were shaped like spears, augmented by the wooden casing around her.


    The demon king regenerated, again.


    Edna punched, and the demon king smashed Edna with its molten club. The rest of my Valthorns, those in the Level 120s to 130sunched ranged attacks where they could. Roon and Johann, who was initially located a distance away to coordinate the mid-ranged weapons, now came to join the battle.


    Their attacks didnt do much. All of uscked the firepower to deal game-ending damage, as our attacks stopped by the shield that came back online.


    Chungunched a rain of magical star-mana arrows at the demon king and the arrows mmed into the demon kings back. The torrent of star-mana arrows cracked the shields.


    Its shields are down! Chung said.


    The two archmagesunched magical energy sts, and reactivated their blizzard spell. This time, the ice shards mmed right to its body. The demon shaman king raised its axe, and this time, a rift appeared in the sky. A demon-dragon came out.


    [Summon of Bagradva - Demon Dragon]


    The dragon roared and shot huge beams.


    Focus on the demon king! Chung shouted. Its already dying!


    The dragon immediatelynded on the ground with a m, and attempted to attack the heroes. But before it could do so, my roots surged out of the ground and constricted the dragon. Thousands of vines and roots emerged and pulled the dragon down. I drained the dragons mana, and Lumoof coughed as the dragons energy flowed through his body.


    The heroes kept attacking the demon king. The demon kings axe mmed right into Hafizs shield and cracked it. The ground shook slightly, my regenerated roots absorbed the vibrations. The steam turned to mist, as the heroes blizzard reduced the temperature greatly.


    Hafizs glowing star mana sword shed a few more times, and finally, with a great glowing sh, he finally beheaded the demon shaman king.


    The severed head immediately sprouted a snake-like body.


    What the shit its not dead yet! Chung screamed in frustration, and used star mana st. The energy st missed as the head slithered away quickly. I activated my roots and attempted to wrap it.


    Ill hold it. Take a shot once it stops!


    My roots wrestled with the snake-body of the demon kings head. It was strong, but I was just a bit stronger. My roots were twisted and it stopped. I tried to crush the body but couldnt, all I could do was hold it in its ce.


    Colette and Prabuunched abined super-dense ice-blob, and it exploded right at the head. The head turned to ice, and then the entire head and the snake body disintegrated. The summoned dragon also immediately disintegrated.


    At this time, we felt a magical pulseing from the original demon king body. We knew what it was.


    Its gonna blow.


    No. My roots immediately wrapped the original body, and pierced it. It was weaker now, and my roots searched for the core.


    We found it. The demon core. I wrapped it with huge amounts of roots and vines, and started to drain the mana.


    Lumoof coughed and winced in pain as his body endured the huge amounts of demonic mana and other kinds of weird energies from the demon core.


    I felt my head hurt, and I felt like I got hit with a jackhammer, and then fed a few bottles of alcohol. Both drunk and dizzy. Was this mana poisoning? But I kept on draining mana from the demon core, and then the pulse finally stopped.


    [Demon King Bagradva has been in!]


    [You have gained 9 levels. You are now Level 208]


    Yet, immediately after the notification, I felt the effects of the mana poisoning sink in, and I felt like I needed to sleep. For a short while.


    Spaizzer


    Thanks for reading, and I hope this battle demonstrates how far they''vee, and also how much more they need to go.


    There''s a poll on patreon to vote on the three choices Aeon gets next chapter. It''s gonna close soon.


    Also, I''d like to shoutout Zendran''s snek core fic. The Great Core /fiction/40888/the-great-cores-paradox

 Tree ways to the End

    Tree ways to the End


    <b>Year 191 (continued)</b>


    The battle was over, and I rested for a few days. Lumoof, thankfully, recovered from the damage far faster than I did. It seemed that in avatar mode, all the mana was transferred to my main body, so I bore the brunt of the mana intoxication. Patreeck and the rest of my artificial minds assisted to regte the excess mana, and stored them in the potato batteries. We wille back to it someday. I hope.


    Edna had to take a long, long nap and spent days doing nothing but sleep. Though her ability gave herbat immortality, once the one-day timer was up, she was pretty much a puppet whose strings were cut. She could barely walk or move.


    But it was worth it. She gained a lot of levels, and hit Level 165, and gained even more abilities with it. Her new ability [Regenerating Guardians] granted her the ability to create 5 guardians that shared her toughness.


    Lumoof too, gained some levels, but most of it only enhanced his connection with me such that he could withstand more of my power.


    But more importantly, was those that we wanted to groom. Roon, Johann, Alka, and Ste all gained levels from the victory for their contributions to thebat effort.


    Roon, Johann and Alka were now in the higher level 140s. Its likely that we could breach the level needed to obtain their domains by the time of the next demon king,


    No, more importantly, I returned to my notifications. I activated the menu and instantly a long list of notifications appeared.


    [You have gained 9 levels. You are now Level 208]


    [Level 200 grants Minor Pantheon Powers. Minor Pantheon Powers are dependent on subdomain choices.]


    [Further skills once a subdomain power has been chosen]


    [Subdomain Power Choices- you may choose one out of three choices below]


    [Subdomain choice - <b>Tree of Life</b>. This choice leads you down the path of regeneration, evolution, immortality and life creation. Each of your main body and your cloned bodies gains significant regenerative abilities, This choice allows the creation of cloned bodies under the Tree of Clones. Your trees gain the ability to adapt to all kinds of environments, and terraforming ability. ]


    [This subdomain choice will lead to creation of life, greater-monster minions, evolution-alteration, healing, endurance, regeneration, clones and multi-body skills in the future]


    [This subdomain grants the Pantheon Power - Immortal Tokens - Domain-level individuals who join your pantheon can be remade and regenerated even if they are killed. On death or destruction, their souls will return to you for respawn. The respawn time depends on how strong they are. Stronger deities require longer respawn times. However, choosing this ability will mean the death of these pantheon members will no longer grant Titan Souls, and you will not be able to gain any stored experience from their familiars. These domain holders can still die if all your tree of clones and your main body are destroyed.]


    [Choosing this subdomain also unlocks the Trees of Clones - You may now create clones in addition to your own. The number of main-body clones increases with level. You cannot die unless all cloned bodies are destroyed. You can regenerate any destroyed bodies after a small recovery time. Each clone body and your main body are magically intertwined and you may move items and people between them, subject to a distance-adjusted mana cost, with a discounted or minimal cost for Aeonic-rted items, sses and individuals and also familiar-holders. Clones initially take the form of a basketball sized seed that can be transported and nted elsewhere. Tree of Clones may be ced anywhere and naturally terraforms their environment. They do not need to be physically linked as their connection is through the system]


    [Subdomain choice - <b>Will of the World.</b> This choice takes the first step in merging with the world that you are in. This choice removes any distance or depth restrictions for roots and trees. You will thus be able to spread your roots anywhere in the world, through oceans and under them. You may also create underwater trees. This choice leads to terrain and elemental magics and abilities, significantly improved offense and damage for you and those touched by your powers, creation of elementals, weather control, terrain shaping, and wielding thend as your weapon.]


    [This subdomain grants the Pantheon Power - Strength of the World - this grants significant stats and strength boost (at least hero tier), improved elemental resistance and enhanced abilities with the four main elements. Pantheon members also gain the ability to terraform and gain ability to temporarily transform into elementals]


    [Choosing this subdomain unlocks - Elements of the World. This is a path where you gain ess to the controls of this world. This includes more urate astral maps, ability to move the world in the void sea, bend space and distance around the world and its neighbours.]


    [Subdomain choice - <b>Crown of Magic</b>. You gain the ability to use all kinds of spells without requiring skills or sses, and simultaneously generate star mana, void mana, blood mana and any other mana type you discover. This path leads to global and multi-world spells and abilities. You will also be able to override any hero-item restrictions and use them to their full potential. Your magicalboratories and sensors gain increased sensitivity and functionality. Your main tree can now learn magic just by sight, and certain types of hero-abilities. You can also grant magical abilities to a limited number of individuals]


    [This subdomain grants the Pantheon Power - A Land of Magic - Domain Members can ess and store their unique mana types in areas where your trees are present. They may also pre-cast and store skills and spells in thend itself, thus skipping any casting time and mana cost restrictions. Your trees will function as magical amplifiers for their abilities]


    [Tree of Magics - You may create Great Magical Trees. Each of these magical trees can generate a choice of star mana, void mana, blood mana, or any other mana type discovered. These Great Magical Trees can weave and cast multiple magical enchantments that apply over an area asrge as a continent. Magical Trees can significantly enhance existing ley lines, link distant ley lines together, cast wide scale protective spells and interfere with other magic.]


    [Crown of Magic also allows you to Forge Magical items without restrictions. These weapons and items can generate their own mana, act as the locus of area enchantments and amplify magical powers. You are also able to fuse Titan-Souls with deity-ss (or higher) magical items to create unlimited-ss weapons that can grow, gain their own levels and transform into weapons that can exceed even the gods]


    -


    I sat down and looked at the three choices. [Tree of Life] allowed me to bypass the Avatar limitation and free up Lumoof to truly be my mobile avatar. It also pretty much makes me functionally immortal, especially if I can get my seeds off world, to the other two worlds, or any uninhabited world.


    This was a good choice for expanding to the demon worlds and the other continents, and is essentially a step towards an <i>intreedimensional </i>empire. A true multi-world force. I could, through this ability, even take on demon kings on other worlds, thus speeding up our levelling speed.


    The pantheon ability also made it less risky to put any lesser domain holders like Lumoof, Roon, Alka right before the demon king. That said, this ability was quite useless with Edna, since she could already take all the damage.


    The second choice, Will of the World, had the main benefit of bypassing all distance restrictions all over the world. With this, I could invade all the continents at the same time. That said, this choice did not allow me to spread my roots to the other worlds, and my main body still remained the single point of failure.


    But the boosted stats to all my domain-wielders meant this ability synchronised really well with Ednas [Duty Beyond Life and Death]. She could endure all the hits the demon king could dish out and then keep dealing damage with her significantly improved offensive abilities.


    From the battle with the demon king, it was quite obvious that the heroes did a lot of the damage, if not most of it. Even my root strikes, which were generally super effective against demons, did not do exceptional damage against the demon king. If I wanted to kill a demon king with myself and the rest of my pantheon members quickly, this seemed like a decent choice. It also negated and weakened a range of the demon kings elemental attacks, so it wasnt a total tradeoff against survivability either.


    Thest choice, led us down the path of magic. It seemed to ovep with Stes void magic, perhaps this meant I could amplify her power to actually deny the demon king, and the global magics suggested I could also use them to hide the world or redirect the demon kings.


    This choice enhanced survivability indirectly through the stored spells and skills, which felt like an exploitable mechanic. The growing weapons that had no limits also felt exploitable, though I needed more time to think about a good way to abuse it. The ability to grant hero tier magical abilities was also an interesting choice, again, I didnt know what exactly that meant until Ive used it.


    Did it mean I can functionally create heroes?


    I could link ley lines together with the ability, so that was also a very good interaction with my dungeon ability, which would allow me to create even stronger dungeons for my Valthorns.


    This path had the most unknowns, because I didnt know what magic was capable of at that level. This choice potentially had the means to break the cycle through some kind of great magic, or perhaps, its possible to seal off the entire world from the demons, buying us some time to grow and recover. Alternatively, the enhanced magic could possibly interfere with the demon kings void magic.


    -


    All these choices were interesting, and I brought the matter to my senior Valthorns for their input.


    Edna was first to answer. Honestly, can we dy it until Ste, Roon, Johann and Alka all gain their Domains? If we could see what domain abilities they receive, we could choose what wecked.


    Lumoof nodded at Ednas suggestion. I must say I agree with that assessment. We really dont know enough.


    Kei and Ste, who were both present, stated their case. We can extrapte the powers from what they have now. Its likely Stes domain will be some kind of void ability, so perhaps Ste can create even more powerful portals?


    Johann nodded. I like the regenerating and immortal ability though. It meant we could pretty much fight the demon king with not a care in the world since we cant die. We can actually win the demon kings purely by attrition, a really interesting reversal of the situation. I believe this seems to be a long-term idea, and ys well with Stes void powers. We could send a clone to the demon world!


    The Will of the World is immediately more useful, though. It would functionally enhance our grip on the world. Alka said. Theck of depth restrictions meant we could dig even deeper, and even below the heat. There must be treasures and more lost cities we have not seen.


    Kei then added. Doesnt it mean Aeons trees can be everywhere? That meant he could use his beetles everywhere!


    Ste paused and then added. What if all of this is just an illusion of choice? That all these choices eventually result in the same thing, even if the journey to achieve those choices is different. Take how the tree of clones essentially extended Aeons range, the same way the Will of the World does.


    That does make some sense. Alka nodded. If so, should we think of this as which ability we cant replicate or substitute with other abilities or spells? If a few of us will eventually reach and acquire our own domains, then some of our domains must be able to substitute these skills.


    Is that an argument for Tree of Life? Since immortality is not easily replicated. Lumoof asked.


    Eh. I thought it didnt really say anything. I think the immortality ability has substitutes, like my own. Ednas [Duty Beyond Life and Death] was case in point.


    Then its the underground ability. Alka said. The Will of the World. We could find all sort of stuff! Maybe theres a secret even at the center of the!


    Kei smacked her face. Given what Ive seen, Im actually afraid you might be right.


    Im sure there are magical abilities for that. It is possible that your [Domain] ability as a scientist may grant you the ability to find such treasures hidden beneath the ground, regardless of whats in your way. Edna quipped.


    Thats certainly not the only use. Alka protested. Merging with the world sounds like Aeon will be the itself.


    The magical ability to cast global spells. Ste then suggested. We should take that. It sounded like it worked well with my abilities and would improve my chances to dy or deny the demon king.


    A mage with [domain] could possibly do such spells too. If we think of demon kings as domain-ss, we have seen demon kings use global abilities. No, actually, are you trying to wriggle out of having to get your own [domain]? Kei looked at Ste. Ste shook her hands in protest.


    In the long run, all these choices probably make little difference. Ste said. But looking at the medium term, over the next few decades, these choices would affect how we survive the demon kings.


    Johann nodded. I think the Tree of Life makes good sense. If none of us can die, we can all aim and n.


    Doesnt that just trivialise death?


    Im sure the regeneration time of a [domain] holder will be quite long. Maybe years or decades. Kei said. This world does seem to take inspiration from games and ancient myths, and its not unusual for ancient evils or great powers to recover from destruction over very long periods. That reminded me of so many stories that started with the rebirth of the evil god.


    Oh, so we may not die, but we waste a lot of time.


    Time that may save lives and other worlds.


    Im against the magic route. Roon said. I feel that once a sufficient number of us can take on the demon king, and with immortality, we can effectively continue fighting the demon king. No, fighting the demon king is even better since we be stronger with each fight. Its a risk free route. The earlier civilizations were destroyed after a long war of attrition.


    Yes but we will have to keep fighting forever. The magical route essentially offers a chance to close this issue by blocking us. No. The magical route also means we may have spells that createrger, more sustainable portals. With that, we may be able to invade the demonic world.


    That still sounds like ying defense. Roon responded. Being immortal allows us to go on the offense.


    We dont know that. Ste answered. What if we invade the other worlds and find that theres no solution there? The Gods clearly have tried something, but they too failed in destroying the demons. Hiding may well be the only true way to avoid this fight.


    Until when? The ranger responded. We cannot hide forever.


    What if merging with the world allows both? Alka wondered, as he tried to steer the conversation away. There must be something more to this merging to the world thing. If Aeon bes the world, Aeon may also be unkible. With that solid foundation, well just need time to have Ste and the rest of the void mages gain their own domains.


    A really long time, mind you. Ste protested. Void magic isnt so easily taught.


    He doesnt have a point. We have 20 void mages in your void school, and Aeon can give you upgraded sses. Alka said.


    Kei paused and took the conversation in another direction. Aeon, is it possible that at Level 250, you may actually encounter these choices again?


    I thought back to my Level 150 domain choices. [Nature], [Spirit], and [Astral]. I chose [Nature] then.


    As I thought about it, I thought it may be more urate that both Will of the World and Tree of Life are essentially paths that went deeper along the path of the [Nature] aspect. [Living Magic] seemed to take a detour through magic, taking a bit from both [Spirit] and [Astral].


    So I answered Keis question. Not exactly. These level 200 choices were not what I got for my level 150.


    Edna circled back. I stand by the earlier suggestion. Hold on the choice until more of us get our domains. Theres no time limit, right?


    Everyone took a look at Lumoof who remained mostly silent. Lumoof shrugged. Dont look at me, Im Aeons number one faithful, and if its me, I believe in Aeons wisdom to choose.

 A growing garden

    A growing garden


    <b>Year 192</b>


    With the battle against the demon king behind us, I moved Lumoof back to the North. The first order of the day was to find Ken again.


    Where did he go?


    And we couldnt find him. So, we made sure to keep all my artificial minds on the lookout. Its possible they sailed to the other continents, and if so, theres no point looking for them here in the North.


    Around this time, we received a letter from Me. Another meeting with her, and Alexis.


    -


    We met again in that same hotel, this time, only Lumoof and Edna. There really was no need to bring anyone else.


    Patriarch Lumoof, we meet again. This is Alexis, my partner and co-leader of the Rosewoods. Me nodded, and this was when I saw Alexis again after so long. She was a tall, slender woman, her face was that of a human, with the exception of the beetle-like iris, and two little feelers on her forehead. She had humanlike fingers, but the tips were like little ws with tiny hooks.


    Alexis nodded, and Edna too gave a knowing nod. Lumoof made a guess on her ss.


    [Assassin]


    Me noticed the way Alexis and Edna looked at each other, and immediately exined. I believe weve met under less than pleasant situations. But lets put that behind us and look forward. Alexis was still tense and she sat down. Edna could single-handedly defeat everyone in this room, and everyone knew it.


    Lumoof smiled and sat on the chair. Indeed, I was also told by one former hero that you two tried to attack her.


    Me nodded knowingly. It was clear that shes a former hero after that event, ourck of intel from the central continent made us blind. Its very unfortunate that our meeting devolved in that manner.


    Lumoof took a cup of tea and sipped. He wasnt worried whether it was poisoned. Oh, she was equally surprised to learn that the two of you were former heroes of another generation. It seems to us that the number of former heroes in the world only keeps growing.


    Meughed. I suddenly feel a lot less special.


    Lumoof only nodded. So, lets start. I would like to preface our discussion with Aeons view. As he promised many years ago, he has no intention of meddling, and wishes to respect that both of you have separate lives.


    Alexis immediately leaned in. Define meddling. Is he not meddling, when the two of you are here? Me merely sighed at the response.


    Lumoof was calm and he expected the question. Its important to look at context and the overall picture. Aeons ultimate goal is to break this world from the cycle. To do so, he has to asionally step in to save the heroes, especially if they are cursed, in order to minimise the destruction from the demon king. Though, as we could see from Alvins case, he didnt do that well against the previous demon king. Nevertheless, after our incident in the North, Aeon decided that he needed to move in the North, as it seemed that these inds are home to quite a bit of the anti-hero factions, if only to maintain the bnce.


    Sounds like an excuse to expand his power.


    Lumoof nodded. Oh, we make no excuses there. Aeon in its pursuit of power, will have to expand to everywhere in this world.


    Alexis immediately turned to face Me. The room already had anti-magic shielding.


    The world will run out of time. Lumoof said before Alexis can continue. Aiva told us that the gods powers fade. Well, we only heard from Aiva, we dont know whether the other gods are actually fading or not. In a century or two, Aiva will no longer support the summons, and the world may end up without heroes to face the corruption of the demons.


    Wait. What? Alexis looked at Me. Me didnt respond to the statement.


    Aeon is aware of your past disagreements with his methods. Rich, and hypocritical now that Alexis is an assassin that killed many others. But shes a smart girl, and I like to believe her intellect could be useful. But lets work together, at least, to ovee this challenge. Past enmities can be managed.


    Alexis sat down. Youre not lying.


    We met Aiva herself. I wasnt sure whether to refer to Aiva as male or female. Honestly it could go either way, though the church of Aiva tends to refer to Aiva as a goddess, even though that isnt exactly in their scripture. Her presence was real.


    Can you tell us why Aeon has all the hero fragments? Alexis sat.


    Lumoof mentally pinged me, and I agreed. It was something he kept from everyone until recently, but he is what they call... coteral damage. An idental tag-along during the hero summons. The fragments were awarded to all those who tagged along.


    There was silence, as Alexis and Me both processed it.


    It was a long silence.


    Youre telling me now, that he understood all our references all this time? And he never said a word? Alexis had a look that was mostly anger.


    Yes. Infuriating as it may be, it was Aeons decision in the early days.


    This is ridiculous. Alexis looked at Me. She stood and mmed the table. You believe this shit?


    I must say I do. Me looked back. It makes a lot of sense, taking ount of his paranoia with his knowledge of our world, he is quite like some of the more paranoid heroes. I didnt feel I was paranoid. I thought I was reasonable in protecting myself.


    Why? Alexis stood.


    I took over Lumoof, as Lumoofs eyes glowed. I spoke through him.


    Because a tree cannot move. If the entire world knew of my origins, would they turn on me? Maybe yes, maybe not. But I did not take chances, not with what little power I had then. I am unlike the rest of you, who can afford to run, to hide, to alter how they appear with magic, or with the right spells, to move to another world. If we made a wrong move, I am a sitting duck. I have been on the receiving end of so many hexbombs, that I no longer bother to count them. The truth costs me a lot more. I am willing to admit the truth, because now, I can afford to. The world is not a pleasant ce. Youve seen how assassins tried to kill heroes even with the overwhelming power of heroes. What could a tree, an immobile tree, do?


    Me sighed. Alexis was silent.


    Me and Alexis, we meet again after so long, and I would have preferred we met under more auspicious and pleasant circumstances. But the reality is this, we have just a few centuries left to chart our path, and prepare for the moments when our crutches are off.


    They were listening, even if they felt intimidated.


    It may seem long, but its only 15 to 20 demon kings. That may not be enough to level enough of us, such that we can survive subsequent demon kings without the support of heroes consistently. Not just one demon king, but for the rest of this worlds existence. Without divine support.


    Me nodded. I understand, and so, whats the n?


    Alexis turned. Me.


    Aeon is right. If the summoning of the heroes will stop, this world is truly fucked. Like it or not, we cant ever reach that level. We certainly dont have the right skills or items to even stand up to any regr hero, what more the demon king. Me defended me. Weve worked at this for a century, and youre still only level 90, and Im barely above level 100. If Aeon is able to even graze the level of the gods, then we need to work with him.


    I said frankly. Honestly, I am willing to let the two of you continue as is. There really is no need for both of you to make massive adjustments to the new lives you have built over thest century. But I hoped to rely on both of you for intelligence, for support should it be needed, and mainly, to put things bluntly, dont get in the way. What I want at the moment, is an intelligence sharing agreement, and a non-interference with our actions here in the North, or wherever you may operate. I can dictate that by force, if I need to, but thats an unnecessary waste of manpower.


    With the Valthorns, I could field far more power than they have. There was no need to have them enterbat, or enter into a formal alliance. They just had to stay out of the way, and if they dont, Ill have to force them to.


    Me turned. I can agree to that.


    Alexis stood and looked at her partner, there was a hint of displeasure in her statement. We should discuss this.


    Non-interference should be a clear yes, Alexis. This doesnt change anything significantly, not with the proverbial [Soul Contract] on our souls. Intelligence is also an eptable trade, we have an interest in keeping the world safe and supporting the heroes in their mission. We can do more working with Aeon, than against him.


    Alexis wanted to respond, and then she sat back down. She didnt look too happy, but she seemed to ept it.


    You mentioned there were others like us? Like Miss Kei? Me asked. The point that I havent quite decided on, was whether I should expose them to Kei, Ste, or any of the other future heroes who maye under my umbre.


    Yes. How about you, have you seen any of your own?


    ...Yes. We have two under our care at the moment. But tell me, whats their role in this? How do they fit in?


    Two? Hmmm. Im beginning to suspect idents are moremon than I thought. I decided I could share some information. Theyre mostly helping me where they can, and how they could apply their own knowledge to improve things. One of them worked on portals. Another is helping with crystalline bombs which we will deploy against the demon kings.


    Ah, Ive heard of the bombs. Me said. Fascinating stuff. Alexis even got her hands on a few undetonated ones. Now that we know Aeon was from Earth, it really exined some of these unusualbat strategies.


    Alexis asked. How does Aeon n to end the cycle? Weve heard the goal, but does he have a n in mind?


    Lumoof shrugged. This is partly why we are here. We dont have a firm n, we are attempting quite a few things, but if we had more minds, with different viewpoints, we could have more leads. Some of the ideas are quite outrageous.


    Alexis stared at Me. So all that rhetoric of a grand goal, and Aeon doesnt have a n.


    Me smiled back. Well, dont all great ns begin with a vision?


    Maybe its a vision that will lead us to hell.


    Are we not in some kind of hell-world already? Me responded.


    The two of them seemed to be pretty tense with each other. Maybe theyve been together for too long. Its hard to imagine a friendship thats a century-long would still be cordial. Lumoof and Edna just watched.


    No point jumping into their fire.


    What I found strange was that they did not respond to the portals. Did they hear it, or were they also working on something simr? Strange.


    -


    Ste finallypleted her examination of the demon kings core. Its a dud. Again.


    The core received star mana damage, and its clearly messed up whatever that was in there. Sorry, Aeon. Not good enough.


    I felt like stomping my feet. We worked so hard and it wasnt enough! Of course, Edna expected it. Its not like we did most of the damage.


    Your domain skill really delivered though. I praised Edna then. We just need to work on damage. We both needed to work on damage. Even my fragments didnt seem to make much of a difference against the demon king. Its likely that the fragments are only effective for non-demon kings. This, of course, suggested that demon kings are not demons, but in their own ss entirely.


    We also examined the mana I drained from the core to prevent thatst minute meltdown. Its a lot of void mana and demonic mana mixed in, and the trees and potatoes that I used to hold these manas were corroding rather quickly, and I needed to constantly heal the potatoes so that these void mana didnt leak out and blow the whole ce up.


    But the mana type nor the ratio didnt tell us much other than what we already know. The demon king contained void mana within itself, and most of this was about to blow. Luckily, this time, I was able to absorb significantly higher quantities of mana to avoid any catastrophic blowup. In the first ce, it was already weakened and had already consumed a bit of its void and demonic mana.


    Oh well. Maybe the third time well get it.


    -


    Our spies were helpful, but they were not able to extract Neira''s secret godmunion methods. More correctly, they were not even sure it existed.


    Among the mid-tier leadership team, they were not aware of any means of seeking out their god. They have the understanding that they will be contacted by their god, not the other way round.


    This, of course, made me wonder, why do their followers even pray, then? If their prayers do not actually go to their respective gods, then what is it for? Yet, despite the prayers never reaching the god, those who pray somehow receive blessings? How does that work?


    I attempted to make sense of this whole prayer thing.


    As I understood it, Lilies once said a domain is a higher-order ess to the system. But looking at what Ive seen so far, its probably not just that. At this point, I theorise that a domain holder essentially creates a spot for itself in the system. This was why Lilies felt my presence spread throughout the system.


    If so, when prayers are given, I believe these prayers are then recorded by the system, and theres a code or a programme in the system itself, created either indirectly or directly by a persons ascension to the higher levels of domains, that then absorbs these prayers and then responds to them.


    In other words, the system functioned as an automated god system on behalf of the gods. The god may have set criterias for the system, or the system itself interpreted a set of criterias from the gods behavior that formed the basis of how it responded to prayers.


    I mean, that has to be how it worked, because Im not linked or giving powers to those who have [aeonic] sses, and yet they clearly derive some power that is modelled after mine. The system did that, not me.


    I did not assess these believers whether they were worthy or not, it was the system who did it. The system, as the only impartial operator in the world, made that judgement call.


    Thus, its likely that even if Aiva drifted out of range of her normal, direct powers, the benefits from an Aivan blessing or ss would continue.


    No, thinking about it, would it be a good idea to link the world to where the gods are, if they are friendly? Such that they can use their powers more directly here.


    Certainly that would be good for the world, in the sense that Aiva can then protect this world directly, but not good for me, since they probably would not tolerate me being so close to them. A portal worked both ways.


    -


    The four heroes came to the Central Continent again, this time on their own ord. Theyve finished the clean up of the demons in the West.


    I didnt like that they wanted toe, of course, but they were heroes, and they could just teleport to our continent if they wanted to. So, rather than resist and fail, since theres four of them, I decided to just allow them entry.


    I want snacks. All types of them. Prabu told the attendants at the port. The attendants hurried to retrieve snacks from the warehouse.


    A Valthorn quickly reached out to me. As the heroes are not invited on an official visit, should we charge them the cost of their lodgings and food? This was a diplomatic headache, of course. Previously they came at Keis invitation, and so I agreed to waive the cost of whatever they consumed. I decided to call on my council for their input.


    I think we should absorb it, for now. One of the Lords advised. Most kingdoms absorb the cost of hero visits. After all, they never really stay for long. Most end up starting their own kingdoms.


    I think we should be more concerned if one of these heroes wanted to start their own kingdom here. Another Lord responded. But until then, most kingdoms put on their best face forward.


    What if the heroes start to mate with any of the younger princes or princesses around the Central Continent? That could cause some of the kingdoms to stray from influence.


    And is that likely? I asked.


    Its possible. Many kingdoms historically attempted, with some sesses, to absorb heroes into their royal families as a way of enhancing the unique status of the royal family. Granted this has not happened yet in the recent Aeonic era, but it was amon thing, historically. Some heroes end up usurping the throne via marriage.


    <i>Fuck.</i>


    A hero as one of the Kings? Theres no way I could keep them in line if that happened.


    Prabu munched on a te of snacks. I love snacks so much Im going to stay in the Central Continent.


    <i>Fuck.</i>

 Theoretreecal Basis

    Theoretreecal Basis


    <b>Year 193</b>


    We want to make a deal with Aeon. Prabu and Collete said to Kei. Its been close to 6 months since he arrived on the Central Continent, and hes been visiting. On and off, they did travel to the other continents, but in the end, they returned.


    Kei sighed. Are you sure this is a good idea? I dont speak for him, so Ill have to take you to him, if he lets me.


    Prabu was firm. Yes. Both of us talked about it, and we decided, no, I decided I want to stay here. Colettes just staying here with me. I wondered whether these two were an item.


    Keis magical lips curled. Its really not a good idea to base your decisions on which continents have the best snacks.


    Eh. Am I such a caricature that my entire thought process is summarised down to my love of snacks?


    Well, no. But is it?


    No. I like snacks but Im not stupid. I also like modern conveniences, and on that front, this continent is far ahead of everyone else. Especially here. If there was a ce I wanted to stay, its here.


    Have you thought about what you want to offer Aeon aspensation? Kei said. Back when I was still alive, I helped Aeon with magical research.


    Ive seen Freekas colleges, and I think the College needs a proper magical teacher. We both can do that.


    You know these mortals cant learn heroic magic. Kei frowned.


    They can learn by exposure. Just having heroes as lecturers should be a huge selling point for the college. I honestly dont mind being mascots. Prabuughed. I used to wear costumes for my school ys. So yes, I mean it, I want to live here.


    Kei looked at Colette. How about you?


    Ill travel around, but Ill probably drop by and just rest here too. The knight-hero, Hafiz is out to set up his own sultanate in the Western Continent, while Chung the archer went back to the Southern Continent to continue his work on magical contraption again.


    I suspected they were probably more than friends, but they didnt do anything strange while here. Maybe they used some magic to hide themselves from my prying eyes.


    We only have a few years of peace. Colette said. Before were back to that old disaster, again. Theres still so much to see, and so much to eat.


    Weve seen most of the big sights.


    There are things hidden in in sight. Colette responded. Like how weve never seen Aeons true body even after weve been here so long. There are things we will only discover if we spend the time to find it. These magical senses are tuned to demons, and very little else.


    Of course, thats really understating how overpowered their normal senses already are.


    Can you please ask Aeon?


    Kei led them to me the next day, and they saw my main body for the first time. They instantly backed a few steps as my presence and theirs shed.


    The true body is really nothing to scoff at. Prabu said with a bow. We humbly greet the great deity of the central continent.


    I have heard of your request, and it is granted, with some conditions. They stared and waited for me to continue. I then listed down my requirements. I wanted them to stay out of politics and avoid giving any tacit or implied support to any of the nobles, I didnt want a political upheaval in mynd, and I was concerned that the nobles would be able to gently maneuver the heroes against me.


    The heroes are political newbies. They could find themselves indirectly led to a path where they are then forced to make a choice. The only way they could stay in the Central Continent, is if they are directly under my control, and no one else. At the same time, they had to work.


    I tasked them, mainly, with creating heroic items, and also working as guest lecturers at FTC.


    Just like Kei, when she was still a hero. Prabu epted it without hesitation, and was more interested in debating the specifics of hispensation for his goods and services.


    -


    I then approached both Aria and Aispeng, and also Lilies, on the specifics of a pantheon.


    I asked Lilies, and Lilies could not answer.


    They have not reached that point. > We dont know. It is amitment far above what we are ready for. <


    Lilies couldnt answer, either. But I sensed turmoil and conflict through our linked roots, I felt its many minds in fierce debate over the invitation.


    -


    Aria and Aispeng frowned. So level 200 is a pantheon. If we get there we can get it too. But well have to wait a few decades. But what happens if we reach level 200 and can we leave the pantheon?


    I honestly answered. I dont know. The system does not answer such questions, but I would theorise yes. A pantheon may not be a fixed thing. Only those who selected a subdomain, like my priest Lumoof, are stuck with me.


    What exactly is a pantheon? What are your powers over us? Aria asked.


    I also dont know. Ill know more when Edna joins my pantheon.


    Hmmm. Then we will wait until then. We certainly are not friends of the demons or the gods, so I dont see the problem in joining with you, if its not a permanent, irrevocable arrangement.


    -


    In truth, any of my domain choices should make the world safer. If I had all of them that would be even better.


    I hoped level 250 allowed me to get all of them.


    -


    During the middle of the year, I got a ping from one of my artificial minds. My artificial mind drew attention to an individual who arrived by sea. The man had long hair tied up into a ponytail, and wore simple armor.


    The Central Continent. How does it feel? The man asked.


    There was a small snake on his shoulder, a real, living snake with dark green skin, but my watchers were already on the lookout for anything snake-rted. The snake had glowing red eyes. Were being watched.


    Is it? The man looked around, but didnt seem to see anything. I dont see any assassins or spies.


    Its everywhere. I can taste a faint presence.


    Oh great. Weve walked into a trap.


    No. I dont think so.


    Its easy to tell this was Ken. Heh. So is this trip a mistake? We still can back out now. No, if this is a g, we should back out.


    No. The source of the divine energy we felt was here. Even now, I can still taste the residual divine energies in the air. We move.


    I taste nothing. Ken rolled his eyes.


    Your senses are crude, human. Come, we shall move to the source of this energy.


    We continued to watch Ken travel from the northern coasts of the central continent, slowly to the center of the central continent. It took them about two months, but Ken finally arrived at Freshka.


    Theres something here reaching out to our minds. The snake said once they approached Freshka.


    Whats that?


    Im not sure.


    You sure dont know much for a supposedly all-knowing snake. Kenughed.


    Ive never sold myself as an all-knowing snake.


    Is it? I recall back when youtched onto my soul, I remember quite specifically that you said you have the knowledge of the world and you can help me.


    My world, not yours.


    Great, I fell for a marketing misdirection. Ken rolled his eyes.


    The snake didnt answer.


    Ah, Freshka! I heard Prabus here. I should meet him. Ken said.


    Is dropping by unannounced amon practice in your world? It would be an act of disrespect to us.


    Ken shrugged. Itll be fine. Prabus pretty chill.


    Hes still under the control of the gods. They may not be. Not when they detect my presence.


    Ah yes. That twisted backstory of your world, right? Ken said. But you know what, Ill still meet him. Im not at risk, you are.


    The snake was silent, and Ken smirked. Ken immediately activated a messaging orb. Hey Prabu.


    Oh, hey! Ken! Whereve you been?


    Long story, but guess what, Im in Freshka. Wanna meet up?


    Wait. what?! Sure, dude! Sure! Uh, you wanna meet at one of the citys restaurants? I thought I felt a little bit of echo as I heard Prabu speak through my eyes, and also through Kens observer.


    Yeah. Sure. Tell me where.


    They met at an upscale restaurant in Freshka,plete with a private dining room. Of course, the whole ce was bugged with my trees. Prabu arrived first, as Ken took a while to find the ce.


    When they met each other, Prabu immediately frowned. Whore you?


    Ken paused, and then realised his disguise was still active. He activated some kind of spell, and now he transformed back into Ken. Sorry. Ive got a disguise on, since there are a lot of people looking for me.


    Prabu frowned. With that ability of yours, how do I know Im actually talking to Ken, and not someone who just looks like Ken.


    Ken rubbed his chin. Thats a good question, I actually cant prove that. Its entirely possible that Kens still back on earth and Im just a copy of Ken who can shapeshift with flesh-alteration magic. Or it is also possible magically that something ate Ken and stole Kens memories, and now this Ken-eating monster now masquerades itself as Ken.


    Prabu smiled and sat. Alright, Mr looks-like-Ken-but-may-not-be-Ken, so Ill still call you Ken for short, whats up? We saw the notification, and your message. Chung will want to know that youre still alive.


    Prabu then pointed at the snake.


    And also, that snake of yours, where is it from? It feels... familiar.


    Ken immediately ced the snake on a chair. His names pretty hard to pronounce, but I call him Snek, because he looks like Snek. Hes a spiritual hitchhiker. Hes been with me since the very first day we arrived in this world.


    Really?


    It took a while for him to wake up, part of the perils of dimensional travel.


    Why didnt you tell us?


    I dont trust the gods to keep both of us safe. Not with the power theyve given us. Ken remarked tly.


    What is it? Prabu stared at the snake, and the snake coiled up. And why are you willing to do so now?


    Ken smiled. Because Im no longer a hero, and it separated from my soul after it consumed the hero ss.


    The snake ate your hero ss? Prabus eyes almost popped out at the second sentence. How? And why? Seriously, why? What were you thinking?


    A knock on the door, and Prabu tapped a button. The door opened and three waiters came in. They served the food, drinks and snacks, and left when they were done.


    Yes. Where were we? Hero ss, what were you thinking?


    Ken looked, and smiled. Well, Im pleasantly surprised that you didnt instantly try to kill me or the snake.


    What? Why would I? Prabu leaned back, slightly offended.


    Well, lets cut to it. We all know theres some mind control element. It restricts what we think and what we do. I didnt like that, and Snek helped me to remove it. Its a win-win situation, since Snekes from a world thats devoid of heroes.


    Wait. Are you saying Snek is a demon?


    Not quite. Have you ever wondered what would happen to the world if the demons win?


    Everyone dies?


    Well, no. The demons kill those that they encounter, but what if they somehow manage to hide?


    I thought the demons could find those who live? Prabu frowned


    They have refined senses, yes, but they are not perfect, and certainly not omniscient. There are things they dont know, and in the snakes case, they got lucky.


    What do you mean?


    Their world was swarmed by flying demons, but they, the snakes and few others, are a species of subterranean creatures. They lived underground and surrendered the entire surface to the demons, and they built their cities deeper and deeper. But, the gods only recognised those who were humans or humanoids as worthy of protection, so sentient snakes and other beasts were abandoned.


    That was fascinating.


    The flying demons and the demon king that made the surface into a demonic world, and yet beneath it, these snakes lived. And they remembered the loss.


    Thats...


    The gods discriminate by species.


    No. The demons have tunneller demons too. Why didnt they use those?


    This time, it was the Snake-Spirit that answered. Because the demons have a system. Each demon king that wins a world ims that world for its type. The demon gods created a rotational system to allow each subdemonic race a chance to invade a world, but if it fails, another subdemonic race gets the opportunity to send their Kings. My world was imed by the dragon-demons.


    Prabu asked a question I always wanted to know. Then, do you know what are the Demon Kings? How do they be what they are?


    In every world, the demons will create a massive pool or spawning pit. This is the Heart of the Demons, and it is linked to the Core of the world. The hearts steal power from the world, to create a demon king. It takes almost a century for the heart of the demons to create a demon king.


    This story is different from the one told by the parasite. Prabu frowned and asked. To be fair, it sounds like your world has managed to coexist with the demons.


    We do not consider it coexistence. Not when all the surface dwelling species have been eradicated, and those who fled to the tunnels have changed over the millennia. Our world is a demon world, and we feel the pain of the Core that feeds the demons.


    The demons were created from the energies of the captured worlds, and use it to create demon kings.


    The worlds energy fades in strength, each demon king it spawns kills the world a little more, and we fear what happens should the demons consume all of the worlds energy. The snake answered. But because wee from a world where the cores energy has been tainted by the demons...


    Prabu shook his head. Sounds like a pretty tragic background story.


    Ken actuallyughed at it. I know, right? Anyway, their world needs a hero, so, since I didnt want to be controlled by the gods, I agreed to give my hero ss to them. So, Im a free man now. Win-win situation.


    Free only because someone else will be fighting for you. Prabu frowned. We could have used another person on the battlefield.


    Eh. You four are doing fine! I heard of your incredible battles.


    Those are all exaggerations. Those who were present in the battle all know it didnt go like that.


    Indeed, there were no spectators. The risks were too high, and everyone present was at a higher level. I lost too many lower level folks when I deployed them during the previous battle. It was also extremely difficult to scry the battle with so much magical interference.


    The four heroes defeated the demon king. Ken said. Though, the central continent seems to have a different version of the story, where the warriors from the central continent supported the battle? As usual, the temples had their own versions of the story, and we too had our own versions. Each side made statements to its own benefit.


    Prabu smiled. We had help.


    I see. Ken waited.


    So, why are you here, really?


    Someone called the Gods here. Ken said. Snek wants to know.


    Prabu frowned. And why is that?


    The snake shook his head. Lets just say its a curiosity.


    Are you not afraid? That someone who could call a god here can easily crush you.


    The snake nodded, its voice was angry. So it could. But we want to know. We want to ask why we were abandoned.


    Ken looked at the snake. Sometimes I wonder whether thats how the demons came to be. These abandoned races, ascending and then are on a quest for vengeance against the gods who abandoned them. Why are they obsessed anyway?


    The snake didnt answer. We dont know why, and it seemed the snake did not, either.


    Prabu frowned. Theres so many holes in your exnation. Howd you even manage totch on Ken, when we are summoned? Thats a kind of power Ive not seen before. Your ability to extract the hero ss, what exactly did you do?


    The snake looked at Ken, and it was Ken who answered. These snake-folk, they practice a kind of blood magic.


    Prabus face twisted. Ken, you agreed to work with someone who sacrificed lives for magical power?


    Ken sighed. Prabu, its hard to exin, but yes. Theres a lot more nuance to blood magic than you know, and these snake-folk have a very high level understanding of it. Im now free of the hero ss with no side effects.


    And how was that achieved, exactly?


    The snake and Ken seemed to share a look. Itsplicated.


    Youre not making a convincing case, Ken.


    The snake then said. Theres a lot of sacrifice involved. Willing sacrifices are key. Willing? Didnt I recall the snake using some kind of mind-puppetry or mind control? Ken leaned forward. Weve talked about something not relevant for a while. Prabu, I need your help.


    Help? What kind? Prabu asked.


    The rumors were very messy. Some of them said there was a heavenly meeting, some said it was something else. We want to know, did somebody summon the gods?


    Prabuughed. Ah. The Aivan Gods meeting. Yes, what about it?


    Do you know how to trigger it again? Snek says it may be his ticket home.


    I dont.


    Where did it happen? Here?


    Yeah. Somewhere outside of the city. Its off limits, though.


    Can you smuggle me there?


    No. Prabu shook his head. Trust me, you dont want to try weird shit in this continent. This isnt a ce you can fool around. Even if youre a hero.


    Why, some officer of the kingdoms gonna stop me? Ken said. This continents apetent religious-military state with a supposedly divine religious figurehead. Youre a hero with divine powers. Heroes win.


    It seemed that Ken had a very different impression of the continent, and Prabu immediately frowned. Those words are best not tested and said outside of this room, ever. You underestimate the rising god at your own peril.


    Wait, its not apetent religious-military state? All those soldiers in fancy uniforms and high levels? Thats the impression I got.


    Prabu frowned. It was the Snek who stopped at Prabus words. Wait. How powerful is the deity of thend?


    Ken looked at Snek. Waitaminute, what are you implying?


    Sawabesarrs you damned fool. I didnt know how, but the Snek somehow managed to look like it had an epiphany as it cursed at himself. I presumed that was his name, since it was clearly pretty difficult to pronounce correctly. Four hundred thirty three years of waiting for the right moment, and you miss this shit. Stupid, elementary mistake.


    Spill it Snek. Ken looked serious. Prabus frown turned into bewilderment.


    Thepetent religious-military state ispetent, because there is a singr, ascending god at its core. You had the logic backwards. It is not thepetence of the military order that maintains the illusion that there is a God. There really is a god, and it is god that imposespetence. All those military guys with high levels, the massive background presence in this entire continent, it could only mean we were watched. All the damned time.


    Kens face paled. Wait. But Chung didnt say much about this Aeon. The temples certainly painted Aeon as a pretender.


    Of course they would! Snek screamed. Have you no sense of politics?! Even we spirit-snakefolk know about talking shit about your enemies! This is an absolute failure of your information collection!


    Its my fault, now? Ken mmed the table.


    Well, yes. All we know about the central continent has been anecdotes and biased information from the temples and the merchants. Your friends didn''t say much either. You, with your supposed treasure trove of tropes, seemed to happily categorise the entire Central Continent into this caricature of a military regime.


    Tropes are never wrong. Only subverted! Ken mmed the table again. I got the trope right!


    But we got the wrong decisions, you damned fool!


    What the fuck are you two talking about? Prabu said. The food was getting cold. Prabus te was clean.


    Snek turned to the hero. Do you know what level is Aeon?


    Im not sure, but his two generals, a priest and a knight, joined our battle with the previous demon king. The priest was able to have Aeon descend on the battlefield through him. They really pulled their weight during the battle.


    Ken looked. Wait. Wait a minute. The natives are not useless?


    I dont think so?


    Ken looked at Snek. This flies against everything you ever said about natives having no chance against the demon kings. That we all need hero-sses to win. Youre wrong too, alien-snake-person.


    The Snek paused. Our world never had anyone who was able to reach those levels. Even I, the one chosen to take a spiritual form and make the journey to the god-watched worlds, am no more than level 80. We didnt think its even possible for natives to fight.


    Huh. They didnt need super high levels to break themselves free of the hero ss. No, maybe its easier to break if the hero ss was low levelled.


    Prabu looked equally puzzled. Wheres this conversation heading?


    Im sorry, Prabu. We just had a few of our key assumptions rebutted.


    We should stay here, and watch a bit more. Snek said, suddenly. If this is true, I have much to learn about this world. A lot more than just a hero ss.


    Prabu frowned. Im not epting freeloaders. You gotta get your own crib.


    Spaizzer


    Hello everyone,


    I''m going to promote my <strong>OWN </strong>fiction today. So, writing Trees is pretty stressful, and it''s pretty taxing mentally since I gotta keep track of all the different loose plot threads and past powers (entirely my fault). That''s mentally tiring, so, to let off steam, I''m writing this. Every chapter''s usually written in about 10-30 minutes, usually during my office-lunch hours, so... yeah. It''s not a work of art, but I''m hoping it''ll be fun.


    It''s a pretty dumb story, and it''s very trope-ish and silly. But if you wanna read something that''s the equivalent of cultivation junk food, I think this is it. It''ll contain harem elements /fiction/48389/the-royal-path-of-cultivation

 Tree and the Snake

    Tree and the Snake


    <b>Year 194</b>


    A few more years to go, and Ill be 200 years old in this world. Thats really long, though honestly, it only felt like a few years. Time is rtive to lifespan. For a person who will live to 100, 10 years is 10% of his life, but for a tree that could live to 1,000 years, its only 1%.


    The levelling system, therefore, is clearly rigged in favor of those with longer lifespan, though the levels itself allow those with shorter lives to live, far, far longer. Like Edna..


    Roon and Johann were just one level away from Level 150. Roon was an [Aeonic Sharpshooter], and Johann was an [Aeonic Master Ranger]. Both were rangedbatants, unlike Edna. Alka was level 143 [Aeons Field Scientist].


    They were a little restless. After all, they were so close. I totally understand how they felt. After all, I lingered at the edge of that level for a long time, too.


    There were new people, of course. Every year we admitted more into the Valthorns, and from that, an even smaller group that received the [Soul Strengthening Seeds].


    Looking at the entirety of my talent pipeline, I had three bottlenecks.


    One - Individuals who were able to reach their level caps of Level 80 to Level 90s were not many. Not everyone had the disposition or the personality to strive, and keep pushing. Some just wanted to back off and just rx. This problem was mostly solved by expanding my recruitment to cover the entire continent. With hundreds of millions across all the cities, its very possible to get the talent needed.


    Two - training my talents to the level caps, and then beyond that, to the domains. I could cheat with [experience seeds] and give them upgraded sses and upgraded skills, and my gift to level them up to level 60, but all of these were like giving a powerful car to a driver who may not be sufficiently well equipped to use them. They needed a good foundation, and then only the powerful skills could then make a difference.


    Three - The soul strengthening seed that broke the level cap. There was a finite number of soul strengthening seeds I could make per year. The fact that these damned ginseng required long gestation periods only made this even more painful.


    But I wondered, why did it have to be me?


    So I approached both Aria and Lilies for help.


    This here is a [soul strengthening seed], made from ginseng. Are you guys able to make simr items?


    No. Aria said.


    Lilies responded and then produced a lotus root.


    -


    We would select Tree of Life. In the end, I thought the ability to invade other worlds, and establish bases in other parts of the world to be too enticing for me to let go. Not just that, it fundamentally allowed me to engage with heroes with a lot less fear, since now, theyd have to kill all of me, not just the main tree.


    No, the first thing I wanted to do if I chose Tree of Life, was the damned moon base.


    You cannot be serious. Ste looked at me. You want to send a seed to the moon?


    Yes. I am.


    Youre destroying the natural environment of the moon.


    Is this a conversation about preserving the natural environment? Because as far as I know, trees are natural.


    Not native to the moon.


    The moons uninhabited.


    You dont know that.


    Then more reason for me to go to the moon. I argued. Can a tree go into space? No, can a tree go to the moooooooooon?


    Ste frowned and smacked her head. Thatsme.


    Im a tree. I am unable to walk. If I were an animal, I would beme.


    Ste rolled her eyes ...fuck you.


    So will you open a portal to the moon, or not?


    Fine, Ill try. Ill need some time to prepare.


    -


    I selected my level 200 domain, and I felt power surge and flood through all of my body. I felt my Heart, deep underground melt, and then, it split apart into five parts. One, immediately embedded itself back to where it was.


    I had four more seeds. [Seeds of Aeon]. They were small, the size of a basketball.


    At the same time, I felt the other powers of the domain activate.


    [Lumoof has been added to your pantheon automatically]


    [Pantheon invitation sent to Edna, Lilies, Aria]


    Eh. Strange that the system knew to invite them


    [Edna has epted.]


    [Aria and Aispeng have epted.]


    There was nothing from Lilies. Not that he wanted them to urgently ept. They were probably still debating the specifics of such a pantheon.


    [Skill upgraded: Tree of Prayers now also emit a healing aura around them]


    Eh. Thats another skill.


    -


    I watched Ken and Snek stalk my Valthorns around Freshka. They were extremely amazed when they saw Edna walking on the streets. They were almost caught a few times, but I told my Valthorns to ignore them. I wanted to see what they would do.


    That woman is special! Snek said in amazement. I could feel her radiant power here. We must see this tree. To think this background energy that we felt all the way in the Northern Isles was all from this ce!


    The tree was in the north? Ken asked.


    Yes. It was.


    When?


    For a long time. I thought it was just some residue of this world, like something normal.


    Kenughed and sneered. You have eyes, but you could not see Mount Tai. And youre a fish out of water, no, a snake out of the forest.


    Im a snake-person-turned-spirit! We live underground, we survive mostly on magic and our diet consists of underground monsters. Snek clearly was on a different conversational wavelength.


    Do you think its possible for me to take a spiritual form? Ken wondered. Think about it, a spiritual form. Ill be a ghost! If Im a ghost, nothing can kill me.


    Of course it is, but as I said, there are risks. Nine out of ten attempts to take on an ethereal, spiritual form fails, catastrophically. The snake said. And of course nothing can kill you! Youre already dead!


    But these two guys got in trouble, not with my people, well, maybe they are my people indirectly. There was an Aiva delegation in Freshka, as part of our peace arrangement with the Temple of Aiva.


    An Aivan high priest immediately stopped and saw them while they were in town. You. He pointed at Ken without knowing who he was. I sense a foul ghost lingering about you. What are you doing, stalking about town with that ghost.


    Ken was defiant. Last I checked, having a ghost for a friend isnt a crime.


    The Aivan high priest discussed and whispered to his guards. It isnt, but I can still punish evildoers as I see fit.


    No, you wont. Ken said, and he ran. The Aivan priest and his group of guards ran after him. Bloody hell. Ken moved quickly, apparently he picked up some [Rogue] sses. Snek, unfortunately, shielded him from Patreecks pervasive mind reading.


    But Patreeck could still pick up random thoughts and little bits that they didnt manage to protect. Snek spent most of his spiritual powers to protect Ken, and Sneks was partly exposed. There were moments when we saw little glimpses of what Snek desired, and it was a bit of wonder and intrigue.


    I found it interesting that Patreecks power could even be used on spirits. I didnt manage to use it on the demon parasite previously, but maybe that was because it was inside Alvin.


    He managed to lose the Aivan priests. Damned holy people. They really dont like you.


    It is not my fault they confuse me with the undead. Snek responded. I really dont understand this worlds culture of despising certain forms of magic.


    Ken shrugged. People have prejudices. You are probably just blind on your own.


    I had enough of observing them from afar, and so, I sent Roon to confront them. We knew where they walked and lived in Freshka. Roon knocked on their door, they borrowed some money from Prabu and rented a ce of their own.


    Who the hell? Ken wondered and activated [Detect Presence]. Shit, its the Valthorns. Have we been discovered?


    Roon knocked again, and then said. I know youre in there, Mr Ken. Im Roon of the Valthorns. Aeon wants to see you. Both of you.


    Ken stared at Snek and whispered. Howd he find us?


    Snek shook its tiny snake head. You mean, what finally made him decide to send someone and get us.


    Ugh. Are we dead? Ken turned to the door and shouted. What does he want?


    Roon said. He just wants to see you, and your spiritpanion. He has some interesting questions.


    He knows. Ken whispered. Should we bail? Do you think Prabu exposed us to him?


    Roonhad preempted that. Theres really no use running, Ken. Weve been watching you for some time.


    Thats a lie. My [Rogue] skills didnt pick up shit. Ken responded.


    It only means your skills are too low levelled.


    Ken looked around. Can we run?


    Snek shook its head. Think, you fool. We have a high levelled operative outside our door, and I think this Aeon could easily catch us anywhere we go. Our odds are fucked either way. We should cooperate.


    Are we in danger? Ken shouted.


    Roon smirked at the question, and then knocked on the door. Youre not, dont worry. But as for your spiritpanion, it really depends on what your friend is willing to share.


    Ken looked at Snek. Oh, you fucked. Ken opened the door, and saw a carriage was already prepared. One of the continents finest. A small convoy of beetles.


    Good. Roon smiled. Please get in the carriage.


    Ken nodded and went in. Roon followed. The carriage was magically enchanted by our mages forfort, and security.


    Where are we going?


    Didnt I say so earlier? You both are going to meet Aeon, of course.


    What does he want?


    I dont know. Roon shrugged. Youll have to see for yourself.


    Snek stared at Roon. What level are you?


    Its ssified.


    Ken looked at him, Certainly below level 150. But Im guessing it''s very close. They had seen Edna and Lumoof both in Freshka, so they must have got a sense from their rtive power levels.


    Roon smiled. Good one.


    What changed? Ken then said. My friend here says youve been watching us for some time.


    Oh, I wasnt watching you, but in Freshka, someone is always watching.


    Freaking police surveince state. Ken responded.


    -


    We brought them deep into the Valthorns Keep, and brought them before one of therger Tree of Prayers.


    Snek was immediate. This isnt Aeon.


    Roon smiled. Very observant, snake-spirit.


    Lumoof then walked in, and sat on the chair opposite them. Roon gave Lumoof a nod and left the three. Snek eyed him intensely.


    Greetings, and a very bted wee to Freshka, the administrative capital of the Central Continent.


    You... Snek said. I didnt see it before, but...


    Lumoof eyes glowed, and I descended upon my avatar. At that moment, both Ken and Snek felt an oppressive pressure. Greetings, Ken and Snek. My voice was amplified by the avatar power, and it sounded like a thousand men said a single word.


    The little snake spirit just whimpered. Ken looked at Snek in shock. Uh.


    I have much to ask of Snek.


    Ken paused. Howd you know...


    This is my city, and nothing here escapes my eyes. I said and as I stared at Snek through Lumoof. Tell me the truth, Snek, and nothing but the truth. What are you, where are you from, and what are you doing here?


    Sneks little snake body whimpered, and Ken just stared. He had most likely never seen Snek behave in such a manner. Eventually, I lightened the pressure, and the small snake managed to move. I could use the entirety of Patreecks mind reading powers at this distance, but I wanted to see what it was going to do. I wanted to apply some of Patreecks power, to force a bit of honesty.


    But I decided to hold back, and wait. The snake adjusted itself, and then said.


    I am Sawabesarrs, a snake-person turned Snake spirit from a world consumed by demons.


    Is that the truth? I applied Patreecks power, and the Snek vibrated from the mental shock. Patreeck said yes. Good.


    Snek nodded, shaken but it steeled itself. Ken immediately said. Wait, youre using some mind reading powers?


    Your snake has some kind of possession ability, it is but a taste of its own type of power. I responded.


    Howd you know? Ken asked. I ignored the question and just looked at Snek.


    Sawabesarrs, continue your exnation.


    Our world was lost to the demons about five hundred and sixty-three years ago, when the Gods stopped summoning heroes to our world. Our gods, Gayas, Deyar and Marak all abandoned us simultaneously, and we were invaded by the Dragon-demons. The surface world was mostly lost, and the few surface dwellers that remained lived in hiding, in fear of the consuming dragons.


    I checked. It was honest.


    We retreated to the subterranean tunnels, and that was where the survivors lived ever since. We dug deeper and deeper tunnels, and our people changed. But we always wanted to return to the surface. So, about five hundred years ago, our people hatched a n. The idea was simple. We knew that there were multiple worlds, and gods summoned heroes to them. We learned this from the zaratans who once lived in our world. At least, before the surface water was consumed.


    Again, no lies. Imanded Patreeck to continue, and only alert me if it lied.


    We had great leaders, and great mages. But only heroes could defeat the demon king. Patreeck sensed an uncertainty here. We thought, if the gods wouldnt send us heroes, we would have to steal them from elsewhere. Our leaders and ancient masters had a good grasp of the higher magics of the world, and were masters of spiritual-blood magic. We knew that it was very difficult to send a person from one world to another. But if a person was in a spiritual form, it was easier to endure the perils of the dark void.


    The snake continued.


    I, along with many other mages and wizards, were sacrificed as part of a blood ritual that stitched all our souls together. This transformed us to a spiritual existence. That was the first step. Next, we had to gain levels. A powerless spirit could not hope to steal a hero-ss.


    I paused and asked. How did you learn how to steal a hero ss?


    In our ancient history before our fall, our mages once helped a hero lose her ss. It involved using soul fragments of other souls to significantly empower an underlying soul, such that it could shake off the hero-ss that wastched to it. It was harder to do, if the hero ss was at a higher level, as each level gained in the hero ss enhanced its grip over the soul.


    Continue. Huh, so the solution was really that simple. Make the soul strong such that it could get rid of the hero ss? If I gave someone a really powerful ginseng, could it achieve the same effect?


    So I was made into a spirit, and next, we waited. We waited for the moment when the twin-headed Dragon Demon-king of our world was sent to another world. The demons had magical rifts that opened paths to other worlds, and when those rifts were open, I snuck into the rifts. But I didnte out on the other side.


    Ken looked.


    I waited in the dark void, for the moment when the heroes would fly through. There were many near hits, but many of these heroes rebuffed my attempts to speak to them. But finally, when Ken and his group travelled from the other side, Ken agreed to talk to me, and it seemed we got lucky that he wanted nothing of this too.


    I looked at Ken. Lucky for you, the spirit you picked up doesnt seem exceptionally malicious. Didnt your parents tell you not to talk to strange creatures when travelling through the void?


    The former hero sniggered. Patreeck confirmed he wasnt lying, at least. He could still fake it, but I didnt see a need to.


    So you got what you wanted. Whats next?


    I need to send the hero ss back, of course. The only way I knew how to send a hero ss back, sadly, involved consuming a powerful soul.


    Did the gods say why your world was lost?


    No. Maybe. Maybe if one of the gods got out of range, all of the Gods decided to pull out together? I came here to look for answers. We felt it when a god descended, and I had questions. My people wanted to know why we were forsaken.


    Ken nodded and added. I thought I should see his journey to the end, thats why I came here with him. Hes spiritually bound to me, and he cant stay too far from me.


    I see. Tell me more about your blood magic.


    Kens eyes widened in shock. Wait. Why blood magic? Snek was in thought and failed to protect Kens mind. Patreeck, at that moment, read the now-not-a-heros mind. <i>Fuck, its really an evilpetent military empire with an evil god at its helm. Were so fucked. Were dealing with the Empire and this person is the Emperor.</i>


    I was amused at the thought. Snek continued. Our blood magic involved the use of souls and spirits for augmentation. The idea was the soul of many is stronger than the soul of one, and it should be possible to enhance one from many. Our origins were troubled by malpractice, forced sacrifices and wrongful use, but over the years we focused on the key elements of good blood magic. That involved wholly willing sacrifices, and clean rituals. Consent and willingness was a fundamental concept, a powerfulponent that can significantly change the nature of a blood magic ritual. If we failed to consent, the ritual would generate hex.


    If consent and willingness negated the harmful effects. How do you know someone truly consented?


    We would do test-rituals to confirm consent. A smaller ritual involving just the blood of the participants. Consent and willingness is written in our soul and our identity, and parts of it can be detected in the blood with the right ritual.


    Fascinating.


    Kens mind was just full of suspicion. <i>Oh god is this magical tree going to sacrifice people en-mass? What have I done? No. No. y it cool. Dont alert the Empire. Find the resistance.</i>


    Snek was entirely cooperative. May I ask you some questions too?


    I nodded through Lumoof. Sure, if it is reasonable.


    Spaizzer


    I''d like to shoutout a few works. I''m kinda cheating because I fucked up the links to my previous shoutouts so I wanna make it up to them. So uh, help me check out the stories? After all, I only post once a week, and you guys gotta read something else while you wait for the next chapter, right? RIGHT???


    SO:


    First - Zendran''s Snek! Want more Snek? Check out - Great Cores Paradox


    Next - Asviloka''s Zu mari. It''s essentially a crazy xianxia story - Zu Mari - Time Looper


    Also, if you''ve not seen it already, the incredibly entertaining tale of the alchemist cultivator The 3rd Law of Cultivation - Qi = MC2

 Tree of the Moon

    Tree of the Moon


    <b>Year 195</b>


    Snek wanted to know how we stood up to the demon kings. I was frank, we didnt. At least, not yet. It was a very depressing conversation, as Snek wanted to know what levels were needed to be able to fight toe-to-toe with the demon king.


    In truth, if Edna was alone, she would survive the first day, but shell be dead on the second. So, Level 150 was not enough. No. Even level 200 was not enough. We would need an army of us to do so. To think that the ancient dragons were able to hold the demons back, they had to have many creatures of that tier of power.


    Or were the dragons naturally so powerful?


    It was a very high bar. Level 200? They would have to gnaw at the demons for decades before they get there, and on top of that, fight the demon king itself. Without the hero fragments, it would be very difficult to actually reach such levels.


    But my twopatriots did it. Both Edna and Lumoof did. In Ednas case, she served me for about 50 years when she achieved her [domain]. Lumoof, rtively speaking, got there faster, because of the boost from the dungeons.


    Could we transnt this to their world? After decades and centuries of hiding, they were not used to fighting. All they fought were the natural spawns that emerged from the tunnels, and there were powerful monsters even deep underground.


    The demon-dragons of their world were not exactly interested in total annihtion, either. They seemed to only care about great crystal spires, thergest of which served as the spawning pools of demon kings. Snek had seen at least three such spawning pools on their worlds, nursed by the energies harvested from their worlds core.


    Theres clearly a mechanism in the background, where a world will transform to a demonic world under certain circumstances. Snek doesnt know.


    Told you you should not have done shit. Prabu said. Now youve got yourself entangled with Aeon itself.


    I wasnt expecting the Empire. Ken defended himself.


    Which signs did you miss? The extremely powerful subordinates? The strangepliance from even the peripheral states? The magical beetle creatures thats clearly controlled by someone that can reach the entire continent?


    Ken frowned. When you put it like that.


    Snek on the other hand, seemed absolutely converted. Its almost embarrassing how much of a fanboy he had suddenly be. Aeon is the hope weve been looking for.


    Ken sighed. I really want to send you back, now. I cant stand all this praising Aeon shit. Seriously. What do I need to do to send you back?


    No. I need to learn more from Aeon. Our world would do much better if Aeon could help us. Snek was a fanboy, and I felt secondhand embarrassment from eavesdropping.


    Where was the crafty clever snake I met? Ken smacked his face. I miss the snarky snake.


    As youve once sinctly described it, I had eyes, but I could not see Mount Tai. I have now seen the difference between heaven and earth, and there is much for me to do. Snek answered.


    Prabuughed. Thats the first time Ive seen a spirit turn into a fan-animal. Ken, youve outdone yourself in training your pet.


    One must know their ce in the world. There are mountains beyond mountains.


    Ken sighed. And I regret exposing you to xianxia quotes.


    Prabu, the archmage was literally in tears. You absolutely deserved this, Ken. You know, you did all this to avoid the whole hero-shenanigans, and here you are, entangled in the bigger shenanigans.


    Yeah. A snakes attempt to save their own world. I dont see how one hero ss is enough to change the scales though, at least, from what weve seen in this world, the demon kings clearly can take on multiple heroes.


    The snake spirit responded. We dont need to. The demon king, at maturity, would be immediately sent to invade another world. The demons defenses on our world are the demon champions, the greater guardians, and the demonic spawning pools spires.


    The spires are defenses? Prabu was curious.


    Yes. They are.


    Ken sighed. What have I done to deserve this?


    Bad karma, dude.


    -


    Ste was ready, and the crystal batteries charged up. We avoided using daemolite, even though those could store more void mana, simply because we didnt want to leave any trails for the demons to follow. Edna held one of my clones, the [Seed of Aeon], and we waited. Lumoof waited next to him.


    Alright. Lets open a portal to the moon.


    The portal manifested, and I saw a thread of darkness that seemed to stretch ever further. We had a portal to one of the moons.


    Lumoof gulped, took the seed from Edna, and looked at Ste. They nodded. Now was not the time for hesitation. He stepped close to the portal, and Ste and the other void mages felt the void mana drain from the crystals. Portal is ready and stable.


    Lumoof stepped through, and I felt a searing pain from Lumoof, as if we were suddenly exposed to something extremely harsh.


    My priest was now on the moon, and even though the atmosphere was non-existent, and his skin burned from the harsh, unprotected light of the suns, the sight was breathtaking


    It was like how the astronauts sent back the first pictures of Earth. I activated a range of shields, and I knew that any lesser druid would have died the moment they stepped through the portal. There was no life on the moon. Nothing for a druid to work with.


    There was no breathable air, but Lumoof was sustained by magic, and a bubble created from my adaptive powers.


    He ced my [Seed of Aeon] on the dirt floor of the moon, and I sensed that different, extremely parched dirt. The seed buried itself into the dirt.


    <i>Should I go back? </i>Lumoof mentally asked, and I noticed theg wasnt as noticeable as the other worlds.


    Not yet. Well start by exploring the moon, whether theres anything to see.


    Lumoof walked, and damn the moon was huge. For most part, there really was nothing to see. It was just vast ins and mountains of dirt and rock. Here, we had an unblocked view of the stars and the suns, and it was unforgiven. My wooden shields were hammered by the rays of the burning light, and I regenerated them constantly.


    <i>It seems we can put the contentious theories of the moons to rest. </i>Lumoof said as he observed the moons in the sky. <i>There are five moons after all.</i>


    We mostly only saw two moons, these two being thergest and the closest. But there have been ims of multiple, smaller moons that are further away. I wouldnt be so sure. There may still be moons we have not seen, and the other three moons, are they really orbiting the? And are they really moons or just extremelyrge asteroids?


    <i>That difference is academic. </i>Lumoof stated.


    There was mostly nothing to see.


    And then there was.


    In one of the valleys, we saw a crater. The moon was covered in craters, but this one was different. There was a big pile of silvery bones right at the center of the crater. This was a crash crater.


    Bones. It wasnt hard to tell what it was. Four wings, ws, horns on the head. It looked quite like a type of dragon, and it was massive. Thergest dragon bones Ive ever seen, and strangely, most well preserved as well. Strange that it did not decay under the battering of the suns harsh rays.


    There was not a single bit of flesh left. It was just bones exposed to the harsh sun. It shone.


    <i>Howd it get here?</i> Lumoof was just as amazed as I was. The fact that it crashed seemed to suggest it somehow flew here? All the way from the? Itsrge. <i>Maybe theres some scales or other such stuff thats in the dirt around us. We should dig.</i>


    I sensed my [Seed of Aeon] still gradually settling in. It takes time for the seed to sprout in these parchednds. Agreed. But lets wait for the tree to settle in. These bones wont go anywhere soon.


    I didnt want to touch them. Not yet. I mentally marked the location on a makeshift map of the moon. Lumoof kept walking.


    Patreeck said then. We should tap into the bones memories when we can. Yeah. Thats right. The bones could show me a glimpse of what happened in the past. I wondered whether these dragon bones could show me something different from what Ive seen before.


    If anything, dragon bones could be used to make very powerful weapons, at least, if I follow how the stories normally go. Hopefully these would be more useful than the previous batch of dragon bones.


    We went further, and walked more of the moon. I had to take over at parts, as Lumoof needed to rest. The moon was covered in craters, and the moon-dirt was all loose, the texture was powderish. There was no water on this moon. I would have to magically create them as part of my terraforming programme.


    I felt mana flow to my [seed of Aeon] as it created its first root on the moon.


    [You have acquired a new title : Tree on the Moon!]


    Ah! Titles! Ive forgotten such things existed. They usually did nothing.


    -


    It took months for my new clone trees to even make its first tiny sprout, as most of the mana was used to change the environment.


    We should make a cocoon, rather than a full terraform of the moon. Ste insisted. Moon base, not change the moon. Atmosphering changes may bring about widespread weather changes and may cause things to decay.


    That was also a valid opinion. I should test out the impact of terraforming the moon on a smaller scale before applying it to the entire moon. In addition, I wasnt fully sure how my new terraforming powers under [Tree of Life] actually worked.


    This part of the project would take a while, since I would have to take some time to check the impact of my new powers on an entirely foreign moon-environment.


    Maybe you should do this first, on an asteroid. Ste suggested too. An asteroid is far more receable.


    Thats a waste of my clones. I said frankly. Its not like I cant recreate my clones, but it is still a waste. If the n is to create a moon-base, then lets do a moon base. Remember, the whole purpose of starting out with a moon base is to amplify void magic.


    Indeed, void magic as a whole is a rtively fragile type of magic. They decay too quickly, and easily get weakened by a whole lot of other factors. Stes earlier attempts to interrupt the demon king from my supertall tree tower was insufficient.


    The natural next step was to go even further, and thus we decided on the moon base. If we could interrupt the demon kings arrival, thatll be a good way to win.


    -


    -


    My spies embedded within Neira and Gaya had rather upsetting news. We still could not locate any records of attemptedmunication with their respective gods, and my agents even managed tob through their ancient records.


    Nothing. Not a single mention of a way to speak to the gods, other than prayers. Gods find them, not the other way round.


    With, of course, tied in with what Snek wanted to know. How did we speak to the gods?


    I cant share that. It is a secret of the Triumvirs. I was on friendly terms with the Snake spirit, but some things should remain secret. They were also not aware of Stes portal magics, and that was a good thing. Stes ability to open void portals remains a secret known only to the top of my organisation, just like my ability to create clones. I really wondered whether I should help Snek. I barely knew them, and though he had been honest, I wasnt sure I should.


    Shame. My people have many words they want to say to them.


    At Prabus rmendation, Ken also got a chance to visit the journal, but sadly, it didnt work for him. He didnt have star mana and the journal could not open for him. It was also their first time to the Valley of the Unrotten, and Snek was particrly sombre.


    This reminded me too much of my world.


    Ken merely sighed. Thats quite depressing.


    -


    Back on our homeworld, we discussed where to put the other three more cloned bodies. No, what exactly to do with it.


    The other two nearby worlds are a clear candidate. Edna said during the discussion. We could send the high-levelled Valthorns to those worlds, and help fight the demon kings there. This meant we could essentially gain experience from three demon kings over the same period of time.


    Thats a whole lot of fighting. Lumoof sighed. Im not sure Im keen to do that much of that.


    It was true, and at Lumoofs advice, Ive also increased the dungeon-battles for the other Treeology Patriarchs and Matriarchs. A few of them have gone past level 100 recently. The most recent battle with the demon king made it clear to me that he wasnt that fond of battle. With my clones on other worlds serving as gates, I could definitely send some of my priests and Valthorns there to gain levels.


    Edna had another private opinion, one she shared only with me and Lumoof. One tree on the Eastern Continent. For the Aivans who now require our protection.


    Another idea was to wait for the demonic rifts, and hijack the rifts to send my seed to the demon worlds. In short, I would invade the demon world with my seed, and use my seed as a springboard for a full scale assault to retake the demon world. I could use my seed, together with the [forest rod] to speed up the terraform, and quickly establish a defensible position. Ill most likely need Lumoof to be in that demon world for some time.


    Alka, my scientist, also had a view to use the clones offensively. He proposed that the clone trees be deployed on the continents where the demons were most likely to appear next. Three clones for the next three demon kings. That way, we would be able to significantly support the battles against the next few demon kings, and relieve the pressure on Lumoof.


    Of course, this would mean I would also be able to establish a surveincework on the other three continents. Something that my spymasters would love.


    Nay. While that was appealing in a way. I do prefer having the two seeds go to each of the other nearby worlds. Currently, I was already able to learn a lot through my spies, mywork of minions and vassals, and through trade. But the knowledge of these two worlds could be radically different, and thebined magical knowhow of the three worlds was likely to be more useful.


    Not only that. I wondered whether there are others like me in those worlds. An alliance of spirits across the three worlds would be fantastic.


    Id have to send Lumoof for an information gathering visit.


    Why, its time for my old priest to have his own isekai adventure on another world.


    He gave me a look filled with horror.


    Spaizzer


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 Dream of Trees On Another world

    Dream of Trees On Another world


    <b>Year 196</b>


    <i>Lumoof in another world</i>


    Lumoof looked at the vastness of the grasnds, the strangeness of the green grass, same, but not the same. It was a different species of grass. The air had a faint taste of blood.


    This was another world. Lumoof had been here before, very, very briefly, but this time, he would be here a lot longer.


    I got the [Dimension Traveller] skill, and title. Lumoof mentally said. This was his 2nd alien world, after the moon, and now in this strange new ce. The portal took a lot out of Ste, and almost half of the crystals shattered during the trip.


    Theres a skill like that too, eh. I responded, theg wasnt as pronounced as it was before. I suspected it had to do with the domain. The higher level I was, the lower the interdimensionalg became.


    Lumoof nodded, and his shoulders sagged. He may be old in terms of spirit and mind, but physically he had the appearance of a mature, middle-aged man. The levels and domain had returned life, vitality and de-aged him. He took in the air, looked around, and started to walk. I could send the [seed of aeon] to him via my transportation ability, so as it is, he didnt need to carry anything.


    He walked, and there were some animals nearby. They took a look, and just left him alone.


    Ste and Kei told me these stories. <i>Isekai</i>.


    Yep.


    Im living it right now.


    Yep.


    Then the first thing I should do is find a town, and register with an adventurers guild. Lumoof said with a sly grin.


    Thats par for the course.


    And Ill rescue some beautifuldies and build a small zoo of female beast-girls?


    If thats your thing, yes.


    Lumoofughed. Its not. But I must really admire the creativity of the writers of Earth. Its really something that they coulde up with such ridiculous stories. Its also uncannily urate. But let us find this city of adventurers.


    I knew from Ste that each world seemed to have the samenguage. Lumoof didnt have to walk very far from the grassy fields when he saw a sign that pointed to a town. There was also a distance indicator, but we were not very sure what it was.


    There were trees and smaller scrubs, they were simr to those of our world, but had small differences, like their flowers were different colors or different designs. I dont quite understand why there are such differences, if the system is the one that regtes the magical spawning of monsters, animals and life generally. There should be the same, if they were based on the same temtes. Like, why does the system want each worlds fauna and flora to be different?


    Variety? Maybe each world has a unique seed code that the system then runs through a creature-generator. I feel such a setup was more likely, as it gives each worlds fauna an internal coherence.


    Our senses detected a travelling group from far away. They looked like merchants, and they had guards. Four soldiers, and four merchants. We waited for them to approach.


    Hey traveller. Lumoof said as they approached. Lumoof was not armed, all his equipment and armor was kept in magical pocketspace. He wore a casual, long flowing thick robe.


    What is a priest doing here? The soldiers were alert, they lifted their weapons. One had a spear, the other two had swords, and thest one had a bow.


    I happen to be lost. Lumoof gave his best priestly, friendly smile. A strange manner of magic sent me here. Do you happen to know where I am, and whats the nearest town?


    The soldiers were apprehensive. The merchants came out of their wagon. I dont recognise that robe, which temple are you with, priest?


    Lumoof smiled at the merchant. Ah, very very few do. Im with a tree spirit, were an obscure temple. Very few would know of us.


    The merchant stared at Lumoof, and we felt the prickling of a skill. [Domain blocked attempted inspection].


    And its not nice to use a skill when I didnt.


    The merchants face paled, and he bowed. My apologies, Great Priest. Lumoofs spirit stirred a little at the title, and I felt his subtle annoyance. Clearly the failed inspection was an answer of its own. The merchant exined that we were in one of the kingdoms, and the nearest town was along the road. I didnt bother remembering the name since itll probably change in a few years.


    Lumoof feigned his best polite smile, and thanked the merchants. He declined the merchants offer to travel with them; there was something about the opportunistic words from the merchant that irritated Lumoof. It seems its that way.


    -


    The town we visited was small, perhaps simr in size to the early days of Freeka. About 3,000 or so people lived in a wide area. The houses outside the towns walls were simple, and ones within were made of stone. Theyve clearly prepared for the houses outside to be destroyed.


    Stop, visitor. Identify yourself.


    Lumoof nodded. Lumoof. Priest of Aeon.


    Never heard of it. The city guard barked some orders and another guard came by. State your business.


    Lumoof once again shed his best business smile, and exined that he was a lost priest, flung to this ce by magic.


    The guard didnt know how to process him. No documentation at all? No one who could vouch for you?


    Its magic, you cant always carry documentation with you.


    So, they talked a little more, as Lumoof waited in bureaucratic limbo. A senior guardsperson came and the guards discussed.


    It seems we are only seeing humans here. Lumoof mentally spoke, and I didnt notice it until Lumoof mentioned. I wonder whether there are non-humans. The guards left and then a bit more bureaucracyter, a man that looked like one of the political leaders came.


    Priest Lumoof, thanks for waiting. Ill be frank, weve never heard of the temples of Aeon. I chuckled mentally. This was entirely our chance to y the hidden master or expert.


    Lumoof shed his best friendly smile. Its no surprise, we are a hidden temple. Most of the time. In fact, this is the first time Ive ever left my temple. I actually just want to return to my temple, but I do need food and shelter while I find my way back.


    I see. The man seemed somewhat affected by Lumoofs friendly smile. He nodded. In that case, please wait a moment.


    Not a problem, Ive already waited for so long anyway, whats a little more?


    The man and the guards huddled and discussed, and in the end, the man returned with an iron te. This is a temporary identification for you, Priest Lumoof. Please return it when you leave.


    Lumoof smiled, Thank you.


    The town was small, and all human. Lumoof wasnt going to ask anything. He knew people enough, that things about theck of others to be best breached when they start the conversation. Life seemed rather slow here, though there were a lot of cksmiths repairing weapons.


    You need a weapon, priest? Lumoof shook his head.


    Im just new here.


    The cksmiths didnt pay him any attention after that. The inn was basic, and it was more like one of the residents homes that had extra rooms and certain segments converted to a makeshift eatery. Inns were fantastic ces for gathering information.


    Lumoof discovered a problem immediately.


    I dont have money. Lumoof frowned, but he walked back to that same man who gave him his que. Can I sell this so that I can have some money to spend? He took out a small iron dagger, it was very fine, but not enchanted. He had a lot more things like that in his own pocketspace.


    The man seemed to stare at the dagger in amazement. This is very good quality stuff. The steel was quite finely made. Lumoof wanted to roll his eyes. Of course it was. A level 80 cksmith made it.


    Lumoof faked the most sympathetic look on his face. Indeed, its a gift from a friend, but sadly Im in need of money so I do need to sell it. It was one of Lumoofs skills, to help persuade and convince others to like him.


    The man nodded. I understand. Come with me. The man returned to one of therger buildings in the town, and came out with a small pouch of coins. Here, some official coins for you.


    Lumoof checked it briefly and smiled. Thank you.


    The inn was rowdy, and the beer was bad. But Lumoof could hold his drink, and he listened to the townsfolk chatter. We picked up a few things quickly.


    This world had gone to shit, in a way. There were threerge alliances. The humans, the centaurs, and the sandpeople. Each was at war with the other two, but none ever attempted to fully conquer the world.


    The demons came less frequently to this world, only once every fifteen years. The heroes were summoned in groups, and each of the three alliances would usually have the same number of heroes.


    In a strange twist of fate, we hade full circle. I was the alien yeeted to a strange new world, and now I sent Lumoof to discover a strange new world.


    Strange. I said, and so at night, we walked out to one open field, and through Lumoof, I activated my avatar, and created my special tree type, the [astreeal monitor]. The astreeal monitor immediately looked up, we saw.


    There were fewer strands of light in the sky, these little trickles that linked the world to the demons. They were all fainter, a bit further away.


    Lumoof looked, and he sighed. Perhaps there is a secret here, why theres less of them. Our goal here is to learn of the other worlds magic, and make friends with potential allies.


    We removed the tree, and returned to the town.


    You there. A knight in magical armor approached us on our way back. Identification.


    Lumoof handed the te asmanded. He wasnt nning to resist. The knight stared at the te for a while, and then returned it.


    The bed was bad, but its too bad we couldnt go back freely, at least, not with Stes ability. I could teleport him back but then well have to wait until Stes ready to send him to another world. A waste of time.


    We should go to a capital city and see what we can learn. Lumoof suggested and I agreed.


    It wasnt hard to get a wagon or a caravan to the capitol. Most traders were headed there anyway.


    -


    Back home, my seed grew well. The moon-dirt was really unpleasant, but my magic over thest year helped to transform bits of it into something a bit more usable. My clone body was now the size of a small shrub, and it contrasted with the lifelessness of the moon. Its greenery stood out like a sore thumb.


    Itll get faster as time goes on. I also noticed it took longer for me to create a tree, any type of tree, in this environment.


    That was strange, because I remembered it wasnt that long back on the demon worlds, when my vines and roots snuck through the rifts.


    This posited a few possibilities.


    My tree creation abilities through [Subsidiary Tree] or [Giant Attendant Tree] or other simr sses, had a check whether the terrain was suitable for trees. If the answer was yes, then the tree could be created almost immediately. But if not, then itll have to magically terraform the dirt, then only the tree was created.


    The second possibility was my ability actually tapped into some magical energy in the. If the, or in this case, the moon, was devoid of mana, then creating a new tree took longer.


    There were a few other possibilities, but I thought these two were most likely.


    -


    The capitol of this kingdom was honestly not impressive. For someone like Lumoof who''s seen the best of the Central Continent and a few others, its actually underwhelming. In many ways, it wasparable to just arge city.


    There were scars of war, still seen. Lumoof learnt there was arge battle a few years ago. Even though the demon kings invasion was less frequent, the demons were still described as extremely powerful beings.


    Were here, priest. The convoy leader said, and Lumoof dly made thest payments. The city had a smell, and strangely, there were no identification checks. The guards just waved everyone through.


    He headed to the adventurers guild. There was one, even here in this different world, and noticed it was mostly humans. There were few mixed ones, but they clearly hid their mixed heritage with hoodies, hats or other bodily coverings. Lumoof, through a skill, managed to roughly sense the strength of those in the guild itself. They were mostly low level, in their level 30s and 40s. The stronger few were in the 50s and 60s.


    Lumoof smiled, and approached the receptionist. Id like to hire an escort to the biggest city of mages on the continent. Do you know where I should go, and how do I get there?


    The receptionist thought for a moment and gave a name of a city that I didnt bother to remember. Lumoof sold two knives, and then took another wagon to this magic city. It took a month, but it was actually impressive.


    The magic city was carved out of arge crystal mountain, and Lumoof immediately sensed very strong magical energies. It was extremely raw power, its as if a part of the core itself was on the surface. Lumoof sensed strong magical defenses,parable with the best of theirs.


    Wee to the Magic City of Man. Those who greeted Lumoof said. Here, we research the heights of magic and cast spells that the Centaurs and Sandpeople could not hope to match.


    An adventurer that travelled with Lumoof immediately whispered. ...thats not exactly true but lets not talk about it publicly.


    More importantly, Lumoof sensed a presence that was within the crystal mountain itself. Was it a spirit? But he didnt sense the presence of a domain, or were our senses mistaken? Here, in the magic city of man, we learned more of the three great forces.


    As it turned out, the Sandpeople had a great pyramid of Rock that survived the assault of countless demon kings. It is their ancient relic, apparently inherited and created by their god. It was a fortress and a bunker, and it was said the demon kings assaulted it for decades and failed.


    The Centaurs possessed the Great Vanishing Country, which the great Centaurions controlled. The entire country itself could vanish, and the power to activate the great relic was passed down the Centaurions.


    With such strong relics and artefacts, its no surprise each of the three great forces managed to thrive, even with the assault of the demons.


    The peoples of man worshipped Mas, the Centaurs and the nonhumans worshipped Gayaar, and the Sandpeople and Scorpios worshipped Nair. One god for each group. We immediately wondered whether Gayaar and Gaya were the same, but its hard to say, without actually tracing the lines of heavenly power.


    Our worldcked such great artefacts. Perhaps, only the great elf spirit could vanish and hide their city temporarily. But if these nations could hide an entire country, they could preserve their strength even with the demon kings. Lumoof said.


    I thought about the dwarves of Margmar, and realised that may not be true. The Margmarian dwarves had great powers and powerful relics too, but even they died in the end. The Ley Line Lense remained an unusual relic, even if I didnt find much use for it. No, even the dragons with their incredible might. Dragons that managed to even somehownd on the moon.


    This world just did not encounter a demon king of the right power. All of this could be lost just as easily. Within centuries, if not decades. Such power was no guarantee, even if it did help.


    At least, Lumoof noted, that the rulers were prepared. He noted multiple magical defensive towers, and mages on the lookout at all times. All of them seemed quite rxed, though. Are you here to learn magic? One of the citys receptionists approached him and quickly asked. Though, given your age, it might be a little toote to learn advanced stuff, but you can still learn a few tricks to impress your kids.


    Lumoof smiled. Ah, what kind of magic can I learn? Where do I go to know more?


    The Magic City of Man, Maelga, was segregated into rings that went closer to the peak of the massive crystalline mountain. The city itself was carved out of the crystal, and most of the academies here actually grew the crystal itself. The mountain was growing, literally.


    It was so damned obvious in hindsight, in fact, I shouldve known it was possible when I considered that it was a rtivelymon activity for children in the more wealthy parts of our world. Children sometimes grew crystals out of sugar or salt.


    This entire city hadrge groups that focused on cultivation of these crystals, and parts of it were harvested. The towers were made out of abination of magic, skill and materials harvested from far away. We sawrge caravans that hauled smaller crystals and other materials here.


    Growing magic crystals is a sacred art avable only to the high mage-priests of Mas. Of course, that was the first thing we asked. If its possible to grow magic crystals, which Ive not seen anyone in my main world do, then I could totally grow different types of crystals.


    No, It may even be possible to grow powerful variants of crystals.


    Wait, was Aria and Aispeng essentially growing ice crystals all this while and I didnt notice to ask them for more details?


    Lumoof looked a bit sad, and then we approached another group of assistants and administrators. The rest of the magics were mostly normal, like spellcasting, forging and so forth. Then we saw a part of crystal maniption and crystal forging.


    I bet Alka could find really interesting ways to use this new knowledge.


    Maybe it would be better if he was here. Lumoof noted.


    Yes, but we need to make sure that this is a safe ce for someone like him. Hes too valuable to just leave him here where others could hurt him. Alka was not abatant. As a [Field Scientist], he got a lot of skills that supported his research, but he remained vulnerable tobat.


    Back in Freshka, Alkas always protected by an invisible army of spiders and beetles. Not only that, theres always eyes to protect him. Here, Im notfortable with that. Maybe once he obtained his domain and gained the ability to reincarnate.


    Lumoof took on the role of the mature man who came to the big city for the first time, and feigned ignorance at every turn. To do so, of course, he dressed like a viger. We explored the city molded out of crystal mostly unimpeded, most of the mages just sighed when they saw us approach.


    We eventually arrived at arge crystal building that resembled a massive nest. This is the Hall of Mas. A guard said. No entry unless invited.


    We should send spies here. Lumoof said as we rested at an inn. Its nice.


    Theyck the background, theyll get detected. If anything, Ste or Alka fits this ce best.


    Lumoof paused. What about Kei? This ce is a mountain of living crystal. As a bio-crystalline golem she would be of huge interest to the locals. But Lumoof realised the problem. And of course, itll be a huge mark on her, as many will ask where she had been all this while?


    Later that night we joined the inns bar, and gathered a bit more info. Its still about 8 years to the next demon king, and there are still two living heroes, one of the sandpeople, and one of the humans. The human hero had apparently started a small kingdom of his own, while the sand-hero just turned into a hermit.


    My senses still suspected there was something deep in these mountains, even if I wasnt quite sure what it was. It may be possible that a spirit lived in these mountains, and my gut feel that there must be.


    -


    Spaizzer


    Hello guys. Time to read more monster fiction! Here''s a chicken story! /series/368863/ultimate-rooster-evolution-a-monster-evolution-litrpg-story/


    Here''s ULTIMATE ROOSTER EVOLUTION!!!! Don''t you like roosters?

 Isekai Tree

    Isekai Tree


    <b>Year 197</b>


    <i>Another otherworldly episode of Lumoof</i>


    Lumoof spent time in the other world, making friends and establishing connections, and I redirected my attention back home.


    Home. Snek shared all he knew about the demons.


    Since demon kings were not outright creations but were instead grown in theserge spawning pools, I wondered whether this meant their power level was usually determined by the world that spawned these demon kings. The cores energy, or the worlds energy was drained to feed the demon king.


    Essentially, these demons figured out a way to channel an entire worlds ley lines to create demon kings.


    I was amused that this actually meant that some of the earlier usations against me that I was a demon god could therefore be true, since using ley lines to create dungeons is probably in the same category as creating demon kings from ley lines.


    No, more importantly, could I do the same?


    Currently, Im essentially using ley lines to create dungeons, which then trantes to experience, to more powerful subordinates.


    If Sneks understanding is correct, after all, he could still be wrong since he is just an observer of the demon kings spawning pools, it should be possible for me to grow a demon king using the powers of a world. Essentially, I could remove the dungeon part, and essentially somehow use the ley line to create stronger subordinates directly.


    Of course, this is the magical equivalent of me knowing that birds can fly, and then theorising that I should be able to fly too if I have wings, and now I just need to go about actually creating the wings. I certainly dont know the nitty gritty details about ne designs at all.


    Patreeck and my artificial minds got down to work and helped consider the issue and possible hurdles I would have to clear.


    One - ley lines are currently difficult to manipte. The demon kings must have a means of manipting ley lines in order to create more demon kings. I believe this is true, because the [forest rod] is one such strange item. On this aspect, I would either have to steal the demons way of manipting ley lines, or invade that demon world and see how these strange artefacts are made.


    Two - Demons have a way of directing energy and mana into creating life or creatures at that level of power. I think it is probably the harder hurdle. For me, I am not able to do so, and yet, I suspect my [soul forge] colors may essentially be the one of theponents. If each color of the soul forge created a moreplete soul, a full soul forge should, in theory, create a whole soul. Essentially, I could create artificial souls that possess sentience and sapience above my existing artificial souls, and for them to then function as a vessel of the power from these ley lines. Based on what Snek described, these spawning pools seemed to berge, growing things.


    It may be a good idea to invade a demon world just to gain control over these spawning pools. These demons were also thematic, and that implied that each spawning pool had to be configured differently in order to produce demon kings with different types of powers.


    I suppose in our worlds terms, it is the equivalent of one country without nes that witnessed another countrys nes, and now it tried to make those nes by collecting the pieces of the nes and piece them together. Or maybe just capturing the factories that made the nes.


    Its possible that the schematics are offsite, and the factory is just an assembly nt.


    In any case, it was an idea I kept at the back of my head.


    -


    It was just Ken, Snek, Ste, Edna, Kei and Prabu in the room, when I introduced Ste and Kei for the first time to both Ken and Snek. Lumoof was still in another world.


    Snek paused and looked at Ste. She has void energy swirling around her. Have you discovered the way of the zaratans? The zaratans disappeared from Sneks world.


    Ste smiled. I was taught by a zaratan.


    Snek was amazed. That means you could send me home.


    Ste shook her head. Possible, but I believe we should first match our astral maps.


    Snek dly shared. This snake spirit was incredibly cooperative. The mages of Sneks world did have a map, but their maps were derived from whatever knowledge they stole or spied from the demons. We were able to roughly, using the dragon-demon world as a point of reference, to roughly estimate the likely locations of Sneks homeworld.


    No. Your world is too far. Beyond our astral vision, and so, I sadly see no way of getting you there.


    Ken watched Snek and Ste interact, but then he asked. Wait a minute, all this talk about going to other worlds, is only relevant to Snek. I want to know, is it possible to send us home?


    Ste shook her head. Sadly, it seems earthlings and other earth variants exist in a differentyer of space entirely. Only the gods are able to pierce that veil... for now.


    Could Star Mana do so? Prabu asked. To the archmage hero, star mana was the solution for everything. In most cases, thats usually right.


    Kei then added. Unfortunately, Stes void magic is ipatible with star mana. Weve seen it react horribly when used together. So your trip is one-way.


    For now, I suppose. They could die and their gods reincarnate them back to where they started.


    The news that Ste couldnt send him home was disappointing for Snek, but it was not the end. There was a moment of silence as everyone was in their own thoughts. For Ste, and myself, Sneks own ster maps expanded my own view of the multiverse. We knew, at least, it was located really far away, and somehow these demons are masters of these void paths.


    There will be a demon king in four years. It may be possible for you to sneak through those rifts. If its the correct world. Each demon king is linked to a different world.


    Snek was aware of the need of mana-modtion and resonance to ess those rifts. Alternatively, I could wait until the right demon king appeared. One from my world. With the right items and ritual I could separate from Ken and he would be free to do whatever he wants.


    Ken, strangely, seemed to have an epiphany of his own. <i>But what if Snek and this tree plots something. Its better- Wait what I am thinking? So what if they have a plot? Why should I even care? All I want to do is get out of this shit, thats why I gave up the hero ss. Does it matter if I live under an autocratic god-emperor of the world, so long as I dont have to deal with it? No, if I want to live quietly and retire with a family, thats actually good!</i>


    Kens sudden change of heart seemed to make him smile. Yeah. I actually want to just live somewhere safe and quietly for the rest of my life. Maybe its a good idea for us to separate.


    No one heard him say it, well, maybe except Snek.


    Since no one responded to Kens statement, I merely continued with my proposal. I think it''s best to wait till the right demon king appears and figure out whats the best way to send you back. We will have many demon kings to face over the next few decades anyway, and if it is on a rotational basis as you spected, then your world wille around.


    We actually dont know whether the paths to the demon worlds that faded away eventually return. The data of past demon king types has been insufficient to prove that theres arger cycle in the background that rotated the demon kings like some constetion movement.


    My gut feel is theres more than just the 8 or 10 lines we see in the sky. The gods said there are thousands or millions of demon worlds. So why are only these few worlds targeting our own?


    No, what I also dont understand is, why not just flood a world with thousands of demon kings?


    Is there some rule or perhaps a magical reason why they cante here directly?


    -


    Ste came and shouted in one of the rooms where my Tree of Prayers was.


    Aeon. Aeon. You must see this. Theres a world that suddenly popped into our astral line of sight, and its moving quickly! We must visit it before it goes away.


    Awfully convenient, but I suppose before this, I didnt even know they came. We activated the monitor. Its funny that I considered this world home. Actually, I feel it is my home, and its the same for Ste.


    We saw a moving shadow, small and barely noticeable. I would not have noticed it. It may have been there for some time.


    Its lucky that I saw it there. Its thanks to Sneks starmaps that I saw something faint that moved.


    It was far, but reachable, at least from what I understood of Stes limits. But it moved quickly, and based on what I could tell, it would move out of Stes range within a year or two. Its very dim, and as with worlds across space, they appeared like little bubbles. It was unique that the bubble was mostly dark, with little bits of light left. The other worlds, like the one Lumoof was in, were bright. Its a moving world.


    Yes. We should investigate it quickly. Pull Lumoof back and well send him there now. Ste insisted, while I can still reach it. Or send Edna.


    No. It had to be Lumoof. Lumoof spent a lot of time in the magic city of Maelga.


    We have a small window of interacting with this world. Given its situation, it may be very different from what weve seen so far.


    Indeed. I could pull Lumoof back if Im ufortable with the risks. All I needed was my seed to be deployed to this strange world. I immediately pinged Lumoof.


    Lumoof. We have a situation back home. Ill need to send you elsewhere. Lumoof nodded. He hurried off to make arrangements and said his goodbyes. It took three weeks for Lumoof to create a story that he would be away for some time. Luckily, no one asked too many questions.


    I pulled Lumoof back. I shared the view of the strange alien world that we saw.


    You want to send me there?


    Yes. Ste said she will be able to send one. It has to be you, because I want to see whats there.


    Lumoof nodded reluctantly. Ste immediately made preparations.


    I decided to name the world with the threerge factions as Threeworlds, and the stray world as the Cometworld, since its behavior waset-like. The fact that it drifted in and out of view suggested it had a path that it travelled through space. I was fascinated, and intrigued by what a world like that would be.


    But Threeworlds? The magic city? Theres still so much to discover... I could have put my clone tree somewhere just to lock my ess to the world, but I decided it was better to wait. I wanted a good location, and I wanted to see whether its get certain special effects if my tree was located on some extremely powerful ley line.


    We can return to Threeworldster. Threeworlds and that other world seemed to be somewhat tidally-locked, that our homeworld and these two worlds seemed perpetually close by. I think it wouldnt leave us for a while.


    Lumoof stared. Lets go then.


    Ste quickly gathered her resources, and prepared farrger quantities of crystals than ever before. The spell strained her energy, and I had to support her with my vines.


    The portal opened, and my vines went through. Quickly! Ste shouted as she felt her void energies fading. The rtively faster movement of thisetworld through the void sea increased the cost and difficulty of the portal. It was essentially trying to throw a line at a moving speedboat.


    Itsnd. I saw floating... inds?


    Lumoof stepped through, and I felt searing pain. It was a familiar one, a sensation of being torn apart. No, its like one was hanging by the side of a speedboat, or one of those tourist things, where the boat lowered a paraglider such that their legs partly in the water. I felt something smash into Lumoofs body, and I tried my best to shield him from it.


    Lumoof went through.


    -


    When we arrived, there were no trees, no grass. Just dirt and dust. The air was hot and burning, but filled with magic. Unpleasant, angry magic. It was as if mana itself took a personality, and it was unpleasant. The ground was unstable, and rumbled constantly. Huge chunks floated in the sky, and the sky was reddish.


    I felt it instantly.


    This was a dying world.


    We saw a light, and it streaked across the red sky and smashed into somewhere off the horizon. Minutester, a sh of light, and a shockwave of hot wind. There were more lights in the sky.


    I shielded Lumoof instantly and encased his body in an armor of wood.


    What should we even do?


    I activated my avatar form, and Lumoof turned into a massive tree. I spawned trees by the hundreds, and more magicalbs. If there is somewhere or something left in this world-


    I activated a dome of wood, there was another shockwave from another meteor.


    The red sky was filled with it. The sun was red, and it wasrge. My sensors tried to sense for any magic, but there were too many of these shockwaves, they contaminated the data. Its like trying to listen for the footsteps of ants when theres a band ying right next door.


    Boom. Another shockwave.


    We should return, Aeon. Theres most likely nothing here.


    Wait. I said. If Snek can survive in their world, there must be survivors. Even if all I can do for them is evacuate them offworld, that may be good enough.


    As my roots spread, I felt something touch me from the deepest of my roots. It spoke to me directly.


    <i>Child of another world...</i>


    Whos that? But before anything, I felt like I was entranced.


    <i>We are dying, the sun father nears its end. Our world doomed. Save our children, they are there.</i>


    [You have received a living map of the Cometworld]


    The map appeared before me like-


    The ground cracked, and it tore. A part of it started to float.


    We have to move. Quickly. The map instantly marked certain red spots, which I presumed where this voice wanted me to go. Lumoof closed his eyes and then brought out a magical scroll.


    [Greater Teleport].


    We were instantly warped, and I was suddenly on another cracking ind. It looked like a city, or at least, a castle. I saw people. No, they were... dogs? They had the head of a dog, and they were each a different type of dog.


    They looked at me in horror. A monster!


    Kill-


    A meteor smashed into one of the castles towers, and incinerated it instantly. People were fleeing, but they didnt know where they were going.


    We saw another meteor. Lumoof instantly jumped onto one of the walls, and created a wooden shield. The meteor smashed into the wooden shield and disintegrated. My first direct hit from the falling meteors, and I realised, it contained star mana. Within these meteors were star mana. My shield would not have disintegrated so easily. Not to something as simple as falling rocks from space.


    I turned, and saw more dogpeople, they looked like mages, with their stone staff and crystals. You.


    Back home, Ste was in no condition to send anyone back. She had copsed after Lumoof went over. How do I...


    No. The clone seed was one of the ways I could save these people. I could exploit the Tree of Clones to send someone to me.


    Unlike the moon, which never had any trees, this world once had trees. I knew that from the brief avatar state, and from when my roots touched the ground.


    Lumoof. ce my seed in the ground. Now. Lumoof leapt off the walls andnded on the dirt.


    Are you sure? This world is dying. Another meteor crashed elsewhere. This was a world experiencing a meteor-pocalypse.


    Lumoof, are you suggesting we let these people die? I mean, I usually dont care, but I suppose seeing a world dying right before my eyes was something else. This was like watching a movie where someone used a ck hole in the center of a.


    I can always make more seeds, but let us not waste time.


    My seed was nted in the ground, and it absorbed the mana from the ground, and quickly turned into a massive tree. The dog people looked in wonder. I had never used the Tree of Clones transportation ability. I didnt expect to have to do an evacuation of an entire, but I suppose theres a first for everything.


    <i>Our childrens die.</i>


    I felt the voice again through my roots. Lumoof immediately shouted. This world is dying, we will send you somewhere safe. Come quickly! Tell everyone!


    The dog people talked among themselves, and some walked to the tree. The first dogpeople to volunteer looked like a warrior of somekind, he had armor and a spear on his back. He touched my clone tree, and arge tree-door appeared.


    I sent him through, and felt it drain my own mana.


    When he appeared on the other side, Edna had already mustered a group on standby. The dogpeople looked shocked, and the first thing he saw was the blue skies outside.


    The skies. They are still blue! He said. I would talk to themter.


    The dogpeople looked apprehensive, but Lumoof was persuasive, and more went through the door. More meteors were crashing, and more of thend cracked and splintered. Essentially, this was a that was in the process of crumbling. Within months the whole would turn into separated chunks.


    The rest of the dogpeople of this town went through, I couldnt tell who was what, it seemed some of them were more important than the others, but eventually almost everyone went through.


    There were a few of them left, who stayed behind. Not out of suspicion, but to help. The dogpeople had faced the falling stars for weeks. It started with a strange twisting of space, and the stars changed. The sun was once golden, and the skies were once blue, but it turned red, and the world started breaking apart.


    Many cities have been destroyed by the falling stars since then.


    There were no demons here, just nothing more than in old ster catastrophe.


    This was no time to hold back on relics, so Lumoof used [Teleport] scrolls liberally and moved to the other cities. The map was real time, and the red dots marked surviving cities. Each day more of these red dots vanish.


    I didnt know why, but I felt really sad.


    <i>Our childrens die</i>


    Sadly, the inter-dimensional transportation can only be performed at my main tree of clones.


    You must go too. We need your portals, else more will die. I told Ste three days after we were at the Cometworld. By now, the dogpeople had briefed the rest of my Valthorns of what happened in their world.


    They were still an official secret, of course, and they never left my Valley of the Unrotten. Instead, the Valthorns set up an entire refugee camp in my valley. It was nostalgic, of course.


    My valley was once the refugee camp of the surviving New Freekans.


    Ste, with her portal, worked with Lumoof and opened portals between the continents and cities of the Cometworld. Most of these dogpeople, they called themselves the Canar. Together, for weeks and months, we sent the Canari people to our world.


    We didnt really negotiate much, it seemed the people there had acknowledged their doom, so Lumoofs presence was perhaps that of an angel of salvation.


    <i>The sunfather copses</i>


    We couldnt save everyone. Every day I saw more red dots vanish, either because of meteors, or from the sundered earth. The earth cracked more every day, and eventually, thest red dot was gone from the map. Everyone I could save was saved. Millions more have died.


    350,000 Canari went through those portals over the course of months, and arrived at my Valley of the Unrotten. We immediately found an isted, quiet ce on the central continent, and transported them secretly there through ourwork of underground tunnels.


    Then, I sent both Lumoof and Ste back, and in the world of the Cometworld, my tree of clones was thest living thing that remained.


    Ste returned, exhausted, and rested. The next day, she vented her despair. I couldve done more if we found them earlier.


    At this juncture, I thought about what would have happened if I chose [Crown of Magic] or [Will of the World]. With Crown of Magic, I should be able to create more void mana and therefore open those portals myself. Not just that, in theory, I should be able to use those spells through Lumoof. With Will of the World, Id probably try to move our world closer to it.


    The Cometworlds meteor shower intensified, and the world cracked. A huge chunk had separated, and the weather had turned almost unlivable.


    But my tree of clones was not something so easily destroyed. My roots extended deeper into the ground. There was something I wanted to do.


    I sought out the voice. I may not be able to reach the core of my world, but I should be able to reach the exposed core of this Cometworld.

 Horizon of Trees

    Horizon of Trees


    <b>Year 197 (continued)</b>


    The Cometworld crumbled, asrge chunks that nked the red sky drifted apart. I spawned my trees quickly, and my roots spread out through the rocks and dirt, and grabbed the earth. There were still meteors that rained from the red skies above, but thanks to thisrge chunk of rock that drifted overhead thanks to the loss of gravity, it functioned as a meteor-umbre.


    I wasnt even sure whether its just gravity, or just some weird magical forces in this world. I certainly could feel it, as it tried to tear my roots apart.


    My trees had spread as far as I could, during the attempts to rescue as many of the Canari people, and I spawned more [Giant Attendant Trees] wherever I could. Still, a stray meteor that I failed to block could single-handedly destroy my Giant Trees. These meteors contained powers that exceeded their size, and it was getting stronger.


    The suns redness turned even redder, and it feltrger. The heat was immense, and part of my mana was spent cooling down my entirework of trees as I attempted to reach the exposed core of theetworld.


    There were no monsters left. No one.


    Just the pull of some unusual magic tearing the entire world apart. It wasnt godly, either. Magic didnt work anymore. The tearing energies here seemed to interfere with magic, which was why I sent Ste home.


    I popped my trees as fast as I could, and it was a race against time, before the chunk of earth I was on would be torn away.


    The meteors smashed into one of the floating chunks, and it split in half. A part of it drifted back to the glowing exposed core. I didnt know why, but I felt drawn to it.


    Arge meteor mmed into the exposed core of the Cometworld, andrge chunks were torn out. The parts that glowed flew up and turned into rock almost instantly, and I saw the core shrink in size.


    I attempted to reach it.


    <i>Toote, child of another world.</i>


    I felt a really strong pulling force on the ground, and even as I increased the number of roots, it ripped them apart. I was trying to hold the ground together with flimsy tape during an earthquake.


    The path to the core was lost, and I felt a bit weaker. No, my trees in that world felt a bit weaker.


    The core was smaller, with most of the bits around it drifting apart. I saw the exposed core glow, and then it exploded into multiple fragments. A strange white fragment flew right towards me.


    It was a white ore the size of a tree trunk, and it flew and dropped close to one of my other subsidiary trees. My roots immediately wrapped it, and pulled it to my tree of clones. No time to analyse what it was, because I sent it back.


    Once I did, the core seemed to glow again, and then... crumbled. Ayer in the sky shattered. It was like a protective dome that once existed over the entire faded away, and the entire world was nketed by a burn. All my lesser trees were destroyed, and the ground burned briefly, and then stopped.


    There was nothing to burn. Nothing left.


    Yet my main tree of clones survived, the reddish sun continued to batter my tree of clones with searing hot energy, but it did nothing. My tree of clones shared my resistance.


    A part of me floated in space, and I watched the red sun glow, and grow. It grew evenrger, and took up arger part of space.


    Meteors now flew at me directly, drawn to me by some kind of magic. I felt the air was thick with a kind of mana and magic that I didnt quite understand. It was like star mana, yet different. I couldnt get my magical sensors to check it, they were destroyed too quickly by the perpetual ambient rays. No, more urately, everything disintegrated... except me.


    The red sun grew over the course of the year, and then, in a sudden moment... vanished.


    Gone.


    My tree of clones drifted alone in space, in seemingly perpetual emptiness and darkness.


    The world vanished. Ste looked in horror back from the safety of our home. How?


    There was nothing... absolutely nothing at all. All the stars in that world seemed to have disappeared as well.


    In the emptiness, back home-


    [Youve obtained a title : Witness of a Worlds Death]


    [Youve obtained a title : Otherworldly Rescuer]


    -


    The Canari people got a title. [Otherworld Refugee]. Both Lumoof and Ste all gotten the title [Otherworldly Rescuer] as well. Titles seemed mostly useless to me, but the fact that the system awarded them meant there had to be some use.


    Anyway, Lumoof had to break the news to the Canari directly. Your world has died. The Canari howled and wailed. By now, they had relocated to a secret mountainous area in the central continent. Perhaps one day they will be introduced to the wider world, but for now, there are too few of them. There were secret convoys that brought food to them, while they adapted to the new world.


    The Canari also had to organise themselves, in order tomunicate with me. Edna and Lumoof were both so powerful that to them, they were pretty much living gods. Strangely, they didnt seem to notice me much, and mostly paid attention to Lumoof. But I needed Lumoof elsewhere, now that the Cometworld was lost. I wanted Lumoof back in the Threeworlds.


    I had Valthorn druids assist to build temporary housing for them, while their own builders and workers built something more to their own liking.


    We had a meeting, mostly to discuss the future ns, and also to better understand the past.


    The meeting was held in a makeshift wooden hall in their part of the world. Their people sounded happy, but I wasnt sure since I couldnt exactly read the facial expressions of the Canari, mainly because I was entirely unfamiliar with them. In a sense, this was a problem I faced with the lizardfolks, and treefolks too.


    At the very least, these Canari had tables and chairs, so this part was normal. Hows everything?


    The Canari split into onerge faction thatrgely embraced this new world, and two smaller factions. One that seemed a little suspicious and wanted to go back, and a third group that strangely, wanted to die. Thesest group seemed to say that they shouldve died with their world, with everyone else that died.


    Ste called it survivors guilt.


    I honestly didnt know what to say about it. It seemed quite simr to what the heroes and those who survived great destruction experienced to some degree. All I could do now was to pop some [tree of prayers] and keep their stress levels manageable. I know for a fact that the people of this world were hardy, and seemed to take the frequent destruction and death in stride.


    So, the Canaris was somewhat different, and I wasnt sure why. I also attempted to introduce my priests to them, to help these groups manage their anxiety and trauma, but most of them only pushed the priests away. They didnt want help, even if they needed it.


    There are people like that everywhere, and all we could do was ease them into their new environment. Some will always cling to their old world, just like how some reincarnated heroes still dream of home.


    I focused on those who epted reality.


    It happened out of nowhere. One of the Canari folk exined to us. He was a level 65 [Lorekeeper], and spoke of their world history.


    The world of the Canari had demons, and they came rarely, once in a while, with no real certainty or regrity. Even so, their description of demons seemed rtively weak, that their champions can defeat them. Their best warriors in the high level 80s was enough. I suspected its the demon champions, and not the demon king proper.


    Thats so strange. Ste said frankly. Why the demon champions, but not demon kings?


    As the world moved so quickly across the void sea, was it possible that perhaps, the demon kings just could not establish a stable portal? It exined that they had enough time to open a small path that champions could walk through, but not enough for the Kings.


    Our world is usually at peace, and our wars are fought with each other, and monsters. The Canari Loremaster. We dont know why our world suddenly behaved that way. We had wars and we had fights, but nothing seemed to have changed.


    A Canari Astrologer gave a differing view. Other than the stars vanishing from our skies.


    The gods that they worshipped were based on the sun, thend, the moon and the darkness beyond. They didnt have a notion of otherworldly visitors, other than the demons themselves, which they thought were just nothing more than creations of darkness beyond.


    So, they didnt even know about Zaratans.


    As we spoke to more and more Canari, all of them had no idea. They didnt know why. All they could do was observe the eventual destruction of their world.


    Some posited wild theories that the world was angry. Or that someone offended the sun. The sun was once a different color, and the sky, too. But somehow it just died.


    I thought of the white ore.


    -


    The white ore stood in my main tree, hidden inside my [secret hideout]. These days, theres no one in my main bodys secret hideout. All of them live outside.


    Laufen lived with her grandson, Lauda in Freshka. Lausanne usually teached at the Valthorn academy when shes not chilling with her friends.


    I took a good look at it.


    [Shard of A Destroyed World]


    Well, here goes nothing. My vines inserted it into a pod, and I had a vision, and I heard its voice again.


    <i>Our sun died, for no reason other than age. We are an ancient world, and our world lived for too long. Our sun was never meant to live long, for it burns bright, and burns quickly. I shielded my children for as long as I could, but deathes even for a world like me.</i>


    I saw a shortened clip, of a sun growing and then fading.


    <i>The grand mechanisms of fate granted me a final hope, a portal to another world. A hope for my children, instead of the nothingness I offer. For that, thank you.</i>


    [Youve received a skill: Canari Knowledge and Biology.]


    [Your astral map has been updated]


    The world sent me a goodbye memo. That sucks. But I was drawn to a sudden increase in my astral map. I saw, for a sudden moment, wide swaths that were revealed to me. Thisetworld travelled in a long arc through the void sea, and I understood that these worlds may have moved since then.


    I felt like a xianxia protagonist, suddenly realising the existence of the world beyond worlds.


    Now I realised howrge the multiverse was, it truly narrowed my focus. I didnt think it was possible for me to save the thousands of other worlds out there, and nor do I intend to,


    My goal should be this world. Home. I would protect my home, and I would stop the demons from entering my world. The greater world can be ater problem, but my first and main focus should be to save this world.


    I may consider reinforcing Threeworlds and the other neighbouring world, as a means to properly protect this world.


    The path of the Cometworld through the seas also revealed that it came in close contact with some demon worlds. There are way too many demon worlds.


    There was something else in the Shard. A strange mana I didnt understand, and refused to interact with me. Did the Shard leave something else in there?


    Ugh.


    But the fact that this world could even talk to me told me something very important.


    Its possible to talk to the world, and that means it must be possible to talk to my world. If I elected [Will of the World], did that mean I would merge with the thing at the center of this world?


    What other kind of power did an entity like that have? From what Ive seen, the core has some way of creating shields, since the core shielded their world from the harmful effects of their dying sun, and also has the power to give skills.


    I remembered that some of the elves and treefolks worshipped variants of the nameless mother, and these were likely references to the world itself.


    Did every world have a will at the center of it all?


    > Lilies. Do you know of the will of the world? <


    > Have you ever spoken to it? <


    > How do you know of it? <


    Huh. What was the rtionship of the gods and the will of the world? Is the Will of the World a god? > What is the will? <


    Great. If its not a god, then it mustve been a creation of the system itself. I didnt understand why there are gods and demons in the first ce. Like, our own world didnt have them, but the ancient people invented them to exin the world.


    But the other world called the Canari their children. Did this mean that the will of the world was responsible for the creation of the inhabitants, and thus, all of those who lived here were creations of the will?


    Wait. If we extend this train of thought, does this mean that the gods needed otherworldly heroes because the will of the world interfered with their meddling of the natives? Or maybe, only <i>some </i>will of the world interfered, so for those worlds, they needed to use externally sourced heroes.


    Looking at it in another way, from what Snek described of how the demons used the energy of the core to create demon kings, this suggested that the demons ultimate goal was to capture the will of the world, in order to create more demon kings.


    But why? Why create more demon kings?


    What was the end goal for the demons?


    What was the end goal for the gods?


    Lilies answered frankly.


    Was that a jab at Reefy?


    Lets assume that Lilies is right. The demons invade other worlds, take control of their world, and then just use it to invade more worlds. If so, they are essentially a virus.


    Then the gods? Each god is a sentient, sapient creature with its own intellect. So, each of them would have their own goals, but clearly, each god has a limited sphere of influence. If they are higher levelled versions of me, their ability to touch multiple worlds are clearly constrained but simple practical issues like distance, unless the system allows certain overrides.


    Ste was also thinking about it, and she posited a fascinating possibility.


    The void sea was expanding, in the same way earths distance between gxies expanded. A slow expansion of the multiverse, so worlds where the gods could reach were getting less, as each of them drifted further and further apart.


    Certain worlds, where they are close enough such that they are clustered and locked together by local magic-gravity, remain reachable to each other, but those further apart were being ripped apart.


    The expansion of the universe was an issue over millions, billions of years on Earth. But perhaps here, there is a magical equivalent at y. If so, this implied that each world would eventually be unreachable to the others. Even demons will eventually disappear.

 Trees and the Body Thieves

    Trees and the Body Thieves


    <b>Year 198</b>


    Lumoof was back on the Threeworlds to continue making connections, and also travelled to find a good ce to nt my seed. The little incident with Cometworld really made me feel the vastness of the world, that time and some space energies can tear a world apart so easily.


    But, what was important, urred back home.


    We saw the rifts open. One of the pathways had lit up, and that meant the demons had arrived. I was sure I didnt see any of it on the central continent, so that was a good thing.


    Its in the South. Ste said as she observed the skies from the highest peaks.


    My tree on the moon was growing well, and was growing faster. At Stes advice, I agreed to encase my tree in a sphere of roots, essentially I created the first wooden biome on the moon. I didnt get any aplishment for that. Still, it wasnt ready for habitation yet.


    I thought of converting the moon into a safe space for the Canari folk. They still struggled to adapt to their new life, though most of those struggles were mental and structural, rather than physical. They had to rebuild their institutions from scratch, ande to terms to live in entirely foreignnds.


    Its not easy to forget ones entire life in another world, and even worse when they remembered that they can never, ever, go back. Its a horrible feeling.


    I would deal with themter. For now, I focused on looking for the demons.


    -


    Snek and Prabu met up frequently, and Prabu could feel the demons. Snek too. Snek was sensitive to the starways, as a creature that managed to travel into the space between worlds, and he came from a world infested by demons, so it knew what it was like.


    As it always has. Prabu sighed. And it wille for me. Chungs already making preparations for the demons.


    Colette had returned to the Central continent to be with Prabu, and she pped Ken the moment she saw him. She called him a reckless-piece-of-shit-that-abandoned-his-friends. Ken took it like a man, and admitted his faults.


    So, this snek is an otherworldly creature that the gods may not approve of. Colette said frankly, but somehow Snek didnt seem afraid. Not this time.


    Prabu disyed his work over the past few months and years to Colette. Here, in the Central continent, and also in the special Tree Of the Heroic Journal, Prabu made heroic items for the next generation, and for himself. Weapons of war.


    Ken acknowledged it was a good idea. The strength of a civilisation is its collective memory and collective capacity. I wonder why it took so long for heroes toe up with an idea like this.


    Prabu answered. Because it leads to nukes and mutually assured destruction.


    You two are walking nukes.


    And thats why its not a good idea.


    Have you ever wondered whether its possible to mitigate the effects of a nuclear apocalypse with some global power. Something that Aeon has? Ken wondered.


    What are you implying? Prabu stared at Ken ufortably.


    I mean, like, could we just nuke Sneks world to death, and then send Aeon to fix it back after the world was effectively ssed.


    Snek red at Ken. Human, that is not an idea to be entertained.


    Ken continued, ignoring the Snake. Think about it. Remember how the Protoss ssed the Zerg-infested worlds to control their spread? Whats stopping us to do exactly that! Especially if we could theoretically fix it back up.


    Youre killing a bunch of innocents too? Prabu said. Im amazed that such an idea even came from you. Here you are, using this continent of being the literal Empire, and now youe up with this shit? What did you think this is? The death star?


    Snek agreed. Dont burn the bridge if you think of crossing itter.


    Its just a thought experiment. In the long run there really is no loss. Especially if we could find ways to evacuate the innocents and then bomb them to hell. Its the only way to be sure.


    Its not. There are millions of demon worlds out there. You cant bomb all of them.


    If not, is there a way to just... I dont know, break all these interworld travelling altogether? Interrupt how the demons travel here. Ken said, and of course, he had a simr idea as us. Stes goal was to interrupt the paths.


    Snek paused. Youre suggesting to destroy the void space, rather than to close the paths.


    Yeah. It was the xianxia equivalent of severing the pathways to immortality. Destroying the world tree that linked the nine worlds.


    Thats absolutely a nuclear option. Prabu said.


    But it will end the problem.


    I dont think it does. Prabu said as he looked at Snek. It just stops the many worlds from getting help, either from the gods, or from each other.


    That was something worth thinking about.


    -


    We finally received reports of the demonic sighting, and its not good. It was honestly the hardest kind of opponent for my Valthorns.


    The entire vige was infested with corrupted men and women. These demons are all parasites, and they converted the humans into these demon knights!


    What. Edna said. Corrupted?


    Yeah. Some of them seemed still human, but they had demonic parts on them. They would still behave humanly but then would then attack.


    Many of my Valthorns are powerful, and they have in many demons. But corrupted men and people were a lot harder. How did they know who was still human? Not just that, its possible they faked it.


    We did not engage.


    Can they talk?


    Yes! Thats what makes them so unnerving. We were not sure whether they were humans or elves or demons anymore! Our spies were really disturbed by it.


    Around the same time, the Churchs of Gaya and Hawa both announced an immediate lockdown of the Southern Continent. They dered that they will handle the demonic infestation on their own.


    Fuck? That wasnt helping. If anything, we needed everyone on the field to figure out how to deal with these corrupted humans.


    Can you capture some of these infested demons? Knock them out? Send them to our nearest allied state.


    Will try,mander Edna. The men are quite disturbed by this. Some of them dont have any visible demonic-infestation marks.


    Shit. Edna nodded. This was really the worst kind of demon. We could use some psychic abilities to suppress the demons, or perhaps, in the old-priestly way, exorcise the demons from these infested folks.


    But Lumoof was still in the Threeworlds. I had to make do with the rest. I called the rest of my Patreearchs and Matreearches for counsel.


    Yes we have some exorcist skills, mainly to remove foul spirits and curses. We could try them out. Matreearch Arc advised. We will await the test subjects.


    -


    Our forces in the Southern were quite strange. Level 60s or so, but even then they were surprised by how suddenly these demons attacked. Perfectly normal looking towns could hide a demonic infestation, and they would spawn randomly.


    In actualbat, my Valthorns could easily defeat the demons. The problem was the morale took a real hit. It was really something emotional to see a demon pop out of a perfectly regr lookingmoner, and a lot of the spies were emotionally affected by it.


    It made them paranoid. Every single living being could be a demon. A cow could have a demon hiding in it. A yful cat. A friendly innkeeper.


    My former heroes were all stunned by it. How?


    Its safe to say that any ce where the demons appeared are likely to have beenpleted corrupted, even if they appear outwardly normal. Our lords reported, and the counsel was sombre. It was a difficult thing.


    At least, if they died, it was a clean, clear death. This group of demons took the Alien route. They manipted the hosts.


    Is there a puppet master? Kei asked. Most possession stories have a puppet master at the back, someone that holds the strings. Can we use our magic to find it?


    We were still struggling to get samples.


    Also, what if its like a virus. t corrupts people by touching the demonic flesh? Kei added.


    At that moment, I wondered whether my guys could be corrupted too! The senior Valthorns frowned as she heard the briefing. Roon, Edna and Johann all shared an ufortable look. They would face hard choices in the future.


    How do we know who is safe? Matriarch Hoyia, one of the decarches, asked. We need a group to smuggle ourselves there, and see for ourselves. This corruption is not suited for spies. We should go and see.


    I assume that you are volunteering? A lord said, and Matriarch Hoyia nodded, albeit a little reluctantly.


    I mentally pinged Edna. Domain holders have some resistance to corruption. I think you should go and see for yourselves.


    Edna then nodded. I will go with you. Matriarch Hoyia looked relieved at Ednas offer. If Edna couldnt protect her, very few could. The meeting ended soon after, and the two met up for a chat along the hallways of the Valtrian Keep.


    Thank you for offering your protection, Lady Edna. Hoyia said. She was, like Lumoof, far older than Edna in appearance. But, in reality, she was not much older. Edna achieved her high levels and domain, so her aging has ceased. Hoyia, on the other hand, was a priest of Hawa before she switched over. Some of her skills carried over, though she did suffer a small penalty for her conversion out of her faith.


    Its nothing. Edna said. It is a matter of national interest, and as one of the [domain] holders, I should see it for myself. Aeon said us domainholders have increased resistance to corruption.


    I see. Hoyia frowned. I hope it is corruption or possession we can remove, and not body-consumption and assumption.


    You mean body snatchers.


    Yes. Because thats the most horrible oue. We have individuals that look like us, but cannot be saved. Its a real hit to morale.


    Kei and Ste were in the hallway too. If its body snatchers, then we are truly fucked.


    Hoyia shook her head. Not quite. Us as Aeonic Priests have ess to Aeons familiars, and we have ess to a lesser version of Aeons [spirit vision]. One of my theories is if these are body snatchers, there should be no souls left, and we should be able to pick out who the demons are.


    Oh. Ste nodded. Infra-red goggles, essentially?


    Kei tapped Ste lightly. They wont get that.


    Edna and Hoyia both nodded a little. Greetings Lady Ste and Lady Kei.


    My concern is, if the demons are in the process of consuming the souls, and we need to decide who can be saved, and who cant under battle conditions. Hoyia continued her conversation, and both the former earthlings squirmed ufortably. Id imagine being eaten inside out may not be the most pleasant sensation, and for us, wed have to wield the scythe of judgement on people who look very much like us.


    Edna nodded. Its a task meant for the most heartless of us.


    I thought back to Kens earlier idea of ssing the entire world. Would I have to order the ssing of entire viges with this?


    Id rather hope we not get there, so Id first like to gather some samples and observe these demons in action. Hoyia said. I would prefer if Alka goes with us. His remotebs would be very useful.


    Edna smiled and shrugged. Alkas staying put. But well have an army of mages and his other assistants with us.


    -


    There was a huge mpdown on trade and movement of people in the Southern Continent as the templesbated the demons. They began huge inquisitions, where entire viges were captured and interrogated.


    The temples took different approaches, and what happened reminded Ste of our own worlds history with witchhunts.


    Entire viges were torched. In cases where the temples employed judgement, it led to a whole lot of false usations, especially inrger cities. Those who were strange, had different hobbies, or were of an entirely different species were outed and used as demons.


    I sometimes forget that Im in a medieval fantasy world. Ste said. Sometimes. I thought here, in the central continent, I saw something that resembled an early-modern society. But then, this just really reminded me that outside of this ce, its all fucked. That even with magic, the nature of people is just... ugh.


    Those who use such a thing to use those they dont like as demons should be punished too!


    It was hard to tell who was a demon, and who was not. Partly because, well, the demon possessors bled like normal. At least, at a first nce.


    So, Edna, Hoyia and a delegation of my Valthorns snuck into the Southern Continent. It was easy to do so with Stes portal ability, and I also used Stes portal ability to temporarily extend my trees to the south. A repeat of what I did in the northern Inds.


    -


    Ednas report came a weekter.


    We located the demons. Hoyias suspicion is correct. Spiritual vision is able to fully discern those that have been fully corrupted by the demons. Our problem is really with those in the process of corruption. Exorcism works to a limited degree, but is more likely to cause the demons to trigger some kind of self destructive behavior. Hoyia was injured from one interrogation incident. We may require Aeons dedicated interrogation chambers. The bibs would be very useful here. We may need to request Lumoof to return.


    An assessment I agreed with, but it still annoyed me that I needed Lumoof everywhere. If I could spread my roots everywhere in this world then I wouldnt have to deal with this restriction.


    But oh well, whats done is done. Id have to improvise. Ste could only maintain the portals for a few days before she needed to rest, and she rotated with her other void mages. Her other void mages were gaining levels, but somehow they stillgged behind her.


    With some coordination, Edna and the priests honed in on one vige that had been confirmed to have demons, and Ste opened the portal. I ced my roots through it, and then my trees. We had to work fast, I spawned my bibs, and Edna moved swiftly to capture a few of those where we saw had vanishing spiritual presences.


    In those where there were no more spirits, the entire inner organs had been converted into a demonic hatchery. There was a demonic creature that controlled the flesh, and it crawled and swam through its host.


    They made these small, circr babyrva, and they attempted to infest my bib. But my mana was too overwhelming so they were swiftly crushed. They were like little leeches or maggots.


    With my trees, I also managed to observe it in action. It attached itself to a persons leg, and often the person did not notice it at all. Its bites had a numbing effect, such that the person did not feel pain for the first few minutes.


    Demonic parasitic leeches that possessed people.


    With those that had been fully converted, I was able to have a conversation.


    Youre a demon.


    The infested woman denied it. No. Im Larri, a housewife. The demon often left the brain untouched, instead, the demon had functionally attached itself to the brain such that the brain supplied the knowledge and the information.


    Dont lie to me. My vines wrapped around its leg. I can see you wriggling in this persons body.


    I wish I had Patreecks offensive psychic abilities here in the south. I could use it on the demon. Hoyia came and used [Exorcise]. It hurt, but the demon was so firmly embedded in the body and flesh that it was pointless. The woman screamed. KILL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its arms exploded and transformed into a whip, It attempted to attack Hoyia.


    My wooden shield parried the strike, and my vines wrestled the demons appendages.


    Shes no longer a half-elf. Hoyia took out a staff and then manifested a root. The root pierced through the body. The body wriggled, but the demon was not dead. We had to hit the parasite exactly.


    I see why the temples and the spies are having problems. We need to hit this thing. My turn, my vines pierced through thedys body and my vines entered. Then I dug out, through its severed neck, a hairy worm. This is the demon.


    It struggled and wrestled, the female body copsed like a puppet. Hoyia frowned. It can move in the body?


    Yes. And its not easily visible, even in spiritual vision.


    Spirit vision told us that its a demon or demon possessed, simply by the extinguished soul. But it did not tell us where it was located within the body. I needed something that was the magical equivalent of battlefield X-Ray and MRI.


    Else, its possible that thisrva could even infect someone directly. I cut the body of thedy up, and morerva appeared. They were in small blobs. I took some for studies.


    Even in their small size, they could leap and hit someone.


    Edna frowned at this. The temples are just burning entire viges to the ground. Im afraid I see merit in their approach.


    Me too.


    There had to be a better way than ssing a continent.

 Treemunity

    Treemunity


    <b>Year 198 (part 2)</b>


    One of the junior Valthorns developed a simplified process to check on demons, especially when demons were not avable. Something that apparently, a few other ces had independently developed.


    If a demon consumed or destroyed a soul, essentially, that is just a body, but without the will in it. A persons skills and abilities were tied to the soul, so the theory was, most of these lesser demons would not be able to copy skills. ordingly, they may appear like a person, but if they are unable to use any of their skills, they were quite likely to be demons.


    It was quite clever.


    Of course, its likely that demons were still able to copy some skills, especially the champion ss. So far, we have not seen any of these champion-ss parasites, and honestly, it kept me awake. What could a demon king thats entirely focused on possessing people do? Could it even possess a hero?


    I thought back to Me and Alexis, and wondered.


    Was their demon king a corruption king too? Or at least, a variant of it? Why else was Alexis consumed by the mes of the demon? That batch even had those talking demon-knights!


    That was at least one hundred plus years ago. Have we finally looped the cycle?


    I would have to approach them and ask them for more info. I recall Alexis didnt have much knowledge of the demons that possessed them.


    Also, these demons were able to read memories of the bodies they captured. From this alone, I immediately considered Ste and Kei as very high risk. If they were captured by the demons, that would be a really, really bad oue, especially if the demons are then able to share their memories back to where they came from.


    I also wanted to know how these demons spread. They seemed to jump from person to person, and we noticed that they invaded drains, gutters, toilets and other naturally dirty environments. We also found them in the waters, where they were, strangely, eaten by fish with little consequence.


    They were able, with surprising adaptability, to infest travelling merchants and somehow remained dormant or at least, non-hostile within them, at least, until they reached a new area.


    All these observations suggested each of these parasites had intelligence, one corroborated by how they responded to my abilities.


    How do we fight them effectively, while minimising deaths?


    -


    Ken, Prabu and Colette met up in Freshka, and by now, my Valthorns have shared a dossier of the demonic body snatchers with them, and a rough summary of what weve discovered so far. I wanted the heroes to live, at least, if they could gain enough levels.


    Both Prabu and Colette have epted my familiars as part of the deal to allow them to live here, and it was advantageous for me to keep them at a high level.


    How does the trope normally go? Body snatchers eh... Ken said. There should be a kind of magic that should be specifically effective on them.


    Prabu shrugged. And what would that be?


    I dont know, wed have to run some experiments. Themon ones are usually electrical shocks, or some strange foods. Maybe we could get some anti-parasitic drugs? Or maybe just some strange rare chemicals. Ken said as he tried to approach it from a trope-angle.


    My Valthorns were already capturing these demonicrva specimens to conduct my own tests. We wanted a widespread way to hit these demons, and we wanted to know their weaknesses. They had weaknesses for sure.


    There was one very immediate sample that worked really well.


    Using Stes gateway, we sent three possessed individuals to Freshka, and Patreeck sted the possessed individual with his psychic power.


    It worked really well, since the person literally convulsed, and the demon actually crawled out of the possessed individuals mouth in an attempt to avoid the psychic st. It was pretty much nightmare material as everyone squirmed. Well, almost.. Only the knights or those who usually had the [Still Heart], or [Calm Mind], or [Horror Resistance] or other simr passive abilities didnt react to it.


    Luckily, as long as the persons not dead, they do not spawn additionalrva. In order to make a person into a living hatchery, theyd have to fully convert the person, so in such cases, its straight-forward. Kill anyone who doesn''t have a soul.


    Since they are just demons that had the appearance of people.


    Snek suggested that it should be possible for certain sses to fight off such parasites, usually through boosting their own spiritual power. Their world, at least, prior to the conversion to the demonnds, were filled with naturally urring parasites and body snatchers. But this was like multi-generational adaptation to parasites, not something thats possible for the people of this world to acquire on a widespread scale.


    Wait. Unless I massively distribute [Skill seeds] with these skills. But I would need these skills in the first ce. No, Id need to know which skills work best against these demonic body snatchers!


    Ste was extremely fascinated. This is essentially nning to develop some kind of anti-demonic possession vine, and now youre in the concept phase of testing which skills work best?


    I had a lot of skill seeds, and with them, I could make ss trees and skill trees. These were old abilities that I still used on a smaller scale, but if this worked, it would essentially create safe viges.


    How are you proposing to test the effectiveness of the skills against the demonic possessions. No one here is going to volunteer themselves, and where do you get the demons? Youd have to have a hatchery!


    On a high level, the idea was really rather repulsive. It meant Id capture one of these demon-possessed persons and keep it alive as a hatchery for demonicrvae, and then test out the demonicrvae on different individuals of different skills, and monitor them. Not just that, its essentially a test that I can only perform in Freshka, since Patreecks psychic/mind st could effectively sterilise anyone infected with the demons.


    Ste, of course, wondered. Could we replicate this psychic attack on a smaller scale?


    -


    The heroes, on the other hand, went in a different direction. A good solution, too, but not one I could apply on arge scale. It worked well only for them since they had the star mana.


    Chung, the archer in the south, asked for help. In fact, the idea even came from him, since he was on the ground. We know demons dont like star mana, and star mana is effective against them. Can we inject the vigers with star mana, as a wave essentially? Is there a spell like that? If there is, can you make that spell into a hero-item and give it to me? I really, really hate having to kill all these guys that look like humans. I didnt fucking sign up for this shit.


    Prabu and Colette, the two archmages, went to work. They end up with a kind of star-mana-electromaic-wave, essentially Star Mana X Ray guns. It tingled for us, but it killed therva and demons effectively, and got to work to makerge quantities of them.


    They also nned on creatingrge versions of the weapon. Somethingrge enough to cover entire cities, so that they could clean the entire city and areas in a single st.


    It was possible, but they needed time. Time that meant more cities were getting infested with demon possessed folks.


    -


    The temples of the South Continent, however, publicly rejected all offers of assistance and imed they had it all under control.


    They didnt.


    Instead, they torched entire viges once they realised it wasnt helping very much. Therva was able to remain dormant within a body, so just because one passed a skill check didnt meant it did not carry therva!


    Entire cities became infested with demon-possessed individuals, even with the skill checks and spell-checks. Chung had to essentially sleep alone out in the wilds, surrounded by multiple forcefields, because he got so paranoid with people and animals. Anyone could be possessed by demons. Anyone!


    Then, the kingdoms started going to war with each other, and the temples. Trade and travel essentially slowed down to a halt, and cities that relied on food from trade had no choice but to go to war.


    Look, the cure is worse than the disease. ssing entire cities, and its not even effective since therva could still be in the waters.


    How is the cure worse? Theyve be demons! They should die.


    We dont know who can still be saved?


    Were not taking that risk.


    Paranoia, suspicion and madness turned nations to chaos. Kings, mages and healers tried their best, but when anyone could be possessed, it was not easy to evenpel anyone to work. Some cities enforced massive lockdowns, banning visitors outright.


    It took three months before the heroes all moved to the south, and Prabu and Colette had finallypleted the first version of their new star-mana emitters. The emitters could even kill dormantrva.


    They were greeted by feral monsters, as the emission of star mana on a wide scale merely triggered the possessed to run wild. At least, now, they resembled demons. The heroes killed the demons.


    The only problem was, emitting star mana on arge scale drained huge quantities of star mana, and the heroes could not be everywhere at once. There were too many infested cities, too many infested towns. Even if they methodically cleaned cities after cities, the demons could still return.


    They needed something to hold the fort while they pushed their emitters outwards. Skills that helped resisting demonic parasites and body snatchers.


    -


    Edna made an observation while in the South, covertly. We were unannounced, but the temples knew we were there, but they were too busy fighting their own fires to give Ednas delegation trouble.


    The demonic suppression aura weakens therva and slows the rate at which they take over individuals. We could nt my Giant Trees everywhere, since those suppressed the demons.


    I wasnt particrly fixated with using my clone seeds on other worlds.


    Edna shot down the idea. No. Your clone trees should be reserved for the demon king. We shouldnt deploy it yet. We can handle it. Well just need to deploy more Valthorns and higher ranked priests to suppress the demons presence.


    But the aura fluctuates, especially for creatures that need sleep, and true enough, the demons were still able to return.


    We needed a better way to spot them, especially since these parasites have incredible natural camouge and infiltration abilities.


    An entire vige attacked Ednas delegation when she approached. The team had to kill them all, and they all needed a pep talk. Then, we saw a man who seemed to be surrounded by thick demonic energy.


    A champion. He looked every bit human, well, other than the armor of demonic flesh that gave him wings.


    To think that the natives still resist. .


    Hoyia saw and was bewildered. He still has a soul inside! It didnt consume it.


    Consume? Why consume when we can enve? Is that not our role? The demonic champion fired a beam of fire, and Edna immediately stepped in to create a shield. Fire didnt work. Hmmm... lets see... this human can do this.


    The demon charged ahead and swung its sword. [Double Cut], The sword blurred into two, and mmed into Ednas shield. Yet, at that moment when they were close, the demonic flesh detached from the human, andtched onto Edna.


    It attempted to infiltrate Ednas body, and then, just as suddenly, Ednas body made a glow of light. The demonic champion was incinerated by the power of her [domain], and turned to cinders.


    Edna frowned as sheter reported back. This is not good. Demon champions can use possessed skills. Luckily it went for me, instead of the others. Everyone was horrified as they tried to imagine the champion possessing them.


    This meant the checks done could still miss the demon champions, since the demon champions were able to go beyond physical control, and even turn the possessed person to a puppet, and use its skills in conjunction with its own demonic abilities.


    Could a demon king, therefore, possess a hero?


    -


    You cant be serious? Prabu vented as we shared the news of the demon champions with them. I feel like weve just made a few steps forward and this demon champion sent us all back to square one.


    Ken didnt join them as he, without his hero ss and without any star mana, was pretty much sitting ducks. I dont think you need to panic. The demons clearly are designed to attack heroes wherever you are. So, even if you miss them, they cant help themselves and will attack you.


    Snek agreed with the assessment. Our own records agree with that. Demons cant help but attack heroes. Its in their very nature. So, its almost confirmed that you did not miss any champions so far.


    ...Im not convinced, but alright. Prabu said. Anyway, can you arrange a shipment of snacks?


    Thats not critical at this time. Kei answered.


    It is. Ill work for 5 years if you can send snacks here. Help me negotiate with the Order, please?


    Ken and Kei shrugged. Ken sighed. Prabu, you know, if you keep doing this snack thing, youll be relegated into the disposable joke or fodder character trope, and youll die. Dont y that part, please?


    Fuck that trope shit. I want my snacks!


    -


    We had a few spies infected by the demons, and we brought them back for further investigation. My familiars apparently helped to detect the demons, and because my familiars also upied a link with the soul, they contested the demonic parasites attempts to possess my spies.


    My spies received regr familiars, and the demons won, two out of three times. But, even though they won, it took them longer to gain control of the spies body, and this gave the others time to get help, or, in our case, put them into a magical coffin for further studies.


    It had to be done, and we captured more and more of these demonicrvae. With sufficient samples, we sent them to Freshka for further studies in my bib. I also created a small section in the Rottends, secretly, to attempt to breed theservae in non-human bodies, such as hybrid demon-monsters.


    It created a few rather strong monster-demons, but nothing we couldnt handle.


    We needed a solution, as our news in the South indicated the infestation spread really, really quickly. The heroes literally could not sterilise cities faster than the demons can infest one.


    Worse still, some of the temrs and warriors of the Gaya and Hawa temples were infested, and against the backdrop of a full rebellion by the kingdoms, it was getting, really out of hand.


    -


    Lumoof continued his time in Threeworlds magic crystal city. He yed the role of the charming, affable and clumsy old man wonderfully, and some of the local mages were quite smitten with him.


    He spent quite a lot of time gathering information about the world generally, but the knowledge of magical crystal growth remained elusive. Those who held the secrets gave it in bits and pieces, and never the whole picture. Perhaps that was how it was structured over the years, that all these little pieces were separated in order to prevent total theft.


    Sir Lumoof, this way. A mage was more than happy to introduce some interesting types of magic to Lumoof. To the locals, Lumoof seemed to be a wealthy but foolish old man, and they were happy to make money off him.


    It was small money for us. After all, his expedition is pretty much funded by the entire central continent, which was, on an overall level, more developed than this world, even if this single city was pretty unique on its own.


    They demonstrated some magical formations and ice spells, all tethered to crystals. They had slightly different magical formations, and they were really good at using some of the natural properties of these magic crystals. What do you think, Sir Lumoof?


    Its nice. Ive never seen it. How much would it cost?


    Ah, this formation would cost 344 Gold Coins. Or we would be happy to trade for an artefact of sufficient quality.


    Lumoof nodded. I see. He retrieved another magical sword from the inventory, made by a level 50+ magical smith. I was told this was worth about 450 gold. If you can throw in another few more manuals...


    The mage stared with greed and nodded. Certainly.


    Alka and a group of high-ranked mages assisted Alka would receive all these scrolls and they would study them. They were aware of our expeditions to another world, even if they didnt know of the full details. Anyway, once they studied the scrolls, they would proceed to replicate the spells and formations back home, and this added to our body of knowledge on magic and formations generally.


    It was a veryborious process, but it worked.


    I hoped this would allow me to unlock the knowledge needed to trulyprehend the demon kings core, but from what I could see, progress remains very, very far away. Even with a toon of researchers and mages, its a very long process. The journey to get from the iron age to the space age is long indeed.


    Spaizzer


    Thanks for reading.


    Break announcement - I''m off on the WEEK of 1st FEBRUARY 2022. There will be a chapter next week, and then I''m a week off, and then returning on 8 February 2022.

 Parasitreec Relationship

    Parasitreec Rtionship


    <b>Year 199</b>


    The war in the South intensified, and by now, it felt like everyone was fighting everyone else. Yet, the two temples continued to enforce the blockade on the Southern Continent. Only, this time, to keep the people in. The temples did not want the demons to spread to the other continents, so they called on the other continents to reinforce the blockade.


    This is ridiculous. Edna spoke to us and the council. We need to act decisively, the temples are not doing a good job, and a lot of the kingdoms have openly gone against the temples for the recent madness. This demonic parasite is going to spread, and it will spread quickly.


    Madness, as in, ssing of entire cities because of the suspicions of corrupted men among them. The champions also were more crafty than normal. They were adapted to the minds of men, and were able to hide.


    My spies tell me, some are already on the other continents.


    It was a matter of time.


    I dont get it. The heroes are clearing up cities. One of the Lords considered the facts. The heroes met a few champions too, and they made short work of them.


    Every time a city gets cleared, refugees rush to it by the thousands, and inevitably, the demons return. Edna exined. They only managed to build one singlerge scale star mana emitter so far, and that only cleaned up an area the size of Freshka and its immediate surrounding areas. Even that, caused huge political conflicts that the heroes clearly missed.


    The heroes were rather oblivious to the politics of where they ced their miracle cures. Cities and kingdoms wanted it, and so, the city that possessed such an artifact had to protect it with their lives from the other kingdoms who wanted it.


    Matriarch Hoyia, who was also on the call, said With every previous demon king, the worlds generally agree to drop their arms against each other and support the heroes with the demons. Not this one. Theres not even a semnce of unity against the demons, and everyone seems to think that someone else is a demon.


    I thought to myself then, that this is what it will be like, in a world without demon kings. Everyone is fighting each other for the slimmest of advantages and wealth. Felt like an absolute shitshow. No. It felt like earth. It was a sad thing to think about, that, even if we stopped the demon king, the world would just revert to its natural state.


    So, I didnt.


    I focused on therva that we cultivated in our little patch of Rottends, and we experimented with them to a great degree. It was really easy to kill them when they were outside. We could squish them like maggots. The problem was still, how do we kill them when they are already in a host, without harming the host.


    Anyway, as we researched, rather than actually gain the ability to create a simrrva-type parasite, I instead gained a different type of parasite.


    [Youve gained the skill : Normal Tree Parasite Creation. You may now create tree parasites of your own. These parasitic trees take the form of vines that grow on the skin and flesh of living beings. They leech on the lifeforce of their hosts.]


    I checked. They did nothing else.


    What the fuck. All that and these parasitic trees did nothing else? It doesnt even let me gain control like the demons?


    I need to upgrade the skill, then? Is that it?


    Anyway, we conducted more experiments on therva, with different kinds of materials and injections. It didnt yield much.


    Maybe were not doing it correctly. Alka suggested as he helped to run another separate batch of tests on these demonic parasites. He didnt ask questions where the parasites came from, of course. We should be testing a response on live persons.


    Why?


    From our earlier knowledge, we know certain skills and abilities can dy and stop the demons from taking control, but this is not very useful since we cant give skills on arge scale. But, we also know that mental attacks work very well on these demonic parasites, as they are attuned to thoughts.


    I allowed my field scientist toplete his thoughts.


    Can we drug it to death? Not to kill it, but essentially turn it useless by overwhelming it with stimtion.


    With psychedelic sap?


    Yes! Alka said. We should try it out. A dose of strong psychedelics on someone possessed by demons.


    I ran this through my council, the earthlings and my leaders in the South, just for their thoughts.


    Overstimting the demonic parasite... could be worth a try. Ste said. If its better than killing the host.


    One of the Lords theorised. Theres always been a drug trade, even in the South. If this theory holds any water, those kingdoms where theres higher use of these psychedelics should see lower demonic-possession?


    The South doesn''t have that kind of data. Another Lord countered. Not everyone has a bureaucracy that tracks everything.


    I felt like that was a jab at me, or at us generally.


    We can send a batch to Matriarch Hoyia and let her test it out with our forces there.


    Edna nodded. The idea is these things should essentially drive the demons wild?


    Matriarch Hoyia had another view. Whats our goal here? Even if the drugs work on the demons, we still cant get it out. Once the drugs go away, will the demons return?


    We dont know, but some studies would be good? Alka said. These demons are really fragile things, even if they have some ability for self repair. Id like to know if these drugs could at least destroy their ability to interact with the body. Our tests on therva itself so far seem to cause it to convulse and then die, but outside of a host these demonic parasites seem to die to everything.


    If it doesnt get the demon out of the body, I really dont see the point. But I will conduct some studies. Matriarch Hoyia answered.


    At the same time, I wondered, could I use my [dream academy] or simr skills offensively on these demons?


    Psychic or mental attacks worked, but I rarely see those in this world. In fact, outside of Patreeck, I really cannot remember many other instances of psychic attacks.


    -


    Then we had our first instance of near-attacks, from a nearby kingdom. It was only through Hoyias priestly abilities that an actual pointless conflict was avoided.


    Demons! These guys are here to spread the demons!


    Hoyia immediately used one of her priestly skills on them, one of her strongest pacification abilities.


    Each patriarch and matriarch developed slightly different skills. Like Lumoof seemed more towards devotion and empowerment, Hoyia was more of the peace and calm type, so her ability at level 100 was something called [Hour of Calm], which gave the entire mob present an hour of peace and calm. Hoyia and Edna quickly used that moment of sanity to have a conversation with the generals.


    Sadly, these abilities dont seem to work on demons, since, well, demons cant actually be reasoned with.


    As it turned out, some of the temrs were infected by the demonic parasites, and they have been spreading the parasites. ordingly, they suspected Edna and Hoyia to be the same.


    Truth was, out in the fields, we are not sure either. Hoyia and Edna both could use some level of spiritual sight due to the Court of the Deitree, but even thats not foolproof. Its possible that some of our guys had dormant demonicrva in them, and if we wanted to check this, they had to go under the bib regrly.


    Using Stes portal, we did these checks every three to four days, and so far, so good. But it is possible for demons to infest my guys over those few days, especially the weaker guys.


    I only had faith in Edna, due to her domain. But even then, what if a demon king tried to possess her?


    My only saving grace is that, if anything happened, I could revive her with my Tree of Life. Not so for the rest of them, who are lost if they cant reach the domain stage and join my pantheon.


    The Kings are paranoid, and rightly so. Everyone was a suspect, and the demons are quite adept at stealth since they like tunnels and hidden parts. Theserva, were pretty much parasitic pests and they were very good at crawling through hidden ces.


    Across the continent, mages created various barrier spells, and these were pretty sessful at keeping out the demonicrva itself, but not if these demons were already inside someone.


    We needed something to force the demonrva out, and so we experimented on more types of drugs.


    Some of them worked really well, like my dose of psychedelic drugs seemed to trigger the demons, but their side effects were rather terrible on their hosts. We wanted something milder that still caused the demons to show themselves.


    Then we stumbled on one little part of the solution.


    Well, we stumbled on it over a cup of thick coffee. Edna and Hoyia travelled to a town in the South that was really big on coffee production, and through Stes portal, I also extended some trees there in order to help scout out the terrain.


    At first, we didnt notice anything.


    But then Patreeck and the group of artificial minds noticed that the demonicrva was strangely absent from the coffee factories and cafes. Most of us were not trained to think about what was missing, instead of seeing whats there, so we started doing some tests.


    Moderate quantities of coffee confused the demonicrvas tendrils, and the confusedrva tried to escape the coffeeced environment. It would then be ejected from the body, usually through poop.


    The host had to consume moderate quantities since a small amount was insufficient and therva could still endure the mild level of coffee, so this was not picked up in our earlier observations. In fact, we didnt test coffee as a possible solution initially.


    So we need to mass produce coffee shots and make everyone take them.


    But kids cant take it.


    Small victories are better than none.


    This solution, sadly, only worked on humans, elves, centaurs and dwarves. We still did not have a solution for demonic infestation for other races such as lizardmen, drakes and treefolk, though both treefolk and lizardmen infestation so far have been rather mild.


    Interestingly, theres also a race that was very resistant to the demonic parasites, almost to the point of immunity.


    Minotaurs. Their bodies produced certain kinds of liquid that regrly flushed out parasites, and the pulses of energy throughout their body seemed to interfere with the demons ability to control them.


    But minotaurs were an extremely small group in the South, and theyre wary of all humanoid races.


    I had yet to introduce the demonic parasites to the Canari, since, well, it didnt seem right for me to subject them to the horrors of our homeworld.


    With the discovery of coffee as a possible solution for cleansing the body of parasites, we had to quickly growrge quantities of coffee. As it is, the central continent already has some coffee ntations, and we had some existing coffee stockpiles, but its certainly insufficient if we were to push for a wide-scale consumption of coffee.


    As we pushed the kingdoms that were affiliated or in a hidden alliance with us to consume more coffee, the temples seemed to have discovered our solution, and they too started widely promoting the consumption of coffee.


    As a solution for the South, which had arge poption of humanoids, the coffee worked for a few months, since it essentially forced therva to make a choice.


    Infest or Leave the body, rather than remain dormant or hidden.


    The widespread consumption of coffee reduced the demonic parasites hold, and brought about the end of internal wars, and an odd tradition of visitors and travellers having to down a dose of coffee before entering new towns. I believe this would probably be a new tradition unique to the South, since they bore the brunt of the demonic infestation.


    The temples, of course, began touting the discovery of coffee as their sess, a im, which we disputed, but did not strongly pursue. Whats the point, anyway?


    Also, the demons adapted, and took a more adversarial stance. Once possessed, the demons immediately infested and surfaced, rather than remaining dormant. This helped clear the confusion and fog on who were demons, and who were not.


    The kingdoms continued to struggle with the demon champions, since these champions were still very powerful, but it was easier when one didnt have to watch their back all the time.


    The heroes, thus, continued to push towards the demon-infested nations. There wererge swaths of the south where the demons have fully conquered the kingdoms. The risk, of course, was that there were some that have yet to be infested by the demons, but the heroes advanced with their star mana serving as a beacon.


    They burned brightly, and the demons were moths drawn to the me.


    Two more years. The demons were in 8 years ago. At least 2 more years to go.


    <b>Year 200</b>


    Coffee didnt work that well on treefolk, drakes and lizard-people. This was a secret, of course, but we couldnt keep it for long. Once news of infested drakes and treefolks went out, it only resulted in more speciesism, as trade and deals with the treefolks, drakes and lizard-people essentially dropped to zero. They were pretty much the pariah in the southern continent.


    That sucked. We needed something that worked for them, and it was partly because of how their bodies processed coffee. The caffeine that overwhelmed the demons were absorbed by certain organs unique to these three races, and thus spared the demons.


    Strangely, even minotaurs got ostracized even though they were close to immune to the effects of these parasites.


    The Hawa temple, which counted humans, elfs and dwarves as the majority of its believers, outrightmanded that these other races be banned from all of its allied territories, and led torge refugee camps as these races were forced out of their homes and viges.


    It annoyed me very much that our solutions amplified racial issues. We tried stronger doses and so on, but it didnt work. We needed something with caffeine that the bodies of these races didnt absorb.


    So back to the drawing board. I tasked a few lizard-people and treefolks to lead the research, since, well, I sensed that some of the human and elven researchers didnt give the issue the same weightage as before.


    That also annoyed me.


    -


    Meanwhile, the heroes attacked more of the demon-infested kingdoms. The demon champions had already taken over as the ruler of the various kingdoms, and they ran the kingdoms with their stolen skills.


    It was annoying to fight them, because the demons were already strong with their own abilities, which augmented the basic strength of their hosts, and on top of that, they were blessed by the stolen [king] ss skills, or [general] or [strategist] skills. Some of these [king] skills gave these demons usable skills!


    They could steal skill! They could even stack the skills and make the regr demons stronger than usual.


    It didnt ur to me to think about how to exploit the demons natural abilities, until Alka, who was still busy with Lumoofs purchased otherworldly research, offhandedly suggested. Capture one of these demon champions. We may learn how to use its power against the demon king.


    Huh. That made so much sense to me.


    I felt like an idiot. I always was, of course. Thats why I rely on those smarter than me.


    I immediately pinged Ste and Edna. Ste, to open one more portal, and Edna, to tell me where the nearest demon nation was. I would like to find one of these demon champions, if not more.


    We dont know. Its not as if the demons say they are demons. They just somehow know that they are demons.


    That was also a good question. How do these demon parasites identify each other as demons?


    If there is a mechanism, can we copy it, and alter it such that the demons identify us as demons? With such an ability, we could essentially smuggle ourselves into the demon worlds, and explore it without fear.


    Actually, taking that to the extreme, if everyone in the world was identified as demon, could we pretty much co-exist with the demons?


    Spaizzer


    <strong>THERE IS NO CHAPTER NEXT WEEK AS I AM ON BREAK.</strong>

 Treeple-agents

    Treeple-agents


    <b>Year 200</b>


    It wasnt very hard to identify the demon-infested kingdoms, since, with the recent events, they dered themselves quite publicly. The demons as a whole was not a functional kingdom, since the citizens,prised of possessed demons.


    They, sadly, cleverly used the poption as a meat shield. The poption all had demonicrva in them that were not fully infested, such that these poptions could still interact and talk like normal, though, with some mental controls. Those who struggled or resisted the demonic control were quickly fully infested, or killed.


    When I started offensively expanding my trees into these demonic-parasite kingdoms, I noticed a ring weakness.


    The demons could not detect my presence. They had some sense of their own, but as parasites, they mostly leeched off the senses of their hosts. And if their hosts did not notice me, they didnt either.


    That meant, with Ste and void mages, I could observe the demons without outside intervention!


    First thing I noticed was how absolutely ordinary some of these viges were, except for a few vigers who clearly had demonic appendages throughout their body. No one reacted to it, even those we could still detect the presence of a soul.


    Even as a dormant orrva form, the demons were clearly able to alter or change minds. There was no other reason why these people, who clearly retained some of their own cognitive abilities, epted these demons so easily.


    I therefore ssify the demons into three categories, though the line between the infested stage and transformed stage is very thin<ol><li>Therva possession stage. Demon is embedded within a living person, and the demon parasite controls the host via some kind of mind control. At this stage, they are able to use skills, and they can still be saved. Multiplerva can actually be inside the same body, so therva possession stage can still infect others</li><li>The infested stage, where the demons have killed the host soul and the body started to breed otherrvas. At this stage, they are essentially demons, but with the appearance of regr people.</li><li>The transformed stage, where the demonic presence can be visibly seen.</li></ol>


    On top of these three stages, we have the demon champions, who are at therva-possession stage, but are able to either steal, or mind-control and simultaneously merge it with their own demon champion abilities.


    Those who were still in therva possession stage continued to live rtively normal lives, though they focused on eating. Now that they did not have to keep up any semnce of a society, they abandoned things like paperwork and trade. The demonic parasites reorganised their society such that therva-possessed collected food centrally.


    That said, they continued to produce weapons and equipment, which these demons used.


    These demons were able to use equipment, including magical equipment. Could they use hero items? As we continued to observe, we noticed the transformed demons taking charge. We kept spreading our trees, and noticed even more cities infested with demons, and finally found the prey we wanted.


    A champion.


    No. There were two of them.


    We knew they were champions, because the transformed demons deferred to them. The way all these humanoid demons obeyed theirmands.


    Both the human King and Queen had a champion in them, and if we strained our magical sensors a little, we could pick up their masked magical powers. Their strength was self-evident, it rippled outwards in little motions.


    These human bodies are so fragile. The possessed King said to the Queen.


    Would you rather possess a lizard, then?


    If it is a big one, yes. The Kingughed, strangely human. How did they speak? Or are you referring to the Lizardfolk?


    The Queen did not respond.


    No matter. Let us wait for the True King.


    We knew, with certainty, that these champions could not possess me. I saw how the champions were torched by Ednas soul. I wanted to capture these demon champions, and so I asked Ste and the void mages to rest for two days. I needed them at their best when I pushed my powers through their portals.


    It wasnt hard to find them after the two days. The two champions were incredibly confident. They walked about their kingdom with no guards, no defenders. Not necessary, when the demons as a whole respected and obeyed their inherent hierarchy.


    I initially tested the concept on the demon parasites, the lesserrva to the effects of my mana. It killed them. They were just fragile to most things when not in a host. But I had a feeling it would work on the champions.


    Alright, be ready, because Im going to attack a demon champion. I told Ste. I had mybs and everything on standby.


    Ready. Ste understood my ns to study the demon champions, though she didnt quite agree with having a war of the parasites.


    The two champions were apart. One was with some of the possessed, and the Queen was with a small battalion of demonic knights. These knights were no longer human, though they looked every bit like it.


    I readied my artificial minds, and went for it.


    Somewhere nearby, I immediately created two [Giant Attendant Trees]. These helped amplify my aura and power. Then, at the same time, roots shot out from the ground, and immediately wrapped the two of them. They reacted quickly, but their response was to attack my roots.


    The two demon champions both released a huge burst of me that burnt the entire city, taking down a huge number of other demons with it, but it failed to burn through my trees.


    Heroes? The King yelled as it transformed, and the demonic appendages fought the hundreds of vines and roots that spawned from the ground.


    It was like two masses of snakes or eels with different colors wrestling in shallow waters. They were no match for me. Not with my current levels of power.


    They struggled hard, and they resisted. But I didnt mean to kill them.


    I flooded them with my mana.


    The eyes of the possessed King widened in fear. -no!


    It was time for the corruptor to be corrupted.


    Its time for reverse wololo~


    Ste struggled, but she worked with a team of Void mages to stabilise the portals as huge amounts of mana was pumped through the portals. A few fainted, and they had to swap. But now, her school of void mages numbered in the hundreds, and this was within the same world.


    My mana flooded the demon champions, and in the end, one of them decided to self-destruct, than to submit to my influence. The body of the King sttered into mush.


    The champion that inhabited the Queen was not so lucky. My roots and vines prated the body, and found the champions true body. Arge hairy worm-like creature lived in the husk, and my mana flooded it.


    The champion struggled, and I sensed its panicked iling. It killed its host at that moment, but the body was still alive. Shit.


    Was it going to run?


    A chrysalis of wooden vines and roots emerged around the captured body, a vessel for the conversion. The demons in the surrounding area and the nation, who were not destroyed by the demonic mes, went wild, and they ran towards our location at full speed.


    I spawned beetles by the hundreds and thousands, and blocked them off. Horns went through, and helped lead the defense of the wooden shell.


    The demons rushed by the thousands, and the beetles fought off the demonic hordes from the surrounding nations for hours. My artificial minds supported the battle, as I focused on capturing the demon champion..


    It took hours, as my mana gradually worked its way through the demon champions real body.


    Strangely, no demon champion came. Not even from the nearest kingdom, which hosted more demon champions. Just more regr stuff.


    The demonicrva attempted to infiltrate the beetles, and some seeded. But the beetles had extremely strong, demonic-resistant carapaces, and it was easy to tell which beetle was infected, since we would lose control of the beetle.


    Horns, for example, couldnt be infested, simply because my artificial minds were all linked to me at a fundamental level. My domain powers maintained the link with them, and that linked burned any attempted infestations.


    The battlested for two days, and Ste was exhausted. She didnt sleep for two days, as my own trees and vines back home supported her.


    The demon champion finally caved.


    [Natural Mana Overwhelming has converted a Demonic Infestor Champion]


    [You converted the demon into an Aeonic Infestor Champion.]


    [The Skill Natural Mana Overwhelming has been upgraded]


    The wooden chrysalis opened, and revealed that same human queen, but different. Her eyes were green, and her voice ethereal. She retained some of her-demonly features, but there were parts where it was clearly wooden. Her skin now had a greenish tone, instead of the original dark-red of the demons.


    The infestor kept the host, though the host changed as a result.


    Ste was already at her breaking point, it was only my own energies that kept her awake. Since it was done, I allowed her to rest. Another group of void mages then took over, and opened a portal to let the converted Champion through.


    The champion seemed to understand instinctively, and stepped through the void portal. It was now in Freshka.


    The infestor looked around, and the void mages stared. They were visibly afraid. Two of my Valthorns were there, ready for any eventuality. Roons bow and arrow glowed, ready to fire.


    I felt it was safe, as Patreecks psychic power descended on the infestor. Nothing.


    It bowed and knelt. Greetings, Aeon. I am your humble ve.


    Roon stared, still worried. Stand, and speak. Who are you?


    I am... I am nameless, Aeon, but this vessel was once named Queen Ally Ardiasan of Erat. I was once an infestor champion from the Demon World of the Infestors, spawned from the powers of the Infestor King. I felt my mana permeate the converted demon.


    So Ally, then.


    If you so will, I will be Ally. The former demon answered, and at that moment, I had more questions than ever.


    Do you remember where you came from?


    Not much. We are created by the Infestor King, or what the people of this refer to as the Demon King. The Demon King created us as lesser versions in his image, with his powers to corrupt and to control.


    What is the Infestor King?


    Ally stood, unsure how to reply. I know little of its power, save that it has corruption and the ability to control others through its tendrils.


    What do you know, then?


    We are here to infest, spread our kind far and wind, we are to use the knowledge of the people against itself, prepare for the Kings descent and kill the Puppets.


    The Puppets. I repeated.


    Yes. Heroes. Puppets. Same thing. Ally answered. Roon and Johann stared at the infestor.


    Aeon, this is not a demon?


    No. Its... a converted demon.


    Its possible to convert demons? Roon asked. Ive forgotten most of them have not seen my attempts to convert the demons.


    Yes. Hytreerion was made from the shell of a demon walker. I added. It was quite strange that Ally didnt need any of that, despite being a demonic champion. Or wait. Ally, are you able to infest anyone or use your powers?


    Ally wanted to, and then stopped.


    [Aeonic Infestor Champion requires a power source. You may attach a Titan Soul or an artificial soul to power it. It is currently relying on residual energies stored within its body, and will need to rest near a tree to recharge. While in this low-power mode it is unable to infest anyone.]


    Oh. Darn. The Infestor Champion had a memory box and thought unit, but still needed a power source. Now that I robbed it of its original power source, it needed something from me. This sucked, since it meant I couldnt scale this operation.


    But I realised this infestor champion essentially was a spys greatest weapon. I could deploy Ally to other worlds and help me gather information that I could not gather myself. In a way, Allys even better than Lumoof, since, well, Ally could seamlessly blend into the existing folk.


    Ally, do you kill your hosts?


    Do you want me to, master? As infestors, we have two modes, possession and infestation. Infestation kills the host.


    The only problem was, I couldnt see what Ally was doing.


    Tell me more about how you steal powers?


    As infestors, we attach to the Soul Springs of our hosts, and hijack it. We are all innately able to confuse the soul spring, into thinking ourmands are the soulsmands. We exist on two levels, at a physical level, and at a soul level, we can inject ourselves into the soul. This injection process, of course, drains a lot of magical power, but, we also simultaneously steal power from the soul springs of our host. When we kill our hosts, we grab hold of the pieces of their soul spring, and attach them to our own. But, it doesnt always seed, and using these powers require mana like normal.


    Wait. Get into the bib.


    Ally nodded, and got into the bib asmanded.


    I saw a constantly shapeshifting, bloblike creature that resembled a jellyfish. It was hollow in the middle, like it was waiting for a power unit, or a soul spring to power it. There were smaller rocks that floated in between the multiple blobby tentacles of the Infestor Champions, and realised these were the stolen skills.


    Skills taken from the Queen.


    I couldnt see how it interacted and inserted into another soul, because, in its current state, itcked the means to do so.


    The tentacles and the blobs moved constantly, and there was no permanent form to the body. This was unlike how the others had a defined shape to theke of their soul.


    I doubt the shape was what gave it the ability to possess another, and I probably would have to insert a Titan Soul in order to fully understand what these demon champions could do. That, of course, sounded like a waste of a titan soul.


    Well, maybe not, because from what I observed, Titans are most useful in a utility role. Patreecks usefulness has exceeded Hytreerion by a lot, so to use Titans forbat roles was frankly a waste of time.


    In that case, would using the Titan Soul on Ally, an infestor, be a waste? Do I have other, better uses for the Titans?


    Meanwhile, the kingdom which the champions once ruled turned into a frenzy, like a zerg swarm without their cerebrates. Wild, primal, and they rushed towards us.


    This was strange behavior, as each parasite is able to some degree of thought and self-regtion. Surely, they did not require a champion to function. But it did.


    -


    While the war against the parasites continued, Lumoof was still in Threeworlds.


    Sir Lumoof, this way. A merchant led him to arge room that disyed one of thergest, most detailed maps of the Threeworlds. Lumoof had a sense something was off, but he wasnt worried. No. If anything, he wanted them to bite. It was something he had nned for a while.


    The three merchants gathered and started exining the map, and Lumoof looked at it intently. This was helpful, at least, to strategize where to nt my [clones]. There were dungeons, magical ley lines marked, to the best of their knowledge.


    It was amission that took the past two years, and a lot of our treasures. Lumoof nodded, as the merchants started to furl up the map. It was made with some kind of magical cloth, and with shrinking spells such that it shrunk to the size of a regr scroll.


    The merchant passed it to Lumoof. Payment, Sir Lumoof.


    Lumoof nodded, and withdrew a magical sword from his pouch. The other merchants all stared, some seemed to be mouthwatering.


    The goods exchanged hands, and the merchants stared at the magical sword. They used some inspection abilities, and some kind of merchant-valuation ability. Yet, at that same moment, the doors mmed open, and about forty mages walked into the room.


    Lumoof quickly held the map, and in an instant, it vanished, sent back to Freshka. The merchants looked around, and they were all clearly puzzled at the mages. They stared at each other.


    Whats happening?


    Weve known something was up, especially when we detected a few failed [Inspection] type skills. Lumoof had a cloak that confused such skills, but it wasnt perfect. So, it was a matter of time before the Mas priests sensed something was up.


    In fact, I was surprised that they took so long to even attempt to arrest us. Heres an old man walking about asking for information, learning spells and so on. The mages were armed, and one pointed his staff at Lumoof. Lumoof, on the orders of the council of High Priests of Mas, you are to be detained on the suspicion of espionage.


    Lumoof lifted his arms. We were ready for this, and we would go along with the capture. The mages used a kind of crystal shackle, and shackled Lumoof.


    But all that happened was...


    [...detecting attempted skill-control. Domain overriding.]


    The crystal shackle shone, and then, like a whimper, it crumbled. The mages stared at each other. One of the high mage-priests immediately walked over, and took out another shackle.


    The second shackle crumbled too.


    Thats... not supposed to happen.


    Lumoof smiled. Anyway, gents, its fine,e, lead me.


    The mages stared at each other, unnerved at how easy Lumoof went along with the capture. No, we wanted to be captured, because it was a convenient excuse. From what we know, the High priests questioned their suspects within the depths of the Crystal Mountain, where they keep their strange artefacts, and that was somewhere we wanted to go anyway.


    The mage-priests were shocked, of course, because it now seemed like they were escorting Lumoof, rather than capturing him. Dont worry, I have no intention of resisting.


    Eventually, we entered a cave, high up on the Crystal Mountain. Here, we took a look, and it was beautiful.


    Can I just appreciate the view for a moment? Lumoof paused.


    The mage priests looked at each other ufortably, and then nced towards the high-priest for guidance. The high priest nodded. No more than two minutes.


    Lumoof nodded, and just looked at the view. It really was beautiful to see the entire city of Maelga, with crystals everywhere. It was part-crystal mine, part-magic academy, and the glowing magical crystal lights paired with the faint fog and haze from the dusts only gave it an eerie, mystical aura.


    Alright, lets go.


    Lumoof nodded, and we went into the mountains.


    Spaizzer


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 Haughtree

    Haughtree


    <b>Year 200</b>


    The depths of the crystal mountain were magical. They had a magic lift, and the walls, the crystalline walls glowed in many colors. It was beautiful, and the ambience truly seemed magical.


    This is quite beautiful. Lumoof said to the mages, who all seemed a lot more afraid of him than the other way round. Something about the shackles crumbling seemed to remind them that Lumoof was not just any old man, even though he had kept his domain in check for the entire period he was here.


    The high-mage tried his best to y along. It is. Everyone who stepped into these lifts for the first time remarked how beautiful it is. Even the heroes.


    Lumoof nodded. Ah yes, the heroes. They came from another world, right?


    The high-mage gave Lumoof a suspicious look. You seem familiar with them.


    I have met a few. Lumoof nodded.


    Are you from the nation of the Sandpeople, then?


    No. Lumoof smiled, and the High-mage just gave him a stare. But Lumoof was used to such things. The lift eventually stopped gently, like it slowed down on a very measured drift. They hardly felt it. The door opened, and they were led into a chamber made of crystals.


    The entire chamber was shaped by the crystal growth, and for me, looking through Lumoof, this chamber reminded me of ice-pces and chambers carved out of ice. Only crystals, and it wasnt cold.


    In fact, it was quite warm. The chamber led to smaller hallways, simrly carved out of ice. There were crystalline lights, embedded into the crystal walls.


    This way.


    Lumoof nodded, and he was led to another chamber with a chair.


    Sit here.


    Lumoofplied. This seemed to be an interrogation room, but the high mage looked at the shackles, and hesitated. The mages stared at each other. Should we use the shackles?


    The high-mage shook his head. No, weve wasted two already. Just call the Interrogators.


    The mage scurried out of the magical door. They used wooden doors, embedded with crystals. We could see that it was some kind of mixed item, part wood, part crystals. I wondered whether I could grow Crystal Trees, like how Kei is a crystal golem in the shape of ady.


    Maybe I could experiment with that dryad body I had stored all these time.


    The Interrogators, despite their fearsome name, were three skinny looking humans with long crystal spears, and many smaller pins and needles, all simrly made of crystal. They had different colors, and from a casual nce, I sensed that each of them was imbued with a different type of spell.


    A torture set. Interesting. A far more borately dressed woman came immediately after, and I sensed that she was higher level than the rest. At least level 80.


    Lets make this simple, Sir Lumoof. Thedy started. I have my interrogators with me, and I want to know, who are you, and who do you work for, and what do you want? Youve been buying magical spells, collecting various locational information for the past few years. Who are you sending it to? The sandpeople? Or the centaurs?


    Lumoof merely smiled. Can I get your name?


    Thedy shrugged andughed. Im the Fourth Archpriest of Mas, Yaddah. There was an air of magic around her, strong, but nothing particrly impressive. Not when she waspared to my near-domain level mages.


    Well, since you asked so nicely, Im Lumoof. I serve the temple of Aeon, and I came from a faraway ce.


    Weve checked, theres no such thing as the Temple of Aeon.


    Oh, there is. Lumoof smiled. Now, if you want the juicy details with all the fruits, I would like to meet the true ruler of Maelga. I would happily exin then.


    Yaddah stared. You wanted us toe to you.


    Lumoof smiled. Well, its hard to get the bureaucracy to pass a message, isnt it? What better way to get direct ess to the top, by making youe to me?


    I could kill you here.


    Lumoof shrugged. I think you know well enough that you cant. In fact, maybe only the true ruler of this living mountain can hope to even hurt me.


    Yaddahs fists glowed with magic, and she punched. A wooden barrier emerged and blocked it. Vines instantly absorbed the magic in her fists, and those vines quickly wrapped around her arms, and she stared. She flinched as she felt magic drain away from her arms. ...who are you?


    Were you listening? My name is Lumoof, and I serve the temple of Aeon. The vines let her arms go, and Yaddah staggered backwards. The Interrogators stared dumbly. They were not used to their subjects being able to use their skills.


    Lumoof didnt move and just stretched his legs.


    It really does annoy me when young ones dont listen to what us old folk have to say.


    Yaddah stood, but she realised the power gap.


    So, now that I am here, deep within the mountain, I want to talk to the true ruler of this mountain. Can you get me an audience? I certainly hope we can have a friendly meeting, rather than one where Im forced to go on a warpath.


    Yaddah dusted her robes. I see we have invited the snake into the house.


    Eh, Im not a snake. Im just a priest of Aeon. I dont bite.


    Yaddah looked at her team. Stay here. Ill go call the Crystal Holders.


    The interrogators looked afraid. Mdy-


    Lumoof immediately interjected. There really is nothing to worry about. Can I have some tea while you sort out the details?


    Yaddah looked at the Interrogators. Well? Go get some. She pointed a finger at Lumoof. And you dont get too smug. You dont know who youre dealing with.


    My priest just stretched and yawned.


    But- The Interrogators looked at Lumoof again, and decided it was better to just get him some tea.


    The tea was not bad, and Yaddah came back about three hourster. The Interrogators kept watch, but they felt so ufortable around Lumoof that they decided to wait outside the door.


    The Crystal Holders will meet you now. Yaddah said with amanding tone. Then youll know better than to offend us.


    Oh?


    They led Lumoof through more narrow crystalline pathways, and down more crystalline stairs, and then, another lift. A lift that went even deeper.


    Then deep underground, we walked out of the lift into a massive cavern, with glistening crystals on the roof. The crystals had many colors, and around us, we saw giant crystal golems. These were massive things, and they looked like these golems could open up to be evenrger.


    There were a few more pathways that led to this cavern, clearly the way we took was not the only way in.


    Feeling scared yet? Yaddah smirked. Lumoof shrugged and she couldnt believe her eyes. ...youre acting.


    Weve fought demon champions. Golems are just creatures in the same ss, and then we arrived at a tform. There were eightrge crystals, and eight individuals seated right before them.


    Archpriest Yaddah, this is the individual that wants to meet us?


    Lumoof looked around, and here, I felt the conflicting presence of something. It was that something that hid underneath the mountains, it was here, but it darted everywhere. Hopping from crystal to crystal.


    These eight men were just spokesperson. The equivalent of my Valthorn councils, but not... me.


    Where are you looking, spy? One of the individuals said. The voice was feminine, but here in the dim cavern, where the lighting came from the glow of crystals, it was hard to make out her features, unless we activated our skills. My spiritual sight identified her as human.


    Lumoof looked around, and we tried to follow the presence. Looking at the real power behind all of you.


    One of them mmed the crystal table. We are the real powers here.


    Lumoof smiled. All of you are just like me. The hands and legs. The executors of divine will. Lumoof paused briefly, and then said. <i>Minions.</i>


    Three of them glowed, as I sensed them gather their magical power. Still, our eyes focused on that presence, and at that moment, a ninth crystal, onerger than the eight others, rose up, out of the crystal floor. The ninth crystal was shaped like a throne, and a golem sat on it.


    We felt that presence gathered in the golem. The golem was just a puppet of the spirit of this crystal mountain. Yet, the golem looked incredibly life-like. No, at a casual nce, the golem seemed every bit human.


    The eight immediately bowed. We greet the Immortal Crystal King.


    Yaddah knelt, and she gave Lumoof a smug look. You fucked now, old man.


    Lumoof smiled, and respectfully sped his hands together. We didnt kneel. Greetings.


    The presence was simr to Lilies and Aria. Maybe just a bit stronger. The golem radiated his [domain], and the aura of the crystal kings domain closed in, and attempted to smother us. All of them cowered in its presence.


    This was nostalgic. I did the same thing to my Valthorns. The Crystal King stopped, and stared with its purple eyes. The eight cowering minions immediately attempted to exin. Your majesty, this is a spy. He ims to be a priest of Aeon, but weve checked and it does not exist.


    No. The King answered, and he sounded human. This was some really good puppetry. Who are you?


    His domain did not pierce through Lumoofs skin. Instead, it was pushed back. Lumoof gave a nod. Greetings, Immortal Crystal King. I am Lumoof, a priest of Aeon. Finally, we have been hoping to speak to the true master of the mountain.


    We? The King narrowed its eyes.


    Lumoof nodded, and I descended. My domain pushed against the Crystal King, and everyone, including the other minions of the Crystal King cowered. ...what?!


    Greetings, Crystal King. I am Aeon, and Lumoof is my avatar. I spoke as Lumoofs eyes glowed green, and my presence was clear for all to see. A greenish glow of light, shaped into a tree appeared around Lumoof.


    The golem narrowed its eyes, as our two domains met. The usually quiet and motionless air of the cavern was twisted by our energies, and it whipped it up into a small, twisting gale. Yaddah, the archpriest and the eight Crystal Holders were all horrified.


    I have been meaning to speak to you, though, it is hard to get you through all of your institutional red tape. I bet those who want to talk to me feel the same way.


    The Crystal Kings face was serious. Speak, you have my attention.


    Ie from another world, just next to yours. Ie in search of allies, in my bid to defeat the demons that gue my world.


    Is that not an affair of the gods? At this point, all nine other humans dared not speak. They were all quiet. This was not their stage.


    The Gods will abandon us, in a century or two. I said.


    The Crystal King looked. I do not care of the cause. What do you want exactly?


    Knowledge and skills. Cooperation. Friendship.


    The King red, and stated bluntly. Denied. I have no reason to cooperate and share my knowledge with those of another world. Every creature or beast of other worlds eventually attempts to invade us. Even the summoned heroes are not much better. No. We are an insr world, and we will remain so. No trade with outworlders. Friendship with another existence from another world? Impossible.


    ...And what of trade? I asked, inward I was shaken by the immediate refusal. But Lumoof kept a stoic face.


    No. I refuse. The Crystal King said firmly, and I felt my spirit sink. What was this straight-out stonewalling?


    Any guarantees I can offer? What can I do to change your mind, and work together? I certainlye in peace, but it seemed they didnt believe me.


    No. There is no negotiation to be had with otherworlders. I reject your presence in mynds. Leave and return to where you came from. The humannds of this world will not receive you.


    I felt angry. Why? What was the cause of this... this... selfishness? Whats the word for it...


    The Immortal Crystal King was blunt. I shall apply the full force of my powers should I ever see you again after today. I do not ept foreigners from another world. Leave.


    The crystal king flexed his domain, and his energies strengthened. I wondered. Why? You ept the heroes!


    They are part of a bargain we struck with Mas.


    I felt there was an undercurrent of fear. Must it be this way?


    Yes. The Crystal King said. Go. We are not friends. No. Friends do not exist for existences like... us. There are those stronger, and those weaker. The strong take, the weak obey.


    Is that a challenge? Should I just take it, then? Darn. There seems to be something at the back of all of this. Some history from long ago? No. Conflict should not be the first thought, especially when we have no reason to be enemies. Lumoofs attempted capture was a small matter, really. Nothing was really at risk. Lets talk this through. It is not my intention toe and upy your world.


    You will learn, and eventually, you will upy. That is how it is, that is how it will be, and I reject your attempts to nt a seed here. Go. Leave. I shall entertain you no further. Leave peacefully, and that is the end of it.


    And if I dont?


    Then it will be war. Our eventual oue is war. It is the same with the others, as with the demons, and as with those before us. War is inevitable.


    If its inevitable, why shouldnt I just raise war right now?


    But no. I calmed myself and focused. What is my goal?


    My goal is to end the cycle of heroes and demon kings, not for all worlds, but at least, for my homeworld. War with other spirits and forces are unnecessary, unless it leads to the end of the cycle. This group of people seem to have knowledge of crystals, which I can use in the future, but do I want to go to war with them just to have this knowledge, which may or may not lead to breakthroughs?


    Would a war here, with this mountain, be a worthwhile investment of resources?


    I stared, and for a moment, the entire cavern shook as our domains shed. My power radiated outwards like a wave, and met the opposing force of the Immortal Crystal King. My greenish energies lit the dark cave with my mana.


    The human minions stared, with their jaws wide, and two of them had fainted.


    I knew for certain I was stronger overall, but even then a battle would be hard to predict, since this is their home base, and this crystal king most likely have morebat abilities. The strangely human Immortal Crystal King squinted his eyes, and took a step back.


    Ugh. Fucking fucking fucking fuck. Why the fuck is this damned crystal so irritatingly... Aloof? What was the word I was looking for-


    Lumoof mentally responded to me. Lets go, milord. There really is no need to wage this pointless war. We can have other means. Or find somewhere else. They are not the only masters of crystals.


    I sighed. Very well. We will leave.


    The Crystal King looked to its cowering minions. Escort this otherworlder out of my mountain. Dont let him in ever again. Notify me if he ever dares to appear at my doorstep.


    Such arrogance, but I had no real beef with this guy. I wanted knowledge, and there really wasnt any need to destroy this mountain just because he refused to cooperate. In the end, my end goal was the demons and this cycle. Focus on the end goal, I told myself, using that to calm myself down. I did not have to destroy other functional civilizations to get there.


    I tried to rx, and reminded myself that not everyone saw things my way, and that is alright. Its normal that some people are just not cooperative.


    Its normal. Perfect, perfectly normal.


    I tried to convince myself, really, because I felt mad. Maybe mainly because I got rejected. Its fine. Its okay. Im a salesman, and I dont have to make every single sale. Not everyone is like Lilies or Aria.


    The minions stared at Yaddah, and Yaddah gulped. She had beenmanded, and so she did.


    She escorted Lumoof, respectfully and quietly. Not a peep.


    <b>Year 201</b>


    Back home, it was a game of whack-a-mole, as demons kept popping up despite the efforts of the heroes, temples and us to mp down on the demonic parasites.


    We were generally gaining ground, as we discovered more and more ways to detect them, and counter them.


    The food-makers and coffee brewers around the world made condensed caffeine-sweets and caffeine-pills. The coffee makers and sweet makers even gained unique skills. [Anti-Demon Coffee] and [Demon-Preventing Coffee Sweets].


    It was really cute that those who made food actually contributed to the war effort.


    I suppose this was a feature of the system, that the system does respond to changes, but it took a while for it to hit the necessary threshold to award a skill.


    Anyway, with foods and consumables that deterred the demons from infesting, the tide was somewhat shifting, and it was slowly returning to good old conventional demon warfare.


    Normalcy! How I missed it so.


    At the same time, I also granted one of my Valthorns a ss Lovis once had.


    [Aeons Demonyer].


    I suspected that itll help to sense demons, and it did, but its effectiveness was linked to the persons level. It wasnt very useful on arge scale, since, like the heroes, it was tied to a particr individual, and so wasrgely local.


    But it was good for interrogation and detection of demons among areas previously cleared.


    Despite our progress, we knew it meant nothing if the demon king wasnt killed. As the ten years deadline slowly passed by, we waited for the demon king. I really, really wanted to know the kind of demon king we would face.

 Visitreetions of the demon world

    Visitreetions of the demon world


    <b>Year 201</b>


    The demon king took its time, and we waited. So, I went on the offense, and wanted to im a few more demon champions for myself. Just like the [Forest Rod], which I clearly wish I had more, I wanted more of these infestors.


    I could find uses for them. Someday. Ally stood like a machine back in Freshka, and I quicklymanded it to sleep in one of my bio pods, safe in the valley. I didnt want an infestor like her walking about the city, mainly because I felt such abilities were more suited to be hidden. A spy is most effective when no one suspects a spy.


    Thus, only Ste and a few others were aware of it, and I made it a point to make them know it.


    What are your weaknesses? I asked Ally, like, I tried my luck whether its possible to directly ask a former demon the answer.


    I dont know. It wasnt so easy, sadly.


    We watched the star-ways with great interest. One of the paths glowed bright, but it wasnt yet ready for the demon king. There were tell-tale signs when the demon king was about to cross, and so far, we have not seen it.


    Down in the Southern continent, we continued our great game of demon-parasite whack-a-mole, and eventually, I managed to catch two more demon champions. One was a general of a destroyed kingdom, named Genid, and another was a King, King Rhoma of the Sanndea kingdom, which is no more. Since everyone alive was infested and incurable.


    These two demon champions did not reveal anything new. They were simr creations of the Infestor King, and had no memories.


    As our reach expanded in the South, I finally managed to catch something I was looking for.


    A rift.


    What are you doing? Ste asked as my trees approached a rift. She sensed some unusual magic fluctuations, a little more drain than usual. Another demon champion?


    Not exactly. While waiting for the demon king, Ive decided to go on the offense.


    Stes eyes squinted, and then widened as she realised what Ive just meant. Wait. You need the entire team here-


    My roots and vines approached the rift, and slowly tested out its magical resonance. Like the previous demons, I needed to know the exact mana frequency to confuse the rift, such that it would let me through to the other side.


    Why? Ste asked as she felt the energies passing through the void portals.


    I have nothing to lose, and I realised, with my seeds, that I should use them offensively. ying defense is tiring. I have two seeds left. From what I gather, it does take a while for any destroyed tree to respawn as a new seed, but with both Threeworlds and the other world remaining close by, I was willing to do it.


    Its my first attempt atunching an offensive attack. From what I learned from Snek, I suspect that the demons most likely do not have means ofmunication with other demon types, and that each demonic world isrgely independent, though there were some means of coordinating invasions.


    I needed a solid presence in one such world, if I wanted to know what exactly happened. I couldnt learn about the demons without seeing them in one of their controlled worlds.


    Thest time, I needed the forest rod. I wouldnt use the forest rod now. With the [seed of aeon], I could use my clones as disposable scouts. My only risk was if they possessed my clone bodies, but I suspect thats impossible.


    I spawned more artificial minds, just in case. I needed the backup.


    We dont know what our homeworld is like. We were created, and before we could see or sense, we were flung to this world through the rifts, sent to infest anyone who feels strong.


    I also learned that my infestors used to have some kind of ability to see strength, thats inactive as they are currently unpowered. Could they infest something like me? I suspect probably not, since a soul tree like myself should be invincible in its native domain. When asked, they seemed to answer. We dont know, but we are programmed to try.


    Huh. That was rather strange.


    I soon found the resonance needed to get myself through the rift gates. My roots and vines went through!


    Ste immediately winced as my roots went through.


    The first thing I attempted to do was see.


    A gate. I saw a gate. The gate was on a tform, and around the gates were those same void crystals. They were some other demonic structures around those void crystals, and this time, I was able to sense some magic flowing through it.


    But immediately beyond the dry tform was water!


    This demon world was not dry! If anything it was more of a corrupted world. There were demonic trees andrge gigantic monsters that would not be out of ce in the rottends. I sawrge blobs, filled with hundreds or thousands of those demonic parasites being hauled byrge demonic creatures. They were pushed through the rift-gate, and they appeared on the other side.


    The blob didnt survive the transfer, but the parasites did.


    I immediately extended my roots and my vines into the water, and I felt the pollution and dirt. No, this was some kind of muck. Ill have to analyse the detailster.


    Thest time I sent my roots through the rift, some demons saw it and immediately cut us off. I wasnt going to let that happen to me now.


    I immediately deployed my [seed of aeon], right here, right next to the rift gates.


    I felt my seed sink into the water, and then little roots extended out of the water. I sensed my seeds root searching for dirt and earth.


    Barren.


    Even though there was water, the ground or dirt felt lifeless and weak. It was a little like the moon, but different. The moon was just naturally empty, its surface covered with moon dust that needed to be rehabilitated gradually.


    This world was drained, as if every bit of life that once was, had been sucked out by the demons. I knew through my clone that the demons did this to their captured worlds, and that meant, Sneks world was on a timer.


    Eventually the demons would drain the world until it had no ability to support life?


    Was that how it always went?


    I had to check with Lilies.


    > We do not recall the exact time as we were dormant, but from what we know, it was not very long. Almost one hundred years. We hid within the depths of theke, and time was lost to us. It was then we heard the will of the world, once. <


    > The gods summoned their chosen. <


    Hmm. That didnt quite answer the question. We didnt know how long Sneks world has. It could be hundreds more years, or thousands. Or maybe its already lost.


    Either way, my seed spread roots into the lifeless soil, and rather than gathering nutrients from them, I attempted to sense magic.


    These demons were not as alert as the previous ones. I suspect this was because the parasites themselves seem to have rather strange senses when they are not in a host. In a way, theyre quite blind. But eventually one of the demons that carried those blobs noticed the little roots and vinesing through, and they immediately closed the rift.


    I felt a jarring sensation, simr to how a livestream would get stuck when switching from a wired connection to a wireless connection.


    It came back a short whileter, as my seed now supplied me with my senses. I was already on the other side, and my vines, now connected through my seed, continued to observe the demons. I decided to take advantage of my past hybrid demon-tree knowledge, and changed my roots to appear somewhat demon-tree like.


    I had to support my seed from the system, and I could feel the seed grow when I feed it mana. Its not getting enough mana from its ambient surroundings, just like my tree in the destroyedetworld.


    Luckily, the moon-tree has grown sufficiently that it is no longer a drain on my overall mana, even if it still depended on my mana to grow outwards.


    In short, even though I have clones, each clone still needed to generate its own power. If it doesnt, due to the poor environment, it would then draw down on the primary reserve, which was my own mana pool.


    I would have to develop nts able to collect mana in this polluted demonworld. My roots moved through the dirty waters, and we sensed the presence of metals Ive not seen back on our homeworld.


    As my roots spread out from the gate, I noticed that the demons were actually quite concentrated in certain areas, and there were still vast swaths where there was absolutely nothing. Just in dirt. Lifeless dirt and polluted waters.


    The waters were shallow, and that was good. Itd be a pain if I encountered oceans in a demon world, since that was a problem in itself that I have yet to solve.


    I spawned a few discrete smaller trees in these sparse ces. In doing so, I limited the number of beetles each of them could support, but no matter. I wanted to see the demon world for myself beyond what I could see from the gates.


    I didnt encounter any resistance, and my roots found the dirt. The parasite-world had a single, bright blue sun that was really small. It was probably further away than our normal sun, which meant the weather would have been cooler, if not for the thick smog that seemed to coat the air. Even with these small trees I sensed the presence of strange minerals in the air.


    I wasnt sure whether this was native to this world, or whether this was an output of the demons. I didnt manage to collect such data from my previous incursions to the other demon worlds.


    With more and more discreetly ced trees, I was able to spawn somebs to begin analysing the magic in this world, and the first thing that immediately stood out to me was how little magic was in the air, and there were no... ley lines.


    That was weird, and it reminded me of the moon. No. Even the moon wasnt so empty.


    Are ley lines essentially magical blood vessels of the core, and ley lines essentially supply life to the world?


    I thought of the strategy-demons, and their demonic rods. They were essentially using the worlds ability to create life to create demons. I was doing the same thing with dungeons. The world did it normally too, through the spawning of natural dungeons.


    I know, from my own experience in Treeworld, that ley lines are rare. The moon, too, doesnt have any noticeable leyline, but I initially suspected this was because I have not expanded much on the moon. Thats because I still detected some faint magic that moved in the depths of the moon.


    But here, in this demonworld, there should be ley lines, or very faint inklings of them, especially once my roots started spreading really far and wide.


    Whats happening?


    -


    Back home, I immediately summoned Snek for an audience.


    Tell me about the lines from your home. Are you aware of them?


    Yes. These are the magical energies of the world?


    Have you observed any change in the magical energies of the ley lines since the demons took over?


    Snek frowned. Im afraid I dont have information on this. We are aware of some changes in these magical strands but I did not look into it.


    Didnt you say you were an expert on your world.


    ...I lied, oh great Aeon. The little snake spirit prostrated on the floor. I merely have a high level knowledge of it. To have knowledge of everything in my world is not something one snake can achieve.


    -


    I spread my roots and trees more and more, and eventually stumbled on something Ive seen in the dreams of the heroes.


    Pirs and spires, filled with dark red blobs, and looking at it for myself, I saw the spires were linked torge pirs and spikes, these were embedded into the ground, like stakes. There were alsorge vats and pools right next to the pirs filled with some kind of colored muck. The blobs on the spires themselves all seemed to contain smaller, almost like baby-demons.


    I felt a draining effect in thend itself, and thankfully, I was resistant to it. It felt like a vacuum cleaner sucking on my toes, and it didnt really hurt. It was just slightly irritating.


    It wasnt the only one such structure I saw.


    As I spread my trees as far and wide as I could in this new demonic world, I saw many more such structures. I was looking for the thing that created the demonic champions.


    I soon found other rift-gates, and as my trees spread, I realised there were at least ten of them, each of them had a whole bevy of void crystals around them. I watched the rift gates open, and the demonic parasites were sent through.


    This part was not new to me. What was new was what happened after the rift gates were closed. I saw demons that reced the crystals, and they reced them by the hundreds and thousands.


    Each rift gate was supplied, continuously, by a supply chain of these demons who did nothing but carry these void crystals.


    So, I followed this supply chain. It took some time, at least a month, since the supply chain was very, very long, and eventually I came upon what was thergest spawning pool Ive ever seen. The waters were different. They were ck with streaks in them, like a very thick soup.


    Around the holes were massive spires that joined up at the top in the shape of a ring. From my viewpoint, it looked like a supermassive rift gate that was exactly above the hole.


    My roots sensed something lurking within thesekes, and here, that sucking effect was extremely strong. But, more importantly, I felt its focus that went deep underground. I felt it draw energy from the depths.


    I spread my trees around thiske, and noticed some parts where demons emerged from theke, hauling smaller void crystals.


    Thiske produced void crystals or were they mining them from deep underground?


    I tried to dig underground, like how I dug back home, and I soon found that this hole stretched downwards, and I sensed pain.


    A pain that came from the world itself.


    I followed the pain, and kept digging. The demons hole was still there! How did they manage to dig so deep? As I went deeper, and deeper as I could manage, I sensed a powerful presence, wrapped in a shell. I knew it was powerful, because its energy was like a constant hum and it pressed on my roots.


    The hum became a constant grinding noise as I went deeper, and I realised it was the nascent demon king. It was further down. Much, much further down.


    The core of the world was the womb of the demon king.


    Spaizzer


    Hi. If you are reading this on ranobes (or anywhere else for that matter), please do check out the original version on royal road, scribblehub, and patreon :)


    On a personal note : Life''s hard. So tired. Having kids are tiring. Think before you make babies. :P

 Beneath the Tree’s Shade

    Beneath the Tree¡¯s Shade


    <b>Year 201 Continued</b>


    We saw the path through the void sea lit up, and this time, I tried to see what was happening from this side of the world. I saw a massive tower emerge from the ground, right next to the huge hole that led to the worlds core.


    The tower was pitch ck, mixed with little bits of other colors, and I felt huge amounts of strange magic being pulled through that pir. It was absorbing something... from somewhere.


    The smaller spires around the massive hole glowed, as if it stored the energy that was being pulled.


    I switched to my astral sight, and I saw a dark blob appear right above the demons world. There was a ck pir of energy that linked to that physical tower. I felt a huge, splitting headache and Patreeck immediately stepped in.


    As I concentrated on the sky above the demonic world, I saw it.


    A huge ck sun of void magic. It had many other little pirs that I couldnt quite see, like... easily hundreds or maybe thousands. What was this? The demons power source for void magic?


    Or is it an actual demonic god?


    That pitch ck tower seemed to pull void mana from the ck sun, and I felt the air tense with void energies. It was void mana, the very same void mana that Ste used.


    At the same time, my magical senses were attacked by a huge surge of power that came from the core itself. This part wasnt void magic, but a different kind of energy. It was also familiar, like the one I saw from within that shard of Cometworld.


    It surged out, and then, alternatingly split to the smaller pirs around the hole. One pir was void, another one was this core energy.


    Void mana from the ck tower was then transferred to the pirs, again, in alternating patterns. The ring above the hole started to float into the sky, and expanded.


    Then, I watched as the spires formed pairs. One spire that contained the core energy, and another spire that contained the void mana from the ck tower, mix together to form this weird mana.


    The pairs glowed and then the floating ring in the sky spaced out.


    The pair of spires each shot a beam of energy to the ring in the sky, and I felt the world bend. From the center of the circle, a huge rift opened. The ground rumbled, as the demon king moved out of its cradle deep in the core of the world.


    It rumbled for a long time, the demon king didnt move very quickly. At that very moment, I saw that tower of darkness glow again, and there were three astral paths in the skies above.


    One that led to Treehome, where my main body was. Another one that led to that ck sun, this path was filled with a constant flow of void mana, and this third one was another ck object. It resembled-


    I wasnt sure what I was looking at. It looked like a constant moving blob. Maybe it looked like avamp? I wasnt sure what it was.


    At first, I didnt know they opened a path to this blob. But there had to be a purpose, so I watched. No one opened a pathway to this faraway ce, bending space and dimensions for no reason. There had to be a purpose.


    The ground rumbled, and rumbled some more.


    Then, this formless blob that constantly moved separated a small, tiny droplet of pitch ck darkness, and that darkness went through the pathway. It came out of a rift right above the ring, and I saw a ck and dark red crystal descend and fall into the deep pool that led to the core.


    But this crystal had a familiar energy. It was a part of the demon king, I was sure of it..


    The crystal descended into the pool, and the rumbling intensified. I felt the demon kings body stop somewhere, and then, I tracked the two energies approaching each other. The crystal and the body, fusing somewhere along that massive hole.


    The pathway that led to that blob closed first, and now there were two left. One that led home, and one from that ck sun. The ck sun continued to pump void mana through the path, and I noticed that even though I could very visibly see this astral path, it had a far more robust structure.


    I needed Ste to see this. Maybe she could learn how to reverse engineer this portal!


    Just then, I felt the two separated energies of the demon king, the crystal and the demon kings body from the corepleted its fusion. It was noticeable, and familiar, as I felt the fabric of the world bend to the presence of this emerged being.


    The gestation period within the cradle of the world was over, and so, a demon king was born.


    The ground vibrated strongly, and I felt it rupture. Massive chasms emerged, as the demon king suddenly shot upward.


    The ring in the sky burned, and through my astral sight, I saw the path to Treehome lit up. The demon king shot out of the boiling sludge and straight through the massive rift. The rift immediately started to shut down, but the chasms around the hole-to-the-core continued to widen.


    The pirs around the hole-to-the-core started to copse and break, a few even exploded, from magic-overload. The draining sensation I felt a while back, vanished entirely.


    Instead, all I sensed was pure emptiness and nothingness. Even in my deeper roots and trees in the little subterranean tunnels, there was a real sense of emptiness. Like all life had been sucked out, all value drained. This absence of magic and life seemed to cause the dirt and the demonic spires to start copsing, the earth itself breaking apart.


    That didnt make any sense. The pir of void energy was still there.


    Maybe what was holding this world together was.. Wait. Its like Cometworld again. The core energy holds the ce together and...


    Does that mean the Core generates some kind of stability-mana that allows the rifts to travel such great distances?


    Was I looking at this wrong this entire time? That void mana may be the liquid or the juice of internar travel, but the cores energy is what allows for stable travel?


    It was something I had to test out, but we had a demon king to fight.


    Back home, the path lit up, and Ste watched with great interest as the path opened, and the demon king descended on the Southern Continent.


    [Demon King Exikant has arrived]


    This demon king wasnt hiding at all. The rift opened, and the sky rained with demonicrva. On the parasite-world, the rifts opened andrva was dumped through them by the hundreds and thousands.


    Even if coffee afforded some protection, thervae were now able to resist the coffees influence, since theservae were empowered by the Demon Kings presence. But, the demonic parasites also exhibited a strange behavioral weakness. They all wore their demonic presence publicly, no longer hiding it.


    I wonder whether this was a conscious decision by the demon king, or just something out of instinct, or just driven by their new state of power. Even the simplerva now could take a punch, and their bites now had power. In their transformed stages, they were at least three times stronger than before.


    Which was pretty weak, since I have all my anti-demon buffs, but it still caused them to attack.


    The rain ofrva happened mostly in the southern continent, but it also happened in the lower parts of the central continent.


    Thankfully, together with my artificial minds, we were able to spot where the rifts opened and target those areas specifically, blocking off entire areas withrge domes of wood. This meant the rainingrva mmed into my wooden barriers and then was quickly picked off by my spiders and beetles. The overwhelming presence of my giant attendant trees meant my anti-demon auras also significantly weakened therva, such that their threat levels remained low.


    The southern continent had it rough. The star mana emitters still worked well, but for those less protected areas, it was honestly really bad. Families would wake up to someone in their family transformed into a demon.


    Its like a zombie apocalypse, with demons!


    A few of the allied nations where I had discreetly ced giant attendant trees, protected by [camouge], fared slightly better. The effects of my aura continued to suppress these parasites, which slowed their ability to spread throughout the poption, and protection to be raised against them.


    The priests and the healers were not entirely stagnant either, and they were able to invent an ability. The sheer existential threat of a demonic parasite seemed to strike fear in the priesthood unlike the other demons before them, and the priests, somehow, managed to invent an internal [holy fire]. Strange that my own priests attempted to create something simr but didnt manage to achieve it.


    I suspect it was theck of fear of these demons and ack of conviction.


    Apparently it was invented a year ago, but it just took a while for the skill to spread, due to how sensitive and important it was. Essentially, it allowed priests to protect themselves and those not-yet converted to a demon with a me that protected their soul.


    My spies managed to bribe a priest who possessed the skill, to demonstrate the ability to us. It was not hard for me to understand, since it''s essentially a derivative of a soul-ish ability. Matriarch Hoyia immediately learned it just by watching it.


    For priests, they are generally able to tap into this pool of power that sits in the system. There were two types, a generic priest pool, and a more specific god pool. Each priest, depending on their levels, rank and rtionship with their god or patron, withdrew from this heavenly pool into their own local pool, within their body.


    What the priest did, was essentially draw on the generic pool, and just ignited it around the soul as a barrier. So, instead of using the heavenly powers as god-mana, they pretty much burned it.


    Its a waste of power, and in a way, the equivalent of burning money. But, it protected their souls from the consumption of the demons. The parasites are forced to attack them and are unable to consume them. The problem was, this meant the lower-level priests couldnt use their other abilities, and did not offer any protection to the normal folk.


    With this knowledge, I experimented on my [familiars] and was then able to create [soul-protection familiars]. These were able to go beyond my earlier familiars which only gave resistance and slowed down the demons infection, and, using the familiars connection to the system, battle it out against the demons.


    A few tests indicated it was sessful, and I rolled it out to the Valthorns operating in the South. It meant they would have to lose their normal familiars and the generally more useful generic abilities.


    The demon king immediately raised armies to war, along with champions, but my trees had spread really far into the demonnds, and I spotted them demon king.


    In any case, I called up Edna.


    She knew that the demon king arrived. She could feel it in the air, anyone with a domain could. Yes, Aeon?


    I found the demon kings.


    Kings? There were three of them, each slightly different from one another, but I saw a thick web of magic that tied the three demon kings together. They were one and the same, and yet separated into three bodies? How was that possible? He saw only one that left the parasite-world, did they separate once theynded?


    Still, the three demon kings each resembled humanoids, but each of them hadrge wings. It seemed to me like poor design, I expected a parasitic demon king called the Infestor King to have far stronger powers, instead of typical demon knights. Or was that their trick? Take the form of humans and lull the heroes into thinking that these are just normal demon kings?


    In any case, I observed their powers, and was prepared to share my findings with the heroes. I liked Prabu and Colette enough that I feel they were worth saving, and the fact that Prabu could, at least, have a reasonable conversation with me was something.


    These demons did not destroy the trees I nted in the area, nor did these parasites, and that was another strange thing I observed.


    The earlier demons were far more destructive of their general surroundings, and I wondered, just wondered, could we co-exist with these demon kings? If, say, I was able to construct a pool where these demon kings could remain sleeping.


    But I didnt know whether keeping a demon king would stop the other demonic worlds from noticing us.


    Did the demons identify our worlds by some form of scanning mechanism? That each demon king emitted a signal to the other worlds that said to the other demon worlds that this world was upied?


    Actually, on that train of thought, could it be possible to mislead the demon worlds on this? Find a way to fake the demons signals, such that they believe this is a demon-controlled world? If I could do that, I could buy time, both for recovery-post-invasion, and to build strength.


    I didnt learn anything from watching the three demon kings. They didnt move much, and seemed to be waiting. I wondered whether this was normal for demon kings.


    That said, I wondered whether it was time for me to disrupt the rain ofrva from the side of the demon world. If I could cut off reinforcements, I could make it a battle on two fronts against the demons.


    There were still many other demon spire spawning pools throughout their world that continued to pump out demonicrva.


    I havent tried anything drastic yet, as I was also trying to find where the champions were made. My hope was to capture one such spawning pool, and see whether its possible to make my own champion from scratch. My gut feeling is that it is possible to create the body of the champion, but Ill still need titan souls to fuel them, but no harm trying.


    Anyway, the Southern Continents war against the parasites had some good developments, again, by sheer necessity. The worlds citizens are more resilient and inventive than I gave them credit for, and at the same time, it also reminded me that just even with the best facilities, and all the money a continent can throw at a problem, sometimes, it is those who truly needed such things that found ways to invent something that worked.


    The heroes made more star mana emitters, and that helped keep certain spaces safe. Add to that, the soul-protection developments made by the priests, and even stronger variants of anti-demon coffee-based cooking, condiments and sweets helped the Southern continent nations to endure the demonic wave, and slowly began their counter-attack.


    The Valthorns also felt more confident to operate in the South, now that they were no longer afraid of the demonic parasites. New skills and spells, such as [Inner Fire], [Soul Sanctuary] and [Soul Guard], all invented by and stolen from the Southerners in the past one year, helped protect many from the demonic parasites.


    So, Edna finally moved to the front and joined the heroes in their push towards the demon kings. Roon and Johann joined her too, as they were both on the verge of their domains. Both, with my [Court of the Deitree] familiar, in case of any emergency-teleportation. I also deployed more Valthorns to support that final push, though most of them would sit out the battle.


    I pulled Lumoof back from the Threeworlds, and readied for another battle with the demon kings. Together, we made a push into the demon-upied kingdoms.


    Where the demon kings awaited.


    Spaizzer


    Something shorter because i''m not really feeling it. Also, since it''s already march, time to shill my patreon. There''s 3 more chapters on patreon + some patreon-exclusive side stories.


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 Intreeference

    Intreeference


    <b>Year 201 (Continued Part 2)</b>


    I didnt look forward to battling these demon kings again. It felt like just yesterday I sent both Lumoof and Edna to the battlefield.


    Dont say anything. I said to both Roon and Johann. No death gs. They nodded. I was superstitious. These demon kings did not leave the general area where they arrived, which was arge capital city that had been entirely infested with transformed demons. They didnt speak either, and the demon champions that served them also did not speak. It seemed they gained some kind of telepathic ability, which I vaguely sensed, but could not interrupt or crack.


    Alright. I lost three senior Valthorns four decades ago, and I was not prepared to lose more. Even now that wound felt fresh in my heart.


    Each demon king had a gimmick. What was this demon kings gimmick? The split bodies? Or an ability to regenerate? Ken, at least, understood our intention to rehearse our game n. It made sense to him that if there are gimmicks, then those fighting the demon kings should be familiar with the tropes.


    If its split-body, its likely to have some kind of kill all three or the rest will regenerate type of ability. Ken said. This ismon in games.


    Prabu nodded. So we have a small window to deliver enough damage to all three.


    Yes, essentially a DPS-check. That means damage per second, and were trying to deliver sufficient damage within a short time frame to overwhelm the regenerative ability. As a former game designer, I was familiar with the phrase, though both Kei and Ste never heard of it.


    Alright. So whats our game n if thats the case? Should we test it out?


    Ken thought to himself. You could hold back, destroy one body first and see what happens. If it really has that sort of function or skill, then only unleash hell on all the bodies.


    It''s also likely that each body has a unique ability. Or maybe not. I''m not sure how deep their scope of powers could be.


    Theres four of us. Colette said. Theres three of them, and they should be weaker with their separated bodies. We have gained levels since thest time. We should be able to bring this demon king down faster.


    Ah yes, thats amon trope too. They might fuse and have some final form. Ken paused, and then continued. Usually parasite-type demons can uh... copy or replicate their enemies ability to some extent.


    So we should field as fewbatants as possible? Prabu asked. "Wait. Are we safe from possession?


    Ken frowned. I think the answer is likely to be a no. Think about it, these guys were designed to kill us, and theyve taken up a parasite form. We are their number one enemy. They must be tailored to possess heroes. These guys must be able to do so.


    That was a good point, and it was Snek who gave a good suggestion. Then you heroes should find ways to store a soul-bomb.


    What the hell is that?


    Ken looked at Lumoof. I hear the priests are doing it already, but their skills and spells are at a far lower level. Can Aeon deploy something far more powerful?


    Im not sure, but certainly worth trying. Snek pointed it to their type of reinforcing blood magic. There are some aspects of blood magic that reinforces the soul.


    The heroes were chosen because of their strong souls, or more correctly, they were enhanced such that they had strong souls. I remember looking at Mes soul a long time ago, and noted how much stronger it was than the others. But would this help against the demon king.


    In the case of Edna and Lumoof, their souls have changed since they gained their domain. Both of their soul springs had a building that now surrounded the spring, like a water fountain located within a templeplex. If I looked at my own, its possible that the building that now surrounded the spring is essentially my domain. It protected my soul from outside forces. Sneks type of blood magic essentially collects the rocks and bricks from the dead souls, and uses those materials to reinforce a persons soul spring.


    There has to be a way it can be done.


    I tried to remember all the past times when I defended myself and then remembered about Alexiss attempted possession of my own body.


    What had I done then?


    Nothing, actually. My soul just protected itself.


    But there had to be something that can be done such that some simr strength can be embedded into the heroes.


    I will be safe. Lumoof said. If the demon king ever tried to possess me, all you gotta do is take control.


    Thats true. Lumoof was likely to be safe, and I knew it, because there was a very strong link in his soul realm to mine. He was my avatar, and a demon attempting to possess Lumoofpeted with that.


    Edna, Lumoof and the Valthorns caught up as I mulled more ideas. Lumoof spoke of the Threeworlds, exploring the Centaurs and thend of the sandpeople. But that was a story I would catch up on at ater date. I decided to experiment on Prabu when he managed to teleport back for a short while. One of his snack-collection trips. He agreed to a dip into one of my soul forge-linked bibs.


    Im going to try and give you some anti-demon king resistance. It will hurt. Alot.


    Okay. Prabu agreed.


    You sure?


    Yes.


    Alright.


    I remembered that time when I tried to fix Juras soul, and attempted to stir the waters around Prabus soul spring.


    Whats happening? He asked through our magical link.


    Im attempting to reinforce your soul. Unlike the domain holders, the heroes have theserge jugs that floated in their sky, pouring star mana. These added to their own mana from their soul spring, and again, the size of the springs were massive. Lumoof and Edna may have the domains, but in terms of star mana, these heroes have us beat. No contest.


    Maybe because Prabus a mage, so his mana was also higher than normal.


    It was possible for me to manipte the space outside of his soul spring, and I attempted to do so.


    With the experience of the priests with their soul protection, I called on my domain powers, and injected it into Prabus body.


    It really drained me, and it was painful for him, but soon I saw a small nt emerge right outside of his soul spring. It sucked quite a bit of his mana, and then stopped.


    [A Grafted Soul Trees Presence]. I immediately sensed it forming a link with the familiar Ive previously given to Prabu.


    Huh.


    I knew that this was only possible because Im much stronger than before, and because of that strength, this chunk of myself could survive the turbulent, star-mana flooded world of a hero.


    nting something in someone else''s'' garden takes far more energy than my own, at least, an order of magnitude more than taking out a foreign object. This much was obvious. This was why it takes a lot less energy to heal or remove something foreign.


    This tree was a foreign object, and was still tiny, because it''s weakened by the eroding forces within the body itself, instead of nourishing it.


    Unless I could mislead the body into thinking it''s not foreign?


    Wait.


    I should be able to do that, from my experience meddling with Juras hand. The soul clearly can forget what belonged to it, and what didnt. If I messed with that...


    I drew more power from everywhere, and just like trying to convert Ally and the demonic infestor parasites, I tried to alter Prabus soul realm to ept my presence. He was a hero, and previously, they had resistance to all sorts of powers. But with my second, focused domain, the barrier and protection of the hero was tough, but not invulnerable.


    I just needed more power.


    His body shook. And on another continent, I could hear the other heroes wondering what took Prabu so long.


    The fabric of the world bent around us, as I conducted this little soul-surgery, both from the power deployed, and the actual warping of the heros soul.


    But it was sessful. Ive nted something in his soul, and now, the tree that was once tiny, transformed into a thick bramble of thorns surrounding his soul spring. The energies of the star mana and his vast soul flooded that tiny tree, and made it grow.


    It transformed into [Living Wall of the Soul Tree]. It should suffice, I suppose. Prabu rested for a day, and went back.


    I also wanted to experiment on Ally, but at the same time, even if I gave Ally a titan soul, who do I test her on? I made a note toe back to Ally some other day.


    -


    The demon kingsunched their attack once we got close enough. That was our n, actually. Like with the earlier demon kings, we wanted to bait it somewhere rigged with our crystal bombs, and soften up the demon kings.


    The first hit using these stationary traps would also help to give us insights into how these demon kings operated, and test out some of Kens suspicions. Perhaps he was right, as the demons did tend to conform to story norms.


    We rigged an entire area with our crystal bombs, and waited for the moment when the demon kings got near.


    We expected it, at least. We knew that the demon king cannot resist attacking the heroes. Its just how they went about it.


    The demon kings entered into the st zone, and an entire area the size of a city, rigged with crystal bombs shed. These were more powerful bombs, the result of incremental improvements in Alkas methods over the years, and studies from Lumoofs purchased magical items.


    From afar, the heroes and my senior Valthorns watched the sky lit up, a pir of blue light. Its powerful enough that our magical sensors all the way on the Central Continent detected them.


    The heroes watched keenly. I still feel them.


    No notification, that should be obvious enough. Chung responded as he charged his hero items. They were all stronger now, closer to level 130s instead of the earlier level 120s when they faced their second demon king. This would be their third demon king.


    Colettes hero items floated out around her, they were all magical staffs, wands and rods of different shapes and sizes. They were all stronger than before, but even they felt the gaze of the demon king. Prabus hero items were two massive staffs packed with more gems than a jewelry store, and Hafiz was onerge silver shield.


    The three demon kings took the hit directly, and even despite the amount of power packed in them, it did not deal lethal damage. The three demon kings were merely surrounded by a charred sphere of flesh.


    Two beams burned through the skies and smashed into the spheres, and the spheres exploded.


    Good shot. Chung nodded as his bows glowed, and arrows flew towards the demon king. The arrows stopped midway, as Chung made a gesture with his fingers. He activated some kind of magical vision.


    At that very second, I felt something just st out from those spheres, and it touched everything. It was very familiar.


    The Rottends bomb, just a smaller, but more focused one.


    Lumoof immediately had to step in here, or this parasitic demon king would infest the terrain and use it against the heroes. Lumoof immediately went into avatar mode, and I soon found I had my own battle to fight.


    One of the demon kings had fused with the ground itself, and transformed into a parasite and corruption emitter! We spawned trees as fast as we could, and I already had artificial minds readied for the task. Multiple giant trees spawned and my roots fought the corruption in the ground itself.


    Lumoof winced when I pulled mana from the Central Continent and emitted it through his body into the roots and trees.


    Some parts, already infested by the demon king, emitted noxious gasses and waves that melted whatever came in contact with it.


    Ken, Ste, Kei and the Valthorns that sat out the direct conflict watched the spectacle at home through [dream academy]. Oh. So the demon king infests thend.


    Doesnt that mean it can infest Aeon? Ste asked.


    I dont think its stupid enough to try that, though. Ken said.


    A part of me felt it was funny. This was just a repeat of the Rottends corruption, with the exact same methods. I called on my first domain power, [Roots of Life], and also my [Tree of Life], and pumped my mana through the roots. This time, I pushed back.


    A tactic that put me into aa for two decades wasnt going to work twice. Not when I fought it for twenty years.


    My trees gained ground quickly, and I quickly stopped the demon kings noxious gasses from saturating the ce. That demon king in the ground started to attack directly, once it noticed its corrupt energies were dispersed easily.


    It formed ck tentacles that shot towards my roots, and one of them stabbed it directly. I felt it push its corrupt energies into the tree, and I pushed back. LIkewise, I spawned more trees and my roots rushed towards that body.


    Underground, my roots and the demons tentacles fought an intense battle, as both of us attempted to overwhelm each other with our respective energies.


    Above ground, the heroes engaged inbat with the other two bodies, and they defeated one. Ken was right, somewhat. There really was a gimmick, as the remaining body would split and regenerate the second body after a short while.


    Edna found herself mostly fighting demon champions, as the two demon kings seemed to be mostly airborne, zigzagging in the skies and dodging the two mages and Chungs arrows. Hafiz yed defense and protected the three heroes as theyunched their volleys.


    Roon and Johann tried to assist too, but like Edna, they focused on the demon champions, and only took a few pot shots at the demon king. It was hard to keep up with the two airborne demon kings that seemed to shapeshift at will and move like its not subject to gravity or the rules of motion.


    For a brief moment, each of us fought our own battles. I fought the infestation in the ground with Lumoof, the heroes against the two airborne demon kings, and everyone else dealt with the mobs and demon champions.


    I internally felt it was a little... easy and predictable, but I knew this wasnt it. There had to be a trick. They always did.


    So I was always on the lookout.


    I was expecting a trick.


    The demon king that infested the ground then did something that I immediately thought was stupid. It manifested itself out of the ground, and then threw itself at Lumoof. Iunched multiple barrages against the demon king as it barreled towards Lumoof, who was bound to the ground in avatar form.


    No. It essentially charged at us.


    <i>Really?</i>


    I couldnt stop it. I didnt have enough power or damage to really, really make the demon king stop, even if I hurt it quite a bit. I ced barriers between us, and even activated all my offensive abilities.


    The demon king took the damage, and continued to charge at Lumoof. It smashed through the walls and shields, slowing it down only by a little bit. My vines appeared and wrapped around it, but it still pushed through.


    The heroes were too upied with the two airborne demon kings, who had summoned even more airborne demons to counterattack.


    I felt that demon king m into Lumoof, its spiritual presence colliding with my oveid presence over Lumoof. Strangely, rather than possess Lumoof, I felt like something immediately reached out into my soul...


    [Domain Detected Soul Intrusion. Activating Soul Defenses...]


    At that second, I felt my mind go hazy, like a massive migraine. In a sh, all my potato storage and tubers were emptied, and even [Dream Academy] temporarily went offline. The entire central continent suddenly felt the equivalent of an electrical short circuit.


    With mana.


    Beetles stopped. Magic seemed to briefly just went out ofmission over the entire central continent as my trees sucked up mana from everywhere. Dungeons temporarily flickered, their ley lines wobbled from the sudden spike in mana-demand.


    Lumoofs body then suddenly shed like a supernova, and the demon king that wrapped around Lumoof was sted with this strange multicolored light. The power that was released at that moment was far higher than anything Ive ever felt, andparable to the strongest of the heroes attacks.


    That demon king body was incinerated instantly.


    I was stunned.


    How was this possible?


    Demon kings were not meant to be insta-killed. In my mind, I wondered then. <i>How the fuck do I do that intentionally? How do I repeat this? </i>This was an ability that could break the bnce of the game.


    I realised maybe I was a little too excited. After all, this wasnt really a full strength demon king, since this was a demon king that had split itself to three. But if I could one shot one-third of a demon king, I somehow felt that was actually an encouraging sign too!


    Even if I didn''t know what exactly happened.


    Lumoof immediately fainted, and though he was alive, that single attack flushed his body with too much mana, and the pain was too much. My sensors immediately detected extreme pain throughout his body and realised he had signs of extreme mana sickness.


    I instantly teleported him back to Freshka for healing. This was too much for him.


    That meant I lost track of the battlefield for a good 15 minutes.


    Ste! I shouted to her mind, with Lumoof back in Freshka, my connection to the south was lost. Portals!


    On it! Void portals immediately opened and my roots reconnected to all the trees I nted in the South.


    Roon, Johann. Retreat! If only domain tier could resist corruption, that meant they were vulnerable to the demon kings possession. There was always another demon king for them to fight if they survived this one. Theres no need to go all in. I could send them to the Threeworlds or that other world to fight other demon kings.


    I thought of pulling back through the [Court of the Deitree]s teleportation ability, but that was a one-way trip. What if I needed them for something else. Thankfully they retreated quickly without much issue, and I focused on fighting the other demon champions. But as that happened, I vaguely sensed a gathering pool of energy where the demon king was incinerated, and I saw a small, almost ethereal presence.


    Its not physically visible, but I definitely could see it, because its like a spiritual temte. I saw the heroes destroy one of the demon kings then, and I noticed something simr gathering in the air, where the other demon king''s body died.


    The heroes wouldnt be able to destroy this thing, not unless they had some soul-linked powers. This is a spiritual temte. I knew then this was the foundation for the demon king to rebuild its own body, and I saw energies leaking from thest remaining body that channeled to the other two destroyed bodies.


    I immediately understood how the demon king would have regenerated itself if all three bodies were not destroyed.


    Too bad the demon king were clearly not prepared for my presence, and my roots touched the spiritual temte, the foundation of all healing, and summoned my soul forge. It would be a pain to use my powers through the portal, but if I could destroy the temte, it would eliminate the demon kings ability to regenerate its split bodies.


    We need time to gather our mana. A lot of mana was drained to blow up the demon king.


    Shit. I could see the demon king regenerating but I couldnt stop it because Icked mana? How long do I need?


    A few hours, at least.


    I thought, if I couldnt destroy it, then I could at least interrupt it. That wouldnt need that much mana. It would increase the time needed to gather mana.


    But better than facing three demon kings. I noticed the heroes were gradually getting tired, and essentially the parasite demon king with three bodies was ying a game of attrition. If the demon kings could survive until the heroes were exhausted, they would be able to kill the heroes.


    I injected my soul-forge energies into the demon kings soul-temte, and though the miniscule amount was not able to destroy the temte, I was able to easily interfere with the energies that attempted to gather there, and quickly dispersed the energies.


    I think Ive just bought extra time for the heroes.


    This, of course, drew the attention of thest remaining demon king, and rather than continuing its constant airborne dogfight with the heroes, it turned, and bombed the roots and trees that interfered with the regeneration.


    I blocked with my shields and my barriers, and they withstood the first attack. Barely. The second attack destroyed them, but its alright. I was prepared to regenerate my trees as long as necessary.


    Your opponent is here. Colette said as her array of magical weapons zapped the demon king. It turned, and lunged towards the heroes.


    The demon king turned, and then pulled the remnants of the demon kings energy back to itself, instead of regenerating. The spiritual temtes themselves folded into the main body, and then the demonic parasites all around us immediately went wild. This was a pattern repeated throughout the world, as all the parasites all over the world simultaneously attempted to transform, or take over their host, and then, they would attack those around them, attempting to repeat the act.


    It was a stupid thing. Why show your hand? Though I clearly noticed that the demons were learning, their learning and improvements were disorganised and random. Its almost as if they were some kind of self-learningwork that just tries things and attempts to figure out how it performed. Were they just trying other strategies randomly?


    In any case, this stupid move merely allowed the rest of the world to kill the demons and end the parasites once and for all.


    I would have ensured that the parasites remain hidden, but I suppose I should count my lucky stars.


    Back with the demon king, it immediately went airborne and transformed into this massive floating blob. Demon champion-parasites attempted totch onto the heroes, and a few bit them, but they were not infested. They had sufficient levels and protection for it.


    Edna decided to retreat, as she had limited airborne powers. I too, had limited airborne powers. At this point, I merely decided to stay back and provide any defensive support, but with Lumoof out ofmission, I wouldnt be able to deploy my full strength.


    Its all up to the four heroes now.


    The demon king used more conventional abilities then, but I noticed it was weaker than the earlier demon kings, and the heroes sessfully whittled it down.


    Chungs magical bolt mmed into the demon king, and it shattered, revealing a tiny blob.


    Its either going to blow-


    The tiny blob charged forward at incredible speed, and I barely blocked it with my wooden shield. It smashed through my shields like it was nothing, and then mmed into Prabu and Colettes protective magical shields.


    It then expanded in an explosion, and transformed into a big purple blob around the heroes. The heroes attacked it repeatedly, but it somehow pushed through the magical shields, and stabbed the heroes.


    It did what a parasite was always trained to do.


    Possess a hero.


    It had inserted itself into the four heroes, and now it was up to them to resist it. All four heroes were in pain, as I attempted to help them.


    I knew, somehow, all four heroes were in a mental battle with the demon king. As Ken put it, this was the cliche of heroes fighting from the inside.


    My roots and vines emerged and wrapped around the blob, and drained its power. It was a lot of toxic, dirty power, just like that previous time I tried it with the heroes. I knew the demon core from this demon king was likely to be corrupted as well, but now that I''ve seen how the demon king was created, I may not need to fight it directly.


    The void mages were trying their best to support the portals. I was pushing as much power as I could, but I didnt have much anyway. Most of it was used.


    But then, a ray of light shot through the purple blob, and then, an explosion of light. The blob was vaporised.


    [Demon King Exikant has been defeated]. All over the world, a kill switch went off in the demon parasites, and they all died instantly.


    The four heroes fell, and my roots immediately reached out to grab them. They were alive, but weak. My roots and vines cradled them, and immediately injected them with healing abilities.


    At the same time, the rest of us felt a surge of relief. The era of demonic parasites was finally over.

 Treepercussions

    Treepercussions


    <b>Year 201 (End of the Demon Kings)</b>


    The parasite war finally ended, and almost everyone was d. Our contribution to the final battle meant we had levels. Naturally, its the best part.


    [Youve gained 6 levels. You are now level 214]


    [Multiple Skills upgraded. Root or vine based attacks now gain the ability to attack, touch and damage souls directly.]


    [Youve obtained the Level 210 Domain skill : Tree of Lifes Evolutionary Push]


    [You are now able to inject a skill of your choice into a person, and this skill will be inherited by their offspring for two sessive generations. Subsequent inheritance depends on luck and individual performance. The skills are collected through skill seeds, and/or harvested from the dead. You gain the ability to create a special Tree - Tree of Evolution. The Tree of Evolution is the site of your evolutionary experiments.]


    That first ability to attack the soul directly seemed immediately less useful against the demons, maybe, except the demon king itself. No. Actually that made it super useful since, if the demons used the spiritual temtes as their basis for multi-body forms and regeneration, Ive now gained the ability to disrupt directly, so it could work together with the soul forge to deal more damage to the soul.


    Id probably have to figure out how to abuse that touch-the-soul partter on.


    As for the second ability, it didnt take long for me to realise that its probably meant to stack over multiple generations. That meant if I could insert one skill into person A, another skill into person B, and another skill into the offspring of A and B, I could have three skills in the same person. The offspring of A and Bs offspring, meaning the third generation could inherit a total of six skills, plus one of its own. If the amount of skills I could inject was more than one, this could get out of hand really, really quickly.


    This was pretty much gically enhanced soldiers that we have already been indirectly meddling with, taken to the extreme. I would have to start injecting skills and matchmake-


    I mentally pped myself.


    I shouldnt meddle in the love choices of my followers. I would let them choose it themselves, and must spread the skill to everyone in the Valthorns. I also wondered whether I could use this on domain holders, and I would try this out once I checked in with the rest.


    Master, I dont think its that much of a problem. Patreeck intervened. I believe the treefolks would be more than happy to procreate with anyone of your choice since they dont have rigid customs on marriage. Same with the lizardfolks...


    Ah.


    Gically engineered supersoldier treefolks and lizardolks.


    Lets start this with them then, on a smaller scale. There were also the Canari, which also didnt really marry and seemed to rotate mates over decades. Its weird, but I suppose thats just their biology.


    Got it. Patreeck acknowledged.


    -


    Both Roon and Johann got their domains too, and I felt their presence in the background. Theirs, due to their nature, were naturally more subdued and hidden, unlike Edna and Lumoofs more easily detected powers.


    They leveled to exactly Level 150.


    Roon got the Domain of [Sniper], and the first ability, [Shot from the Stars] was a rather nifty ability that allowed Roon to effectively shoot a bullet or projectile of their choice into the sky, that cannd anywhere in a continent-sized area as he so desires. Effectively, its like a portal with an arrow or a bullet.


    It does mean that Roon could effectively shoot anyone anywhere on the continent. It seems like a rather pointless ability, but surely theres a way to abuse it. Maybe with a nuclear bomb, or together with Alkas bombs. It seemed like there were no real limits, other than some distance-scaled mana cost per shot, so, maybe the trick was to repeatedly fire bombs over a distance, essentially a continent-wide fire support and a superweapon delivery method.


    Johann got the Domain of [Ranger]. The first domain skill he got was really quite weird, I suppose. [Immortal Sentient Companions]. Essentially, Johanns ranger-buddies like his hunting dog and his bird would not die even if their bodies were destroyed, and they gained the ability to level on their own, like a beastmaster with its tamed beasts.


    They both were immediately offered and epted their membership to my pantheon.


    How do you feel? I asked both, as they came to terms with their new power.


    Strange, but powerful. I didnt feel that different when I received my first domain, but then again, I wasnt human. Or maybe it was the cloud of demonic mana that made it hard to feel like I was different.


    Lumoof did describe it as a sense like they were now connected to something else, and Edna said there was something in them, like a power source within them. For me, I wasnt exactly sure what it felt like.


    I suppose each one had a different rtionship with their domain. I also think its very possible to have the same domains, which made me wonder, what happens when two folks with the same domain meet?


    Perhaps the domain would just nullify each others power, and they would have to rely on non-domain powers?


    Lumoof and Edna were more than happy to have more join our ranks. Well, now that Aeons pantheon protects you from permanent death, you two can join more of the otherworldly activities! Lumoof seemed particrly happy to have someone who could apany him.


    Johann stared. Really.


    Yes! Come with me and lets visit some sandpeople! Lumoofughed.


    Scorpions-people. Johann rolled his eyes.


    It wont be that bad.


    I highly doubt it. Johann said. If the human-faction hated us...


    Edna patted the two on the shoulders. Eh, eh, todays a time for celebration. Here, a drink! Edna gave both a mug of what was supposedly the best beer on the continent. Its title is heavily disputed, of course. Wee. Youve, finally, finally made it.


    Both Johann and Roon let out a long sigh of relief, like theyve been holding this tension in for a long time. Im just relieved Ive finally made it. It was Roon who first answered. Weve been working at this for decades, and I am just, so, so fucking d Ive earned the right to stand at this level. I almost thought we were not good enough.


    Indeed, both Johann and Roon have been in my service for more than half a century, their names were known to me personally about 50 years ago when they participated in the Alvin-kidnapping project. Its been a long time for them.


    Lumoof tapped Roon on the shoulder. Your efforts have not been in vain. The system rewards effort, constant, persistent effort.


    I almost felt like we were never going to make it. Johann said. We were at the edge of it. Level 149 for so long. Its like edging for so long and never actually getting there.


    Edna chuckled at the sexual innuendo. Well, you can go beat yourself out after this.But really, levels are really sparse once we cross that line. The things we must achieve to gain a level increases.


    Thats because they dont have hero fragments. These stupid hero fragments are clearly overpowered as hell. So. We truly begin our duty to end this conflict of heroes and demons. Roon said.


    Lumoof smiled warmly. This is just the beginning.


    Johann stared at his hands, they trembled. We were so near to the demon kings, and even with my power now, I feel like... its still not enough.


    Edna answered. Oh, trust me. Its not enough at all. The domain merely gives us the right to join the battle as participants, but we are stillcking the heroes and their god-given powers. But its alright, thats not how we really want to end this war.


    Then?


    Lumoof tapped them on the shoulder. This war rages on multiple worlds. Aeon doesnt intend for this to be a direct conflict. Not if he can avoid it. Aeons intermediate goal is for us to gather more like us, across the many worlds.


    Oh?


    Come, let us retreat to Aeons main body in the valley. Lumoof said. Now that the two of you have the protection of your domains, there is a lot to share about the world, the gods outside, and the full extent of our ns.


    Roon and Johann looked at each other. They knew the powers of the domain at a general level, and Lumoof merely repeated it. They then walked to my main body in the valley, and Lumoof repeated my earlier discussions with them.


    I informed them of divine rted matters, such as the divine wooden stump that we retrieved, and the shard I took from the core of the Cometworld. About what Ive seen on the Cometworld, and the Threeworlds.


    I also gave them an audience to ask me anything. Anything at all, and I repeated my emphasis on ending this cycle. About why the world and the gods are just stuck with this makeshift solution of ying whack-a-mole with demon king. Ive once theorised that the gods are just like me, still limited by space and time, but just significantly high up on the power level. Perhaps due to age, because they have been doing this for multiple millennia. Of course, as I shared this, it truly dawned on them that they were now on the path to divinity.


    I wondered how many humanoid gods there were out there, and I concluded probably a lot, since the gods so far seemed to prefer humans more than others.


    Johann was just quiet the whole time, as we shared almost all that we know of the demons, and the gods. Details that we may have mostly glossed over.


    Roon stared, nodded and just said at the end of it. I need some time to soak all that in.


    They both needed time. Theyve known they were on the path to be gods, but they just didnt expect how pervasive the influence of the gods are. That gods could be reading their minds and they didnt know about it.


    As a result of hitting level 150, both Roon and Johanns Aeonic-variant sses vanished and were subsumed into the domain. The domain was both ss, and a rank, and it overrode the sses. All their sses vanished.


    A few dayster, once they felt better and more in control, they took a dip in the bibs for further investigation. I did the same for Lumoof and Edna too, as they gained some levels from the incident. Edna only gained one level from the battle, partly because her contribution was really not much.


    Lumoof on the other hand gained a bit more. He gained 5 levels, and an additional domain ability. The additional domain ability was [Empowered Faithful], which enchants 5 non-hero, non-domain individuals to gain exceptional temporary powers. He also gains the ability to see through his empowered faithfuls.


    Both Roon and Johanns souls were now simr to Lumoof and Edna. Their souls possessed a temple-like tform that supported their soul spring. There was also arge boulder-sized stone around their soul spring.


    -


    The four heroes took a few days to recover from the battle, and then the mop up of the demon parasite started immediately. The temples took the chance to quickly proim their victory over the demons and started a big propaganda campaign on their exceptional contributions to the war effort.


    The temples sacrificed a lot for this war. The parasites cost them a lot of manpower, and eroded a lot of trust in the institutions. Naturally they needed this propaganda win to reinforce their own positions.


    Within the Central Continent, naturally we spoke of our achievements and contributions in the south at length. After all, it is our home base, and the people who live there should feel that weve done our part.


    As for the Southern Continent itself, I decided to let the temples have their win. They were already politically unstable and I felt that adding my propaganda to the South wouldnt really help us anyway. I didnt need their resources, and I didnt want to trigger a continental war so soon after this one ended, by fueling the already brewing discontent.


    Colette and Prabu, naturally, returned as soon as they were able. Snack-withdrawal was quite a thing. The two heroes requested an audience within days.


    What can we do for you? Edna asked.


    We wanted to discuss Lumoof and Aeons abilities during the battle with the demon king.


    Oh?


    We saw that Aeon used some kind of vaporisation ability on the 3rd demon kings body. What was that?


    Edna shrugged. Simple. Have you seen how a demon champion attempted to possess me?


    No.


    Oh. Then you wouldnt know. A domain protects the soul from possession, and it also protected Lumoof from the demon kings attempted possession. Of course, that simplified it significantly, but these mages do not possess the ability to see soul-type magic, so that was sufficient.


    Is such a thing possible? Colette looked at her partner. Prabu shrugged.


    I suppose?


    The mages left it at that, but I could tell they were still thinking about it. It wasnt something they epted so easily, since the power to vaporise a demon king body in a single st was really something else.


    At the same time, I told Patreeck and my artificial minds to figure out how to replicate that power. If I could do it again, it would be a trump card against the demon kings.


    -


    The destruction of the demon king caused the energies that maintained the path between the two worlds to copse. As it copsed, it seemed to generate a shockwave of energy through the dark forest.


    I didnt see this from our world, but it was visible here, from the demon world. This shockwave traveled slowly, and it took months for the energy carried by the copsing void path to hit the demon world like a really bad sr re.


    I watched as the skies itself turned dark abruptly and blue bolts of lightning descended from the skies. These lightning sts vaporised most things that it touched, like spires or some of the rift gates.


    I immediately attempted to protect the rift gates from these lightning, and spawned my trees around them to deflect the blue lightning. The lightning zapped my trees instead, and was powerful enough to cut one of my subsidiary trees in half. It even sent a bit of pain through the rootwork, and I realised these lightning storms were made from the same energies as that void-core mana mixture.


    These lightning destroyed vast quantities of the demons structures, and also killed the demons easily. Each st of lightning came with a shockwave. We then noticed that these lightning were concentrated around that deep hole that nurtured the demon king body, and that ck tower filled with void mana received the brunt of it. The lightning smashed into the void tower and the other smaller towers.


    I also immediately attempted to capture some of these towers by spreading my trees around them.


    Some demons noticed and started attacking my trees, and so, I spawned my beetles on the demon world andmanded them to defend my trees, and also some of them to attack. But I noticed the beetles performed badly on that world, even with the research Ive done over the decades.


    No, more urately, the demons were just stronger there. This was their world after all. So, I decided to send my artificial mindmanders to the battlefield.


    I teleported Horns, and a few other beetlemanders to the swampy demonworld, and began an intense war of attrition to conquer some of the spires. The spires spawned demons to fight back, and here, the spires themselves contained demonic energies.


    Even with the vast destruction from the blowback lightning, the demon world still had defenders!


    Horns, and along with the other beetlemanders, empowered the beetles and led them to war. I felt second-hand embarrassment watching him sometimes.


    Trees For the Tree God! New Soil For the New Worlds! Come my brothers, let us liberate this world for our lord protector Aeon!!


    For the Deitree!


    The worst thing was the beetlemanders all seemed to be carbon-copies of Horns, and mimicked his behavior in strange ways. Horns even stylised himself, first of Aeons Beetle Lords. I just prayed I didnt get a nascent rebel on my hands.


    Their additional auras helped the beetles fight at a stronger footing, but I had to deploy [Giant Attendant Trees] when faced with the defensive demon champions. Here, they did not deploy parasites, instead, the demon champions wererge four-legged walkers that resembled the demon walkers, but their bodies were made entirely out of the hardened crystalline spires.


    This was when I realised I made a mistake. I deployed my [tree of clones] too near to the rift where we first opened the gates, but not near what I wanted to capture. That meant, in the future, I needed to keep at least two or three seeds, so that I could deploy one closer to where the key demonic structures are, so that my [tree of clones] could directly exert my power.


    Instead, even though Im in the demon world, after a certain distance, my power weakened and now I couldnt fully exert my power. I needed my full strength to attempt a capture of these structures.


    I thought of using the seed I nned for the Threeworlds, or withdrawing that tree that still floated on the remnant Cometworld.


    Would it be worth it?


    The recent levels did not give me more seeds.


    As I needed more firepower on the demonworld, I also called Hytreerion, and teleported him to the demon world to help suppress the defending demonic champions.


    All because of my initial poor main-tree cement, and now, we have to wage a long battle, as the void-thunderstorm continues to batter the surface of the demonworld. Ive even lost hundreds of beetles to the storm.


    I was able to capture multiple rift gates closer to my main body, but most of them suffered some damage from the void lightning sts, and would need some repairs. The one nearest to me was the one I was able to wholly protect.


    Still, I also managed to capture some of the nearer spires by flooding them with my mana. Each spire took a lot of mana, since they were really dense with demonic mana and flushing all that demonic mana out took a long, long time.


    Is it worth it to use my other seed here? I asked Patreeck and my other artificial minds. I wanted the ck tower and that structure that opened the rift, because they felt powerful. These things were used to store void mana, and also create thoserge rifts.


    What do we aim to achieve by capturing those structures?


    But did I have a use for them, even if I did capture it?


    I suspect that arge ring-shaped structure may contain star-maps that would expand my knowledge of the astral realm, or the void tower would allow me to learn how to create such void mana.


    But was it worth it? Ive used one seed on the demon world, one seed on the moon, one seed on theetworld. I have one left, and I feel I should keep one as an option, should something like theetworld appear once more. I could withdraw one of them, but thats also a recharge-timer before I would get a usable seed.


    Or, deploy Lumoof to the demon world.


    I didnt like that very much. I preferred Lumoof to be out mingling with these foreign civilisations, rather than toil on the demonworlds.


    I had to weigh the opportunity cost of not having a seed of aeon, should a rare opportunity appear, versus the capture of these structures.


    But these structures may not be unique. Patreeck said. If these structures, or simr structures on all demon-possessed worlds, we do not really need to capture them now. We merely need to collect sufficient seeds, and im itter. As it is, we can learn from the structures that we have already captured.


    Thats true.


    For now, I focused on the assets and structures that I did control. We captured about six riftgates on the demonworld, and I needed to study them.

 The Forbidden Fruit Bomb??

    The Forbidden Fruit Bomb??


    <b>Year 202</b>


    Im going to a demon world. Alka said, his face absolutely horrified. He wasnt the only one, of course. A battalion of his research-mages would go with him. Ste too.


    Yes.


    Thanks to my trees sprouting around the rifts, I noticed that some level of life had returned to the demonworld. Very minor, but much better than none. My giant attendant trees also made the ce around the riftgates far more hospitable.


    Am I going to die, there? Alka asked.


    No. Certainly not. I assured him. If anything happens Ill send you back. There is some of my forces there.


    In truth, there is an ongoing, prolonged war on the parasite-demon world, all thanks to my poor main-tree cement. Horns, my beetlemanders, and a small toon of artificial minds were still helping me run the multiple battles happening at the edges of my territory on the demons world. Its also Hytreerions longest ongoingbat experience, and it proved that arge mobile forward base actually had offensive value, since it didnt get much of a chance on our homeworld, where we are the defenders.


    How did Aeon get to the demon world? Kei and Ken asked.


    I snuck him through the rift. Ste said. Kei rolled her eyes at that.


    Seriously!


    I thought those portals dontst that long? Ken asked, but he was not aware of my seeds, and that was fine. Snek seemed particrly interested, and wanted to know whether this meant there was a way to help retake his world.


    Personally, that sounded usible. It would help me greatly if there was a native force I can rescue, but the thought of facing airborne demon-dragons on their homeworld didnt sound like a good idea. I was horribly outmatched on the aerial front.


    Ken and Snek nodded. Its smart to take the battle to the demons, but... Its not the only demon world. We all know that. So, my presence on this demon world is unlikely to affect whether another demon king would invade my world.


    Alka mumbled, and they all wore suits of armor meant to protect them from most eventualities. Some druidic and magical equipment too, just to ensure that they can still breath, if anything happens.


    The void-storms have mostly subsided.


    Alka immediately went to Lumoof. Why not you?


    You have things to study, and the skills needed. Aeon has a presence there. Naturally its you. Lumoofughed heartily. Time to take to the field, Field Scientist.


    Alka seemed somewhat panicked. I did not imagine Id be going to a demon world in my job description. This is hazardous!


    Not any more hazardous than working with bombs. Lumoof assured him. Its fine. Aeon had already said this is in a safe zone.


    How are there safe zones on a demon world?! Alka seemed surprised. Ste shrugged, as she awaited the use of my inter-tree teleportation ability.


    Alright. Move it. The squad was ready. This would take some mana, but not more than when I sent Hytreerion over. I felt mana drain from mywork of trees-


    -and they were all sent to my clone on the other side. It wasnt far from the rift gates.


    Alka, the group of mages and Ste stared at the greenery around my main tree, my own clone had already begun terraforming this segment ofnd into something habitable. This was far easier than the moon, actually, because there was something here a long time ago, and the worlds energy seemed to be recovering once the spires and all that copsed.


    The moon base was growing, but the speed of the terraform was significantly slower than the demon world.


    The beetles soon led them to the nearest riftgate. Ive left all of them untouched, as I wanted some of the mages to look at them before I start flooding them with my mana.


    This doesnt look particrly alien. Ste said. There are trees.


    Ive been transforming thend for a few months. They stopped and stared at the structures before them. This is a riftgate, the demons use this to open gates to our world, there are many others like it throughout the world, and a superrge one thats partly destroyed.


    Ste immediately looked at the gate with far more interest.


    Id like to know how it works, whether we can rebuild it for our own purposes, whether we can use them to amplify the portals of the void mages, and whether there is a star map contained within.


    Alka walked up and used some kind of skill on the rift gate. Hmmm.. its not some unique material for sure, but there is some reallyplicated formation and rune work within the structure itself. Which does raise the question, how did the demons build it?


    Or they didnt. Ste proposed. This was stolen from somewhere.


    Or they did, and the demons possess intellectual and crafting abilities higher than what weve ever seen. Alka said. Are all the others like it?


    Huh?


    Im asking because I want to know whether they are all exactly identical, or just simr but not exactly identical. Because the second implies the work of a craftsman, while the first, implies the presence of a replicator.


    I suspect its likely to be a replicator. So, do you want to see the second rift gate? I asked. There was one nearby, but that site was asionally attacked by demons, so its heavily defended by beetles and spiders.


    Since Ive started my invasion of this demon world, Ive set up dedicated researchbs on creating better beetles. Demon-worldpatible beetles, in order to better fight battles against the demons.


    The second rift gate was not identical. There were subtle variations, but Alka could tell that the inner inscriptions were almost the same. We didnt stay long, since this location was a little more risky. Of course, the revtion that they were not identically copied suggested that the demons possessed mastery of this level of craftwork.


    I thought back to the two demon cores I possessed, and tried to check them. I wondered how this knowledge was transmitted across worlds? Were they embedded inside each demon king, such that each demon king was a walking colonisation module on top of an invasion force? If so, they muste from that ck blob in space, and then, be inside this core.


    It could be written in flesh, too? Patreeck naturally challenged my view.


    We previously did extensiveparative analysis, using the two demon cores to map what was damaged and try to see if we could somehow build aplete whole from the iplete two halves, but we still did not understand what exactly was happening. Now, with the patterns collected from the rift gates, we attempted to see whether there was any relevance, mainly to see whether there were simr patterns we could then extrapte from the rift gates set of patterns.


    There were some relevant parts, but as a whole, it didnt really give any significant breakthroughs.


    Is this part of the Tree of Lifes set of powers? Alka asked Ste while she did her own analysis of the rift gates and the surrounding daemolite crystal structures. She came apanied with a small group of her students. Other void mages who were amazed, perplexed and afraid all at the same time.


    Yes. I answered on her behalf.


    Dayum. Alka said.


    You all are one of the first few non-demons to ever step on this demon world. Youre all pioneer space tourists.


    There was a loud bang, and they instinctively ducked. Demonic champions at the front lines, and some of the stray magical projectiles sted across the skies.


    Ste smirked. Very funny.


    Alkained for a while, but he continued to conduct more tests on the structures.


    How frequently can we go back? Alka asked.


    Once a month. I could probably send them back every week or two, but that would leave my mana drained.


    Alka looked at Ste, and Ste shrugged. Dont look at me. My void portals dont reach this kind of distance.


    Thats reallyforting. So Aeons our only ticket out. Alkained a little more, and then continued to test. My field scientist seemed to be a perpetual grumbler, but I suppose that dissatisfaction with everythinges with intellectual prowess.


    Of course, Prabu and Colette were very interested to go, but I wasnt veryfortable with it. I even hesitated on telling them about it, because I knew the gods were listening, one way or another.


    But I still told them, because I wasnt the weak tree I was a few decades ago.


    With Tree of Life, I felt a lot morefortable with being more transparent and open, at least with those whose powers I use and rely on. Even if things go south, I now have my clones in three other ces, even if two of those clones are in rather vulnerable locations. With the benefit of hindsight, it was clear that I needed to invest in my team, and build trust. Even if that trust could go south.


    -


    Since Roon and Johann both gained their domains, I gathered my four domain holders, and then brainstormed our revisedbat strategies. We needed to figure out how to best exploit our domain powers, especially with future demon kings. Roon and Johann also received the full briefing on what happened with Aiva, and my own history as a former outworlder.


    In their entire career, theyve lived to serve me, and the domain is their ultimate promotion. The point where they grow up and now, can stand for themselves. The path is still long, of course. But the forest is strong because there are many trees, and this is a journey for all of us, together.


    Their domains gave them additional power and stats, so they would continue to y the role of providing cover fire. In terms of pure damage, both of them were just slightly ahead of Edna, who had a higher level, and additional domain skills. They could move quickly, detect enemies from afar, and shoot high powered projectiles.


    Ever wonder who would win if we had a test fight? Roon looked at Johann.


    Edna just shrugged. Edna would be on the receiving end of their attacks in any spar, but her defensive abilities meant she could endure their attacks almost perpetually.


    Johann frowned. Actually, even with our new abilities, we cant even get past Aeon or Ednas shields. I think thats our first goal.


    Ohe on, a casual fight will be fun!


    It would... but...


    Actually, if you two would like a test fight, why notpare kill counts on the demon world? Lumoof smiled and proposed. Make yourselves useful for a change.


    Johann and Roon looked at each other, and Ednaughed. Oh darn, thats a good idea.


    -


    Lilies noticed, naturally. They were very attuned to the powers that thread through the world.


    > Sort of. Its been a while. <


    Ah. > Weve reached the demon worlds. <


    Lilies was silent, as I shared about what Ive seen on the demon worlds through our root connection. I shared scenes of the demon king, the portals, the spires.


    After a long while.


    -


    Alright, were ready. Turn it on. Alka said, after two months of studies. Roon and Johann had a swell time hunting demons and keeping them away from our magical researchers and the captured structures. There were also some demon champions that appeared, and they also helped to push some forces closer to the intact spawning pools.


    I have not actually tried. I dont know how to. I admitted. I may have captured the rift gate, but I certainly did not know how to operate it at all. Did you manage to figure it out?


    Alka rolled his eyes. I mean, weve been studying its structure for two months without actually turning it on. Ste, if you would do the honors.


    Steughed. Certainly. She started on a monolog. The rift gates buzzed with activity, as it drained void mana from the void crystals, and we watched it open, charge up, and then just as abruptly, close.


    Its like starting a car engine that just cranked, roared and went dead. Alka and Stes eyes were glued to the gate, and Ste frowned.


    Hmmm. These rift gates piggy back off that central path built by the main gate. They are just links to that same void-space tunnel. Theres only one main highway between this demon world, and ours, and these rift gates are like little feeder roads linked to this main highway.


    The main highway copsed. That exined why the demons stoppeding after the demon king got killed.


    But this does mean that if the path didnt copse, the demons could perpetually invade. Not just that, if I could recreate these paths, it would mean permanent paths to other worlds. It would essentially enable the worlds to travel to each other, and if I could control them, it effectively functions as an escape route for the inhabitants of the invaded world.


    But these rifts are the first to appear. How does the demon find which world to invade? Alka wondered and then immediately asked. No. There should be signs. How long does it take? Whats the gestation period for the demon king?


    I dont know whether its consistent. ording to Snek, his world seemed to take about 20 to 25 years per demon king. But, I would suspect the time spent also depends on the type and design of the demon king, the amount of magical energies avable in each world, and perhaps many other unknown factors.


    Alka frowned. A sample of one or two tells us nothing. But let us assume that on average it takes 25 years per demon king, which would mean that there are twice to thrice as many worlds that are linked to us.


    Ste retorted. If we use the number of worlds linked to us by those faint astral paths, and presume that all of them are currently carrying a demon king that would be sent to us once it is ready, which is at least eight to ten of them in the sky, it actually suggests that it takes about 70 to 80 years.


    Thats a wide range.


    There were no astral paths in this world. Not after they copsed, but there were many paths still from Treehome. Those faint paths that grow brighter with each year. If these rift gates were like feeders into existing astral paths, could these rift gates be used to open a rift to their world, by exploiting those linked to our home world?


    I predict that the paths will return to this world, but I would really like to know how that was done. How did the demon worlds find their targets? Could we mess with that internar worldfinder, and add Treehome as some kind of do-not-disturb world?


    What if we move these rifts back to our world, and try to use these rift gates to tap into those astral paths?


    Ste and Alka thought about it. Alkas eyes widened, and I could almost see the gears turning in his head. Its worth trying. Can we move this rift gate back home?


    Of course. I can move objects too. Naturally, I could move these structures back to Treehome.


    Ste then considered. It does mean that Aeon may invade them, even before the demons open a rift to our world. And, it would force the demons into a defensive battle on their world, by taking over all their rift gates. We would need to figure out how to activate the astral paths, or reinforce it to some degree with the core mana...


    But its possible! This... the possibilities are so interesting.. Alkaughed.


    Ste smacked the madly grinning Alka on the shoulder. You just transformed from being afraid ofing to this world, to proposing a pre-emptive invasion on a demon world.


    Eh, Aeons already invading one demon world, whats a few more?


    Aeon would have to use a [seed] though, and Aeon doesnt dont have many of those. Its still a good idea in the long run, but I think theres a lot more to study.


    Alkaughed. Details details! Lets focus on the final oue first. An offensive battle would be greatly beneficial for us, since, well, we have bombs. A lot of them.


    Are you...


    Im proposing we bomb the hell out of the demon worlds before they even invade us. We dont even need some sophisticated targeting. We need an air force, and then open a portal, and just keep sending bombs through it.


    Ste stared at the mad scientist, who once lectured me on the morality of bombs. And I thought you said you wouldnt go that far.


    Aeon noticed that theres a big tower of void mana when the demon king was about to appear.


    And...?


    And Aeons teleportation ability does not require the use of void mana, sorge quantities of star mana can be transported through it without destabilisation.


    Okay...


    Its also right next to the demon king.


    Star mana and void mana goes boom?


    Spaizzer


    I would like to shoutout a work by one of my readers. Tim, someone I talk to here and there, have decided to write his own stuff, so please do give him a look. /series/427284/kneel-a-guide-to-demonic-ascension/


    Thanks for reading. Do have a look at the above fic ya :)

 Planned Rerooting

    nned Rerooting


    <b>Year 203</b>


    We moved one of the riftgates back to Freeka, and located it right in the valley. Alka and the rest of them returned, except Roon and Johann who continued the fight and expansion.


    It was frustrating to expand, because of how magically sparse the environment was, even with the recent gradual improvements. Since the demon king ended, I felt mana slow, very very slowly, trickle back to the world.


    As it is, my expansions essentially relied and drained mana from the Central continent, in order to support my trees and my forces on the demon world. This was because there was a shortfall in the natural mana and life in the soil, so I had to top up that shortfall with my own mana. This was simr to the moon, but as my moonbases trees grew, they were able to generate more mana passively, and a few years ago, was mana-neutral on my overall mana-production.


    The fact that I had to constantly support and regenerate my beetles and trees at the battlefronts also amplified the mana drain on the central continent.


    In the long run, though, things are positive. At the rate of natural mana recovery in the world, in a few decades, my trees would turn mana-positive, and I would be able to mount a more coherent and decisive push towards all the major structures of the demons.


    There was no reason to expand when doing so only increased the mana use, without the capture of any particrly unique structures.


    All these were lessons, for our next nned invasion for the demon world.


    Alka also had other ideas. One of which, was to develop a supermassive star mana bomb. Something with so much mana that we could throw at the tower of void mana, and hopefully disrupt the demon king while it is still gestating.


    I was somewhat skeptical of the star mana bombs chances of actually destroying the demon king, because Ive seen the demon kings body gestating really deep in the ground, and I doubt a supermassive explosion would be able to reach deep into the worlds core. Still, destroying the void tower would mean they couldnte to our world that fast, since it would take out the fuel that supported the pathway to our world.


    It may buy us some time, for little to no cost. It may possibly also weaken the demon king, such that we would be able to survive it with better odds.


    Of course, Alka also proposed to sink the tower in that deep tunnel, and then detonate the bomb. The idea of detonating such a powerful bomb underground probably would be very damaging to the world, but it does mean an explosion closer to the gestating demon king.


    Possible, but more moving parts. Its more difficult to send a bomb in the tunnel where my roots or trees cant reach. I could, theoretically, have a tree next to the tower, teleport it right there.


    Anyway, Alka was thus focused on developing the bomb. He already had some ideas, gathered from his past research, on how to make arge star-mana bomb.


    Ideas that he quickly pitched to Prabu and Colette, and he shared our findings, as well.


    This is Aeons idea? Prabu immediately asked.


    Not really. More like mine, but he consented to the budget for a super star-mana bomb, meant specifically to activate on contact with the void tower.


    The problem was, star mana, just like void mana, both had corrosive effects on their containers. The objects that hold these things could not hold them for very long, unless they were made by the heroes through their special [hero forge], and in those cases, the mana stored evaporated very slowly over time. Even my specialised potatoes eventually decayed, and the stored mana leaked out, though they didst quite long.


    Only my own 300 star mana did not cause any decay, and I suspect that the soul may be the mostmon object that could hold star mana without these storage problems. That, of course, implied it could be possible to make living star mana batteries.


    Could I create artificial souls specifically to store star mana or void mana? I see Ste is able to ept and handlerge quantities of void mana without much issues, even if it did make her soul transform into this pitch ck mass of... thing.


    Despite how her soul looks, her body clearly didnt suffer for it. She was healthy by all measures, and her body, even though drenched with void mana, didnt seem different. Perhaps the soul had a passive effect of controlling, manipting and processing mana, such that it didnt harm itself.


    It was a worthwhile idea, even if one I previously never considered because of how many artificial minds I could support. Nowadays, with a continents worth of trees, and more, its really not much of a problem to use artificial minds more freely, even if they were just made to be sentient batteries.


    Worth exploring? I asked Patreeck.


    It really depends how much mana an artificial mind can store. However, based on what weve seen, its likely that they wont be as effective as a fully formed soul.


    I paused as those words sunk in. Patreeck clearly had more data than me, even if he is functionally a part of me. If Patreecks spection are true, mana responded more strongly to the inner part of the soul. No matter, I had to try.


    I created one of my tuberous storage in an uninhabited part of the central continent, and created an artificial mind for it. This part went normally.


    Then I injected it with star mana. At least, the 300 star mana I had. I borrowed a little bit more from the heroes, and injected a little bit more. Then like a balloon that suddenly had a hole, it just shrunk, and died.


    1,000. Patreeck said.


    Thats too little.


    I did the same, this time with void mana. We had void mana from Ste, and those I previously stole from the demon king. They were already in various states of decay, some of them only had less than 10% of the void mana originally.


    I wonder whether this could be some kind of evaporation loss, and the vessel only controlled the degree of evaporation loss?


    Or, is the soul actually producing mana, thus it offsets the evaporation loss? But artificial souls could produce mana too! Patreeck seems to think its likely that fully formed souls can produce star mana or void mana, thus their production of these mana types keep their vessel full. Sadly, I had no way of testing whether mana-evaporation or mana-loss is better when theres a soul, because my artificial minds dont produce these mana types.


    With normal mana, it doesnt seem to have this issue. Or, is it likely that on Treehome, the environment has sufficient mana that theres no mana loss due to differences in mana density?


    I know that I have to support my trees on the demon world, or my new expansions on the moon...


    I checked my floating tree, floating in the pitch ck darkness of the void, clinging to a massive shard of what was once the Cometworld. It doesnt need mana from me, because it produces a little bit of mana.


    My artificial minds quickly helped me build up some data sets, and then I realised that each of my clones produced a small amount of their own mana, and then, on top of that small passive production, it also absorbed and amplified mana from the environment. In ces where there was very little mana, like the demon world or the moon, this part of my natural mana producing abilities were weak.


    In short, my clones were best strategically ced where theres a lot of natural mana, and that would significantly improve my mana amount. Its like finding the correct spot to put a wind turbine.


    Once my clones were ced, I couldnt move them, unless I killed my clones. Theres also a gestation period for the seeds to reappear, and I would have to contend with losing my connection to that ce.


    -


    So Aeon managed to invade the demon world. Chung repeated on the magicalmunication device. It was a meeting joined by my senior Valthorns and the otherworlders as well. Well, except Me and Alexis whos in the North. But anyway, now that we had something resembling a n, we needed help.


    Yes, and Alka proposed that we attack the demon world before the demon king invades. I can see merit in the argument, since we can save lives by preventing the invasion in the first ce. There were no official tallies of how many people died during the parasite wars, but my Valthorns observed that even in well-defended towns, the poption was down by about twenty percent. So, the parasite war was probably one of the higher ones in terms of fatalities because refugees couldnt escape, and even if they did, they were suspected of harboring the parasites.


    It was a grim episode that I was d ended well. Had they been more intelligent, we would be dealing with a persistent, ongoing issue.


    Prabu did most of the exnation, where he went over Stes void portal abilities, my ability to resonate with the rift gates and sneak my vines through the gates, and then,stly, my tree clones.


    Deep in my valley, the rift gate, now surrounded by hundreds of mages and researchers, was undergoing reconfiguration.


    So thats something from a demon world? Chung and Hafiz were on the magicalmunicator. A rift gate?


    Yes. The demons build these paths across worlds, and these paths gather in the skies above over decades. Alka and Ste think it might be possible to open these paths earlier, and invade them before the demons are even ready for us.


    Alka then exined about the void tower, and the giant circr gate, which I suspected, was the primary gate.


    Dont we need that primary gate, then? Chung asked.


    Alka and Ste suspect that it may not be necessary since the astral path is already there, just not fully activated. They want to use the worlds core mana to open a small gate, and send one of Aeons clones there, and well, bomb the shit out of them.


    Its interesting. Chung nodded. Strangely, the gods inhibitions didnt attack the heroes, because, after all, this was a conversation about destroying demons. Just not demons in this world. Alka and Ste were both well-educated on the [hero] ss mental overrides, so we made no mention of gods. But we reminded Alka and Ste to not speak of the ending the cycle part, since that triggered the heros mental blocks thest time I touched this subject with Prabu. For now, we wereser focused on defeating the next demon king, and that seemed to avoid triggering the overrides. Whats our role?


    The n is frankly quite simple. Alka repeated. Well bomb the void tower and try our best to cause massive damage, and if it doesnt kill the demon king, Aeon will teleport all of you to the demon world, and you can fight all out there. Well provide cover fire and clear the grounds.


    Prabu nodded. I think it makes a lot of sense. We can fight the demon king offensively, likely in a weaker state thanks to the bombs. No need to hold back, no coteral damage because the demon world is uninhabited.


    Are the demons stronger there? In their world? Chung asked.


    Alka paused. We... I don''t have enough data to say for sure. From the one or two worlds Aeon has visited, its possible that the mobs are stronger. We dont know whether there is any change in the strength of the demon king.


    Chung was surprisingly cooperative. Its a decent idea in principle. Once the gate is active, then lets meet again and go through our ns.


    With their agreement obtained, Alka and Ste now worked on actually getting the rift gates to work in reverse. From our world, to theirs.


    -


    Back on the demon world, Roon and Johann fought the horde of demons from the demonic spawning pools. We observed that some of these pools have regenerated and were somehow repaired, and the speed of this recovery seemed aligned to the recovery in the natural ambient mana of this world.


    This swampy demon world used to be a world with life. And now, in the areas where my trees dominated, I began observing the effects, as some normal creatures spawned for the first time. Only small ones, because they were insects, but the fact that creatures were created by the system meant we were undoing the demons hold.


    Horns and a small army of beetlemandersplemented Roon and Johann in the battle for the demon world.


    This was a long war, and Horns loved it. Horns lived for war, it seemed, and even though he got squashed a few times, he never stopped returning to the front lines. Hytreerion, my massive walker, was also pleased that it was useful for a change, rather than being mostly useless back on Treehome, since it was able to storm through enemy lines with its massive size.


    This was a war that would only gain in intensity, since the recovering ambient mana of the world meant both sides would gain strength. I could deploy more trees and more beetles, and for the demons, they could regenerate their spawning pools, spawn more demons, and spawn stronger demons.


    Still, the recovering mana also meant the demon forces noticed my trees near the massive hole of the demon king. A location I wanted but was not able to hold due to the sheer distance from my main clone body, as my trees and beetles were overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of demons.


    Thankfully, now Roon and Johann both were up for some scouting.


    The deep hole of the demon king, now flooded with normal demons, and they saw the copsed towers and the rubble somehow had vanished. The entire deep hole transformed into a massive spawning pool.


    But because there were too many demons, they did not attempt to engage. Not with just two of them. It was likely that the demon spawning pool, given its size, was some kind of pre-demon king pool?


    Still, after that spying, and all the fighting on the demon world, they were both really emotionally drained, and Roon requested to return to Treehome. There was something about fighting in the lifeless world that was just more emotionally taxing than normal.


    Edna called it the Long Term Dungeon Syndrome. Simr to fighters whove spent too long in the dungeons, they would crave some normalcy.


    Oh well, I suppose I would need to start considering some kind of otherworldbat roster. Maybe thats what happened with Prabu and Colette, and their snack withdrawals. They needed an emotional base, and fighting long periods away from home drained that battery.


    -


    There was something else I had to work on, which was, core mana. The activation of the astral path seemed to rely on the core mana, though it is possible to wait for the rifts to open, and then only invade. But we wanted the option to invade at our own time.


    So I had to figure out core mana.


    I intensified my analysis of the Cometworld Shard, and concluded that I needed to dig deep. Much, much deeper. What kind of creature would have core mana?


    I already reached my limit on Treehome in terms of depth. I couldnt get deeper, even with all the intermediate trees in the way. This was the secret at the center of the world.


    > Lilies, do you know how to contact the will of the world? <


    Ah. I got simr replies from Aria, who didnt even know about the will of the world.


    I only have one seed left. Unless I could gain more levels, Id have to use it strategically.


    Lumoof, when you were on the Threeworlds, were there any really, really deep ces? Like chasms or cracks that led all the way into the core?


    Lumoof, naturally got what I was trying to get at, and shook his head. Not that I know of, unless the Sandpeople and the Centaurs are hiding it. Do you want me to ask?


    Then we should aim elsewhere. Lets go to another world. I suppose Lumoofs job scope now expanded to also look for sources of core mana, usually in really, really deep ces.


    There had to be a world where theres already a natural crack in the world. Such things weremon in fantasy after all. ces where the world ended, and it led to the great beyond.


    Threeworlds, Cometworld and Treehome had been typicals, but not all worlds are like that. If I wanted core mana, I needed to find a world where the core... isnt in the center of a spherical world.


    Lumoof nodded. Yes boss.


    Maybe the next world wont have my answer, but we had to try. Our next best choice was a stray world simr to the Cometworld, where its core was exposed in some way.


    I then thought about my little trigger happy Reef friend.


    > Reefy. <


    >Do you know any deep, deep ce?<


    >Deeper. Much deeper. < Like, far deeper than the Marianas. Even my own underground trees have gone a lot deeper.


    I contemted that question for a moment. Is the Will, someone? >Well. Yes. Maybe.<


    >If you could, please.<


    I actually have no idea what Reefys been up to underwater, but it seemed to be pretty stable, so I presumed it to be alright.


    Spaizzer THANKS FOR READING.

 Aeons Expeditionary Force

    Aeon''s Expeditionary Force


    <b>Year 204</b>


    Snek proposed that we dig underground, in the demon world. For the same reason as Sneks homeworld. In Sneks world, they, the snakes, migrated underground to avoid the demons. If there were survivors, theyd be hidden underground, or in ces where the demons could not reach.


    Thats a decent idea, and from what I know, digging underground seems to be the archeological equivalent of traveling back in time. So, we started to dig underground.


    The first month we found absolutely nothing, at least, around where I started to dig. This process of digging drained more mana too, since, underground, my trees dont produce mana.


    My subsidiary trees and normal trees produced more mana when there were ambient sources of mana in the ground, water, or some kind of light source, either sun light or starlight. Once again, in the mana-starved worlds, like the moon or the demon world, their production is curtailed.


    The first fewyers we dug through felt no different from the surface. In fact, due to the poor quality of the soil itself, my [root tunnels] were a higher drain on my mana than normal. Alka wasnt here to help, since he was reallyser focused on developing star-mana superbombs, so he sent some of his assistants instead.


    Well, these assistants were still high leveled mages and [magical researchers], and they exined that they couldnt tell the difference in the soil, so we had to go deeper.


    It may be due to ourck of the right set of skills to properly analyze soil. Which is kinda silly, because Im really good with studying the soils nutrition, magical qualities and mineral content. But looking at it from an archaelogical point of view seemed to be a rted, but different skill set.


    I wonder what would happen if a [geologist] reincarnated to this world? Could they find magic-oil? Would we start an era of magic-oil-freedom?


    Maybe were digging the wrong ce. The mages suggested. In truth, I just decided to dig right underneath my tree of clones, since that seemed to be the easiest ce, and after that, we expanded sideways, with horizontal tunnels.


    So, the researchers requested for [historians] and [cartographers] from our world, and attempted to use our own history to make a map of the demon world, at least, the part of the demon world that was under my rule. With their aid, we made an estimate of the ces where cities were likely to exist.


    This was sensible, of course. Earths cities liked to be next to rivers, and this world, while swampy, didnt have oceans. It was just a vast world of shallowkes, small rivers, marshes and swamps.


    With our new set of estimates, we decided to dig underground, in a few of these ces, where the rivers met thekes. Our initial findings were bad. We found nothing.


    There had to be something, and I went to my other advisors for advice. My four domainholder Valthorns didnt have any idea, magic research really wasnt their forte. Ste suggested the use of some shamanic orndmunion power, which seemed to make sense, but Ill have to locate a person with the right skillset, that could be trusted with knowledge of the demon world.


    So I went and spoke to Lilies. Lilies, having survived the longest of us all, must have seen the changes in the soil over the generations. Perhaps they could give us a clue?


    > Yes. Calcte their age, uh... < I wanted to say Carbon dating, but I haven''t the slightest clue how that actually works in practice. Its one of those things that I know scientists do, but I wouldnt be able to do myself.


    Wait. It should. If the world of the demon king went through periods of growth and death, the soil itself would feel the effects of the rising and fading of the mana density in thend. But this affects the entire world, not just a certainyer of soil.


    But new soil, if created by acts of magic, are subject to fewer such wave-like mana patterns, would we be able to tell? Maybe most types of soil are essentially indistinguishable. We would have to locate the right type of soil or stone, which could retain the effects of such waves.


    > I do, but Im not sure if theres the right type of soil or stone in the world that behaves in that manner. <


    > Yes. Id like to see how long it has been, and if we could tell whether a supports the birth of demon kings indefinitely, or at diminishing rates. <


    Lilies didnt answer that, likely because they never experienced that part of the end of the world. From Lilies exnation, even if the demon king won, theres still a period of time before it actually takes-over the world, and during that time, the gods could try to challenge the hold.


    This suggested that so long as heroes are continuously summoned, demons would never hold the. Eventually one hero would break the demon kings kill streak.


    Taking this thought further, it also meant that worlds only truly be demon worlds if the gods lose ess to the world, and they could no longer defend it.


    Essentially the equivalent of taking life support off, and the world either finds a way to defend itself, or the world dies, consumed by the demon king.


    In any case, I also asked the Valthorns to speak to [miners] and [stone-collectors] whether they are aware of such stones. It would be easier to find something if we knew how they looked like in our world.


    Were just grasping at straws. The mages new to the process of research said.


    Thats what its like to be at the forefront of magic research. Were trying to imagine or figure out how things work, with whatever clues handed to us. The researchersughed. Many of these clues are misleading! But it is very, very intellectually stimting. asionally. Most of the time is really a lot of boring cataloging and data collection work.


    One of the good points of Ste, Kens influence on the magic researchers was the introduction of more robust data collection methodology, mainly using our own worlds logic of statistics and data. I just hoped we didnt draw the wrong conclusions. I wasnt very good at statistics, so my own guidance was very high level, and could even be wrong.


    Aymansprehension of statistics and the conclusions they draw from the data may not be correct, even if they seem logical from aymans view. Still, more data is always wee.


    Patreeck and my artificial minds could easily shift through the data. In fact, one of the things Patreeck suggested was a physical avatar for Patreeck and the artificial minds, such that they could interact with the reports and data directly.


    As it is, my artificial minds can mentallymunicate with each other through my roots, thus forming awork. My subordinates, like Horns, were also connected to thework, but their connection was not through the roots, but through telepathic speech, and telepathicmunication, was inherently slower and more prone to misunderstandings.


    In short, our current data collection method required either someone to read the data, and that data gets mentally-copied by Patreeck, or the artificial minds borrowed one of my regr-eyes, which were capable of regr vision, to read the data directly. Useful, but could be expanded.


    They were able to collect sound data directly, but because my artificial minds views the world mostly through my senses, ie my spiritual vision, sound and also a vibrative-sense, reading documents was out of the picture. They were already able to manipte vines in my [bib]-focused artificial minds and get readings from them directly.


    Again, the demon world itself was more prone to magical disruptions. Demons have been consistently attacking my trees throughout the demon world, sometimes with those demon-spire-walker champions, and these champions had some type of magical interference.


    At this point, I estimate the ambient mana in the demon world to be about five percent (5%) of Treehome. From Patreecks initial estimates, the breakeven point where the mana cost of supporting the subsidiary trees was equal to the mana generated by the trees themselves on the demon world was somewhere around 25%.


    Could the blowback be detected? Patreeck asked. The copse of the astral tunnel through the void. That copse carpeted the entire world with a single but very noticeable wave of magic energy.


    Ah, so rather than rely on the wave-like pattern of the declining ambient mana in the world, use the copsed astral tunnels energy as a time-marker? That seemed possible, but I would need to find materials on the demon world that would show the effects of such things.


    Again, I would get the guys to pay attention to their surroundings, but if theres nothing, theres nothing.


    For my artificial minds, I needed a new kind of mobile-artificial mind that also functions as aboratory, for their research functions, with a direct-link to the rootwork through their legs. At least, they would need to stop and connect with thework directly to upload the bulky datasets.


    With my evolutionary powers from [Tree of Life], I started looking at creating smaller versions of Hytreerion, crossed with the qualities of the Treefolk.


    The Treefolk could connect to the Roo. In fact, that was one of their unique selling points, though we blocked them from thework.


    This part of the process wasnt exactly hard. Modifying existing things in order to fit my need, and growing them in my [bibs].


    In fact, they were quite cute. Like little Tachikomas made of wood and trees. It would take about a few months to properly form them.


    -


    Threeworld, this time? Ste asked. Shes been working on the rift gate, but it involved huge amounts of reconfiguring the runic patterns. She said shell get better with time, but for now, shell need another year or two.


    In my experience, theres bound to be hups, so if shepletes it within three years, its considered a sess.


    Lumoof shook his head. Nope. The other world. Unless, theres something else?


    Nope. Skies remain unchanged. For now.


    I scanned the skies from my lone tree that floated nowhere, in the remnants of the Cometworld. So far, nothing.


    Ste paused and looked at her notes. Alright. Just you?


    No. I decided not to send Lumoof alone this time, so I got one of the higher ranked Valthorns to apany him. One of Ednas juniors and disciples, a Level 110 [Aeonic Battle Knight] named Ebon. I figured that I would gradually rotate my level 100+ Valthorns on these adventures to other worlds to let them learn from the other worlds.


    I suspect the system seems to recognise and give value to a wider perspective, and thus rewards those who have seen other worlds. It may also be partly why I gained levels faster too, on top of my heroic fragments. Or maybe just a different perspective just gave a more holisticprehension of powers, thus recognition by the system?


    In any case, I would send Lumoof to the other worlds, as part of my many other projects to get Core Mana. I also had [miners] dig into the depth of the world from the already deep depths.


    I had mages and others attempting to create a portal into the core itself.


    I will have core mana. Then we will take this battle to the demons.


    -


    The portal opened, and both Lumoof and Ebon walked out to what appeared to be a massive battlefield, with the stench of rotting corpses and blood in the air. Back home, Ste and her team strained a little more than usual. Weird, felt like I was trying to push through mud.


    The battlefield was littered with corpses, some still looked rtively fresh. This battle wasnt very long ago. Maybe a week, or a month.


    Ooh. Yet, the first thing I wanted to see was the sky. Lumoof then looked up, and we both saw the glowing, bright astral path, through our shared astral vision. Lumoofs expression paled instantly. The demon king is here.


    Here? Ebon asked, immediately he started to look around anxiously.


    No, I mean, hes in this world. Lumoof rified.


    Oh. Ebon rxed. He immediately started to survey the surroundings.


    If the astral path is open, then the invasion is still ongoing. We should spot some heroes, then.


    The corpses were humanoid, at least, some looked like elves, and dwarves. Lizard people and drakes too.


    Where should we go? Ebon asked, returning from his short walk around. I see their equipments rust is quite early-stage. This battle mustve been just about two to three weeks old. Strange no one raided their equipment.


    Demons dont need equipment.


    Ah yes. I forgot since we had the parasites... Ebon answered.


    Lumoof paused, and I briefly entered the avatar-mode. I felt my senses extend through the ground, and the world around us-


    There was a loud explosion in a particr direction, carried by the winds, and there were very visible magic flying through the sky. Lumoof and Ebon exchanged nces.


    If theres fighting, theres people. Lumoof answered. Ebon nodded. Lumoof activated his domain skill on Ebon, and Ebons body glowed, supercharged. He ran, his speed almost as fast as the heroes through the battlefield.


    It was quite far away.


    Both Lumoof and I could see through Ebon with Lumoofs ability, and we saw an army of lizardmen, at least 2,000 of them, battling an army of at least 10,000 humanoid demons. These demons were armed with reddish demonic weapons. They were awfully familiar, like the ones that gave me the [Forest Rod].


    Was this a rehash of the demon-walker champions? The ones that triggered the huge cmity of the Central Continent?


    I felt a little tingle of fear through my senses.


    The lizardmen were outnumbered, and we saw the very familiar demonic knights and demonic generals.


    Lumoof. Its the demon king Sabnoc again. Lumoof was a baby with the Sabnoc incident happened, but it was mandatory education for the Valthorns, on the origins of the Rottends.


    Sabnoc, here?


    Maybe not Sabnoc, but those demons are from that generation of demon kings. There will be Hytreerion type champions!


    Ah! This world was faced with arge scale invasion of demons.


    Lumoof ran as fast as he could, which was really fast, but it still took him longer to arrive int he battlefield. The lizardmen were already fighting the demons, and they were the ones unleashing their magical spells and projectiles.


    Ebon smashed into the center of the demon army like a descended god, and hisrge dius glowed green from power. Ebon, for the purposes of this battle, received one of the Court of the Deitree slots, whichplemented his closebat battle skills with my own wide-area abilities, like [Rooting fields].


    The lizardmen clearly didnt expect the assistance, and the sight of Ebon as a single, supercharged individual able to easily defeat 10s of these normal demons per swing seemed to raise their morale.


    Aura! Lumoof mentally spoke to Ebon. Activate the demon-suppression aura!


    He had a weaker version, but it helped slow down the demons a little bit, such to give the lizardmen army some breathing room.


    The demon knights and general-types clearly noticed Ebon, and they charged at him. But if Lausanne at level 30 could fight a demon knight, Ebon at level 110 could kill a few of them in a single swipe. They really were not much now.


    Only champions could give Ebon a challenge, so Ebon ughtered the demons like the worthless things they were. When Lumoof arrived a little bitter, the victory was certain. Once in avatar mode, the demons were killed quickly, the full strength of my demonic suppression aura flooded the battlefield, and they were as good as motionless statues.


    The lizardpeople then easily cut down the army of demons, and the battle was over.


    A group of heavily armored lizardpeople immediately approached Ebon. We, the army of the Alderri City, thank you for your assistance in the battle with the demons!


    Ebon, who was in heavy armor, nodded in his helmet. Lumoof moved to join Ebon. This is Lumoof, my superior. I am Ebon, a knight.


    Greetings! Lumoof said. I hope we did not interrupt much?


    One of the lizardpeopleughed awkwardly. Their leader stared at theughing lizardperson and he immediately quieted down. Ah. In fact... we were prepared to fight to the death to hold the demons back. Our reinforcements were dyed by a few days...


    Lumoof nodded. Alright. Would you mind filling us in? I must admit Im new to the region.


    That made the lizardperson leader''s eyes twitch. Im afraid I dont understand what you mean by that.


    Lumoof smiled. We teleported here. From a really, really far ce. So I need a briefing. Everything, really.


    One of the lizardperson immediately asked. Are you the heroes?


    That lizardperson was promptly pped by the one next to him. Are you stupid?! Heroes are always young teenagers! These two guys look like war-veterans.


    The leader stared and the two bickering lizardpersons immediately quieted down. Im afraid I will have to invite you back to our city and uh... let the proper person answer you.


    Please. Their city was really a fortress. A huge structure with thick, multiyered walls meant for siege battles. Magical enchantments covered the walls, and there were magical formations and traps scattered around them. They were clearly geared for war.


    In fact, the guards were hugely surprised to see the army returning at all. The doors flew open and a group of elves and lizardpersons came out to greet them.


    General! How?! Youve pushed them back?


    One of the elves hugged the lizard-leader. He patted the heavily armed young teenage elf on the head. Shush. We have honored guests who came to our rescue, I must take them to meet the council now.


    But... The elf looked tearful.


    The lizard general said firmly. I live, son, when I was meant to die today. It is already a miracle, so wait. Let me take the guests to the council. The elf nodded and the general turned to Lumoof. Please, Lord Lumoof and Ebon.


    The council was a group of humans, lizardpersons, and elves. About the same as the corpses we saw from the previous battlefield. Everyone was heavily armed.


    The general gave the introductions, and the council was blunt with its questions. Where are you from, exactly? There are no known individuals with your type ofbat abilities left.


    Lumoof thought for a moment, and decided to go for the truth. Another world. But we are not heroes. Just a neighbouring world.


    There was an audible gasp from the entire council. How?


    Lumoof smiled. ssified information. At this point, I can see that all of you need help. But, first, fill us in. What exactly is going on in this world?


    One human leaned forward. We really do. Are there more individuals like yourself?


    Maybe. Lumoof answered.


    The human councillor looked at the rest, as if waiting for something. The lizardman councillor nodded and spoke. At this point, we need everything we can get. If there are no objections, Ill do the walkthrough.


    We listened as the council-lizardperson exined that the demons arrived sixteen years ago, and the heroes went to defeat the demon king. At first, to the people of this world, it was business as usual. But the heroes that went to defeat the demon king did not do so, and it seemed like all news of the heroes had since vanished.


    The demons then resumed their expansion, and the entire world turned into a battlefield.


    Their priests attempted to divine the nature of what urred, and they discovered that the heroes were defeated, and almost all of them killed. Except two, who were somehow captured by the demon king. Captured, and not killed, so no new heroes were summoned to the world.


    At that point, I suddenly wondered what would happen if Alexis was never killed.


    This world was a world with many high mountains and mountain passes, and so most kingdoms and nations had easily defended chokepoints. Thankfully, the demons did not have many flight-capable creatures, and even their demon generals were only able to fly a short distance.


    Thus, for the whole of thest decade and more, it was a continuous and never ending battle against the demonic armies. The worlds nations stopped fighting, as everybat-talented person was drafted to join and defend the world against the demonic armies.


    What of the demon king? Lumoof asked.


    The demon king appears to be arge stationary castle.


    Lumoof cursed. Its Sabnoc again.


    Sabnoc?


    We had a demon king that created these demonic armies. It was called Sabnoc.


    Hmm, this demon king is called Akk.


    How do you respond to champion-ss demons? Lumoof then asked.


    Our relics. The [hero] items. The jointmand of elite forces handle these items and move them to where the champions are sighted.


    Ah. Theres a regional jointmand that moved these things around to help push the demon champions back. The hero items need time to recharge.


    The councillors nodded. Yes. So over time, we still lose ground. The demons can outnumber us, and field champions repeatedly. Our warriors can gain levels, and we do have strong elites from those who survived multiple battles, but its a bnce thats not in our favor.


    Lumoof nodded. So everyone who can fight, fights.


    Yes. Our old luxuries had to cease. There really was no other way. Our people must fight, make items to support the war effort, or produce food and supplies.


    One councilor interjected. Are you able to bring us to your world?


    Are you thinking of leaving already? Another councilor immediately stood up.


    Lumoof smirked. There are demon kings in our world too.


    That same councilor paled. Surely with powerful individuals like yourself-


    All it takes is one demon king with the right skill sets and were still doomed. Lumoof didnt let him finish.


    The entire war council nodded in agreement. The human continued. We must report of your presence to the jointmand.


    Lumoof thought about it for a moment. What if I just decide to go back?


    The human immediately paused, and he prostrated on the ground. Please. Please help us. Our people have been fighting this war for a decade, and theres no end to it. We need hope. Something to buy us time.


    Buying time for what? Lumoof asked. A miracle, probably.


    The councilman did not answer, but then eventually answered. Buy time for us to live a bit longer.


    The general too, immediately knelt. Please Lord Lumoof. Your presence and abilities on the battlefield would help us greatly.


    Lumoof sighed, and I could sense the dilemma in his heart. It is not what I am here for.


    Well give you anything you want.


    Tell me, is there a ce where thes core is exposed?


    The councillors shook their heads at first, and then immediately nodded. Lumoof could tell they were lying. Desperation. Exhaustion.


    Lumoof looked at Ebon. Well, lets leave this forter, Im tired from that battle, and we need a ce to rest.


    One of the councillors immediately ran out to make arrangements, and they were given the finest rooms they could manage. It was clear it had not been used or cleaned for months before this. Walking through the streets, everyone was focused on war, but the exhaustion and sense of despair was clear.


    Lumoof sat, and asked Ebon. What do you think?


    We should help. These people look like they need it. Way more than we do.


    I thought back to the Canari people. I helped them too, and now that I have the power, maybe I shouldnt be so selfish. I didnt have to take the demon king either.


    All we needed to do was find the captured heroes and free them.


    Or kill them, if we couldnt.


    Spaizzer


    I injured my head pretty badly when I bumped into a stationary van. Yes, I''m a noob.


    So I''m feeling a little tired and will be taking a rest

 The Treeacher

    The Treeacher


    <b>Year 204 (part 2)</b>


    Ebon, as a knight, felt strongly about helping these people. As for me, I didnt want to take ownership of this conflict, and expand my already growing te. I didnt want to y the role of another worlds peacekeeper too.


    Still, I did agree that we could have a limited scope of assistance. Something more focused. Freeing the heroes, or failing which, killing them, such that the cycle of reincarnating heroes may continue.


    As it is, I have at least 30 to 50 individuals like Ebon in the level 100 category, and this really was another battlefield. Letting them fight another war on another world could help them experience things, and prepare them for theing invasion of the demon world.


    Despite my reluctance to assist, Lumoof, and some of my Valthorns felt we have the capacity to do more. After the badly handled disaster that was the Crystal King, this was our other world left, and Lumoof felt we should try to make allies on this world.


    If we help now, wee as saviors. Allies.


    These opinions can shift quickly, and I wasnt sure what was the political, social and religious sentiment on the ground. A wider scope of assistance may also face pushback, and as the Crystal King said, we would be upiers.


    Maybe he wasnt that wrong, after all. If the purpose of allies was as a backup if our world fell, then if that happened, we would retreat here as refugees. Eventually though, we would also transform into upiers, demanding some of thesends as our own.


    Politics was hard. Id rather just fight demons.


    After a days rest, Lumoof and Ebon returned to face the council, and Lumoof immediately asked for information on the heroes, and where they were captured.


    Lumoof could see the light in their eyes lit up, excited at the prospect of our assistance.


    In truth, they couldnt help. This was a border city, a fortress that faced the demon hordes. The information on the heroes, and on such grander strategic matters, were all deeper in their protected hintends.


    So, they proposed to send two messengers, carrying scrolls written by the council, to guide and apany us to one of their greater cities that still stood. It would be a two week journey by horse, but Lumoof shook his head at the council.


    Then lets use teleportation scrolls. Let not waste time.


    The councillors were horrified at the suggestion. We mean no offense, Lord Lumoof, but we cannot afford to use scrolls. Teleportation scrolls are only for our elite forces to move to ces under heavy attack.


    That was a sensible use of teleportation.


    Lumoof coughed. Sorry, I mean, I have greater teleportation scrolls. I just need some of you toe with me, and link me with the right person. My scroll can carry five, I just need one of you who has been to that city to update the location.


    Teleportation scrolls from our world relied on the mana-pathways in the sky, the same way [message] spells worked. These teleportation scrolls were a step further, and could use direct coordinate input, but it needed some tweaking.


    Oh. One lizardperson and one human stood. Then we will go with you.


    One of the councillors was a mage and he stared at the scroll for a moment. These are really interesting teleportation runes...


    Lumoof coughed again. Shall we?


    Ah yes.


    -


    Lumoof and Ebonnded in arge teleportation tform in their magical capital, and when we arrived, we were greeted by an army, ready for war.


    There were three rtively high level soldiers, one was a naga, the other two were lizardpersons, with quite good equipment, their spears and axes were up and ready to strike. Councilman! Exin this unauthorised use of teleportation!


    Stand down! We sent a message earlier! We are sending VIPs over! The councilman said.


    The high leveled naga seemed to be a magic-swordsman, judging from the three magic swords he wielded. The naga immediately shouted through its helmet. The capital has not agreed to your request! The protocol states any use of teleportation must be centrally approved!


    These two here possessed their own teleportation scroll! Surely that protocol does not apply!


    Lumoof sighed, and then, a wave of his power flooded the entire area. My name is Lumoof, and this is my guard, Ebon. We are otherworldly visitors, ambassadors of our divine protector, Aeon. Wevee to speak to your mages and your priests, and discover what has interfered with the usual cycle of hero-summons. I do not wish to fight, but I can, if I have to.


    The magic swordsman and the rest of the soldiers buckled, just a little, but the difference of power was clear, and when the naga sheathed his swords, the rest did too. ...very well.


    Lumoof looked at him briefly, estimated he was probably around level 85, and would give Lausanne a run for her money. These were folks that fought many battles over the decades, and have gained levels as a result. Lumoof nodded. Thank you, now let us see how we may aid this long conflict.


    The level 85 barrier could be surpassed, by sheer force of will, but most mortals would never get there, even if they reached level 85.


    The barrier was a cruel one. I didnt see why the world had such a silly level limiter. It denied the world of their opportunity to save itself, even when these folks clearly, if they leveled enough, had the chance to do so, or at least, force the demons to a state of weakness.


    Lumoof once offered a counterpoint. In any system which rewards killing to gain levels, those who gain the levels will be those who killed the most. I would think if such powers were not limited in some way, the world would naturally die from its inhabitants killing each other in the pursuit of more power.


    That didnt exin dragons, of course. Or dragons were counterbnced by their need for huge amounts of rest and sleep that they never actually manage to kill that many people.


    Lumoof and Ebon were escorted from the teleportation gates, and out to the world. Their magical capital was filled with towers, but they were all shaped for war. There were clearly multiple magical defensive artifacts active, and we could feel their magical energies bouncing off Lumoofs domain.


    We looked up and saw at least threeyers of magical shields. Each of these shields were quite weak on their own, but with three, they were a reasonably good defense, even if inferior to my wooden shields.


    Everyone was armed, except the children, and there were weapons hung and ced all over many parts of the streets. There were also many children. Actually,e to think of it, there were really a lot of children back in the border city too.


    Whats with all the children? Lumoof asked, and the councilman that apanied us immediately answered. Someones got to fight the wars, so we have many children.


    I couldnt help but feel how insane that was.


    The Council of Kingsbined their powers to create a continental-edict, which means all our children grow up faster than normal, and everyone also gained more experience. About three to four times faster. Its one of the few abilities that allowed us to hold on in this long battle.


    Ah. That made sense. Lumoof nodded in agreement, andmented. Im impressed that the nations actually got their act together and responded to this threat coherently.


    Actually, that was really true. I remembered the nations back in Treehome treating the demon king as the heroes problem. But then again, these guys got lucky too, that they got a stationary demon king that pumped out demons, instead of the usual wandering trigger happy nuclear machine gun.


    I like this aspect of these people already. A sense of ownership for their lives, development of the necessary organisations and focus to defend themselves. It really further solidified my conclusion that I should not assist them excessively, and focus on a narrow scope. Like a child learning to walk, Id be doing them a disservice if I gave them the easy way out. Their bones would not be strong.


    If anything, the right thing to do is to help them without them feeling indebted to me, even if I and Lumoof did want allies here.


    The two forces of encouraging their independence and self-reliance, versus helping them and earning their gratitude battled in my mind. I didnt want to contribute a data point towards the argument that their problems will be solved by outside help. Ive seen enough of that in my world and its irritating.


    I knew the knights and priests would generally prefer to provide aid where able. It is how they were trained and raised in the Central Continent.


    The lizard councilperson frowned. Well, it took two continents to fall underplete demonic rule and tens of millions dead citizens across thousands of fallen kingdoms for us to get our act together. If anything, this war-alliance was written in blood and bones of the dead.


    Lumoof nodded. I see.


    The group arrived at a massive temple that was clean, and as we looked around, there seemed to be a lot of students, all in robes. Junior priests. We need healers on the front lines, and we are mass-training.


    Lumoof was visibly disturbed at how familiar it was. I must say, I cant imagine sending such freshly trained junior priests to the front lines. As I saw through him, I saw him imagine the young students of the School of Treeology on the front lines, dying to the demons.


    They will level, and grow.


    Many wont survive.


    But those that do will carry the torch. Such is war.


    It is horrific, indeed. Lumoof said. Weve seen our own horrible wars. The recent parasite war has been horrifying indeed.


    Three heavily armed priests appeared. They hadrge shields on their back, and magically enchanted war-maces. Councilperson. Is this the guest?


    The lizard gave them a nod. Yes. This is Lord Lumoof, Ambassador of Aeon.


    The war-priests motioned Lumoof to follow them into the temples. Come. The highpriest will see you.


    The temples inner grounds were clean, and spartan. There were gems and gold once, but most of them had been stripped out. The sound of chants and prayer songs filled the halls, and despite it being to another god, Lumoof found it calming, and could not help but ask. Which god do you pray to?


    Tharaz. The God of Perseverance.


    Lumoof just nodded and walked behind them, and soon arrived at a room on the highest floor. Once more, it was probably once a heavily decorated room, but now, its empty. The shelves were all bare. Whats left were a few paintings and some writings.


    They got to the point immediately. Highpriest, these two ims to be from another world, and asks for information on the heroes.


    The highpriest red at Lumoof, but then quickly smiled. Thats a bold im.


    Lumoofughed. It is, isnt it.


    Can you prove it?


    Yes, of course. Lumoofs aura gently filled the room, and the highpriest paled.


    ...I see. The highpriest and Lumoof sat down. Ebon sat at another chair to the side. Before that... are there really other worlds?


    Yes.


    Howd you get here? Scripture and the gods said only they could do it.


    Lumoof frowned at the words, and but realised he could twist it. Its not exactly wrong. I would say Aeon, my god and my benefactor, is the one who sent me here.


    Huh, but doesnt that make you a hero?


    No. Were... different. Aeon is a rtively new god. The old gods are those that summon heroes, to yours, and to mine. We dont get the hero-type powers.


    But you feel strong.


    Itsplicated, and not something I can share. Lumoof said. Now, tell me about the heroes.


    The highpriest sighed. Very well. Truth is, what we have was quite vague. We have this hero item that can locate the hero, and all we have is a location. We know they are alive because the hero item still works, but the fact that they didnt move suggests that they were either captured, or unconscious, or some degree of both.


    A location? Was anything done to rescue them?


    Well, no. The highpriest said with embarrassment.


    Then?


    Our data is already out of date. Thest time we used it was eight years ago. The item ran out of the heros mana a while ago, and so we dont even know whether its in the right ce, or whether the hero had moved. We didnt dare to send anyone to that location with our poor information, and the demon kings magical structures interfered with all our magical scrying and teleportation abilities.


    Lumoof nodded, and realised this part could be rtively easy to solve. Can we get ess to it?


    Its considered one of our most prized possessions, even if its unpowered. It would need the approval of the Council of Kings and Grand Marshals. But why?


    Can you get it?


    The highpriest stared. What are you really saying?


    We may be able to recharge it.


    How?


    We have ess to the heros mana. A small bit, at least.


    The highpriests eyes widened in shock. You are not lying?


    No.


    The highpriest paused. But... wait.


    You need to gather your strongest men. All those level 80s and above. We will provide assistance, and cover, but the rescue will be done by your forces. Lumoof said. He understood that I preferred that these guys help themselves.


    But that would leave some of our cities unprotected.


    Lumoof looked at Ebon.


    The highpriest sighed. I will have to raise this to the council. Once we recharge the item, we can decide on the next course of action...


    Good.


    -


    We were still working on our star mana bombs, and the fact that the demon king of this was stationary raised some interesting questions.


    If its stationary, why dont we throw a wide range of bombs at it? Alka has been working on bombs so much that he pretty much joked that his first course of action was to bomb them. Its only half a joke.


    That said, the demon king could just pretend that it was stationary. All the previous demon kings that resembled actual castles could float, fly, and move like giant walkers. The current stationary appearance may well be a ruse, or maybe it was just waiting for the heroes.


    If we dont try, we dont know.


    Do we really want to trigger an esction of conflict? Like, this seems to be a rather ufortable, but stable state for the world. I said frankly, again.. Attacking the demon king may jolt it out of its current stationary state and cause it to attack the kingdoms directly. Then it bes our conflict, because we caused it. Worse if we cant rescue the heroes.


    Its very easy to stray from our goals. As persons in power, we are frequently petitioned to assist with many things, with very convincing arguments.


    I relooked at my objectives. I wanted core mana, and my adventure to this Mountainous world was to find core mana. As a secondary goal, we would try to make some friends, and allies, so that we have somewhere to fall back to, like a backup.


    Yet, at the same time, I also realise they have a good thing going for them, and that was their scrappy temperament, perseverance, their self-reliance, and that sense of ownership. I didnt want to snuff that out by ying the role of the outworld helper, even if I know this path will probably mean more deaths for their world. Once lost, it is hard to get it back without even more deaths.


    At the same time, I recognise that I have some self interest in protecting this world, because since they are so close to me, that means if they fall to the demons, we could be invaded by the demons more often. This was just my spection, because Stes view was that it doesnt work like that. The demons seem to ignore distance when choosing their targets, because their choice of targets seemed random.


    Each world led to other worlds, and Ste was keen to visit the Threeworlds and Mountainous World for herself again, and see whether there were other worlds within the range of these worlds.


    Anyway, another secondary goal was to look for creatures and powers like myself, and make allies.


    There is a lot we can do with power. Using them correctly was a far more difficult question. Against these goals, I also posed the questions to my allies.


    As a knight, I would help where I am able. But I do see your point, so perhaps, we cane in as a defender ofst resort. Edna said. We should be invisible, such that they do not count on our help.


    Are you willing to take over this conflict for them? Roon disagreed. I think we may be overstretching ourselves? We havent even really secured our world, and here we are trying to send forces to the other world. Were also waging a war on the parasite-world, and n to invade a demon world. We should save our forces.


    With Ste and Aeons ability to teleport us back and forth, were not really overstretching. Edna argued. And stretching isnt really fair, because, well, we gain levels from all of this.


    The question is simple, to me. If theres a demon on our world, and a demon on theirs, at the same time, where do we fight? The answer is clearly here, because this is our home. Thats not our home, and its not our battle. Roon countered. If we ept responsibility for one, are we eventually epting it for all?


    I agree that home is where we should protect. Edna nodded. But that does make our worlds lives more valuable than theirs, isnt it? We have capacity. Many of our level 100s are just clearing dungeons.


    It is a fact that our world is more valuable. They are unfortunate that they do not have an Aeon. So, it is even more important that their own people rise to the asion. Roon countered. Weve seen that a child born in the Central Continent grows up stronger than most in the other continents, and this sort of luck is true across worlds too.


    They are level-limited. They cant, even if they want to. Edna responded. But Aeon could...


    It is a limited resource, but not that limited. I would be willing to give a few, if they are worthy. I responded, I still have a few in stockpile. It isnt even an instant win, because Ive seen my guys who gotten the soul seed but never actually did much. I also like that this was in line with helping them help themselves, and did not involve putting the time of my people on the line. But Ill need Lumoof to get to know them better before giving them such an item. Thest thing Id want is to empower someone whod go against me.


    Edna smiled. Even if you give ten of them seeds, theyre a long way from being able to stand against you, Aeon. It took us decades of constant grinding to get both Roon and Johann to the domain-tier. I think thats not something to be worried about. Not in the next half-century.


    That was true.


    Even if they did turn against me, so what? They couldnt travel worlds. Our home base was safe.


    So I could help, with very little losses, all the upside with very few downsides. If it goes well, we get some friendly parties. If it doesnt, no major harm done.


    <b>Year 205</b>


    It took a while, and a lot of discussions over at the so called council of Kings, and a few actual meetings with Lumoof, before they even allowed Lumoof to see the item for itself. Ste couldnt teleport the heroes, because their star-mana opposed the void mana too strongly. Not like me, where the star mana I possessed was rtively tiny, but it didnt matter.


    The object itself was arge circr metal disk with many rings. It looked like an ancient feng shuipass, only with a ss, clear center. It was created six centuries ago by an archmage hero, and over time, its mana has been exhausted. It was clearly made only to ept star mana, not like the hero items that were made to ept normal mana.


    Lumoof was nked by 10 of their strongest fighters. Some mages, some archers, and some knights. It was just security theater, really.


    There was nothing they could do if we tried anything.


    Lumoof touched the disk, and my avatar descended. All that was present felt my oppressive presence fill the room, and the entire building.


    I channeled my meager 300 star mana into the disk, and the disk clearly started to glow. It was thirsty. It was a really greedy disk.


    Hmmm... Lumoof mused. It still needs more.


    So, I had to borrow. Prabu dly volunteered. I wrapped my vines around his body, and he sent his star mana into my body. I weaved it through myself, and through the avatar into the disk.


    The disk glowed, and this time, it was enough. Lumoof felt ufortable, though.


    The clear ss turned murky and swirled like a witchs cauldron, and then, it revealed a location and a vision to all that was present.


    The heroes were possessed, one resembled a giant demon knight, and another was inside a demonic cage. Their location was not far from the demon king too.


    Well. There you have it. The heroes. Lumoof answered, as my presence faded away. Are you ready to free them?


    Spaizzer Hi. Sincest week i''ve been feeling kinda hazy, like there''s a brain fog. My brain also feels unfocused, so I''ve been trying to rx a bit more instead of writing.

 The Guiding Branch

    The Guiding Branch


    <b>Year 205</b>


    Lumoof sat in their magical archives, there were just a few mages here. These archives used to have hundreds of mages, all pouring over where to push their magic. These days, every single mage was working in the workshops, making weapons, or fighting in the battlefields.


    Not here. Lumoof sighed. Our quest for Core Mana in this new world was fruitless. Not here, not Threeworlds. It seemed that we would need Ste here, if we want to find somewhere else with core mana.


    Is this core so important? One of the local dwarven mages asked. She had been tasked to attend to Lumoofs queries.


    Lumoof nodded. They had rtively good maps, at least, from a decade or two ago, before the demons invaded. I felt like I was missing something.


    Why was there a stationary demon king? Its not the first time the demon king had been stationary, but... why?


    -


    Some timeter, Lumoof and Ebon met the group gathered for the mission of rescuing the heroes. This was the meeting


    They were all level 80s, the highest among them Level 87, a dwarven magical maceman of some kind. He was the stereotypical dwarf, with a grumpy attitude. Because of how extensive and long the war was, there were about fifty of them around level 80s, but only about twenty would join the mission.


    The initial concept was a small, dedicated strike team.


    Are you the upstart who called us here? The dwarf said.


    Ebon hid his aura well, and shook his head. That would be my superior, Lord Lumoof. This idea of rescuing the heroes was our benefactors suggestion.


    Lumoof smiled at the dwarf, and the dwarf walked closer to Ebon, and sniffed. He returned the smile afterwards. Well, at least were dealing with guys who can put their lives on the line. Ebon shrugged, as they activated the fully-recharged hero-item. A group of mages exined the location of the possessed heroes.


    Well do the rescue? The group asked. Against possessed heroes?


    Yes. The local archmages said. Our current situation has been a stalemate for too long.


    But then our defenses? Who will handle it then?


    The rest of us will have to just hold out.


    One of the lizardpersons looked at Ebon and Lumoof. What if this is just a trap to weaken us. If all of us die, we just lost twenty of our strongest fighters. These guys are from another world, and maybe they are here to invade us.


    The dwarf nodded. Exactly. Since they are suggesting it, shouldnt they help us out? Not just that, how are we expected to deal with the possessed heroes? We cant just kill them, right? We need the heroes alive. Somehow.


    We certainly have no intention of anyone dying on this mission. We will go with you, though our role will be minimal, or only where your team does not have the capability. Are there any strong priests who are good with high-level exorcisms? Lumoof answered.


    There was a collective head-shake. Our strongest priests are heavy healers and buffers. Exorcism isnt something we have to deal with.


    In that case, if there are no further objections, I would like to handle the exorcism of the heroes. I would need the help of everyone present to just keep the rest of the demons at bay, and weaken the possessed heroes.


    So were bodyguards. One of them answered.


    Perhaps. Lumoof smiled. Ebon will stay back and support the defense, if there are any particrly strong attacks during this period.


    One person is not sufficient.


    Across all the theaters of battle, certainly. But if there are any huge threats, he is more than sufficient.


    ***


    The n was rtively simple. Small group teleports as close as possible, then rushes for the possessed heroes. The hero-item confirmed that the heroes were still in the same location, and twenty-two level 80s and an assortment of level 50s from their various armies joined the force, mainly as support.


    Level 80s put them in the same category as Lausanne, so twenty-two of them were a very decent fighting force. This group could take down demon champions easily, even without the hero items.


    Some of them had anti-demon abilities too, thanks to the decade-long endless conflict. The system favored conflict, and awarded those who struggled really long against it.


    Lumoof had to just tag along, and followed the group as they pushed through the demon territory. Not all of it were upied, after all, these type of army-demons favored ley lines as their bases, where there were no ley lines, these ces were sparsely guarded, even if there were regr demonic patrols.


    The only reason the locals havent taken these territories back, was because of how vulnerable their location was to the demons from the nearby demon bases.


    You said you were from another world. The group asked, as they made their way to their first rest spot. How?


    My patron has a way of opening portals to another world. This world is just in the same neighborhood.


    How is it there?


    From what I can see, were very simr. We also have regr demonic attacks, but weve not had a situation like this. Lumoof answered.


    I always thought heroes could never be possessed by demons. One of the mages on the trip said as they discussed the idea of a possessed demons. Guess what the temples tell us isnt always true.


    Lumoofughed. Honestly, they dont know any better. The gods dont exactlymunicate much.


    But yours does.


    Well... thats because my patron is a rising native god. Aeon lives on our world, and Aeon gets stronger over time. Have you spoken to your gods?


    All of them shook their heads, and I was secretly impressed by Lumoofs clever sowing of doubt. How powerful is Aeon?


    Lumoof grinned at the question. Im sure anyone here knows that power isnt so simple to exin, especially with the way sses work at high levels. In Aeons field of mastery, I would say Aeon is unparalleled, just like how Im almost very good at what I do in my field. Mypanions are simrly powerful in their chosen field. Power isnt a linear scale.


    They nodded in agreement. One of the knights present couldnt help but ask. Sir Lumoof, may I ask... what level are you?


    Lumoof smiled, as they took the bait. More than level 100.


    There was a collective gasp. How? We all stagnate at level 80s.


    The dwarf rolled his eyes. You dont really need us to protect you.


    Lumoof didnt respond to the dwarf, and instead looked at the rest. The system limits most of us to level 80s, and only a rare few can break through with incredible force of will. But my patron, Aeon, is a Spirit Tree, a master of souls and spirit.


    We had their attention.


    And he has a special fruit, that could break through the limitations of our soul, so that we can ascend even higher.


    There was a collective silence as they digested the statement. The dwarf asked. Ebon. That knight of yours. Hes level 100s too?


    Lumoof nodded. We would rest in this quiet mountain for an hour.


    Do you still need the heroes?


    Yes. Lumoof answered without a doubt. Even with our levels, the gap between us and the heroes is incredible. Even my patron, Aeon, cannot stand against the demon king alone. We still need the heroes.


    For now.


    The group present digested Lumoofs words, but eventually one of them approached Lumoof during the break. How do we get that fruit?


    Lumoof shrugged. It is Aeons to give, not my decision.


    Can we have an audience, somehow? Greed. Lumoof sensed it. A lust for power. Lumoof smiled, and shrugged.


    Perhaps.


    That started a torrent of inquiries, as the others all asked for it. They all believed they could go further. Lumoof just nodded, shrugged and repeated that it was not his to give.


    But Lumoofs abilities as a priest allowed him to measure the weight of each of their personalities, and he concluded that only three persons may be worthy. The dwarf, one of the knights, and one of the rangers.


    Rest time was over, and the group continued. We met more demons, but the group was strong enough that they crushed them easily. Only champions would really dy them, especially a small group like this.


    In arge-scale war, it is very easy to attack, especially with a small, highly powerful mobile force, but very hard to defend when the attacks coulde from anywhere. It was this observation that led to the n to attack the demon worlds preemptively.


    Offense is focused. Defense is spread out. The sheer speed which the group cut through the demons territory and towards the possessed heroes was evidence.


    The group arrived at the possessed heroes supposed location within two days. There were just one demon champion there, and a horde of the regr mobs. Easy pickings for the group.


    Of the two heroes, only one was able to fight, and even so, it couldnt use the heros powers. Only a limited range of abilities, derived from demonic mana from the possessing demon. The giant demon knight fought the group, but the group of twenty-two level 80s outnumbered them.


    Lumoof stayed back and watched. He did use a blessing or two to help those in trouble, but this was their fight.


    The champion was in, the demon knight-hero was quickly defeated.


    One of the mages sted the ground and we soon found the cage. It was a massive demon, and the hero was wrapped in tentacles and demonic organs.


    Alright. This is where we step in. Lumoof nodded, and he moved towards the cage. The living demonic cage wriggled, as it attempted to defend itself. Lumoof merely ced both of his palms on the demonic cage itself, and then, my Avatar descended.


    My presence instantly caused the demons around us to freeze, and their movements slowed to almost a halt. The wriggling cage whimpered, and my mana pumped through the Lumoofs body.


    The demon knight also wriggled and struggled, but with my demonic suppression aura, the mages quickly disabled it in a cage of magic.


    It wasnt hard to flood the demonic cage with my mana, this was easier than the demon king by a mile. My mana pumped through cage, and within ten minutes, I felt the demonic cage itself transform.


    The cage wriggled, and shrunk into a small wooden chest.


    [Natural Mana Overwhelming has assimted the demonic hero-cage mimic. Demonic Hero-Cage Mimic transformed into a Tree-Cage-Mimic].


    The hero trapped within copsed, pale, unconscious but alive. A shot of healingter, color returned to his face, but he still needed to rest. Take care of him, let me deal with the other one.


    The wooden chest jumped onto Lumoofs back. The group of fighters present stared. That-


    Oh ignore it. Its part of my patrons powers.


    Lumoof walked to the weakened demon knight, the effects of my aura essentially meant it was quite weak. I wondered whether I couldve saved Alexis back then, if I had the strength I had now. I probably could.


    Funny how things repeat themselves. I suppose when one lived for so long, we cant help but notice the way things repeat, just in different iterations and forms.


    Lumoof touched the demon knight at the head. It struggled, but disabled by the power of my aura and the spells of the mages.


    Again, we flooded it with my mana, and the giant demon knight shook violently. This one refused to be assimted, and rather than let my mana overwhelm it, it attempted to kill the hero within. But my mana had already flooded every bit of its body, and I quickly protected the hero.


    The demon knight exploded to reveal an unconscious young human girl within. We also healed her, and it was time to get out.


    Getting out was easy. A small group was incredibly mobile.


    ***


    The demons did notunch anyrge-scale attack during the time, which was rather strange. Ebon didnt even have to fight during the three days.


    The heroes regained consciousness on the 2nd day, but remained groggy and were rather zoned out. They were already fully healed physically, but their star mana took some time to restore itself, and their souls were weakened from the prolonged possession.


    Everyone gave them space to recover. They were teenagers, thrust into the role of a hero by gods that treated them like disposable tools.


    Once we reached the city, the two heroes were in better shape, and began to talk about their fight. They were essentially underlevelled. Their entire party were only in their level 80s because they didnt farm enough demon champions. This demon king didnt produce that many champions in the first ce, preferring massive armies. But these individually-weak massive armies didnt help them level.


    So when they got to the demon king, the demon king easily overwhelmed them and consumed them. It killed the rest, and captured the two of them.


    From what the heroes shared, I realised that the demon king may have a certain range of demon-creation abilities, as they could create these demonic cages and the possession demon. That meant the demon king was essentially the tactical mind behind the entire demonic invasion, even if some of it was delegated to the stronger demons.


    With the heroes returned, there was a sense of excitement in the councils. The heroes were stillpelled by their hero ss to defeat the demons, and they seemed eager to return to the field within two weeks of their freedom.


    They really are children. Lumoof said. I felt it only a bit with Prabu and the rest, but these two really felt like children to me.


    Teenagers.


    Still children. Lumoof sighed. Such great responsibilities in the hands of the young, and theres not a trace of guilt among the kings for letting them do it.


    Defeating the demons didnt gain levels, sadly.


    ***


    Thanks to the sess of the rescue mission, the council of King had increased trust in Lumoof and Ebon, and we were given ess to many parts of the civilised worlds. The heroes, of course, realised their mistake and went about farming demon champions. With the heroes returning to the battle with their heroic powers, they made noticeable gains against the demons within months.


    We were given a small escort, and we visited many of their cities and temples, and more importantly, ces where we suspected may have things of value.


    We found one soon enough, practically hiding in in sight. In the center of one of thergest cities, there was a massive park with an ancient tree. Thanks to the war, there wasnt much maintaining it.


    The rest of the park was an overgrown mess, but we sensed it the moment we were in the city. We headed there immediately. Lumoof looked at the overgrown park, and we gradually made our way in. We didnt cut any of the trees or vines, but we felt the pulsing presence of something smaller.


    A tree spirit, like myself.


    Smaller, and not yet a domain holder, because Lumoof instantly detected it wasnt very high level. Only about level 80, despite its extremely old age.


    Greetings. Lumoof said.


    There was no response, and Lumoof got closer, and ced his hand on the trees trunk. In an instant, I felt a mental connection.


    I said through Lumoof.


    I was instantly flooded with images.


    > Greetings. < It sounded old, like a very tired old grandmother.


    > Well met, Aeon and Lumoof. I am Tgtherian, a tree spirit. <


    I said. Generally tree spirits have been... nice.


    > Ah. Our kind are few. Many trees are cut down before our consciousness can fully form. < I reckon it took centuries for that to happen. A soul only takes root in a tree after a certain size and age.


    Tgtherian, didnt know much. It was about 1,800 years old, but it spent most of that time in this park, from a small sapling, and she gained consciousness and awareness about 1,500 years ago. She leveled slowly, even though she offered familiars to druids, shamans and rangers. She didnt have the hero fragments supercharging her experience.


    Because she was rtively young, she didnt remember about the Will of the World, or any other such things.


    A shame, but I suppose I cant expect every spirit I meet to be as powerful as me. Many would be below level 100.


    Now that I met another tree spirit, I wasnt sure what I was about to do with it. I decided to just leave her alone for now.


    ***


    Ste continued to experiment with the rift gates with Alka. Alka already made his first prototype star-mana bomb, and he came with a rather interesting idea.


    Aeon, do you think you can fuse a soul with the bomb?


    You want to make a sentient bomb?


    Yes. Our theory was that souls can reduce the decay from storing star mana or void mana. But Im also interested in whether it could function as a regtor of the star mana, if the storage function was handled by the hero-item.


    Prabu made it with the [hero forge], but Alka wanted to see whether theres potential for hero-made items and souls to coexist together. Hero-made items didnt leak star mana that much, due to some unknown mechanism, so Alka wanted to inject a soul within it to examine how that worked.


    It didnt work. The hero-item rejected my attempts of inserting an artificial mind into it. Nope.


    Darn.


    It would be quite overpowered if it could.


    ***


    On the parasite demonworld, we started deployment of my newly developed treechikomas, version one. That was the name I gave for the walking treebs thats a hybrid between a demon walker, a beetle and ab, invented, or really, modified from a demon walker base. Courtesy of my Tree of Lifes evolutionary powers.


    Treechis, for short.


    The Treechis, each of them with their own artificial minds, were assigned to scan and examine the demonworld in more detail, with more active and live testing with their ability to directly perform tests.


    The Treechis each had a different type ofb on their back, were each about the size of a small car, and they worked in teams of five. They would test the soil, test the mana, and perform examinations in contested territories.


    For now, they didnt produce any spectacrly groundbreaking findings, but all the little bits of new data helped push my knowledge of the demon world, and supported our researchers out in the fields.


    Along with the Treechis, we also began experimenting with specialisation of the Treefolks and Lizardpersons of the Central continent, through thematic use of my new evolutionary-inherited skill powers.


    Our goal was to create natural-born, skill-engineered specialists, even if it did feel like I was robbing these guys of choice. Like, what if a Treefolk who was born with a natural skillset for healing and defense wanted to be a fighter? Or a lizardperson who inherited a bunch of spear skills wanted to be an archer?


    Then again, thats how it was in our world too. Not everyone had the physique to excel at certain kinds of activity.


    Oh well. For now, the treefolks seemed alright with the inserted skill-experimentation. I started with simple skills harvested from some fallen pdins and knights, such as [Demonic Resistance], and skills from some of the rangers, such as [Strength]. I wanted to see the implications of having inherited skills in young babies, and how they manifested.


    I didnt want super powered little babies killing their caretakers.


    Spaizzer


    AYY Gonna shout out a buddy''s book! If youve got KU or some spare audible credits, feel free to read!


    MORCSTER CHEF by @Actus is back with Book 2: ''Into the Fire''. Join Arek on another adventure against unexpected enemies and burnt crust.


    Audible: /pd/Cleavers-Edge-Audiobook/B09M7JG4ST

 Untangling Roots

    Untangling Roots


    <b>Year 206</b>


    Lumoof announced their n to return to the others, and strangely, they asked to watch his return. We consented, since, well, theres no real risk. Its not as if they could replicate it anyway.


    Or maybe they could if they had some kind of hero artifact with spell-copying abilities, but I highly doubt it.


    In any case, trying to get Ste to open a portal where we want her to is actually quite hard. One of the methods we found to help Ste find where to ce the portal, was to connect her to me, and via [dream academy], share Lumoofs location to her. It enabled highly urate portals, across worlds, but only around individuals I could sense, like Lumoof and the Valthorns. Its also slow, because the process of sharing the location took a while.


    She described that each world was centered around thes core. Not the star or the sun, but theary core. So, a portals position was calcted rtive to the core, and the core itself has a bubble that protects it from portals or any spells.


    Anyway, the portal of void opened in the chambers. Everyone gasped as they saw a portal materialise out of nowhere. The heroes were busy hunting demons, and they didnte.


    From what we understood, they were about level 100 now, it took a while for them to regain their pace. Theyve been asleep and weak for so long, that even though they wanted to fight the demons as a result of theirpulsion, their body struggled.


    Will you be back? One of the dwarven strategists asked.


    With the heroes back in action... maybe not. Unless the heroes need our help to take on the demon king.


    They did say they would appreciate the help...


    Then Ill see what I can do. But for now, duties back home require my urgent attention. Lumoof gave everyone watching a wave, and they stepped through it.


    ***


    Lady Lausanne, free to talk? Prabu and Ken approached her one day after her ss at the Valtrian Academy. Lausannes role in the Valthorns had declined significantly, and she had quite fully transitioned to the role of an administrator and trainer, a bit like what Jura did for her.


    Ah. Yes. They met at one of the many cafes along the streets of Freshka. Is this confidential?


    Quite.


    Lausanne nodded, and took out one of the standard privacy artifacts given to all Valthorns. It created a small bubble of magic around them that blocked sound. But it didnt block me. Because a little bit of my roots were inside the bubble.


    Were thinking of pitching an idea to Aeon and Ste, and we want your thoughts on what do you think Aeon will think?


    Lausanneughed. Lausanne, Laufen and Yvon are all sought after, even as their roles have changed. They were the go-to-persons for the pre-pitch assessment. Essentially, the equivalent of having someone who had a lot of experience looking through their resume. Yes. Thats what I do in my spare time these days. So. Hit me with it.


    Ken coughed. Were thinking that Aeon should start the equivalent of the multiverse League of Heroes.


    Lausanne stared, and then coughed. Sorry I dont understand.


    Ken paused as he realised Lausanne may notprehend references. So. Each habited, civilised world has their own heroes, and frequently, we are all stuck trying to fight each demon king by ourselves.


    Lausanne caught on immediately. But Aeon can consolidate all the power, so that you can hit the demons with the power of heroes from multiple worlds.


    Ken smacked the table. Exactly! Thats what we want to pitch. Thisbined force can also function as a remation force, to retake worlds lost to the demons.


    Prabu added. Each demon kings powerset is tailored differently, and the heroes, each of us have a different power meant to counter our generations demon king. So our response to different types of demon kings are essentially less effective because our matchup sucks. But, if we get other heroes who are meant for different types of demon king, we could cover up for our shortfall.


    Yes. Ste currently needs void mana for her portals, which meant us heroes cant use her methods. But Aeons clone-body teleportation doesnt need void mana, which meant heroes could move through it. Aeon can essentially be the tree that links all the heroes together.


    Lausanne nodded. I think Aeon would be keen to listen, but it does require friendly heroes. Heroes that can y by Aeons rules. There are risks to it, Im sure you are aware that Aeons naturally cautious with you guys, due to the powers you all have.


    Prabu nodded.


    Aeons actions are also often misunderstood, as his perspective is very broadly zoomed out. Aeon is probably not keen to y coordinator for heroes, so one of you must be willing to step up for that.


    Prabu nodded and looked at Ken. Actually I have just the candidate. The guy whos superpower is his knowledge of tropes.


    Fuck that. Ken looked back at Prabu.


    Lausanne has a point, its your idea. You have to manage it. You cant just propose ideas and expect others to run it for you. Prabu responded.


    What if these other heroes try to kill me? Ken said. Im powerless!


    That could be your advantage, really. Its because youre now outside this whole setup that you could be the manager! Lausanne answered and Prabu nodded along. I do think it is a worthwhile setup, and could serve to bring all these worlds closer.


    ...Ill need to think about it. Ken wasnt keen on it.


    But I quite liked the idea of abined hero-force, but that essentially meant I had to invest my tree of clones in both Threeworlds and this Mountainous World.


    I liked that I had one tree on the moon, another on the demon world, and another one on the remnantetworld drifting through the vast void sea. They felt strange and unique enough to deserve one of my clones.


    ***


    Back home, the pathway to the next demon world was getting quite clear in our sky, and Ste was a little... excited. I wasnt sure whether Alkas research craze was spreading, or she was really thrilled by the prospects of visiting another world with the rift gate, instead of her own powers.


    The rift gates were tweaked to enable almost anyone to use it. At least, in theory, I should be able to dump an entire army of Valthorns on the demon worlds without the need to deploy my clone.


    The army was tense, and we gathered what was nothing less than an invasion force, really. What the demons did to us, we would go full reverse uno and invade them first.


    Our first victory condition was simple. Capture or destroy the rift gates, so that we can stop their ability to send mobs across the stars. It was the military equivalent of destroying theirnding ships and aircrafts.


    Our second victory condition, which was not so critical, was attempt to defeat the demon king on their homeworld. This would require deployment of my clone, since only through the clone, I could send the heroes. But we had a debate whether to deploy my clone or not. My clone would significantly addbat strength to the demon world, but I wasnt sure whether I could sustain battle on two demon worlds simultaneously.


    Not yet, not until the mana from the parasite world recovered.


    My teammented that if I was not there, then it makes this battle far more risky. They did not have an exit n. Its only this portal, and what if the demons interrupt it?


    For those with my Court of the Deitree familiars, I could even summon them directly. But that was a very small contingent.


    A point which I agreed with. I wasnt sure whether I wanted to invest my clone on this other world. I was torn between deploying it on the two worlds, or invading this world directly. Honestly, we also didnt know for sure whether that deep hole to the core and the tower of void mana was somethingmon across all the demon worlds.


    As it is, Alka nned on the assumption that these towers were universal, that the mechanism of creating demon kings and the process of sending them across the stars werergely identical. Even if it didnt work out, there were ways to abuse a star mana bomb, and the technological knowledge from developing such weapons were useful.


    Anyway, in the end, we decided that my clone would be deployed at thest minute, once we confirmed that its possible to assault the demon king. We would choose a better location this time. Ideally next to the tower of void and next to the deep hole.


    If all goes well, then the heroes would join us for the battle against the demon king. If not, they would stay back on our world and watch the chaos unfurled.


    All this knowledge was gradually uploaded to my tree of knowledge, the Registree. Its been growing since I got it almost sixty years ago.


    The hope was that through knowledge umtion, even if we lose Alka, we didnt have to start from scratch.


    Thats the hope.


    The good thing was, the Registree isnt a limited tree. Just a special type that I could make more of, so I made some extra copies on the moon. I couldnt ce it in the Cometworld shard because theres no space.


    In any case, deployment of my clone was optional. The team, naturally, had so many questions about an assault, and they raised good questions.


    How do we find the rift gates? We couldnt just blindly attack. They could be located all over the world of the demons, and theres no way we could hit all of them without proper intelligence. Especially since were holding off my clone deployment until muchter. That meant my own vision was out of the picture.


    What if its not hospitable on the other side and we die immediately when we reach? Thats also a possibility, but should not be difficult to solve. My familiars could create a small bubble of atmosphere with some mana-drain, essentially living astronaut suits.


    On the rift gates, Ste thus started work on some kind of item that detects other rift gates, by tapping into their void mana signature. Essentially, she made apass that leads to the nearest strongest source of void mana.


    That was the best we could do at the moment. I would like to have a global view of the demon world, but that would be impossible without some kind of satellite constetion to map the demon world.


    Its not like the habited worlds where there are existing maps to use.


    The skepticism and worry among the general forces were quite high, especially since I wasnt taking the field myself with my trees.


    But with all four of my domain holders taking the field, it shouldnt be a problem. At least Roon and Johann should be able to provide significant intelligence data before a full fledged assault.


    ***


    Horns and Hytreerion fought many battles on the demonworld. The boundaries of ces controlled by my trees and those controlled by the demons fluctuate a lot, as beetles and demons met on the battlefield. I controlled an area on the demonworld that was slightlyrger than the size of the Central Continent, and it was at the edges, where my influence was weak that we saw all these changing borders.


    Horns actually got destroyed a few times, but he was able to eject his artificial soul before destruction, and then redeployed him in new bodies. Its a modification we made to his physical form, as he was really quite fragile when faced with demon champions that popped out with sufficient regrity.


    My new treechikomas were busy too, gathering more samples throughout thend.


    It was arge ce, even if most of it was empty, and it would take years topletely build a database of the magical energies and data of thend.


    I could, in theory, deploy myb-trees everywhere, but because suchb trees actually consume mana, I would just make the mana-problem on the parasite world worse, and that would increase how long it took to regenerate my beetles.


    I could wait decades for the mana of this world to recover, but I also didnt want to wait that long.


    In theory, if I could gain the mana of the Threeworlds and the Mountainworld, its possible for it to spend more of that mana here.


    Looking at it that way, it sure seems like my moonbase and my Cometworld deployment had a mana-opportunity-cost. I lose the mana that could be generated by having a clone on these normal worlds, in exchange for the novelty and exploratory aspects of the Cometworld, where I could travel to other worlds and see those other ces, and for the security of the Moonbase.


    Our treechikomas did find some good hints though. There were certain rocks with metallic ores that seemed to retain a kind of manayer, but that didnt help us much in terms of identification of dates.


    Our digs into the underground also didnt reveal much.


    I also started to wonder about the system again. There was a missing piece in the game. Something obvious that I wasnt seeing or realising.


    So, I took some time to do a bit more thinking and tried to understand what was the demons win condition. Lets say the demon king won, the demon king defeated the heroes, and the heroes no longer came to the world.


    Was that it, and they won? The world would automagically turn into a demon world? Essentially, that question could be exined as, what made a demon world... a demon world? Why did a normal world, perfectly able to spawn regr stuff before this, stopped creating the normal monsters and stuff, and started spawning demons?


    The only one who saw a world lose was Snek. Lilies didnt actually go through the full loss.


    I dont really know? Snek answered. We lost our world to the demons, but we were so afraid that we spent our times running and hiding.


    Wait wait wait. Do you know what happened to the demon king?


    Not really. It was... there? Snek answered. But honestly we were just trying to survive in the underground tunnels that no one checked.


    But do you have any idea whether the demon king left?


    ...maybe? Were not sure, but I think it probably didnt, because the world started to produce demons, and probably other demon kings too. But we were too far from such ces to actually know.


    Wait. I had an epiphany then.


    If the demon king sent to invade other worlds were products of existing demon kings, then didnt that mean there should, in theory, be at least one demon king still on the parasite world somewhere, ying the role of the Queen or a Hatchery?


    Maybe the demon king is just a massive [forest rod] that captured the Core?


    This absolutely clicked. No. It exined how such a massive tunnel to the core was created. The demon king that won dug towards the core, and captured the core. Through that process, the worlds natural spawning mechanism was converted to produce demons.


    Each demon king was a massive colonization mothership too. But... how?


    That also meant that somewhere in the core of the parasite world, was a demon king. Perhaps no longer a demon king because it has been deployed to control the core of the world.


    If this was the case, I needed to send the heroes to the parasite world, and attack the core.


    Free the core from the control of the demons, and that would greatly change the bnce of power of our world. Maybe this would also significantly improve the natural mana recovery, and also get ess to the cores mana.


    Of course, I then submitted this theory to my domain holders and the other senior leaders.


    Doesnt that just mean that demons that won essentially start digging downwards? Lumoof spected. But that doesnt happen, isnt it?


    Edna, who was also present. Are you suggesting an attack on the parasite world? Aeon, with all due respect, we have no ability to attack two worlds at the same time.


    I am aware.


    Actually, this cycled back to the Mountainworld again.


    The demon king was not moving.


    Was it digging all this time?


    So we have three ways of checking. One, we send the heroes to the parasite demonworld, and attack the hole to the core. Two, we go back to the Mountainworld and figure out what the demon king is doing underground. If your theory is right, it should be attempting to reach the core. Edna repeated. Three, we also have the riftgate to this new world. If we do fight the demon king on this new world, and our initial conjectures are proven correct, the heroes and us could mount an assault on the core of this new demonworld and see whether theres one there.


    Three priorities, and I had to decide which one to pursue.


    I was keen on the riftgates, so that was a clear yes.


    But this would mean all my domain holders would be deployed there, in order to achieve my intended objective of denying the next attack. My seed would also be there for a while, at least, until the battles over and everyone is safe back home.


    Kens League of heroes would have to wait until this is over.


    Spaizzer


    Avitue has a new fic! READ IT


    <em>Through boons and woes, anger and joy, By feats of wit, tactics and ploys, No lord to serve, forever free, The life of a mercenary.</em>


    Free Lances: An Army Progression Dark Fantasy /fiction/52713/freences-army-progression-dark-fantasy

 The Uncertaintree Principle

    The Uncertaintree Principle


    <b>Year 206</b> -


    Lumoof and Edna was the first to go through. With their abilities, they had little to fear whatever that may be on the other side.


    The riftgate hummed in a strange sound, Ste and her team of void mages were excited to fire up the riftgate. Our hope was that we would eventually be able to manufacture these riftgates, but for now, I was content with salvaging and piging the demons for their riftgates.


    I found it silly that the civilised world was the backward one, that we had to resort to piging the demons for their internar technology.


    The Valthorns wargamed this entire operation about fifteen times, tapping into Patreecks mind reading ability and my [Dream Academy] as preparations for this special military operation into the demonds.


    ording to the void mages, the riftgate should theoretically be able to send through about 1,000 guys before it runs out of void mana, at which point Ste and all would have to recharge them.


    Ste cannot reach the demon world using her normal void portals, so the rift gate was crucial to ensure that a portal can be opened. Based on what weve seen, these demonic portals travel both ways.


    It was time, and see whether our ns could survive first contact.


    ***


    I felt a buzz as we travelled through the riftgates. It was simr to that time when I snuck through using my own roots, but this time, it was Lumoof who went first.


    The sky was bright, like an extremely sunny day, and the first thing we felt was the incredibly strong sunlight that burned. Literally.


    It wasnt fire, or at least, fire immunity didnt seem to protect against these harsh rays.


    Lumoof instantly activated a wooden shield to serve as an umbre, and even then, the naturally fire-resistant shield still got warm. Items that were not protected quickly caught fire.


    It wasnt just sunlight too. It was some kind of magical UV that seemed to heat everything up. For Lumoof, it was still tolerable thanks to his wide range of resistances, and Edna, she was protected by a magical shield.


    This was not a good development, since it meant the lower leveled, those in the level 80s and 90s would have to sit out from the invasion. The mana cost of sustaining a perpetual sunshield would mean their ability to fight would be severely impaired. Even my beetles, unmodified, would find themselves weakened by the incredibly strong sunlight.


    There was a bright, glowing white sun that burned overhead, and the ce, at first, was just a vast desert canyon, sand, dirt and rocks of all shapes and sizes.


    Hold. I told the guys back home, and shared our first findings. Our ns designed around a habitable environment had to be immediately scrapped. We had some ns designed around inhospitable environments, but that meant the strike force was now a much, much smaller one,posed of my level 120+ elites.


    Alka was keen to go through, but instead, I sent one of my Treechikomas over. I hoped to use it to conduct some experiments-


    It burned to death.


    So back to the drawing board. I had to design something with natural shieldings, and so, sent my minds out to scour our archives and Registree for such items and technologies. We should have some kind of natural shields, or designrge walkers for it.


    Alternatively, we could immediately start tunnelling in the sand to avoid the rays, and try to bring the fight below ground. But Lumoofs initial assessment wasnt great. The ground was naturally sandy, and our tunnels would cost a lot more mana to maintain.


    Well, spot any demons? Lumoof looked around, squinting. Therge wooden shield acted like a massive umbre.


    Edna looked around, and then we saw them, camouged by the sand and the dirt. Giant-sand-lizards.


    There. Sand-lizard-demons, their backs looked like rocks, they blended really well against the canyon. The sand-lizards didnt move, they were frozen, unmoving. The only thing that truly made them demonic was very faint reddish lines that glowed with demonic energy.


    Edna didnt move, not yet, anyway.


    All of the sudden, the sand started to shake, and then, wind started to blow. We saw a wall of sand in the distance.


    Sandstorm. Lumoof walked next to Edna, and a shield went up around them. The sand sted through the surroundings, and the sand actually dealt damage. These were corrosive sand.


    Well, were truly in hostile territory. Edna smirked.


    Funny. Lumoof joked as the wooden shields all had sand embedded in them. The sand smashed into the shields repeatedly, and they didnt do much damage against those powerful shields. The lizard should be attacking any time now.


    They didnt.


    The sandstorm stopped almost as quickly as it came, The sands, once whipped up by the sudden gusts, now fell back to the ground.


    The sand-lizards did not move.


    Edna and Lumoof shared a nce, Lumoof asked. Should we engage?


    No. Lets go find the demon king.


    Lumoof and Edna activated their magical artifacts, and started to fly across the terrain. Indeed, moving on foot in this sandy terrain seemed like a huge pain in the ass. Everywhere was sand and rock.


    There was no sign of water anywhere, but plenty of sand-lizards. As they flew, they spotted other kinds of demonic creatures too. There were a few sand-serpents and worms, these were more like gigantic wurms with a rocky skin, and then there were these rock-like scorpions and insects too.


    This entire ce is a demonic desert wastnd. Ednamented, and had to stop as the flying artifact ran out of mana. Somehow flying in this ce took a lot out of the ce, and Edna noticed the magical artifact seemed to drain out quicker than others.


    Which, after a little bit of investigation, was due to the sunlight. The sunlight directly damaged magical items and also drained mana out of them. The sun, as strange as it sounded, had a strong magical-ignition quality to it, such that it weakened everything with mana.


    How does a world like this even hold demons?


    We noticed that the demons frequently hid underground too. Even the massive rockwurms and the serpents all tunneled underground after a while, and they only surfaced momentarily.


    I knew that demons were generated by their spawning pools or the spires. But in such a world, where were they?


    Edna took out Stes void-mana-detector, and it went round and round like apass faced with maic interference.


    This is strange.


    Was there void mana in the air itself? Or was the sun emitting some kind of void energy? I wasnt sure.


    The demons were strangely quiet, and mostly didnt move.


    Are they... only active at night? Edna spected. If the sun was so oppressive during the day, it was entirely possible that these demons would only move at night.


    Demons were not exactly the type that adapted to their environment. Lumoof, simrly agreed with that premise, but then he added. Then again, this world does seem exceptionally inhospitable that some level of adaptation is necessary.


    It was an interesting idea, of course, to kill demons using a sr death ray. If only it didnt kill everything else in the process. In a way, this was like killing cancer with chemotherapy. It also kills the host, and is used when theres nothing else that could be done. Even then, demons adapted!


    What kind of demons are these?


    The wind whipped up again, and Edna activated anotheryer of shields. The sandstorm was not as strong as the first one. No, more importantly, how do they even have rift gates in a world that seemed so hostile? Maybe there are ces where there are no sandstorms.


    We wait? Edna looked at Lumoof, Or do we keep going?


    Lumoof used a few [Inspection] on the demons, but it didnt reveal anything useful. If these demons are nocturnals were true, then it may be a good idea to keep going.


    They kept moving. Edna and Lumoof both had to constantly reinforce their shields. The air was hostile, and I began to suspect that the sun was both anti-magic and some kind of radiation.


    Lumoof, while moving, also picked up some of the sand and dirt, which was immediately sent back to our world for testing.


    Somehow, it was quite hard to test them, and with stronger prodding, we soon discovered that the sand and dirt of this world had mild anti-magic qualities, and they generally drained and destroyed mana from their environment.


    This entire world was an anti-mage world.


    ***


    I had Lumoof enter Avatar mode, and then, though Lumoof, created some trees in the surroundings.


    I felt noticeably higher levels of mana loss from each tree, like each of them sucked my mana. This was also a demon world, so the ambient mana generated was low anyway. That meant, each tree took more out of me than I put in. The suns strong anti-mana rays also meant my trees were not producing much mana either, unless we adapted our trees to absorb those rays.


    That would need a lot of research.


    I was really intrigued.


    The invasions gotta be scrapped. Lumoof realised that the sheer amount of anti-magical things in the environment meant even maintaining or sustaining a beetle army which also consumed a bit of mana was going to be difficult. I think our scope of attack should strictly be to destroy the riftgates... if we can find them.


    Not just that, the idea of sending both Prabu and Colette, two archmages to this world probably had to be scrapped. This was essentially sending them to the ce where they are least suited to fight. I didnt like those kinds of odds, so I wouldnt risk them.


    If my gut feelings were right, we needed some kind of skill-empowered physical strength to defeat these demons. Taking it further, if the demon king was essentially an anti-magic or super-resistant type of demon king, it meant magic as a whole would bergely useless.


    If so, do we need barbarian/diator type heroes?


    Anyway, we tested the anti-magic properties against void and star mana, and noticed it also dispersed them, but at slower rates. That was good news, since, alright, the heroes probably wont be entirely useless, just fighting with a handicap. They were slightly more effective on star mana than void mana, but only by a little bit.


    ***


    The sun was getting dark. There were no moons in this anti-magic demon world, just stars. The skies were incredibly clear, cloudless as far as we could see.


    Then we felt the rumbling of the sands. The demons emerged from the sands as darkness fell on the desert. The first thing we saw was their faintly glowing red eyes.


    Edna sighed. Lets see how strong they are.


    Lumoof shrugged. Aeon, why not convert some of them?


    It was a good idea. We had to use some skills in order to see them in the darkness, but these sand-demons didnt move very fast. Lumoof in avatar mode, extended our roots everywhere, and with each extension I felt a bit more of mana drain on me. Still, I had the mana production of an entire continent, so, its not that bad.


    Then the lizards spat out acid, and I felt that acid pull mana from the air.


    The acid smashed into our wooden shields, and though the acidic qualities itself didnt get past the shields, the acid itself seemed to absorb magic from whatever it contacted. It was bizarre to see a shield crumble because its magical energies were siphoned out of it.


    Luckily we had multipleyers of shields, and this time, we channeled a bit more mana into the shields. The acids didnt get through them now, but fighting in this world was going to be very taxing magically.


    My roots immediately caught one of the lizard-demons, and I noticed that it was exceptionally tough on the top half, but quite soft at the bottom. It would be quite difficult for a conventional fighter to get to the soft part.


    I pumped mana into the lizard, and I kept pumping mana into it. The hard-scales of the lizard started to glow, then it exploded. It ate up a lot more mana than I expected.


    My first attempt to capture failed.


    Edna noticed something strange, as she rotated through her different kinds of shields. Magical shields suck, but skill-reinforced shields work just fine. The more mana goes into the shield, their acids seem to react against it. A simple steel shield enhanced with non-mana skill would be able to block it just fine.


    Thats weird. In truth, the lines between what is a skill and what is a spell is really... well, non-existent. There are spells that are also skills, and vice-versa. There are skills that created spell-like effects, like there are [Fireballs] generated purely out of skill, and [Fireballs] out of mana.


    There are skills that used mana, spells that didnt use mana, and instead used ambient mana. Its a contentious topic.


    As long as we didnt use mana, then its natural qualities didnt react to it. Edna said, as she deftly cut through the lizard-demon. She had to fight like a closebat brawler, and used spears to lift the lizards upward, in order to expose their soft, vulnerable bottoms.


    It wasnt the worst matchup for us, since Edna was more skill-based, and we had the ability to make more non-mana items. The heroes hero items though, were essentially made with mana, and would experience weaker performance.


    I wrapped my vines around another of the sand-lizards and once more, pumped mana through it. This time, not as much, and I pierced my roots into its soft belly, and attempted to look for its core or heart, if it had one.


    The sand and earth trembled. The skies seemed the shift abruptly.


    My vines snuck into the body. There was something like a demons core. A stone, really, and it was made of the same rocks of the world. My roots snuck and caught it. Then, I pumped mana through my roots and attempted to takeover the lizard. The lizard struggled, and it was physically very strong. The stones demonic mana resisted my mana, and I felt like half of my mana was wasted by the mana-absorbing substances that made up most of its body.


    For all its strength, it was no champion. It put up a fight, but my mana still overwhelmed it.


    This time, I knew when to stop, and stopped when I felt like it was going to blow. I slowed down the rate at which my mana entered the demon, and instead circted my mana within the demon, and began to take control of the body.


    It tingled, honestly. Its as if there was a demonic pianist ying a tune, and I was trying to kick the demonic pianist off, while not destroying the piano in the process. It took a bit of holding back, but not everything needs to be hammered by my overwhelming mana.


    [Natural Mana Overwhelming has assimted the demonic sand-lizard. Mana-absorbing demonic sand lizard has transformed into Mana-absorbing sand lizard].


    The lizard whimpered as its reddish glow was reced by a greenish one. The other sand lizards struggled, and Edna killed them easily once she got used to their movement patterns. These were demons, and they all had a style.


    The earth shook, and we looked around. Well? Edna asked as she stood in the midst of thirty demonic corpses. Hmm... they dont decay as quickly as the other demons.


    Lumoof nodded, and the whimpering sand lizard crouched. Strange. Demonic bodies should begin to fade within minutes.


    There was a reason why its difficult to harvest or recover demonic parts. From what weve seen some demon champions leave their bodies behind, but all began decaying and reverting to demonic mana within minutes, even if that process took a while.


    Do you think its the anti-mana qualities? Edna spected. That its interfering with their natural process of returning to demonic mana?


    Lumoof shrugged. No idea. Maybe these demons are made of real materials, and the decaying parts are only- Lumoof flipped one of the bodies over, and noticed some of the softer underbelly decaying as normal. Yeah. Only parts sustained by demonic mana?


    Edna was quiet as she stared. Mountain-eater demons? I recall something simr in the really old archives. She immediately began to close her eyes and expanded her senses. In the darkness of the night, we felt the ground and the sand tremble and shake. I stretched out my senses, and realised something had just gone underneath us during the fight, and it was moving. It was as if the entire desert moved.


    The anti-magical qualities interfered with our senses, and we didnt sense its movement beneath us. It was deep, but the ground moved. At its size it was probably a demon champion, but it lumbered slowly. I wasnt sure because of all the natural dirt and rock really messed with my senses, and I wasnt sure whether it was pure rock, or part-demon.


    Still, I believe it was like a supermassive lizard that took a step every half an hour. It was almost a stationary target.


    Oh great. Mountain-sized anti-magical rock demons. Edna cursed. Well need miners and magical pickaxes.


    Lumoof squinted his eyes to look in the distance.. I say its a good opportunity for Alka to test out his bombs. He alwaysmented that the demons are too small, or move too quickly. I say one of his bigger ones would take this one out. A bombs a good way to level a mountain, especially one that probably seems to be a moving mountain range.


    Itll take a lot of mana to get it to work- wait. Theres more? Edna turned and focused her senses even further. This world didnt have moons, so it was really, really dark. But she could still feel it, the seemingly synchronised movements.


    Lumoofughed. Eh, he just gotta wrap up the bomb in one of Aeons massive anti-demon spears. Or just get our two new domain holders to pop the bomb right under its belly.


    I wondered inwardly whether this was a good time for strategic banter between my two domainholders.


    Edna pped her hands together. Thats a good idea! I suppose its time for Roon and Johann to disy their new domain skills anyway!


    I had to interrupt. Guys, wheres the riftgate?


    More importantly, how are these things going to get through the rift gates? They were wayrger than thergest demon champions Ive seen so far, unless the rift gate had some kind of temporary-shrinkage ability?


    Lumoof took out the device again, and it was simrly jammed. Nope. Not working. Maybe we need Ste here, but thats a risk.


    A small one since Ste also has my Court of the Deitree ability, so I could pull her back if needed.


    Ste?


    Ste paused. Are these creatures... captured and converted zaratans?


    Huh?


    Theres an uncanny simrity in their nature as moving mountains, and zaratans as moving inds.


    Are you saying these monsters dont need rift gates because they can tap into the astral pathways directly?


    Thats a good point, but no. Im saying these guys may be former zaratans. Maybe this world was a zaratan world.


    I dont see the simrity, honestly. Other than their size. I honestly dont see it. Maybe that they may be reptile-inspired creatures?


    ***


    Anti-magical demons. Is that a first? Chung asked through the magical device. He was somewhere else, we were not sure where. Probably somewhere in the Southern Continent.


    Apparently no. Colette said as she read the dossier my Valthorns hadpiled. There was something simr many, many years ago. About... 1,200 years ago. But those were regr sized creatures. Apparently these ones are massive stuff.


    The demons are out to get us. Howd they know we have two archmages on the team?


    Colette and Prabu collectively shrugged. Random chance I suppose, or perhaps through the arrangement of demon king types? I mean, if you know what kind of demon kings you will introduce in a series, and what kind powers work against earlier demon kings, you could, without knowing what exactly is deployed, arrange subsequent demon kings to be counters of what countered the earlier demon kings.


    So youre saying this is purely from the demons end, and that this arrangement, or sequence of demon kings is pre-set. They predicted that the previous king would be countered, and thus set subsequent demon kings to be counters of the hero counters.


    Yeah. LIke, pokemon. If youre going to y a Grass-type, and you predict the enemy will make a counter, perhaps Fire type, then you could, without knowing whether its actually a Fire type, set that the pokemon that follows is a Water-type.


    ...that makes sense.


    At which point, Prabu added. This makes Kens idea of a League of Heroes even morepelling, honestly. We could essentially theorise whats a counter for the counter of the current generation?


    Chung paused and thought about it for a moment. But, how are parasites our counters?


    Maybe theres a sequential pattern, or paired patterns, that only three sessive sets of demon kings follow this counter-of-counter pattern. The ones in between are all randomised.


    Chung sighed. Are we attributing actual intelligence and predictive ability to the demons now?


    They are intelligent. They can talk. And they can think. They have strategic ability. Prabu responded. Even if its just concentrated on each demon king. From what weve seen, they are not purely stupid.


    Colette smiled and just stretched. Maybe the demons just some kind of ancient self-replicating war-program.


    Chung actuallyughed. Thats my theory too!


    Did I tell you Ken thought the demons sounded like some kind of multiverse-wide Life-Harvesting system?


    Chungs face straightened. Dont tell me you believe that.


    Its possible, I think. Even though we dont see any evidence of harvesting...


    Maybe weck the tools to see what exactly they are harvesting?


    What, theyre harvesting war-energy like Ares?


    Possible!

 That which lies beneath the roots

    That which lies beneath the roots


    <b>Year 206 </b>(Part 3)


    I wonder whether the demons essentially acquired their unique skills as a result of adaptations to their current worlds. If so, what kind of world created demons like Sabnoc and their army & encampment style? One of those quirky worlds where everything was linked to some capture-the-g system?


    Meanwhile, Lumoof went down and around, and these giant demons created canyons out of their footsteps. Well, not in a single step, but the texture of the sands and rocks seemed to suggest that the entire canyon was formerly just a t desert, but the weight of these massive demons had essentially carved a path where there was none.


    These demons moved the same path all the time. Lumoof observed. The night was long. Really, really long. The day-night cycle in this demon world was essentially two-full-days long.


    It strangely repulsed me. A primal part of me rejected such an unusual day-night cycle, and it was ufortable, quite like the feeling I got from my clone on the Cometworld shard.


    But why?


    Magic was really, really faint here. The sands and everything absorbed mana, but yet, the demons heart clearly had some demonic mana. Did the rocks release the mana eventually?


    Thebs back home studied it intensely, and then, they tested a small spot by overloading it with mana. The sand exploded, and that explosion released mana. My researchers and Treechikomas quickly suggested that the demons rocks absorbed mana, and through a series of controlled overloading of mana, released the absorbed mana through these explosions.


    But it was a loss. The very nature of the sand drained mana from its surroundings and elerated the decay of magical things.


    Then, we had the very obvious answer. Crushing the sand released small amounts of mana. Essentially, the demons ate the anti-mana rocks for the little bits of mana within them. So, they became the anti-mana demons.


    There was no vegetation whatsoever, and I wondered if it would''ve been really easy for the demons to conquer this world, since there was no resistance.


    The demons continued to walk and walk, and when the sun began to peek out of the horizon, they all stopped. They shook their bodies, and then sat down. They hid their legs, their heads underneath their massive body of the anti-mana rock and sand.


    At that moment, they were very animal-like, and I felt a sense of wonder. These massive creatures were wonders in their own way, even if they were demons. Massive lumbering moving mountains. Its a sight to behold when it wasnt attacking us.


    The demons, as they are now, were just ravenous locusts with extra steps, meant to consume and extract each of their captured worlds to produce more of themselves. Could their nature be altered?


    I remembered that Aiva said they have attempted to destroy the demons, but they still came back. So maybe destroying them was really rather futile. Its like attempting to exterminate cockroaches. Perhaps, was there a way to change their behavior at their source, if its not something that could be destroyed?


    Was there a way to, like, with mosquitos, introduce less hostile variants into their gic code?


    We looked at these hidden giants, and the vast deserts around us, only mildly entuated by some rocky outcrops.


    Lumoof, lets capture one of these massive demons.


    He gulped. He didnt really enjoy mana sickness, and he guessed this one would be almost as bad as the demon king.


    Later. Lets find one of the rift gates. I could sate my curiosityter.


    ***


    During the long day, we noticed that most of the demons just hid in the sand or the dirt. There were some rumblings and shakes here and there, implying that there was some subterranean movement, but for the most part, the hostile, mana-draining sun seemed to be so overwhelming that the demons entered this low-energy mode.


    With the sun above us, the demons frankly didnt bother us, and it was entirely possible for us to walk everywhere uninterrupted. If this was a demon world, it sure wasnt what any of us would have expected.


    Roon and Johann both joined Edna and Lumoof on the sand-demon world, and they moved quickly too. They had more scouting and exploration skills due to their heritage as rangers and archers.


    Johanns birdpanion literally caught fire as it flew in the sky, and then exploded. Lumoof also transformed into the full avatar mode, and I attempted to perform more tests on the sr light that seemed to cover the entire world.


    It took a while, but after a bit more detection and sensing, we noticed that the anti-mana rays of light carried a special kind of particle. It wasnt mana, and it was highly unstable. But it was these particles that gave the rays their anti-mana qualities.


    It was the magical equivalent of super-strong UV rays that significantly increased magical decay.


    Our converted sand-lizard lost mana when it walked, and I felt it dry out as it moved. For my domain holders, their souls generated far higher quantities of mana than they lost, so it wasnt that bad. But weaker creatures would find themselves drained from exposure, so they hid in the soil and sand instead.


    I couldnt quite capture this strange particle, it refused to be confined by my attempts to lock it, and slipped through me easily.


    Its like cosmic rays passing through my body, igniting mana in the process. It gets weakened by obstacles or objects in its path.


    This was extremely fascinating, because I immediately realized there was tremendous weaponization potential for this sort of particle.


    Could we essentially disable heroes and demon kings, with very high quantities of such particles? Or at least, weaken them to a state where we could then capture them and bind them?


    I would love to conduct long studies on the qualities of this particle, especially how it reacted to various types of materials. But experiments are a long process, and I would need to have a semi-permanent cement here.


    Lumoof. Roon spoke through our familiars, routing it through the system. In this world, [message] spells were unusable. It was like trying to send mail through the ocean, without protecting it in ss. The water disintegrated the paper over time. Spotted something. A strange valley.


    There was a valley that was more like a rift in the earth itself. The opening was small, but it went really, really deep.


    The top part of the opening had been battered by the anti-mana rays, and transformed into the same kind of material and sand we see everywhere else. But the lower half actually looked normal. Like... rock?


    No. Water? Like, really deep down?


    Lumoofs body was surrounded by vines, and the vines acted as anchors. The vines and roots emerging from Lumoofs body pierced the cliff walls, and like a massive multi-legged spider, we gradually went downwards.


    The sandyers really quite deep. Roon observed, as my four domain holders regrouped. They stood on wooden tforms created from the wooden roots. We were about fifteen stories deep, when we began to see soil and rock that resembled our own. Theres... nothing here.


    Its likely they just appear at night. Edna said.


    But I dont detect anything. Roonmented. I couldnt sense them either, so it was probably nothing.


    We found the floor, or the bottom of the chasm about eighty stories down. There was water, just a bit, gradually trickling out of the rock. The rock felt wet. Lumoof touched it, and I attempted to extend my senses into the ground.


    Nothing.


    The parasite world felt dry before the demon king left. This was simr.


    Even in the depths, a sense of emptiness, a world parched of what once was.


    Not here.


    ***


    We spread out again, and continued our search. There had to be a rift gate somewhere. What was a demon world without rift gates, and how would they invade us then?


    There had to be a riftgate, because something was creating this pathway through the stars, and why was this pathway not destroyed by their hostile sun? I mean, void mana seemed somewhat resistant to the mana-destroying effects of the sun, but it still decayed faster. Unless the core mana had somehow offset the effects of the particle...


    What if the riftgates are hidden underground and they only appear at night? Edna asked the clearly obvious idea.


    Everyone, of course, clearly looked at Edna with that of course it does look. It made sense, and naturally we all felt a little like idiots. Especially Johann, who looked like hed been absolutely disappointed that he didnt think of nocturnal behaviors.


    But the one with the demon king may not be? Surely it has to be visible? Then again, Ste could open her portals even when shes indoors. Not as if a roof actually made a difference.


    Edna, of course, furrowed her brows. Maybe what we are looking for... is a huge mountain that blocks out the sun, and the demon kings riftgate is hidden under that mountain.


    Its also possible that the demon king just hollowed out the ground and its beneath us.


    If so, its only visible to us at night. If at all.


    ***


    The long night came once more, and the demons emerged from the sands and the dirt. It wasnt hard to defeat them, especially once we realised they were vulnerable to [skills], just resistant to [mana]. It was the equivalent of magic-resistant blobs that took damage from physical attacks.


    We didnt capture any of the demons, and instead, tried to look for the rifts.


    At night, [message] was usable once more. Magical interruptions were essentially driven by the sun. We were looking for the demon king, or the rifts, and at night, Johanns bird could unleash its full strength.


    In fact, it was a lot easier to find than anticipated. All we had to do was follow the line that the gigantic mountain demons took, and follow it to its end.


    It was a long journey that took one full day, amplified by their movement skills, and we found arge hole in the ground, so massive that it was easily four times bigger than the one on the Poisonworld.


    There were no towers here, instead, it was just this massive hole that looked like someone mined all the way into the core. There was also no water, unlike the Parasite-world. It was just a pit that seemed to lead down.


    Wheres the riftgate- oh there. Roon pointed at the edges of the hole, and we noticed that the riftgate was also supersized, and built into the hole, like the rims of a bottle.


    A giant demon king. Lumoofmented. There was literature like this.


    A very physical demon king with high levels of magic resistance. Roon stared at the surroundings. There were demons on the other sides that threw more rock and sand into the pit. These massive demons were like dump trucks, dumping their load of sand, soil and rock into the massive pit.


    Is it feeding the demon king?


    A part of me felt like animal observers, trying to discern demonic behavior from what we see.


    I have no idea. Lumoof said. Roons bird continued to search thends for smaller rift gates, and there were none. Or at least, none that we could see.


    Do you think we should go down there? It was a massive pit, but the edges were still rock, and we could move down there slowly.


    Yes. I said. If we wanted to see what the hell was happening, this had to be our best chance.


    The rest of them gulped, and we slowly made our way down into the biggest pit ever. It was dark, and here, there were no demons. We just had to avoid the sand and rocks that the demons dumped overhead.


    If we fall, magic won''t save us. We felt a strong anti-magic drain in the entire pit, and, as we went further and further down, the team noticed their magical items started to fizzle and make strange sounds.


    Thankfully, my four Valthorns were domain holders, and their domains protected most of their mana from the mana draining effects of the surroundings.


    As we went down, we noticed a ray of light starting to emerge overhead. It has been almost three days.


    The sun is rising.


    The earth rumbled, and we saw something cover the entrance of the pit. It looked like a massive demon, or perhaps, a few massive demons.


    Oh fuck. Roon said, and here, strangely, our voices did not echo. Roon made an actual fire to brighten up the darkness.


    We kept going down, my roots and vines are like the feet of an insect, crawling along the walls of this pit. There was nothing for another one day, and then, we saw a horizontal tunnel, along the vertical pit.


    It was filled with demons.


    There. Lets go in there. Johann pointed, and my roots pierced through the demons in that horizontal tunnel. Its like weve taken a lift down, and then we went sideways.


    There were simr demons, these were smaller lizards, just like the ones on the surface. But how did they get so deep?


    It didnt matter. They died easily to my roots. Thank goodness my roots were technically skill and physical effect. Once we were in that tunnel, we found that it led to more tunnels, and it was abyrinth. Tunnels and tunnels, and we followed them. Here, in the depths, the rocks did not drain mana. The only thing that did were the demons, and here, they were active all day long.


    In these tunnels, far away from that vertical pit, my guys rested. Here, their mana could regenerate normally, and it seemed, mana, attracted demons.


    The demons were drawn to mana, like ants drawn to sugar. They were ravenous.


    Hungry.


    And we killed them.


    We explored these horizontal tunnels somemore, and soon found arge cavern with something weve always been wondering about. Rift gate. A normal sized rift gate, exactly the same model.


    Subterranean rift gates. Interesting. Shouldve seen iting when my own rift gates are in the Valley of the Unrotten, hidden from view.


    We moved to capture it, and cleared the ce of demons. Those guarding the rift gates didnt pose much of a challenge, and my aura meant they were mostly frozen in ce. Lumoof briefly entered avatar state, and created a few subsidiary trees around the rift gates. Then, I activated the star mana variant of my [Vine Ropeway Network], and shoved the rift gates back home.


    Alright, thats one. Bet theres more. Roonmented.


    The group explored the tunnels for days, and found one more. We also captured the rift gates and the nearby daemolite, and then sent them back home. This part of the tunnel now fully explored, the team went back down the pits.


    ***


    We went deeper, and the journey down took even more days. It was also getting really hot as we approached the core, and the magical forces in our surrounding got even more wild. It wasnt difficult to deal with the heat, since I had the ability to adapt to all kinds of environments, so I protected the domain holders in a sphere of wood. As these woods were linked to me via Lumoof, like a small enclosed space.


    Essentially, they rode a wooden pumpkin wagon going down a deep hole. Sadly, its not Alice in wondend or Cindere, because down there was probably a monster. There was magic here, but it struggled and fought an extremely strong draining force.


    About fifteen days in, the core was not moltenva, and instead, was a driedttice of what appeared to be volcanic rock, and the heat had mostly stabilised. In fact, that strong draining force seemed to be keeping things cool.


    The walls had now transformed into what was probably a really intricatetticework of rocks, and as my vines touched these rocks, I could tell there was once a really strong magic in these rocks.


    They were a little like the core shard I got from the Cometworld.


    We kept going. This deep, there were no demons. Nothing.


    And we began to feel a really strong pulse.


    The anti-mana energies pulsed periodically, and it red outwards in a rhythm.


    We didnt see the sand or rock that was poured overhead. Roonmented.


    Maybe the anti-mana draining effects transformed them into something else.


    Indeed. So deep down, everything was just these driedttice-like ck rocks. There was once a flowing thing here, maybe centuries ago.


    It took a total of almost a month, and it actually became really cold. All heat was sucked out of the air, and it would be impossible to breathe outside. There was no ice, no water, and as we reached the massive core cavity.


    The entire core of the had beenrgely hollowed out. There were still some massive rock pirs simr to the driedttice-like rocks. Filling up the gaps was this structure resembling a reallyplicated web of flesh and demonic spire-like structures.


    They all radiated a small, faint pulse.


    The structure was demonic for sure, filled with streaks of demonic energy that was familiar. Yet, at this point, we both sensed it. There were two forces here, both simr to a demon king, and yet different.


    One of the structures itself, here, up close, it radiated a really strong corrupting energy, quite like the effects of the Rottends, and a [Forest Rod]. The structure was like awork and web that spread out.


    The structure around that cocoon is something... We began to look around, and then we saw an area where there was a veryrge mass of demonic flesh. It was arge lizard-like creature, but many parts had been hollowed out. That part of its body was wrapped around arge rocky structure that had an extremely faint energy.


    A demon king, or, it was a demon king. The first source of the demon energy, and this demonic energy was throughout the structure that covered this hollowed out core. It wasnt hard to put our observations together and conclude that our earlier theory was mostly correct.


    Damn to think there really is a demon king in the core. Edna vented. Its possessing the world?


    It is. Lumoof nodded. So that huge its holding must be the core of this world. Or whats left of it.


    The demon king itself was just a massive [Forest Rod], meant to capture worlds and control it, such that it transforms into a demon world. The win condition for the demon kings isnt just defeating the heroes. Its also to reach the core, and then possess it.


    With the core, I suspect they would gain system-rights to the world, and that allowed them to spawn demons instead of the usual monsters. There should be something simr that lives within the core of the parasite world, and we should reach it.


    Its the equivalent of a hacker getting ess to the mainframe and then reconfiguring it for its own purpose. Or capturing a mine and using its resources to support its own war effort.


    That second source of demonic energy was arge cocoon. A nascent demon king. It was coiled up, and it was a gigantic lizard or wurm of some kind.


    It was massive, and was the singlergest object Ive ever seen. It was the size of an entire mountain, and would blot out entire cities with any single one of its legs.


    My first suspicion was mostly confirmed. Demon kings were made out of the energies gathered from the core of the world. If so, that exined the drained feeling, and why that recovered slightly post demon king. But, if there was a demon king still in the core, continuing to possess it, it also meant the parasite-world would never fully recover. Once it reached a certain threshold it would start producing another demon king.


    How the fuck were the heroes supposed to fight this? Roon said. Without magic!


    Hack it repeatedly. Edna answered. There should be a core somewhere.


    Lumoof looked at the rest. Aeon?


    A demon king, still in its earthly womb, without its will. If it is a machine, is this a mecha without its pilot? A body without a soul? Could I hijack it? I felt all sorts of torment, but would I ever have an opportunity like this ever again? What do I lose, and what can I learn from this?


    Frankly, a lot.


    But what do I do with the demon king around the core? Should I attempt to destroy that, and free the core?


    Or do I attempt to control the growing demon king, and use it to destroy the structure?


    Lumoof. Take my seed out, and throw it into the cocoon.


    In any case, all Im sacrificing is just a seed.

 Moat of Trees

    Moat of Trees


    <b>Year 206 (continued, Part 4)</b>


    I had questions. If the demon king possessed the core, then why did the parasite world spawn normal monsters and animals once we reimed some of thend and popted them with trees? How did this system mechanic work? Did the demon king''s hold on the world fluctuate? Things that were spection now, but as I looked at the demon king and its


    Aeon, whats our n? Lumoof asked. I mean... what if that thing attacks us? Wait. Let me rify that. Im actually quite sure it will attack us.


    Teleport out if it gets really bad. Ill get you guys out if anything goes south.


    At that same time, I got Patreeck to make the necessary preparations, and the entire Central Continent hummed with activity. We added additional artificial minds, and made sure that all the mana batteries were fully charged. I remembered that time when the demon king attempted to possess me, and I somehow used that kind of soul st, and I wanted to see if I could repeat it.


    I wanted to see if I could weaponise that sort of defensive mechanism with my clone seed by using it against the demon kings body, and then, forcing the gestating demon king to a battle-of-wills. The odds were low, generally speaking, and I had very little to lose. Not with this kind of encounter.


    If I lose the close seed, I lost time. If I seeded, I would definitely level. If its somewhere in the middle, that was still a sess.


    Looking at the clock, we didnt have much time left, as in a few years this demon king would be headed to our world. If I intercepted it before that happened, I also wanted to know if I could mess up the entire sequence of events by triggering an event before it was meant to happen. In a way, I essentially wanted to cause the process behind the demonic invasions to either fail or encounter some kind of jam.


    Best case scenario, we sessfully stopped the demon king from invading our world forever. Worst, well, the demon king somehow takes over my clone, and also somehow, through that system, it could take over my body.


    I think thats unlikely. I could also cut off my connection with my clones if needed. Its also possible that handling a demon king could somehow send me into aa. But I felt it wont actually happen. With my domain now, its very unlikely I would get aa.


    Aeon, I think were more concerned with what happens if you go through a long sleep. Lumoof answered frankly. We believe you would survive, but if you were to be weakened for long periods, our central continent would suffer from it.


    There are the four of you, and the entirety of the Valtrian Order. If the Valtrian Order cannot survive without me sleeping for certain periods of time, then Ive clearly not done enough to nurture the strength of the order.


    There was never a good time to cut the umbilical cord, and I suppose I would have to watch the institutions weather their test. In history, that first transition of power from a founder to its sessor institutions was critical. Would it be good enough?


    I looked at the demon king, it grew slowly, and the unstable energies of the world.


    There were some interrupted voices in the energies in the air. Whispers, broken and shredded by the harsh powers of the demons.


    Lets just freaking do it. I dered, and everyone braced. Lumoof entered full avatar mode, and I felt the violent magic of the depths batter our body. Its a sensation quite simr to opening the windows when moving at high speed.


    I wrapped my seed in a multyered massive wooden spear, and attached it to a vine just as thick for control. Then, I thrust the spear towards the demon king, through the demons tendrils and the gaps in the shell.


    Through the vines and the spear I could feel the biting cold outside, and also felt the environment draining mana from the spear.


    Theyers of wood crumbled and withered away, like the peels of an onion, swept away by the strong magical current of the core and the demons.


    We pushed on. The strength of that magical wave was manageable, this was inferior to a demon king. A sign that it was not fully formed. Perhaps the true will of the demon kingy within that ck mass we saw earlier.


    No matter, I would investigate thisyer. If I could capture the shell of a demon king, that was sufficient.


    The unfocused wave of energy from the demons suddenly tried to concentrate on my wooden spear. It gathered clumsily, and attempted to resist and push back against my spear. Yet it was clearly not designed to do so. My focused strike pierced through theyers of demonic energy, even if each step forward seemed to just eat away at theyers of my spear.


    Eventually, the spear smashed into the cocoon of the iplete demon king. It was a rtively slow smash, like trying to punch underwater, but the spear still rattled the cocoon momentarily, and then I was hit with a wave of demonic energy again, rousing from within the cocoon. We persisted, and the entire cocoon rumbled.


    Awoken by the sudden rumbling, the mass of demonic flesh, spires and tentacles that surrounded the cocoon started to move.


    Aeon? Lumoof asked, shaken by the kind of power flowing through his flesh.


    The core continued to shake violently, and some of the magical energies in the core became even more pronounced. Some of the driedttice of rocks started to glow. The demonic flesh, or the host/mother demon moved towards us.


    We have been spotted. Ednamented, as everyone quickly equipped themselves forbat.


    This felt like one of those battles in games, in a glowing cavern in the depths of the, facing off against the demon king to decide the fate of the world.


    Thettice of dried, crystallised rocks around us glowed and pulsed in a rhythm that seemed somehow linked to the energies released by my spear of wood. The spear pushed further into the cocoon of the iplete demon king, and each movement seemed to release magical energies into our surroundings.


    The flesh that formed the tentacles and spires around the cocoon moved, crawled and agglomerated, like a mass of nanomachines reforming into a greater,rger whole. This mass of demonic flesh now began to look more like a giant lizard, and once itrgely took shape, it immediately spat acid.


    The acid smashed into one of Ednas hastily conjured magical shields. The acid vaporised the shield almost instantly.


    No magic! Roon reminded, as he switched to a loadout of anti-demonic spears. Hundreds of spears appeared from his pocket. Those spears all flew and stabbed the mother-demon-lizard through its body. But this creature wasrge, and it was like trying to kill and whale with harpoons. It moved towards us, as Roon activated some kind of charged spear ability. One of the spears glowed, not with magic, but with his skill. The small spear smashed into the sides of the giant-mother lizard.


    It visibly caused the giant-mother-lizard-demon-king to stagger.


    At that moment, the entire world around us shook.


    Yet it didnt do much damage.


    Aeon. Can we teleport the star-mana bomb here? Johann suggested.


    Wait. That was a good idea too, but I wanted to try using my seed and reach the demon king. Star mana was a bad thing to expose the demons to. If the core was in this iplete demon king, then this could be the best time to get it.


    I felt more of the iplete energies of the demon king through the spear that now was halfway into the cocoon. It was an odd mix of core mana and demonic mana. Its on top of the strange powers that twisted this entire area, almost like a skill. It even felt like it was a sh of wills, as I felt something like a soul attempting to exert its way on the world, and my seed pushing my own will into this space.


    The mother-lizard roared, and the core shook violently. The rocks started to fall towards us, and we werent sure why. The gravity here was unusual, almost entirely driven by some kind of unknown magic. The chamber shook violently, and some parts around us started to copse.


    We were pulled towards the cocoon, essentially, and yet these rocks flew towards us. Lumoof attempted to support the cavern from copsing, as we extended my vines and roots against the copsing walls of the cavern.


    Is it trying to crush us? Lumoof mentally said. But wouldnt that destroy the demon king too?


    It probably has a way not to get crushed. I injected the iplete demon king with my mana, and it felt like I was throwing mana into the void.


    Yet, that very action triggered the giant mother-lizard. The mother demon king charged at us, somehow walking quickly on the surface of the giant cocoon of the iplete demon king. It looked like it wanted to smash us into the walls of the chamber. My vines and roots expanded outward from Lumoof, and I attempted to use my vines to hold it back by forming arge web and wall of roots and vines. It wasnt of much use, since it was sorge.


    It was the equivalent of trying to hold back a raging bull with cloth. It merely slowed it down and made it even more angry. It smashed through the wall of roots and vines.


    It bought enough time for us to reposition ourselves as the massive lizard smashed into the walls of the chamber, creating a new open area.


    My clone seed was already inside the cocoon, but it had not reached the body of the iplete demon king. A bit further.


    Large columns of rock fell down, again, they felt like they were pulled and manipted by the mother-demons abilities. Did that mother-demon have gravity power of some sort, as it once again bulldozed through Ednas shields. Roon and Johann attempted to dodge where they could, but they were clearly not suited to fighting in this environment, even if it was possible to manipte the giant lizard demon to destroy and widen the area for us.


    This was the kind of battlefield that demanded the tank and barbarian types. Big, raw, Hercules-type physical force, and invulnerability.


    In any case, Edna and Lumoof tried to hold back the mother lizard, while a part of me pushed towards the iplete demon king. I kept pumping mana into the cocoon, and at the same time, attempted to push my will into it.


    In short, I was trying to first change and convert the area where my mana first touched. Maybe capture the cocoon itself, if I couldnt get to the body.


    As this happened, I felt things smash into my mind.


    Or, more urately, smash into the helmet around my mind. It still shook me a little, but it didnt get through.


    Raw anger and hunger.


    A craving. To consume and to create more, for further consumption. It came from the cocoon, it came from the iplete demon king.


    <i>Feed.</i>


    Through my spear of wood, I had attempted to overwhelm the demon king with my mana.


    Now, after Ive pumped so much mana into the demon king, I realised that-


    I was a fool.


    I had overestimated myself, and now I realised how hungry the demon king was. I was pouring salt into an olympic sized swimming pool. Not the ocean, because its not that vast, but it was bigger than me. It had desired mana, a whole lot more than I have to give.


    A demon king was formed from the mana of a world, formed from anti-mana and mana-draining materials, and I was deluded enough to try overwhelming it myself.


    It was a bad matchup and I was outmatched. This thing could eat all of my mana and some. I knew then that even my clone seed would not do much, and now I suddenly didnt have much confidence against the residual . So I pulled my clone seed back to Treehome.


    The rocks around us glowed, and it began to get warmer. I sent Edna back next through the teleport ability of the [Court of the Deitree].


    It was just Lumoof left, and we looked around. I detonated my spear within the cocoon, and as expected, it didnt do much damage.


    The bomb. Lumoof reminded me, and I had it ready. But then, I saw the core of the world, it had shrunk much smaller than it was once. It was probably a lotrger a long, long time ago.


    No. The core. I couldnt capture the demon king, but the core was there. It was still a veryrge thing, but maybe I could just take a chunk. Or maybe this was just a portion. I wasnt sure, so, rather than attempt to fight the demon king and failing, getting a core, or a sufficientlyrge chunk was still helpful for my purposes.


    Lumoof moved towards the core, as the mother demon chased after us. That was fine, because once Lumoof crashnded next to what looked to be the core, my vines exploded outwards, and wrapped the core. What I could, at least.


    Lumoof entered Avatar once more, and I sent a fragment of the core home. I couldnt send all of it. It was toorge, and I didnt have that much mana left.


    The mother demon charged towards us, and a wall of vines merely dyed it briefly. I knew this was a pointless fight and so pulled Lumoof home through my [Court of the Deitree], just as I did with Edna, Roon and Johann.


    ***


    Lumoofnded back in the valley, surrounded by a battalion of aids and helpers. That didnt go well.


    But we had a core. Or a fragment of it. We took a chunk the size of a small house out of that entire thing, and I learned how high the mountain was. In many ways, I gained from that exchange.


    Lumoof copsed as his body finally gave in to the exhaustion. Edna, Roon and Johann were already back in a bib pod for immediate treatment. They were just mildl injured, but the magical exhaustion really kicked them. The constant state of alertness since we went into that pit was exhausting mentally, even if we rotated rest times.


    First, I sent the core into ab. It was sorge that I needed to get one of the biggerbs to look at it, and I immediately felt two presence within. There was also a strong demonic presence within the fragment, one that I felt fighting with the small, tiny presence within.


    I decided to quickly drain the demonic energies out, and this was rtively easier, because it was no longer connected to the demon king. Once the chunk was cleaned of demonic energies, I could feel the other presence within stabilise.


    It was rousing, and I felt a bit of something gathering within, something that felt like fragments of a will. Its scattered, and then, I began sensing a small buildup of core mana within the house-sized fragment.


    Perhaps I only got a chunk of it, so that presence was only a fragment?


    Still, the core mana was clearly, clearly there. Its not much, but better something than nothing.


    ***


    What have we learned? The visit to the depths hadnt been entirely fruitless. We now know that there is a demon king in every core, and thats their win condition. They must capture the core in some way or form, perfectly or imperfectly.


    That exined the gap of time where they defeated the defenders, but yet the world didnt immediately copse. Heroes were, as the gods put it, medicine to stop the viruses. But in the absence of the medicine, the virus didnt immediately win. They have to control the body in order to win.


    With this knowledge, could we prevent a world from ever losing?


    Not by defeating the demon king, but by making a world uncapturable. For example, if the core of the was suddenly moved elsewhere, or perhaps located behind some kind of magical portal such that the demon king could not reach it?


    Thinking back to my Will of the World, essentially if I was one with the, did that mean the World cannot be captured as long as I lived?


    On arger scale, if we could somehow protect each core from falling to the demon kings, could we, by building a wall of uncapturable worlds, eventually block off the demons?


    A kind of moat strategy on arger scale.


    Because if they could not capture worlds, they would not be able to continue producing demon kings, and the demon kings on that are stuck there. We could eventually drive them to extinction by cutting off the demon kings ability to reproduce.


    Thats a very lofty strategy, when we didnt even know how to do it... Roonmented when he recovered.


    I knew that Will of the Worlds narration that I could fuse with a world, meant it must be possible to protect a world from the demon kings. At least it wasnt a question whether it was a possibility, more of a question of technical capability.


    Aeons ns really seem to get more and more wild with each visit to the demon worlds. My rangermented.


    I suppose when you travel worlds, it is quite an eye-opening and mind-broadening experience.


    I thought back to the nature of the demon king, being made of demonic mana, void mana and core mana.


    What if there was a way to fuse star mana and core mana, or inject the core with vast quantities of star mana. Essentially, exploit the reaction of void mana to star mana during the capturing process. This would essentially create a stored defensive mechanism within the core? At least, sufficient to prevent one capture?


    How does core mana and star mana interact?


    I dont think we should experiment on our world with that. What if we blow up the?


    Also! Its like saying the Core has a mind that could store star mana and use it as a defensive item.


    The core does have a will. The shard of the Cometworld told me that. Of course, I would ask the core of the world before actually conducting such experiments. Its only logical.


    Alka was amused by the idea, naturally. Storing a star mana bomb in the core was his immediate suggestion. Nuke the demon king from within. No, more appropriately, make the core of the world a minefield of star-mana bombs, that would trigger once the demon king came. Ste was fairly horrified at the thought of experimenting onary cores,menting that such things rarely go well.


    I was actually fascinated by the idea. It made sense. Making the core a minefield of star mana bombs was a pragmatic solution, because only the demon king woulde here. There was no risk of idental triggers since no one went there but the demon, and if the demon king reached the core, it meant the surface was mostly lost anyway, so letting the core have bombs as a failsafe was a good one.

 A Greenhouse For the Tree

    A Greenhouse For the Tree


    <b>Year 207</b>


    The heroes were strangely relieved that they didnt need to go to another world. I suppose the idea of fighting the demon king in the core of the really felt like a scene right from a Japanese RPG game.


    Its ironic that this world really takes so much from the games that we loved so much. It really makes me wonder whether Im just in aa somewhere and this is me lucid dreaming.


    Or maybe its the reverse, that all our creativity are residual memories, creations from what weve seen in some reincarnated past life? Thats also a rather strange turn of events.


    Anyway, we briefed the heroes on the expected nature of the uing demon king, and everyone quickly started making preparations. If it was an anti-magic demon king, both Colette and Prabu had to prepare for it.


    Everyone expected a counter of some kind. They just didnt think it was going to be a massive anti-magic lizard, essentially a strong counter to both Colette and Prabu, and the whole host of star mana weapons.


    They decided to forge new weapons, of course. Imbued with heroic abilities and skills, instead of magic or spells. Items with some level of protection from the effects of mana drain, again, tested against the sand that we collected.


    It was hard to make it work, and it took them months of testing. The hero forges were literally creations of star mana, though they could use actual materials to give more substance and permanence to the output. Yet, real materials meant the products were not as strong as those made of star mana. After all, how could mundane items hope to rival the power of the stars?


    But as they tinkered more and more, they soon gained a deeper understanding of the hero forges, and soon, came with a request.


    We need more of those anti-mana sands. Colette said as she showed us a small ssy weapon made of the sand. We managed to use the [hero forge] to make a weapon out of their anti-mana sand, and its significantly more resistant to the effects of mana drain, since, well, the sand itself is so good at draining mana, it was also good at stopping mana from leaking out. We could make weapons out of these anti-mana sands, and this would hold up.


    The pathway through the stars was still there, though we noticed the pathway itself seemed... wobbly and uncertain.


    We didnt bring that much sand back, but it certainly was possible to make ss out of that sand, if there were sufficient quantities of it. We didnt know how much sand we needed, but the idea of mining this sandy for the anti-mana sands was really appealing. There could be a lot of uses for such a weapon, and if sufficiently widespread, it could equalise the inherent advantages of magic.


    Actually, with sufficient quantities of this sand, it may even be possible to somewhat mimic earth-like, magicless situations.


    In fact, once this demon king was over, I would probably lose ess to all this anti-mana sand, unless I ced my clone on this world.


    Lumoof, of course, had to be sent back to the Sandworld. For sand. I wondered whether this was the first actual instance of dimensional mining operations.


    Well, at least it still looks the same. Lumoof went alone, as Ste attempted to keep the riftgates open. It didnt work that well with the battering of the Sandworlds harsh anti-magic rays.


    Lumoof activated a few storage bags, and then... they exploded. They couldnt store the anti-magic sand which interfered with the storage bags itself.


    Ooops. Lumoofughed. Looks like well have to send it back the teleportation way.


    Which meant Lumoof actually tookrge bags made of hemp and cloth, and filled them with sand. In avatar mode, Lumoof functioned as the conduit for teleportation to my main tree, through my [tree of life]. Essentially, he was another clone in avatar mode.


    Sand. It drained more mana than usual to send the anti-mana sand back, but we needed more. We took advantage of the day to eventually send back a small hill of anti-mana sand, piled up in one corner of the Valley.


    As I noticed the presence of this anti-mana sand, I also wondered whether it had potential anti-demon uses, since it was also effective against demonic mana.


    Could we use the anti-mana sand to clear corrupted ces, and remove the demonic energies from Rottends-type terrain?


    If so, these anti-mana sand could be immensely valuable to restore terrain and clean thend from demonic corruption.


    Ken, my resident armchair critic, was quick to point out that Ive had the Space-Grand-Strategy equivalent of a unique resource that gave the faction ess to unique units or research. That, of course, tickled my funny-branch. That made sense.


    Who wouldve thought anti-mana sand was a strategic resource, anyway?


    Lumoof, youll be doing mining. A whole lot of them.


    Im a priest, Aeon. Not a sand-collector. Lumoof protested, mostly as a joke. I have sand in every part of my body!


    Then youre doing it right! Youll have to be my sand-collecting priest for this month.


    The anti-mana sand, strangely enough, did not cause any unusual reactions with my [secret hideout]. My spatial skill, which didnt use mana, or at least, didnt use it directly, could store this anti-mana sand without much risk, and after all my levels, my [secret hideout] could be expanded quite a bit.


    The heroes took their share, a small truckload, to begin experimenting withrger weapons. At the same time, I also gave a small batch to my cksmiths, jewellers and crafters to attempt their own experiments.


    Alka too, used the anti mana sand for his own experiments, mainly to figure out how to make the bombs react exactly the way he wanted. Within weeks he made some very good discoveries. With the anti-magic qualities, the sand essentially functioned as negative gates, and in small quantities, it could be used to create morepact runic patterns, and prevent unnecessary magical interference between unrted but nearby formations. In short, the sand could be molded into magical walls between spells.


    Given the value of these sands, Im thinking Aeon should totally deploy a clone tree on this world. Alka stated. This sand could herald a new era of superpact magical weaponry! We may even attempt theputers that the heroes speak of!


    Valid, but I had my reservations.


    The parasite worlds useless. We should abandon it for this. Alka stated.


    Again, I also had reservations. Surely there are resources there, just like the sand, that we have only not discovered.


    If I had to, I would probably abandon either the Cometworld, or the Moon. Most probably the moon because of how easy it is to get to it, again.


    Still, this was something I had to think about, so for now, we mined sand. A lot of them.


    ***


    The heroes made anti-magic staff and weapons, and Chung made arrows out of them. Chung and Hafiz both had a bnce of spells and skills, as archer and knight-type heroes respectively, so transitioning from ss weaponry wasnt too much of a challenge. The weapons were strong, after all they were made through [hero forge], and so were just naturally overpowered weapons.


    They made a set for me, and a few extra sets for the future heroes. Just in case.


    On this front, I thought of Kens League of heroes idea, and perhaps we could start with trade. Trade of hero items between heroes of different worlds.


    ***


    I gave some to Lilies, just mainly to share the anti-magic sand. They were fascinated with it, and immediately wondered whether it could be used with that anti-divine material we had.


    ckstar Gems. The coal-like material that exploded when exposed to star mana, in a way, quite like void mana. When we ced the two types of materials together, nothing happened. From what I recall, the ckstar gems itself didnt do much other than resist the effects of the gods, which remains untested even till today.


    Our attempts to work with the two together didnt get anywhere, but perhaps its just a matter of discovering the right process.


    They were not so amused when I shared what we saw on the sandworld. In fact, Lilies responded with a revulsion. Something about a world filled with so much sand, that was so lifeless throughout that seemed to really disgust them.


    Or maybe theseke-nts just dont like waterless deserts.


    Reefys search for the deepest trenches were filled with fights, and Reefy didnt say much. All he said was he needed more time, since the trenches were filled with monsters. He seemed fairly amused by the anti-magic sand, but didnt think much into it.


    The images Reefy shared were quite brutal, mostly of heavy fighting and ughter. The depths were home to violent eels and weird fish-creatures and they fought Reefys attempts to explore them. He didnt seem disturbed by it, instead, Reefy merely remarked that he just needed more time.


    Reefy also showed me some special coral weapons that he made, inspired by what Ive made on the surface.


    He had control and ability to directly breed fishes and fish-creatures, quite simr to how I created my beetles, and these fishes could travel long distances.


    I was really curious how he maintained control and vision of them even at such distances, but Reefy didnt have an exnation. It was just what it is, and Reefy didnt think much of it.


    ***


    We should probably warn the Mountainworld heroes about the Sabnoc-type demon king. It might blow up and flood the world with demonic corruption again. Lumoof pointed out one day during one of the monthly council meetings. It didnt feel very good that I was pointing out the problems and also giving the solutions. I felt like one of those business consultants that pointed out a future issue and told their prospective customers to pay up.


    You do know we look like swindlers when we tell them stuff like that, and we offer the solution too? I mean, we do have a pile of anti-mana sand, and conveniently, theres a future demonic corruption crisis to solve. It really looked like Im hacking, or even masterminding this shit. It would be even worse if the explosion didnt happen.


    Ste, of course, sat and then mused. Maybe theyve already fought the demon king and the explosion already happened.


    Oh shit. Then theyll need our help. Lumoof said. I mean, Aeons help.


    Its a good chance to test out the anti-magic sand, whether it worked as hypothesized. Alka responded.


    But what could they do, if a Sabnoc-style explosion created another Rottends? Theres practically no defense against such a weapon. Not on a continental scale anyway, unless they somehow managed to lock the bomb or confine the bomb in a limited area.


    I thought back to the earlier fight against the demon king, and recalled that its possible to defuse or weaken the demonic corruption bomb by draining its mana. But thats something Id have to do.


    We have an invasion on our hands? Roon diverted the topic. I think were all still busy making weapons.


    Lumoof looked at Ste. I think we can manage a short visit?


    ***


    Also, we began to have some data from the first generation of the augmented supersoldiers. The first generational child of the Treefolks and Lizardfolk were reaching the age that they began to have some shape to their souls, and the results were mixed.


    Different types of inherited skills caused the first generations children to disy some odd qualities. Like enhanced strength meant they spent less time in their spawning pods because their strengths caused them to tear through the pods.


    I suppose even with generational skills, the host or breeding facility must be able to endure the super-kids. The kids generally inherited the skills, but they were in a weakened form, which I suspect was due to their age. Once they matured the skill would be its full form.


    There were a bunch of treefolks and lizards that inherited one of the harvested [void mage] skills to naturally have [void mana], and those didnt work well. It caused the baby lizards and treefolks to look weak and fragile, and they had to be on life support.


    So, its not as if every skill can be injected, skills needed to bepatible with the child, or it would cause problems.


    The researchers and caretakers also squabbled frequently over the conditions they faced. The caretakers were selected from those who used to support the Valthorns and their children. The unusual abilities these children had all needed special care and attention, but the researchers also wanted data, so the two frequently bickered. Right now, there were already 3rd and even 4th generation Valthorns, since its been almost one hundred years since I re-emerged from the Rottends.


    ***


    The Mountainworld was still the same, and when Lumoof returned, we were not greeted with fighting. That was a good sign. The first vige we met looked rtively normal, still quite militarised, but everyone looked rxed.


    A bit of casual, alcohol fueled conversationter, the heroes have been busy fighting demon champions. After they were captured by the demon king, the rumors seemed to say they were afraid of the demon king, so didnt dare to make the final assault. Not something they said out loud, but it wasnt difficult to coax it out of drunkards.


    It was quite obvious in hindsight that being possessed and captured for so long would be a traumatic thing for the heroes, but, I wouldve thought the gods mind control would circumvent those fears and drive them towards the demon king.


    Or maybe, as long as the heroes were still fighting demons, and not actively avoiding demons altogether...


    I remember Kei saying that they hear voices in their head. Lumoof said. Then again, Im not sure whether these gods apply the same kind of mind control or mental suggestions as those of our world. Its not exactly the same set of gods, even if there could be some ovep.


    Still, the presence of the heroes significantly tipped the scales, as the heroes could take on demon champions easily as they leveled.


    It didnt take particrly long for us to eventually return to the seat of the council of kings, and find them in a significantly better mood. There was a return of the arts and entertainment, and the shops looked like theyve had a renaissance of sorts.


    Wee back, your excellency. Lumoofs presence was initially undetected, but eventually someone saw him and ratted him out. One of the lizardpeople councillors came to greet him. On behalf of the council of kings, we once again wee the savior of our heroes.


    It was almost public knowledge that there was some otherworldly help, by now. Our presence in this world was not a secret, and since the kings knew about it, almost everyone else soon learned of the other worlds.


    Some formalitiester, a meeting was arranged with the kings, the heroes and arge group of advisors, where Lumoof then shared our experience with Sabnoc, and the post-Sabnoc destruction.


    There were only a few differences so far, so its likely that this demon king was a simr variant as Sabnoc.


    The two heroes, now in better shape, even if they were still affected by their trauma, quickly asked whether we would be able to send heroes here. We rejected it, using the void mana as an excuse.


    Still, there were some things that could be done with the knowledge.


    One. There may be heroes where their souls have been captured by the demons


    Two. They started evacuation of the area near to the demon king, based on an estimate of how much area was lost to the demonic corruption. They, of course, didnt say the knowledge came from another world, but from the gods themselves. The temples didnt like it, but thanks to the decade-long war, the Kings were more powerful than the temples, and so used their powers to make those who lived too near move away. There wasnt much to evacuate, either, since thanks to the long war, vast areas were already a mini-Rottends


    Thirdly, the heroes also made preparations, equipped with the knowledge of the tricks Sabnoc used. Its like ying with a walkthrough, and after discussing how someone else had already cleared the game.


    As it is, theyve reached a somewhatfortable status quo, where they are just hunting the champions for level.


    We didnt say it out loud. I didnt want to trigger the gods mental controls.


    There was something we wanted to know. What triggered the demon kings win condition? When did they go for the core? Why was the demon king still stationery when the heroes were already free?


    We can hear it. Its calling us to it. The two heroes said. Were pretty sure it even sees us.


    We know.


    But Im afraid. The two heroes were visibly shaking as the boy started to share his fears. After that first time, Im not sure if I could face it again. I know I have to. But...


    I thought I felt divine energies in the air as the heroes let out their worries in a meeting room.


    We have to. Darn. Triggered it anyway. Can you help us?


    We have a demon king of our own to fight. We have four years left, and the next demon king, now that Ive seen it, worries me immensely.


    After the meeting, Lumoof suggested that perhaps we could help. The levels would help us against the demon king, since we could get new skills.


    It was something worth thinking about.

 Loggerheads

    Loggerheads


    <b>Year 208</b>


    After watching the heroes show off their new weapons, we tried to make our own ss weapons, and we found the best way was to actually make them the non-magical way. Magical fires interfered with the anti-magical qualities, and conventional fires didnt. Or at least, mana-powered fires were weakened by the antimagic sand and just made it harder to actually work with them. That didnt stop my craftsmen from trying, and the end result from our first few sessful attempts were quite simr to obsidian, and these ss weapons felt very much like ss cannons, that they shattered after a few uses.


    Our own tests suggested that they were extremely effective against creatures with high amounts of mana, thanks to the mana drain effects, and they also seemed to trigger some kind of nausea if one wasnt able to handle the effects of the drain on the body and senses, when we tested them lightly on our own folks.


    The spears also caused the mana with a person or creature to be more unstable, again, any one with levels should be able to suppress and control their mana, but if not controlled it could cause the mana tobust.


    I suspect this mana-ignition quality to these anti-magic sand and the antimagic sr rays were the cause of my treechikomasbusting into mes. They had little mana regtion or suppression ability, and as such, once the mana in them went crazy, they couldnt stop it.


    These weapons also didnt like magical storage, so they worked against things like bags of holding. Still, Roons super range meant he could still exploit it, and I could still move these things with my portals. They even interfered with certain kinds of teleportation, though not portals. Magic could be applied around them, but not through them without significant force.


    It really was fascinating to work with these kinds of unique resources and I wondered what was unique to each of these worlds. Surely, even a world like Treehome must have something unique that wasnt found on the other worlds?


    So far, I dont have much idea of what truly was unique between my world versus the Mountainworld or the Threeworld. Not without significant trade and knowledge exchange.


    I alsomanded my assistants and artificial minds to search the parasite world, though we didnt find anything so far, and we even tested the waters too.


    I wondered whether it was something like tier or epoch unlocks. Like how in Civilizations, wed have to acquire the necessary research and technology knowledge before we were able to locate natural resources like Oil or Uranium.


    If so, maybe Im just too low on the tech-tree. I cant see whats really unique to our worlds until I get the right skills.


    ***


    We had about three years left before the demon king woulde to our world, and our preparations to face the anti-magic demon king were in full swing.


    So, Lumoof then brought up the topic of the otherworldly heroes, shared their trauma and also their appeal for help.


    We should help them. The heroes themselves volunteered for it. Prabu and Colette were keen to assist once we shared the circumstances of the other world. Ken, of course, realised this tied into his idea for a League of Heroes.


    That involves a deployment of Aeons seed on that world. Something were still considering as its Aeonsst one. Unless I gain more seeds in the future, but with levels so scarce, it is something to be considered a bit more strategically.


    But honestly, there really were really just two types of choices. One, against the demon king, and two, here, on the Mountainworld or the Threeworlds. After my failed attempt on the demon king on the Antimagic world, I was quite open to the idea of a clone here.


    From what we know so far, each world gets invaded by one demon world at a time, correct? So, each world in itself represents an opportunity to explore one more demon world. More demon kings to fight, which is the only good source of high level experience as it is. Ken spoke up for the idea.


    But we have three years left before this world gets invaded-


    Which shouldnt matter. Reality is, we need to be stronger if the demon king from this anti-magic world is as strong as Aeon described. We need to participate in the fight against this demon king, which we can fight on our own terms because its there, stagnant and waiting. Its abilities are alsorgely known, due to Aeons own past experience with a simr demon king. On top of that, it is stationary, which means theres a whole list of abilities that Aeon and the rest of us can abuse.


    I thought back to Harris and gang, and even before that, of Me and Alexis. I remembered they had long range weaponry and spells.


    Edna thought over it, and concurred with Ken. In truth, were only risking the heroes. The domain holders will survive this, and we will gain levels. If we can minimise the risk to our four heroes, that would make this exercise a gain. This was simply because cannot be added to my pantheon, and they also could not receive my Court of the Deitree. They could only get normal familiars.


    If we make sufficient emergency teleportation devices, we could avoid most of the risk from a sudden detonation.


    The main cause of death for past heroes was actually the post-death detonation, and that was something they needed to prepare for, so, with a few redundant countermeasures, Roon and Johann eventually relented. They were not keen on assisting at first, but Kens focus on gaining levels did outweigh the risks, especially with the right countermeasures.


    After I heard both sides, I too eventually epted that supporting the heroes was a good idea. The levels we could gain would help, and there was no reason to stop it.


    We also had to consider the risks of defeating the demon king, because Sabnoc did nuke almost a quarter to a third of a continent to death. Aeon, you are much stronger nowpared to the time when you faced Sabnoc. Do you think a wall of your trees could block off the demonic corruption, if it happens?


    I wasnt sure. Maybe? I remembered the energy from such a detonation was exponentially stronger at the core, than at the edges. I remember the wave of demonic energies crushing the trees further away from me. Im pretty sure my clone can survive the wave, its just whether my wall of subsidiary trees and normal trees could withstand the demonic corruption.


    We could use the anti-magic ss weapons to weaken the demonic energies too, and so,, I started experimenting on anti-magic trees. Trees that were made from the sands of the demon world.


    It resisted assimtion into a tree, but the anti-magic weapon could help. For now, they maderge anti-magic ss barriers. These ss barriers would serve as an additional protection for the heroes and my domain holders.


    Alka was enthusiastic as we worked out the offensive n. A stationary target was the perfect target for him to exploit his shot from the stars, especially with the anti-magic ammunition and Alkas wide repertoire of star mana bombs.


    As everyone worked out their part of the n, I felt nervous, and even felt privately quite suspicious. Was this anti-magic ss weapon really that much of a super-material? Was everything really going to work so well?


    I wondered whether this was going to overstretch us before our own demon king. I had doubts, even if I knew it didnt make sense. Logically fighting every battle and gaining levels is the best path forward.


    We just had to stack the deck, and make sure we attacked every demon king with sufficient overwhelming force.


    ***


    Aeon, our patron, agreed to assist with the battle against the Demon King, but there are conditions, and it will be our n. Lumoof spoke to the council of Kings, the heroes and the gallery of their high level individuals. And in return, the two heroes would help us with our demon king.


    The two heroes agreed. Then, Lumoof outlined our battle n for the benefit of those present.


    Six heroes in total, four from our world, would face the demon king, and they would be supported by my domain holders. Edna would be present to tank, Roon for ranged weaponry and bombardment, and Lumoof for field healing and to suppress the demonic bomb.


    I would have to deploy my clone somewhere close to the demon king, and when the time is right, teleport the heroes over. The n also involved walling off the demon kings post-death corruption, just in case it detonated..


    We outlined a possibility that the demon king would wake up and attack us once the four heroes from our world arrive, or when my main tree was deployed. If thats the case, itd be a simple mad scramble to fight the demon king.


    If there was some time before we fought the demon king, I would start to gather more of those forest rods. At the same time, wed use the time to stockpile star-mana ammunition and bombs. Of course, this would be our ideal oue.


    At the same time, this strategy involved deployment of my clone, and I would like to have a permanent ce once I deployed my clone. So, Lumoof also negotiated for one of the demonds as the spoils for my assistance.


    This was contentious, and some of them said it was like we were annexing a plot ofnd. Which we were, I guess. Still, its no ones territory as it is, because of the decade-long war. Once my tree was deployed, that location would be the staging point for the assault. The kings haggled a bit, but eventually agreed in principle.


    I could sense that they grew weary of the long wars, and I even sensed some underlying frustration with their heroes. There were some murmurs in the crowd that this was some sort ofnd grab and invasion, and the priests looked ufortable with letting another force im their world.


    But they couldnt deny it in the end. Even in their world, heroes who survived frequently went on to start their own kingdoms, sometimes by force. This was simr.


    Lumoof and the councils went over the maps of the world and eventually settled on a spot that was once a forest. Once.


    ***


    A group of elites escorted Lumoof to the target site, mainly just to ensure that we didnt put the seed anywhere else. It wasnt hard to ze a path through demon territory, though we encountered a few demonic champions along the way.


    It was located about two-three days away from the immobile demon king, and already we could feel its pulsing presence in the air. It was like an ambient pressure that could be felt in the mana, and even the ground itself was filled with demonic mana.


    There was a very clear possibility that the demon king may immediately attack us once I deployed my clone, so everyone was ready for a jump.


    Once we arrived, Lumoof immediately entered avatar mode, and my mana cleared thend around us. The clone deployed.


    I felt something in the ground once my roots started spreading in the ground. There was once a leyline that flowed underneath, that was now streaked with demonic energy, and that line of demonic energy headed to the core. It was subtle, mixed with the energies of the leyline, but I could sense it because Im very familiar with demonic energy now.


    It was there, slowly pushing into the ground, and I could feel some kind of resistance.


    The demon king has already started tunnelling to the core, but it does so through a magical leyline.


    The demon king tapped into the leyline. I wondered whether this was another piece of the puzzle.


    As my own clone grew, I wondered whether the demon king would immediately move, but the demon king did not react.


    I was relieved, and my clone took just two days to fully form. The benefits of a world that still had reasonable quantities of ambient mana.


    Once I was ready, I began to flood the area with beetles, spawning trees constantly and began pushing back against the demonic corruption in the area. Roon, Johann and Edna arrived soon after.


    All this while, the elites stayed put, and the elites of the Mountainworld were frankly horrified when they faced my gigantic clone tree and my three domain holders. Their reports to their masters back home were filled with simrly colorful words.


    At the same time, once my presence stabilised, I felt something different in the air, and I knew something was up. I wasnt sure why it didnt happen instantly-


    <i>[Youve connected to the energies of another world]</i>


    [Soul Forge : <b>Green </b>Unlocked]


    [Artificial Souls Level Cap increased to Level 80]


    [All artificial souls now have Green option unlocked]


    [Soul Spiritualisation unlocked : Souls empowered with Soul Spiritualisation no longer need a physical body to appear outside of the Soul Realm. They will take the form of ghosts and spirits. Ghosts and spirits can gain levels like normal. You may create artificial souls as ghosts or wraiths.]


    [<i>Mountainworld</i> Soul synchronised. You may now collect souls from the <i>Mountainworld</i>]


    [Tree-Bounded Souls unlocked : You may now stop any chosen soul from reincarnating. You may stop no more than ten souls simultaneously with this ability.]


    Something happened? Lumoof asked.


    I just got a new Soul Forge Color. I had forgotten that the Soul forge needed a permanent connection, not just a temporary one through my Avatar mode. But, I didnt get this back in the Cometworld? Was it because it was a dying world?


    And why was there such a long timeg? Because the demon king was fighting or in the process of capturing the core?


    Huh. Its been a really long time since that happened and I didnt even know what to do. And nows not a good time.


    No matter, I focused on the n. Since the demon king didnt react to us, did not seem bothered by my presence, my beetles fanned out in all directors. We hunted for the demonic rods, I only had one left, and I wanted more. My subsidiary trees pushed outwards, and we attempted to encircle the demon king. These trees would form a containment ring, and at the same time, spawned beetles that helped me capture the rods.


    It was actually really difficult to find the rods before they were deployed, but this was a matter of time.


    We eventually collected about seven more rods, and I sent these rods back to the valley. Meanwhile, Lumoof returned to the cities to coordinate the heroes movement.


    ***


    He was greeted differently this time around, the reports of the elite had already gone to the Council, and I could tell they all felt like they bit more than they could chew.


    Previously, he was treated respectfully, and the kings conducted themselves cordially. This time, Lumoof picked up a sense of fear that was not there before. My priest had a calming presence, and his aura, on its own, was gentle, like thepping waves of the sea, the gentle but present breeze of the beach.


    Mine was different, it was the thick, overwhelming presence of the jungle, and even for just a moment, the elites remembered it. It was imprinted in their minds, just as how my own Valthorns remembered me.


    The heroes are not here yet? The two heroes of the Mountainworld were very eager to meet their otherworld counterparts. I learned their names this time, Adrian and Kelly, and they were in a bus with their friends, when a truck came for them. Its always a damned truck.


    They will. Lumoof smiled. But not yet. We will try to arrange a session for all of you to meet before the battle. They are also eager to meet some people from their homeworld.


    I soon learned that Kelly was also a dark knight of some kind, but unlike Edna, she was more of the offensive type and had a mixed skillset between a barbarian and a knight. Adrian, on the other hand, was actually a food-monk-hero, and excelled in physical abilities. He had to consume food before battle to release them as power.


    Why did the gods think this was a goodbination against a Sabnoc-type? Did the gods make a mistake with this demon king?


    My trees spread quickly, and some soon covered the cities. With that, came information. The kings and elites were visibly disturbed by the beetles that flooded the entire theater of war, and that fear manifested through their conduct. Already, there were private discussions of what to do after the war.


    How to deal with me.


    Fear and suspicion. This was the nature of people. Lumoof had to quickly intervene before this got out of hand, and met the kings and priests.


    Our patron has no intention of invading your world. Once the war is over, we would return thends back to you, except for the agreed plot, since that is a part of my god. The agreed plot was still prettyrge,parable to a medium sized kingdom. Sufficient for a presence. This wall of trees is merely to contain the demon kings.


    What could they do but ept Lumoofs exnation at face value? The armies of beetles were each in the tens of thousands, and the sight of beetles duking it out against demons was truly gruesome.


    We were still not yet ready to hit out at Sabnoc, and about three to four months after my clone was deployed, the demon king seemed to detect my presence and began to attack. We endured multiple attacks from the demon kings subordinates. Champions came for us, and the battlefields were covered in craters, from all the demonic champions bombardments.


    Still, it refused to move, and I felt the energies of the Core fluctuate. As I also began to notice the leylines were also taking from me during the ebbs.


    I felt time was slowly, slowly running out, and called the four heroes to prepare for teleportation.

 The Chopping Block

    The Chopping Block


    <b>Year 208 (continued)</b>


    The heroes exchanged greetings, and their arrival was greeted with bombardments from demon champions. Six heroes. Those were rtively good odds, and both Adrian and Kelly were in the low level 100s after their long periods of hunting demons.


    It actually cost me quite a bit of mana to send heroes through my clones, and it drained about one third of my mana-storage potatoes.


    The heroes were ready, and the demon king, continued to pump out demon champions and sent them our way. Magical projectiles from their champions were now a regr urrence.


    There was an air of tension in the air. Expectations.


    Weve killed a few demon kings. Weve seen something like this in the hero journals, and so, well do it again. I know you are afraid, but this is our job, and were good at it. You two will be, too. Chung was the one that spoke and tried to calm both Adrian and Kelly. All we need you guys to do is hang in there, and dont get killed.


    After a bit of pep talk, the heroes briefed Adrian and Kelly, again, on what weve seen in our own exchange with a simr demon king. A castle demon, perhaps?


    When youe to our world, you should have a look at the journals. Prabu added. And snacks. Trust me. Youll feel better with snacks. Colette promptly gave Prabu an elbow.


    Dont diminish their trauma like that.


    I mean, I know. The snacks are just the equivalent of putting flowers on poop. Its still poop. Prabu responded. But between the two I know I prefer flowers on poop.


    Adrian and Kelly just sniggered. Its alright.


    Its not. Colette stared at Prabu. Weve all lost our friends in our own fights against the demons, and all of us will learn to cope in a different way. Its not helpful to make it sound so simple.


    Prabu probably realised this was a dangerous conversation, and decided to back off. Yeah. Youre right. Im sorry.


    Colette took a deep breath, and after an awkward silence, sighed. I know you dont mean any harm.


    Adrian and Kelly, the two heroes of the Mountainworld just stared. Colette, of course, realised how awkward the conversation had be, and decided to switch topics.


    Well be fighting together for some time. So lets get to know each other. The female archmage answered. She looked not much older than when she first came, courtesy of the immense magic she held.


    They shared a pot of tea, and the two looked visibly calmer after a cup. They once again went through why their first assault failed, and how that led to their capture. The four heroes of Treehome also shared their own battles with their demon king, and they too shared the failures they faced.


    How their friends died the first time. There was something about sharing their own losses that seemed to really relieve both Adrian and Kellys hearts. Even if it didnt fix it. Even if it didnt even heal all that much.


    We should get Kei and Ste here. Prabu added. They are former heroes. Well, Kei was, but both of them saw as much shit as we all did. But I guess we can meet them


    If we live through this, we will. Adrian said.


    Based on what the two heroes shared, there were some differencespared to Sabnoc. For one, this hero didnt jam ourmunication system, so they were not forced to buildmunication towers. In many ways, what they suggested even seemed to say that this demon king was a weaker variant of Sabnoc.


    Thats not confirmed, of course. Its likely that the demon king didnt even bring out its best skills, since the heroes were so weak. It still didnt make sense why it did this, of course. Why did the demon king capture some heroes?


    Why keep them alive?


    The heroes went through something simr to Alexis. They saw the fields of demonic spires, the vastnds. The demons read their minds, for sure. What was the purpose? Did they use the heros mana to help their capture of the world?


    Or use their minds to help improve or feed their own? Or were they looking for something in the heros minds? Or is it just a kind of parasitic or herding behavior, that the captured heroes are farmed for something?


    I felt like I wasnt truly understanding all the pieces that were now avable to me. My trees also searched the Mountainworld for daemolite, and we found it everywhere. I was fairly sure I would find it in the Threeworlds too.


    The demons had rift gates, and these rift gates were the way to open paths across worlds. We also knew, at least from a simple guess, that these daemolite were meant to mark their presence to the demons.


    Back home we had umted daemolite over the years, since our discovery of their purpose, but we have yet to destroy them. Not until we figured out how to manipte it, or at least, mislead it.


    I had one of the wild ideas to nt the daemolite on the moon, and lure the demon king there instead. The fight against the demon king would happen somewhere away from poption centers, and we could, if we need to, blow up the moon. Or use the daemolite to subtly control the rift gates.


    Or they could be two entirely independent things. Daemolites are just nothing more than location markers, and once sufficient worlds locked onto a world, the daemolites serve no other function. If rift gates dont rely on daemolites for any sort of specific targeting beyond locating it as a world, then destroying daemolites may be futile.


    Its all spection at this point.


    ***


    We took full advantage of the demon king not attacking us to fully prepare ourselves for the fight. Roon was especially keen on unleashing hell on the demon king for a distance. The heroes themselves made ns for failures, and Ken walked through quite a few gimmicks that he thought would bemonly seen in such immobile bosses.


    Its surprisingly insightful, and in hindsight, its actually quitemon to see immobile bosses in earlier games, especially side scrollers.


    Ready? I asked everyone present, spread throughout the theater of war. They would allunch attacks from their respective positions, and then all head towards the demon king.


    Everyone gave their signal.We were all going to hit it together with long range weapons. An all out attack, from everyone, and then well see what happens. Edna and the close range heroes will move in then. Lumoof would move to support them with healing.


    Everyone unleashed their skills, as the entire world was momentarily flooded with side effects of using so much magic in a short period of time. The magesunched a massive volley of long range fireballs, magical missiles and other kinds of energy sts. Chung shipped fiftyrge hero-items through my abilities and used them to shoot a barrage of hero-powered ballista bolts.


    Momentarily, there was enough magic flying through the skies that everyone, even those without magic, could feel a pulse in the air. Men and women from viges an entire continent away could feel the vibrations caused by so much magic.


    The close-range heroes Hafiz and Kelly both had to stay back.


    Roon also used his domain ability to fire star mana bombs at the demon king. The attacksnded within a span of an hour, and for a moment, the world was greeted with an earthquake that could be felt throughout the entire world. This explosion was bigger than the minefield we had for the previous demon king, there were more heroes attacking, and coupled with Alkas star mana bombs.


    The explosion was so intense that it would scar that plot ofnd with magical residue for decades, and cause tremendous magical instability for at least months, but in time, it would heal.


    As it always did.


    I could sense that the attacksnded, because there was a momentary weakness in the demonic energies, and I felt it ebb in the ground beneath and around us.


    Then a pulse, and another strong shake. The dust had not settled, but the heroes continued to attack.


    They were not going to wait for it to transform. A rookie mistake, and Ken strictly reminded them to double-tap, even if it seemed dead. Roon waited, however, since we didnt have that many star mana bombs.


    As the magical attacks provided cover fire, Edna was the first to approach, confident that she could survive anything the demon king threw at it.


    The attacks kept on going, and for a moment, we felt the world suddenly tear. A rift opened right around where the demon king once was, and then, we sensed demon champions from throughout the world vanish, and reappeared around the demon king.


    From those rifts, the demons counterattacked with magical explosions.


    Its still transforming! Chung said, his eyes glowed with some kind of sight-ability. Dont let it finish. He recharged his array of magic ballistas, and another volley was unleashed.


    The second volley mostly smashed into the demon champions, they took the hit on behalf of their king, and were vaporised by the star-mana charged bolts.


    Thend around the demon king had transformed into a huge crater a result of all the weapons we deployed, and there was a thickyer of fire, sma, dust and dirt whipped up by all the explosions.


    Through my spiritual sight, my view of the demon king was not obscured by dust, only interrupted by the sparks of magic in the air. I saw it transforming and splitting apart, and then, for a brief second, a surge in magical energy from within the demon king. Immediately, energy beams fired outwards, aimed at the heroes and also our array of weapons.


    The heroes dodged and some of the weapons were destroyed. Our shields couldnt fully block the beam. It was still strong enough to destroy my shields and some. Only Ednas ability allowed it to take the hit head on.


    At the same time, the demon champions that survived Chungs volley of ballista bolts started to fuse, and a few turned into the supercannon-type demons. This transformation happened incredibly quickly, far faster than what Ive seen or heard, and oncepleted, they added cover fire and fired a constant ray of demonic energy.


    The rift sent more demon champions through. The heroes weaved through the magical beams, and moved closer. Ranged attacks needed longer charge times, and just were not as powerful as their mid or close range attacks or skills.


    Meanwhile, I kept my focus locked on the demon king. My artificial minds supported the wider battle, and we spawned trees as fast as we could. Beetles from these trees supported therger battlefield, as the attack on the demon king seemed to rouse the regr demons out of their routine, and caused them to attack their nearby kingdoms.


    My trees also tried to close in on the demon king.


    Lets shift to closebat. Hafiz dodged a massive beam of energy overhead, his magical shield battered from all the attacks. The supercannon-type demon champion also nketed the battlefield with its rays and projectiles.


    The earth rumbled again, and this time, I felt a presence inject itself into the ground. It moved towards us.


    My roots spread to intercept it, and then, something blew up from beneath my subsidiary trees. Or tried to. My roots managed to hold the rocks in ce. Another demon champion type surged out of the ground, and it looked like a spiky hedgehog.


    I didnt hesitate, and in those moments, my roots pierced it quite easily, and for a moment I seemed to have gotten it. It shouldve disintegrated.


    But the demon King wouldnt let its army of demons die.


    Then a pulse of demonic energy spread outwards, as I thought I saw the demon kings energy splinter into a thousand pieces.


    The spiky demonic hedgehog, skewered by my roots, glowed, and empowered by demonic energy from the King itself, revived. Multiple champions throughout the battlefield, some killed earlier, were instantly revived by that demonic energy.


    It revives destroyed champions. Thats a new trick. Chungmented, partly in bewilderment. I was partly amazed that it had an Edna-like skill. Essentially an army of undying.


    The champions themselves were still quite weak, even with the slightly enhanced power, so it didnt take much effort to crush them. Not with my current levels, but they kept reviving. I skewered the demonic hedgehog again, and then wrapped my roots around it. I crushed it, but I didnt move fast enough.


    And yes, even as I thought it was dead, it wriggled, and revived once there was another pulse from the demon king.


    Focus on the demon king! Edna had already closed in on the main body, arge blob of demonic energy that started to swirl.... And then suddenly, it released something strange.


    Souls. Spirits.


    Three dead heroes, and then, demonic flesh gathered around those souls.


    Kelly and Adrian, the two mountainworld heroes, recognised them, and screamed. Kelly immediately charged in her star mana armor.


    The flesh shaped into surprisingly life-like versions of the dead heroes.


    Kelly! Its us! Dont you recognise us? One of the demonic fleshed heroes said in an alien but incredibly lifelike voice, but I saw an intense gathering of demonic energy. What are you doing?


    Edna! Intercept! Its a trap! Imanded, as my roots immediately surged out and attempted to attack the dead heroes. Kelly, retreat!


    But Kelly didnt listen, my roots didnt do enough damage, and once she got close enough, an intense beam of demonic energy sted outwards from the demonic hero. Edna couldnt get there in time. My wooden shields and Colettes magic barrier appeared and we blocked arge bit of the st, but that attack was no weaker than the demon kings deathrays, so the heroine still took a bad hit.


    The demon hero disintegrated, its energy spent, and there were two of the demonic flesh heroes left.


    Lumoof quickly moved aside to assist, and we saw her soul fluctuate and weaken. Her skin was charred, like she had just walked through an intense fire. Had we not blocked it, I was sure that wouldve instantly killed her. Shes out. Lumoof lifted her and immediately retreated as fast as he could. She would need intense healing, and the demons energies were so strong it even injected itself into her body.


    I vaguely sensed the presence of a demonic curse.


    Thats fucking low. Chung cursed and they kept up their volleys at the main blob. It was irritating though, because the demon champions kept reviving, and even when defeated, they would only remain dead for fifteen minutes or so. The pulses would revive them, and once revived, it would force all the heroes to be on the defense.


    It was so irritating that both Johann and Roon directed their attention on the demon champions, and concentrated their attacks on the champions to redirect some of the aggro and open up some attack-windows. The heroes could not attack and defend at the same time, and I could instantly see why this demon king won the first round.


    This was one pain in the ass.


    Prabu and Colette naturally focused on the other two demonic heroes, and the other two demonic hero-lookalikes just looked at the remaining mountainworld hero, and smiled creepily. Adrian!


    Adrian cursed. Dont speak to me! Youre not them. Dont fucking pretend to be them. He retaliated with magical attacks, and the demon heroes blocked it with magic of their own.


    But we are! Come. Join us! Join our rebellion against the Puppeteers! They said with a smile. Why do we serve the Puppeteers, anyway?


    They moved incredibly quickly, with speeds that did not seem weaker than the heroes.


    How? How did the demon king animate these lookalikes that even had some almost-hero-tier abilities? I was very curious what kind of world this demon king came from. What kind of environment created this demon king?


    Colette, Prabu and Chung, the three heroes in middle-range all shared a nce. He needs help.


    I surveyed the battlefield then. Roon and Johann kept destroying the demon champions, but this took all their time. Edna and Hafiz were both in close range, and they hacked away at the massive demon king blob. They seemed to be doing damage, but they didnt have much window to assist others, since the blob itself had close-range offensive magics and also detonated small explosions around its main body.


    They were upied, and in fact, Edna and Hafiz needed support too.


    Lumoof withdrew all the way to the rear, a good distance away from the battlefield. He was still focused on stabilising Kelly. An army of healers were on standby, mostly from the Kingdom, but some from the Valthorns. They quickly got to work and suppressed the demonic curse within Kellys body, while keeping her alive.


    Lumoofs magical energies were exceptional at healing, and she got better, but itll be at least half a day before she can return tobat.


    I needed to free up Roon and Johann to support the others. I helped to kill the demon champions with my roots, but they werent dying permanently. I believe there must be a way to kill them permanently. I remembered how it was possible to interrupt the demon kings reincarnation mechanic, so it must be possible with these lesser creatures. Even if they wont die, Ill just take over these champions, or at least, drain that piece of demon king away, since that seemed to be the key to their revival mechanic.


    Prabu decided to help, so he teleported next to Adrian, and created a magical shield. It blocked one of the demons magical sts. Dont fall for it. Theyre goading you.


    I know. Adrian said, angry. But I cant help it.


    The heroes traded attacks with the demons, but I concentrated on the demon champions nearby, and attacked them with my roots.


    But, this time, my roots pierced the body, and hunted for the demon kings energy. I found it nestled within a slightly harder part of its body.


    My root snaked through the innards of the demon champion and touched it. And I absorbed it.


    Strangely easy.


    The demon champion crumbled, as if all the damage it took from the past suddenly took hold once more.


    I immediately set out to repeat it with every demon champion. It was fairly slow, as the demons traded attacks.


    Edna and Hafiz both cut away at the demon king, but they couldntnd that many hits. Not with the demon king detonating explosions. They would retreat, close in tond a cut or three, and then retreat again. Colette and Chung would then attack during the times Edna and Hafiz couldntnd a hit.


    The gaps between their attacks were also fairly long, since the demon king seemed to constantly shapeshift, and would regrly release beams of intense demonic energy that they had to evade.


    It was kinda shit realisation, but I realised defensive heroes did not perform that well. Not against this demon king where our shields just vaporised so easily, and sometimes, even taking a hit behind shields still dealt too much damage. The demon king is in its own ss, and the meta at that level ofbat was offense and evasive abilities. Defense was useless unless they had something like Edna.


    Roon, Johann, are you able to see the demon kings energies within the demon champion? If you can take it out, it would immediately make it crumble. They nodded and both switched their weapons to the mana-draining weapons, and went for close range attacks instead.


    They both had some kind of mana-sight ability, and it was quite hard to spot the demon kings energy, but the anti-mana ss worked incredibly well, and the champions revival was interrupted once they managed to hack through the demon champions and get to where that demon energy was stored. They crumbled when that energy was drained.


    We cleared the champions quickly, and the battlefields bullet-hell of magical projectiles gradually became less dense. It would lessen the strain on the heroes to deal damage. With all three of us taking out the champions, it still took about two hours to eliminate all of them from the battlefield.


    We were left with the shadow of heroes, and we shifted our focus to help with Adrian and Prabu. I was very curious what these two creatures were.


    They weaved and dodged quickly. These demonic flesh heroes were very high quality, and had the speed and power to back it up. Still, I noticed that they were still susceptible to my aura, even if just a little bit, and that slowed them a bit.


    Eventually, working together with Roon and Johann, I finally stabbed my roots into one of them, and I began draining its mana.


    The demonic hero screamed and shouted, and then, detonated itself up. Or tried to. I detected its mana gathering, and my roots immediately intercepted it and interfered with its mana gathering.


    Instead, it just disintegrated.


    Thest remaining demonic hero sensed its doom, and before anything, decided to detonate itself.


    That very act, however, meant its magical defenses were down, Prabu, immediately wrapped his magic around the demon then, flung the demonic hero high up into the sky where it detonated midair harmlessly.


    Adrian was exhausted. He wasnt as high level as the rest, and this battle weakened him. The trauma of facing his deceased friends drained him out.


    Retreat. Well handle it. We were left with the main body. Kelly had stabilised, but she remained at the rear to recover under the care of the other healers.


    The demon king is hurt, for sure.


    The heroes moved to attack, this time it was a clean fight. Four heroes, Edna and the demon king. The rifts asionally spawned demon champions, but I took care of that.


    I mostly spectated this phase of the battle, asionally helping with a shield or a root strike. My attacks still didnt do much damage. Roon and Johann also retreated, but they also helped with cover fire. The repeated attacks from the heroes eventually weakened it, and we sensed the reduced intensity of its demonic energy, dropping over time. Lets end this.


    With all of its gimmicks removed, the concentrated attacks eventually destroyed the blob, and then, a spire-like thing was within.


    Then, I saw an immaterial energy-beam that reached for the core of the world.


    The spire-like thing started to glow as it floated midair, and I detected a huge surge in corruption-type energies. Very, very familiar stuff.


    This was the Rottends bomb all over again, and this time, I wont let it happen. Lumoof charged forward at mymand, as the spire created a magical barrier around itself. The magical barrier blocked the attacks from the heroes, but did not stop Lumoof, Edna or Hafiz from going through it.


    I felt my domain push through the barrier, and Lumoof touched the spire itself. At that moment, it attempted to attack us mentally.


    <i>Natives. Submit to us.</i>


    [Domain has blocked attempted mental attack].


    Lumoof recoiled at the attack, but he too had a domain, and my energies flooded the spire. The spire smashed into the ground beneath us, and its energies attempted to infect thend.


    But by now, my trees were everywhere in the battlefield, and my mana was ready to resist. Destroy the spire! I shouted, and the heroes came and unleashed hell on the spire. The spire cracked, and then, disintegrated into nothingness.


    Not even the demon core remained. At that moment, the flesh of the demon king, many of it separated and cut off, started to transform into daemolite.


    [Youve defeated an otherworld demon king!]


    [Title obtained : Multiverse Demonhunter]


    [Youve gained seven levels! You are now level 221]


    The heroes slew the demon King of the Mountainworld. Many others gained level too. More importantly, Alka leveled from his constant supply of the weapons of war, and ascended to be my 5th domain-holder.

 Treesellations

    Treesetions


    <b>Year 208 (continued)</b>


    [Vine and root rted abilities are all significantly upgraded. Your root distance has been significantly increased and the depth and range expanded.]


    [Demonic Mana Resistance significantly enhanced.]


    [New Domain Skill - Guardian Treants]


    [You are able to spawn guardian treants near your clones or your main body. Guardian treants can act independently and fight, but may not move too far from your main body or clones]


    Eh. I found that ability quite weak. It just added more of the same type of ability to my skill set. I already had strong support skills, and guardians... well, that didnt add much.


    I needed more offensive ability, or failing that, more movement and mana rted abilities. Adding more flesh to the battlefield generally, well, didnt do much.


    Yet, I also wondered whether thats a wise choice. Im a tree. Even with clones and more trees, I am still a tree, and was I trying to fit a round peg into a square hole?


    Its tempting to believe, as one gains levels, that I would be more all-rounded, more able to do what I was not able to do before. But Im increasingly noticing that the system also forces a type on me, and doing something outside what the system considers normal for me generally requires extensive preparation. Even then, I would still be oupeted by those who had the right sses and optimal builds for those things.


    The domain choices were really one of the rare times when the system actually allowed us to actively steer the direction of our powers.


    This is not so for humanoids, who, through their actions, can choose what ss they acquire.


    Monsters, on the other hand, are what they were designed to be, and evolutionary choices still had to remain linked to their core form. Therefore, now that I could somewhat modify living beings to some degree, could I therefore guide this path elsewhere? Just as I attempted to steer the development of my treefolks and my lizardpeople, Im starting to realise perhaps I missed monsters.


    The creation of true anti-demon monsters would be a great start. Just as nature is often an arms race between different species, why couldnt nature have their own counter for demons? The demons evolved indirectly, adapting the qualities of their captured world into their own, each time, expanding the variety of demons, one world at a time.


    I would also specte that each demon king was also slightly different, thus, adding another form of evolution to their force. My evidence was that Sabnoc was slightly differentpared to the demon king of the Mountainworlds, perhaps the ratio of demon and core was mixed slightly differently with each new spawn.


    So, nature had to evolve. The natural world most likely had two main ways of evolution. The first one, unique to this magical world, was the subtle evolution through the spawning process, in which the system creates life out of thin air, perhaps using a blend of the existing creations. This was most apparent in the Rottends edges, where we had hybrid creatures and nts. Second was of course the supposed earth-way of umted surviving adaptations.


    I am inclined to believe the first was the main evolutionary tool in this world, simply because magic and demon kings just killed everyone so quickly, that the system repoptes the world with slightly better-adapted individuals.


    But why let the system be the only one doing it? If I could make Treechis, why not make demon-eating hounds and beetles? Giant demon-eating worms?


    Training, equipping Valthorns with the right skills is fine and all, but evolution must consider all choices. A point I had clearly neglected, even when it was what I started with. I had trained beetles, and my artificial minds continued to make incremental improvements to better adapt them to our ongoing war on the Parasiteworld. Things that artificial minds were good at.


    Faster. Stronger. Bigger.


    But I could do more. Especially more radical recreations. Different. Reconstruction from the ground up to make them more focused demon-killing machines.


    Artificial minds could take one or two steps back, but they were not designed for ground up remakes.


    I could redesign them from bottom up, create stronger versions of their original form. Not just that, I could attempt to fuse the anti-mana ss, or any other kinds of material into their structure to create something alien.


    Weaker, but different. And then incrementally improve that weaker type to make it more powerful.


    Not just that, looking at it, could I also recreate artificial minds and improve them? I had responded to the growing need for oversight and for routine automation by adding more and more artificial minds to the problem. Patreeck assigned and allocated tasks to them.


    Could we make better artificial minds, and improve their hardware such that each level they gain did more?


    ***


    The heroes celebrated the death of the demon king. Kelly recovered after two days of intense care.


    So... now we need to help you with your demon king. Adrian said. But how do you already know whatsing?


    Complicated story, one Ill let you have more details once you visit our world. But the gist of it is that Aeon can see the demon kinging. Sort of.


    Whoah. The two heroes were impressed. You guys have counters for most demon kings, then?


    Prabu shook his head. Not for the one thatsing. Aeon said the next demon king will be a massive, heavily physical, super-magic resistance, anti-magic type. Something we have no counter for. Not directly. We dont have a physical hero in our lineup, and sadly, the two of you are not pure-physical types either. So, well have to make do withrger numbers, and hopefully, better equipment.


    The heroes gained some levels, but strangely, it wasnt very high. The four heroes and many of those who joined the battle also gained the same Title as I did. A useless trinket. Even those who assisted indirectly obtained the title. The four heroes from our world gained four to five levels each, though Adrian and Kelly, being lower levelled, gained about ten.


    A big party was held throughout the kingdoms, though the atmosphere was somewhat tense among the elites. My presence partly dampened the euphoria. The kings were fearful, and the worries had many aspects.


    Would we leave? What do the heroes want now? Who would do the cleanup of the demonic corruption that covered so much of the world? How do they maintain their power above the temples, or would the Kings power and influence be usurped by the Temples again?


    The heroes were mostly oblivious. They were just happy to have the weight off their shoulders. Themoners partied like it truly was the end of the world.


    Have you guys attended parties like this? Adrian asked. Like, back home.


    Yes. Smaller ones, nothing like this. This truly is something else. Decades of constant warfare finally brought to an end, and the Kings spared no expense tomemorate this momentous victory. Every kingdom contributed a small sum to the party, butbined, it was a trulyvish thing.


    A moment of bliss for themon folk. A moment for the heroes to forget the sacrifices and losses along the way.


    A moment to drown in the seemingly endless barrels of alcohol. A revenge party for a decade long war. Because these moments may be all they have, until the next demon kinges along.


    The nobles made the effort to approach the heroes, and their questions were meant to get a sense of how we were back home. An attempt to understand where the kingdoms stood in my world. Of course, I didnt expect Prabu to know what to answer.


    The Central Continents ruled by Aeon. Directly. Prabu said to a noble of the mountainworld. It was a party, and some heroes


    What about the temples?


    They rule the other continents, well, indirectly via their influence on the actual rulers, but the Central Continent is pretty much de-facto controlled by Aeon and his organisation.


    The nobles all naturally poked, and attempted to drive a wedge between myself and the heroes. Why do heroes ept such an arrangement?


    Prabu stared at the noble curiously. Why not? Not all heroes seek to rule, and Aeon established apetent military dictatorship to support his realm. His realm is not perfect, butrgely decently managed.


    Dont heroes want to create their own vision of the world?


    Prabuughed at that. I think that only applies if the locals dont even know what we want, then we have no choice but to create it.


    How is life in the Central continent, what do kings and nobles do?


    Prabu frowned. Honestly I dont know. I dont see them much. All of my dealings with the world are handled by the Valthorns.


    Why do you let them treat you like that? A noble said. Surely a hero can handle his own affairs.


    It amused me that they goaded the wrong person. They wouldve had better sess with the other heroes, who mostly remained with Adrian and Kelly. Maybe they would try it with themter. Prabu justughed at that. Eh, Im quite happy to have a small army of assistants.


    Do you not feel like youre some menagerie animal?


    Why would I? My needs are met, and Aeon may be my best chance to find a way home.


    Maybe Aeon already has a way and has been withholding it from you, in order to use you to fight his wars.


    The only wars Im fighting are against demons and my hunger. But maybe you guys should pay Aeons clone body a visit and book a tour to our world. It wasnt exactly a secret by now that I sent heroes to their world. After all, now that Aeons clone body is here, he wont be going anywhere.


    The nobles winced.


    Eh. Its quite a pleasant trip! Prabu went on a promotional spree. Its safe, and as long as any of the Valtrian Orders guys apany you, you can be assured of your safety. Foods good and the amodations are great! There is some really interesting scenery to see too. I was told the valleys and the Freshkan Colleges are super popr with the younger nobility.


    I somewhat cringed, so I focused on the other group of heroes. Some of the nobles approached them, but they were adept at dodging, and eventually, they left the actual party.


    Ive got a word of advice. Chung immediately said to Adrian. If youre gonna start your own kingdom, dont stick your thing in too many ces, and dont have too many kids.


    You have kids? Adrian looked at Chung like he said something funny, and asked.


    No. But Ive seen what my predecessors went through, and dealing with the mess isnt fun. Theyll fight, and it broke my predecessors heart when his wives and children fought with each other.


    Adrian shrugged and nodded.


    Chung held his hand. Im serious. One of the things we heroesck, surprisingly, is self control. With all this power in our hands, we can get our way easily. But there are consequences, especially with people, and with organisations. If you build a kingdom, remember that the kingdom exists because you exist. Once you die, your kingdom copses with you.


    Is that why you guys have not made your own kingdoms? Kelly asked. When we came to this world, thats what they promised us. Wed be kings and queens, heroes, wed have the man of our dreams...


    Chung nodded. Its a lie. The beautiful cake they sold us is filled with worms. Mostly. You gotta realise which parts are not filled with worms.


    Then... Kelly looked sad. Why are we here? What should we do?


    Survive. Until we all meet our eventual doom at the hand of some future demon king.


    Thats sad. It makes me feel like what weve struggled so far is pointless.


    Its not. Even in our world, we eventually die. We are doomed, either disease or old age, or many other reasons. Yet, our life back home didnt feel meaningless.


    I thought going to ss all the time was pretty meaningless. Adrian quipped.


    Meaning is something you can create. Our predecessors tried different things. One went on a hunt for good wines, another dabbled in fashion and arts. They took what they liked, and dived deeper into it. For me, I quite like killing demons, so Im trying to be even better at it. Chung answered frankly. Or you can be a snack-addict like Prabu.


    The two other heroes heard him but did not respond.


    ***


    Around the same time, I also sent my trees to explore the area underneath the demon king. My trees spawned in where that demon king once camped, and I detected strands of daemolite that went really deep into the ground. The leylines were tainted by demonic energy, though they would fade in time.


    I sensed the taint weakening each day, and eventually the ley lines would flush out all the demonic energy.


    The demon king had somehow pulled the ley lines of the entire region to this single spot, and now that the demon king was gone, these ley lines were slowly drifting apart. This would be a good time to pin the leyline together to form a dungeon, but then, I wanted to see how a world recovered.


    Defeating the demon king did not answer the question I had.


    What was the demons win condition? How did they win, and what determined how long the world held up?


    From what Lillies said, I knew that a demon king could remain undefeated for decades, almost centuries, but still the world did not fall. Yet, from Sneks world, their world clearly copsed quickly.


    This wasparable to a doctor trying to diagnose a novel disease, and now we are trying to figure out the mechanics of the disease. A mutating virus.


    Concurrently, I started to clean up the corruption in the areas designated to be under my rule.


    It didnt take more than a week to clear my markednds of the demonic corruption, my energies easily overwhelming the demons presence.


    Whats the n with this location? My domainholders didnt stay long, Edna, Roon and Johann returned home. There was also the topic of names for this new nation, and I decided to call it Branchhold.


    I would like to first increase the tree poption, and increase my total mana output. Later on, I would relocate some of the void archmages to this world, and begin surveying the skies for other worlds.


    My astral sight was enhanced now that my clone body was here, and already I could see that this world could ess Threeworlds and also Treehome, and also some other further worlds. It was the interster equivalent of expansion.


    I decided to open mynd to refugees, and got some of my experienced Valtrian Order administrators and mid-level Valthorns toe over to Mountainworld to set up the new nation of Branchhold.


    In time, I would like to introduce the Canari to this world, and also implement offshoots of existing institutions.


    As for thends outside, I also cleared a few safe paths to the rest of the inhabited worlds in order to kickstart the migration and resettlement, but for now, the rest of the demonic corruption remained.


    The locals of the Moountainworld called it the Demontouchednds, and they spawned hybrids and demons quite simr to the Rottends, but still different in their own way. This was useful research and I wanted to take another opportunity to examine them. It would be good to study them andpare them to the specimens we had back home.


    ***


    Alka actually gained his domain while bunkered somewhere far from the battlefield, though he was actively supporting the battle by giving the bombs some extra power-ups. As a field scientist, he could amplify the strength of certain equipment, and that included the bombs, and I figured through those contributions, he gained the experience needed to get through to the domain.


    He naturally joined my pantheon for life insurance.


    He got the domain of [Explosions], and the first, extremely unusual ability of his domain, [Always a Bomb], was his ability to be a Living Bomb. Essentially, he could detonate a bomb around himself, without actually needing a bomb, of varying strength and up to the strongest bomb he has ever made. The number of bombs he could release was pretty much scaled to the strength of the bomb.


    At the same time, the [Field Scientist] ss returned to me, since, once he had his domain, his ss no longer existed. It was merged into the [Explosions] domain, along with all the skills.


    In a way, that sort of made Alka very dangerous. He could theoretically nuke himself next to me if he wanted to, and I was really thankful that I had other bodies as my own personal insurance.


    Then again, thats the same ss any offensive-geared domain holder will reach. A hero, or a mage-with-a-domain would probably be simrly dangerous, so, there really was no need for excessive paranoia.


    I would need Ste to get her domain, and we shouldrgely have the pieces needed to really jam up the demons process.


    Too bad we missed a chance to send some roots through that rift. Ste said to me privately. I would love to see what kind of world that demon king came from.


    In the heat of battle, that was not an easy thing to do. The rifts were notmon either. Since this set of demons spawned their own demons by manipting existing leylines, they did not require much reinforcements from their homeworld, except during that final battle with the demon king.


    With the festivities mostly over, we had a demon king to prepare for, and this time, I wanted to attempt to jam the demon kings teleportation process.

 Bunkering for Trees

    Bunkering for Trees


    <b>Year 209</b>


    Lumoof returned to the Sandworld alone. The ce had not changed, but this time, we were not here for the sand or to study the sr radiation.


    We wanted to mess with the mechanisms used to send the demon king through the worlds, and see whether we could essentially shoot down an intercontinental ballistic missile while its ascending from its silo. Or mess with the delivery vehicle such that the ICBM could not even hit its intended target.


    My n was simple. Weve seen the mechanisms used to create the portal, and the goal was to simply smash them before the demon king could use it. After all, the demon king itself may not be able to stop me, since it has to teleport to another world. If it did interrupt and attacked me, that was a sess.


    If it lured the demon in the core out of the core, that was also a sess.


    If that failed, Id attempt to mess with the mana bnce of the portal, and see whether I could stop the demon king from teleporting.


    Any dy was a sess, even if they still eventually made the trip.


    I dont think its ready yet. Lumoof said, as we stood above where the hole once was. I could sense the massive pit to the core beneath us. There was no structure here, no tower of void energy. Not yet.


    Just the rift gates built into the walls of the pit. We could destroy it, of course. So we did, but I reckon the demons would be able to regenerate these gates fairly easily. These rift gates, built into the walls of the pits, looked more flimsy than the normal gates.


    During the day, the pit was covered, and we took advantage of the daytime to enter avatar mode, and my roots pierced through the ground beneath us. It was a demon champion that functioned as a mobile cover, and it wasnt hard to kill it once I found where its core was.


    The path between the two worlds was solid, and now, from this side, I sensed tremendous amounts of that core-void blend had been injected into it.


    But I couldnt interact with the path. Only Ste could, which made me wonder. I know its possible for a normal person to gain void mana, and I myself already have small quantities of star mana. But could we train a regr person to possess star mana, or to possess any other kinds of mana?


    Anyway, I digressed. I focused back on the pit and its immediate surroundings. How did the demon king create those structures, and could we destroy it, copy it or change it?


    There was currently nothing around us. Except for the structure at the edges of the pit, which we have destroyed. Yet, I had a feeling it wouldnt be so easy.


    The next likely candidate was the demon within the world. Maybe it coordinated the transportation and the opening of the rift. It must have had a mechanism to create the structures needed to open the gates to the worlds beyond.


    If so, Id try to intercept it.


    We have two years left. Lumoof repeated. Its not here yet.


    But the rifts will open soon. Lets head further underground and try to reach those riftgates, and observe from this end.


    Lumoof gulped. Some days, I think this avatar ability is cursed.


    ***


    Back home, war preparations continued, and I used the expanded range of my roots to continue my expansions into the sea, and also underground.


    There was nothing much to find in the sea, not with my now increased range. Even underground, it was more of the same thing.


    Still, with the expanded range, I could reach even further out of the sea, and even deeper, and for once, began to connect to a string of smaller inds further out to sea from the Central Continent maind.


    ces I could never reach before, and with it, more mana. I realised the folly of my earlier attempt at the womb of the demon king. I was still underpowered, and if I sought to unmake the demons with mana, I would need a lot more than then mana of just one continent.


    I needed the mana of at least an entire world. Maybe two or three.


    So, I shifted my attention to the parasiteworld, now in a state of flux. Do I still need this world?


    I needed a world where mana was plentiful. A world that could fuel the war that is toe, and this wasnt it.


    Actually, as I reviewed all my clones, I concluded both the moon and the Parasiteworld should be on the chopping block. Cometworld too, but since it had the value of travelling through the void-space, I decided it was worth keeping despite the mana shortfall.


    My moon seed was now a waste, even if it was the first experiment we did. It had no mana production, and Stes attempt to mess with the void paths into our world did not work. Not even when she tried to block the astral paths on the moon.


    It was the equivalent of trying to stop an out of control truck with a piece of paper. A really thick ck piece of paper. Naturally, it didnt work, so I decided I would recall my moon-clone. It was the easiest to recall, since it was so close to me that Ste could open a portal to the moon. Thus, the opportunity cost to redeploy was the lowest, if some day I were to find some other use case for a moon base.


    I felt my close tree shrivel, shrink, and then... vanish.


    [Clone Seed recalled. 10 years of cooldown before it can be redeployed.]


    Ah fuck.


    At least I know it takes 10 years. A blink of an eye, actually.


    My immediate thought was to deploy it on Threeworlds. If I could use it to unlock the new soul forge color, I would be willing to make enemies for it.


    ***


    With the enhanced mana from the Mountainworld, we renewed our offensive against the demons on the demonic parasiteworld. The parasiteworld is also linked or near its own set of worlds, though I couldnt see them clearly.


    The sky was littered with the effects of the copsed void path that acted like clouds.


    With more mana at my disposal, I could maintain and support more trees and more beetles, and so, we expanded the controlled areas to cover slightly more ces.


    Over the years, I realised that it was better to im territory that led to a demon structure I wanted, or a ce I wanted my Treechikomas to investigate, than to just im thend for the sake of it.


    Like a blob, we gave up ournd where we found nothing, and used the saved mana to push elsewhere. We captured a few demonic spawning pools, and these ones just generated more of these parasites.


    It improved my understanding of these parasites, but not much else.


    At the same time, as my tree looked up to the cloudy astral skies, I made a note to send Lumoof into the demons pit once the skies began to clear. Maybe there was something we could learn about how the demon finds new worlds to target.


    That said, I think I may have to wait decades for it to target another world.


    Still, I could discover another world this way, by hitchhiking on the demons targeting system. I could frontrun its invasion by sending Lumoof to the other side.


    A future n.


    ***


    The demons did not take any precautionary measures even after our invasion into the core. That was, of course, strange. If they were intelligent, they shouldve done something.


    But they didnt. Or maybe, this wasnt something they normally reacted to, so they didnt know how to react.


    In any case, it took about the same time to reach the horizontal tunnels again, and we found the lesser demons massing.


    There were more spawning pools, and as we explored the tunnels, we realised that these tunnels were everywhere. In a world sorge, there was no way I could find all the tunnels without a thorough magical scan of the world.


    The demons resembled the creatures we fought on the surface. Hardy, physical, and tremendous magical resistance, and had a soft underbelly, and some know weakpoints.


    My domainholders had already made sketches and gave briefings on how to fight these monsters. Training for the Valthorns, and mock-demons made from stone elementals.


    I also used my [dream academy] to simte battle against these demons. Because of the physical nature of these demons, it took quite a bit of effort for my Valthorns to learn mana-lessbat methods. We also distributed skill seeds to help my Valthorns augment their arsenal of skills, so that they could have some mana-less skills.


    Honestly, the skill-spell issue is still confusing to me. They both feel like they should be one and the same, and yet they are not. It remains one of the puzzles of the system that I didnt really understand.


    ***


    Now that there were only two years left, the energies of the rift began to gather, and it was now possible to get a general sense of where the rifts would appear.


    It was going to be in the Eastern Continent, again. Naturally, the Aivan Triumvirs were not pleased to learn they would once again face a demon king on theirnd. It felt like they just had one a few decades ago.


    The energies from the rift were still unstable, and because of that, I couldnt properly pin down the location of the demon king.


    Not yet, anyway. Maybe next year I would get a location, and then we could start nning an ambush. I


    For now, it was time for the smaller rifts to appear, for the lesser demons and champions to grace our world.


    The first rifts opened almost at the end of the year, and the lizards walked out. We didnt intervene immediately, my deployed forces mostly just monitored their movements. We knew from the parasiteworld that there were some differences in the demons abilities and behaviors between the demon world and our world, but we were not sure how significant this gap was, and whether that was amon thing across all types of demons.


    We watched as the Aivan forces tried to fight these physical demons to rtively decent sess, and eventually concluded that they were actually weaker here.


    Their bodies were so used to the dry, manaless environment that their hard, dried outer shells, that when they came to our world, their bodies hungrily soaked up the ambient mana, and it changed their tough bodies.


    We did notice that when sufficient of these demons were around, the ambient mana decreased significantly, and made spelling moreborious.


    As a whole though, the regr mobs were weaker, but the demon king wont be subject to the same restrictions. Its likely, from extrapting our initial findings, that the demon king would have some kind of anti-magic ability.


    Maybe well get some global anti-magic? Edna spected. We havent seen global-effect demon kings for some time.


    You sound like youre looking forward to it. Roon said. Those were unpleasant times, from what I heard from the survivors.


    No. I mean, thats just what it is. Trends repeat themselves, and the demons eventually rehash the same ability types. A global magic-interruption is likely.


    But how do we circumvent a global anti-magic ability anyway? We would once again see the copse of the global [message] system, but if its anti-magic it could do more than that. I recalled that they could even interrupt mymunication with beetles.


    The previous heroes made transmission towers, something I was only able to replicate to a much lesser degree. Again, we would need to workaround the magic with skill and system.


    I made a note to train a physical-only Valthorn, and ryed the message to elites.


    This is a bit toote, isnt it? I heard one of the Valthorns naturally grumble about my request. If theing demon king is a physical-type, how are we going to get anyone ready?


    I know, of course. But if the demon kings eventually repeat itself, a physical-type domain holder would eventually have value. Maybe 50 years, maybe 200 years, but eventually, we will encounter this type of demon king again.


    I acknowledge my failure to consider this anti-magic, physical-only type of demon king, so, the right thing to do was to prepare for it.


    Essentially, as we reevaluated why we failed to prepare for this type of demon king, we began to realise that we were guessing what kind of demon king wasing, but thats actually uneptable. For us, as an institution, I had to predict at least 50 to 100 years ahead in order to prepare someone for that eventual oue. 50 years was the estimated amount of time it took to train a domain holder.


    I wasnt thinking far enough. We needed to brainstorm, and start to prepare for the demon kings after this one. Not just theing one.


    Look at where we failed, and what kinds of powers we could have. I needed to be Batman, and prepare for every eventuality.


    In fact, this was where the heroes pop culture and media knowledge became useful. Ken and the rest of the heroes were more than happy to brainstorm, during the lulls and rest periods, the kinds of creatures that may exist on other worlds.


    The ideas were wild. Vampires, werewolves, slimes, spiders, eldritch horrors, human-like creatures, machines, superviins, goblins and ogres, golems, oversized snakes. They essentially recited all kinds of monsters they could remember, and tried to imagine demon-king versions of those creatures.


    It was a fun exercise, and I found it strangely calming. It was great to be reminded of stories from our world, and it also reawakened my memories of the games I yed, the books I used to read and the stories Ive heard.


    My domain holders, except Lumoof was still in the sandworld spying on the demons, were naturally horrified by the kind of creatures they imagined.


    There were also some really good ones that made me think, such as the possibilities for one of the captured heroes to be somehow turned into a demon king, perhaps through the demonic parasites, or something thats non-physical like a ghost, or a water-based demon king. Or, a weapon-demon king. Ken, as a joke, suggested a beaver-demon king.


    I personally suspect a water-based demon king was the least likely of them all.


    That said, even though they were spections, it made sense to make some preparations, and start training individuals to be able to counter or mitigate some of the threats. I wouldnt see the payoff now, but fifty years down the road, who knows what could make a difference?


    In this entire world, Im probably one of the best ced to make this kind of moonshot investment. So I must.


    ***


    We didnt face much difficulty with the demonic mobs, so the heroes could breathe easy. Prabu suggested that Adrian and Kelly take a visit to our world. A point I agreed with, since they would fight here, so I had my agents in the Mountainworld make the necessary arrangements.


    The nobles were not very pleased, but what could they do?


    Adrian and Kelly made the trip to my clone, and I sent them here, right to Freshka.


    The transportation went well, and there were no system prompts.


    Personally, I was pleasantly surprised that there were no punishments or system-problems from sending gods summoned to another world. My personal gut feeling was that they didnt think it was sufficiently likely, so they didnt create any security measures.


    Maybe they might, for a future batch, if they realised that heroes were fighting in ces they were not supposed to. Oh well.


    The two heroes were most fascinated by the assortment of snacks, and the rtive modernity of Freshka.


    Their first stop?


    The hero logs. I suppose its like a guestbook that the heroes have to sign every time theye here.

 Transplants

    Transnts


    <b>Year 209 Part 2</b>


    The heroes arrived in our world for their first trip. They looked quite afraid to approach my clone, but when they arrived, they didnt look back or turn around. Instead, they were quickly whisked through the tunnels, and out to Freshka where the rest of the Valthorns attended to them.


    Snacks and food followed, and a health check, just to make sure they didnt suffer any weird symptoms from moving worlds.


    Even here, under the bibs inspection, these otherworld heroesrgely used the same underlying temte. No significant variation in their soul spring or natures, unless... its not something Im able to see. Maybe theres anotheryer to the soul, or an ability to look further into the soul that Ive not seen so far.


    The heroes, on the other hand, quickly asked to visit the Hero Logs.


    This is it? They watched the strange book, and then Kelly touched it first. I sensed a surge in star mana, and they were in a trance. Their bodies glowed, faintly, and I sensed her own star mana enter the book.


    The book remained a ck box to me, even now, and as more and more heroes used it, I felt the magical energies within the book seem to change slightly. Its a blend of all their mana, and yet different.


    Kelly eventually snapped out of the trance, and she immediately sat down. Prabu offered her snacks and some tea, said a few words and then walked away.. Take your time. I thought about what I saw and learned for weeks. Its alright if you want to cry, or want to just go somewhere quiet and shout for a while.


    She looked a bit teary eyed, and then nodded. ...Ill be fine. Yeah. Ill be okay.


    Prabu nodded and walked to rejoin Adrian. Lets give her some space. Adrian looked at Kelly, and Kelly just nodded.


    It was his turn.. An hour long trance, then he immediately fell to the floor. Adrian froze, and then sat on a sofa right next to Kelly. He sat, and rubbed his head, and then, Can I sleep here? I think I need to sleep on it.


    Yeah. Its fine. No onees here except us. Maybe except Ste, Kei and Ken, but they cant use the book. Food and water is in that cab over there, Aeons powers preserve them so theyllst. Im going to go get something to eat, and welle back after that. Do not to run anywhere, this valley is normally off limits. If you need anything the Valtrian guys are outside.


    Adrian nodded, and settled himself on the sofa. Yeah. Ill be alright, I think.


    Prabu and Colette left, and it was just Adrian and Kelly in the chamber of the heros journals.


    Youre gonna sleep? Kelly asked.


    Yeah.


    Okay. Kelly sat and leaned back onto the sofa. Maybe I should too.


    Im not sleeping with you. Adrian responded.


    Of course not. Kellyughed. Ill be here.


    They both took a nap. Prabu and Colette returned about three hourster and found both of them still sleeping.


    Huh. That really knocked them out. Aeon, can you let me know when they are awake?


    Sure.


    ***


    Is the entire continent like this?


    No, not really. This level of development was only present here. Prabu said. But some of the other cities are bing more modern, and more... Earthlike. Itll take a few decades, though, before they get anywhere near this. They walked the streets of Freshka. Freshkas city core had be more dense, and some of the buildings began to tower into the skies, built into or integrated with the Giant Attendant trees that covered it.


    My massive giant attendant trees served as the skyscraper-equivalent of their central support structures, and craftsmen built rooms and floors anchored to my trees. For now, beetles remain the primary source of fast transport between ces, especially for voluminous and bulky goods, but due to demand, there is also a basic teleportationwork in ce. It feels like home, in a different way.


    Yeah. Its crowded. At the street level, it feels like any of the big cities. Prabu nodded. They walked on elevated paths, separated from themon folk. Awork of paths and ropeways crisscrossed Freshka, linking buildings to each other. The Valtrians built awork of dedicated paths for their own use, so that it was easier for the Valthorns to mobilise and transport goods around Freshka, away from general public traffic. We also had tunnels for that purpose, but the Valtrians advised that visibility had a value of its own. It was also good practice for my spies.


    Smells like it too. Adrian nodded. I wasnt expecting to smell coffee. Its not present in the Mountainworld.


    Prabu smiled. Ill stop you there. Coffee was not invented by heroes. They already have it natively as a supplement and is popr with mages and priests as a study aid.


    Huh. Adrian nodded. Does Coffee do anything?


    Yeah. There are magically-enhanced and skill-enhanced versions. Some of them can essentially function like drugs back home. Ive seen some Southerner soldiers have them to help them keep watch through the night.


    Shit, thats really wild. We couldve used something like that on the Mountainworld to help with the demons. Adrian said. So many rms missed because someone dozed off.


    Kelly popped in. Sounds like something to trade. Maybe we can be coffee importers and connoisseurs back in the Mountainworld. Ive always liked cafe culture.


    Tea culture is stronger here, and honestly, I dont even know what good coffee tastes like. Prabuughed. Did your parents ever let you try coffee? They always told me its an adult drink, and I had to turn 18 before I could try it.


    You have strict parents. Adrian said. I always get coffee when I have to cram for an exam. But it''s home-made stuff, and my moms not very good with the coffee machine, so it isnt that great.


    Kelly coughed. Privileged. All I get is premixed stuff.


    Adrian rolled his eyes at thedy. Prabu just grinned. Its alright. There are some good ones, though their tastes would probably not match what we have back home. Honestly the only one who could judge is Ste.


    Oh, speaking of which, when are we meeting her?


    Now. They entered the building through the elevated path, and into arge, airy chamber. This was normally the top floor of one of the citys many eateries and tea houses. Ste was already there, a Valtrian nodded, and then left through the stairs. Ste, meet Adrian and Kelly, the heroes of Mountainworld.


    Ste smiled. Well met. Its nice to meet someone from home without having to get a notification that someone died.


    Adrian didnt get it. Sorry, what does that mean?


    It means, the earlier batch must die before I meet someone new.


    Oh.


    Anyway, that was my bad. It was a morbid thing to say. Come, have some tea. Have they given these to you before?


    Ive had tea. Kelly said. But these are different?


    Ah yes. Then you must try it. Ste smiled. Come. Sit.


    ***


    Separately, Alka, now with a domain, got the full briefing. A briefing that made his eyes widen, and made him shake in excitement.


    It wasnt as if he didnt know or guess, but it was a strong hunch. He had suspected I had intended to stop the demons somehow, but now it was clear that I intended to somehow hack the system, and he naturally understood why I sent Lumoof to do all those otherworldly missions.


    Im sorry we couldnt tell you all this before. Edna said.


    No. It perfectly makes sense now. The part on the Aivas warning of the eventual end of the heroes summon and the full extent of the discussion was also revealed. He naturally had far more questions than I did.


    Things he would take some time to figure out on his own.


    More importantly, now that you have a domain and with the protection of my pantheon, I can now send you to the other worlds too. If you can figure out something, thatll be great.


    The next one for the domain would be Ste.


    ***


    <b>Year 210</b>


    The Aivan forces didnt have much problems with the weakened anti-mana demons, but they struggled really badly against the demon champions.


    The demon champions that came through were the supersized demons,rger than walkers, and it was their sheer size that made them difficult to kill. They were vulnerable, but it was really hard to reach that vulnerable spot without using magic.


    Ballista and bows worked, but they needed to pack sufficient punch to actually deal damage, without getting crushed or killed by the anti-mana sludge they released.


    Grandmaster Engka, naturally, appealed for help, and we continued to supply them with both weapons and manpower to deal with the anti-mana champions.


    The heroes came too. Chung and Hafiz were eager to try out and see where they stood. They struggled just a little bit, their naturalbat instincts was to use their strongest abilities, and these star-mana powered abilities were weakened by the champions magical resistance.


    Once they switched to their mana-less abilities though, that made a huge difference.


    They noticed that using star-mana to boost their own stats did not suffer drawbacks, though the length of that boost seemed to be shorter, especially if they took a hit from the demons due to mana burn.


    In short, these anti-manas demons can dispel magical buffs.


    It was possible to stack stat-boosting buffs to hit harder, but not buffs that had a magical-element.


    Kens personal preference was to just somehow invent some kind of bunker-buster bomb or TNT, since, this was a mountain-turned-demon, so just blow up the mountain, the old school way. Alkas alchemists and researchers were able to find some substances that created small explosions, but were orders of magnitude weaker than TNT.


    Itd be a long time before our technology caught up to Earth, especially on such non-magical matters. It was quite ironic to think it may be easier to kill this demon king conventionally by a nuclear bomb or tsar-bomba, than with magic bombs. Even if I understood the broad principles of such bombs, the actual fact was making such a bomb still required technology I did not have. Technology is often built upon many little incremental steps, and even if I knew what I wanted, it still takes a long crawl to get there.


    On the other side, we looked at stat-boosting drugs and potions. Alchemists, witches, shamans, could make potions and draughts that temporarily granted boosts. The heroes themselves have magical boosts, but because these magical stat-boosts could be dispelled whenever they took a hit from the demons, it made sense to now consider non-magical boosts.


    We had these kinds of stat-boosting potions and equipment for a while, owing to my long research into [ginseng roots]. My ginseng roots provided permanent boosts, but their rtive strength was nothing like these temporary powerups.


    One alternative was something like Lumoofs domain ability, but [Empowered Faithful] did not boost heroes or my other domain holders. In fact, from my own prior research, only about half of all types of boosting abilities worked on domain holders, but their effectiveness was average.


    But better average than none.


    Anyway, we gathered all these potions and elixirs and tested them out on the heroes and also my domain holders. We prioritised non-magical ones, and then, tested them against the demon champions on the Eastern Continent.


    Those that were dispelled were sent back for further studies, and those that didnt would be chosen for use.


    Looks like we need a [domain]-level alchemist and shaman too. On top of the barbarian/physicalbatant, this was also an area we needed support. We already have the knight, the archer, the priest.


    You are supposed to be our alchemist.


    I specialise in magical explosive bombs, not potions. I can make lesser ones, but they are not that great. Alka was right, and generally, I could make a lot of kinds of saps, and these were the extended versions of stuff you could find in nature. Healing saps, hallucinogens, rxants, stimnts, poisons, and in these types of stuff, I outssed him significantly.


    His stuff were also more magical in nature, because his research was extensive in the areas of magical bombs, runes and formations.


    Oh well, at least we know there is another gap to fill in our [domain] party.


    ***


    Huh. This continent feels like how it is back in our world. Kelly and Adrianmented as they visited the Eastern Continent for the first time, the magical-medieval nations and cities, the temples and priests. It was almost as if this was a temte copied and pasted over the multiverse.


    They were nobodies in this world, nobody knew they were heroes, so it wasnt hard to smuggle them to that part of the world.


    They were quickly guided to the location of the anti-magic demons, where they fought them for the first time. It wasnt a hard fight, since the demons were ironically weakened by the ambient mana, but the mana-dispelling abilities were annoying, and they had to adapt. The demon champions were harder, but less so for Adrian who had a monk-build.


    His heroic chi based abilities were only minimally weakened.


    Monks. I need my own version of Aeonic monks. I totally need monks and physicalbat masters. Ill need to start with a monastery on the mountains somewhere, or an ind with peach blossoms.


    Maybe they should be called the Seedlin Temple.


    I needed physical barbarian types, monks, and alchemists. Only then I would have a bnced team able to weather the demonic storm, and perhaps, brave the storm and search for the eye. Ill probably also need vampire hunters, exorcists, witches, doctors. In short, I need every major RPG archetype out there.


    ***


    My forest on the Mountainworld expanded quickly, and within months we saturated the area under my rule with trees, turning what was once a demonic wastnd into a verdant, monster-fillednd. There were some familiar idents, of course. Exploding demonic trees were also present in this world, but thankfully no major damage.


    With thend reimed, creatures spawned, and the native fauna reemerged. They were slightly different, as with all worlds. The dogs were slightly different, the lizardpeople of this world are different from the lizardpeople of Treehome.


    Miniscule problems appeared everywhere. There were linguistic problems, and the small group of Valthorns sent to administer thisnd on my behalf was quick to discover that thenguage had a lot of minor differences, each carrying different emotional weightage. Even if we understood what each other said because of system shenanigans, there were meanings and context that was missing.


    That led to diplomats and young graduates of FTC taking their first trip to the Mountainworld, in an attempt to truly understand this strange new world. I wonder whether I had facilitated the first true alien civilisation encounter, even if they were more simr than not.


    Thisnd was a nk te, and knowing what I knew now, there were a few things that I had my new settlers work on. Mistakes to avoid back with Freshka.


    One, a clear constitution for this newnd, with clearly set out delegations of authority. The central continent of Treehome is a troublesome, cobbled together hodgepodge of nations, many subservient to different degrees, each with their own set of rights andws. It worked on Treehome essentially through the brute force of my artificial minds, providing the much needed oversight. I could crush those who oppose it, but I didnt think it was necessary to force such a change when it worked so far. Again, since this is entirely new, I hoped to avoid that by having a simpler constitution, a leaner organisation, and clearerws.


    Two, clear boundaries, and standardised currency. Back home the currency system is frankly a mess, and I wanted to avoid that. Even boundaries between internal disputing nations gave rise to unnecessary wars.


    Three, better nned cities and nations. When Freshka was built, it was nned, but there were ws. Mistakes, due tock of foresight. Every time I had a new addition, like the Treeology colleges or FTC, I had to earmark additionalnd outside of existing city boundaries. It made for a city that sprawled outwards, that worked only because of a constantwork of beetles that transported people from one part of the city to another. Defensive structures were added sometimes proactively, sometimes reactively, as and when we needed them. I had indirectly built a version of suburbia.


    So, before any major construction was done, my settlers would first do up a structural n for the entirend, together with a defensive n for both demon kings and other enemies. Mountainworld will face its own demon kings, and naturally, any new nation or city must be designed with that in mind. Wed also try to consider how we could amodate future needs.


    One of which was my domain transportation ability. Right now, anyone who wanted to visit Mountainworld would have to make a visit to the Valley of the Unrotten, because the teleportation ability only works between my main body and clones. So, they have to at least touch my roots in order to work. With this ce acting as a center for trade between the two worlds, I needed to design the cities to enable that to be a seamless process.


    A city around my clone body, instead of Freshkas design where Im located far away from the valley. Freshka was essentially travelling two hours to an airport far from the city center. If possible, I wanted to have this new nation have whats the equivalent of a city airport.


    It made sense back then because I wanted to protect the Valley, the Valley had things I wanted kept away from others. Again, historical baggage that I could change with this new piece ofnd.


    Four, its likely that the diplomatic rtionship with the other nations would deteriorate over time. Our contribution to their security and victory would be forgotten in decades, and what was a friendly rtionship, would eventually turn to war. I hoped to avoid that, so to do that, I wanted to significantly reach out to all the temples and find ways to stop it.


    I have nothing to fear, since I was confident I would win, but another crusade was a waste of resources, and an unnecessary sacrifice of the high leveled individuals of the mountainworld, who would be inescapably summoned to fight against me.


    So, my expansion in this world must be apanied by a significant spy-arm to intercept negative intelligence and take out unfriendly parties, and a significant propaganda arm in order to build a positive public impression, such that the nobles are dissuaded from war.


    Five, if Treehome falls to some demon king, this world will serve as our backup n. Thend must be designed such that it can amodate Treehome refugees for a reasonably long period of time.


    Spaizzer


    My IRL work has been absolutely overwhelming (and my teammates have been resigning) so I''m going to take a week off. See you guys next-next week. Or next-next-next week if my work hits the fan even more than it already has.

 Treeckets, Please

    Treeckets, Please


    <b>Year 211</b>


    These days, I feel like Ive been moving from one demon king battle to another demon king battle. After the parasite demon king, we moved on to the demon king of the Mountain Worlds, Akk, or Sabnoc-lite. Now, were waiting for the demon king toe to our world.


    All the preparations have been made, and theres not much I can do beyond what weve done. Not in that short a time.


    Now, we had to hope that what we did was enough. I hope it was, but reality had a tendency of surprising us, just as how I was surprised by their anti-mana nature. This was essentially the grind. We keep fighting demons, and hoping that it gives us an edge for the next one.


    It even felt... boring to me.


    Strangely, the heroes and my domain holders didnt feel that way. Their normal sense of time meant there really was a long gap between the demon kings, and those ten years were filled with normal life stuff.


    Ah well.


    We already had our conventional weapons prepared, and Ste got better at sensing the riftgates. As a result, she was roughly able to estimate the location of the demon kings movement.


    With that, we quickly worked with the Aivan temples to evacuate the location, and prepare for war.


    It wasnt easy, because of Aivas hold on the continent was weak. The warnings were quickly dismissed, and the political ruling parties that had valuable establishments in that area were quick to suspect a greater ploy at y. They suspected that the Aiva wanted the ce evacuated and im it for themselves,


    Honestly, from my own assessment of the Aivan temples, I am not surprised. Corruption and power-grabbing behavior permeated their structure to a far greater degree than ours. Two thirds of all priests of the Aivan temples were in someones pockets, and the Triumvirs themselves werepromised to some degree.


    They had their biases, each favoring their home nation, or their own original backers. So when the Aivan temples made decrees, which they did often, resistance was naturally much higher.


    A riot broke out, clearly instigated by the nobles. The heroes were away fighting, trying to level against the demon champions and also trying out their anti-mana ss weapons against the demon champions.


    So, for now, we watched as the Aivan temples guys tried to quell the riot.


    This is stupid. Ste smacked her head. Aeon should just march the Valthorns here and theyll just shut up.


    They were safe, away from the riots in the cities around them. Edna shrugged. To some extent, this is an internal matter for the Aivan temples.


    What good is Aeons forces if they are not projected at this time? The Aivans clearly need our help, and they cant get them to agree, we need to put our foot down and force them to. This is one of the times where a forced evacuation makes all the sense in the world.


    The heroes should be here to evacuate them. Thats what the Aivan temples prefer. Dering our presence so overtly would make it difficult for the Aivan temple to maintain cordial rtions with the other three temples.


    Our rtionship with the other temples have mostly calmed down, with them tolerating our presence, and my Valthorns trying their best not to mount an invasion. Its amon line of thought among the nobles and Valthorns, who believe the Central continent is significantly better than the unruly nations of the other four continents.


    The worst kinds are those who truly believe how good we have it, and they take the quality of life differences as the reason for us to invade them. As if it is our duty to uplift these other folks.


    My believers would definitely prefer to impose Central-Continent style federal rule on the others, and while I understand why, its something I dont really want to do.


    I dislike that sort of thought, as hypocritical as it sounds. Yes, I secured the security of Freshka through a massive military and economic expansion, defeating and killing my way to power. But I think at some point, one must acknowledge that further expansion of the Valthorns is just pure greed.


    The central continent produces enough, and why do I want to impose my way on the others? There is space for coexistence. For diversity. Dominance does not have to equal annihtion for the other side.


    Its tempting, when in positions of power, to always apply force to get our way. That works, but ultimately, if the general masses perceive the ruling party as one that only gets things done by force, it also restricts the ruling party to a path of only using force.


    In short, if the other parties think you have a hammer, and will only use a hammer to hammer down everything, they will act and prepare themselves in response. A ruling party must be able to do all things, in order to maximise its policy choices, because the hammer is not always the best choice.


    An olive branch or a stern warning may sometimes be all thats needed.


    Anyway, I have the privilege of being distanced from these issues, because I have othernds where I dont have to deal with such things.


    A mob listens to no one. Even the nobles that started it. The Aivan temples tried their best to suppress the riots.


    One of my undercover priests nodded. They seem to be exceptionally angry.


    The spies sent to support my small Valthorn delegations agreed. There must be some spies or instigators working for the nobles. With some [leadership] and [rebel] type abilities, its not hard to convince regr viges to take up arms.


    Come on. We cant be waiting for the heroes to get things done.


    The heroes were busy. They fought a few demon champions for practice throughout the continents.


    ***


    In the sandworld, Lumoof waited in the tunnels. We had already destroyed the riftgate structures back at the entrance to the pits, and we were pretty sure those things regenerated after a while, because it was the fourth time we destroyed them.


    We made regr trips down into the pits, to check on the status of the dormant demon king, and each time, we took in the magical changes down below.


    We noticed the strength of the mana drain from the depths below increased over time, but it wasnt getting bigger. Perhaps this was already the maximum size of the demon king.


    For now, we only made a few probing attacks and mostly remained outside its senses, the demon mother formed a strong demonic bubble that acted as its means to sense intruders.


    The demon seemed to be particrly sensitive to my roots, and every one of my roots triggered the demon mother to respond with a huge st of acid. The acid wasnt explosive, but they were heavily corrosive and seemed to suck mana out of everything.


    I had wanted to gather some of that acid for my own research, but it was really hard to collect samples since its heavily corrosive and seemed to eat through my vines and roots rather easily.


    As we monitored, we began noticing the rate of mana drain began to teau. Was the demon king finally mature? Is it happening?


    I think so. The ground shook, and Lumoof sprung into action. My roots surged out from our tiny cave and smashed into the demon kings bubble, but this time, I pushed harder.


    The demon mother roared in defiance, and attacked with its corrosive acid st. A wall of wood temporarily redirected the acid st, buying time for Lumoof to move out of the way. More roots, and this time, we attacked both the demon mother and the dormant demon king.


    The earth shook some more, and the weird bubble around the dormant demon started to show wavy lines that seemed a bit like symbols. They were simr to the ones we saw on the riftgates, but different.


    Remember what we see. My artificial minds tried their best to record the signages and lines, but we were moving quickly, and my wooden shields blocked our sights. In any case, we were not getting a good view of the whole thing.


    The lines began to glow, and then, that bubble of magic around the demon king started to wobble and swirl, like a blob of water floating in space. It wobbled, and swirled, and then, it started to move upward.


    At that moment, I felt a strong void mana presence above us.


    The dormant demon king twisted, and turned. It began to unfurl its body, and now I saw it for what it seemed to be.


    A gigantic stony lizard with two heads, one on each side. It looked deformed, there were streaks of glowing green in parts of its sand-colored body, and those glowing green parts emitted a strangely familiar energy.


    But we had no time to dwell on it, we moved upwards, and my roots sted out like a machine gun. I caused the walls of the pit to copse and hoped that the rocks would slow down the demon king.


    The rocks that copsed just melted into that blob. It was some kind of liquid-mana-mixture, and some of my vines drained some of its energy. It was demonic mana and core mana, plus something I wasnt sure about. Like the remnants of the physicalponents of the demon king that it didnt need.


    Thankfully it was rtively slow, and Lumoof was able to shoot up the pits faster than the demon king. We needed to get to the void tower before the demon king did, and hopefully hack it.


    Nows the time to send more people over-


    I cant. Ste said. Theres something thats over the demons world and its interfering with it.


    What.


    I couldnt see it, but Ste could, and she said that the demon world at this moment was covered in a cloud of void mana.


    Was it the doorway to that ck sun I saw on the Parasiteworld?


    In any case, as we approached the exit of the pits, I saw the previously destroyed riftgates had been somehow magically reconstructed. No matter, my roots smashed into them, and this time, they were charged with so much void mana that they blocked my roots.


    Initially.


    I tried again with more force, more power, and borrowed some star mana. I took out a few of the towers, and they exploded, releasing the void mana with it.


    Aeon, the astral path is wobbling.


    We looked up. The sky was dark, and Lumoof shot out of the pit like a fighter jet, and at that moment, there were a ring around the pit, filled with void mana. It kept pulling void mana from that ck sun, and I felt its void mana grow.


    Patreeck had to step in once again, as I felt a strong mental attacking from the ck sun. But I am stronger now, and we stared at the ck void. It wasnt a voice, just a really irritating background hum. It would turn anyone else insane, and Lumoof looked very ufortable even with my minds shielding.


    The ck sun filled the world with void mana.


    So, I pulled star mana from the heroes, and charged my anti-demon magical spears.


    And I threw them at the oversized ring around the pit. It exploded violently, and some of the void mana leaked out.


    Aeon, whats happening? The astral path is wobbling a lot.


    Mana surged out of the pit, and then destroyed riftgate towers magically reappeared. I pulled out more of my spears, and threw them at the rift gates. They regenerated even after my attacks, but I sensed its energy level dipped slightly. Which causes it to wobble more?


    Uh... its not wobbling as much now.


    I charged another spear with star mana, and flung it at the ring again. Another huge explosion as the void mana reacted violently to the star mana.


    At that point, the ck sun pulsed, and the sky was suddenly flooded with void mana. I attempted to charge one more spear, and the spear exploded immediately, even before I threw the spear.


    Smart. I cursed as Lumoof emerged from a shell of charred wood. I used normal mana to charge up the spears, but they didnt do as much damage.


    The riftgates were charged, in a simr alternating pattern of void mana and core mana. The two-headed lizard emerged from the depths.


    If I cant hit the gates, why not the demon king. Lumoof smashed into the demon king, andnded on top of it. Immediately, my roots pierced the demon kings sandy top.


    I wasnt sure whether this demon king awakened or not, but there was no harm trying. Lumoof mentally agreed. Well, to hell with it. Lets hit it. My mana surged through Lumoof, and I knew it wouldnt work.


    But I wanted to weaken it, and see whether I could mess with it. If star mana reacted badly with void mana, injecting star mana into a demon king should cause it to fail to travel through the astral path, or at least, disrupt it.


    I injected the demon king with star mana again, this time, I wanted the void mana in the ambient surroundings to trigger an explosion.


    Aeon, what the flying fuck is happening? Ste cursed as she watched the astral path wobble like someone was shaking a string from the other end.


    Lumoofs trying to attack the demon king.


    What?!


    We nned for this. Well see how it goes.


    Ste couldnt send someone over, but I could constantly pull things through the vine ropeway. More spears smashed into the demon king, as arge rift cracked open in the skies above us, revealing a massive multicolored blob.


    Another ck droplet emerged from the blob and it flew towards the demon king at incredibly high speed. Stop that thing!


    My roots surged outwards and smashed into the ck droplet. It was incredibly tough, and I barely chipped a bit off.


    But I did.


    So I tried again. I managed tond two hits, and then ced multiple wooden shields along its path. It smashed through them easily.


    I wrapped vines around it, but it burned through my vines like I was a level 1 tree.


    I smashed it repeatedly, each time a little chip off. I attempted to trigger it with star mana, and the explosions didnt hurt it at all.


    The ck droplet touched the demon king, and it merged seamlessly. The demon king, previously without a will, now opened all of its eyes. It shook its body midair, then both the ck sun and the formless blob vanished abruptly.


    I felt magic around us shift, and concentrated itself around the demon king. At that very moment, Lumoof could even taste it in the air, and feel it on his skin. Even in my avatar form, the void and core mana was thick in the air.


    How? The whole ce was meant to be an anti-mana world, and the demon king itself is meant to be an anti-magic demon king. The mana was drawn into the demon king at that moment, and then, that same runic swirls appeared around us.


    Aeon, its wobbling. Ste said back on Treehome. -and the rifts moving! Its going somewhere else.


    The gate to our world opened,d and the demon king was immediately wrapped in a huge bubble of magic. It was going to warp to our world, with Lumoof still on the demon kings back.


    My roots pierced the demon kings outer shells, and strapped in for the ride.

 Next Stop, Treehome

    Next Stop, Treehome


    <b>Year 211 (continued)</b>


    ***


    How do they get more insane with every generation of demon king? Ken said as he mused about the implication of interrupting the demon king. He was safe in Freshka, far from the sight of the conflict, and he had tea.


    Prabu, who was on one of his snackruns, and one teleport away from the Eastern Continent, shrugged. Actually, I think the gods are the insane ones. They are just doing the same thing repeatedly, and somehow hoped that it wouldn''t get a bad result. Thats insanity too. He seemed to momentarily experience a mental attack then, and quickly downed a cup of tea made from my leaves.


    Kenughed and turned to see Kei. Kei sometimes joined them for their tea outings. Actually, us heroes are pretty boring. It says a lot that a magical tree has better ideas than us. We really should have our own ideas.


    The league of heroes is a good one. Prabu sipped his tea. Combining forces is still a great idea.


    It is. Ken nodded and then sighed. Ideally, we should reach more worlds, and recruit more heroes. If we could hit ten to twenty heroes at max levels, we could essentially attempt to engage demon kings the moment they spawn.


    Kei chipped in then, she shrugged. Yes, but honestly, not too convinced. Local history suggests that heroes were summoned in high quantities many many decades ago. Twenty isnt much.


    Then a hundred. A super squad of heroes.


    Wed have to somehow reach at least ten civilised worlds if each world summons ten. On average, were looking at smaller and smaller numbers, which does align with Sneks own experience.


    Ken shrugged. Ten worlds is doable, just a matter of time. If you think about it, the demon king is no longer an existential threat to this world. With Aeons ability to ess multiple worlds, he could effectively evacuate people from one world to another, thus preventing a total extinction. All we need is Aeon, or Ste, to somehow reach more worlds.


    I dont see how its not an existential threat. Annihtion of 90 to 95 percent of the poption is still pretty much an existential threat.


    Let me rify. As it stands, it means Aeon has achieved a kind of stalemate. Stalemate in the sense that Aeon has effectively prevented total loss, since, with Aeons ability to reach worlds, he could easily mount a counterattack on any demon king. The demons world is never truly safe as long as Aeon can reach it. Ken answered, as the little Snek coiled around his shoulder. Thats something very few worlds can im to do.


    I dont get that leap of logic. If a demon king wrecks this world, how is that a stalemate.


    Think about it, in normal cases, like Sneks world, theres no return or chance to retake the world. Not without some otherworldly aid. Aeons link to this world means there is a chance, just as how he already partially reimed the surface of the Parasiteworld. This world will never truly fall to the demon world. Not with Aeon around. Its like having a retry after every game.


    Thats nothing. Prabu shrugged. Im sure the gods own homeworlds or home-systems have achieved the same result and even better, since the demons most likely cant beat these gods in their home turf. The kind of Stalemate is just more of the status quo, really. Another one or two very safe worlds.


    Ken nodded. Fair, but think about it. With levels, Aeon could have more clones. More safe worlds. Theres no real limit as long as Aeon keeps gaining levels.


    What makes you think theres no upper limit to the levels? What if the gods are all maxed-out characters that cant do more, because the system no longer gives them more power. What if they cap out at level 500?


    Ken paused. Wait. That would suck. What level is Aeon?


    Prabuughed. I dont know. I cant scan his level. I cant scan any of the domain holders, really.


    If there is a level cap, then the focus should shift towards getting more individuals to that level, rather than just one.


    Which is already happening.


    You mean Aeon knows there is a level cap? Ken paused. I have no idea about the existence of a higher level cap, but I enjoyed eavesdropping. Their predictions can be really wild.


    I dont. Im just specting. This behavior of training up others to gain levels seems consistent with preparing for a level cap up ahead. Aeons trying to hit it with a strong party.


    Which brings us back to your idea. More heroes. Numbers game. Prabu nodded. League of heroes. Totally a good idea.


    Ken choked on his tea. Fuck. I didnt say all that to get you to give me praise. I didnt need your validation that my idea was a good one.


    Prabu grinned. Well, it looked to me like a long winded way of gettingpliments.


    No! Ken rolled his eyes.


    If there is a level cap, then it totally bes a game of numbers. We would discount the benefits of snowballing the heroes'' individual strength by gaining levels. The league of heroes must continuously get more heroes.


    Which is a w, since we dont know whether we can reach more worlds, and the hero-summoning clearly has a timer. Kei answered. If the league loses more heroes than it can recruit, itll die eventually.


    Now youre saying my league of heroes is a dead end, isnt it? Kenughed. Ill still continue it though.


    No. Not at all. Prabuughed.


    ***


    I wasnt expecting this. Lumoof mentally spoke to me as we dug in. I sensed his thoughts were mixed with pain, and I could feel his suffering, so I tried my best to take it off him.


    It wasnt hard to dig into such a massive creature, my roots spread out of Lumoof and easily found loose pieces of flesh and rock that I could wrap around as an anchor. The rift gates in the ground had regenerated and the skies above twisted, as if a piece of cloth was cut up.


    I felt an energy pulse from within the demon king, and it flowed outwards. That energy created a bubble around us. It didnt seem disturbed by our presence, not that much anyway.


    The skies turned bright and sunny, as the two massive structures vanished. Instead, in the vast bright skies, there was a surreal patch of darkness, as if someone just copy-pasted a part of the starry sky here. That magical energy from within the demon king swirled everywhere in this bubble, and my sensors rapidly attempted to make sense of what was happening.


    Lumoof coughed in pain, as the magical energies were quite overwhelming. The magical distortion smashed and cut his body. It felt like he was stuck in extremely fast moving water.


    I tried my best to shield him, but even those decayed quickly when faced with this onught of weird blend of demonic magic.


    Then, in a sudden burst of movement, the entire bubble of the demon king was pulled through that patch of darkness.


    I saw a sh, and then darkness. A surge of mental attacks, and Lumoof yelped in pain.


    Then the pain receded a little, the mental assaults on our presence weakened. Only momentarily.


    We were now in this... starry sky, and around us we saw so many other astral lines. Paths to other worlds. There were thousands of them, each their own line, glowing in their own way. They were not connected, these glowing astral paths seemed to float and move in a big sea of darkness, covered in little specks of dust.


    There seemed to be an epicenter to the lines, a blot of darkness in the middle of everything.


    They were far away, and at that moment, another incredible headache. The attacks were back, and they were stronger.


    [Domain has blocked attempted intrusion]


    The warning repeated, and Lumoof had it too. He had it worse, even in avatar mode, he had to endure both the violent magic of thisnd-between-worlds and the mental attacks.


    But unlike before, I could feel a direction to this attack, and it came from somewhere, a spot of darkness in the void sea.


    It kept attacking, and like waves at the beach, its possible to see the direction of the waves.


    My domain blocked more intrusion.


    The violent magic of this space seemed to tear us apart fundamentally, and I had to constantly try to pull it together, like trying to piece together pictures that had been cut up. Reality itself seemed to be breaking apart, even if I knew it wasnt.


    It just felt that way. Strange, and unnerving. My vines and my abilities seemed helpless, and I tried my best to use my mana.


    But then, in this space between worlds, I looked around, and in this huge sea of darkness, I zoomed in on the specks of dust that seemed everywhere.


    Then I saw little flickers of something I know very well, deep within all those little motes of dust.


    Souls.


    From a distance, they were wrapped in this dust, drifting.


    Drifting, moving between the space taken by the path between worlds.


    They were like tiny nktons and algae, on a sea of darkness, bobbing along the waves and ripples from the demons magic. They came out of one world, and then, pushed by these void-waves in the void-sea, went to other worlds. Some vanished when they got too close, but on closer look, they seemed to have just warped out of existence altogether.


    Where were we, exactly?


    Yet, the fact that there were souls here made me call upon my [soul forge], and attempted to channel its powers through Lumoof. He was in poor shape, so Id try everything.


    My soul forge was most effective around my main body, and so my [soul forge]s abilities could only affect a small area around Lumoof.


    Yet, it was what we needed. It worked incredibly well, the tearing energies around us suddenly didnt hurt us anymore. The tearing forces that we experienced was a bit like the reconstructive energies in the soul forge, when I tried to piece souls back together. Here, it was used offensively to tear us apart.


    Was the void sea also some kind of internar soul-soup? Was this where the souls went after they were ready to be reincarnated? The space where they would eventually find their new worlds?


    It was frustrating to find myself asking more questions than getting answers. Why couldnt I ess it through the rift gate? Why didnt Stes void portal bring us to this space between worlds?


    I focused my sensors on the magical bubble around us and the demon kings pulsing energy. I was certain it created this bubble, and this bubble essed this space.


    <i>[Domain has blocked attempted magical intrusion]</i>


    The warnings did not stop, but as I kept studying this space around us, I began to suspect that the souls were always there, but Icked the means to see it.


    Souls were everywhere. Ive been absorbing souls without seeing them most of the time, only when they are close to me. But I absorbed souls and their remnants from the entire continent, and after my automatic soul processing, these inner souls left my body somehow.


    This was most probably where they went.


    It was fascinating, and the demon kings core must have something that allowed this to happen, so I would revisit the core after this incident.


    Souls, like clouds of little tiny dusts swept around by the waves of this violent sea, wobbled.


    I didnt know why, but I liked this ce. I stretched my roots outwards, even though Lumoof was in immense pain, and then felt the bubble push back.


    I couldnt get out of the demon kings bubble. My roots extended outward, attempting to reach into the outside. I felt like a kid, letting my hand hang out of a moving cars open windows, and felt it push back harder.


    If I could just put my seed here. In this vast sea-


    I felt the demon kings bubble of energy swirl intensely as more of that energy tried to keep my vines from touching the walls of the bubble.


    Lumoof looked barely conscious, although we no longer faced the tearing effects, we still experienced the demon kings energy intensely, and now, it felt like all of it was focused on us.


    I tried to support him, and send more of my mana through him. I pushed back against the demons energies.


    Aeon! The rifts moving violently! Ste screamed at me, back on Treehome.


    Well be there soon.


    ***


    Whats happening?! The location where the demon king was projected tond kept changing. Its like a gunman whose aim was getting interrupted by someone nearby. It almost felt like its not going to be in the Eastern Continent anymore, Im trying to track it but its moving very violently!


    I seem to be interrupting the demon king by my presence.


    You need to stop or its going somewhere we are not prepared to defend!


    The Aivan temples were immediately appalled to find out that the demon king wontnd in the scheduled location. They protested andined how weve just made them use up their reputation and political capital for something that would not happen, but I ignored them. I had bigger shit to fry.


    The heroes, likewise, were just slightly surprised that the demon king would no longer be at the initial scheduled location. The two heroes of Mountainworld, wasnt even fazed. They didnt know it was possible to predict the demon kings location in the first ce, so this wasnt unusual to them.


    Were still trying to track it. Ste said, as her group of void mages, scattered throughout the Eastern continent reported on their observations. The higher level void mages were improving, and quite a few were able to detect the energies of the rift.


    ***


    Lumoof struggled, and we felt the world twist around us again, as if everything was suddenly stretched.


    I pushed back strongly, and did not hesitate to try to interfere with the demon kings energies. My avatar screamed, as my energies swirled and fought, and it visibly caused reality around us to bend and twist in unnatural ways.


    The demon king roared, and I briefly thought it was in pain, or ufortable, because the bubble around us twisted. I kept doing it, and it bent a bit more.


    Then, that oppressive energy vanished.


    It was unmistakable, as the environment became one we were very familiar with.


    The rift had somehow opened somewhere high up in the sky.


    [Demon King Busihir has arrived.]


    The world around us suddenly turned to mes, as we started to fall. Really quickly.


    Lumoof had barely any consciousness now, holding onto the demon king by sheer willpower. I briefly saw a vast sea, and I immediately pulled Lumoof back to my main body. He would need some extensive healing from what he''s been through.


    The demon kings right over the Northern Peninss. Ste screamed, as everyone quickly made preparations to move there. I wasnt sure how long we were trapped in that copsing fireball.


    Lumoof was quickly back in Freshka, and my healing pods started their work.


    I felt the demon king burn through the starry sky, and then the demon kingnded like a massive meteorite, and it crashed into the area that was once a shallow sea.


    Was, because the impact momentarily pushed all the sea and turned it intond. The impact was so strong that it became the epicenter of a tsunami that propagated outwards, and my roots picked up both the vibrations and shockwave of the impact.


    It was time to fight once more. Ste and the void mages were quick to pinpoint the location, then the heroes and my domain holders activated teleportation abilities.


    My domain holders and other folks arrived on the site, and were greeted by a strange sight.


    The demon kings other head had been partially severed, half of its head damaged by the twisted rifts. Throughout the demon kings body were strange cuts, like parts of its body had been torn apart.


    Aeon, the demon king looks like its been through something. Edna said, as the image we provided earlier didnt match whatnded.


    At this point, I felt a bit drunk and dizzy, like Ive got a migraine and also had too much to drink. The magical energies of the demon kings astral path was so unnerving that I momentarily couldnt quite think clearly. So, those words didnt quite get through to me.


    The demon king was sluggish, and with Lumoof disabled, all I could see was what Ste and my mages could show me through magical scrying. It roared, and then, momentarily, I felt a force attempting to pull magic towards it.


    I couldnt focus, my mind seemed hazy from all Ive seen in that trip through the worlds.


    I could briefly feel the demon king activate something, but it wasnt that strong. Throughout the world, magic seemed to momentarily fade.


    Magics being suppressed, but still manageable. They reported, as the heroes and my domainholders quickly moved to engage. We are engaging.


    Okay. My mind gradually cleared up but Icked the means to view the battle, or participate. I felt the ripples of their battle from afar.


    Spaizzer I''ve been told some guys have been posting my patreon chapters, so frankly, I don''t like you.

 Disembarked

    Disembarked


    Year 211 - Ednas POV


    ***


    Lumoof was in bad shape, Edna knew when Aeon said it would take for him a few days to recover. The patriarch of the Treeologies was almost never out for a few days, so what transpired didnt seem good.


    Yet, she had a feeling it wasnt all that bad.


    Edna, get ready. Stes giving us the location now. The sky told them the general direction. The riftgate opened so high up in the sky, and what followed was a streak of light that burned through the sky.


    The demon king had somehow opened its rift way up in the sky, and was on track to-


    A sudden shockwave of magic rippled through the air.


    Everyone felt the explosion, especially those on the Northern parts of the Eastern Continent. Itnded so strongly that a huge burst of wind temporarily destabilised the regr weather patterns.


    Her skin felt a little tickled at the sensation of the unstable magic within the swirling winds, and she waited briefly for it to settle. Edna tapped the teleportation scroll, and chanted the coordinates. Alright. Lets go.


    She wondered whether it world work, but then she smiled when the stored magic from within the scroll activated. She felt it tug, and they were teleported about half a days distance away from the impact site, on what was once a beautiful natural beach.


    Instead, her eyes saw a vast charred crater, and at the center, a demon king that looked burnt and glowed. Its magical energies felt unsure, and that was when Edna knew something was wrong.


    Aeon, the demon king looks like its been through something. Magicalmunications still worked, and Edna quickly went through her preparations.


    The massive demon king was visibly injured from the impact, its outer shell charred and twisted, and Edna felt unusual magical energies radiating from many parts, as if some of its magic from travelling through thend between worlds had not beenpletely removed.


    There were smaller explosions, and the demon king seemed to reel from the impact.


    What the hell is happening? Roon asked, but he was getting ready..


    I dont know, but we should attack. Hit it while its weak.


    The heroes clearly thought the same. They arrived noter than Edna, and began their attack after a short minute. This was an advantage, and they were not going to waste it.


    Edna took out javelins made of anti-mana ss, loaded with as many non-magical enchantments the central continents cksmiths and weavers could fit. Then she popped a few elixirs, and felt her strength surge through her blood and muscles.


    There were better magical equivalents, but this was what they have to work with.


    The heroes first wave of attacksnded with a loud explosion, and a smaller shockwave. Every explosion was physical, they felt it in the air, as the shockwave passed through their body.


    She sometimes had dreams of these shockwaves. Or maybe nightmares. Moments when she thought about fighting demon kings. She took a breath, and those thoughts faded.


    She focused on the giant before them.


    The demon king was huge, and the heroes attacks only took out chunks of its massive outer shell. From afar, the heroes were explosive fire ants, trying to kill an injured giant tortoise.


    The heroes tried magic, and magic seemed to work.


    Then, the demon king opened one of its undamaged eyes. For a brief moment, Edna felt magic around them attempt drain away, but then just as suddenly, it was interrupted. The demon king jerked, and seemed to cough, if such a thing was possible for the demon king.


    Instead, they saw green streaks appearing throughout the demon kings body, and it felt strange, familiar. It pulsed in resistance, and for a moment, Edna felt like it was fighting the demon king.


    What was Lumoof and Aeon doing back on the Sandworld? Aeons attempts to inject it with his seed actually seeded?


    Aeon, is that you? Edna asked. There was no reply.


    What are we seeing, exactly? Roon asked through their shared magicalwork, which thankfully wasnt drained away. It wasnt like this when we saw it down there.


    I have no idea. Edna said as she approached the massive body and hacked at it. It didnt do anything, but their attacks hardly hurt.


    The magical suppression aura from the demon king seemed weak, and unstable. There were sudden periods when magic was suppressed, and then, periods when it wasnt.


    The heroes clearly figured it out, as Edna watched them time their magical attacks during the gaps.


    Those magical attacks exploded on its massive shell, and more of it were blown off. Edna, realising that her attacks were still not that useful, decided to retreat and provide defense for her peers.


    Most of the attacks from the demon king seemed to be physical, as itunched rocks and massive boulders at extremely high speeds. With magic not fully suppressed, it wasnt a problem for her magical shields to block, and when magic was suppressed, she could easily manifest skill-based shields to divert the attacks.


    For a moment, it all seemed to be going well.


    Roon and Johann clearly looked ufortable, but they didnt say a word. Edna knew something was wrong, and her peers knew it too.


    She noticed it when they fired their attacks a little slower, and kept their eyes looking. Johannspanion beasts also stopped attacking, and focused on watching.


    Edna sighed, and decided to ask. Aeon, do you feel anything? She inwardly cursed, and felt Lumoofs absence from the battle.


    My magical sensors are detecting ripples from the battle. Is everything alright?


    I dont know. It looks like its going ording to n. Edna got in position and felt one of therge rocks smash into her shield.


    Roon was the first to notice it, when they saw the crumbled chunks turn to sand. Dark, dirt-like but very clearly sand. ck sands.


    The demon kings residual energies were still uncertain, and one magical explosion ripped the shell in half. It cracked open, and then, smaller demons emerged. In the hundreds and thousands, they were the lizards theyve fought.


    Ah darn. Mobs. Roon cursed, but somehow it relieved their tension. Fighting the demon king was always stressful, and they could really use Lumoofs calming presence. The mobs died easily, their anti-magic energies had been weakened.


    Alka didnt wasnt in the n for the battle, since his focus had been magical bombs. So, the initial n mostly assumed magical bombs would be useless, but from the heroes attack, that wasnt true. They still packed a punch.


    Then, the air around the demon king started to swirl, and the ck sands started to form a barrier around the demon king.


    Giant wurms made of rock and sand surged out of the ground.


    Is it me, or is this a little easy? Roon cursed as his anti-magic ss arrow punched through the giant wurms body.


    At the same time, the demon king roared.


    Johann rolled his eyes. You had to fucking say it.


    I couldnt keep it in forever. Roon quipped as he took cover behind Ednas shield. The tension was getting to me.


    Acid began to pour out of the demon kings body, and this time, the anti-magical energies in thend really surged. They felt like they were back on the Sandworld once more. The thick acid flooded the crater.


    The heroes lost their ability to fly, as the antimagical energies jammed their magical movement. Oh dear. Prabu and Colette cursed as they felt some of their magical attacks drain away.


    Their fireballs got smaller as it travelled above the acid-filled crater, their lightning bolts seemed to shrink and weaken.


    The demon king essentially made a moat, A craterke of antimagic acid around its main body.


    This is all your fault. Johann said, but his attacks increased in frequency. He fired more of the ss arrows, but they seemed to do nothing.


    Roon just rolled his eyes. Its a fucking coincidence. We all knew this was going to happen one way or another.


    Edna just smirked, as they retreated up the crater to the rim. Well, boys, theres ake between us and the demon king. Ideas?


    We need to drain this acid away. We can just knock a hole in the craters rim and acid should be able to flow out. Roon said.


    Edna nodded. Agreed.


    The heroes stood on the rim andunched their ranged skills, but with their arsenal of skills restricted by the anti-magicke and therge distance to itsrge body, the rate of damage was easily halved.


    Alright. Roon nodded and pinged Alka. Alka, we need earthbusting bombs here.


    Got it.


    The skies suddenly shed, as multiple projectiles flew their way. The bombs detonated on the rim of the crater, and even though some of its effectiveness was drained away, it achieved its goal. The craterke started to leak, and the acid started to flow out into the city.


    Ste! We need a portal! We need some tforms.


    A ck void portal emerged a distance away. Ste couldnt activate it close to the crater, but Aeons roots began to shift the earth around them. A few tforms of rocks emerged throughout the crater, but before anyrger space could be created, the demon kings mouth opened.


    The very presence of Aeons roots seemed to cause the demon king to roar and then it sted acid towards the direction of Stes portal.


    Howd it know? Ste asked. The portal forcefully closed when acid smashed into it.


    Roon shook his head. I think Aeons been bugging it so much on its homeworld that it remembered Aeons presence.


    Edna smirked. Youre saying Aeon irritated the demon king.


    Is that not what Aeon did? The acid flowed slowly out of the crater, and the heroes moved closer to attack on the tform.


    The heroes closed in and attacked with all their might. Then, the demon kings body cracked apart, and then.. It split


    Uh. They pointed, as they saw the demon king crack apart, and transform into five smaller demon kings. I hate split-body demon kings.


    It roared, and attempted to open a rift. But then, one of the split-bodies was covered with green streaks and it glowed. The rift copsed before it could open. Edna once again felt that familiar presence, and wondered...


    Had Aeon somehow corrupted the demon king?


    ***


    The heroes engaged the split bodies, and honestly, they were not exceptional. They were tough, but rtive to Sabnoc or Akk, this was probably a whole grade weaker.


    It almost seemed like it was under the effect of some kind of weakening effect, so, when they sessfully destroyed two of the split bodies, they eventually focused on the third one.


    The craterke was half-drained, and that meant their spells effectiveness had recovered somewhat. It was odd that the anti-magical properties were contained within the liquid, instead of its main body.


    The third and fourth split body was destroyed a whileter, again, without any particrly unique gimmicks. It seemed to rely on its high strength and toughness, but beyond that, the heroes took them down.


    Down to its fifth body, it roared, and then the acid started to float. The heroes attacked it relentlessly, and they hoped to interrupt the transformation.


    And they did.


    It cracked and then, just as its outer shell vanished, it revealed a round ck-green crystal.


    The heroes knew what it was, and immediately teleported away. Everyone else warped away, except for Edna.


    Edna felt a pulse from the crystal, filled with dense anti-magical qualities. It was good that the heroes warped out at first sight. If they get caught in the pulse, they wouldnt be able to leave, or defend themselves from the explosion.


    She activated her [Duty Beyond Life and Death]. Edna sped ahead and went as close as possible to the ck green crystal. She had a javelin made of anti-mana ss and stabbed it. It cracked the crystal and then she felt the crystal pulsed.


    The ss crystal glowed as it absorbed mana, then it cracked.


    She took out a few more, and stabbed it in again. Each of the anti-magic ss javelins sucked mana out of the crystal, and interfered with whatever reaction that happened within it. It was amazing how these ss weapons seemed to work better than Aeons vines in some way.


    The green-ck crystal pulsed weakly.


    And then, with a whimper, stopped.


    [Demon King Busihir was defeated]


    Edna smiled, and gave the all clear once there was no explosion for ten minutes.


    Ste. Portal, please.


    A void portal swirled open right next to the green-ck crystal, and Aeons roots surged out. It wrapped itself around the crystal like a hungry octopus consuming its prey, and once it had a good grip, pulled it through the portal.


    The air was still filled with the anti-magic qualities. Edna began to check the other destroyed bodies, and noticed it had begun its transformation into daemolite.


    Yet her eyes were drawn to the remains of the body with ck-and-green streaks. It wasnt transforming into daemolite. As she got close, and investigated, it really felt like Aeons energies, and her mind began to specte whether Aeons constant magical harassment during its gestation period interfered with its development.


    Aeon, we should look at this too.


    A void portal appeared next to her, and again, roots and vines pulled the remains through.


    A demon king was in once more. Honestly, it felt like a chore, and Edna wondered whether this was how Aeon felt. It had seen so many generations of demon kings, and participated in so many of its conflicts.


    This was a tiring, tiring chore.


    ***

 Operation Parasite FreeTreedom

    Operation Parasite FreeTreedom


    <b>Year 211 (Months after the victory)</b>


    How are you feeling? Edna came and checked on Lumoof. There were lingering side effects from the exposure to that twisted space.


    Better, itll take some time before Im fully in shape, though. The strange energies of the demon king and that void space are far more persistent than Aeon expected.


    The tearing forces of the void forests were mild, but they lingered, and manifested quite a bit like demonic curses. I could remove curses quite easily, but these were not exactly curses either. They felt a bit more like reality being in conflict with itself, which was really hard to exin. I also noticed they seemed to mark Lumoof like a sign, though eventually it went away.


    Lumoof gained about ten levels from the trip through space, and he unlocked a new skill. [Forest Sanctuary]. Its not abat skill, but it created some kind of pocket dimension, as long as theres a few trees in the area. The Forest Sanctuary essentially functioned as a super-safe campsite, since, well, its in its own pocket dimension.


    ***


    Around the same time, I got the briefing on the battle with the demon king from the team, though I saw most of it through magical scrying, and the moments when my trees were through to the other side. The anti-magical energies of the acid interfered with the scrying, and Ednas mention of the weird greenish glow made me suspicious.


    The flesh we harvested that didnt rot or disappear, or the demon kings core both had greenish glows.


    They have never glowed in that manner.


    The core of the demon king was safe in the Valley, and they looked strange, and out of ce. Like someone tainted the demon kings core.


    I vaguely recall the pulse to be quite weak, at least initially, but now they pulsed with a far stronger glow and with much more fixed intervals. It felt a bit like two ipatible songs mashed together.


    On top of that, the battle with the heroes meant their star mana already damaged the core, so it wasn''t fully usable.


    Still, we now had multiple specimens of the core, sufficient for my researchers and scientists to performparative analysis. They also began to construct a smaller model based off the various undamagedponents across all the cores.


    It was the equivalent of stripping multiple crashed airnes to get sufficient parts for a usable whole, and it was Alkas little pet project.


    While they worked on that, I focused on the tainted energies of the demon king''s core. The green streaks.


    They were mine. We made them.


    It wasnt hard to figure out that these were created from my mana, the cumtive effects of our attacks on the demon king during its gestation clearly left a longsting impact on their formation. Coupled with what the heroes reported, I suspected that my mana had somehow lingered, or was absorbed by the demon king.


    The fact that this could happen validated parts of our offensive strategy.


    What if I could taint all the demon kings? Could the taint stop the demon kings from behaving the way it currently does? Does the taint carry over to the next demon king? Could I render thes cores infertile such that demon kings could not spawn from them, even if they won? Extrapting my earlier conversion of the demon walkers, would it be possible to convert the demon king.


    The next step was naturally to scale this up by an entire order of magnitude. What we needed to do, was to effectively deliver such a high quantity of mana to the demon king, such that I corrupted it when it was still in its infancy.


    The quantity of mana I needed was more than what I have now, but its not impossible.


    Id also need to improve Lumoofs ability to deliver mana and cope with my power. Though he could project my power and my abilities, he also suffered from the side effects of that projection.


    Therefore, he began mana-practice. Hes a priest, but he had to train and get used torge quantities of mana. We did this training before, but our goal post had shifted. The goal was to prepare Lumoof for mana at least ten times more than what I had now.


    With that amount of mana, wed then attempt to poison the demon king once more, and see whether we could essentially stop the demon king before it even happened.


    It was painful to subject Lumoof to therge amounts of mana, but like Ste, only through exposure to excessive amounts of mana, could he hope to gain the immunity to it. With higher mana tolerance, Lumoof wouldst longer in the demon worlds.


    He cursed, of course. He understood, but he cursed. The path to end the cycle required sacrifice. Pain.


    My avatar understood the purpose.


    But the pain was real, and it hurt as hell.


    ***


    The astral pathways copsed instantly after the demon kings death, and though I was a little sad that I would lose ess to the anti-magic sand, I was also curious of what came after. What would the next demon world be like?


    Ste was quiet as she watched the astral paths copse, the revtions of the starways being this space thats not really empty. Souls, and maybe even other things we may not even think of.


    Maybe the gods truly reside in this void space?


    ***


    The dust had settled, and it seemed I gained a few levels. I wasnt there for the bulk of the battle, so I was still pleasantly surprised by the additional levels.


    [You gained 5 levels. You are now Level 226]


    [Astral Sight improved. You may now see further between the realms]


    [Natural Mana overwhelming upgraded]


    [Mana storage upgraded]


    It was nice that the system rewarded my mana poisoning with more mana rted skills. These upgrades were incremental improvements, little bits of extra efficiency and effectiveness from every point of mana.


    ***


    We had a post battle review with the heroes too, and strangely, they actually said the battle wasparatively easy. There were very few truly threatening moments, and their problem was just dealing damage to the demon king.


    They had a small panic moment when the bomb apepared at the end, of course, but that was something we all sawing.


    Based on the data from the domain holders, the heroes were generally right. It wasnt that bad for a demon king. Unlike Sabnoc or Akk, the number of strange gimmicks were few, just that acidke defense.


    I wondered whether that was because our mild mana poisoning had somehow interfered with the full breadth of the demon kings powers. They had easy mode because we locked some skills.


    Aeon and Lumoof should invade the demon world more often.


    Lumoof choked. Edna just grinned. Now, now, lets not get ahead of ourselves, it just so happens that the demon world was an anti-magic world. For the next demon king, we should consider a more thorough invasion. One led by the heroes.


    The heroes squirmed at Ednas response. The initial n a few years ago was a hero-invasion. One that had to be modified because of the unique qualities of the anti-magic sandworld. Now, its time to revert back to our original n.


    Theres nothing to worry, we would do the initial scouting and reconnaissance, but the n should not change.


    Both Alvin and Kelly of the Mountainworld were just too stunned to respond. They couldnt wrap their heads around a pre-emptive invasion, or at least, struggled to. Even after theyve seen Lumoof do it, it still baffled their mind.


    I wondered whether their mental controls were slightly different from that of Chung, Prabu and gang, but when they dipped into my bibs, I didnt see anything different.


    At least, not from the outer appearances.


    Chung just sighed. Cant dy it forever.


    Its likely we will get something more normal for the next demon king. Edna spected. If the next world is anything like a parasiteworld, the n will proceed. Well see which worldes first, either this, or the Mountainworlds demon king.


    The frequency of our demon kings isnt that high, I think. Kelly said. I think... I cant remember.


    Fifteen, if Im not mistaken. Lumoof answered. Their records are just as choppy as ours.


    Darn it. Why is ours so frequent?


    Daemolite. Edna answered. We have more daemolite than them.


    That doesnt make sense. Chung answered. The demon kings create daemolite. Why would more daemolite result in more frequent demon kings?


    Edna shrugged. I dont know, but the daemolites linked to the frequency.


    Wait. Have you guys known this for a long time? Prabu asked.


    Edna paused, and she momentarily wondered whether this was revealed before. Yes. To some extent, its something weve been specting, but we were not sure. We saw it in ancient dreams. Or more like, Aeon saw it.


    The heroes murmured as the statement stewed in the air.


    The locals wont like that. Chung said. All the native rulers use daemolite to varying degrees for stuff.


    Edna nodded. Indeed. Even Stes void portals and the riftgate relies on daemolite to store the void mana. It is currently the best avable source of void-mana storage. Other alternatives just dont work as well.


    So if we destroy it, we may or may not reduce the frequency, but we lose our best known way to store void mana.


    Yes. Thats right. Edna answered. Its why we did not say much, until we have more certainty.


    ***


    Branchholds growth was good, and I was quite fascinated by the idea of starting a city from scratch.


    My spymaster seemed excited to have a new assignment, and I thought he grew bored of the challenges back home. He denied it, of course.


    Branchhold itself was designed to be significantly morepact, with my clone tree at its core. One of the things we took advantage of, was to create vertical structures, using my giant attendant trees as the anchor and support.


    This allowed greater density and more efficient use of space. Normally, with increased densities, there needed to have sufficient food and water to support it, but a cityposed of trees has its advantages. Food and water was not a problem, since we could produce fruits, and pull water from beneath the ground.


    In other cities, they had to go an extra step of having magical food equivalents.


    Thus, Branchhold was designed to be significantly more vertical than Freshka that sprawled outwards.


    This resulted in some redesigns for my beetles. Beetles naturally had the ability to climb up trees and slopes, but their packages and cargo had to be properly supported since gravity still applied.


    I liked the idea of a city thats dense, and strangely, it appealed to the beetles too. It seemed that humans, Canari and elves didnt quite like it, but dwarves found it quite simr to the mines, so density wasnt a problem.


    The treefolk also didnt like dense ces, they gotfort from their link to the earth, so dense cities didnt appeal to them.


    The local folks were neutral to the idea of density, they seemed more interested in the safety aspect of any institution, most likely the residual impact from the long period of war. Those who faced long periods of uncertainty due to war valued security far more than those who didnt. Generally, of course. There are those that embraced the nihilism and meaninglessness of life in the face of war.


    What I learned from the locals through Branchholds extensive surveince was rather telling.


    The drive to survive created a hardened society, and nobles who are just far more warlike.. A decade of constant war created nobles who were now eager to expand their power, and that power turned on each other.


    I had expected that my presence would deter them from actually fighting each other. After all, in our world, the presence of a strong superpower pretty much resulted in an era of peace.


    That did not happen.


    The system, which indirectly encouraged conflict, since everyone gained levels from fighting, essentially was stuck in this hostile loop. War was inevitable, not just because of demons, but because war rewarded those who survived them. The system grants levels, which then equate to strength.


    Strength to impose ones will on others, and thus, war.


    Therefore, how could a world that grants power through warfare have a state of peace?


    It could, if somehow everyone turned away from the system. But that leaves a world defenseless against the demons. With no outside interference, either divine or demonic, those who possess power will fight for more power.


    Of course, this is a very pessimistic assessment of the nature of people. Not all people seek out power, but those who be nobility and the rulers tend to be those who are more likely to seek out power and cause conflict.


    It was just the necessity of their role. Even if one originally did not covet power, those who coveted their power would rise up and attempt to overthrow those who could not defend their position.


    Thus, by sheer elimination of more peaceful rulers, as they failed to defend their throne, the world should naturally veer towards violence.


    On the central continent, we mitigate this through our extensive education program, the FTC, and also the presence of our priests.


    But I know that wars cannot be entirely avoided. In fact, small wars are like controlled fires, a thought that sometimes horrified a part of me. It keeps the military on their toes instead of decaying into a state ofcency, especially since the threat of demons had dwindled significantly over the past few decades.


    Ive tried to mitigate that with more dungeons and more dream-wars, but a lifestyle of war? An entire society engineered towards winning a war? That was something else, and thats what the Mountainworld had.


    That kind of focus was admirable, and I admired how well they handled it. I wondered whether thats how Lilies felt, as they grappled with the constant shifting forces of the world.


    Competition and conflict created true strength. This was true back home, because it forced everyone to be on their toes. On a macro level, if I wanted a strong army, it must be allowed to experience war and battle.


    Back on Branchhold, they have yet to have all these cumtive systemic changes, and thus a state of warfare is the default. The peace created by the two heroes did notst very long.


    A rather pessimistic state of affairs, but so be it.


    Their weakness meant I had gaps to exploit, and I freely expanded my trees on the Mountainworld to increase my total mana capacity.


    It didnt matter if I didnt formally own thend, in a way, that was just a feint.


    As I thought about it, the Crystal dude was right. I was an invader, and right now Im spreading my trees to invade this world and steal its mana.


    My actions were justified, because I cant defeat the demons and end this stupid cycle without some invasions to gain more mana. At this juncture, it was a good and timely reminder for that age old phrase.


    <i>He who fights with demons, should take care that he does not be a demon.</i>


    I suppose with all the demon hybrid experimentations, I wasnt far off from being one.


    ***


    On the topic of experiments, Alka approached me to explore bomb-beetles. Essentially massive suicide beetles, or a swarm of tiny ones. Using my biological evolutionary engineering, to craft or grow a bombpatible beetle, with flight or movement, for the explicit purpose of blowing itself up at the target.


    Smaller experiments were sessful, and now we wanted to take it to the extreme. Supersized bombs, and superfast swarms of them. Speed, stealth and power was the primary issue.


    The idea was to create a literal flying swarm of explosive beetles, and then, with arge enough portal, send enough through to the demonworld.


    Why not just normal bombs?


    Simple. Alka wanted to exploit system-shenanigans to ovee manufacturing constraints.


    My subsidiary trees could spawn beetles by pure system-effect and mana. If I could create suicide beetles, and the subsidiary trees, of which I have an absurdlyrge number of, I essentially had the abilty to bypast resource-restrictions and just bomb the demon world with just an army of banelings or exploding zerglings.


    We could then bomb the parasite world to hell, and break the status quo. The war on the parasite world had reached another status quo.


    We were beginning to question the value of this world. I wasnt learning much on the parasiteworld. The fringes of my expanded territory had to endure more demonic attacks, and I noticed some changes in the demon types used to attack mynds, but it really felt like it was going nowhere.


    If anything, I should ask the six heroes to mount our first liberation mission on the Parasite world.


    Liberate a world from the control of the demons? Prabu wrapped his head around the idea of a counter invasion. I thought we wanted to invade the demon world to attack the demon king before it attacked us.


    Yes, but Aeon proposed something more radical as a test bed. Edna was the one to deliver the message. Lumoofs recovery meant he wasnt in his best shape, but it was time. Aeons incursions into the demonworld highly suggested the existence of a demon king that metamorphosed into a mother in the core of the world. We believe that if we defeat it, it may free the core from the demons control, and the then reverts back to a normal world.


    Ken and Snek were excited at the idea. If this worked, it meant Snek had a chance to save his homeworld. Its proof that it could be done.


    Aeon has been expanding on the parasiteworld, right?


    Yes. Aeon has arge force present currently fighting a long-drawn out war of attrition. It reached a stalemate recently, due to mana limitations. The heroes nced at each other ufortably.


    We know what we are hitting?


    No. Aeons unable to see whats in the core as the pit that leads to the core is flooded.


    Im not doing it without Lumoof doing recon. Prabu said. Or at least, can the flooded pit be drained? If we know what we are hitting, then maybe.


    Possible. With enough trees, Aeon could drain some of the water out. But if it goes all the way to the magical core of the world, it would take some time. The roots would need to reach that deep in the first ce. The demon mothers also likely to be weaker than a full demon king, at least, thats the sense I got from the demon I saw in the core of the antimagic world.


    Another free world. Prabu answered. Could we get heroes there?


    Edna shook her head. I dont know. Thats entirely up to the gods.


    They only summon heroes in response to a demon king.


    Is... the parasiteworld linked to any other worlds?


    Yes, but they are too far with our current abilities. Anyway, lets have that conversationter and get back on topic. The battle, if any, will happen in the core of the world, because its highly unlikely well be able to get the demon mother away from the core.


    The heroes looked at each other. Strangely, it was Chung that asked. Ken, what do you think?


    Fighting a demon in the core of the feels very end-game boss to me.


    Chung rolled his eyes. Eh, now''s not the time for a gaming reference!


    Its a risk. Ken said. Snek would definitely like to see it happen, but if Aeon could stack the battlefield in our favor, and with the full recovery of their team, it may work.


    Cant we just drop a bomb into the core?


    You mean like star wars?


    Yeah. Death star and all that.


    We could, but that may blow up the. And thats not what we want.


    Aeon would prefer to keep the in shape in order to have another hospitable world to our stable of safe worlds. Well, if I could free the parasiteworld from the demons, theoretically the mana recovery should improve significantly. Not being in a mana-deficit would support my goal of increasing my mana output.


    Adrian and Kelly were both too bbergasted to digest the idea. Aiding the defense of another world was one thing, but an invasive liberation of a demonworld never quite crossed their mind.


    You have time to decide. Edna said. Were waiting for the full recovery of the entire team before we attempt this.


    ***


    What do you think of the idea? The heroes had their own session.


    Yes. Prabu said. I say go for it. We have the necessary skills, and as heroes, this is what we do. Defeat demons.


    You sure thats not your mental overrides hitting you? Chung asked.


    I know, but its the right thing to do. If it resets that world, it may mean more hero summons in the future. More candidates for the League of heroes.


    Its insane. Kelly just said frankly. So yes.


    Youre insane. Chung said. Why are we taking this risk? Were risking our lives here, going down to the demonworlds pit to fight this thing in there. Im against this. We dont need this fight.


    Colette shrugged. I dont know. I want more information before I decide.


    Hafiz and Adrian both nodded. Yeah, Im with Colette. I need to know more. If its an easy fight we should go for it. Kens right. If Aeon could stack the odds in our favor, then we have nothing to lose.


    Chung sighed. Alright, then Ill let Edna know that we want more info. Were not going in there blind.


    Prabuughed. That''s a privilege, Chung. Our predecessors all had to face their demon kings with no data.


    But this isnt a necessary fight.


    Maybe not, but it is our duty.


    Thats the gods speaking.


    Maybe.


    Spaizzer I feel like I should stop this fic and try something else sometimes. Maybe something more mainstream like smut.

 Astral Geometree

    Astral Geometree


    <b>Year 212</b>


    Lumoof had finally recovered from the effects of the trip, and he noticed his sensitivity to the soul realm had increased. There were moments when he saw specks of things flying in the air and briefly wondered whether his vision was bugged.


    Then it was clear its actually the souls movement in the world. He could seem, faintly, and if he was in a zone.


    Is it because of all the mana practice we are doing? Lumoof asked.


    Im not sure.


    I didnt get a skill, though.


    I thought it was a matter of time.


    I thought we get the skill first, then we see the results, not the other way round. Lumoof chuckled. We both knew the system can be irregr and inconsistent, even if it broadly tries to stick to a set pattern. Broadly.


    Level-specific things have been followed quite strictly, but when do people actually learn or acquire a skill has been one of the weirder aspects of the system. Perhaps a system had to have hard and soft aspects, both RNG and checkpoints in order for it to work?


    Mana practice and soul-sight practice took up most of Lumoofs time. His mana control wasnt poor, but now, his mana tolerance has improved.


    It made him sick, and he actually got skills to cope with more mana. Just that the quantities we needed to poison the demon king were too high.


    He would have to reach even higher levels.


    ***


    For me, Alkas team of scientists finally gave me one demon king core model. It was a replica, constructed from the data gathered from all the demon cores we had so far.


    It did not contain all the elements of the demon, just the parts of the runic carvings that we somewhat understood. They said it seemed to open up some kind ofwork, but it fizzled out before they could get further. The amount of power needed by the model was quite high, and Alka said he saw what appeared to be a very, veryrge three dimensional map in his mind.


    But it hurt his head so much he had to stop. His spection was that it was not designed for mortal minds, or at least, designed such that it suited how the demons mind worked. Therefore they brought it to me.


    My vines wrapped around the object made of some of the toughest crystals we had, and my mana flooded it. The runes within it red, and then, I briefly saw the entire core glow.


    I felt it and saw the magic of the replica core seemed to tap into something. Something that existed in an entirely different ce.


    It was a mini-portal within it. No, metaphorically, it was the equivalent of an interdimensional wireless modem thats now making a call to this... space in another part of the world.


    I felt a connection, and instantly my mind was assaulted. My artificial minds stepped in to protect me. It wasnt a domain-type attack, but more like a DDOS or a Ping bombardment.


    [Mental firewall activating... filtering...]


    This felt like a nostalgic return to the days of Roo.


    Then I felt a strange, ufortable sensation, like something attempting to pull me from the other side of that connection.


    It pulled, and then-


    -Snapped.


    At that moment, I saw the stars that Alka imed to see. It was vast, and then, they disappeared. And reappeared again.


    The map seemed to twist in unusual ways, and I realised it wasnt actually three dimensional. I wasnt even sure it was a map.


    That ufortable sensation returned, and then, I felt something push back against my presence very, very strongly. It was so strong that the energy somehow spilled through the replica, and the replica cracked.


    The connection was lost then.


    Alka just looked at the cracked replica with a look of bewilderment. What just happened?


    I saw the stars, and then, something kicked me out. Im not sure what. Alka strapped in as I shared what I saw with him through our dream academy.


    Theres a guardian on the other side of that. It might be possible to kick it out, or at least, stop it from kicking you out. My bomb-domain holder touched the cracked demon-core replica. Well have to make a few more of these, out of different materials to see whatll work well.


    What do you think we saw?


    A starmap. An invasion n. A path. Or just a history of worlds invaded.


    If there was a centralised controller that told demons where to go, it had to be on the other side of the demon core.


    So, I wondered whether every demon king essentially calls-home and asked where do I go?, and somebody or something on the other side tells it where to go.


    The key point is, if I figure this out, I could fuck with it. If I stop all the demons from being able to essentially dial-home, could I take out the momentum behind the demon kings constant invasions? Essentially, cause them to turn on themselves, or invade worlds that were already invaded, and so, slow their expansion across the multiverse?


    This strategy was an expansion of my earlier demonic IFF-interference strategy.


    Of course, I eventually shared our findings with the other domain holders, the heroes, and my other senior members.


    It sounds like the demon kings actually a remote-controlled drone, and the mind behind the demon king is safe somewhere else. Ken quickly connected the connection and gave a wild spection. We have been fighting clones all this while. The core of eachs just a clone-factory to manufacture more drones.


    Lumoof, naturally understood what that meant. Are you saying each demon king is an avatar of some controlling entity?


    Well, close. Actually, yes. Its like how Aeon speaks through you. Absolutely.


    Then we just have to take out the demon kings controller and all of this should end?


    Actually, if the demon king was really some kind of entity like myself, thats actually a lot harder. It meant the entity behind the demon kings, if there is such a thing, could have many, many clone bodies and are manufacturing these self-replicating motherships.


    I pondered the thought for a while, and realised that countering the demon kings as a whole fell into tworge long-term angles.


    One. Destruction and extinction. If its possible to destroy its power source, or if there is some kind of central will at the heart of all the demons, then destroying it should end this demonic gue once and for all. Part of this strategy requires heavily levelling my domain holders so that they could fight battles on the demon world. There are lesser oues under this angle, such as just destruction of its ability to travel worlds, or destruction of whatevers assisting its wayfinding.


    Two. Confusion and redirection. Messing with the demons world-finding abilities, and under this umbre, messing with its friend-foe identification. Under this set of strategies, if its not possible to destroy the demons as a whole, maybe because there isnt actually a center or a node, then we would essentially confuse the shit out of it, and mess with its ability to find habited worlds. We could create curtains, such that they couldnt find us, or jam the teleportation portals such that the demons couldnt invade us.


    There are lesser angles, or ones I consider unlikely, such as assimtion. From an evolutionary standpoint, if the demons at the center were some kind of code or virus, could I alter them such that they became benign?


    If the demons were some kind of rogue program or magical grey goo that ran out of control, could someone reassert control over them?


    ***


    The evolution of beetles with more specialised materials continued, even beyond Alkas suicide beetles. Since the creation of specialised Treechikomas, weve expanded the evolutionary development to a wider range of creatures.


    My domain powers over evolutionary meddling extended beyond beetles, so itd be a waste to restrict myself to them. Horns would be upset, but hed understand. And hes too busy fighting demons in the parasiteworld to nag me about it.


    We experimented on anti-magic infused beetles, but creating them consumed the anti-magic ss, which was now a finite resource. The first few designs were crap and the regr beetle-mind struggled, so I made artificial-mind variants.


    These performed better with the custom-designed bodies, but they also struggled. Actual performance in the battlefield didnt seem to match up with how they were designed, so, we had to make multiple revisions.


    Its not as if they were not working, but whenpared to a regr beetle at the same level, their performance wascking at first.


    Theter versions finally managed to perform just as good, but it did take about sixty different variations. The artificial minds too had to adapt to their new bodies, and that was also anothergging aspect.


    These minds were able to seamlessly work with regr monsters because it seemed their movement and attitudes were already in them, somehow. Its like theres a blueprint of how to move a spider or how to move a beetle already avable, while this modified anti-mana beetle was different, so even basic things had to be learned from ground up.


    Honestly, some of the earlier designs were embarrassing. It reminded me of my younger days when I yed with Spore and I just ced all the horns and spikes I could, and made what looked like a nerubian or a porcupine-beetle.


    Yeah. More spikes is better... not really.


    Over time, the refinements made by my artificial minds made them more functional, and they began to look more like something more functional.


    In terms of experiments, I also relooked at my artificial minds, and tried to create more powerful, fully formed souls.


    With my higher number of soul forge colors, it was theoretically possible. It took some time, but eventually I managed to increase the artificial minds overall performance and mana production.


    It still wasnt much, not whenpared to the Titans. But twice as fast, or twice as much mana is still a significant improvement, and helped the artificial minds cope with the huge amount of background administrative work to keep everything running.


    ***


    Branchhold had its own set of artificial minds, to run the wooden lifts and coordinate the carrier-beetles.


    I also sent Ally over to the Mountainworld, and she, or, it, really, took the form of a lizardperson, salvaged and repaired from the corpse of a dead lizardperson. Ally, as the parasite, received an artificial mind at the core, essentially giving it sufficient power to function, but not enough to truly exhibit the full range of its abilities.


    A converted demon-champion parasite was something even my own Valthorns viewed with an ufortable suspicion. Theres just something uncanny about a shapeshifter that could possess another that made normal people ufortable.


    Something that I dont get. Maybe its the assurance that its almost impossible to possess me that made it discount that threat.


    In any case, Ally would assist my spymasters in my n to bend the opinions of the Mountainworld in my favor.


    Within the immigrants to Branchhold, we swiftly detected agents of the various kingdoms eager to find out more about us. At this point, I merely informed my spymasters of their presence, but did not do more than that.


    I didnt want the natives to realise I could monitor them, so, I decided to let the agents work as they please, and only allowed capture in ces where it was probable that someone could have noticed them.


    In short, my spymasters had to hunt for spies without relying on my trees surveince. This was good practice for him, of course, and it also hid the full extent of my abilities from the natives.


    Working in other worlds would be amon urrence as this went on, as I foresee my gradual expansion over time.


    Eventually, as I get in touch and have a presence in more inhabited worlds, Id see myself be some kind of centralised transportationwork. The warpwork between the worlds.


    Id probably make a lot of money just by charging for transport, and with very few alternatives, well, except the void mages, Id essentially be a monopoly.


    Of course, as it is, Id already have tremendous economic advantage because I could easily arbitrage any pricing differences between Treehome and Mountainworld, and the Central Continent, by extension, has ess to two economic markets.


    The merchant lords easily saw the economic opportunity to exploit the pricing difference, but all these depended on me agreeing to teleport the goods.


    I decided against it, as it would not be good for me to crash the prices by flooding the market with essentially imported goods from another world.


    ***


    There were some ideas that came out before our supposed invasion of the parasite world.


    What if we shifted daemolite from our world to the Mountainworld?


    No. What if it triggers a permanent increase in demonic invasions to our world. That would not be good. Kelly and Adrian refused, and frankly, I could see their point. I wasnt sure how the demonic surveince and targeting mechanism worked, and if I shifted it there, could I essentially trigger more demons without reducing ours?


    So I considered some more alternatives. One was to shift the daemolite to the Parasiteworld, or to the Cometworld.


    I didnt want to shift it to the Cometworld, because, if the demons could somehow see the daemolite, essentially these daemolite were surveince bugs. I didnt want the demons to target a hyper-mobile void explorer.


    Thus, we settled on sending more of these daemolites to the Parasiteworld, and see whether it affected the frequency of the demon kings invasion to Treehome.


    We shifted almost all of our daemolite to my clone on the parasiteworld.


    No change to the existing astral paths. Ste said. But the further ones are wobbling and fading. It seems removing daemolite only reduces the frequency of demon kings multiple decades down the road.


    Steter theorised those that have already locked onto our world areing as scheduled, but those further away have not properly locked on, thus removing the daemolite made targeting more difficult. Essentially, that meant daemolite was some kind of aiming-aid. Without it, the demon could still find us, but just a bit harder.


    We kept the daemolite in the parasite world.


    ***


    Lumoof kept practising with mana and trained hard. He needed to be ready for the shit I was gonna throw his way, and after the shit I put him through, he clearly understood he would be seeing things way out of his league.


    Even the invasion to liberate parasiteworld essentially depended on Lumoof to provide support, since the heroes demanded his presence as a condition to the invasion.


    My trees were busy draining the waters from the parasiteworld to create patches of driernd. Strangely, now that my trees covered arge part of the parasiteworld, some normal weather had returned.


    A return of seasonal rainstorms, and small snows during the colder period. The parasiteworld had always felt a little hot and humid, a bit like being in a tropical swamnd, but myrge patches of trees had gradually repaired some of the weather. I found it weird, because this wasnt a conscious thing.


    I didnt actually attempt to change the weather, but the changes on the Parasiteworld over time had been rather dramatic and some parts absolutely no longer resembled what was still a demon-controlled world.


    With more manaing from the Mountainworld, I gradually inched closer and closer to the pit of the Parasiteworld.


    Each piece of territory was won through a constant war of attrition against the hordes of the demons. They spawned more creatures, newer variants, but we had improved beetles to counter them.


    The demons clearly had some ability to learn and adapt, especially on the demon-controlled worlds, since they were able to spawn new variants. The fact that demons in the invaded worlds did not adapt that strongly, whenpared to the demons on their controlled worlds, made me wonder whether demon kings and demon mothers had some control over the development of demons.


    Or perhaps, because the system considered demons to be native in this world, thus the system spawned adapted demons? Or was there some kind of automated learning, or just through rbining known traits in different ratios, in the same way nature adapted to changes in the environment through reproductive processes?


    The only Id know is if I controlled a core.


    My trees encroached on the areas around the pit to the core and we began the process of draining the pit of water. Moving water wasnt difficult, and I eventually released the water throughout my controlled areas, essentially creating rivers out of these once shallownds.


    There was a lot ofndscaping to do.


    The water from the pit had to be cleaned and filtered too, as I noticed it contained far higher quantities of demonic presence within it.


    I didnt know how long it took for the core to spawn another demon king, but from what I could detect on the surface, there was hardly any progress, and it seemed like an exceptionally long spawn time.


    Newkes appeared too, as more water was shifted out of the flooded pits. The fact that it was an exposed pit made it significantly easier for me to remove the water because I could spawn trees all the way to the edge, and those roots at the edge functioned like pumps. Water was then gradually sucked out of the pit and then channeled through the rootwork.


    At the rate we were draining the pit, I estimate it would take about two years to drain the water and reach the core.


    Good enough. By then, Lumoof and the heroes should be ready for another fight in the depth.

 Variant Roots

    Variant Roots


    <b>Year 213</b>


    I see the transportation went smoothly. d to see you, Master Johann. I rotated domain holders between the two worlds. One of my newer treefolk lords, Baron Threid, and a delegation of administrators were present to greet him when I sent him over.


    I could send him over unannounced, but the Valthorns have a huge operating procedure built up for fixed deployments, so I went along with the bureaucracy. Baron Threids kind was a rarity on Mountainworld, but he was one of those willing to take a relocation package over the Branchhold. At level 50, he was rtively lower level, but that was normal for those with noble sses. Noble sses and ruler-sses levelled slower, just like those with the higher tier or upgraded sses, but they made up for it by their aura and other state-level abilities.


    This act of greeting domain holders and receiving visitors was one I felt a bit iffy about. There was an element of brown nosing that I didnt quite like, but Lumoof and my senior leaders imed that it was nothing more than a good practice of hospitality. Eventually, I settled and agreed to let the practice continue, but forbidvish andrge receiving parties.


    Well, Im here for my assignment. Hows everything? It was his first visit to Branchhold this year.


    Baron Threid shook his head. We caught another four spies. Im fairly sure Branchhold is infested with spies at this point. Our spies are trying to weed out the rest, but with so many immigrants, its quite hard. Some of them essentially do nothing but feed info back to their minders back in the kingdoms.


    Johannughed. Well, Im sure Aeon saw iting, so good luck there.


    Baron Threid paused at the statement. Would you be assisting the counter-espionage efforts?


    Johann looked at the Treefolk Lords misaligned eyes for a moment, and shook his head. Treefolks were not what people would consider pretty. They were more tree than people, and so their body structure was unusual. No. Thats not what Im here for. Counter-espionage remains the task of Branchholds designated council. I believe Aeons intention is for the council to level, so it wouldnt be right for me to interfere.


    Ah. I see. I would step in if things really got out of hand, but its important to let the people make mistakes and learn from them, as long as it wasnt a lethal one.


    That said, I did find my tolerance of lethality increasing over time.


    Instead, I want a briefing on thetest wars of the foreign nations.


    Baron Threid nodded. Right this way.


    ***


    There are days when I think war is inevitable. The system facilitates and encourages the act ofbat.


    Not just that. There are days when I thought war was good. The system is part of this worlds nature. It is how this world works, and war was how the system and people of this world ensured the survival of the fittest.


    The survival of those who could gain the levels and skills needed to survive. War elerated that process, as conflict ensured and required each and everyone to strive harder to protect what they have, and to survive.


    War wasing, because the system encouraged it.


    War wasing, because those who survived are better equipped to face the future.


    It was a morbid, cruel assessment of the world. Or was it me, bing numb to this constant state of war?


    Despite the benefits of war, it came at the expense of generational learning, because war encouraged destruction of infrastructure and knowledge. War was the equivalent of stepping on others to go higher, and destroying other''sdders.


    There had to be a bnce somewhere between the two, and I wasnt sure whether the Central Continents model was the best one, even if it worked very well so far.


    I also didnt think it was right to transnt a governance model that worked for the Central Continent to Branchhold and the wider Mountainworld as a whole, because both worlds and people had different histories.


    Johann sat and contemted the briefing, my spymasters had built a basic information gatheringwork throughout the other kingdoms of the Mountainworld. Thisplemented the information I gained through my trees, which also expanded outward.


    The Mountainworld people fought a lot. In fact, the wars of this era seemed more violent than ever.


    The level 80s of the Mountainworld fought each other, and their levels meant the destruction they wrought was more extensive. Conflicts seemed to arise from the smallest things, the rulers eager to shake the status quo with the military power umted over the decade of war.


    This was partly why there was a surge in immigration to Branchhold, once it became clear to the poption of the world that no one actually attempted to invade us. Branchholds military power remained a huge unknown to the people of this world.


    We should arrange a visit to the Central Continent of Treehome, and establish the sheer gap in power between our two worlds. Once they realise the kind of military power we have, it would greatly ease our efforts on Branchhold.


    What was the point in that, really? Show that we have a bigger stick? Was there a point to scaring the people? Is it not the same as what the heroes did? Their presence frightened the other nations intopliance, and gave them the right to have their own kingdoms.


    Its useful to get some of the nobles to work with us. There are those who feel that they can oppose us if theybine their might.


    Fear. Id prefer if we were liked, but then again, being liked never stopped them from fighting against us. If anything, Id like my spymasters to bribe, ckmail, preach and twist these other nations to get out of my way.


    After all, why kill when you could convert them or bribe them? Its unnecessary bloodshed. Moneys not an object for me anymore.


    Over the decades and centuries, I watched the value of money fluctuate, and now I was at the point where money is kind of a secondary result of my will. After all, money was useful to convince others to mobilise and do what you want. Now though, with the resources of a continent, and my power, should I choose to wield it, was absolute, money was just an intermediary.


    After all, money is just a means of exchange, and also a way for the state to exercise its power to govern. A nation could pay its employees with food, lodging, or any other kind of benefit, in order topel them to do what the nation requires them to do.


    At the core of it, what was a nation? A nation was a means to create an overarching structure to enable the provision of services not possible to be achieved at a smaller scale. Back home, democratic systems generally try to ensure that the government has a mandate, so to speak, from the people that it is governed.


    This, partly, was to ensure stability, to align the will of the people and that of the rulers.


    In a world with magic and skills, how does this mandate y out?


    Frankly, in a world where skills, levels and magic exist with monsters of varying strength, the value of themon man is not much.


    Its more of an oligarchy of the powerful.


    Too frequently, it bes a mandate of the system. Not unlike the mandate of heaven. The system bestows a select few with the power to rule, and thus they create their kingdoms. Levels create power, and that power is exercised to rule over others. Those who have power and gain power used it to oppress and to demand those beneath them to obey.


    Im aware, thats essentially what I did. My overwhelming levels ensured I could execute my will and bend Treehome to the direction I want it to go.


    It was a form of tyranny, even if Ive generally tried to have a light-touch. Lumoof once said the presence of level caps was to ensure that no one got too powerful, but clearly, the system wasnt expecting a creature like myself.


    asionally I wonder whether this was all nned. Did the system know this is what I would do? Does the system have a desire? Does it have a goal?


    Why? It was a question many people around the world asked. During prayers, many asked why level systems were created, andmented how unfair it was. How some nobles had inherited skills, and some had none.


    What was the purpose of it all, anyway? I noticed a rise in these types of existential questions from the inhabitants of the Central continent, which I suspect was a result of rising affluence and education levels. Was there even a purpose to it, to create a system where the system grants so much power to those who jump through its hoops? The system encourages ughter, and encourages achievements.


    This, of course, tied back to development. Rightly or not, Ive significantly uplifted the development of the Central Continent, and invested significant resources on magical research and weapons. Tools of war, to wage more dangerous wars.


    This was known to all on Treehome, and has functioned as a deterrent from the other nations. Alkas crystalline bombs are well known for its incredible destruction. Their magical ripples could be detected an entire continent away.


    Yet, my goal was to end the cycle, and there is a worry, just like back home, that further research and overuse of bombs may eventually lead to some kind of magical nuclear winter. We dont know how much magic is too much magic, even if Im currently quite certain its nothing to worry about.


    ***


    On Branchhold, the issue of a constitution was a bit harder than I initially expected. Mainly, the refugees and immigrants to Branchhold had very different expectations, norms and requirementspared to the administrators from Treehome.


    Those from Treehome had lived a generation or two under my rule, and their social, cultural and administrative norms had deviated quite a bit.


    Form filling was a struggle with the immigrants who didnt even know what a form was. Things like waste disposal, sanitation and food-processing all had gaps. Even on Treehome there was some gaps, especially between continents, but the other continents had learned from us by exposure. Many nobles, influenced by my spymasters, adopted some of our norms and policies. Even the Triumvirs of Aiva adopted more regimented training processes, supported by my Valthorns indirectly.


    All that happened over a long period of time, so the gap never felt so big.


    But here, these people never had that exposure. The worse thing was, it further solidified my delegation''s impression that the people of Branchhold were uncultured barbarians.


    This was something I wanted to avoid, because it was a form for resentment, and worked against my intention to build a good, positive impression among the nobles, warrior sses and general peasantry of the world.


    The gaps too big. Johann admitted in a personal conversation with me. Im not sure its possible to educate them and get them to change their practices so quickly.


    I wasnt sure why, but that statement made me churn a little. I sensed disdain and a little bit of patronising in those words. I get that he had a point, but I wasnt toofortable with that feeling, so I decided to clear it up. Perhaps there is no need too.


    Oh? Johann was one of my soldiers, and he respected the warrior-ethos of the people. But that was about his only positive impression. There was an immediacy to their life, the focus is on winning the next battle, not stepping back and thinking about how to win the war.


    This difference in time-horizon was probably something that would need a generation or two to change. The immigrants didnt understand orprehend the security we could provide.


    Why think about whats going to happen a year down the road when the demons could invade and kill everyone next month? In a way, the decade-long war was a big setback to their overall society, and frankly, he understood that we could have easily been the same.


    Yet it made day-to-day interactions frustrating. It was an experience quite like the Canari, who also seemed to live their lives day-by-day.


    These people lived life day-to-day, and rather than try to change them, is there a way to make a better or more productive version of this mindset?


    That sounds rather strange. Johannughed. Isnt foresight one of the better qualities of civilization? To create a structure from nothing.


    It is, but I am beginning to wonder whether Ive been looking at civilization with a far too narrow perspective.


    To me, that just sounds like chaos.


    Maybe.


    The strength of nning and foresight allows the umtion of our efforts towards arger goal. Something that cannot be achieved through instant reaction and living day by day. There has to be a guiding path, or a focus.


    Its the equivalent of a corporate ethos and culture, towards some kind of goal.


    An organisation thisrge, by sheer number of actors and yers would generate many contradictory forces. A noble in one part of Treehome would and could take the exact opposite direction as another noble. Its impossible to force everyone to be perfectly aligned. Its too much effort, and means turning everyone into robots.


    Ultimately, it boils down to the question of, what kind of world did I want Mountainworld to be?


    Does it even matter, if its main function is to serve as a massive mana generator toplement my future mana requirement?


    Why was I doing this?


    ***


    How do the immigrants take the rule of the council? Johann asked one of the relocated administrators.


    Not well. Language differences are getting better, but they are still unused to the way many things are done. Theres also no respect for the Valtrian Order, which makes it harder for the Order personnel to carry out their work. The priests are having a slightly easier time, but its not smooth sailing either.


    Johann spotted many small aggressions and conflicts as the relocated administrators and guards tried to impose their version of order onto the refugees.


    Most ept it, even if they dont understand. After all, they came as refugees to avoid the threat of war, but there clearly was some expectation gap. They expected life to be simr back to where they came from, not this elerated-uplift society where they had to adjust to how I wanted this city to be.


    This was a result of my will being in conflict with those of the refugees, and frankly, many made the journey with iplete information.


    I could solve this problem by allowing mass migration from the Central Continent to Branchhold, but I wanted to see how receptive the local folk were before I did that.


    I also had some concerns about facilitating such arge movement of people between worlds, and I wanted rules and proper process before such things were permitted. The artificial minds could be granted authority to operate the inter-world transportation, and the necessary mana budget, so that freed up one part of my mental load.


    ***


    There was a strange problem that emerged for those who came from the Central Continent. I didnt notice it immediately because of the presence of my healing aura in Branchhold, but my spymaster noticed it in their field operators.


    Diseases of another world.


    Those with my familiars, or those close to my clone trees were spared thanks to the influence of my [healing aura], but the spies that strayed further, some without the protection of my familiars, got sick. A lot.


    Most diseases were mild, but it was another aspect that I did not foresee. Ste swiftly reminded me of the diseases brought by colonisers during the age of exploration.


    The inverse did not ur, simply because my people were generally healthy thanks to the effect of my [healing aura], so they didnt carry that many diseases. My [Bibs] quickly collected some of these disease samples.


    Then we realised these diseases of Mountainworld were made of magic.


    ***


    I eventually agreed to a learning visit for the refugees and the nobles. I thought about it, and realised, maybe intimidation wasnt a bad thing.


    It was the whole idea of a nuclear deterrence. I had the impression that my domain holders already qualified to be my nuclear deterence. I also wanted the refugee representative to see for themselves what kind of culture and society we had back on Treehome.


    Many refugees have their own defactomunity leaders, which we selected for the trip. In total, about 100 refugees would take their first trip to Treehome.


    Their arrival on Treehome was a quiet one. I had not fully dered their presence here, so they were shuffled like tourists on tour buses, always escorted by security personnel.


    They were frankly awed, the equivalent of jungle bumpkins entering the city for the first time.


    Spaizzer /series/541149herborne-an-op-monster-litrpg/


    <strong>I''d like to shoutout xkarnation''s MONSTER EVO FIC. HIS GOT A MONSTER EVO STORY. BECAUSE I HEARD YOU LIEK MONSTER EVO FICS, SO I RECOMMEND YOU TO CHECK OUT DIS MONSTAH EVO FIC.</strong>


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 Word blocks and trenches

    Word blocks and trenches


    <b>Year 214</b>


    Lumoofs mana practice continued, while my other domainholders made regr trips to the parasite-world to set up the stage for an invasion.


    He had managed, over a period of two to three years, to increase his mana tolerance by about twice of what it was, buttely his progress has teaued. It still wasnt good enough, but Lumoof said he would just gain more levels, and hopefully those higher levels gave him extra stats and new skills that helped with his mana tolerance.


    I agreed, I did not want to subject him through pain, if there was not much progress.


    Since we had a roadblock in this particr direction, Lumoof went to the parasiteworld, to see what he could do there.


    My attempts to drain the pit of the demon king went quite sessfully, and the amount of water was then redirected to make actualkes and ponds in the areas we controlled.


    Ive reached about 3/4th to the core of the parasiteworld, and now, the walls of the pit are filled with vines and crawler-type nts. Down here, there were few demons, but nothing much of a threat.


    The demons continued to attack us throughout the world, but so far, we managed to hold on. They mounted multiple assaults to flush us out and fully retake the area around the pit, with champions and all that, but with Edna, Roon or Johann around to provide additional support and offset my distance-penalty, it wasnt hard.


    A champion was no king, and if they could not field kings, my domain holders had nothing to fear. Hytreerion, my converted walker, served as my champion and fortified the area around the pit.


    Despite all this, there was no sign or signal that suggested this world was attempting to grow another demon king. Not yet, anyway.


    The magical energy of this world was still low, despite all the recovery in the past few years. The path in the stars appeared to be faint.


    I wondered what kind of world it would invade, but for now we kept digging. It would be another year or two before we reached the core.


    ***


    Fancy seeing you here. Kei said as she walked up one of Branchholds highest trees, where there was an observation tower that looked out. Ste nodded at the crystal-golem when she walked in.


    I was told its a gorgeous view of the vast demonds, still not reimed by the heroes. The two heroes, Adrian and Kelly did use their powers to retake some of the demonnds, but they didnt seem particrly enthused.


    Id say the same for you. Ste responded as she worked with her tools. Over the decades, she had made some tools and equipment to help her with her task of observing the skies, and the Mountainworlds skies were filled with entirely new stars and worlds. Did Aeon send you here to give me a hand?


    Nothing like that. I just asked for permission to visit another world, and got it. I just have to be escorted outside Branchhold.


    Ah that does sound like something you would do. See anything you like, so far?


    Not yet. The rangers told me the food choices are quite interesting, but my taste buds arent exactly the best.


    Ste smirked at the golem. Taste-buds.


    Yeah. Eat. As if I needed that. Kei shrugged, and then perched herself at the balcony. She took a moment to take in the view. But this ce does have a really good view. This city doesnt sprawl, not like Freshka.


    Not yet.


    Eh sphemy! Kei teased. Aeon already has an anti-sprawl n!


    Ste didnt reply, and continued to work. She collected readings of various magical energy signatures, and she continued her work on her theory. She thought that each different worlds magical key that identified that world, so, if she could figure out what the alphabets were, she could then figure out how to match the alphabets to the rift gates, and then, use it to call ces that we currently have no ess to.


    Magic was a lot of hard work.


    How many void mages did you bring with you? Kei asked.


    Ste paused. Two of them are helping me with the research.


    Do you find portals different here?


    Not really. About the same. The only worlds where I felt my portals were nigh-unusable were thatetworld and the anti-magic world.


    That was a waste. Aeon shouldve kept that world. Kei said. Now our supply of anti-magic sand is cut off.


    Ste just smiled.


    Wait. Whats that look?


    We have the magical coordinates for that world. With a sufficiently high-powered amount of void mana, and if we can replicate a smaller version of that core-mana-void mana tunnel...


    How far are we?


    Honestly, the biggest roadblock we have right now is Aeonsck of core mana. Between what Ive seen and what weve gathered from the demon kings core replica, were halfway there with the tunnel.


    Shit. We are just one mana-source away from being able to go wherever we want?


    Lets not jinx it and make it sound so easy. Core mana isnt the easiest thing to find, but if the parasite-world invasion goes well... Ste smiled. There are still mountains to climb after this one. And this is still a really, really tall mountain.


    How long have you known? Kei asked once Ste took a break.


    Know what?


    That were going to be able to essentially connect all the worlds weve been to.


    Oh. It was always there. Each world has a signature, a phone number. Each rift gate Aeon stealses with its own coordinates, mostly intact. Ive known how to lock a rift gate to a past world, especially if weve stolen the gate from that world. Its just, weck the power to make that connection. Void mana doesnt survive very well in the void forest. It gets swept away and disrupted by the smallest eddies.


    Is Aeon nning to do that with this world too? Kei looked up at the sky. The mountainworld would have their own demon king too, but their cycle was a little longer, ranging from 15 years to 20 years.


    Yes. Ive discussed it before. We have to grab as many rift gates, from as many worlds, as far as possible. Its one of the easier ways to collect all the astral alphabets or numbers. Next was to map that number to our observations of their location in space, and see whether we could make some sense of the numbers. I believe there is a logic or pattern inbuilt in thenguage of the rift gates, which brings me to my next task-


    Which is?


    I need to get my domain. Within the demon kings core-replica, Aeon spoke of star-paths, and a massive map, but he said there is a guardian within that map. Hed only let me use it once I have a domain. Ive seen images, though, through the [dream academy], but Id really like to see it for myself, and feel what that thing is.


    Do you think thats a creature of the void? Do you think there are things living in the void forest? Kei asked randomly. Like... you know, hunters within the void forest that look for certain things?


    I wouldnt say its impossible. But Ive not seen any. My void archmage rxed and took a sip of water.


    A Valthorn dropped in to just check in, and then left once they noticed both Kei and Ste were in there. Branchholds security condition wasnt as robust as Freshka, but with my artificial minds constantly monitoring everything, I had the ability to react almost instantly.


    Still, I had the Valthorns patrol all the key instations. I didnt trust my detection abilities to get everything.


    Stes levels were mostly through research, but in her earlier days she did some powerlevelling with the domain holders. As she reached her level 140s, her levels had slowed, and so she would also need to get somebat experience in, even if its indirect.


    It was really quite irritating that the path to a domain seemed to requirebat experience. Was this world so battle crazy?


    Stes time had to be split between her astral-alphabet and riftgate research, crafting andbat, and also her teaching duties at her void academy. Thankfully, these days she wasnt the only void archmage.


    We had a few promoted to [void archmage] over the years, and for risk-mitigation, we rotated them to other roles. One moved on to crafting and creation of void-mana sensitive artefacts that Ste used, and also taught the next generation of crafter-void mages.


    Sadly, the process of getting limatised to void mana was still horrible, and it was something I worked on.


    One of which was my breeding program. I had the ability to inject an inheritable skill, and I intend to stack the inheritable skills to create a naturally attuned [void mage]. The very first young treefolks just enrolled to the void academyst year since the breeding program started.


    Patreeck went a bit further and suggested that I limatise young lizardpeople eggs and treefolk seedlings to void mana, but the potential of killing these babies made me squirm.


    I wasnt willing to go that far. Maybe... not yet.


    ***


    I spoke to Reefy after a while. I spoke to him, or it, every few months, but our conversation was usually brief. Usually nothing of particr interests, though Reefy often brought trinkets and showed all the strange fishes that are found in the depths.


    Then, this time, he brought something else to my attention. > Dead giant found. Know? <


    Reefy shared, through our root-link, an image of a giant creature, submerged in the depths, it looked like it had died many, many years ago. From the depths, all I could see was a shadow-like image, but it was something simr.


    The shell was filled with scars, but I could tell what it was. A dead zaratan.


    > Too big. Need help. Minions too small. Can send help? < Reefys mental image shared a location of the dead giant, and I immediately had the Valthorns deploy ships and mages to the location.


    I also pinged Lilies, my old friend, to get in touch with Vasira, the zaratan, once more. If there was a dead zaratan, I thought I should let them know.


    Ste, Lumoof both returned from the other worlds, and they were joined by Edna, Alka, and arge contingent of mages. They boarded thergest vessels we have.


    The location was right in the middle of the ocean between the central continent and the Western isles, between two oceanic valleys. Over the years, someyers of ocean sand had covered most of it.


    Its down there, right at the bottom. Alka said. His magical abilities and past experience as an asional archeologist meant he had some skills for this kind of event. We could use a portal and teleport it up, but well need to encase it in a bubble of magic to preserve it from further harm.


    Bones. I could learn of itsst memories from its bones, but I would do so after I got the zaratans views, if they allowed me to do so.


    But lets wait, and let me see what else I can learn through magic.


    I recalled these zaratans loved water, and I wasnt sure if digging up zaratan bones from the ocean was potentially an offensive thing. If they loved water so much, an oceanic burial could be what theyve always wanted.


    Ste shrugged. Im sadly unaware of their funeral rites or customs, despite being their apprentice. As far as I know, they dont have such customs, even though they do feel the loss of their fellow zaratans very, very strongly.


    In that case, let us just do magical research for now, and wait for the zaratans to emerge.


    As it turned out, we didnt need to wait long, as a thick mist soon emerged in the area, and two massive zaratans emerged, and one younger one that Ive met before. Their presence was thick and rippled outwards, their presence wasparable to any domainholder.


    > The treespatriots have gained much strength. < Thergest of the zaratans spoke.


    Everyone just looked at Lumoof, and he entered avatar mode. I spoke through him then.


    The younger zaratans still-massive turtle head nodded. > Indeed, Aeon. Your actions have rippled through the worlds. We thank you, for the safety youve provided us. <


    > Indeed. Vasira, as you have met them, you can host them in your shell. <


    At that moment, one of Vasiras shell-hexagons opened up to reveal a small box. > Hop on. We will dive to the depths together, and see our departed brother. <


    Ste was the first to go, a portal opened between her and the box in Vasiras shell. The rest of us followed, and all in, about twenty of us dived into the depths of the ocean.


    I had to admit, as a tree, I felt really, really ufortable being so deep underwater, and it took a lot of my willpower not to scream or shake. It was so bad that Lumoof had to use his calming powers on me.


    Yet, the depths of the ocean was wonderful, as Vasiras shell was incredibly magical. It was like a flexible screen that could turn transparent, and allowed us to see the ocean outside. It was like we were in a ss box in the depths of the ocean.


    The dive into the depths took just a moment, as all three zaratannded around the giant bones.


    > Our fallen brother. Another one for the demons. <


    The other giant zaratan touched the scars in the shell with its nose, and seemed to sniff. > Its been five centuries. <


    > Long it has been, but no longer. < The giant zaratan blew all the sand again, and this time, it swirled around the shell. The giant zaratan then bit at the skull of the dead zaratan, and at that moment, the giant zaratan seemed to glow.


    The other giant zaratan and Vasira also bit the bones of the zaratan, and I felt a sudden surge in magic around us. And then just as quickly, it was gone.


    > Do as you please with the bones. We have done what must be done. For providing this information, Vasira shall provide the reward < The giant said, and then, just as quickly, the two giant zaratans swam away, and then... vanished.


    > You may take the bones. < Vasira said.


    The small box we were in was then separated into twopartments, one with only Lumoof, and another with everyone else. Ste then opened a portal in front of Lumoof, and water immediately rushed in through the portal.


    But he was encased in an armor of wood, and he breathed through a vine. My roots surged outwards and through the portal, and then my roots wrapped around the bones of the ancient zaratan.


    Then, I moved everything to another part of my [secret hideout], where my preservation abilities would keep it safe for ourter studies.


    > It is safer for our bones to be in your hands, than anyone else. <


    > All of us could see and feel your energies rippling through the multiverse. We hope our bones can push you a bit closer to your goal. But beware, they can sense it too. Theyve begun to suspect somethings gone wrong in this part of the world, and they would not react well to a nascent god. A new puppeteer will only earn their ire. <


    > They cant tell the difference. < Vasira said.


    Spaizzer


    Please check out FREE LANCES. I think it''s a word y on frencers, but I''m not sure actually. Or maybe it started the other way round. Anyway- Yeah. Check out Freences. Avitue''s a fellow SEA-an like me. (yes I speak multiplenguages poorly at the same time).


    *<i>Through boons and woes, anger and joy,</i>


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    <i>No lord to serve, forever free,</i>


    <i>The life of a /series/466382/freences/</i>


    <i>Please have a look, it''s good shit, since he''s gained a lot of EXP since his earlier stuff.</i>

 Trees of the Abyss

    Trees of the Abyss


    <b>Year 215</b>


    I am now in possession of two sets of bones from legendary creatures. One, the dragon bones, which I recovered from the moon before I withdrew the clone, and now, the bones of the Zaratan.


    Both of which were now safely stored in my [secret hideout], in their own little section. Thanks to the effect of my preservation abilities, they were untouched, almost the same as if they were on the moon, and in the depth of the sea.


    Since I wanted to now see what happened to the Zaratan, I figured I might as well check the dragons bones as well.


    I moved arge piece of the Zaratans skull from one part of my secret hideout, right to the bib located within my body. The skull itself wasrge enough to be a truck, but this broken piece was about the size of arge door.


    It pulsed momentarily, as my bib began its work. Ethereal vines from my soul forge-bib entered the bones, and I began to see images and little bursts of thoughts. Emotions.


    <i>Ake, and then, a sensation of moving. A ck sun, then abruptly snapping. Forced off the path! Anotherke but then its dried out. How? Then demons,rge demons. Champions.</i>


    <i>Running. Flee, and conjured water around itself. The championstch on, and then, the sensation of moving again. Its unstable, demons on its back.</i>


    <i>Ocean. A struggle. Pain. Sinking-</i>


    The memories ended there, and I realised this zaratan had probably been yanked out of its path across the stars. The demons could do that, or at least, that ck sun could.


    I feel that ck sun is the key to everything, and I proposed the idea of destroying or capturing the ck sun to the domainholders. They generally concurred that it may work, if its the only one.


    I wanted to speak to Aiva again, ask them whether theyve ever tried assaulting the ck sun. If that would work?


    I tried a few more zaratan bones, but the memories of itsst moments were simr. So, I used the bones of the dragon from the moon that Ive kept for so long.


    Its a bad habit. I would keep things, and only check on them when I remember them. Patreeck gives me regr reminders, but I find it hard to focus until it really draws me. Anyway, I focused on the dragons bones now.


    Its memories were far more hazy than the zaratan. The images I saw were faded, but I saw-


    <i>Flight. Run! Fear!</i>


    <i>The sky. The stars, and then a really intense sensation of emptiness. Then the moon. The dragon looked back, and saw a world ame. A roar, and then, a long period of waiting. Hope. Hoping for others to join it.</i>


    <i>No one came. No one was strong enough.</i>


    I needed some time to process my thoughts. These were thest moments of these great creatures.


    Both bones had power, and as I studied them, I felt I gained a better understanding of their nature. The study of their bones led to additional titan options.


    [Titan option unlocked : Dragon Replicant. A creature with the flight,bat and magical prowess of a lesser dragon.]


    [Titan option unlocked : Zaratan Replicant. A creature created based on the Zaratans of the void sea. Possessed ability to move between worlds, if there is an existing path. Comes with void mana as default and can use some void magic.]


    I have one titan soul left, but I looked at the six heroes allied to me, and realised, I wasnt in a rush. Not if this arrangement worked.


    I would get more fragments, sure, I was so close to 100 fragments, but, thats really a constion prize if I could direct the heros actions.


    These dragons, and Zaratans were so powerful, surely they would have achieved a domain? What stopped them from stopping the demons? Or, that was the wrong question. The dragons stopped the demons many times, as seen from the memories in some of the ancient tree, but they were eventually overwhelmed. If so, what can we do to avoid their mistakes?


    If two or three demon kings invaded us at the same time, we would fall, just like the dragons. Even today, we dont really know whether thats a rule, or just a convenience of the demons. It is entirely possible that they assigned 1-to-1 worlds just to maximise the number of invaded worlds, but could easily focus on a single world.


    We needed to test this. Was there a physical or magical barrier that prevented simultaneous invasions? Its possible that a demon kings presence emitted something that interfered with the astral paths, thus preventing multiple invasions.


    Since we now had a demon kings core replica, we also needed to figure out how to confuse their targeting system.


    We had seen the astral paths wobble when daemolite was removed from Treehome, and so, weve seen that the creation of stable astral paths required core mana.


    Thus, I directed my attention to one of my potential sources of core mana. The core fragment of the anti mana world.


    Unlike the shard of theetworld, the rousing presence from a few years ago was still dormant. It was as if it slept. When I touched it again, this time, the presence was quite simr to the sensation from theetworld.


    The presence was still collecting itself, and its core mana, however few it was, seemed to resist me. Without actually convincing that presence within the core to give me its mana, the core mana was far more bound to its presence.


    ***


    Ste was back on the Mountainworld after the Zaratan incident, and back to her magical research. She seemed to quite enjoy branchhold, and with our enhanced abilities, we noticed that Mountainworld was linked to two other worlds. One of those two worlds was a little further away, and we would likely need to redeploy some daemolite to reach it.


    It was strange how each worlds astral path was different, and how each world sees the void forest differently.


    This made me think that even the demons starmaps may not be all that reliable, since they probably had their own frame of reference, or these maps were collected from their jumps.


    Even the souls, on their path to reincarnation, travelled to this void forest, where they would move and wobble their way to other worlds.


    I attempted to ess that view again, even with my soul forge, but Ive yet to seed. Maybe I needed the right levels, but I also consulted my fellow domain holders on whether theyve seen such things.


    Lilies, for one, had no clue. This was way beyond their experience.


    Over time, I realised the process of learning is very often just repeatedly throwing something at a problem and seeing what sticks.


    I wonder whether the gods got to their current solution through the same process.


    ***


    Counting down to the invasion? Ken asked the heroes when they met. They didnt meet that often, but they still made it a point to meet every other month. Everyone had their own things to do, some of the heroes had their own projects, like Chung and Hafiz, and the mountainworld heroes, Adrian and Kelly, also found their own passions and hobbies.


    They did say they felt lost after the defeat of the demon king, but eventually they found something to do and upy their time.


    Prabu nodded. Kinda, but not really. Were just working on our own thing for now, while waiting for the cue.


    Snek, the little snake spirit was the most eager of them all, which meant Ken had a little more stake in this project than the heroes. Snek wanted this invasion to seed, for all the obvious reasons.


    After the zaratans warning, I wonder whether this invasion may be the wrong move. What if I drew their attention, and be marked by the demons?


    What if we invited greater scrutiny? These were my worries, and so, for now, the best I could do was over prepare. If necessary, Id cover them and pull the rest of them back to Treehome.


    ***


    Weve finally drained the waters of the pit, and I finally got a glimpse of what was within those pits. It was simr to what we saw in the anti-mana world, the demon mother, around a core. The parasite worlds core was smaller, and filled with holes, quite a bit like a ball-shaped swiss cheese.


    The area around the core itself had been hollowed out, and instead, there was this giant octopus creature with multiple tentacles. Those tentacles weaved through the holes of the core, and tied itself to it.


    [Inspection] didnt work, but I reckon it was the same type of creature.


    From what I could tell, it even had approximately the same level of strength as the demon mother, and I quickly shared my observations with the nned assault force.


    We do have a clear path that leads all the way to the core. We could guide a lot of bombs to the core and flush out the demon mother, but that came at the risk of destroying the core, which is so tied up with the demon mother. So, we needed a surgical approach.


    Send Lumoof. Capture the demon mother. Edna said, and Lumoof gave Edna the stink-eye.


    Ohe on, dont kick me into the pits.


    Im not kicking you in. Im asking you to go in with the heroes. Heroes weaken that creature, and then Aeon captures it.


    Pause for a moment. Chung asked. Can you rify what that was?


    Aeon captures demons by flooding them with mana. Dont you know that already? Prabu said. Theyve attempted to capture the demon king too.


    I know, but can it work on the demon mother?


    Edna shrugged. It should. Weve been prepping Lumoof for that possibility.


    Can we supply you with star mana to do so? Chung wondered. Could star mana do the same thing?


    Actually, I never thought of it. That star mana was so toxic to demons that they die from exposure, but that was when we tested it against regr-type demons. Weve never attempted to infect a demon king with star mana, though I didnt think itll be a good idea, since they did have void mana within them and that was normally an explosive reaction.


    But it was worth trying. If one of the heroes functioned as a battery, I could channel the star mana through Lumoof and inject it into the demon.


    So, do we want to try it out with this demon within the core?


    No. I wasnt sure why, but I felt that using star mana to capture the demon mother in the core would not go well, especially if it interacted with the void mana within the demon mother. Just a normal attack will do. Our goal is to free the core and gain ess to the core mana. Not crack the in the process.


    I wasnt sure scorched even worked as a defense policy. Destroyed worlds did not form a wall that prevented travel. If it did, it may be worthwhile to look into destroying uninhabiteds to form interster barriers.


    ***


    As part of the preparations for the invasion, we significantly increased the number of trees on Branchhold and soon made connections to more magical ley lines. I spread my trees, discreetly where I could, and ramped up my total mana output.


    Back on Treehome, we did the same, I added more trees, and extended my trees further out to the various inds closer to the Central Continent.


    Thanks to the skills earned before this, I was able to tunnel to some of the inds, and this meant I now had some influence over the seas around the Central Continent. My minds suggested creating artificial inds, a point which I eventually came to agree to. The Valthorns quietly arranged for druids, earth mages and builders tomence the construction of these artificial inds.


    This was an incredibly lengthy process, as lifting sand and rock into a stable structure was actually quite difficult, and we honestly had to look for locations where the deep-sea monsters didnt appear too much.


    Publicly, these artificial inds were to serve as my military ports, of course, with all that excuse of reducing piracy and facilitating trade. Its just a cover for my real intention to spread my roots across the ocean, and expand my total mana output.


    My expansion on Mountainworld went rtively easier. Mountainworld as a whole only had one single ocean thats rather deep, fed by hundreds and thousands of rivers. That meant there were very little physical barriers to my expanding trees, and it was possible to go around anyrge habited areas.


    The cold peaks of the Mountainworld didnt do much to stop roots that could tunnel through mountains, though in the process, I discovered that Mountainworld has very interesting subterranean life and culture. There are entire parts of the world that resembled parts of the Eastern Continent, where cities and entire nations lived within mountains, and within many mountains, there were massive caverns that contained things from an older era.


    Many of these were in territories far from Branchhold, so Id probably need to cook up a usible excuse to send my Valthorns to investigate, or probably just have them fake it as adventurers.


    Yeah. Thatll be something to do. I could have an initiative to set up Branchhold-sponsored adventurers, and send them in that direction. But I could indirectly stir up a gold-rush if that leak came from me, since these guys would suspect I know something.


    Anyway, as a result of my expansion on both my homeworld and Mountainworld, my total mana output increased by approximately half, and my total mana storage by that same amount. This was a massive increase, though most of that increase came from greenfield expansion on the Mountainworld.


    This wasnt enough, obviously, but then again, the demon mother might be weaker.


    Time to set it in motion, whatever the consequences may be.


    ***


    Weve been working on this n for years. Ste said at the edge of my clone tree on the parasite world. She set up multiple observation posts, and a few more of her students, other void mages, joined her. They would monitor the stars for any signs that something was wrong, or reinforcements were on their way.


    Lumoof, my domainholders and the heroes stood at the edge of the pit. Lumoof made a repeat of the mission statement. Down there is the demon mother. Our goal is to capture it, or defeat it, and free the core of the parasiteworld. The reason to capture this is simple. We want to test whether it is possible to recapture a world from the demons, and gain ess to core mana.


    If its possible to free the world, it may mean we can have a new poption base, and more future heroes to rely on. With core mana, Ste and the void mages can start to establish stable astral paths through the void forest, and mount a counter invasion.


    The heroes gulped at the term, counter invasion. Getting core mana was the equivalent of having the fuel needed to make the journey. The counterinvasion was a deep-strike, meant to target the realmand center of the demons.


    Any questions? Lumoof asked out of habit. It was just a procedure, they have discussed the issue at length over the years.


    Everyone shook their heads. The pit had been heavily reinforced over the past year. I have four seeds. One on Branchhold, One on the Cometworld, One here in the Parasiteworld, and one more in store, still serving its cooldown.


    Theres four more years to go. They thought of waiting, but then, I didnt feel like we needed to.


    We had made extensive preparations, and they all had a variety of weapons, the ice des of Aria, the death-staff of Lillies, Stes void-weapons and their own hero items.


    Check equipment? Everyone took a minute to recheck their list, and nodded.


    Lumoof nodded, and entered avatar mode. Vines branched out, and around him, the vines turned into a massive walking vine-creature. He looked at the pit, and thought of the many times he made a journey into the core.


    The pit itself was already filled with vines, and my beetles already patrolled the entire pit. The only area weve yet to im was therge cavern around the core.


    Lumoof made a prayer, and the heroes nodded.


    Time to im the parasites core, and free this.


    Spaizzer


    I''d like to shoutout Ghost of the Truthseeker. If you like defiance of the fall, or other simr fictions, GotT is supposedly simr. (Yes I /series/543086/ghost-of-the-truthseeker/

 Void Sprout

    Void Sprout


    <b>Year 215 (continued)</b>


    The entire pit was captured? Chung asked as my vines have captured the trees. Weve figured out how to make some bioluminescent nts, which lit up the path, and made it easier for us to defend the pits from the demonic assaults.


    Only the core chamber is unimed. Beetles, with adapted legs meant for walking up and down vertical trees, also served as my defenders here.


    Damn. If Ken could see this. This is he beautiful if it wasnt a journey to the death. Then Chung pped himself. Choi! Shouldnt have said that.


    Prabu smirked. It shouldnt be that hard?


    Initial data suggests its slightly weaker than a demon king, but still significantly stronger than a champion. Seems to be the leftover husk of a demon king, or at least, a part of it was the demon king..


    I could technically teleport them down to the edge of my vines, but I didnt want to reveal that part of my abilities, so they made the journey riding on Lumoofs carriage of vines.


    As the heroes approached the core, Ste and my sensors began to detect some movement.


    Somethings happening to the astral paths, and Im detecting some magical pulse from the demon.


    It was a momentary magical surge that quickly subsided. Then the demon repeated it again. And then it got stronger, and stronger.


    Whats that? Ste asked, her eyes peeled to the stars above.


    Ive got no idea. It felt like a warning beacon. Or an alert beacon, meant to alert the demons that it is under attack. But it sounds like we may havepany.


    There was still nothing in the astral paths. No movement.


    Lumoof and the heroes approached the core, and found the demon mother coiled up with the core.


    Well, that is our opponent. Lumoof introduced, and the heroes quickly got ready. The demon mother, at that moment, abruptly shrunk its size and hid within the core.


    Uh, where is it going-


    I think it can see your star mana and is hiding from you. Edna responded, and knows you are here to get it, but Lumoof justughed. It knows that you wont destroy the core, so its using the core as a shield.


    Oh, I think you can leave this hide-and-seek to me. My avatar jumped to the core, and then, my roots surged out. My roots and vines spread out, and the demon mother was norger than a small cow, attacked my vines. It was strong, for sure, but destroying my vines revealed its location.


    The demon was indiscriminate and happily attacked the core, but this close, I felt a rough, hazy presence touching on my avatars will, it called to us. It was groggy, as if its been long asleep or unconscious.


    Something pulled it back.


    Follow the colored vines, and itll lead to the demon.


    The heroes approached the core. Meanwhile, through Lumoof, my vines flooded the holes of the core and attempted to slow down the demon mothers movement. It could easily cut through my vines.


    After a few minutes of hiding, it soon realised its initial n to escape or hide within the core wasnt going to work because the heroes eventually caught up and attacked it.


    The demon fought the heroes within the core for a short few minutes, and found itself outmatched. The heroesnded a few hits, but frankly, they held back because they didnt want to damage the core. Yet, it was clear that the heroes would win if it remained within the core.


    So, rather than remain in the core, the demon red its magic, burnt through my vines, and then rushed out of the core. I tried my best to dy it, but it still managed to st through them after a few hits.


    Chase after it!


    That ring of energy seemed to mark something else as well, as Ste immediately noticed something unusual was happening.


    Aeon, somethingsing! Ill do my best to dy it. I need you to send more void mages over to me right now. She immediately barked orders as a group of void mages on standby immediately jumped to action, and I sent them through my clone.


    The demon rushed up the pits, and I tried my best to block it, and covered the pits with thick walls of wood and trees. It heated up like a shining, burning missile and sted through my attempts to dy it.


    The heroes and everyone else gave chase, and fired attacks. Just attack it, dont worry if yound a hit on the walls or anything. I can always fix the treester!


    Each attack weakened the demon mother, but it moved with speed equal to the demon king, and dodged most of the heroes and my domain holders attacks.


    At that moment, Lumoof immediately asked. Should I stay in to secure the core, or go after it?


    Go after it. My vines and roots can reach here, let me deal with it for now. I dont think Ill need my full strength here.


    Got it. Lumoof immediately darted after the heroes and my three domain holders. My domain holders were slower than the heroes, but Prabu had used a magical eleration ability to pull them up so that they could keep up.


    Chungunched volleys after volleys of homing magical arrows at the demon mother, and this was when I saw phase-out and vanish momentarily, before appearing a short distance ahead.


    Great. Just great. Chung charged another shot while he flew up the pit after the demon mother.


    There was an invisible demon before this. Prabu quipped while he charged a star-mana powered homing fireball. At the heros level, the fireball resembled an actual neutron star, rather than a ball of fire.


    The demon mother took a few hits, and then, it red a magical energy.


    ***


    Up on the surface, Ste immediately deployed a wide array of void-mana equipment, and started to channel it. I felt her void mana spread through the skies above, and seemed to be pushing against something.


    There was somethinging, that only she and her void mages could see. Aeon. Void mana batteries, I need more! She yelled and my vines wrapped around her and her void mages. This linked her to the void batteries back home.


    My clones and my roots essentially functioned as cables, linking them to the stored mana batteries back home. I felt huge quantities of void mana travel through our linked bodies.


    The skies darkened, and I saw strange explosions in the skies above. Then, I saw a flickering astral path. It flickered momentarily, and a burst of light travelled through the path. It vanished just as quickly.


    Ugh. Ste winced, and I felt her magical energy destabilise. Well havepany, I couldnt stop some of them.


    Ste had been working on interfering with rifts for the longest time, and even then, it wasnt perfect. Rifts opened in the skies, and then, strange ck demons emerged from them. I could tell these were mini-demon kings, stronger than champions. They charged at Ste and my void mages.


    [Guardian Treants], and an army of beetles emerged around my clone tree. My artificial minds quickly got to work. Protect the void mages. Its trying to undo their interference.


    Horns and my other artificial-mind-powered beetles led the defense, while I created a wall around my void mages. I couldnt block them from the sky, as that would prevent them from doing their part of battling the rift.


    A few of my higher leveled Valthorns also joined the fight on the surface. These were my level 120s to 140s, those who aimed for the domain.


    A battle raged on the surface, as the defenders destroyed the ck-demons.


    Oh dear. Something big ising. Ste said, as I felt her and all her void mages expend all of their energy. Their battle was one I couldnt see, but it was something called a void shield, that attempted to use void mana to shield a world from rifts.


    Still, she did her best, and pushed. I was very surprised by how much void mana she had within her, even without the void batteries.


    Then the skies cracked, like a ss shattered, and I saw that same ck blob from before. The ss attempted to return, and fix the shattered sky-


    And the demon mother surged out of the pits, and bathed in the strange glow of the ck blob.


    A ck droplet from the blob.


    Ste winced. Not gonna let that happen. To me, it looked like a piece of ss sheared through the drop, and a bit of it disintegrated. Yet, that very same strike sent a huge jolt of pain through Ste. She bit her lips, and then pushed again. More.


    She pulled more void mana through the roots, and I saw that droplet shear in half in an invisible strike.


    Yet, that strike knocked her out. The rest of the void mages did their best to hold out without her. Aeon, we need another void archmage here!


    More rifts began to open in the skies above, and this time I could see it.


    The demon mother merged with whats left of the ck droplet, and then transformed. It regained power, and at that moment, the temperature in the world began to increase.


    Thankfully, its reign would be shortlived. The heroes shot out of the pits, and they didnt hesitate. Theyve fought many demons before, and their heroic battle sense was impable.


    They unleashed a torrent of attacks at the transformed demon. Roon and Johann also unleashed their own version of hell, mostly with bolts of anti-mana ss and anti-demonic wood.


    In a singlebined strike, the transformed demon mother cracked, and its outer shell shattered, leaving arge egg-shaped ck droplet that crashed into the ground below.


    At this moment, I noticed the rifts all immediately closed, and the crack to that ck blob had vanished. The void mages had sealed the rift once it retreated.


    The egg-shaped ck droplet released a simr, familiar pulse. it attempted to detonate itself.


    Fucking hell its got a bomb too. The heroes cursed, but we also predicted this eventuality. It was, after all, a former demon king. It must have had that crystal core.


    My vines approached it, and Edna, once again, withdrew our valuable antimana ss weapons and stabbed the egg. It wobbled from the strike, and the anti-mana ss did its work.


    Unlike the demon king, this egg didnt pose that much of a challenge. It wasnt as strong as a full demon king, and that made a world of difference. Lumoof immediately closed in, and in avatar mode, my vines wrapped around the egg.


    Lumoof winced slightly as my vines drained it of mana. I then inserted my own mana into it. Through Lumoof, my mana flooded it, but instead of converting it, it began to disintegrate.


    The egg somehow stopped its attempts to detonate itself, and instead, struggled in its dying breath. It pulsed, attempting to fight off whatever nearby, but its weakened attacks barely hurt Lumoof.


    We had defeated it, and the egg melted away to reveal a ball-shaped metal shell within. My vines quickly wrapped it, and sent it back home for further investigation.


    The rifts had closed, and my defenders crushed the remaining demons.


    We freed the parasiteworld from the demon mother, and elsewhere, we noticed the tide of demons attacking us began to dwindle.


    Down in the core, my vines had wrapped around the core, and started to drain it of its demonic energy. It was like an engine covered in old grease and gunk, and it took a while to clear it.


    Then, the much needed announcement came. If anything, a title seemed like a worthy prize.


    [Title Obtained : Liberator of A Fallen World]


    Huh. The heroes were rather amused. A title.


    As I began to drain more demonic energy out of the core, the core began to glow. It was as if it was restarting after a long time.


    Uh....


    My vines from the entrance of the pits entered the core chamber, and grew on the walls of the core. Here, in the depths, gravity was a little wonky.


    The will of the parasite world began to rouse from a long, longa. It would take some time before it couldmunicate, I sensed that its will was fragmented, and there was still a lot of demonic mana residue to clear.


    ***


    Is everything alright up there? Edna asked as she looked up at the still dark skies. The energies still felt unstable, even if none of the rifts were active.


    Seems normal for now. The void mages answered. Its now quiet in the path, were just dealing with waves from the sudden closure of rifts.


    The heroes loosened up after hearing that all-clear, and some of them stretched. So, what now? Were done?


    Yes. Lets get all of you back to safety, and let this recover slowly. Itll be some time, I think. Lumoof answered. The fact that we got the title is a sign we achieved what we came to do. Aeon will need some time to figure out how to ess the core mana.


    Chung looked at Lumoof. Can we be here when that happens? Id like to see what Aeon does to the core. Im not paranoid or anything, but yknow, letting Aeon have the core is a big... uh... responsibility, and I just want to see whats happening.


    Lumoof nodded. Well keep you informed.


    Prabu ribbed Chung in the elbow, and Chung just said. Ever heard the phrase, trust, but verify? Letting anyone control as a big deal, even if its an empty one.


    The heroes returned to Treehome and mountainworld, and my domainholders also withdrew. I watched the parasiteworlds core carefully but there were positive signs. The recovery rate of natural mana of the world seemed to start to tick up.


    This was a very, very slow recovery, and Patreecks quick calctions suggested it would still take fifteen decades for the mana to fully recover to Treehomes level. Of course, this was a straight-line increase, not an exponential recovery, and its possible that the recovery of the Parasiteworld worked exponentially.


    With everyone back in their respective homes, I focused on retaking the entirety of the parasiteworld from the demons.


    ***


    Ste woke up about half a dayter on the Parasiteworld. She rested and underwent treatment in a healing pod. I didnt want to move her, not until I had a bit more certainty on the damage she experienced.


    As my avatar, I always had direct insight into Lumoofs health, so I knew exactly how he was. With everyone else, I needed to do more checking and tests.


    Ste smiled when she woke up, and I immediately felt it. The density of void mana around her began to swell, and her condition suddenly improved, as if something just clicked.


    The void mage had finally gained her domain.


    The domain of [Void].


    With both the core and her ascension, the great n could now take another leap forward.

 A walk in the void forest

    A walk in the void forest


    <b>Year 216</b>


    [Void Explorer]. At that moment, I felt Ste do something, I waited for it to happen, and then... detected nothing.


    What happened?


    A single, split body of mine is in the void forest, and its traveling there. With this, I can go and see a lot further than just relying on our astral sight. Best part, I can establish a void portal to anywhere my void explorer is. But only one world at a time.


    Oh. I couldnt see it. Is it simr to what Snek did?


    A bit. But he couldnt travel very far. Ive got so such restriction, and I dont need to kill myself to do it.


    But using void portals does mean that heroes cant travel to whatever you find.


    Yes, but you can, and as long as your seed gets through, it also means the heroes can.


    This also seems like a duplication of your efforts with the rift gatesnguage.


    Well, in a way, yes and no. We hoped to learn the rift gatesnguage to enable us to travel to faraway worlds, but, its like randomly dialing numbers without knowing what the numbers are. With this, I could actually arrive at a world, and figure out whats the number to call through my void explorer, since I know its location in the void forest. Of course, I need to get the number and lock the number while its there, before I move on, because the numbers change as the void forest moves.


    I frankly struggled to understand this concept. The very fact that we lock the number, locks the number, even as it wobbles. But if we never lock-on to the worlds number, that number keeps changing.


    Ste called it like a slot-machine or a schroedingers cat, because a worlds calling number is not fixed until it is observed and locked in a riftgate. Perhaps the very act of locking it in a riftgates releases a signal to the void sea or void forest that identifies that world as this particr number as linked to it.


    Outside ofplicated void magic logic which I still struggle to understand, Ste was now a member of the pantheon, and that meant she could now venture out into the other worlds with an insurance policy.


    Itll still hurt as hell, and Im not sure if there are side effects, but we would try not to find out. Nothing so powerful didnt have side effects.


    What else? Any particr benefits from gaining your domain?


    She shrugged. It took forever, but frankly, I feel a lot stronger, and my mana pool felt like it just tripled. Not just that, it even felt like my void manas a little bit more dense and stronger. Most importantly, Ive got a far better view of the void forest, and that, I think, will be the most helpful ability.


    I see.


    But now, we can move on to the next phase. I briefed Ste on the full details on what my goal was, and whether she was willing to assist me on it. She said she wouldnt take the battle itself, but she would be more than happy to y the role of the logistics and transportation person. And can we do something about all these things attempting to read my mind? Whys my [domain] constantly blocking attempted interference?


    Edna chuckled when she heard it. Ites with the level. Now you know how many things are constantly attempting to read your mind.


    Shit. Ste cursed. But where are they from, how do they do it from this far away?


    Edna just shook her head, and then walked to the wooden window overlooking the entirety of Branchhold. Well, whats next?


    Whats next is we figure out what to do with the next demon king, while helping that parasiteworld get back to its feet.


    Our victory on the Parasiteworld was unknown to the general public, it was an invasion known only to the senior leaders of the Valtrian order, and the select group of people around the heroes.


    For now, no ones mouring for anything, but now that I pretty much have an entire world to repopte, its something I needed to think about more seriously.


    What do you guys think about aary migration programme to the Parasiteworld? I asked them. The parasiteworld has no native poption to immigrate and build a city. Id need to invite a pioneer generation to move to the world, and live there.


    The first group I approached were naturally the Canari and many other simr, less popted groups.


    Aeon has gained ess to an unpopted world, and it is my honor to extend an invitation to the Canari to make a move to this world.


    Its unpopted? Does that mean Aeon giving us the entire world? My diplomat flinched at the sheer greed of the Canari princes statement. The Canari had lived on Treehome for 2 decades now, and theres a group of lost generation, those born on Treehome, but found themselves with an identity crisis.


    No. You do need to negotiate which parcel ofnd you want from the senior Valthorns, the allocation ofnd currently sits with Patriarch Lumoof. The Canari is just one of the first groups invited for this move. He hoped that this new world would be a permanent home for the Canari.


    If were sharing we are not interested-


    One of the other Canari leaders quickly interrupted the Prince. Let us take this back and discuss.


    For the Canari that lived as the sole race on what was Cometworld, a life of coexistence with the other races was a huge, huge problem. The fact that they havent waged anyrge wars is merely because they were extremely intimidated by the sheer power we had. They didnt have any single person who could match any of my level 100 fighters, what more my domain holders.


    In a world where the Valthorns did not exist, they wouldve fought wars for dominance with the others.


    The new generation were slightly better, but even the new generation had two groups. One group that was fine with coexistence, because thats all theyve known, and another group that wants to somehow reim that supremacy, either by figuring out how to travel to other worlds, or gain power and annihte the rest.


    Some attempted to summon their own heroes, hoping to have something equal to the heroes of Treehome. It didnt work, of course, because they didnt have ess to divine power, nor do they understand what created the heroes. I didn''t even understand it, despite all the research Ive done.


    It really makes me wonder whether the process of creating heroes isnt actually something the gods have control at all, but instead is a system-process, meaning it was a function already built within the system, which the gods then tapped and made tweaks. It certainly exined why there were other administrators like Mozart. If so, I may be able to gain ess to that process someday.


    Anyway, I generally tolerated the Canari, after all, centuries of thinking they were the sole sentient race, and then losing their world, theyve been to a lot of pain and loss that their society still needed time to cope with.


    Their loss of societal power and prominence also significantly damaged their pride and psyche. Their rulers used to control everything in their world, now they had to obey my Valthorn, and find that whats left of their society was left at anothers mercy.


    Perhaps this anger and this desire to return to how it was, is a societal coping-mechanism.


    Ive seen this generation gap emerge between those who moved from the Cometworld, and the new generation who struggled to understand that line of thinking, or those who took that thinking to the extreme.


    Best I could do was encourage the individuals that epted it, help them integrate to this new world order, and have my army of artificial minds consistently watch their every move for any potential activities.


    Weve recruited some of the Canari as members of the Valtrian order, but because of their rtive youth with us, even their strongest is only about level 80 to 85. Ive also yet to grant any single Canari member one of my soul strengthening seeds to exceed their limits.


    The Canari had fairly strong pack-instincts a bit like werewolves, and as such, Ive found that its difficult for me to deploy a Canari against one of their own, as their own internal bonds were stronger than their loyalty to me.


    Eventually though, I believe there will be a lone-wolf Canari that I can ensnare into the Valtrian Order.


    Or at least, establish a Canari group thats wholly part of Valtrian structure such that their loyalty and pack instincts were with us.


    ***


    Lilies asked as the statement sunk in. I shared the images of the battle, and I was rewarded withplete silence for two days.


    I knew it was thinking and internally debating it. I could sense the ripples of something through the shared roots. It wasnt the first time Lilies responded to me in this manner, back when I sessfully invaded the core and attacked the demon king, it had pretty much the same reaction.


    Two dayster, Lilies asked a question of utmost uncertainty, which was unlike them. A set of events they have not encountered.


    > Maybe. I have my void mages watching the stars for it. I believe they must have noticed it, my void mages imed it emitted a warning of some kind. <


    > Indeed, but we will figure it out. On happier things, my void mage, Ste, has gained a domain. I must thank you for introducing her to the zaratans. <


    I naturally found that statement hrious. > All life is filled with suffering. <


    > It is the way of the tree, to fight those who seek to snuff life out and convert entire living worlds into destruction factories. It is our suffering that enables others to have the fortune to suffer their lives. < I wasnt that conceited to think Im god or something. But surely, a world full of life is better than a world with none. From my point of view, this was not debatable, because life is better.


    Ste attempted to use the replica of the demon king core once more, and essed that map within it. This time, protected by her own domain, she investigated, and channeled her enhanced powers through the demon kings core.


    She pushed, and I felt that round object glow and then, in a sudden burst, I felt something crack from within the core, and then the core shattered into many small fragments.


    The core is clearly linked to some kind of void. Ste said, and then she smiled. I didnt manage to push as far as I liked, but I have some good news. But let me try it again and confirm my findings.


    She attempted to use another replica, but instead, she found the core unable to be used. Nothing was wrong with the core, but whatever it was linked to had managed to block the core from essing it.


    Ah darn. Oh well, let me announce it anyway.


    The domainholders and heroes gathered, and Ste made the horrible, horrible announcement.


    Ive managed to decrypt some of the demon kings core, and I have three main things to say.


    Roon leaned forward. Oh this gonna be good.


    One. The demons have some kind of control node ormand center. Each demon king is linked, through a certain particr frequency on the void-forest, to thesemand centers. It was through this particr frequency, that the demons coordinated their attacks, and also asked for help. It matched with the frequency used by the demon mother when it summoned that core. The void mages will start work and construct a sufficientlyrge daemolite artifact to replicate this effect, and start jamming this coordination process. Its likely that the crystal artefact will get attacked.


    So we need to y defense?


    Yes.<i> Ginseng tree on a far greater scale.</i> I think life seems to love fractals and its just the same things scaled up.


    Or we could keep it as a reserve weapon, until we have a wider array of tools to deploy. Im personally of the view that we dont want to alert the demons too much. Were uncertain of their intellectual ability, and what sort of retaliation if they start viewing us as a threat. They would start paying attention to us, and the longer we can pull the wool over their eyes, the stronger we can be.


    That too. Ste nodded. Secondly, the bad news. The demons have a set core suns. These are the ck suns we saw, and I saw at least five or six of them, each located in a different segment of space. These things, from what I briefly saw through the core, provide the fuel and the demonic mana, and also, theres a ck blob, which gives the intelligence behind the core. If the endgame is to defeat the demons permanently, we will need to take out these suns, somehow. So unfortunately, theres no real single target at the center of it all, unless that ck


    I suddenly realized that maybe its a variant of my own clone ability. Were the demons, at its heart, created by some kind of demon-life type of god?


    Or should I treat the term vers literally, that there is, at its heart, a parasitic virus that seeks to assimte all races into its fold, enving those which resisted?


    The third item is that I should be able to locate Sneks homeworld within the next 10 to 15 years, and establish a connection to that world. The question therefore, is Sneks world important enough for us to do so? I ask this, because my void explorers ability to survey worlds is quite limited.


    Were constrained by Aeons clone. Edna responded.


    Ken immediately interjected and supported Sneks case. Yes. Sneks world is valuable. His world has demonic dragons, and their people are familiar with blood magic and spiritual magic to an incredible degree. Sneks own abilities are good, but theres more of that on their homeworld. Saving it, or rescuing whoever thats left is an overall increase inbat power.


    You do realise we need to agree too, right? Chung added, in a rare rebuke of Kens position.


    Ken red at his friend, but quickly saved it. Yes. I am aware, but at the very least, we could arrange an escape for those still living on that world, if a full invasion cant be done. Weve seen what the demons do when their worlds get invaded.


    There was an ufortable silence, but then Prabu cut in. What if we use Stes void explorer to look for more worlds, more living worlds specifically? There should be their own heroes, and with that, we could grow the league of heroes. Itll make it a lot easier to defeat any demonic scourge with a bigger league of heroes.


    That too. Ste said. Theres two real directions at the moment, I either send my void explorer towards the demonic core and find whats there, or go the other direction where Sneks world is, and see what else we can find along the way. From what I can see, my void explorer takes a really long time to get anywhere, because the space between worlds is so freakingrge, and there are some other strange creatures in the void that I would like to avoid.


    There are things in the void forest?


    Things quite difficult to describe. If youre familiar with the more wild, cosmic horror stuff... yeah. They are there, and well, what we do is we avoid them.


    Can they fight demons?


    Ste just shrugged. Id like to be in the void forest. I believed it to be the way forward, and if needed, Id like to meet these creatures.


    Should we vote on thest one? Ste asked, and Lumoof nodded.


    Edna shrugged. A league of heroes would definitely buy us time, I guess, and we should save whats left of Sneks world. For.


    Eventually the majority voted For, except for Chung, Roon and Johann. It was cute that it was the three archer-hero and domainholders that voted against. They are focused on their targets.


    ***


    Its been one year since weve liberated the Parasiteworld, and the worlds energy level continues to increase. We spotted the appearance of more natural monsters and animals, including more variants of regr animals such as cats and dogs. Even the vegetation seemed to have started to sprout.


    From the core, which now glowed, we noticed the holes in the core started to fill in. It would take some time, but eventually, I believe the world would recover.


    For now, that consciousness from within the core remain dormant.


    I thought of taking the core before, but I didnt want to be like the demons. I also wanted to see if I could cooperate with it.


    Spaizzer


    Thanks for reading. On September 17th, 2018, that was when Tree of Aeon''s first chapter went on RR. So we''re almost 4 years old!


    So, today I have THREE shoutouts, and I hope you guys are willing to give them a chance :)


    First shoutout - /fiction/56014/dying-for-a-cure Just when Vince was on the crux of starting his life, he found out it was going to end. Cancer. Inoperable. Less than a year to live. Then he''s summoned to the magical world of Earris and thrown directly into battle. He quickly learns that everyone in this world has a Skill, even him. Though his appears not to be useful...


    Second Shout /fiction/58021/ir


    ir is an action-packed litrpg apocalypse with a dark elf protagonist. It''s in the same genre as Primal Hunter and shares some simrities, so if you enjoyed that check it out!


    Third is something written by a ''friend'' - Hydra and the Hero''s shadow


    It''s an academy story with a summoner MC, litrpg and cultivation /fiction/58533/hydra-and-the-heros-shadow-academy-cultivation-litrpg

 Altreenate Realities

    Altreenate Realities


    <b>Year 217</b>


    Its emerging! One of the Treefolks Lord could not control his excitement as a treefolk grew out of its little shell from the specially-fertilised ground. From the ground, a charcoal-colored treefolk emerged with a natural magical presence.


    The treefolk was small, the size of a small pot, but the fact that it survived was great. The Valthorn researchers watched in admiration, and then got their gear. Its amazing


    A void mage made the first contact, as he approached the young baby-treefolk as it stretched. He yawned, and stretched his super tiny dark-wooden limbs. The Treefolk Lord immediately reminded him to be super gentle. It looked so frail, so tiny like just a finger could easily snap the twig.


    They touched him with the most gentle of touches, and it looked, its eyes hazy and blurry. Then, it followed.


    The baby treefolk could walk from birth, but it was uncertain and wobbly. The void mage nodded to the treefolk lord, I think its safe.


    The treefolk lord immediately approached and extended a finger to the youngling. Decades of experimentation with life, led to the birth of the first void-sensitive treefolk. The goal, eventually, was to engineer a void mage stronger than Ste, so this first young void-treefolk would not be the strongest, because we would get better at it.


    But the fact that we could, made me really happy. Ive mostly devoted the application of my evolutionary powers to the races that I found most malleable, like treefolks, lizardfolks and to some extent, the humans. Elves, centaurs, dwarves and Canari were a little more difficult to work with on an evolutionary standpoint, mainly because their life cycles were naturally much longer, so it had an impact on the experimentation-cycle of birth-growth-maturity-death.


    The treefolks were also naturally long lived, but they could easily crossbreed, a hereditary feature of their nt-origins, which made them my researchers first choice to attempt an infusion of magical powers, and create super mages.


    In fact, I sometimes wonder why treefolks were not moremon throughout the multiverse, given how adaptable and malleable they were magi-gically.


    My researchers were delighted, of course, and many would want to n more detailed variants, like water-element focused treefolks, or specific-skillset types.


    Along this, we continued our efforts to train more specific ss-types as part of our effort to counter the demons. In particr, the physicalbatant such as wrestlers and other barbarian ss types, and even have a very good mix of racial talents, from centaurs, dwarves, lizardfolk and treefolk too.


    We had rtively good sess, we got some of the barbarian or brawler type candidates up to level 75 to 80, but itll take a decade or two before we start to see the first Level 140ers that we would then push towards getting their domains.


    A rtively short time, all things considered.


    For the exorcist, alchemist, witch sstypes, we struggled a lot more. There were very, very few witches in this world. So few that there were probably less than 10, and they seemed to be a ss-in-decline. For exorcists, well, they didnt exist. These were roles normally performed by priests, so exorcism as a specialisation was unnecessary. For alchemist, the difficulty was getting levels and helping the alchemist level in the relevant sses.


    We tried our best to provide various types of exotic materials, but progress was slow. This experience replicated itself across to the cksmith or crafter sses as well. We managed to get a few to level 100s, but then they teaued significantly. They took on bigger projects, and more ambitious creations, but somehow the levels moved really slowly.


    Like Alkas case, he seemed to gain most of his levels from his weapons manufacturing, and its subsequent use in battle. Its almost as if the system told us to fight, and I hated that the system encouraged conflict.


    It sucked, but I kept providing them with more exotic materials.


    Sand and soil from the Moon. Soil and minerals from the other worlds. Remains of beasts from the high-tier dungeons.


    I dont know how long Ill take, but I really didnt want to believe that the systems forced crafters to make tools of war as the way to gain level.


    But the evidence was undeniable. Lilies did it with their death-weapons, Aira and Aispeng did it with their ice-weapons, Alka with his bombs. I did it indirectly, through my familiars. I gained experience when my familiars served those who gained levels, and they gained it throughbat.


    ***


    The parasiteworlds astral paths vanished when the demon mother was in, and in its ce was a ck cloud that engulfed the entirety of the world. Ste projected that it would clear up in a few years, that this was essentially void-debris, left from the copsed structure of the worlds astral paths.


    That was both good, and bad, since it meant we couldnt see if anything cut through that cloud and invaded the parasiteworld.


    Despite that, my beetles soon swept the parasiteworld of demons, and we captured more and more of those spawning pools.


    Then I got an upgrade to my existing skills.


    [Bibs upgraded: Living Sacs and Chrysalis added. You may now create or grow certain types of creatures through your trees. These creatures will grow in sacs over a certain period of time. You may also insert living beings into these sacs to grow or alter their biological makeup. Alterations may cause loss of levels, sses and monsterfication.]


    [Demonic spawning pools will be converted to bibs]


    The spawning pools changed overnight, as they were reced with frankly grotesque trees filled with liquid-filled sacs and massive fruits. The demons were converted into beetle-ish variants.


    Parasiteworld was eventually purged of its demons, and the terrain began to change. As the energies returned to the worlds core, the tectonic movements underground began to restart. Energies began to spread out from the core, and ley lines began to reemerge.


    In theter half of the year, we observed slightly more tectonic movements, some of these were frankly massive earthquakes where huge continents were shunted upwards. Some of my trees were suddenly cut off, as the once ttish terrain started to reshape itself into something else.


    It thus seemed to me that the will of the world had significant influence on the terrain of the world, and now, it began to reassert its control on the world.


    Also, the Canari eventually decided to send a small delegation to the parasiteworld, along with the Treefolks, Lizardpersons and dwarves.


    The terrain was still rather unstable, though the area around my clone tree has been very safe so far. The core has not tried to kick me out, yet, even if I sensed its will slowly, very slowly, waking up.


    Its almost like it was in a dream.


    ***


    How long will it take for you to reach Sneks world?


    Another ten years. Ste answered. For now, we should be focused on our other issues, such as the demon king of the Mountainworld, or perhaps... Threeworlds.


    Oh. Lumoof said. I almost forgot about those guys. We should visit them, I wonder how they are doing.


    We?


    Yes. Or at least, try to visit the other two guys. The humans are hostile, once they learn we are of foreign origins. You can help me move around with your portals, then we can avoid those that seek to attack us. Id like to avoid using our powers to kill when its pointless.


    Ste shrugged. People can be such a pain for no good reason.


    Are you speaking from experience? Lumoof smirked.


    Well, maybe.


    Do you really believe theres an end? My priest asked Ste for her view of the void forest.


    Im not sure, even if there isnt an end, I very much dont like the alternative. Ste then suddenlyughed. I just realized that question would normally be asked by the non-clergy to the clergymen. Youre the priest, Lumoof, that kind of metaphysical, philosophical question should be your area of expertise.


    True that. Lumoof smiled as he too realized the irony. They were both walking in Branchhold, their presence meant to reinforce our power. Do you think we are expanding too fast?


    Fast? Steughed. I dont consider a few years to be fast.


    Well, Aeon thinks we are expanding a little too fast, and wants to spend some time consolidating our strength. Hes exhausted from the constant demon king battles, and is even thinking of sitting out of the next fight.


    The [void] domainholder stared at the priest. Aeon wants to sit out?


    Yes. He thinks Ive been suffering quite a bit and wants to pick his battles. Let the others gain more experience, because he seems to think hes hoarding the bulk of the experience. He thinks that with the pantheons protection, its best for the rest of the domain holders to get stronger and y a bigger role in the main battle.


    Thats strange. But what Aeon did with the antimagic demon was pretty effective.


    Lumoof made a long, long sigh. Thats exactly the problem, Im going to try and repeat what I did with the next demon king. So... in two years, Ill need to go to the next world.


    The next demon king for Treehome should be around Year 221 to 222. For Mountainworld, they have a longer, fifteen-twenty year cycle, so were looking at year 223 to year 228.


    <i>We</i> need to go to the next world. Ste smirked. Iming too.


    Trust me, nothings good there. Every demon world Ive been in is just full of fighting.


    I know. Ste said. But I really want to see it for myself. Its one of those things that really sounds like its worth seeing.


    I hope you dont regret it.


    Dont see how I would. Ste smirked. In some ways, Stes void domain makes her very different from the rest. Her presence in the world was coated in this dark haze, a sheen of mindbending ck oil that disrupted any attempts to look closer.


    Even in the bib, her soul spring of void mana located within a temple of onyx and ck marble, built on a ck-marble foundation that looked like stars in a night sky. The stones that formed her souls temple were just different, even if structurally we all had the simr presentation.


    Ive seen the things of the void, and that creature on the other side of the demons core. What else could be worse?


    Lumoof paused and nodded. That is a good point.


    ***


    Are there idental summons in your world, too? Ken sat and asked Kelly and Adrian one day.


    Maybe. Not surprised if there are. I wish we could locate them. They sound like theyll all die within the first few days.


    Consider Ste, who was identally summoned, and apparently, so was Aeon.


    Aeons from Earth?


    Yes. Or at least, one of them. No one was quite sure whether they all came from the same world, because each of them seemed to have a slightly different version of earth. It didnt help that everyone had a different memory of earth, so its not entirely impossible its the same earth, just that their own memories were wed.


    They were children, after all.


    It was a good point, so I pulled Ken aside one day. I waited at least a month before I spoke to him.


    Ken. I want you to be in charge of something else. I will give you a set of funds, and a small crew, but aside from the league of heroes, I want you to run an idental summon rescue group. Ste will support you to get you teleports if needed, and some void mages will be under yourmand. Use them to scan the skies for those who came, identally.


    The Valthorns and my spies were always on the lookout for idental summons, but I felt that having a different group running it in parallel, led by someone else, could be a better way of getting these identally summoned guys to ept them.


    Like it or not, the Valthorns had big-government stered all over them. They were seen by the citizens of the world as the men in ck suits, even if they dressed super normally and conducted themselves well.


    One of the realisations I had, governing the Central continent, was its impossible for a single organisation to do everything, while maintaining any semnce of coherence. There was no way to do everything, because the circumstances on the ground were so varied, and ultimately, it is highly dependent on the quality and training of those on the field.


    Thus, as wasteful as it seems, running parallel,peting organisations was actually a better approach. Its even better if they were seen as independent. It reminded me of a book I read when I was an indie designer, about self-cannibalisation in the tech industry.


    Each of the organisations were, in reality, a slightly different tool, with different finesse and precision.


    They all had a niche.


    If they achieved their stated goals, the cost on a societal level is essentially negligible, sincebor unused is wasted, and the Central continent is flushed with most types of resources.


    ***


    On the Mountainworld, Ive arranged for some of my experienced Valthorns to take the role as adventurers. I had to be discreet about it, so I smuggled them there through secret tunnels and Stes void portals.


    I knew there were some hidden chambers in the many mountainous valleys of this world, secrets that even those locals couldnt find be of my exceptional senses of the ground underneath them.


    My roots, as they spread through the ground, are sensitive to the presence of magic and unusual structures, and my artificial minds would thenpare this data to our growing knowledge of the Mountainworlds geography.


    From this, we would notice inconsistencies. Most of these inconsistencies are minor, like small shifts of terrain due to movement of the earth, after all, maps were made at a snapshot in time, and for magical worlds such as the Mountainworld, they didnt have satellite mapping. There were also mortal errors arising from measurement differences, weather and the use of imprecise tools.


    What we really wanted to look for were entire omissions. Areas where entire ancient segments were not recorded altogether, or where the recorded history didnt really make sense.


    For this, I sent guys in the level 100s. Low level 100s, but they were pretty much mini-demigods whenpared to the creatures of the Mountainworld.


    I wonder what itll be like to go to a world where levels are high. There had to be some worlds where ancient civilisations still existed.


    I refuse to believe that the entire multiverse was a waning world.


    ***


    My artificial inds finally made it close enough to the Northern inds and also the Southern continents back on Treehome, that my roots could finally reach these two continents without the need of using portals.


    Naturally, this was a huge game changer for my efforts to protect Treehome. I was now able to project power there, and have direct insight into their activities, without them realizing it.


    Politically, these man-made military port-inds were greeted with outright suspicion and a whole lot of denouncements and usations, but we were rightfully the worlds superpower, and thats all they could do.


    It didnt help that they didnt even detect all of it, especially some of these ind bases where essentially cloaked in a perpetual mist thanks to my earlier powers.


    The Northern Inds were frankly familiar territory, and this was where the two-former heroes made their base.


    Alexis and Me continued to do what they did, and they did maintain some semnce ofmunication with us. Lausanne, as the one who did meet Me in her earlier stint back in New Freeka, served as my liaison with the two. It gave her a chance to have regr trips up north with her now adult son.


    Of course, with my trees spreading through these two newly connectednds, I took the chance to spy on the temples, and hunt for more information. I wasnt sure whether my spies missed, or even the temples themselves didnt know about the existence of methods to summon the gods. I still had questions for the old gods.


    Spaizzer


    Hi there : )


    I''ve got ONE shoutouts today.


    <strong>MICRO by eric_river</strong>


    Dungeons? Cultivation? Core Cards? Other Worlds? Dirt Roads?! In a world where cultivation has long been the practice of the powerful, magicians fight the natural order. To help them challenge the cultivators, they will summon a hero! But wait, what did they really summon? This is a story of cultivation and dungeons, magic and monsters, love and rivalry, action and adventure, and so much more. What arts will this traveller master, and will he make more friends than enemies along the way? Join Micro on a road trip across the /fiction/56973/micro-efficient-and-reliable-cultivation-cards

 The Tree Gazes into the Void

    The Tree Gazes into the Void


    <b>Year 218</b>


    From the Mountainworld, there were other worlds that we could visit. Like how each has a field of vision.


    Every new ce we went widened our field of view, and pulled back the fog of war.


    Ste thus proposed a visit, since her research to decipher the alphabets of the rift gates relied on her expanding her knowledge of the many worlds beyond. Essentially, based on the current star structure, Treehome was linked to the Mountainworld and Threeworld through the void forest, and Treehome was further linked to the Cometworld and Parasiteworld through my clone. Mountainworld was linked to two other worlds, and was not linked to Threeworlds.


    My void [domainholder]s travels through the void space took a really long time, which she described as, space is actually really freaking huge.


    She even asked Snek how they even managed to hitch a ride on heroes, because that sounded like trying to catch a bullet while its flying to its target. A point which Snek described as, Hitchhiking.


    Snek exined that in spiritual form, they could create these tiny threads that form a kind of web in the void forest, which allows them to attach themselves to heroes as they appear. Its really difficult, of course, and most of the time theyll fail. In fact, Snek was equally surprised by his own sess with Ken.


    It really sounds too convenient, Snek. I knew he wasnt lying.


    I dont deny it. My sess was the result of an exceptionalbination of circumstances that I am not sure can be replicated sessfully. Snek answered. Just as how it took an exceptional set of circumstances to create a void [domain].


    Ste nodded. Well, I suppose the fact that we are even all here together, is an exceptional set of circumstances.


    Snek had adopted a wooden-sculpture of a snake as its body, but even then, I found Sneks soul structure to be extremely simr to my rtively new ability to give souls an ethereal form. Or actually, it was the other way round. My ability to give souls some kind of ethereal-ghost type form that was very simr to Sneks soul structure.


    That implied Sneks society had significant development along the spiritual-soul magics, which allowed them to do all the things theyve done so far. This, of course, supported why we wanted to learn from them.


    We only hoped that we were not toote. We didnt know how long had passed, and as Snek described it, time spent in the void forest is like being trapped in a bubble. Theres no real perception of time, no reference frame.


    Lumoof decided to go with Ste to these other worlds.


    Well, what can we detect from afar?


    Ste frowned, and agreed that was a good thing to try. Hmmm... nothing from one world, and the other... I feel the presence of people.


    Her senses when ites to the void space was far sharper than mine, so I could only trust her.


    Nothing is strange. Ste repeated. Lets go there?


    I agree.


    ***


    When we arrived, it was a massive purple world, with hugely strong winds. It wasnt anti-magic at least, but it was very, very dim and dark, and cold. No ice, but it was really, really cold. It didnt take very long for both of them to cough. A bubble of air immediately protected them, and they realised there was no oxygen in the air. Just dust and sand.


    Strange. Do you detect any magic? Lumoof said, once they regained their breath. It wasnt magical.


    No. Its... like its the moon. Ste said as she felt the unusually quiet presence. Lumoof activated my avatar, and then, I felt great... emptiness in this world.


    Lifeless. Lumoof touched the ground, and through his fingers, I felt the strange purple soil, and this world was what they called a barren world. Its amon thing in space-based 4X games to have barren worlds, I guess, I just didnt expect this to be one.


    Its so barren there are no demons here.


    This seems like the perfect ce for a starbase. Ste quipped. The kind of world where the resistance builds a secret base.


    I didnt know you were a fan of Space Opera. In a strange twist of curiosity, fantasy fiction was a rising field on the Central Continent, and with it, the heroes did some writing of their own. It was a little strange, for me who came from a world without magic, to see these people with magic do their own fantasy fiction. At first, more fantasies were mostly about their world, but some were a lot more interesting.


    Like attempts to create an origin story of myself, or the origins of the Systems.


    Eh. I know enough. My void mage answered, as I took some of the soil samples and sent them back for investigation. The constant winds and the purple sandstorms were a huge irritant, but why was the world dead?


    Lumoof spread vines and used them to push himself all the way to the top, because I want to see the sun and the stars of this world.


    Ste came too, and as we slowly got closer to the sky, I saw what was an extremely small sun. It was... very faintly blue?


    It was so small that its probably just a really, really bright star. The skies were a deep purplish hue, between ck and purple.


    A small light-blue sun, and I felt strange about its rays. Not anti-mana like the burning sun of the Antimagic world, but this one felt corrosive in a different way. Ste frowned, heryer of void mana encased her in a shell.


    Feels exceptionally small for a sun.


    Lumoof took out a magical telescope, and pointed it at the sun. When we looked at it, we noticed that the small sun wobbled extremely quickly. It spun, quickly.


    Is this all? Ste asked, as she looked at the rest of the world from high above. Lumoof encased her in a bubble of vines, protecting her from the rays. From here, it was just all purple sandstorms. This is a lifeless world. We should go.


    I think you might be right. Lumoof kept staring at the sun, and I realised it might be a white dwarf or a neutron star. The rays of this sun were weak, unenergetic, so the world didnt have energy from its star, thus it remained a barren world.


    This was the slow-mo equivalent of a Cometworlds death. Ste smiled. I feel like were space tourists, traveling the multiverse in search of unusual star systems. I wonder how many other worlds are like this.


    It was frustrating that I kept stumbling into new issues, new questions to be answered, but very, very few answers. Was this what scientists had to deal with? New issues, new questions, but their datasets didnt tell them much? Constant dead ends?


    I remember when the Cometworld copsed, it said its worlds sun died. But then, what was the link between the star and thes core? Did this world have aary core too?


    Actually, what are stars in this world? Have I been assuming the stars of this world to be the same as the ones back home, when I should clearly investigate whether they are something else, entirely, since the core of worlds are also different?


    Not just that, I thought back to the anti-mana world and then the ck suns, and wondered.


    Are demons some kind of race that were able to control their suns, OR, they are natives created by some unusual sun? The first one implied they were up there on the Kardashev scale, which fit their abilities so far. Then again, its not right to apply science fiction concepts to this world.


    Ste shrugged. Thinking along those lines, if we can destroy stars, we can destroy the demons, since that would mean we have the means to destroy those ck suns.


    To destroy the demons, be the destroyer of suns. Lumoof quipped. Turn off the lights of darkness.


    Thats one way to put it. Ste looked back at the dim, bluish star above the Barrenworld. Well, Lets go visit the other one?


    ***


    Mybs back home analysed the soil samples from the Barrenworld and found that its chemicalposition was mostly normal. The purple color came from some kind of purple-quartz they had, but in itself, it does nothing.


    I made a note to send some miners to that world, and see whether they could get to the core. If the cores dead, what did that look like?


    ***


    The other world, thankfully, was a lot more normal. In fact, the first thing we saw were goats, and arge, reallyrgeke.


    Wow. Ste said, as we arrived at the shore of the massiveke. Looks like its an inhabited world.


    We both looked up and from the sky, we saw only one astral path to the demon world. It was really dim. This world hardly gets invaded. Only a single one-


    <i>[Domain prevented attempted intrusion]</i>


    Lumoof. Did you get that? Ste said, as she lifted her void staff.


    Yes. We looked around, and I spread my senses. Thend was a field of grass, and my roots, through Lumoof, connected to them. Through the grass, I sensed a group of people far away, a party of sorts.


    Then, an angel. An actual angel with a halo and wings flew through the sky andnded nearby. The angel itself had very human-like features. Greetings. We received reports of unidentified individuals. This is the natural wilnd preserve of Gama. Please disy your entry permits to utilise the dungeons in this area.


    Ste and Lumoof looked at each other, and then my priest smiled. Greetings, were lost. Our teleportation spell did not work properly and we havended here. Please, could you get us out of here?


    Ste could teleport both of them out instantly, but waited to see the angels response. The Gama Angel waited for a while. So you do not have a permit?


    No, we do not. Lumoof added.


    Under subsection 144 paragraph 92 of the Gama Wilnds Preservation Act, you will be subjected to a fine and a hearing before the High magistrate. The minimum fine is 400 General Coins and maximum fine is 40,000 General Coins.


    Lumoof looked at Ste. Oh lord.


    Ste smirked. Were in Lawyend. She had also used [inspect] on the angel, and discovered that this was probably around Level 50.


    Lumoof looked back at the angel. Any room for appeal or negotiation?


    You may plead your case before the High Magistrate. The angel took out a fiery staff, the tip of it glowed with a golden me. I will now ce the two of you under arrest. [Firechains].


    Chains of fire attempted to get close, but then, the moment they attempted totch onto Lumoof, it just withered away. It did work on Ste, but just as quickly, her [domain] also protected her, and the chains of me just snuffed itself out.


    The angel wasnt fazed, and Lumoof just answered. Are there any exemptions for otherworldly visitors tows? We would like to visit your... leaders.


    That, however, did faze the angel. It had a look of shock, and then began to recite. Under the Foreign Visitors Act, engaging with Foreign Visitors shall be restricted to the Grand Magistrates and in the specified containment areas.


    Its firestaff glowed, and it shot a re into the sky. Within minutes, Lumoof felt the presence of other things approaching at high speed.


    This world also seems to have its act in order. Lumoof quipped. Think were not needed here.


    Ste nodded as we waited. I agree.


    The first to arrive was a humandy. Lumoof could tell, because the wings was clearly an attachment, and she didnt have a halo. Instead, she had a burning trident.


    Gama Patrol Angel. You have activated the High Tier Emergency Beacon. State the emergency. Thedy stated with a stern voice, the angel immediately pointed the staff at the two visitors.


    These two im to be otherworldly visitors.


    Thedy turned to face Lumoof and Ste.


    <i>[Domain had blocked attempted [inspect].]</i>


    I see. Thedy took three steps back once the error popped out. She looked at the angel. Full update. The two stood a distance away and protected themselves in a bubble, and it seemed like the angel briefed thedy.


    You think we should just bail right now? Ste asked. My roots was all the way in the ground, and it soon spread further and further.


    This preserve was actually quite massive and there was a city half a day away by foot. Theres a city in that direction. We could teleport there, but looking at it, well stick out like sore thumbs. Everyone seems to be an angel, or human.


    Its a good thing you didnt send Alka, Roon or Johann, then. Ste smiled. Humans really do seem to dominate the multiverse.


    If Aeons to be believed, thats not a good thing. Lumoof shrugged. Theres another city in that direction, and its also part human and part angel.


    In Earths religion, angels are creations of gods. Are they creations of a god, or they are just some kind of winged humans? Like harpies. Ste asked, as she used her magical [inspection] abilities on the two. From what we could identify, the human was higher level, and seemed to be part of an organisation ofw enforcers.


    The cities of this world were entirely devoid of vegetation, and their buildings were made of marble. That made it a little harder for me to spy, but I noticed multiple angels all over the area, and they also had smaller tower-keeps that functioned as the base of these angels.


    The angel and the humandy finished their conversation, and then thedy came to greet them. Greetings, again, visitors. I am Layal, a seniorw enforcer of Legatia operating under the Legatia Law Enforcement License. As required under the Foreign Visitors Act, I shall now escort you to the nearest Grand Magistrate for your hearing. Ive instructed for your earlier misdemeanor to be expunged from your records.


    Ste couldnt help but chuckle. Sure.


    Are you two familiar with flight? Layal spread her magically-attached wings.


    Yes. Both of us- Ste answered but she was interrupted.


    -No? Ste looked at Lumoof, and Lumoof shook his head. I can propel myself forward with vines and roots, but not fly. I dont consider throwing myself through the air at high speeds to be a form of flight.


    Fair enough. Ste said as she punched Lumoof on the arm lightly. Ill carry you. Magically.


    Ste floated, flight was a small matter for mages at her level of power.


    Lead the way, Enforcer Layal.


    Thedy led the two through the air, and I felt a little sick. I didnt like flight very much, but even despite my sickness, I had to admit this was a beautiful world. The terrain seemed perfectly manicured, like every tree and flower was exactly where it should be.


    Thend we were headed to was a tower of ivory and marble, it shone in the bright light of the sun, and as we approached, we noticed a lot more flying angels everywhere.


    I think our visit here will be shortlived. Ste said. If theyve got their act together, then weve got nothing to give them.


    Thats fine, actually. Lumoof said. Lets not poke our heads where we are not needed.


    Wended on arge white circr tform at the side of the towers. If there was a disney-ish castle, or city, this seemed to be it. The city was built upwards, filled with spires and balconies for fliers tond.


    Enforcer Layalnded, and more angels came to meet her. She immediately walked to them to brief them, and then escorted the two to another room. We noticed how most rooms had two doors, one on top for fliers, and one at the bottom for those who walked. It naturally meant every room had really high ceilings.


    A short waitter, we eventually met someone who was a Grand Magistrate. He was an angel with four wings, and arge burning halo.


    Enforcer Layal states you two im to be foreign visitors, but I dont sense the energies of a hero within you. It also certainly is a few decades too early for a hero to arrive. I mentally flinched at a few decades. Goddammit some worlds have it so lucky. That means there are two possibilities left. One, some of the otherworlders have learned how to use portals, or Two, you two are idental summons.


    Ste smiled and she saw no reason to lie. We learned how to use portals.


    The Grand Magistrate stared at Ste, and sighed. I must admit I am a little annoyed that my [sense lie] does not work. So I must ask you the old fashioned way. Are you telling the truth?


    Lumoof couldnt help but chuckle and Ste nodded. Do you wish for a demonstration?


    That... can wait for the greater councils. If you speak the truth, what is it that youvee here for?


    Honestly, we came to visit. Lumoof said. We are seeking out more worlds to ally ourselves with. More allies in our war against the demons, which we fear will soon escte to a greater level.


    Demons? We have that mostly under control, here. Mostly, because we still get them every few decades. How bad is it over... over in your world? The Grand Magistrate seemed curious.


    Every ten years, give or take. Lumoof answered. In hindsight, its a miracle the world survived for so long.


    The Power of Light is not so easily vanquished. The Grand Magistrate answered. Ten years is... intense.


    Ste smirked at how mildly he put it.


    Indeed. Lumoof seemed perfectly in sync with the magistrate. So we are looking for allies. 10 years is difficult for us to absorb on our own.


    The Grand Magistrate paused, and nodded. I shall take your request to the higher council, but I foresee some visits will be necessary.


    That can be arranged.


    Spaizzer


    Alright, shoutout time. Busy busypetitive season these days. Please check out all three stories :)


    First one - the Cozy Beer Dwarf story - /fiction/58346/beers-and-beards-a-cozy-dwarf-tale


    Now he''s in a fantasy world, far from home, and stuck underground in the body of a smelly dwarf with fantastic facial hair. The worst part though? The swill that the dwarves are falling all over themselves to drink. Its t, it''s watery, and it has the alcohol content of a rancid coconut. Can Pete save the dwarves from their own Sour fate, or will he be forever doomed to plink his pickaxe away in hopes that he hits the mother lode.


    Come for the cozy fantasy, stay for the beer puns that will leave you hop-ping mad!


    A bubbly slice of life LitRPG with love,ughter, and a little mncholy, just like drinking a bottle of Whitbier on the beach. No elves or harems allowed.


    Caged World breakout - /fiction/56454/caged-worlds-breakout/


    Come and see the journey of the void assassin and the necromancer mantis as they pry into the secrets that no one should. Will they survive after opposing god-like beings? Will they thrive in power with their newpanions? Will they finally manage to turn their wants... into destined?


    What to expect;


    A western cultivation world with minimal xianxia trophies.


    Single POV for the most part. (around 90%)


    Mostly light-hearted, but there are some grim moments as well.


    No harem.


    Lastly but not least - we have Actus''s ELDRITCH BESTIE. It''s hitting the ZON dude.


    ckmistis a slice-of-life mixed with LitRPG in a magic school setting. A slow build power fantasy from Actus, the bestselling author ofMorcster Chef. It''s perfect for fans ofCradle, Iron Prince,andMage Errant.


    https://mybook.to/ckmist1

 Skill Tree Update

    Skill Tree Update


    <b>Year 219</b>


    Assimting by force is easy for an institution like me. Its easy, to use my way, the way that worked so far, and apply it elsewhere. That is a set of actions with no room for negotiation, and the reason why I disliked that, was because I wasnt sure whether my way was the right way.


    My main goal of expanding is mainly to grow my mana pool, and gain valuable talent. Thinking from this angle, whether the Central Continent or Branchhold has simr or different culture, doesnt have much significance. In fact, the only reason to really mold culture is to grow a culture that feeds into the talent pipeline.


    Which thus, leads to the issue of assimtion via force.


    Force, as pleasant as it sounds, makes it a lot harder to get genuine cooperation, and true loyalty among those who have the talent or capability. Any rtionship with my new followers would start from a defensive position, instead of one where we met in the middle.


    All these assimtion hups need to be weighed against the future loyalty and value of any high-leveled individuals such a system would produce.


    The system encourages conflict. Ive thought about this at length many, many times. As a consequence of that, Im also viewing that cultural uniformity is a weakness. Gically identical nts, for example, all have the same vulnerability to a virus, and I apply that same concept to cultures and societies when faced with demon kings.


    They also encouraged different sorts of talent, and even if its hard to see, this culture managed to create multiple level 85s through constant war.


    In a way, the Mountainworld Culture could be summarized to a war and survival culture. I wanted a stronger, better version of that war or survival culture, as the culture of Treehome had now changed over time to take an industrial, specialization and technological-superiority focus.


    These two types of culture had different focus. Treehome spent a lot of time on crafting, on development, on education. This was a consequence of my multi-decade education program, and the various research and manufacturing initiatives.


    I believe that the war and survival would be a lot easier to transfer to newly settled worlds, or restore old worlds. Worlds where things arecking, and the people of Mountainworld were thus tougher, even if the Treehome folks had more levels and far better equipment. They had a scrappy, can-do attitude who sought out how to get things to work with nothing.


    In my own Valthorns, they also have that self-sufficiency, but we had an entire training system that focused on creating that sort of ability.


    I saw these cultural differences in how a normal Treehome citizen behaves when they face a problem they were unfamiliar with. The first thing they would do was to talk to a Valtrian official. For the Mountainworld citizens, they had very little dependence on the government, and they would think for themselves, throw solutions at a problem and see which stuck, or live with it if its not too painful or difficult.


    Like it or not, on Treehome, we created apetent governmental structure, and this led to reliance on that structure, as is sensible to do.


    There are merits to outsourcing certain decisions to the government. It took the mental load away from them, so they could focus on other areas. A persons ability to gain levels in a chosen field, was ultimately a constraint.


    85-100 levels scattered over multiple sses, and 85 levels in a single ss had very differentbat oues. The Mountainworld folks are more generalists, because they had to be self-sufficient. Treehome encouraged specialization, and that meant outsourcing segments they were not good at, to others.


    I remembered my dear friend Jura, who kept his viger sses until quitete, until a sheer fluke merged the vigers sses with his warlord ss.


    Its quitemon for the people of Mountainworld to have many sses, and when added up, it is usually slightly more than Level 85. This was because the soul energy requirement of multiple low level sses, was not that high.


    The way I thought about this, was that the soul is this huge power supply, and it could power many small appliances, or onerge machine, and higher-tier machines were significantly more power hungry than smaller weak machines.


    ***


    My adventurers on the Mountainworld trawled through multiple cave chambers over the past two to three years, and they found various trinkets and artifacts, dating to just a slightly earlier time of Mountainworld.


    Not that old, just a few centuries or so. Weapons of war, and fortifications. The cave chambers were home to hideaways and secret military stashes forgotten to time. Theyve not been touched for ages.


    Or perhaps, they were not meant to be touched for ages.


    My adventurers found tomes of magic, hero items, and generally, just weapons. I was personally quite disappointed by the haul, since these things were rtively mundane, but my adventurers were happy, and the mages were more than delighted to study old tomes of lost magics.


    I found the protectors hidden in these caves to be a lot more interesting. They pulled out giant snakes, robot-like golems, and strange tree creatures that I eagerly studied.


    We had golems on our world, the hero Hafiz and Chung took significant attempts to recreate robots from Earth, but they had not seen widespread adoption due to the rtively poor quality of the golem makers.


    On the Central Continent, we did attempt to train our own golem masters but progress in this front was fairly slow. The strongest golem maker we had was Level 70s, and he could control ten elephant-sized golems simultaneously.


    Strong, for sure, but we struggled on the autonomous aspects.


    I could insert my artificial minds into them, but that felt like cheating, because the whole goal of having golem masters was for them to develop self-aware golems.


    ***


    Training other types of units or subordinates was naturally where I spent most of my idle time.


    We sent them on various missions, to let them gain experience and build knowledge. Some of them spent time as adventurers, some of them spent a lot of time in the dungeons.


    Others rotated between Branchhold and Treehome. Our academies throughout the Continent was filled with students, as we expanded new training systems to train all the other kinds of units.


    Even blood magic underwent some secret developments, known to only my domain holders and a select group.


    A while ago, it was clear to me that blood magic was a foul, blunt attempt at soul magic. Sneks past experience in blood magic meant he could guide us in the direction he was familiar with, and we tried to experiment on using Healers, Shamans, Witchdoctors and Spiritualists to create some kind of soul-focused versions of their ss.


    Ken paraphrased Snek slightly when he said the soul has the best power-to-size ratio. Its such a small thing, but contains such vast potential for incredible power, and could pull even more power from the system.


    On Sneks world, they embraced blood magic, and guided it towards better uses, which, in their terms, used willing sacrifices, which reduced the foul side effects of hex. Through my magical knowledge of souls, that was just a salve.


    It could be better handled.


    A long time ago, we built a massive structure as a panic-button, to detonate the lives of my citizens as ast resort. Now, with my growing strength, my clones and domainholders, I saw that was not really necessary, and modified it.


    The real strength of the hex bombs came from the unusual stitching of souls. Souls, each containing their mana, their skills, their power, were essentially weaponised. The hexbomb burned all the future potential and past strength, to create what it really was.


    A magical-radioactive nuclear projectile made from souls.


    I could alter souls directly, and so, since that discovery a few decades ago, I had been experimenting on using soul fragments to create a hexbomb. It was a natural extension of what Ive been doing with soul fragments. I collected them naturally through death, stitched them together and created artificial minds.


    This set of alterations essentially cobbled up the fragments into a pattern simr to the hex bombs.


    [Youve learned a skill : Minor Soulbomb]


    My initial demonstrations of the minor soulbomb, which can be fired from my main body or any of my clones, revealed a very small and weak hexbomb but with none of the side effects.


    This was a good development, even if its still useless in its current form. With further enhancement and research, we would be able to develop stronger versions.


    Alka wanted to create portable versions of the soulbombs,bining his crystal containers with the soulbombsponents. It failed, but it was a matter of time before he found the rightbination and design.


    As for some of the shamans, healers and spiritualists that participated heavily in the blood-magic rted experiments, they eventually experienced a ss modification, a [Shaman] became a [Soul Shaman]. The [healer] became [Healer of the Soul], and the priests and spiritualists became [Soul-powered Spiritualist].


    ***


    As parasiteworld recovered from the demons hold, I suddenly experienced a connection from the Core of the World.


    Then I saw images. It was a trend I noticed, that creatures of incredible power spoke in images.


    A world invaded, the rifts opened, and the demons dug a hole down to the center of the world. Theytched on to it, the core, and injected it with something so painful that all I felt was its shared pain. Then, it felt itself forced, to carve out a little bit of itself each time and give it to every spawn of those demons.


    Every bit, it remembered itself getting smaller, weaker, less.


    Its mind, if such a thing could be ascribed to a core, felt more fragmented, more... scattered.


    Then, it felt itself shatter, split into many parts. At this point, I had to pull in some additional minds to help cope with all the fragmented visions.


    A ck sun once more.


    A world in pain. It felt its power used, and the world changed. It had fragments of memory of a world before the demons, a vast swamnd, a perpetually humid central band around its, filled with bloodsuckers and animals.


    Parasites. Leeches.


    Worms.


    It was once a bug heaven.


    The world had few defenders, just gigantic animals and beasts. There was a small civilization of another kind of walking lizards.


    Primitive.


    Then it was all gone.


    <i>Core mana. A glowing yellow thing. Energy. Cores essence.</i>


    It spoke in images again, but I felt it. A little bit of gratitude.


    [The Will of the Parasiteworld has granted you ess to its excess Core Mana. Youve gained ess to a small quantity of Core Mana]


    [Adapting potato mana storages to core mana... High Density Potato Cores unlocked]


    [Adapting potato storages to core mana... Potato Cores unlocked]


    <i>[Warning : Core Mana in its raw form cannot be used by mobile creatures as it will decay to normal mana once it leaves contact with the soil of the.]</i>


    That was a step forward, and I informed Ste of the issue.


    ***


    Angelworld was and of incredible wealth. It was fragmented, ruled by various Angel-Lords and Arch-angels, but war in the Angel World was mainly through tournaments. The concept of total wars were only relevant against demons or monsters, but outside of these things, the Angels didnt fight amongst themselves.


    Instead, they selected champions, and wagered territory in their tournaments. Territories were exchanged through such tournaments, and everything else followed. Tournaments happened daily, and the tournaments wererge affairs.


    Groups of hundreds fought against other groups of hundreds. The Angels themselves encouraged it, and it was soon clear that the gods they followed had rather simr views.


    The God they believed in, seemed to believe in Peace through War, and Order through Conflict.


    Constructive conflict, and they saw it as structured warfare. These angels, while resembling the angelsmonly seen on earth, were more of thebative kind.


    The Angel-lords of the world formed a council of some kind, as a discussion channel. That, of course, didnt conflict with the battles they constantly waged in the Coliseums.


    It was also strange that the battles were always fought by humans, not angels themselves. The angels were more than happy to sit it out, so-called-enemies could enjoy a cup of nectar together, even making merry andugh while their champions fought to near-death.


    As Ste described, These angel-guys are like some kind ofwyers, and behave like two-faced snakes. They mean what they say, but only in the specific context that they said it. They have absolutely no qualms contradicting themselves in different contexts.


    So any alliances must be super-tightly worded.


    Which could bite both ways. They seem more than willing to maneuver themselves into situations where they can bend those agreements.


    I found it ironic that these angels were like snakes, but then again, I wasnt better.


    So, what is the news? Ste asked as she rested in one of the Angelworlds cities. Their cities wererge, gleaming ces. Towers of ivory and marble.


    I have core mana.


    Ste paused and purred.. Oooooooooooh. Thats good. Yknow what, I think we can revisit this world at ater date. Lets work on the core mana, I cant wait to hack the next demon king that should be headed our way..


    Lumoof groaned as he remembered what it meant.


    They arranged a meeting with the angels, and soon returned to Treehome.


    ***


    Ste observed the path through the void forest and we see one bright, glowing path to this other world. Treehome. Treehome would see its demon king next year, and Mountainworld just two to five yearster.


    Two demon kings are so close together. I mentally groaned. To me, it felt like justst month we fought a demon king, and now we have to fight another one. Its so darn tiring, though my domainholders clearly dont think that way.


    I needed to space them out, but my people say its the best way forward. The levels gained from each of the demon kings were the building blocks, and we would construct a path out of this stupid cycle.


    The goal is to get more people to that level, and round out our abilities, so well field more Level 125-149s, just so that they can get the experience needed.


    Roon and Johann met them regrly, those who are on the path, and for m


    Lumoof will lead the charge as usual, well attempt to infiltrate this world and look for the demon kings pit. And well repeat what happened in the anti-magic world. Approach, and support Lumoof as he floods the demon king with mana. Johann exined.


    The heroes were interested to see how Lumoof did it, since they missed it the previous time.


    Once everyone was ready, Ste hacked into the demons astral path, and opened a portal with our rift gate. Ste gently tapped a little of the core mana and the link to the astral path stabilised.


    Alright. Lets give the demons a taste of their own freaking medicine.


    Didnt we do that already? Edna sighed.


    I know, but I still love saying it. Ste said.

 Treeal by fire

    Treeal by fire


    <b>Year 220 (continued)</b>


    We need to talk about our strategy. Roon and Johann gathered the team before the invasion, and brought up the issue. Were currently limited, bottlenecked by Aeons low supply of clone seeds.


    Everyone listened intently.


    Aeon intends that we eventually find our way to strike at the ck Suns, as Ste described it. From the sheer size of those things, the amount of mana required to have an even battle is huge, and yet, Aeon currently only has what... 4 clones?


    Ste nodded. Yes, we need a lot of firepower for that.


    But, we have a force projection issue on a multiverse scale. We are dependent on Aeon to deliver our main damage dealers, the heroes. Void portals dont work, because of the magical instability caused by star mana-void mana interactions.


    Go on.


    Aeon needs to level up quickly, and find a way to scale up that number of clones. The battle with the demons, and the ck sun, feels like essentially a numbers game. Aeon needs to control arge number of high-mana generation worlds, in order to evenpete with the amount of demonic energy those ck suns seem to possess.


    Edna nodded. Alright, so Lumoof needs to participate in every battle. Roon then raised the main point.


    My opinion is, we should not be investing so much in recovering demon-worlds, which have very long gestation periods. The parasite world, as per Aeons own models, im at least 50-100 years before its mana output could even hope to match our homeworld. This is because the demons world had eaten away at those worlds, and those worlds are less, diminished, weak. Instead, Aeon should be focused on spreading his clones on regr worlds that are facing their own demonic invasions.


    Ken and Snek didnt quite like that angle.


    We can still free Sneks world, but we need not nt a seed there. Thats essentially my point. Travel to Sneks world will then rely on Stes riftgates.


    But we need the clones to send the heroes over. Ken responded.


    Which Aeon can withdraw after the deed is done.


    Fair. Ken nodded, but Snek looked quite upset by the idea.


    I reiterate. Aeons focus should be reaching the mana-levels needed to effectively drown a demon king, and to do so, it needs multiple regr worlds. At least 10. Aeon should abandon non-productive worlds and rece them with Stes riftgates.


    Thats reliance on the whims of the void. Ste quickly rified. Aeons clones are an output of the system, its connection secure. Riftgates can be hijacked, and the pathways can be destroyed. It is not a worthwhileparison, especially if its a world key to the n.


    Roon agreed. Indeed, which is back to our bottleneck. Aeon needs to take a much more aggressive stance, and level, because Aeons foundation is what supports the n.


    Could someone else y that same role? Ken asked. Im just saying that.. Could there be a clone-focused domain holder who could lock or leave a clone in those worlds? Train another spiritual tree into another Aeon? It doesnt even have to be a tree, we just need someone at the [domain] level to y Aeons linkage role.


    The room was silent, and I myself was rather taken aback by the suggestion. It... could work, but it needed a cooperative partner. My mind immediately thought about the first two non-mobile friends I had. Lillies? Or... Reefy?


    I could imagine a Reefy or Lilies clone across worlds. Lillies especially, with their natural multi-minded structure seemed easily able to gain some kind of clone-like ability. Or maybe Aria and Aispeng.


    Reefy... I wasnt sure I wanted to unleash Reefy out to the multiverse. I fear Reefy, badly controlled, could easily warp into another demonic swarm.


    I would have to check with Lilies and Aria. At that point, Edna suggested someone else. There are two former-heroes, Alexis and Me. Mes Hotels has branches. Do you think she can be trained to have hotels across multiverses?


    My priest had an aha moment then. Thats a good point, I totally forgot about the two.


    Roon then borated. Ideally, Aeon gets more clones, because they are all locked to the same teleportationwork. At the rate we are going, we will discover new worlds quickly, and with the amount of demonic worlds out there, we pretty much need to add clones at an exponential rate.


    But gaining levels gets harder the higher we go.


    Which then leads to Kens very good point. If we cant have Aeon gain many levels, could we train multiple Aeons?


    Lumoof nodded. In theory, thats a solution, but I would like to immediately add that Aeons unique mindset is due to his current mix of knowledge from before he was a tree. Training a native tree into an Aeon-tier domain holder frankly sounds horrifying, and could go really, really bad. Ive seen Aeons thoughts, and their perception of things can be very different from our own. With humanoids and other mortals, we can get aligned quite easily. Its not so easy with trees. Druids can tell you of strange behaviors from their spirit trees from centuries ago.


    The archer-ranger looked pensive, as he contemted the issue. Ken, eventually, also nodded. I realise I did not give enough thought to my suggestion, and thus Id like to retract my suggestion. Raising a potential lovecraftian deity is not a good idea.


    That idea with Me is worth considering. Mes hotel, at the [domain] level could be a reasonable alternative. Edna added. Not ideal, as her hotelcks the defensive abilities of Aeons clones, but... doable. Her past-life as a hero would also mean she would be more amenable to our objectives.


    What if she never develops those abilities?


    Then too bad. Its a risk we take with these developments.


    ***


    The riftgates opened, and Lumoof led the way.


    It was humid, and hot, and glowing spawning pools littered thendscape. The demons spotted Lumoof appearing, and roared.


    We knew that this was one of the stereotypical hellworlds. There were fountains of mingva, and jets of fire around us. Demonic spires and structures simr to the dreams I once had.


    If some of the worlds were sandy and dry, this one was hot andva.


    The demons were medium-sized, about the size of arge cow, and had two horns and two wings. They were simr to what we referred to as the old-school demons.


    My vines and roots spread out around Lumoof, crushing each and every demon in our way.


    Normal demonworld. Really hot. Lumoof described it.


    Normal in what way? Those back on Treehome asked. Theres really no baseline for normal. Each demon world seemed different, and theres no repeat yet.


    Yet.


    Correction, traditional, hellfire and brimstone demonworld. I believe the type the heroes were expecting.


    Oh. Shit. We finally found hell. Ken cursed. I didnt know why I wasnt expecting this.


    Weve made a loop, and I remembered that ming demon king from the earlier days. [Demon King Baal], and now, after 220 years, Im bringing the pain back to their world. This was probably just one of the many such-worlds, but it felt symbolic to me. I was once burnt by the mes of this type of demon king, and now, Id disrupt it in its infancy.


    Lumoof had a good time, and naturally enjoyed my shared-fire immunity. As a priest, there was something extremely satisfying about crushing these really traditional demons with divine vines and roots.


    You guys better get here before Lumoof wipes the ce clean. Ste and a band of the Level 125-149s joined the fray. The demons clearly weren''t expectingpany, and my mages made short work of the many exposed spawning pools.


    Really? Edna was amused. Why?


    Lumoof shrugged. I dont know, weird system shenanigans. I seem to really get a kick out of destroying these earthly inspired traditional demons.


    Ever feel like an inquisitor? Ste smirked as her own void magic skewered the demons apart. Now that she had a domain and had the insurance of my revival ability, she was willing to take morebat risk.


    Is this the point where I tell these demons-


    Ste knew the phrase that came next and already pre-emptively rolled her eyes.


    No one expects the Aeonic Inquisition! I wished I could groan, because that was terrible.


    My forces fanned out, as they crushed the demons in their path. Like a tide, the demons tried to cobble together a resistance, but nothing much could stand up to high level individuals. They had greater demons, like those with wings andrge massive ws that were the size of houses, but even these champions died easily now.


    Nothing was going to stop us from getting to the pits.


    All we needed to do was find it in this hellhole.


    ***


    The Valthorns ravaged through thends, and cut through the demons defense like paper. Even without the heroes, there wasnt much that could stand against the might of so many high-leveled individuals, and eventually we found a pit.


    It was a big boiling chasm ofva, surrounded by the tell-tale riftgate towers.


    The demon kings in that, right? Roon looked at Lumoof.


    It has to be. Its underneath all thisva or magma?


    Well, this at least means its fire resistant, or fire-earth-immune. Were dealing with the pits-of-hell type of demon king?


    Its probably a magma beast. Edna looked at the bubblingva in the huge pit. It was likely this chamber ofva led all the way into the core. Ken, naturally, thought about Lord of the Rings.


    How do we get down there?


    My roots were incredibly fire resistant, but theva still got to them eventually, and it just drained my mana to keep healing my roots against the might of endlessva.


    Our attempt to invade the demon world, curtailed by a sea of moltenva. How appropriate. Roon smirked. This calls for a really strong earth mage.


    We could freeze the surface and turn it into hardened rock, that way the demon king cant get out.


    You know itll just st through it.


    This is unfair though. How does anyone expect to retake such a world from the demons? Roon added. Getting throughva would need a really strong mage to work at it for years, just to get to the core.


    Not really. A goodva mage could easily manipte theva out of the way, and give us a path through to the depths. Edna responded.


    Our strongest fire-earth element mage is what, level 120? Roon said. No offense, but this is the demon king were talking about. Even us domain holders are still inadequate.


    Alright, whats our alternative n? Simr to the anti-magic world?


    What do you mean simr-to-the-antimagic world? We cant even ess the core. I say we cover the surface with bombs and nuke the demon king once it tries to leave for our world. Roon said. We know it has a fixed path up that chamber ofva, and through this pit.


    Alka was fairly amused. I like how you think, Roon. I really do.


    Ste paused as she stood above the tunnel. She opened a portal somewhere else and then,va shot out like a high pressure water cannon.


    Edna looked and asked. A portal in the core chambers?


    Close. Theres a magical eddy of some kind preventing my portal from getting too near, but this is about 3/4th the way to the core.


    Theva jet was constant, but nothing changed. After a while, Ste shrugged. Doesnt work. The entire core and the surroundings of this world is magma.


    Look. How the fuck did the demon king even conquer such a world?


    Magic. Ste smirked. Roons idea has merit. With sufficient bombs, and Ill add my own void ones, it may be possible to send the demon king off course entirely. What Id like to achieve, this time, is to knock the demon king out of its teleportation path, so Alka needs to invent some kind of snare-bomb.


    What the fuck is that?


    We dont want the bomb to detonate immediately. We want bombs that willtch itself onto the demon king, blow up while its floating through the void space, and knock it out.


    Anyone tell you thats insane? Roon said. I mean, I like it, but its insane.


    We know that the demon king doesnt get summoned if theres a surviving demon king. I want to test whether that is location-dependent, and requires the demon king to actually be there. If the demon king is in another world, what happens?


    ...alright, go on. Roon admitted.


    On a superrge scale, I want to know whether WE can teleport a demon king elsewhere.


    You want to build a rift gate here? Edna asked.


    Were not ready for that. But someday, Id like to try it. For now though, lets just start with snare bombs.


    Snare bombs. Alka nodded. No issue. We can easily repurpose Aeons beetles to be suicide-bomb-beetles andtch onto the demon king. I think we can try giant harpoons too, whether we can anchor the demon king to this world. Force it off its teleportation process.


    Roon whistled.


    The Valthorns quickly cleared out an area around the pit, and started constructing fortifications based on the volcanic materials avable. An army of druids were deployed to support the instation.


    Most of the domainholders returned to Treehome to start construction of their nned materials. Multiple giants, harpoons with magical chains, and bombs with hooks.


    It would take some time to umte the necessary equipment and ordinances, but based on the magical sensors we had on this hell-world, the demon king wasnt ready yet. In fact, none of the rift gates had opened.


    The Valthorns regrly swept through thisva-world, clearing thend of demons, and captured any rift gates that we found. Ste then sent them back to Treehome, where she would study it with the other riftgates.


    It also helped that we now had three other void archmages, they took the role of maintaining the internar riftgates, and transporting the materials to the demonworld


    We sent specialised builders and craftsmen to the demon world, to study the rift structures, and also build the traps.


    Honestly, it may not work, but if it did, we were sure as hell going to replicate it every single time.


    ***


    Ken, you alright? Chung asked, as Ken sat in a corner of a city cafe in Freshka. He looked tired, and sipped a big mug of herbal tea. Ken, who was so young so many decades ago, now looked like a man in histe 40s, unlike Chung who looked to be in his mid 30s.


    Age, friend. Age. Reality meant Ken, who is no longer a hero, did not benefit from the aging reduction effects of the [hero] ss. He did have fragments, of course, from his friends who perished during the war, but outside of the fragments, he has high levels in [Thinker] and [Beast Tamer].


    Those levels slowed down aging, but not as much. Even my own domain holders experienced a burst of deaging once they gained the [domain]. Ste, for example, felt younger, stronger once she gained her domain.


    Theoretically, I could keep anyone alive forever. With my incredible healing powers, and evolutionary powers, Im able to modify a persons body such that the effects of aging are almost entirely eliminated, but, they would be not-exactly the same.


    A human that was made immortal, bes... different, and because this is an imposed process, unlike an earned process through gaining levels or unlocking their domain, the body bes in conflict with the soul, and it creates issues. I should be able to get past this, in time, after all, calming or unifying the soul and the body is part of my repertoire.


    But for now, its something I rarely experiment on. And, so, back to Ken.


    Im aging. Kenughed, and the herbal tea removed the pain.


    I can tell. Chung said.


    A price for freedom of mind. The freedom for me to think un-heroic things.


    Chung smirked. You can fix it if you gain levels, like them.


    I dont need to. Ken said. Theres a point where one lives too long. I think this, a lifespan of 200-250 years, I think this is ideal. Too much, and we be unable to care for anything, because everything fades away, and well just be burdened with endless ennui.


    Id still rather live forever.


    You only feel that way, because the Gods impose a purpose in your life. Ken insisted. Which, as I sometimes think, its not a bad thing. Many of us require purpose. Purpose gives us direction, gives us... focus. It allows us to forget, to forgive, to let go of things that do not matter when viewed against our central purpose.


    Youve lost me. Chungughed.

 Infantreecide

    Infantreecide


    <b>Year 221</b>


    Is this normal? A section of Branchhold was cordoned off for work. Construction of the weapons meant for theva-demonworld required thebined efforts of many skilled workers, across the entire empire..


    Ive never seen something like it. The citizens of Branchhold stared.Most migrants to Branchhold had not seen ourrge scale directed ns, and they could not fathom a civilization able to deploy the resources across an entire empire, and now, across worlds. All they saw was a mobilisation for a war.


    Those on Branchhold were tasked with the manufacture of spears, hooks, and chains.


    It rmed the spies scattered in Branchhold, and reported the findings to their masters in their own capital cities. Branchhold geared for war sttered across intelligencemuniques, all over the world. The nearest nations to Branchhold immediately received a huge influx of more spies, and more scouts.


    Fools, really. If we really wanted to invade, we didnt need such mobilisation.


    On theva-demonworld, the area around the pit became one of thergest magic formations weve devised.


    Multiple redundantrge scale magical snares, thousands of stationary weapons, more bombs and explosives than I bothered to count littered the area, and more was made every day. We builtrger ballistas, equipped with chained harpoons.


    The ce was geared for war, and frankly, the mood in the air was optimistic.


    Man, the demons would regret invading our world after this. Roon said as he admired the temporary war city on theva demonworld. There were hundreds of level 80-100 druids and mages deployed to conduct minor terraforms.


    They could just melt everything in a volcano.


    They could, but with the number of mages we have, wed still survive.


    On top of those ns, there was a quasi-suicidal n with Lumoof at the center. The idea was simply to freeze or solidify the entire surface of theva pit, have Lumoof enter avatar mode in the center, and have my avatar formtch on to the demon king as it attempted to teleport to the other world.


    Stes void mages also made their own set of preparations. Large quantities of void crystals, and multiple void-magical formations created.


    The target was the ck sun that appeared as part of the demon kings ascension, and this time, they nned to attack and interrupt it directly, in the same manner as how Ste disrupted the demon-mother of the parasite world.


    All of this was only possible, because of our efforts across the decades. If its not enough, well go back and work harder.


    Our sensors were on overdrive, and these days, Ste, the void mages and the elemental archmages had their own set of magical sensors. I had a feeling wed see the demon king this year, and rushed the team to work faster.


    Back home, Ste hadrgely triangted the direction of the umting astral energies, though, so far, not a single rift had opened.


    This was simply because my Valthorns regrly scoured thendscape for any rift, and captured them or destroyed them. That meant, no rift for the demons.


    It was very effective, and this time, the demon king was projected tond somewhere in the Southern Continent.


    Unlike before, I didnt give any advance warning, since the demon king was going tond in one of the wide deserts of the South.


    ***


    Back on theva-demonworld, we realised we had a real simple problem.


    If we failed - the demon king would leave for our world. Thats normal and all is status quo.


    But what if we seeded in detaining the demon king? If we seed, wed have to fight the demon king without the heroes.


    Or we could just leave, since we technically achieved our mission of detaining the demon king. Im sure Ste would be fascinated to see what happens next. Does the demon king attempt to open the portal again?


    I think it would, since the path through the void forest is still there. It only copses when the demon king dies. This was also a project for Ste and her team, where they would attempt to copse an astral path before its used.


    In fact, the void mage academy had to be expanded quickly, due to the scale and requirements we needed in the far future. So much depended on having enough void mana, and enough magical talent to run all we needed to do.


    So if we seed, we... uh... just watch?


    We weaken it, I guess?


    It sounds like the real sess case is to tear it apart while its in the astral path.


    Yes.


    ***


    Our role is just backup, this time. Chung grinned, amused that they didnt have to travel to the other side. Or if the interruption fails and the demon kinges here.


    They were still happily resting in the Central Continent, in one of the seaside towns facing the ocean. On the other side of that vast ocean was the Southern Continent.


    ***


    The core pulsed. We felt it, a cracking in the movement. The core of this world was probably just really hot, molten iron and other minerals.


    Well, ready? Everyone got in position, and we expected this. The heroes were somewhere near to the Southern Continent, assisted by a small group of Valthorns and void mages.


    Theva-swepted world cracked, and we felt a powerful presence move from the core, up into the surface.


    Alright! Lets get the party started! Alkaughed maniacally. Freezing bombs!


    The mages and his assistants detonated hundreds of ice-element magical crystals, and the sudden surge ofrge quantities of ice magic caused the huge pit ofva to temporarily freeze over. It wouldntst for long, as the heat from the core would eventually melt it again, but for now.


    Lumoof jumped into the middle of the hardenedke, and activated avatar mode. My roots pierced through the hardenedva, and expanded as fast as I could. The roots covered every part of the pit.


    A living barrier.


    Roon and Johann led the thousands of ballistas at the side, all armed with hooked harpoons, each equipped with bombs. There were at least a hundred different types of bombs. My sensors felt the force from within the core surged upwards, and the ripples of that force pushed against my roots. It was trying to uproot Lumoof and my roots from down below, but I resisted.


    My roots held onto the igneous rock and earth, as the pressure built up beneath us.


    Are we going to trigger an explosion if this keeps up? Ste looked as the pit began to bulge upwards. My roots resisted the magma andva disced from the demon kings escape, and the demon king approached at high speed. Itsing up the chamber really quickly.


    The pressure fromva beneath us strengthened, and this time, I felt the effects of heightened demonic magic. It attempted to tear at my roots, but we held our ground. Literally.


    Towers began to emerge out of the walls of the pit, the gate mechanism. It was a point of great interest, to see how the demons created these riftgates out of thin air. For now, that was something my builders, mages and crafters studied intently, while a battle broke out around us.


    The demons emerged from all around us, and attempted to retake the pit.


    They failed.


    From beneath, the demon king shot up theva chambers like a missile. The demon king was going to smash right into me, and it clearly didnt care.


    Lumoof, brace for impact. The ground beneath us was filled with my roots. Itll have to destroy my roots to get out.


    On the surface, the rift towers began to channel their abilities, and the void mages studied it intently. This was the second time its happening, but the first time such arge group of void mages was deployed to study it.


    Alright, we''re going to have to start interfering with the ck sun once it emerged! Ste shouted to her team of void mages. Their magical formations were ready and charged up.


    The demon king smashed into my roots from below, and I felt a strong, burning sensation. My roots were incredibly resistant to heat and fire, so I wasnt disturbed by that aspect.


    Yet, its ensuing impact shook the entire pit, and then, it pushed the entire chunk of hardened magma upwards, like a superhero lifting an entire city from down below.


    FIRE! Roon and Johannmanded as we got line-of-sight on the demon king. It was a demon king of tradition, a massive horned beast with eight wings and four arms, each with a weapon-made ofva. It was huge, in the same size as the anti-mana demon-turtle.


    The hooked harpoons fired from all around the pit, all aimed at the demon kings body. The demon king pushed, and the hooks and harpoons mmed into the demon king. Our projectiles attached itself to its skin like a pesky parasitic seed.


    Up above, the skies twisted.


    Ste and her void mages swung to action, and their magical formations activated. A dome of void mana emerged above us, and at the same time, they had their own set of void-energy ballistas, all aimed upwards.


    The sky tore apart, as the ck sun emerged in view. The ballistas shot out, some with the antimagic projectiles, some with void mana projectiles.


    It flew at it... and burned in a ck me.


    The rift towers glowed, as core mana and void mana pooled in them at the same alternating pattern. The Valthorns attempted to smash them.


    The demon king itself began to emit some kind of energy, as it flung the chunk of rock filled with my roots aside.


    Then, the multicolored ckish blob emerged in the sky, like it teleported out of nowhere. A fragment of it, a droplet, descended from it.


    Now! Ste yelled, and all their magical projectiles and abilities activated.


    A full year and some, her void mages prepared magical projectiles, meant for this moment. It worked on the demon-mother, and now they tried it on the king.


    I felt a strong pulse of energy struck that ck droplet. Its outer shell crumpled like a Prince Ruperts Drop shattering.


    And it detonated.


    Shit. Shields! I activated shields where I could.


    Teleport out, now! Ste and her crew all escaped as soon as they could, and my domain holders warped back. All except Lumoof and Edna, and we watched a huge explosion happen in the skies of the demonworld.


    We were too near.


    It destroyed all the structures and weapons that we made, but some of my Valthorns didnt make it.


    Not everyone could teleport out in time, even with their fastest scrolls.


    About thirty percent of my thousands of Valthorns deployed perished, because our shields were not strong enough to block a demon-king-tier explosion. As they say, safety measures were written in blood, and the next time, we would have significantly higher shielding.


    From our world, we saw the demons path wobble, wobble, and wobble, and shrink.


    Ste, now safely back on Treehome, mmed the nearest table and cursed.


    A huge ball of charred wood protected Lumoof, and in the aftermath, we saw a half-burnt demon body, all the harpoons and hooks had been burnt away in the explosion, and a much, much smaller droplet.


    The two merged, and struggled.


    It felt... iplete. Like a car with an engine that was far too small.


    It didnt fly off immediately, and the path continued to wobble.


    Edna stood, unharmed by the scarring. She grinned and approached the giant, smoldering demon king, her weapons red with magic and power.


    A battle to avenge the fallen. Come King, only one of us will remain standing. Ednaughed and attacked the injured demon king. Lumoof observed the massive crater around us, and also charged at the Demon King.


    The demon king was weak. It did not have the strength I expected of demon kings, but perhaps, this was a sacrifice of those who fought it. My vines stabbed it, and each time, I tried to drain a bit more of its mana away.


    We need to get back there. Roon and Johann said.


    Ste immediately tried to check the riftgates. I cant. The explosion temporarily weakened the astral path. Itll be months before its ready.


    Aeon! We need your seed there!


    A seed on ava world? Itll cost me 10 years. I thought about it briefly, but as the battle between the demon king and Edna raged on, I agreed.


    This may be an opportunity I wont see in a while.


    Lumoof fought the demon king too, and the battle stretched across the battlefield. Then, hended somewhere, and embedded my refreshed Seed into the ground. My tree sprung up instantly, in a sudden burst of magic.


    I sent Roon and Johann immediately to the other side, and they joined the battle.


    I think we can win this. Edna said, as her antimagic sword shed. My roots, now empowered by my actual clone body, pulled the demon king closer. My vines stabbed itsrge demonic wings, and I called on the powers of my two, no, three worlds, and flooded the demon king with my mana.


    A giant demon was, in some ways, just a really big target.


    It roared, and I felt its massive demonic axe chop off one of my branches. It hurt as hell, the demon kingsva axended on my wooden shields. Roon and Johann deployed all their magical weapons.


    It was a battle of attrition, as Edna and my tree traded blows with the demon king.


    Yet, I felt we had a chance.


    Ste and the void mages detonation of the ck droplet was key. That ck droplet contained a significant chunk of the demon kings power, and with this, we now have an idea how to weaken the demon king.


    My domain holders unleashed their fury. It wasnt in the same tier as the heroes, but we were not fighting a full-powered demon king.


    Just a pale, weakened version.


    I struck it repeated with my roots, and noticed its movement was sluggish.


    My roots kept up the pressure, and drained the demon king of its energy. By my own measures, that explosion left the demon king with only 20-30% of its strength.


    The Kings movement was slower, its massive body seemed too heavy for the power it had inside. It struggled, and eventually realised it couldnt keep up.


    Then, it decided to shed itsrger outer shell, revealing a smaller, human-sized demon.


    Lumoof, Edna, Roon and Johann kept fighting, but this smaller one was faster, and almostnded a hit on Roon, if not for my shields.


    I think you two need to back off. Edna said, as she kept up with the faster, smaller demon king. This demons form was better suited to its power, but the demon king that struggled.


    The Kings power weakened some more, each hit from my roots chipped a little more of its energy.


    My guardian treant emerged to fight it, battling it, and eventually, my roots got a good hold of its smaller body. I drained its stillrge quantities of mana, and realised...


    We were winning.


    I actually struggled to believe it.


    Ednanded a few more hits, and my two archers attacked with their anti-magic arrows. The demon king was... immobilised. My treant guardians punched and held the demon king.


    And it was battered.


    I felt the Kings magical energies drop, as Ednas cut began to remove demonic matter from the demon king. Its healing stopped.


    Another strong punch from my treant.


    The kings body crumbled, and revealed what I always, always wanted.


    An undamaged demon core.


    It didnt detonate. Not with what little magical energies it had. It felt like an eternity, as my vines wrapped around the core, just to be sure. I drained it, but there was nothing left inside to be drained.


    It was an empty, purely undamaged demon kings core.


    I was left speechless for a moment, as the madness of battle suddenly gave way to exhaustion. Edna looked pensive.


    <i>Holy freaking shit.</i>


    Did we just win?


    Lumoof, Roon, Edna and Johann all stared at each other, waiting for something to pop up. They looked up to the sky, wondering whether the sky would split apart to reveal some gimmick.


    It had taken so much to get here.


    But I looked at those who fought, and felt genuine joy burst out from my soul.


    We won!


    Everyone felt like a huge weight lifted off their shoulders, and they looked at my giant tree-clone, safely and grinned.


    WE WON!


    In a strange twist of fate, we had somehow managed to defeat a demon king without the heroes. It took extensive preparation, attacks from everyone, and a bit of luck that the blob at the end detonated, but whatever it was, we got through the finish line.


    My domain holders glowed, and I felt their strength increase.


    Power. We would need a lot more of it in theing days.


    Holy shit I gained like fifteen levels. Edna shouted, and punched the sky.


    Me too! Roon, Johann and Lumoof all gained levels.


    [Youve gained 12 levels.]


    [You are now level 238]


    <i>[Tree of Life - Youve gained two extra clone seeds].</i>


    <i>[Natural mana overwhelming upgraded]</i>


    <i>[Root strikes upgraded]</i>


    <i>[Demonic resistance upgraded]</i>


    <i>[Domain ability unlocked: Greater Titans]</i>


    <i>[Your titans will now change into their greater forms, with wider range and abilities. Patreecks mind-reading and protection range will now expand to include all your clone trees, and its range is increased significantly. Hytreerion will now be able to temporarily shrink to travel through the Void, and can shapeshift into other battle forms.]</i>


    ***


    [The Demon King ???? has been defeated.]


    The announcement of its defeat was greeted with a strange feeling.


    I lost 30% of those who failed to avoid the explosion, but those who survived gained powers. The star paths linked to Treehome, all abruptly vanished. Including those subsequent to this demon king.


    That was not a good sign. It meant the demons discovered that we could counter-invade their world, and thus dropped the invasion paths.


    It was also a sign that they were preparing for something bigger.


    But, there was no use worrying.


    We consolidated our gains, celebrated our wins, and prayed for those who fell. The souls we collected, some would move on, some wanted to stay back. I tried, where I could, to give all of them a chance to at least say goodbye to their loved ones.


    Alright, we need a roll call. Who gained what powers? My domain holders came together, and it seemed among the survivors, quite a few gained a lot of levels.


    Ste smirked. I gained [Void Weapons and Projectiles]. I cant wait to try it out on the other demon kings.


    Are we trivializing demon kings already? Roon cursed. And you sound too excited for that.


    They would adapt to our changes. Ste said. They are not stupid. The fact that they dropped the star paths shows they are learning, and we probably shouldnt repeat it for the Mountainworld, unless, well, unless thats what we want.


    Do you think theyll throw something stronger our way?


    What else could it be? That ck sun or blob is probably figuring out what to do. I had a tree still in theva world, and I also needed to figure out what I should do with that tree. What did you get, anyway?


    Just some super strong unavoidable null-element arrow-attack. Roon said with a sigh.


    A domain tier arrow attack cant be that bad. Steughed.


    Edna jumped from level 160s to level 180s, and so gained two domain-tier abilities. First was the strangely-named ability [A Knights Myth], and I felt her power spread throughout Treehome, and strangely, only Treehome.


    Just like my [Aeonic sses], Ednas power had changed Treehome. Ednas new domain ability enhanced all knights on Treehome, and allowed them to take up a special ss [Knights of Treehome]. In addition, when defending Treehome, all knights are empowered against outside invaders.


    It also had sub abilities. A part of the [myth], it opened up a unique set of quests for Edna alone, the [Mythical Knights Quest], which, summoned Level 130-150 creatures that existed in a pocket dimension, that only Edna and a fewpanions could battle. Each victory, awarded skills and stats.


    For the ordinary [Knights of Treehome], they could attempt lesser variants of the [Knights Quest], awarded and unlocked through the system.


    Seems like a Knights gotta do what a Knights gotta do. Ste grinned. Youre bing like the Knights of fairy tales.


    I cant really say I hate it. Ednaughed. Its... amusing.


    Ednas second ability was the [Three Strikes of Honor]. It unlocked a battlefield-wide enchantment that protected everyone, from three instances of an undetected, unreactable attack that would have killed them. An enchantment with additional rules befitting a knight, such that, an attack that was known and but cannot be responded to, was still covered, but it essentially meant death had toe from known sources, and from known attacks. Instead, heavy but non-lethal damage would apply.


    If someone were to be killed by a sword that he sawing but didnt react, or incorrectly reacted, the protection would not apply.


    Essentially, it prevented instant kills. As always, the system had a tendency of awarding preventions after the disaster. The precautions we have were all essentially earned and paid for in blood and souls.


    Lumoofs skill was probably pretty good too, [Projected Presence], which, strangely, allowed his to project himself in another location and essentially be at two ces at once. Alkas new ability was [Crystalline Supeputer], which allowed him to transform crystals into magicalputers.


    Johann, in my opinion, got the best new domain skill. [Reconstructed Mythical Companion]. He essentially has the titan-equivalent skill of using bones to rebuild a mythicalpanion. Obviously, he asked and received the moon-dragon bones. He didnt even need all of it, just onerge piece was sufficient for the ability to start regrowing a dragonling in his [domain-space.]


    A victory is a victory. Ste said, We should throw a party.


    Lumoof agreed. A party to remember the sacrifices of those who fell, and those who survived.


    Then lets do it.


    <b>[Author Notes : Writing this was... stressful. I wasn''t sure whether it was the right time to kick things up a notch, and with progression, it''s a fine bnce between meaningful progression, and not burning the plot to the ground. I''m not sure I''ll regret this, but it is done, so be it.]</b>


    <b>[Author Notes 2 : 9 November 2022 will be a break because I has covid and I can''t write]</b>

 Trunk Roads

    Trunk Roads


    <b>Year 222</b>


    Its surreal.


    We both looked into the skies, and even my void mages could see it too. An emptiness unlike before, not a single astral path headed our way.


    How did that work? Why did the astral paths disappear? I realized, at that moment when we finally destroyed the demon king for the first time, that the copse of the rifts was also some kind of warning. The demons, or something at the top, could sense demon kings being defeated before their time was due, and we would soon invite greater retaliation from the demons.


    This wasnt the end, even if weve won a reprieve.


    No.


    A part of me even suspects that it may have been a mistake to go all the way with the demon king. I shouldve pulled them back, dragged this arrangement for a bit more.


    We could have gotten more experience, and a bit more levels.


    Whats done is done. Lumoof assuaged my worries. We still have links to the other world, and we will have to hunt for demon kings through those worlds instead. Stes [Void Explorer], in particr, should get us to more habited worlds. If this gives us time, well need to prepare for whatever they throw our way. I believe we can do it.


    I knew Lumoof wasnt that convinced either. I felt it in our connection, but it was done. We now also had two more clone seeds, which essentially meant I didnt have to recall the Lava world.


    I remembered Roons strategy, which focused on living-worlds, and that meant these two seeds should go to Threeworlds, and the new Lawyerworld, if theyd let me put my trees there. Or else, Id have to keep looking for other, friendly worlds.


    Or maybe, Ste could find a super-world.


    It had to be there, somewhere out there.


    ***


    They fucking won. The heroes couldnt believe it. The fact that weve destroyed the demon king on theva world invited a lot of chatter.


    The key seems to be that droplet from the blob. That explosion burnt through a lot of the demon kings body. Chung observed the battle through our dream academy. With the [dream academy], I could record and rey scenes, which I could then share to them as a dream.


    Actually, Ste needs to target that blog directly.


    She tried, but its toorge and protected by too much magic.


    What if that blob is the real heart of the demons, and the ck suns are just nothing more than power-generators? They only seem to supply void mana, after all.


    That does sound usible. What needs to be made, I think, is some kind of internar nuclear missile. A ck-hole missile, kinda. Blow that shit out of space.


    Youre talking about a missile to destroy something thats way too big. That blob looked to be the size of an entire sun! We dont even know what that thing is. Prabu countered. We may be heroes, and our powers are incredible for sure, but were probably not at the-buster tier.


    No matter, it does mean that Aeons discovered a few weak points to the demon king. One, that droplet is a very big weakness. It explodes, and deals enough damage that the demon king is severely weakened. If that fails, corrupting and flooding it with mana seemed to poison the demon king and block arge amount of its powers.


    More importantly, this world now doesnt have new demon kings.


    Kenughed. You dont believe that, right? It looks to me like its going back to lick its wounds, ande back with something more powerful.


    What. a demon emperor?


    Probably! Ken said. But based on what Aeon knows... it may be a meteor.


    The heroes stared at each other. What, weve got Armageddon and we have to knock aet out of its path?


    Yeah. Probably.


    Chung just stared at Ken like he said something insane. If youre right, Ill hate you so much.


    You already do, bruh. Ken lightly punched Chung on the shoulder.


    No I dont.


    Its not the first time you said it, so I assume youve already hated me.


    Oh. Wait. Now that you reminded me, I do. Chungughed.


    ***


    We had arge funeral for the Valthorns who died, the priests were quick to twist their deaths into a kind of martyrdom, and some of these Valthorns wanted to live on. My priests soon imed that their death was a noble sacrifice to defeat the demon king before it arrived, much to the annoyance of the four temples.


    Despite that, they were unable to actually mount any actual countermeasure beyond a war of sermons, as they denounced our ims. Most kingdoms didnt care all that much about waging a war with us, they were all power crazy, but none of them were suicidal.


    Therge funerals throughout the continent did draw some curious spies from the other kingdoms, as they wondered what caused such arge loss of Valthorns in the level 100s.


    But it was not all lost, as my powers of the soul allowed me to retain those who wanted to remain, and ce them into new vessels, with no [soul contracts]. For those that wanted to remain, I took their souls, or what was left of it, and made them into training trees, or beetles, ording to their own personal choice.


    For those who wanted to move on, for whatever reason, they were given a chance to say their goodbyes to those who they loved. Using my [dream academy] and other such abilities, I was even able to store some of their thoughts, their words as something that their family could revisit again.


    ***


    Themon folk were oblivious. News about demon kings, especially faraway demon kings, were irrelevant. The people were mainly concerned with their day to day affairs. A demon king was killed on the or somewhere else, or what their name, orck thereof, was useless information.


    As for the four temples, there was immense confusion on the ground. I detected multiple secret conversations on this matter, but it was all idle spection.


    Most of them had no clue that we did it, though they would suspect something once they noticed the deaths among my senior Valthorns.


    What was quite clear was the four temples were mostly stagnant, their leaders trying to hold on to vestiges of their past glory, but their strength was too weak to even try and challenge us. For now, our homeworld has now settled to a somewhatfortable status quo.


    Wars are still fought regrly between nations, but the idea of a crusade has long faded as the foolish arrogance of their earlier priesthoods. Those that still wanted to do a crusade, my spies would identify them, and remove them.


    It was actually quite easy to get priests removed. In feudal societies like the kingdoms, priests existed as advisors to the throne, or yed ceremonial and social roles in their respective cities, and everyone had secrets.


    Once we got hold of the secrets and the priests often got into quite a bit of trouble when their nasty activities were revealed for all to see.


    My spymasters training had improved, and some of them had gotten quite high leveled, thanks to their stint on the Mountainworld. Weve trained honey traps and handsome males to seduce our targets, and kidnapped priests on multiple asions to get them to confess their plots.


    The world of espionage wasnt a nice one, but it had to be done. Our sense of peace required regr maintenance, and maintenance meant removing bad actors.


    My next target for spies was to send them to Threehome, but to do so, wed need a small base of operations. I intended to establish a base in the chaos of the demonic invasions, and so, sent Roon and Johann there to spy on them.


    ***


    Back on Mountainworld, the rifts of the demons opened. Do we invade? Edna, during her tour of Branchhold, and this time, I wasnt so sure.


    I didnt know the long term consequences of destroying the demon king on the demon world, and without knowing whates after this, I couldnt decide with utmost confidence whether what we did was the right thing.


    I did not want to face escted responses on two worlds, and so to maintain the status quo, it was ideal to just weaken the demon king, such that those on the Mountainworld had an easier fight on their hands.


    Adrian and Kelly didnt really have any strong views on the matter, especially after the concerns of stronger retaliation. To these two, the demon king was always their duty, and the four heroes of our world had agreed to assist them anyway.


    The demons that came through so far were variants of ice-type monsters, which suggested that the heroes faced an ice-demon king. Elemental-type demons were not exactly that much of a threat.


    My void archmages transported Roon and Johann to the demon world, and they arrived in what was a seemingly endless boreal forest.


    There are trees here, Aeon.


    How?! I wasnt expecting to see trees on a demon world, but it seemed that theyve found one. A boreal forest, filled with ice-type demons. The trees, strangely, were not destroyed, and thus continued to live on in the demon world even post-conquest.


    No clue. I think youll need to send Lumoof here once hes done with whatever on the other world.


    The world was filled with ice, and they eventually did find a pit. But they didnt engage, and I decided we needed to take it slow. They captured a few rift gates, so Ste would be able to reopen ess to this world at ater date.


    They were notfortable heading into the pits without Lumoofs presence, so they decided to back out. Instead, we prepared the Mountainworld for the impending invasion.


    Were not going down there without Lumoof, so were backing out.


    ***


    Lumoof didnt particrly enjoy returning to the world of Angels, but after a long absence due to the invasion of the demonworld, it was time to actually make our pitch. Lumoof and Ste faced arge council of angels and humans of at least twenty members.


    It felt like we were in a courtroom, before a panel of judges.


    Wed like to seek cooperation with those with capabilities to fight demons. Lumoof exined. The core issue we want to solve is that demons are able to tap on the resources of multiple worlds, but we dont. Each world faces the demon alone, or is assisted by their respective gods, but we feel this process is not optimal, it often leads to too much destruction and too much death.


    First, exin what you mean by the resources of multiple worlds. How did you discover the demons ability to tap multiple worlds?


    Lumoof looked at Ste and replied. We visited them. Weve seen the demonworlds.


    Exin. How did you visit them?


    We went through the riftgates-


    Objection! Thats not possible. Riftgates cannot be traversed by the living-


    It can. Lumoof answered. Each riftgate has a unique mana resonance and it is possible to reverse it-


    This will require a demonstration-


    Lumoof looked at Ste again, and realised this was going to be hell. These angels required supporting evidence for every single statement we make, and they cross-examined our observations against their own.


    But we did learn something in the process. The nature of this society required that all daemolite be destroyed, and they thoroughly destroyed the demon kings remains after every single battle. Their angels and enforcers also regrly patrol the world to destroy daemolite or any demonic remains, as they view the remains as unholy.


    Their logic was simple. If a man that carried gue died, they burnt the body to prevent it from continuing to spread more gue. Thus, any remains of the demons had to be removed as well. In short, theyve managed to do what weve always theorized, they significantly reduced the demons targeting ability and reduced the frequency of the invasions.


    All remnants of the demons had to be purged.


    As the pitch became more of a grilling session, I realized I personally didnt want to deal with them at all. I didnt want to be shackled with terms, and after all the questionable things Ive done and Im willing to do, I dont think these people would be able to understand it.


    Even if we were allied, I was bound to break the terms somewhere along the way. Our opponent could adapt, and what we had to do may change.


    A legal document specifying the terms of alliance wasnt worth it. If things worked for them, and it has worked well so far, then I didnt need to pursue a civilization-to-civilization type of alliance.


    Maybe it would be better to just open an embassy and recruit interested parties instead, which, I suppose, will also require a messy list of agreements.


    At that point, Ste proposed something else, since the grilling really wasnt productive and there was a lot of arguing over nitty gritty details, all because they have no understanding of what happened. Ste, especially, found the entire ordeal exhausting and so spoke out. Lets just stop this farce of a grill. I propose that a delegation from this world visit us, we will take you on a tour of the demon worlds. We have ess to the demon worlds, and you can see it for yourself. Arguing over details is fascinating, but I dont have much time. There are more worlds to visit, more preparations to be made. No more than five persons are allowed.


    Lumoof nodded, and the session was adjourned. The council of the angel-lords had a lot to discuss, especially the idea of a tour-group. You could talk at length about the beauty of the mountain, but itll still pale to actually walking and standing on it.


    Thats a good idea. Taking them on tour. Lumoofplimented Stes idea.


    It worked for the lizardfolk, hopefully itll open their eyes to what they are dealing with.


    Theyll definitely rmend we destroy all the daemolite. Lumoof said with a chuckle.


    Which actually works on a longer timescale. Ste said. It allows the cycle to be somewhat sustainable, since 80 years to a century per invasion is actually quite a long time, enough for any world to recover from the aftermath.


    A stable status quo, but it feels a little like cutting off ones leg to save ourselves. Lumoof conceded. We would no longer be able to gain strength as quickly without the experience from the demon kings.


    It is a good form of peace, and a dilemma. A stable status quo, or a constant grinding treadmill upwards.


    After what we did, that is no longer a choice for Treehome. But it is for the Mountainworld and Threeworlds.


    Should we decide for them? Ste smirked.


    Do we cut off the path to ascension, in exchange for century long peace? We would be ill prepared for whates after such a long period.


    Lumoof didnt have the answer.


    I didnt, either.


    ***


    Eventually, the angels and humans decided to send three individuals, and we were introduced to one of the oldest angels weve ever seen in their world. He had eight wings, and was actually old, with white hair and an actual aged appearance.


    From what we gathered, the wings actually had an impact on the powers of these angels. Those with two wings had lower potential than those with four, and so on. Someone with more wings had no inbuilt level limits, so their path to a [domain] was unhindered.


    This is Raph, a former high-arbiter, and was once known as the One Closest to the Gods. The angels introduced Raph and his two assistants, who would visit our worlds. The two assistants were fairly distinguished people in their society, but were frankly deferential, when next to Raph.


    Its not every day I am offered to visit another world. He chuckled like an old grandfather. They must really distrust you to demand Ie out of retirement.


    Lumoof shrugged. It seems they find offense in every statement we make.


    They are either too young, or newly old. Raph grinned, and he walked slowly. Yet, we could tell it was an act. He radiated a power simr to those in the Level 120s, and was clearly seen as one. It is also such a rare thing to meet two people stronger than me.


    My priest grinned. Your attempt to [inspect] us was duly noted.


    Old habits die hard. Raph said. Everyone [inspects] everyone in this world, and as [domain] holders, it all just gets blocked. Does it offend you?


    It doesnt, it is but a minor... disturbance. Lumoof responded.


    That is good. They spoke of an intent to form an alliance of some sort. Tell me you are not so foolish to think an alliance with these people would be worth it. Lumoof was fairly stunned at how harshly he criticised his own council.


    Its in an exploratory stage. The war with demons is something we face across many worlds, and we could use some additional forces.


    Youll get nothing of value from the Council of the Tower Lords. They are bureaucrats, concerned with the administration of theirnds to the letter, and war is fought in coliseums and diatorial arenas. Many of them havent even lived through a bad demon king. If you want allies, they are not the ones you should approach.


    Lumoof couldnt reply to that. Not immediately, anyway.


    But I suppose you wouldnt know.


    Ste and Lumoof just shrugged.


    How old are you, mdy?


    Ste paused, and looked at the old archangel. I... lost count, frankly. Maybe eighties?


    Ah, still very young, and already so powerful. I wonder what kind of hell they put you through.


    Ste chuckled. Oh you wouldnt want to know.


    I will, actually. It would at least be a fascinating story for the younglings. They said there are more of you.


    Yes.


    Raph nodded and frowned. Have we holed up in our ivory towers for so long?


    Ste and Lumoof just looked at each other for a while.


    Never mind. So, where are we going?


    Spaizzer


    Once again, 9 Nov I''m on break. I''m taking a rest. I feel like taking a long break sometimes. Write something else.

 In Wood Faith

    In Wood Faith


    <b>Year 222 (continued)</b>


    Arbiter Raph, were here. Wee to Treehome. Hispanion seemed unsure as they stepped through the portal, and onto the world of Treehome.


    He emerged in a special tform in the tower of the void mages, with Ste and Lumoof leading the way. Ste nodded briefly, and then vanished in the poof of ckness. Lumoof smiled at Raph, and guided the guests out of the tower.


    Wee to Freshka, the Root of the Central Continent. Lumoof nodded. Some would say the Heart, of course. Freshkas sprawling towers of trees seemed to stretch till the horizon, and the three angels didnt know what to say. It is here that our Guardian, Aeon, made his stand. The earth is his, and he is the earth.


    Raph nodded, and instead, looked above, past the leaves and canopies. Your skies are empty.


    Lumoof wasnt sure what he was talking about, and looked up to see stars and skies. It is, without the paths of the demons.


    The demons. What have you done to their path?


    Lumoof paused, suddenly understanding what he meant. You could see the starpaths?


    Every angel can. It has been our ability since birth. Raph answered. With practice, the humans can too. Those born with many wings, like me, can see it easily.


    Is that not an astral or void power? Lumoof asked.


    It is. But we are linked to the heavens, and the heavens grant us the ability to observe the skies. Raphughed, and I was so tempted to capture one of these angels and put them in the bib for analysis. Perhaps some other time.


    I see. Lumoof nodded, as they were led to a gigantic beetle with a carriage, stairs and reallyfy seats. A tour bus, essentially, with protective screens.


    Actually, before that, I would like to fly up to the sky, and see the city for myself. Raph suggested. May I?


    Lumoof paused, and shrugged. You will attract a lot of attention.


    Ah. Nothing an illusion cant hide. He activated some kind of illusion ability that turned himself almost invisible, but we could still sense his presence. The illusion glowed brightly to my spiritual eyes. In fact, all the angels glowed brightly in my spiritual eyes. They have robust souls, and Raphs glow was very much like a creature attuned to the spiritual realm.


    He took to the skies, invisible to almost all regr folks, except those skilled enough to see him. Lumoof immediately issued a warning to the Valthorns, to notify that there was a friendly flier in the air. It wouldnt be nice to shoot down our guest.


    My roots lifted Lumoof up to the skies, where he stood next to Raph.


    Interesting way ofing with me. Raph said.


    I couldnt leave my guest alone, could I? Lumoof said. The two other angels were on the ground, surrounded by other Valthorn members.


    Very interesting city you have, but are all cities like this?


    No. This city is unique, due to its founders presence. Lumoof said. You wish to see the cities beyond?


    I feel a very strong presenceing from there-. Raph pointed in the general direction of the Valley. What is-


    Aeon.


    Ah. Then Id like to see him, for the horror that he is.


    Oh? Lumoof smirked.


    Raphnded back down. Id like to meet your... Guardian.


    You can meet him through me. Lumoof said.


    Thats not the real- My avatar activated, and my presence was felt through Lumoof. ...I misspoke.


    Greetings, Raph. Wee to Treehome. I said through Lumoof, his eyes glowed, and the air rippled as my presence washed through Freshka. I could control it quite well, but even then, each level I gained, I had to work harder to hide my domain. I shall not stay long. My presence... is not for the faint of heart.


    The world bent around me.


    My apologies for assuming incorrectly. Raph said. He wasnt pale, but I could feel his nerves tensing, his body straining to bear the weight of being in the same space. I shall speak to Lumoof instead.


    Thank you for your understanding. Lumoofs eyes returned to normal and he grinned.


    I am Aeons avatar. My priest repeated.


    Raph rxed, and nodded. Did your kind once believe in gods?


    Lumoof paused, as they sat on the giant beetle. The beetle would carry them throughout the city, and then to the outskirts. Yes, and many still do. The other continents are home to those who believe in the four gods, Aiva, Hawa, Gaya and Neira.


    And your kind dont. Raph remarked as they took in the view.


    Many once did, but now we are Aeons faithful. He is, in many ways, a growing god. Unlike the other four who are further, much further away. There is nothing quite like standing in front of a real god, even with my own power.


    Raph thought about it for a moment, and thenughed. It is an incredibly tragic thought that we, the angels without a god to serve, are here, visiting a world where a god lives with them.


    ...they said you were the closest to god.


    Bah. Closest to a god that mostly ignores us and sends us heroes. Raph answered. What is angelic fervor without a goal? Our god neither gives usmandments nor guidance, our existence and structure an illusion constructed by our predecessors to delude the lesser angels and mortals. Our wings of faith cannot bear the thought that our god cares not for us. In its ce, we built a society of rules, and imposed our version of order on the world, because we cannot exist without it.


    I see we are not that different. Lumoof smirked. In the chaos of this world, we find our own ways to survive, with what we have. We do what we must to live.


    And dispense with what we dont.


    The beetle led them through the outer areas, farnds, and smaller viges. Not unlike the outskirts of the Angelworld.


    It is strangely... orderly. Raph was fairly impressed.


    If you wish to see something less manicured, we shall take you to the ces where Aeon does not exert his rule.


    Raph was puzzled. There are ces spared of Aeons rule? Why?


    Why not?


    That is dereliction of divine duty. In the presence of a god, what choices do mortals have other than to submit?


    It is a choice a mortal makes, whether he serves or not. Aeon does not require submission, and our focus lies in the long arc of life and civilization.


    Raph didnt seem quite satisfied with the answer. Then, let me see the world without the touch of proper guidance.


    A void archmage teleported in and a portal opened in front of them. The group was sent to the Eastern Continent. They toured what was a small vige, their presence masked by illusions or in Lumoofs case, a skill.


    Raph was not pleased with what he saw. We saw the viges of the Eastern Continent, where there were people who starved. We saw the cities in various stages of war, even here, where Aivas rule was quite strong, blood was shed almost every week.


    Death and war was the natural state, and seeing it for himself seemed to affect Raph quite strongly. Are all the other worlds you visited like this?


    Most, yes. This is the natural state without the presence of an overwhelming will. The nature of mortals and the system is topete, and frompetition it esctes into conflict. Those who win, gain levels and gain control, and those who lose, have nothing. Even in Aeonsnd, conflict is part and parcel of our society.


    It is something we resist strongly. Raph said. The archangel stared at the sights of death and suffering, and Lumoof felt a strong, swirling presence in him. A deep dissatisfaction.


    For them, their reprieve usuallyes when a strong hero emerges and establishes a nation. But heroes die to the demon kings, and after some time, that order fails to keep things together, and the nation disintegrates and reverts back to this state.


    So this is what a world without the presence of true Order. I see there is a case that my kind has been toocent. Raph said.


    Comcent? Lumoof paused, as I too, digested the implication of that statement.


    Raph looked. Ive seen enough of this part of the world. The others are like this? Can I see more?


    The void mage teleported them to arge port on the Eastern Coast, the seat of the Aivan temple.


    This feels very much like us. I never realized how... disturbing it is, now that I am sitting here listening to the same words, used to praise another god. Raph said as he observed the temples. He walked in one of thergest temples disguised and listened to a talk by the Aivan priest glorifying Aiva. He watched the priests praise a god that was rarely present, even if Aiva granted his priests powers through the system. Are all the temples simr?


    Lumoof shrugged. It is not right for the man of one faith to disparage another. All I can do is take you to visit the rest.


    And they did. They visited all the three other temples, and the other continents.


    More viges, more ces. Large cities, but not necessarily good cities. Each time, Raph seemed more angry, more frustrated.


    Your god leaves them be? Raph asked Lumoof. Your cities are clearly better, and yet, you do not seek to apply your rule and improve their situation?


    Aeon strongly believes that those who want a better life are given fair opportunity and chance, and then allowed to work for it. Once Aeon secured the Central Continent, it was no longer necessary to invade the other continents.


    Then this suffering is allowed to happen?


    Aeon does not attempt to save everyone. Lumoof said. As a creature of the world, Aeon strongly believes in letting nature find its own level. It is thispetition that creates excellence.


    Raphs face darkened. You see worlds like this everywhere, and make no attempt to improve their lives, because ofpetition, and because of creating winners?


    We do not profess to be saviors or uplifters, Arbiter Raph. My priest rified. Our goal, Aeons goal, is the existential threat of life, the demons. The steps we take with our developments and improvements are all meant to achieve the means to protect ourselves and eventually, defeat that existential threat. Mortals will fight each other, as is normal in nature. A lion will prey on the gazelle, it is not our goal to uplift the lion, or empower the gazelle. Our goal is to protect the lion and the gazelle, from the outside forces that disrupt this arrangement.


    But your actions change the bnce of power, by your sheer presence.


    Yes it does, and it is unfortunate. Where we can, we try to have a light touch, a small footprint. We aspire to be wardens, not nannies.


    Raph had a look on his face that could kill. The other two angels wasnt sure why, either.


    I had seen enough of this intentional disorderliness. May I see... the demonworlds?


    They teleported back to Treehome, and then, Lumoof guided them to a wooden tform close to the valley. A ce connected to my roots. I sent them to the Lavaworld, still swarming with demons, but with its astral paths destroyed.


    ***


    Raph and the angels stared at them, in the area around my clone. He looked at my clone, an ind of peace in the chaos of the demonicvaworld. Most of my Valthorns retreated from thevaworld, so the demons have naturally reimed thend.


    I maintained a small area of control, around my clone tree, where my Valthorns coulde here regrly for demon-killing practice and gain levels.


    The archangel stared at them, and looked at Lumoof briefly. Then back at the demons. He flew, and glowed brightly, and two burning tridents of fire emerged in his two hands. His eight wings flickered, andbusted in a golden me. If you dont mind, I have some <i>frustrations </i>to work through.


    Lumoof shrugged. Oh go ahead. Ive killed more than enough.


    The eight-winged angel zoomed right into the center of the flood of demons.


    Fools! He shouted as he flung his golden ming trident at the demons. It detonated in an explosion, vaporizing the demons. He surged into the masses of demons, and ughtered them like a furious archangel.


    Lumoof just shrugged, and turned to the other two angels. Is Raph normally like that?


    The two angels were starstruck, and ignored his question. We have never seen him unleash his fury in centuries!


    Lumoof sighed. These two angels were just groupies, but after a while, as Raph indulged himself in a feast of ughter, one of them turned to Lumoof. He is normally more reserved. It has been said that the fire in him had died, but it seems that it is back, now.


    He had a burning halo on his head, when there was once just a golden ring.


    Raph was having a good time fighting the hellworld demons. Maybe stupid system shenanigan even meant these two factions were natural enemies, and the demon champions emerged, trying to hold Raph back.


    My level 125-149s could defeat Raph. We didnt have much problems with the hellworlds mobs after all.


    He fought for two days, and as he returned, he was covered in gunk and residue. Dust covered his eight wings.


    My apologies, Patriarch Lumoof. That was something I sorely needed. Raph said. They say that people often gain rity in the intense moments ofbat.


    Lumoof nodded, the battle was over and they retreated to the clone tree to rest. Raph initiated the conversation.


    Your people consider choice and life as the core ts that guide your decision. Mine considersw and order as the only single t. Yours are content to let men be, so long as they live, correct?


    Fair. We do intervene asionally.


    But thew must be consistent. Raph said. I admire your world and your civilization, for achieving what it did, but more than that, it reminded me of our failings.


    How so?


    Raph walked to the two angels, and then dered to his two countrymen. I once believed that our world disyed the ws of overextended orderliness. But here, in these other worlds, there is none. Given a choice between order and chaos, Order should be the default. Law must hold, as far as we can.


    The two angels listened.


    Once we return, we must expand and join this crusade against the demons and uplift the mortals from their suffering. We will bring order to the worlds beyond ours.


    My priest listened. The two angels immediately stepped in. Arbiter Raph, that is a decision of the-


    I will not be denied. Our society has lived in those ivory towers for too long. We, angels created by gods long past and abandoned, were meant to wage war and bring progress! They may have forgotten us, but I now realize what our purpose is as a people. Our wings and spears were meant to send us across the stars! Instead, we turn it on ourselves. It is time for our obsession with Order to be directed outwards. To uplift the faithless, to guide the faithful, to impose a structure in the chaos and to smite the unholy.


    The two angels cowered as his passion leaked.


    Patriarch Lumoof, I must thank you for this incredible trip. It has been enlightening to see the suffering that goes unfettered throughout the worlds beyond our own. It is great to be reminded how much rot and failure is in the natural state without guidance of their betters. Order shall spread!


    Lumoof just shrugged. A mortals struggle is what leads to levels. Would you be keen to carry out that under our auspices?


    Raph shook his head. Your world and your people hardly need one more, but my world, my beloved angelworld, more than ever, would require my perspective. My kind had slept through our purpose, and when I return, there will be revolution.


    I wasnt sure why I didnt feel that excited to hear that. It felt like I had just awakened a more zealous, more... extreme version of our own expansion. Uplifting worlds and orderliness has colonialist vibes written all over it.


    If there are many worlds just like this, then it is our failure. We had beencent, confident in our sess to prevent the demons froming to our world. If there are worlds that suffer regr demonic attacks, it is our duty to assist them. We are giants in our little pond, but now we discover that there is an ocean out there for us to liberate. The people of the multiple worlds are misguided, and they need to be improved. It is our duty, as angels, to do so. Why else are we granted a connection to the stars, if not to go there?


    Lumoof felt my concern. I highly rmend caution and a light touch. What you do, is very much what an invader does.


    Raph nodded. Your concern is noted, Patriarch Lumoof, but we are angels, and we will do better.


    I felt like I would regret our collective decision to introduce the demonworlds to the angels. Those who sought to impose their will, for the benefit of others, were not much better.


    Our first task, once we return, is to discover a method, to channel our own connection to the heavens, and open these gates. Raph dered with fervor. The two angels didnt dare oppose him.


    Lumoof looked at the other Valthorns apanying him, and sighed. We asionally see zealots, but they were always our own.


    Raph was not.


    He might be a force for good. There are worlds that might ept him. No, I could easily see worlds that would ept the angels as the messengers of their gods. His kind, if spread throughout the stars, would help many worlds from the fury of the demons, but I could also see the great destruction and the dictatorial order that they would inflict on worlds.


    The perfectly manicured version of their homeworld, copy pasted across many others.


    He would be the burning fury of ancient angels, imposing theirws.


    A part of me wondered, <i>do I let him go, or do I stop him here?</i>


    Was he that different from me? I impose my will on the worlds I touched, for all I im to have a light touch. Is he all that different? Was he better for the greater world in the long run? Or would they, some day in the far future, be something else entirely?


    Raph looked at the two angels. I had seen enough. Let us return to our world, and call for a great council. Action, and then, revolution.


    If it is something you want to achieve, then let us work together. Lumoof proposed, trying to see whether Raph could be absorbed into our structure.


    Raph shook his head. Once again, I thank you for the offer. What I have in mind must be done through the angels. Our kind finally has a worthy purpose, and I must return to them to deliver it. But we shall be friends, I shall see to it.


    Lumoof sighed, as he sensed my difort. <i>Maybe this idea of a multiverse alliance may not be a great idea. I sometimes forget creatures of other worlds have different core values.</i>


    Raph had done us no harm, and his goals aligned with mine in the long run, even if we had slightly different visions of that end.


    He could set up a concurrent entity, a force that supports us where we cant. We wanted to defeat the demons. The demons were the true enemy. They wanted to impose order, and the demons destruction was tangentially rted.


    They were not the enemy, even if I saw the seeds of disagreement. Just as I left the crystal king be, I shall leave them alone, for now.


    <i>We have to steer this rabid dog in a direction that would not harm us. </i>Lumoof spoke via our mental link. <i>Engagement is the only way to manage them. They are passionate, but perhaps, misguided.</i>


    <i>Killing him would end the problem here and now. </i>A part of me wondered. It would make him a martyr, an enemy of their world. Yet<i>,</i> until the deed is done, I strongly did not want to pass preemptive judgment.


    I know from experience that arguments with zealots did not go well. Those who sought to expand, would expand constantly. It is a need, a craving. A desire for more power, morend. This was, in a way, a demon-like behavior. I wasnt sure Raph would be that sort of zealot.


    As Ste stood at the edge, Raph bowed politely to her. This has been an enlightening experience, Lady Ste. I now see that my kinds failing. Once I return, I will guide my people to step out.


    Dont sell yourself short. Your kind has done great things for your world. Ste said, oblivious to the exchange between my priest and Raph.


    Ste opened the void portal and sent him back.


    He stepped through, and I felt like roots tangled in my soul. We may have an ally in the war against the demons, after all. We had given them perspective.


    I just hope I didnt regret it.


    Spaizzer


    Thanks for reading, and on that bombshell, I''m on break next week. If you want something to read, you can


    a. subscribe to my patreon, where there''s 3 more and some fun side stories.


    b. Read ThinkTwice''s Mark of the Crijik on /pd/Mark-of-the-Crijik-Audiobook/B0BFRRQRQC

 New Estates

    New Estates


    <b>Year 223</b>


    No void mages in the angel world. Ste agreed after my discussion. They seemed so reasonable, though.


    The most frightening folks usually sound reasonable. Thats how they get their foot through the door and win over followers. It is an art of guiding the blind, to achieve more perverse goals.


    Is it really that bad? Edna said. If we need to, we can fight them. Theyck the means and ways topete with us.


    Four-winged, six-winged angels, or higher, have no level restrictions, so dont exactly count them out. Lumoof answered. They are in the same ss as dragons and that kind. They may gain their own domain holders, in due course. Given that they even can innately see the astral paths, they may gain ess to other worlds sooner than we think.


    ...fuh. Edna nodded.


    We should kidnap some and study them. Roon suggested. They are fascinating.


    ROON! Ste said. You cannot be serious! Youre suggesting kidnapping innocent angels for studies! Aeon hasnt gone that far!


    Then bribe them! Entice them with money, knowledge. Trade small useless information for it. The more we learn about them, the more we can prepare for them. Roon proposed.


    Thats... hical. Ste said.


    But it works. Roon said, and Edna nodded along. Keep our demons close, and in this case, angels, closer.


    I agree. If these angels have innate astral-knowledge, that could be a wee addition to our lineup. We may not need angels directly, but there are humans who developed simr abilities. Surely some arrangement can be made.


    Ste frowned. I feel like thats cheating.


    Its called preparation.


    ...fine. Ste wasnt pleased.


    If they get there, I think thats not a bad thing. Edna admitted. Someone that could help fight the demons is still a positive.


    A point which I agreed with, and was why I let Raph go. We dont need much ties, beyond being there for the final battle, I guess.


    If we want them there for the final battle, we will need ties.


    Of course, if theres such a thing as a final battle. Theres a possibility this conflict is like pest-removal. Just a constant, never ending war against a multiversal cockroach infestation.


    ***


    The second revtion, of course, was about my two new seeds. Just two seeds...? Roon and Johann immediately realized that this wasnt going to go that well. If lets say theres another two more seeds further down the road, after what... three decades, wed just have a grand total of nine worlds?


    It wasnt great, and it meant that the total stable war potential was spread over nine worlds, more if we could add Ste and the void mages portal abilities.


    The future we foresee is a war of attrition against the demons, and I could see the shifting battlelines in the stars. The war will be fought over many worlds, with the heroes, and nine worlds is not enough.


    What if we did what we did in theva-world, and attacked all the demons blobs.


    They could take countermeasures. Ste said. The ck blob wasnt adequately protected, and what makes you think these demons wont realize it? They have some battlefield intelligence, and can adapt to us.


    So youre saying what we did was a fluke.


    Ste paused. Not exactly. In specific circumstances, we could repeat it. I do not mean to reduce our achievements down to something less. Its just that... its a changing battlefield, and the demons can and will adapt.


    The rangerughed. Alright, alright. We gotta hop to the Mountainworld. Theyll have a demon king too.


    ***


    Unlike our little stint in thevaworld, I took a step back for the Mountainworld. A cursory scouting mission to the demons world, which returned us to the boreal demonworld filled with ice and trees.


    Sure you guys dont want to do more?


    Lumoof shrugged. Well take a step back and support you guys this time.


    We did identify the location of the teleportation, and rigged the ce with bombs. I didnt want to destroy the astral paths so quickly, not without knowing what wasing for us.


    It wasnt fair to put the Mountainworld through that risk, so we hedged, and decided to engage the demon king when it arrived instead. The giant ice-giant-like demon king that arrived was nuked quite heavily the moment it arrived, which removed its outer shell


    The heroes did most of the fighting, my domain holders provided support and cover fire. Many kingdoms and empires of the Mountainworld sent their spies and scouts to observe the fight from afar, but six strong, well leveled heroes supported by a good team of domain holders meant the battle went smoothly.


    They prepped. No, everyone was prepared to teleport if there was any sign of the detonating bomb. It did, but rtively speaking, it was a weak bomb.


    The demon king of the Mountainworld, [Demon King Myrgizan] was defeated on the same day as it arrived, and the Mountainworld could see another fifteen or so years of peace.


    My domain holders gained a level or three, but theyve reached a point where its starting to slow down, and Edna suggested rotating the soon-to-be-domain holders to y a muchrger role.


    ***


    From our victory on the Lavaworld, I now possessed a full demon kings core undamaged by any star mana, and this was something we ced into my bibs for studies. Like the copy or replica we made from the assembled copy, it immediately opened up to a farrger map of the multiverse.


    It was a field of stars, with lines. Paths. There was just one blob at the heart of it, and as I prodded it for more information.


    <i>[The vers Prison]</i>


    Huh. Ste saw it too, as she experimented on the core of the demon king. Unlike before, there was nothing blocking our attempt to intrude on thiswork. Ste yed with it, and her eyes began to bleed. Shit. Sorry.


    A bit of healingter, her eyes were restored, but it did make her feel a little ufortable.


    The demons have a collective memory, each of these demon worlds actually transmit information back to the ck suns and the blob. Ste used her magic to make a pale copy of the starmap. Their view of the void forest is fixed to this perspective, but mapping it, it doesnt quite line up.


    As Ste once said, the void forest appeared differently to everyone else. What was near for me, could be incredibly far away to someone else, and that perception of the void forest can get very distorted. Astral neighbours, like the Mountainworld and Threeworlds, actually are quite far apart on the demons map.


    This was odd, to me, but to Ste, a space thats dependent on ones frame of reference was normal.


    No matter, my concerns led back to the blob. That blob is our target, isnt it? I asked her. She earlier said there was no single target. Yet, here it is.


    A single blob at the very center. A prison of... gods? Or heroes? Or cores?


    That blob directs the will, and Im not certain if thats the only blob. It looks, ording to this map, to be only one blob, but yet, its referred to as [The vers Prison]. It might not be the real thing, and we are just taking out the means by which the demonsmand a particr segment of its forces.


    Ste poked at the core for a bit more. I highly, highly doubt it is the only one.


    The gods once said that they fought a war with the demons across thousands of worlds, and from this map, there were thousands of worlds.


    Are you able to use this map, and exploit this demon kings core? I want to know whether we can visit our neighbor in the demons frame of reference.


    Ste nodded. It should be possible. The rifts should be able to line up to themands of the core. Ill need a year or two, but I should be able to rig this to one of the rifts. But Ill need you to supply us with the core mana, and we can start experimenting on its abilities.


    Got it. What about your [void explorer], how far is it from the Sneks world?


    Its... almost there, another three to five years, I think. Ste exined, as one of the other void archmages came in with some more schematics and notes. A short time to rescue Sneks kind.


    Snek and Ken made preparations, of course. Ken, in the past few years, learned Sneksnguage, and taught a small group of Valthorns to speak it.


    We just hoped that there was still someone there.


    ***


    <b>Year 224</b>


    Ste was getting better at manipting the demon kings core, though she had to be healed after using it. The unusual magical architecture of the kings core strained her mind, and she asked.


    Aeon, are you able to augment my mind? Through that dream academy?


    What. The heroes themselves were unnerved by the statement. Youre asking Aeon to-


    I know what I am asking, but the demon kings core needs more mental power, and every time I use it, I feel my mental capacities are insufficient, even if I have the right mana type for it. She made progress, and her team of void mages, supported by a group of dedicated [void enchanters] and [crafters of the void], created a huge contraption around the demon kings core. You must remember that this thing is essentially designed for the demon king, and not meant for mere mortals.


    The demon kings core was pretty much a nuclear reactor, linked to multiple arrays of crystals and potatoes filled with void mana and core mana. At the end of it, was a riftgate and a control panel, which Ste would use.


    You do realise you are sharing your mind- Chung, being the natural voice of skepticism among the heroes.


    Lumoof does it and hes alright. Ste said. Look. I know the risks, but we have this core, and we have to crack it. We cant fight this war against the demons blind. Were currently essentially reacting to every single invasion.


    Were doing a lot!


    I know, but we can do better. Fight wars without having to fight them, you know? All it takes is more brain power, and in this world of magic, I really dont see why youre feeling queasy about it. Ste said. Can you build something, a structure or a thing to do so?


    I checked, and realised I could. Essentially, I would have to grow an attachment that would tap into her mind, something like a living helmet, which would then be linked to an artificial mind. Yes. Well start small.


    Within a month I had a prototype, forged out of [wood magic] and my evolutionary powers, to create a wooden suit that essentially linked itself to her scalp. It would tap into her mind, if she granted ess, to be augmented by artificial minds.


    Holy Shit, I feel like Iron Man. Ste said as she was wrapped in a wooden suit that was linked to artificial minds nearby. The limitation was that the transmission of the mind-waves meant the artificial minds couldnt be very far. Is this how you see the world?


    Also, because shes a [domain] holder, she has to explicitly grant ess to the artificial minds to her mind. That, in a way, was a weakness. Essentially, a domain was a firewall, and allowing artificial minds was a vulnerability in her mental defenses. Unlike Lumoof, who benefited from avatar mode, which meant he could get the mental support directly without having to open up to that sort of vulnerability. My priest just shrugged. Yup. It takes a bit of getting used to.


    You should totally roll this out to everyone. Its freaking amazing. Ste said. Its like what modern soldiers wanted to have. A dedicated AI for every single one.


    Roon and Johann were both intrigued. Seriously?


    Alka observed it, and nodded. Its that amazing? I already have theseb assistants in myb.


    I know, but these things help so much. If they can be specifically configured- Ste asked. Aeon, can they be magic focused?


    They are designed to do specific functions. It would need some prototyping and training before they can do what you want them to.


    Ah. Never mind. Lets see how this does against the cores void-map- She then tested out her contraption, and tapped into the demon kings core. I felt the supporting artificial minds glow and then....


    They sttered in a small explosion, as the demands of the demon kings core overwhelmed them. I immediately cut off the connection.


    Oof. Not ready yet. Ste cursed.


    I could use a titan-soul to make an artificial mind. That kind of mind support might be sufficient for Stes intentions. But I still didnt have the option. I needed more void-mind rted experiments, before the system grants me the option to create a void-variant supermind.


    Despite the failure, I liked the idea enough.


    Abination of familiars, artificial minds, special wood-mind suits to support high leveled Valthorns, I could give them support in terms of mental load, coordination and strategy.


    It felt like a natural evolution of the Valthornian supersoldier, and so, I immediately got Patreeck to start work on designing new supersoldier suits. In line with its superhero inspiration, I decided the first version would be named the Timberman Mark I.


    ***


    Howd it go? I asked Edna, who reappeared from the pocket realm.


    It went well. It wasnt even that hard a fight. The knight answered. Just punching some monsters really hard, and I get this.


    She showed off her new haul, a shining sword. [Sword of the Demon yer].


    Its got buffs quiteparable to your demon hunter special ss, but its an object, instead of a ss.


    It was interesting that the system permitted multiple iterations to achieve the same goals, and the return of the mythical era of knights was really appealing to me. My own extraption suggested that Edna could even some day obtain some kind of excalibur-equivalent. At the domain level, the system seemed to encourage the creation of new myths or legends.


    Interestingly, Im permitted to undertake quests to obtain specific anti-swords.


    Oh?


    If I chose demons as my chosen enemy for the quest, Id get swords for that purpose. The only condition it needs to fulfill is some kind of evil or injustice or destruction criteria, and I could choose them as a target. That means, should a heromit evil, I could undertake a set of quests under this ability, that would grant me some kind of anti-hero sword.


    Thats really overpowered.


    It is. Edna said. Lesser knights can obtain lesser variants, of course, but it is still an incredible force multiplier.


    It meant knights, under this mechanism, would function as a check-and-bnce since any act of tremendous evil could result in creation of anti-evil quests.


    Spaizzer Thanks for reading :)

 Seedling Portfolio

    Seedling Portfolio


    <b>Year 225</b>


    Roon, Johann and Lumoof both arrived in Threeworlds, and found it the same as it once was. At least, at first nce. Their mission was simple, to just have a check on what has changed in the years since west visited.


    Its been a while since the three of us traveled together for something unrted to the demon king. Johann shrugged.


    Roon shrugged. Its usually Ste and Lumoof. And this is still tangentially rted.


    Three domain holders was quite overkill, but theyd all split up and headed in their own directions. Both Roon and Johann were rangers, and they had, in their arsenal of skills, a wide variety of camouge, scouting and movement abilities that made them perfect for checking on these folks from afar. Lumoofs [projected presence] also helped y the same role.


    How long till we get to see your dragon? Roon asked.


    Its a dragon. Johann sighed, And guess what, dragons take forever to grow. Its just an egg now.


    Hah! Roonughed. Shouldve started with something more ordinary. Like a zaratan.


    Im pretty sure Zaratans also take forever to mature.


    At least with a zaratan, youd have your own interster ride.


    Thats... a good point. I shouldve thought of that. Johann realized a personal Zaratan pet was probably the ideal inteary transportation vehicle. I wouldnt need Ste or the archmages to send me anywhere.


    Roon just gave him a gentle punch on the shoulder. But I guess dragons just have that cool legendary factor. Anyway, we should split up and start searching.


    Yup. Got it. Johanns body faded, and blended into the background. He was off, and Lumoof also activated his own [camouge]. It didnt take long for them to each check on the three factions of Threeworlds.


    ***


    Everythings normal here. Roon said through our sharedmunication ability, as he observed the massive city of the Sandpeople. They were a blend of desert creatures and humans, ruled by the scarab-men. Their warriors were the scorpion-oids, and their lesser folk everyone else. Doesnt even seem like the demons came this way.


    Some minor damage to the main city, and a bit more on the outskirts, otherwise, its normal. Lumoof returned to the outskirts of the Crystal Mountain, and found it the same. The city looked far more heavily fortified than before, withrge crystal golems on the walls. Those were new. There seemed to be some battle scars, but otherwise, its all normal.


    The demons hade for thend of man, and they damaged them only slightly.


    The Centaurs camps looked heavily damaged, and their poption seemed to have shrunk quite a bit. But their main city holds, but I see the scars of heavy battle in this ce. Theres arge segment of their vast steppes thats now filled with demonic corruption, and theres arge crater in the center that looks to be the remains of the demon king.


    Roon and Lumoof activated their own teleportation scrolls, and arrived next to Johann in the vast, now corrupted steppes of the Centaurs.


    They survived. Roon said. I suppose thatll have to be good enough.


    With at least a third of their grazingnds gone- Johann naturally was sympathetic.


    They dont need us here. Roon said. They chased Lumoof out thest time were here. They survived. If we approach them now, theyll view us with even more suspicion.


    Lumoof nodded along. Roon is right. This isnt an urgent problem, even if the pain of thend is palpable. I felt it, of course. Even with my domain, I could shut it out, but its there, like someone shouting outside the window. The call of the trees, the grass and thend, for aid, to resist the interlopers.


    Corrupters.


    Undo the damage.


    Ive done so on Branchhold, Ive aided the heroes to clear the demonic corruption, and there, its now almost all gone. I felt that same voice here, to clean it up.


    We should destroy the daemolite. Johann said. Or shift it to one of the other worlds. Parasiteworlds a good ce to start, since its a nk te.


    What if they want it? Roon retorted.


    Then theyll get more demons.


    Its their choice, isnt it? Actions have consequences.


    In the end, Lumoof cut in. Lets just go. Were here to just check on them, not take action or intervene on their behalf. Well only step in IF the demon kings running unhindered.


    ***


    Treehome was likely to be safe from the demons for a while, with the astral paths all gone. This was something known to my void mages, and my domainholders, but the temples were, naturally, unaware. They had no means of seeing the astral paths, unless they happened to have angels.


    Thevaworld was now our primary farming location, other than our dungeon, while I began resettling the Parasiteworld with migrants from both Treehome, and a selected few from Branchhold.


    Even Parasiteworld was changing, and I attempted to speak to the will on its name. It shared images of what it once was. Jungles and swamps, insects and parasites. It was a tropical world, and thus, I resolved Parasiteworld shall be named Tropicworld.


    The interster migrants were immediately annoyed by the presence of an overwhelming number of naturally spawning mosquitos, and magical ming barriers were erected to prevent the bugs from getting close. My healing effects and aura meant the migrants never got sick from it, but it was a massive irritation.


    The fact that the terrain was still changing, as the cores power returned, meant it was also quite difficult to build anything permanent, since the shifting terrain triggered earthquakes, sh floods, and avnches.


    No one died, since Valthorns and druids stepped in to protect them, but it is part of the challenge of settling in this new world.


    Despite this, the migrants were mostly hopeful. They were drawn to the scale of thend, where only my Valthorns had once walked. The vast forests I created, the new animals that spawned were different from those back home.


    It took a certain type of personality, an explorer and adventurer at heart, not for money, but for novelty, to be willing to make this journey. To build civilization where there was none, to impose order in the natural chaos of this world.


    A delegation of Lords simrly made the journey, here, they were to be its new rulers. A small group of friendly Canari made the journey too, just as there were Treefolks, Lizardpersons and Gnolls who made the move.


    The swampy natural terrain was unappealing to the centaurs or elves, so they were a minority in the first batch of settlers. The system didnt entirely leave these to fend for themselves, and these pioneers were rewarded with an upgrade, a rather powerful set of sses [Pioneer Settlers], [Pioneer Builders] or [Pioneer crafters] and other such, that helped them adapt to life in their new world.


    Their children grew quickly, and with the protection of my trees, I foresee them growing quickly. Here, there were very few resource limitations. With such a small poption, the system spawned magnitudes more animals and monsters than they could ever hunt, and it would take at least a few decades before the poption growth would start to run into resource issues.


    Just like Treehome, I worked with the new [Settler-Lords] to set up nature reserves and areas that would be protected. Areas where the natural state of this new world was preserved, and my artificial minds supported them with beetle-guardians and beetle trucks.


    They could get certain necessities shipped over from Treehome, if needed, but as far as they could, they had to make do with what was avable. Solving their adversity and working with what they had was a path to gaining levels, since it was the ethos behind their [pioneer]-series of sses.


    ***


    My tree on the Cometworld barreled through the void space at high speeds, and asionally, I saw other worldse into view. Yet, these other worlds were too brief, and too hard to lock on.


    I started to wonder whether we could control our movement through the void space, after all, this world had shrunk quite dramatically, and the Cometworld is like a mail in a bottle floating on the wider ocean.


    My Cometworld had somehow barreled far away from where we are, like aet now in the far flung areas.


    On the map of the demon kings core, we were not even on the map. But it was hard to confirm this, after all, this map had a weird perspective and projection of the void sea.


    ***


    Ste and Alka worked on multiple contingency ns, of potential retaliations from the demons. One possibility, from what weve seen, in the Margmarian Dwarves, and also the dragons, was the Comet.


    This wasmon in these twos memories, and theet led torge scale destruction. Our mitigating solution was twofold. First, Ste and the void mages prepared a set of portals as an escape n. Alkas team of bomb-researchers prepared for the possibility of blowing up the Comet.


    Unlike humans, we have the ability to create portals, so reaching anyet or super projectile headed our way was a small problem. We just needed a nukerge enough to blow up anyet.


    There was a possibility, as Ken suggested based on his past knowledge of tropes, that the Comet may well be a super-demon king. Or at least, arger fragment of that blob from the demon. I felt this possibility was unlikely, because if it was, then, the gods solution of summoning heroes likely would not work.


    Also, if such a thing was possible, Treehome wouldve been a demonic wastnd, so, its unlikely. Kens counter argument was that the demon king may just give up on its corruption ability and instead make abat-focused demon king, since every demon king has two roles. One, to both defeat the heroes, and two, have a set of abilities designed to capture the core of the world. A focused demon king meant to erase the targeted world to a nk te could give us trouble.


    Again, unlikely.


    I personally had a third idea. The demons may just wait-us-out. If I were to put myself in the demons shoes as the demons chief strategist and tactician, and I saw a world thats giving me trouble, my first instinct may not be to throw stronger units at it, but just wait and see.


    This is because Im an immortal, while these habited worlds are usually humanoids, and humanoids dont live very long. If I just left the world alone, the defenders wouldve aged and died, and when I send a demon king after a hundred or two hundred years, those who stood against me might have been long gone, or descended to infighting.


    A strategy like this required some knowledge of the nature and thought process of mortals, but the demons could read minds, and they have acquired that knowledge by capturing heroes in the past.


    If this was the demons chosen strategy, it required eternal vignce and heavy preparation over decades and centuries, and that was a very hard thing for a society of mortals to do effectively.


    Well, good thing we have an immortal on our side, then? Alkaughed.


    Youre all immortals. The issue is making sure our mortal friends share our concerns. If we warn them too much, and too consistently but nothing actually happens, theyll think, after a decade or two, its just scaremongering and we are just being naggy old creatures.


    I had no issues with those longer lived, because they know. For someone who lived through one-in-a-hundred year disasters, those things were very real, but to those who didnt, or grew up after those disasters, they just dont feel it personally and would take things lightly. I would mitigate this in my Valthorns with my [dream academies] and other such abilities, and send them to the other worlds.


    I realize this contradicted a thought I had previously with Branchhold. That different societies had different future-time-horizons. Some cultures prepared. Some cultures reacted.


    Aeon, your concerns are overstated. Theres actually no reason to warn them at all. Alka interjected. What could the kingdoms do with their levels and their resources? Nothing truly substantial. Nothingpared to what we have ess to. If anything, the duty to prepare falls on us, those with [domains]. We do not expect a regr man on the street to know how to guide a ship through a hurricane, and likewise, we do not expect a Vige Chief to know what to do against a God.


    Is that from a book somewhere? Ste quipped.


    No. But our eyes can see, our minds can foresee, and we shall guide our fellow men through these dark woods.


    Ste actually pped. Youve been reading.


    Yes, I have. Alkaughed.


    I suppose it''s true, theres not much these societies could do against such an existential threat.


    ***


    Kraviek, my Treefolk [Aeonic Lord of Growth] approached me with thetest of void-attuned treefolks. The youngest one could now speak, and grew up well. By now, we have close to fifteen such treefolks, our process of breeding more of them was slow because we checked everything.


    Our concerns of their weak physique was overstated, as it soon became clear that the soul adapted to the body, and the body adapted to the soul. Their soul springs became an unusual mixture of both void and normal mana, and their soul springs had a twoyered structure, one normal mana, one void.


    Still too young to learn magic, the first void-attuned Treefolk was named Ka. Curious, and uncertain of his ce in the world, we spoke a lot, and the void child reminded me very much of a once-young Lausanne.


    They still had their naive innocence, a clear, wide-eyed wonder of the world around them. They do not know to be intimidated, the very act of speaking to me did not strike them with fear.


    Every time I look at the children I trained, and designed, all for the future of waging war, I felt conflicted.


    They were necessary. The skills, the adaptations they had. All, in my mind, necessary.


    Reality remains cruel, and with the demons all over the multiverse, my recruitment of talented children never stopped. The continuous process of building a pipeline of talent, for our war to end this cycle never ended.


    I hoped there was a world some day in the future, where children could be children, and not have to fight wars on my behalf.


    When we destroyed and defeated the demon king, I wondered for a moment whether Ive achieved my goals. I asked my domainholders once, whether this was it.


    That this was where we should stop, since weve stopped the cycle for Treehome.


    But everyone knew it wasnt.


    All we did was buy time, and force them to rethink their strategy.


    They would return. They were still there.


    I looked at my future young soldiers all over Treehome and Branchhold, and prepared them for a war that I wish I never had to fight.


    But it must.


    One day it will end. One day we will have our victory. But until then, I will keep adding more to our war potential.

 Den of Snakes

    Den of Snakes


    <b>Year 226</b>


    Im there. Ive reached Sneks world. Ste said the words that theyve all waited for.


    Really? Seriously? Ken jumped from his chair as the message propagated to all the senior leaders and the hero-rted groups. We knew she was getting close, but the uncertain nature of the void and its erratic patterns made predicting the specific time and date difficult.


    The void was simultaneously a stormy sea, a folding space and a thick, dark and confusing forest.


    Snek immediately asked. What did she see?!


    My void body just arrived... and I cant see anything. The void bodys just a void-portal-probe. Ill have to open a portal-


    -wait! Snek yelled and Ken just shook his head.


    What now? Ken said. Weve finally reached your world, the goal youve always wanted and now youre saying wait?


    -Im not ready!


    Youre a spiritual snake ready to sacrifice your life to somehow bring heroes back to your world, and now you are not ready? Come on! Snek felt a range of emotions Ive rarely seen in the spirit-snake. Confusion, uncertainty, fear, hope.


    To return after so long. How much time had passed?


    He didnt know. We didnt either.


    ***


    The gates are open. Ste said, and it was Lumoof, once again who stepped through. We were greeted by mountains and canyons so high, that it felt unreal. Instantly, we felt the presence of the demons.


    A world of dragon-demons, the ones we saw from an earlier time. The ones that Lausanne fought. They zoomed overhead, so far above the canyons that they couldnt see us. They dont have very good eyesight. Lumoof quipped as the demons seemed to ignore us.


    Snek and Ken ran through the city and rushed to the Valthorns keep, and ran to the room where the portal floated midair.


    Ste nodded in the room. Well, the gates there. Lumoof is already on the other side.


    Sneks little snake form seemed nervous, and I felt it. Is it safe? Ken asked. He hadnt actually stepped through to a demon world.


    Yes. The weather seems a little dry, but for now still breathable. The demons did not do much to the air.


    ***


    Well, is this your home? Lumoof asked, Snek sat on his shoulder.


    Yes. Yes it is! He said. Its the same sun and moon! The terrain had changed, and their world had be even more mountainous. There were huge cliffs, deep valleys, and mountains that were filled with caves. All inhabited by the demon-dragons.


    The dragon-demons flew overhead, and in truth, they were a pale imitation of real dragons. Theycked the overwhelming power that I felt in the ancient dragon bones, the energy and magic that could survive the batterings of time.


    Where are your... family? Or friends? Lumoof asked, as we walked through the valleys. The valleys all had small streams of running water, grass and foliage still grew on the banks of the stream. It seemed that certain demons didnt outright destroy their worlds, and instead merely leech off the core like some kind ofary parasite.


    Im not sure. Snek answered. The terrain has changed so much, but my people live underground.


    A strange coexistence. One I considered, and Lumoof felt the world through his feet. The good news is, your world looks like it has hardly aged.


    There was still a strong, pulsing presence in the core, deeply entangled with the demons presence. The demon king in this world was still growing, and itd be years before it was ready for an invasion. Ste popped up right next to them.


    The first thing she did was to look up, and we saw the growing but still weak astral path that led somewhere.


    So, how do we find your kind? Do they have any magic or markers?


    ...no. We hid everything. But things may have changed.


    Ste closed her eyes, and I felt her energy pulse outwards, like a wave that swept out. Lumoof activated my avatar mode, and my magicalbs spawned at the edges of the stream. These magicalbs then activated my array of magical sensors.


    We had to first offset the magical energies of the core and the demons, but once that was out of the way, we were left with a smaller pool of possible locations, about 500 ces.


    Do you think we can hide from the dragons? Lumoof asked Ste, and she shrugged like it was a stupid question.


    Do we even need to?


    True. They may look like dragons butck their power. If Lausanne could take them on, Lumoof and Ste certainly could steamroll their way through them.


    Actually, now may be a good time to get the next generation of Valthorns up to speed. Lumoof realised.


    Thats more like it. Ste grinned.


    ***


    Ste and Lumoof were at the center of about 250 Valthorns, all level 100s and above.


    These are the possible locations of Sneks people, based on our magical sensors and they refer to themselves as the rans.


    ra.


    After the demonic invasion, their [message] infrastructure copsed, so there may be multiple surviving rans in this world, scattered all over the world. Snek ims he came from the Utara rans, and theres the Stan rans.


    The Valthorns separated into groups of five, and they fanned out. Simply put, make a spectacle, lots of noise, and crush the demons, and see whether the rans wille out and talk to us.


    Everyone nodded.


    Lumoof and Ste just followed their trail of destruction. The demon dragons themselves were strong, rtive to the other demon types, but their low quantities were a drag.


    The Valthorns tore through the flights of demons, here, the ranger-archer Valthorns had extensive advantage. Their piercing arrows and crystal-bomb-tipped arrows were very effective against their heavy scales.


    Our sound-and-fury agenda was sessful.


    Patriarch Lumoof, we spotted some natives. Aderan, a Valthorn-Treeology Monk-warrior reported through our message system. One of them was spying on us, and we tracked him back to awork of tunnels in the nearby valleys.


    I felt Snek breathe a huge sigh of relief. He had feared for his fellow snakefolk.


    We spotted some rans.


    All in, we spotted three separate groups of rans as we fanned out, and Ste, Lumoof teleported us to the nearest one. They lived in what appeared to be a reallyplicatedwork of deep tunnels and chambers, and built secret irrigation tunnels and light-collecting structures that funneled light into underground farms.


    Snek was nervous, but he knew how the tunnels worked. The tunnels were small, and not meant for normal-sized humanoids.


    Instead, Snek, in his strange form, went to the door, and searched for something-


    There was a metal te, norger than a small teacup, and he hit it five times. He held it up, and it vibrated midair.


    And waited.


    Soon, an ran emerged, a snake with two hands and no legs, that resembled a really small naga. The rans were all small sized, norger than a small table, but what was interesting was that they all had arge Cobra like head.


    He had a small dagger in small arm.


    Who is it?


    I am Sawabesarrs. Snek did the introduction. I was once one of the High Blood Ritualists meant to find heroes for ra. I have returned and wish to speak to the present ran Lord of the Dens.


    The ran looked unsure. I know not of this name, or the ritual you speak of. Begone, you are not wee.


    Wait. We acted on the orders of the ran Lord Rajatedungr and Lord Kapakr. Are those names familiar to you?


    They are long dead, and their den long destroyed.


    How many years has it been? Snek asked.


    I do not know. Do not enter, as you are not wee.


    Are they wee? Snek pointed to Lumoof and Ste. They can defeat the demons of this world, and may even bring us to a world without demons.


    There was no response from the ran, and instead he just hissed.


    ***


    That didnt go as nned. Snek sighed. Let us try the other dens but it is a good sign that my people survived after all.


    The second attempt was a lot better. Oh. You are one of the ancient ritualists, and these are the leaders of the creatures above ground?


    Yes.


    They do not look like the humans that the gods used to send. They look... so old. Ste frowned.


    Times have changed. Snek responded. And they are not the heroes.


    Unfortunately, we cannot let you into our den. We can meet outside.


    The demons, do they note for you?


    Most dens have settled to afortable status quo with the demons. We leave them alone, and they hardly bother us. Those that venture too far get eaten. That is the way. The ran of the 2nd den said.


    Are you in contact with the other dens?


    No.


    The rest of my Valthorns continued to fan out, and scout out more of the locations. There were surprisingly more dens than we expected, as the dragon-demons really didnt like going down to the valleys, and were happy to remain in the peaks and surface.


    It was an unusual coexistence, and I was getting the sense that the rans didnt really want to rock the boat, either.


    Sneks mood soured, as we encountered more and more dens, almost all of them turning us away.


    I dont get it. I even obtained a [hero]-ss, and they dont even seem convinced.


    Too much time has passed. Lumoof said, and theyve changed their minds in that period of time. Or maybe its just a form of stockholm-syndrome.


    Dont rock the boat.


    ***


    As Sneks frustrations with the dens grew, Ive decided to go on a small detour.


    Lumoof. If theres a dragon-demon champion, let me know. I want to capture one.


    Ah! Lumoof nodded, quickly passed the message to the teams, and I got a target soon after.


    Patriarch Lumoof, there is a dragon-demon champion in this location. Weve backed off. Lumoof charged to the location at high speed, and thennded before a dragon-demon, these dragon-demon champions were one of the strongest types of demon-champions weve seen, just slightly weaker than thebined demon walker-super cannons.


    Lumoof leapt on the dragon-demon champion, it iled and struggled, but my vines wrapped around the giant dragon-demon and flooded it with my mana.


    Its gotten easy.


    My vines pulled the dragon down to the ground, and continued to flood it with mana-


    [Natural mana overwhelming has converted the Demon Drake Champion to a Giant Tree Drake]


    [Giant Tree Drake requires a Titan Soul to operate at full power]


    The Tree Drake lumbered helplessly, unable to move much, so I had Ste send it back to Treehome for further investigation. Destroying the demon-dragons, or demon-drakes, since the system doesnt consider them to be real dragons, was quite entertaining for my Valthorns.


    Every wannabe hero has been sold the idea of ying dragons, so this was the fulfillment of that dream.


    ***


    Alright, what should we do? Lumoof gathered the senior leaders, and Snek, while the rest of the Valthorns had fun ying demons. Snek is clearly not having much sess with his kind, though some of them are willing to at least talk.


    My humble and utmost apologies, Patriarch Lumoof. Snek offered, and seemed extremely embarrassed by what had happened. I did not expect my people to be so... difficult. But at least I now know that about 340 years have passed since I shed my physical form and entered the void.


    What is the root cause of their resistance? You have the hero ss, surely they should wee you as a savior of some kind. Ste was fairly curious as well.


    Generations have grown up under these dragon-demons, and only the really old would remember life before them. As weird as it sounds, my fellow rans adapted and epted life as it is, and adopted some insr behaviors. I will need some time to address their concerns.


    Lumoof said. Do we have time?


    Plenty. Ste said. The starpaths are weak and the core of this world is still holding one of the baby demon kings.


    There you go. You have time. You may offer them a chance to move to our world, we will have somewhere safe for them. Perhaps the bugworld.


    Snek nodded. I fear my fellow people may get aggressive, if I badger them too often, but I will try to undo this.


    The Valthorns will be stationed here to support you. They could use the experience. Snek, you have... three years to make a difference. If nothing happens after three years, were bailing. We can leave you here if thats what you want.


    The little snake-creature bobbed his head, and looked back at the insr little rans all hidden in their dens.


    ***


    With Stes [void explorer] locked on Snekworld, we were able to open portals to the world as needed. For now, Ste and Lumoof returned to Treehome.


    Alright, whats next? Ste said.


    Lumoof shrugged. Im taking a break. Im going to go get some tea, a nice hearty meal, and then get a shower. Im all dusty.


    Hah.


    Without the demonic invasions to regrly pulse and space out our time, even though I did feel it was a little too frequent, it helped structure my time and allow me to aim for the next goal. Now, I needed to figure out that goal for myself. I had to prepare for what came through the astral ways next, especially from that blob.


    Ste and my void mages regrly checked the stars, and for Ste herself, she spent a lot of time working and training her mind-assistants to support her with the map within the demon kings core.


    Some of the distances were still too far, even with riftgates, and how the demons created those astral paths, which was subsequently reinforced by abination of void and core mana, was still a puzzle.


    At least my other Valthorns seemed to be growing.


    Spaizzer


    Did you guys know XKARNATION has an evil tree fic going on?


    As a fellow Tree Fic writer, I know you guys want more tree fics, so here''s one! Go check it out /series/616773/reborn-as-a-demonic-tree/

 Cloven Hoofs

    Cloven Hoofs


    <b>Year 227</b>


    There are times when nothing seems to happen, and I generally enjoy these periods of time. Its not to say nothing happened, but its more that the events that happened werergely small to me.


    On Treehome, my roots and vines finally crossed all the necessary oceans, and weve reached all the continents. I was now able to spy on everyone in the world.


    But there was nothing worth spying on.


    The temples did not hold secrets ofmunicating with the ancient gods, or if they did, it was lost to time. The kingdoms were embroiled in endless politicking and jostling for power, what little power they had. Themon folk, well, theres really not much to gain from spying on them.


    Again, ites back to my two main objectives. The first main objective for expansion is the gathering mana and resources, which does not require my direct control of thend. My subsidiary trees are able to hide, and camouge, such that most people dont notice them, and they, connected to the rest of the trees, generate mana.


    The second was talent. There was a valid argument for the expansion of my cities into the other continents, to have a wider pool to gather talent. It is also true, just as Raph correctly noted, that my reluctance to control these othernds meant they werewless, and many of these young, potentially talented children would encounter a demise before their time.


    On this aspect, my spyworks in the other continents help serve as my talent hunters.


    Talent is an ephemeral quality. It emerges in some, and doesnt in others. Ive known this through my decades, almost century old training program. Some people bloom early, some people bloomte, some never bloom at all.


    Some thrive in a structured, safe environment of the Central Continent, some thrive in thewlessness of the kingdoms fringes. I tried to recreate simr chaos by letting go of the kingdoms of the central continent. I allowed them to fight each other.


    Chaos. Conflict. Its all natural. Order is stifling, and worse still, the frustration created by order eventually causes the general popce to turn on the force that applies that order. Every few years, my Valthorns had to step in and quell some smaller actual rebellions, some small pockets of dissatisfaction that somehow turned on us.


    We catch most of them before they turn intorger rebellions. My minds keep tabs of their general mood, and try to ensure that their frustrations are aimed at each other, rather than us. Sometimes, my spymasters elerate the copse of certain ipetent kingdoms, just to ensure that the frustrations are focused on them, than us. We step in when they do something.


    It is a slippery, slippery slope.


    Lumoof said to Raph that we are wardens. That is my goal. But in practice, there are ws to this ideal as well.


    If the lion were to hunt thest surviving gazelle, would we not intervene? We would, because in the interest of diversity, I should retain these rare species. Yet, the natural way is to let it copse. The strong survive, that is nature.


    When are we wardens, and when are we zookeepers and conservationists?


    Natures diversity is hinged upon every species finding their niche. A species that does not find their niche thus dies.


    Is that how we do things? Is that how I want to do things?


    The cities of Treehome have grownrger, the sheer concentration of our power meant resources, infrastructure and facilities have made the Six Ports, Freshka, and the many directly administered cities of the Valthorns intorge, sprawling city-monstrosities.


    The decades of peace have created a huge umtion of people in theserge centers of economic activity. It also made it easier to find talent, because there was bound to be talent in arger pool of people.


    Like it or not, the Central Continents incredible prosperity is an oue of decades of Order. By my artificial minds measures, the Central Continents poption has increased by a factor of ten since a century ago, all because of significantly higher food avability, and significantly lower death rates.


    The resurgence of the lizardfolk, Centaur and treefolk poptions were also a big factor, and it was all possible because of our presence, to create order, and to protect those I saw as worth protecting.


    But it is not fair. The Valthorns have our inbuilt biases.


    If the lizardfolk or treefolk were inferior, by the order of things they should be extinguished. So, though we im to be wardens, we are not very good wardens. We step in.


    We made changes. We elevated some lizardfolks and treefolks beyond their natural state and made them into wardens. But the very fact that we made it possible, informs the others of the height that they could achieve.


    We protected some, and encouraged certain poptions to grow faster.


    Honestly, were hypocrites.


    We apply order, and intentionally create chaos. We impose our rules. Our rules were drafted with a significant bias for choice, for self-determination.


    Its hypocritical, because if we really wanted to be wardens, the nature of Treehome should be a state of anarchy. The kingdoms should be able to fight each other to the death if they wanted.


    But we dont allow them to. In the interest of saving the innocent, and sparing the continent from the fallout.


    The philosophical difference between myself, and Raph, was actually really just on the spectrum of our intervention. We advocate a light touch, yet we asionally intervene, sometimes heavily, thus we suffer the consequences.


    Raph would, by the sheer nature of his philosophy, need to consistently intervene. That, to me, was an untenable position. I did not like that.


    Initially, my framework for intervention generally considered whether there was an extinction event (such as thest gazelle example),rge scale unnecessary death, a unique or special resource, or if the intervention could significantly alter the direction of the world for the better.


    It urs to me that the framework was structured so wide that it is effectively useless as a framework. What is significant? If one subscribes to Chaos Theory, that small events haverge ripples, everything is ordingly significant, and thus, like Raph, I must always intervene.


    That is not where I want to be.


    I want to end the cycle, and these days, any intervention is filtered through whether it could lead us further along that path.


    Again, still very vague, and not exactly useful. How would you know that a person could someday be the future savior of the world?


    It was something that still stumped me, and so, for now, Im going with my gut. Which is mostly, my roots.


    ***


    Managed to get the crystalputers to work? Kei looked at the shing crystals with great interest.


    They work, but all thisputational power is not very useful. Alka was frustrated. We now had the equivalent ofputer chips, and Alka is now literally a walking chip foundry. The issue was making thatputational power do something useful. What was the worlds greatest supeputer, if there was nothing that required that sort ofputational power?


    Creating anguage and operating system for the supeputer was a challenge in itself, though they were not entirely working from scratch.


    It was fairly easy to adapt runes and runic carvings into supeputers, and that was their first instinct. There was anguage already native to crystals. Runes.


    However, it was soon clear that runes were not appropriate. The human-heroes, of course, had some ideas of their own thanks to their earthly origins, but Alka wasnt convinced. The crystals had the ability toprehend certain queries or statements without having to resolve them through a series of Yes-No questions.


    If the crystals could inherently maintain and process statements directly, Alkas first idea was that they were essentially artificial minds, but in crystal form. So, webined them with my suit of living wooden armor, to augment our Valthorns inbat.


    This was actually the first useful application, since the supeputer-crystals could function as the home of the artificial minds. We thenbined the artificial minds, the supeputer-crystals, and the demon kings core. Ste referred to it as the Void Chamber, and it was our first full scale attempt at supporting Stes attempt to look further and deeper into the demons map.


    It worked better than expected. She didnt have a nosebleed or her eyes didnt hurt, and she could begin to manipte the map, and convert them into something useful.


    Coordinates. Directions.


    Ste needed the Void Chamber, because the demon kings core was not designed for the regr mind. The Chamber helped to interpret and convert the signals and signs and inputs into something more usable, and allowed her to take it all in.


    I need a bit of demonic mana. Ste said, after a few days of experimenting with the demon kings core. There are some segments locked behind a key of demonic mana. Certain carved paths within the core that need to be powered by demonic energy.


    Got it.


    A small army of void mages watched, as a demonic-hybrid tree appeared nearby, and a small trickle of demonic energy pierced the demon kings core.


    It hummed strangely, and Ste manipted the demonic energy into the path.


    She froze as she felt the presence of an unusual blend of divine energy leaking, that then transformed, decayed into something else.


    Aeon. Im not sure if Im reading this right, but from what Im seeing... Theres a dead thing in the prison. It leaks divine energy, simr to that ancient log, but its very faint and I think- I think its getting twisted into some kind of demonic energy..


    A... god?


    Yes. That blob is like a prison or an extraction device of some kind, and each demon king is a piece of that fallen thing, which perhaps is a god. that has been corrupted.


    Were actually going to fight a god. I cursed. This was going to be a lot more traditional than I expected. Oh great.


    Theres also- shit. Ste cursed. Heroes. The spirits of captured heroes in that prison. That thing contains both heroes and a dead divine creature. The demon king is essentially a fusion of three parts, the body of thes, the will and spirit of this... Fallen God, and the blood and energy of the demons. That blob contains the will, and the blood is passed on with each demon king.


    Okay.


    So. When you corrupt the anti-magic demon kings body, it messes with the blood and energy of the demon, as well as the body of the world, which was why it didnt work as well when itnded.


    Ste paused.


    But this doesnt help. It doesnt tell us how to get to it. The distance between us and the blob is huge. Id have to gain at least a hundred levels just to get enough void mana to get close.


    Can we hop there?


    The Void Chamber hummed, as I felt the demon kings core light up. Yes. Well have to capture at least forty worlds along the way. But heres the thing. The closer we are to the Blob, the more demon kings they can throw at us.


    Wait. Why?


    They technically have no limit on how many demon kings they can aim at one world. It is just its default setting to aim one world at a time, to maximize growth. Its... Its transmitting amand.


    Ste had already started to read themand.


    It can essentially be summarized as a matrix between the nearest world, highest daemolite concentration and special weightage which is normally zero. So, it pretty much tries to invade the world with the highest weighted score, the nearest world on its starmap. Its also receiving a pulse from the other demon worlds, every unknown number of years, which helps update that star map. If a world was already targeted by another demon king, theres a negative modifier applied.


    Wait. Can you tamper with that pulse?


    I will, but we have to y listening mode for a bit, to see what that pulse is like. If I know whats being transmitted, Ill try to modify and mimic it. Ill need your help to construct a listening facility of some kind on the Lavaworld, and the other demonic worlds.


    And you know what we are looking for?


    Yes. Ste grinned. I just figured out exactly what we need to look for.


    Ste and her void mages soon spent months constructing hundreds of little daemolite-gems filled with a special inscription, meant to mimic the exact energy receiving formation within the demon kings core.


    These devices were then scattered on all the worlds, particrly ces like the Lavaworld, and Sneks world. They would function as recording devices, to see whats transmitted andmunicated by the demon mothers, demon kings and the blob.


    Now, we wait.


    ***


    We didnt bother Raph and the rest of the Angelworld, nor was it in our interest to keep interacting with them. We had other things to focus on.


    We needed to train new domain holders, and the more my domain holders yed a role in the battle, the harder it was for the rest of them to gain a level. It was just a fact that there was limited contribution to go around.


    That was pretty much the rule of thumb.


    The easier the battle, the smaller their role, the less experience they got.


    On the Threeworlds, it was time we made contact with the Sandpeople and the Centaurs, despite the Crystal Kings earlier reservations.


    For this purpose, we had our own centaurs on the Central Continent, and trained a group of them to function as spies.


    Lumoof would y a more observatory role.


    The lead Centaur spymaster, Eudoxus, initiated the contact after months of surveince. A lesson from the angelworld, orwyerworld, we clearly could not presume good faith in our contact, and like aliens dealing with other aliens, we must first understand who we were dealing with, before attempting to make any contact.


    We also needed to infiltrate our targets and know more about them, before any proper engagement with the authority figures. I also needed to do it more discreetly, unlike Lumoofs rather high profile buying spree in the Crystal Mountain.


    Itsmon sense, in hindsight.


    But clearly Icked it, as Ive suffered for it over the years. Something about treesckingmon sense.


    The centaurs of the Threeworlds had amunal hierarchy organized around theirrge specialnd. A special relic controlled their Great Vanishing Country, which protected their kind for centuries. Those who gained control of the relic were ultimately the joint leaders of theirnd.


    But what had happened?


    Arjan, one of my long-serving centaurs, was soon able to coax the story from a few of the centaur-locals.


    The locals of Threeworlds, like the angelworld, did not presume the presence of alien centaurs, or centaurs outside of their immediate control.


    The Great patriarch and matriarch couldnt fully control the relics of Gayaar! Could you believe that? The local centaur chief of the pack cursed over some heavily spiked alcohol. In our centuries of history, the relic has never failed us. It is their ipetence!


    The story of the Whisperers ims that the relic had lost power. That our ancestors had overused it! Even with the centaur-heros energies, the relic is iplete! Another centaur chief of the outskirts was quick to share the tales from the grapevine. The centaurs were strangely very, very gossipy, though we did eventually realize there was quite a bit of horse shit.


    Arjan and Eudoxus, both yed the role of traveling centaurs from a faraway vige, nodded. I hear there is demonic corruption in the vast steppes.


    The spy-group consisted of six centaurs, all from Treehome, and they melded seamlessly with the centaurs of the fringe.


    Yes! The centaur chief looked upset. That has never happened in our history! The Great Patriarch and Matriarch must let go of their position for their failure!


    Arjan prodded. Is that something that would be offensive to say?


    Eh. If thats offensive, the Patriarch will not be able to hold his ce. The vigers responded, half drunk on some kind of fermented milk-alcohol.


    Soon, the great vote will be upon us. The centaur chief said. And the Patriarch will be challenged to defend his position.


    And would you challenge him? Arjan asked.


    No. But I hear of those who will. The local chiefs shared names of at least six who have thrown themselves into the ring. It all sounded foreign.


    ***


    Back home, we had a discussion on what weve discovered.


    There arends not owned by any faction. Roon said. Thesends were located in the far south, near the edges of the deserts of the Sandpeople, and the edges of thend held by the humans and the Crystal King.


    The only reason they were not owned by anyone, was because these were unproductivends. They were a littering of overly cold barren deserts and a smidge of uninhabited canyons. There was no food, and the weather was too darn cold.


    There were also no animals, and the ce had atrocious weather.


    We could take this, if just to im territory. Lumoof had surveyed thend earlier, and didnt like it. Ideally, getting somewhere with a magical ley line was best. But given my ability to spread trees anywhere, it doesnt actually matter.


    Or we coulde in at the invitation of the other factions.


    Or just ce our trees and spread invisibly? Roon countered. With Aeons [camouge] abilities, how hard is it to hide?


    It was a strange thing to even consider, whether a tree had the right to ce itself and grow anywhere it wanted. Having rights tond in itself was a great advantage, since it meant no one could take it away from us, but in reality, they couldnt enforce the im.


    In fact, once I had my seed nted on this world, I would be spreading my trees everywhere without any care for legal rules. I didnt care for legal rules back on Treehome, why should I care here?


    Maybe I shouldnt care all that much, and just look for someone far away from the three, just to avoid conflict, and spread my trees anyway.


    But at least one of them had a domain, which meant they might be able to sense my presence.


    It was a risk. Was it worth it?


    In my mind, yes. But Ill do so after contacting the other two factions. There had to be one faction willing, or at least, is a bit more cooperative than the rest.


    ***


    Arjan and Eudoxus arrived at one of thergest centaur gatherings, in theirrgest city, Hoofhall. They had somehow convinced some centaur merchants to take them along, and the group of six centaur spies had established themselves as merchant bodyguards.


    Centaurs raided each other, and raiding was a fairlymon affair in their society. As a result, theyve developed some norms, in order to prevent loss of life. Centaur raiding leaders would often battle it out with the head of the bodyguards or the local militia, and if the bodyguard or militia lost, they would surrender their wares, but usually, no one was killed. If they won, the raiders would leave.


    Towns and cities even had their own raiding parties who did the same to the other cities. Brutality was generally frowned upon, despite the sheer machismo that centaur war leaders had to disy inbat.


    Arjan was a level 136 [Spear Saint], and so inbat, there really was no contest. So, usually it was Eudoxus who took the role of the head, as Eudoxus was a level 87 [Spymaster] and level 50 or so [Hardened Warrior]. It was easy for him to fake his strength as a spymaster.


    As they rode through Hoofhalls gates, they immediately noticed the strange markings on thend, and Lumoof, hidden and camouged in the wagon, saw the lines of magic immediately.


    The entire city was overflowing with a kind of magic not unlike the shamans or the lizardfolks magics. A blend of runic power and centaurs folk magic.


    Folk magic was a milder blend of soul energy and their own energy. Like how shamans and witch doctors could somehow use a limited array of soul-linked magics, like how the rituals of priests could also touch the soul. The folk-magicians and spiritualists of the centaurs were developed in such simr concepts.


    The centaur-guards shuffled them in after reviewing some documentation. It was fairly easy to forge, but they didnt need to. The centaur chiefs of the outskirt viges were more than happy to issue them new papers.


    The guards instinctively stepped away from Arjan, he was the strongest of the Centaurs present, and his presence still rippled through the system, even if he tried his best to hide it.


    The challenges will begin soon. Eudoxus quickly shuffled away to get information of whats next.


    Challenge? Arjan asked.


    The challengers challenge the Patriarch for the title? Eudoxus exined.


    Should we? Arjan would defeat the Patriarch if it was a straightbat.


    We dont know anyone, its best wey low and build ourwork. Ive given them a decade or two to build a realistic faction within the Centaurs, with the goal of lobbying the Centaurs for friendly terms. With our power, it wasnt impossible.


    We were the equivalent of an extraterrestrial power funding and influencing a faction, and meddling with Centaur politics. When I put it that way, what Im nning to do really sounds distasteful.


    I need the mana, because I dont know what the future holds. If I could get it on favorable terms, which mostly just involved non-interference, that would be sufficient.


    Eh.


    I wonder why I care.


    I should just nt my tree clone and be done with it. Fuck whatever these people say. Roon clearly agreed with that approach.


    But legitimacy would smooth a lot of issues. Argh. I am just reminded that I despise politics.


    It would be easier that way, in the short run. But all itll do is sow the seeds of conflict over the long run. If any of these domain-tier or relic holders can be swayed our way, that will save us a lot of bloodshed in the future.


    We are aiming for the demons heart, and we best have our foundations safe. It would not do to face nibbles from unfriendly natives at our roots.

 Snakes on a Tree

    Snakes on a Tree


    <b>Year 227 (ra)</b>


    The way of our people has changed, Sawabesarrs. The ran answered, as they met in a quiet cave in the canyons of ra. Snakeworld, or ra, as Snek called it, eventually opened up to his presence. Snek wanted to meet in the open, to show that the Valthorns could give them safety.


    Why? We can undo all of this. I have a hero ss, all we need is a young child who has not received her ss to ept it.


    Centuries of living in the shadow of the demons. The ran den lord answered. We are not the race we once were. We have epted our fate.


    Fate? Where was my kind that was proud and willing to stand up to the demons? My fellow rans who were willing to sacrifice themselves and partake in the soul arts? To send me and many others like me to seek help? Snek was furious. We hid away because we couldnt fight then, but now, theres an army strong enough to defeat almost every single demon above us, and heroes to retake our world.


    Centuries, Sawabesarrs. The den lord was pensive. Will your army be here forever? Will we be able to resist the demons forever?


    If the other worlds could do it, why couldnt we? We resisted them for a long time, too.


    We had heroes.


    I have a hero ss here.


    And what? A single hero. When that hero passes, were doomed once more, perhaps we will face a type of demons that doesnt let us survive in the caves and canyons.


    It was a conversation he had with many others. Snek couldnt believe it. I feared that my people were dead. I came to find that my people lived, but were dead at heart.


    He refused to believe that the young were like that.


    If you refuse, at least let me speak to the young rans. Surely some would wish to live in a world not in the shadow of the demons. Where we can step into the light with pride.


    The ran den lord sighed, and then nodded. Very well, Ive seen enough that I can trust our young to you.


    Sawabesarrs smiled in relief. At least some wisdom in the others who remain.


    ***


    After his stint on ra, Snek eventually settled on two goals. Collect as many young rans, and send them to Tropicworld, and also regain ess to the clean blood magic and various rituals.


    Lord Sawabesarrs, is it true that you went to another world? The young rans were extremely curious and Snek nodded. That you could defeat the demons?


    Snek, who lost his physical ran bodyform, nodded to the young rans. Right now, the rans lost their faith in themselves, that they, these small snake-like creatures had no ability to fight against the demons. Yes. I could not, but these people have.


    Snek pointed to the Valthorns. Almost all regr Valthorn were tall, healthy and strong as the elite soldiers of my force. The rans were half their height, and they found us intimidating. Over the years, the idea that rans cannot win against the demons, what more the giant dragon-like demons, was carved into their psyche.


    If Snek wanted to retake the world, we could do so with our Valthorns. But that would not restore the confidence of the rans, or destroy the belief that their people are meant to exist in the shadows of these demons.


    The snake spirit asked for my assistance to train the young rans, so that they could show their fellow rans that they have the strength to fight the demons, even the champions.


    I spoke to my council, and I felt it was worth it, even if there was a risk of creating another Raph-type event with the rans knowledge of clean blood magic and the existence of the multiverse.


    Its a long, hard journey. But they had the time.


    At the rate this world is going, its unlikely to die in the next hundred years. Snek had spoken to my mages, and the mages had performed a wide range of data collection and magical studies. Their world still possessed a fairly robust core, and though we found the pits to the demon mother, it wasnt time for us to go in.


    Snek, ideally, would like his own people to be the ones to free his world. A hero made from an ran, but he was not yet ready to gift the hero ss stored in his soul to a young child.


    In fact, he soon confided with me that he would require my assistance to assess the suitability of the young children.


    I wondered, personally, whether a [hero] ss like that, taken away from Ken, and thenter granted to another, would still have the same mentalpulsions and controls. My question is the mentalpulsion a part of the [hero] ss, or is it something that came together with the application of the [hero] ss?


    No matter, the new ran hero would be a fascinating case study.


    As part of the talks to convince the young rans, and also inspire them to achieve something, Snek told them stories of the Valthorns and our conquests through the stars. It was quite effective, that eventually a few of the older rans agreed to join a small exploratory batch of 500 young rans, to be trained by the Valthorn academy in the ways ofbat and offensive magic.


    These young rans were brought through the rifts produced by the void archmages, and to Treehome. They had an experience that was far more exaggerated than the lizardfolks of Mountainworld.


    It was expected, since these young rans grew up in the rtive modesty of their dens in the caves, and they have not seen life out in the open, or the vast sprawling cities. Their dens, some which are fairly luxurious for them, are all built in their undergroundbyrinth, and therefore the sight of arge city out in the open is absolutely alien.


    I believe they would have a simr reaction if theyve seen the cities of Mountainworld too. Still, the spectacle helped to convince the young rans and their minders to get started on the training program to create the next generation of ran warriors.


    The rans were very amused to see the lizardfolks. rans, unlike lizardfolks, are eggyers, and do not have the practice ofmunal spawning pools or private spawning pools. rans do generally keep their eggs within their dens, and Snek exined that in the pre-demon days, their dens were pretty much regr buildings.


    Their current practice of tunnelingbyrinths, which had grown far more extensive since Sneks time, was an evolution of their adaptation. The rans had developed and trained good tunnelers, and abandoned some of the sses and roles that they no longer needed underground.


    In other words, the current ran, despite their meekness, were quite the ideal doomsday preppers because they could build entirely self-sustaining environments entirely underground.


    The rans fighting style needed to take advantage of their natural size, and a brief assessment of their physique soon leaned towards a more magical approach. Despite their size, their magical prowess wasparable to the others, and they were also naturally more in tune to the spiritual side of magic.


    They were quite fascinating subjects to study, quite like the angels.


    Ken and the rest of the heroes, when faced with the rans, found them quite cute, and they were even slightly smaller than the Canari.


    Like little pet snakes, but they knew better than to say it out loud. Snek said references to snakes wouldve offended them.


    They would be sped into mages, druids or agility rogue-types in order to take advantage of their small size. They were naturally mages and also transformation-type druids, where they would take on giant snake forms to do battle, but their mages never got very far due to limited research on spells and abilities. The system awarded and awakened new spells for a leveling mage, but without centralized teaching for mages, the resources of thend, and the loss of many older records, newer mages didnt have the level ofpetence of even their predecessors.


    They were pretty much sent back a few centuries, if not millennia, in terms of magical development.


    Within months, the young rans disyed promise. Their weakest one was in single-digits, simply because the rans couldnt take on arge dragon-demon on their own, but without low-level mobs for them to gain experience, they couldnt progress very far even with spars and practice battles amongst themselves.


    Their levels were around 20 to 30 at first, but once they were introduced to the dungeons of the appropriate levels, this quickly shot up to level 30s and 40s.


    I could use my ability to let one of them instantly reach level 60, but from my own experience, this wasnt a good idea.


    I foresee their progress would slow down significantly, since theyck the experience boosting abilitiesmonly seen in my Valthorns. So I doubt Id see a level 100 ran mage or fighter within the next few years, but getting some of them to level 80s should be possible within the next five years.


    Snek believed that rans taking down a dragon-demon on their own would be a significant psyche change, and help break the mental shackles that weighed down their now insr society.


    ***


    Our forces captured a few riftgates, and Ste immediately worked to set them up. Once they were properly set up, it freed up Ste''s [void explorer] to keep on exploring the void sea or void forest.


    She also had an epiphany one day, looking at the map contained within the demon king''s core.


    The alphabets used in the rift gates were in a sequence centered around the void gate. But only if viewed from the demon''s perspective.


    From our perspective, there was no order or sequence.


    It made sense since the riftgates were constructed in theirnguage, but it also meant that the riftgates themselves had a way to understand the demon''s perspective.


    How? Why?


    If the perspective of the void sea was rtive to the viewer, what made the riftgate view the stars as what the demons saw it?


    How?


    Did all races see the void sea differently?


    Youre suggesting that because you and I have human origins, we see the void sea in a certain manner? Ste proposed.


    What else could it be?


    Yet it is not the same with mine. What you see and what I see has subtle differences. Weve known that.


    Was that because of my mixed origins, as a tree with what was once a human soul? If that is true, our treefolk and other race void mages wouldve seen it differently. I countered. They dont. They see the way you see it.


    Because I handed them the me, and their view is forever colored by mine. Ste mused. Yours was gained through the system.


    We should find a way to exploit this different perspective, since it essentially widens our reach.


    Heh. We already have ess to two sets of void-perspectives. Ours, and the demons. We didnt count the subtle differences between mine and Ste.


    ***


    <b>Year 228</b>


    <i>Threeworld</i>


    Eudoxus, Arjan and my four other centaurs had established awork of friends and allies within the centaurs. Arjan, privately, ryed that as a centaur, he admired their society. A society where centaurs were a majority, and not a minority.


    On Treehome, we had certain areas where centaurs were the majority, and they were the local ruling government. But in Freshka, Centaurs were definitely a minority, and as strange as it sounded, Eudoxus, my spymaster, soonmented that some of the centaurs were getting very attached to their new found friends.


    Are theypromised? I asked. Its not entirely unheard of, but it is fairly rare that my agents bepromised. Simply because of the sheer superiority of our culture, and our extensive training before deployment.


    Not yet. But it is something Im concerned with. Eudoxusmented.


    At some point, there is a degree of freedom of association. I didnt hold my people to be loyal to me forever, and I generally allowed them to leave service when they wanted to.


    Thing was, they were entirely remote in another world, where my trees could not see them. I had to trust that they knew what they were doing.


    Trust.


    Thats something I struggle with, but here I had no choice. If these agents run off, I could catch them, but it would require me to expend significant effort.


    Lumoof offered to speak to the Centaurs, as part of a regr briefing session, and so snuck through some portals. My priests assessment was simply, the centaurs truly considered their new friends, as friends.


    They were still loyal.


    But that was a form ofpromise, wasn''t it?


    I suggest we let it go. Lumoof said.


    The centaur society was honestly one that was nursing its wounds. Their hero, the Centaur hero, and the human-hero, died in the final battle against the demon king.


    The demon king was the only time when the three heroes of the three sides came together and fought. But that didnt mean it was a sign of unity of politics. All three factions clearly disliked each other, and my spies soon revealed that due to the extensive damage suffered by the centaurs, the humans and sandpeople have begun encroaching on theirnd.


    Only the sandpeoples hero was left, but no one actually deployed their hero against the others, due to the bad precedent it sets. The heroes themselves, from what the centaurs gather, were mostly content with their own kingdoms, all nestled in the security of their respectivends.


    I was really curious what a sandpeople-hero would be like, and I quickly made a request to both Roon and Johann, whether theyd be keen to do some deep spying into the heart of the sandpeoples territory.


    ***


    Roon returned to thend of the sandpeople and this time, tried to look for the hero. With his significantly higher levels, and high quality equipment, he was able to sneak into the sand peoples cities with no problems.


    The Great Pyramid of the Sandpeople was a fortress, and from afar, it appeared entirely made of stone. But closer up, its actually made of a kind of sand-colored steel and was actually an armor for therge magical construct within.


    That magisteel pyramid was humongous, the size of a city and some, and could be seen a mile away. It was pretty much a crystal mountain, but made of this magical steel.


    We didnt detect the presence of the domain, but the pyramid itself radiated energies that felt more like hero-items.


    Roon passed through their greatest city, aptly named the Pyramid, and headed for the kingdom of the sandpeoples hero.


    ****


    Back on Treehome, my focus remained on training more people, and preparing for the uing retaliation. For most of the world, they still expect to see a demon king in a few more years.


    It is when it doesnt happen, then I expect to see some shift in the mindsets of the general poption.


    The challenge of the Valthorns to keep our swords sharp, our equipment polished, even when there is no demon invading our world. As the angel rightly pointed out, one of the ways I could keep my warriors in fighting form is to constantly send them to other worlds, to fight the demons.


    There is a shift in mindset, though. What a warrior has in his mind, when he is defending his home from the demons, versus an expeditionary, invasive force isnt the same.


    It doesnt matter much at the senior level, because my experienced Valthorns all understand our long term goals of ending the cycle. They could see the purpose of the fights, to eventually reach the demons hearnd, if there is such a thing.


    How it would affect me, of course, is future recruitment of young talents. Defend your home from demons is a lot more effective than, Invade the demonworlds or Protect the multiverse. Those goals are too far flung.


    Okay, maybe protecting the multiverse would work for those with a heroplex. My Valthorns and priests would have to adapt to hiring, but in a world without demon kings, its likely that there would be higher discontent towards our militarization.

 Aeons Creche

    Aeon''s Creche


    <strong>Year 229</strong>


    The Kingdom, or more appropriately, the Queendom of the heroine wasnt exceptional, and Roon discovered the hero took the form of a part-scorpion part-woman that resembled an Arachna. She referred to herself as Khefri, and her kingdom Khefria.


    She won concessions from the sandpeople, to im thends located not far from the heart of the Great Pyramids, and it had been said that she possessed a harem of servant men. Not entirely unusual, as many heroines went down simr paths, just like their male counterparts.


    She built a great pce of painted sand and stone, with a great oasis with flowers and decorative nts, and she traded her hero-items to fund hervish life. Food and goods seemed plentiful, though it was soon clear that this Queen had no way of sustaining her country beyond her hero-items. It is her hero items, sold and traded to the rest of the nations of sand, that allows a semnce of a nation to exist.


    All the industries that existed in her city only to support her pce. Supply of food, goods, and all the items needed for her harem. ves and servants came in droves, enticed by the pay she offered.


    If there was a Queendom designed to copse immediately after her death, this was exactly it, and it was soon clear that her hired administrators had other masters.


    We had seen this in effect to some degree, but never quite so obvious.


    Roon approached the pce carefully, and deftly avoided the presence of certain magical traps meant to deter assassins. Yet, as he got closer, he began to feel a magical presence that seemed to loom over the entire pce. It came from the hero.


    Im not sure whether I should approach. Roon asked through our familiar link. It felt like shes coating the inner pce with her presence. We should retreat.


    I agreed. Roon checked the perimeter, and felt the heros presence pushing and wobbling-


    Then she appeared in the same room.


    So youre the one poking at my detection field?


    She appeared almost undetected, and Roon turned to face her. Crap.


    A human assassin? No. You dont look human. The heroines eyes glowed purple and she immediately pierced through the illusion. An elf? There are no elves in this world.


    Roon smirked and he felt an [inspect] bounce off his domain.


    And I cant see your status.


    The heroine seemed more careful, and took out her weapons. She was frankly majestic, a half-scorpion creature with a dark-silver carapace. Her body came with a natural chitin armor, though there was clearly some mark of demonic injury scattered over her dark-silver body.


    Who are you? The heroine asked.


    Roon bowed and decided to engage politely. Roon, an elven ranger from another world. Pleased to meet you. Can we talk, Queen Khefri?


    The words from another world immediately made the hero cautious. She looked around, and then nodded. With me, this way.


    They snaked through the pce, and now her detection field was strong, but it swirled around Roon, as Roons own domain disrupted the magical field. He was led to her throne room, but now,te at night, there was no one there.


    The room was adorned with her magical equipment, and Roon felt vulnerable. If a conflict happened, Khefri had a significant advantage.


    It is not polite to approach a woman at night. The scorpiondy said, as she sat. Her throne was more of arge, plush bed than a chair. One thinks you either intend to kill me, or take me to bed.


    Roon had to admit that was rather funny. Are there other options? I am here merely to speak to you. Without the presence of your fellow sand people present.


    Thedy sat, not amused. Well, you have my ears for the next ten minutes. Speak wisely.


    The Ranger found Khefris aura to be quite different from the other heroes, and wondered whether the heroes of this world were different. We didnt see anyrge variance between the heroes of Mountainworld and our own, so this gap with Kherfri was curious. Was it a product of her training?


    Well?


    I am Room, a ranger from another world called Treehome, and Ive been sent here, by our patron, to speak to you. If you are amenable we would like to consider the possibility for a heroic alliance. We are in contact with heroes of our world-


    You have heroes on the other worlds? Are they- human?


    Yes. Roon answered.


    Cursed gods. Khefri spat. Her face resembled a chitin helmet. Humans.


    At that moment, she glowed, and she transformed into a human-like person. Yet she wasnt. Her hair was dark purple and seemed to be more like a scorpions take, and her skin was pale gray with the same glowing purple eyes.


    They look better than this, I hope?


    Roon shook his head. They are humans.


    Then do you find this form beautiful, elf?


    The ranger was stunned, but he had enough experience to answer her. It is a unique appearance, Queen Khefri.


    Bah. Answer it cleanly. Yes or no.


    Yes. Roon smirked.


    Good. You answered correctly. So, what sort of alliance do you speak of? Some kind of interster league of heroes?


    Roonughed. Thats exactly what the heroes have in mind.


    Can I meet them?


    Yes, if you let our patron nt his tree here.


    Eh. Just a tree, sure, what could go wrong. Khefri answered too casually, but then she stopped. Wait. Why a tree?


    Our patron is a tree, Queen Khefri. His tree allows us to travel worlds, and with it, he can send you through to the other worlds.


    And I thought I got fucked to be reincarnated as a scorpionoid. Khefriughed. Your patron is a tree of worlds, then? How did you get here without your patron?


    We have ess to portals, but those portals are ipatible with the heroes star mana.


    Khefri nodded. I see you are familiar with star mana. That at least supports your statement. How many heroes signed up for your arrangement?


    Six.


    SIX?! Six in one world? They summon just ONE! Three of us in total, scattered one each to the one segment of the world, and they restrict us! And theres six on the other worlds?


    There were more.


    Khefri fumed, and she became pensive. What do you need to make it happen?


    Do you have permanent rights to yournd, and are you able to surrender a segment to our patron unconditionally?


    Yes I could. Well, sort of. Khefri asked, but Roon could sense she was unsure. But why? The scorpion Queen adjusted her position, and the way she rested on her plush throne was rather seductive.


    It is better toe invited, than to appear out of nowhere. Roon answered. Our patrons presence can be overwhelming to the less prepared. Our patron is an undying, immortal presence, and he would prefer to own its territory through proper means, than fight the natives for it.


    You speak as if the natives will lose.


    They will. Roon said. Unless they deploy heroes like yourself.


    Queen Khefriughed. You look down on the natives too much. The Great Pyramid has the power to suppress even a hero like me, the Great Vanishing Kingdom of the Centaurs could imprison a hero in the immaterium, and the Crystal King has in stray heroes with its hero-ying formation. Why would I just remain here, if not for those relics? What gives you that confidence that you can stand against the three great powers of this world?


    We defeated a demon king on its home world. Roon said, but we now had a better idea of what the relics of the world could do. But what you just said is fascinating.


    Khefri frowned, and her glowing eyes glowed brightly. Youre not a hero, but now I realize your powers are not insignificant either. What are you?


    Not unlike the Crystal King.


    You do not like to give straight answers, do you?


    Im not a diplomat, but unfortunately, those suited to deal with heroes are few and far between.


    Are you the strongest then?


    Hah. No!


    Is there a way for me to meet your patron? I must admit that I am intrigued, but I must know which devil I am making deals with.


    Roon nodded. Are you able to leave your kingdom?


    No. The Great Pyramid sealed this entire country, such that I am bound to thisnd. It is why mynd is so close to it.


    And you are not able to fight it?


    I could if I try, but I will be vulnerable and then killed. Do you not feel the presence of those designed to kill me? The three powers hoard weapons meant to destroy us heroes, if only to ckmail us to do their bidding.


    No. Roon admitted. He had honestly missed them, or probably, they were well hidden. But I could get my patron to visit you, indirectly.


    Then bring him. I was somewhat annoyed with her tone, but I wonder how much of it was an oue of her circumstances.


    Lumoof and Edna both arrived with Roon about a few weekster. There were some scheduling conflicts that made visiting her difficult. Meeting a scorpion queen is not something I have on my checklist. Lumoof quipped. But I suppose there are weirder things out there.


    She wants to meet Aeon.


    I know. Im just the vessel. Lumoofughed, as they snuck into her Queendom at night. Roon had visited her earlier to inform her of the timing, and she had naturally cleared her pce.


    She rested on her throne as usual, in her scorpion form when the trio arrived, and we felt her energies met with our own.


    I see you were not lying, Roon.


    I wouldnt bother lying, Queen Khefri. May I introduce mypatriots, Patreearch Lumoof and Knight Commander Edna. Patreearch Lumoof is the avatar of our patron, Aeon.


    Well, lets cut to it. Who am I really dealing with?


    Lumoof stepped forth, and my avatar descended. As my presence flooded the pce and the world beyond, it instantly triggered some of the hero items defensive abilities. Queen Khefri panicked. -wait I forgot to turn that off! Thats not supposed to activate!


    It triggered arrows and magical sts that smashed into Ednas protective shields, and a small barrageter, Khefri looked apologetic.


    My apologies, I had not expected them to trigger. The conditions are usually much more.


    I felt my reach expand from the pce, and then to the region beyond. I felt the ripples of my energy radiate outward, and then, met an energy from within the relic that resisted my own.


    It was weaker.


    <em>[Domain has blocked scrying]</em>


    <em>[Domain has blocked attempted inspect]</em>


    I see your grand pyramid has started to spy on us. I spoke through Lumoof, he floated in the air with his eyes glowing. Greetings, Khefri, I am Aeon, a magical tree from Treehome.


    If the Grand Pyramid could sense my presence, it was time we met it, and find out what it stood for.


    Khefriughed, as my own presence washed over her. I felt from a quick sense of my energies brushing against hers, that she was around level 120 as a hero, but the way her power radiated was different, due to her nature and race. Are my eyes deceiving me? You really are a tree?


    Why lie? I answered. I can break you out of your pce, if you want to, though I would prefer toe to an arrangement with the pyramid.


    The Grand Pyramid will consider you an enemy if you do. This prison is meant to keep me in.


    I would prefer not to make enemies when our real foe are the demons. I answered, But why does the Grand Pyramid lock you here?


    Why else? So I could do no harm to the rest of its realm. Is it not obvious that we are just troublesome to them?


    What is the Grand Pyramid? I asked.


    It is an ancient pharaoh-scorpion, rumored to be the first hero. The ancient stories say he didnt want to die, and the god agreed so long as he served to protect the world, and so turned the pyramid into his body.


    Then let us meet this pharaoh-scorpion, perhaps a deal can be struck. Would youe with us?


    There was a moment of silence as Khefri stared at me.


    She stared, waiting for me to continue.


    Youre not joking. Queen Khefri stared at us like it was the most ridiculous idea.


    Why would we? Do we need more domain holders present to sell the idea? I responded, and I felt more of that detection ability fail. Let us meet the pharaoh-scorpion. He already knows we are here.


    We walked out of the pce, and headed towards the Grand Pyramid. Queen Khefri looked at the three of us, a little suspicious. The Grand Pyramid has just as many anti-hero items in its pyramid. I wont be able to protect you.


    I think its clear we do not need protecting. Lumoof smiled. We can just disappear if we are attacked. With my shields and Ednas abilities, we had enough time for me to activate my teleportation.


    The Grand Pyramid was quiet at night, the area around the pyramid an incredible silence. We felt it again, a formation quite like the Centaurs, that engulfed the city around the Grand Pyramid.


    When Khefri approached, the guards bowed politely. Greetings Queen Khefri, ate night meeting with the Grand Pyramid?


    Yes. Khefri answered. I have guests that the Great one would find <em>interesting</em>.


    The Grand Pyramids magisteel tes shifted like a magical puzzle and reshuffled itself to reveal a door.


    Khefri led the way, and eventually we went into the inner chambers. It was dark and dim, and Lumoof felt the presence of a domain all around us, but my own bubble pushed back. This was when I realized it was weaker than me, in terms of absolute levels.


    It had centuries if not millennia to stockpile equipment, but it was not stronger. Maybe this was because it didnt have to fight much. Maybe it didnt have fragments that supercharged my leveling.


    Further in, the path kept reshuffling, and eventually, a straight path emerged that led us directly into the deepest catbs of the Pyramid.


    Where the pharaoh-scorpion, in all of his golden glory, waited for us.


    Greetings. It is unusual for Khefri toe at this time, but the circumstances exin themselves. I am Zhaanpu, the Master of the Grand Pyramid.


    Lumoof stood first. I am Lumoof, a priest and an avatar of our patron, Aeon. These are mypatriots-at-arms, Edna and Roon. We greet Zhaanpu, the Master of the Grand Pyramid. May we get directly to the matter?


    Proceed.


    We wish to form an alliance of heroes across the many worlds invaded by the demons, and also, an alliance of powerful entities like yourself, to assist us in the great battle with the demons.


    You intend for Khefri to go with you to the other worlds?


    Yes. Join forces, and fight the demon kings.


    Zhaanpu was a golden-scorpion, though its face was more of a dried skeleton than a steel-helmet. Its eyes had a golden glow, and Zhaanpu looked at Khefri, and then back at Lumoof.


    It pulsed briefly, and then, it opened its arms. If she goes with you, and returns when it is time, I agree.


    Agree?


    Yes. I shall aid you in the battle against our old ancient foes, and Khefri shall do so as well. It is her task, as the godsmanded her. I am tasked in the same manner, though I also have the task to ensure the safety and prosperity of my fellow people, the children of the sands. You have the power to send people through the stars, do you not?


    Yes.


    Then there must be worlds filled with more sand than my people can imagine. These are my two conditions. One. Khefri and any subsequent hero must return when the demon king is here. Second, I want a world of sand for my people. I am tired of this tripartite stalemate.


    Lumoof paused. We are not invaders. We do not invade other living worlds. But if there are such demon worlds that we reim, we shall deliver them to you.


    Zhaanpu considered the statement. Fair. That is eptable. Are you able to move something of my size?


    Queen Khefri had not expected the question, and honestly, neither did we. Unlike before, we had done some research, but the Grand Pyramid remains an elusive, unknown thing. It acted to protect its people, but there was nothing substantive about its beliefs and personality.


    This was ultimately a risk of dealing with fellow immortals. No one truly knows what is an act of duty, and what it really believes in.


    Lumoof considered it. Possible, but it would need some workarounds. It would likely not happen so quickly. We would also like to negotiate on the cement of our patron, Aeon.


    There are uninhabited deserts in our realm. You may select any you deem fit. Zhaanpu retrieved a golden que from a magical pocketspace, and threw it at Lumoof. This sign shall signify my approval of your im.


    The golden-pharaoh stared at Khefri.


    I shall organize an army of 1,000 sandwarriors, to be deployed in your service. Use them well.


    Khefri did not expect that, andshed out. This conversation did not go how she imagined it to go. Why?! Why do you treat them so differently?! You didnt give me an army when we fought the demons.


    Why not? They are not immature children chosen by faraway gods. I see and feel the weight of their actions, and the experience on their souls have substance. They are immortals like me, it is ordingly expected that our conduct would be different.


    Im a child?! Khefris mana and aura radiated outwards. It was unstable, and hostile.


    Yes. You still are, young Khefri. I believe some time on the other worlds would help you mature.


    You didnt let me visit the other nations, and even travel out of mynd!


    The Pact of the Three binds the three forces of thend. But now you will.


    This is stupid. The heroines arm-ws glowed, but just as abruptly, the glow vanished. We felt the grand pyramid somehow drain away at her power.


    The Pact of the Three binds you too, young Khefri.


    ARGHHHHHH! She stomped and protested with her six scorpion legs, and turned to walk out. This is so damned stupid! This shit is all a scam!


    As she ran out, Zhaanpu just sighed. Forgive the young child. Her life is still too short to realize the weight of her actions. I had hoped keeping her in her pce would give her time to think once she grew tired of her harem, but I thought wrong.


    Lumoof just rubbed his forehead. It seems we have signed up to be nannies.


    We are all caretakers of children, once. Zhaanpu chuckled. Please, take this child off my hands.


    Spaizzer


    The amazingly prolific author, Avitue, has a new fic now on SH. Please check it /series/632985/and-none-shall-remain-a-litrpg-lovecraftian-dark-fantasy/ Synopsis


    Two Lives, Two Souls, Both forced down into their roles,


    One in the Light, One in the Dark, As the Fates portend,


    One to uphold, one to turn over the Mores,


    Would they Save the World, or Bring it to its End?


    A story where things might not be what they seem like.


    Several high school students found their lives suddenly turned upside down when they were summoned to another world as [Heroes]. One found themselves before an entity that only recalled memories of eldritch gods, and found themselves changed into something else altogether. Circumstances forced the former friends into opposing sides, each finding out more from their own side of the story.


    In the end, who told the truth? Who fed them with lies? What was best for the world they had been brought to? All were answers they have to find for themselves.

 Aeon of Expansion

    Aeon of Expansion


    <b>Year 229 (part 2)</b>


    ***


    We selected arge, mostly deserted desert on the furthest north of the Sandpeoples domain. My goal was more mana, and to do so I needed trees. I could spawn desert adapted trees, and convert some of these deserts into ordinarynd where normal, more productive trees could form.


    So, argely deserted desert was fairly ideal for me. The sandpeople loved sandy deserts, but only if they were not too far from bodies of water.


    They also preferred warmer climates, and the cold deserts further north were also not ideal. The only reason its their territory, was because it was at the far end of their territory, too far from both the Centaurs or the humans.


    The administrators of the Sandpeople handled the transfer quickly, the golden que from the Great Pyramid itself was indisputable. We had our papers within days, the administrators worked hard and pretty much dropped everything else to give us the necessary documents.


    All because the Great Pyramids will is absolute.


    Their behavior is very much normal! Lumoofughed. You should observe the Valthorns when you grant them an order personally. Their reaction is entirely, entirely normal.


    Once all that was sorted out Lumoof traveled personally to the location, to ce the seed.


    The cold in the fringe territories of the Sandpeople was actually quitefortable. My immunity to weather effects and terraforming abilities meant I could easily alter the temperature and makeup of the ce.


    I recall when I ced my seed on the Mountainworld and set up Branchhold, I got ess to another color of my Soul Forge. I wonder whether the same would happen now.


    Each full will of the world had the ability to grant ess to Soul Forge?


    Well, lets see.


    My seed emerged from Lumoofs palms like magic. I felt the seed touch the cold sand, and then, my seed drilled into the ground. I felt a sudden but not overwhelming surge of mana, as the seed creates new roots.


    Roots that immediately soaked in the mana of the new world, of Threeworld. After being in multiple worlds, I couldrgely feel slight differences in the nature of mana. Its not a significant one such that it changes the type or quality, but in a way, its like how water somehow tastes slightly different in different ces.


    Its still water, perfectly drinkable.


    Normal mana that is produced by almost everything can be said as a blended form of mana. Its the potpourri of everything, the neutral element in the world.


    Star mana, demonic mana, void mana, blood mana and normal mana.


    I had learnt of the existence of a type of blood mana recently, as some of the rans visited and salvaged old, destroyed dens. With the Valthorns providing protection and support, they had nothing to fear of the demons, and so they could freely travel to where their old ran dens were, and look for ancient documents and text.


    Some were lost forever. But burying magical books in this canyon-like, water-scarce world was a surprisingly good way to preserve them.


    The truth is, even normal mana can be separated into elemental types of mana, which all fall under the greater normal mana pool.


    It is an imperfect mental image, but I imagine elemental mana as the equivalent of vored drinking water. Water with certain vors entuated.


    Star mana, in this concept, is a little like carbonated, condensed high pressure water. Powerful, but dangerous in the hands of those not able to cope with it.


    Demonic mana is dirty, sludge like water, like wastewater.


    Void mana is kinda like oil, or grease. Or maybe a kind of alcohol. I havent quite truly understood what void mana should be.


    So, in this image, each worlds drinking water has a slightly different vor, the ratio of elements and otherponents do differ in minute amounts.


    Nothing yet. The ground and the sand shook, and a tree sprouted out. I felt my mind connect to my new clone, and now I saw through it. I had a decision, now.


    What did I want to do on Threeworld?


    I spawned trees all around my new clone, and soon realized they produced decent quantities of mana, despite how terrible thend was.


    I had thought there was some corrtion between the health of a tree and how much natural resources it had, to the mana it produced. This did seem true on Treehome, though the gap wasnt that big. A cactus produced mana. A shrub in the steppes produced mana.


    Master, trees produce mana best, when the species or form of the tree is the form that is optimally adapted to its environment. An alpine tree in an alpine world would produce more mana than an alpine tree in the desert. A desert tree would produce more mana in the desert world than in the tropics. My artificial minds stepped in to correct. They handled all the nitty gritty aspects for me.


    But we also influence the natural state at the same time? I have some environmental tweaking powers after all.


    Yes, so over time its possible to cause trees to be less optimised to its environment through our modification of thend. That was a little strange, and meant terraforming thisnd was usually unnecessary if the goal was only to gain mana.


    So, do I intend to build a city here, like how I did on Mountainworld?


    Or would this solely be a mana-producing facility?


    My council advised that as it is, they already have their hands full. We were expanding on Tropicworld (formerly known as Parasiteworld), managing Branchhold, managing the Central Continent itself.


    A full town was unnecessary, and I didnt really want to upset the bnce of power between the three factions, either.


    Therefore I decided to go low key, and start modifying the terrain underground. It was partly inspired by the rans, and it reminded me of the century when I had New Freeka dig up underground bunkers.


    It was fairly easy to create a perpetual mist that obscured the presence of the trees, and the entrance to the underground chambers was through my [subsidiary trees]. With my [Root Tunnels], and the help of earth mages and builders, we created underground homes, offices and stores.


    In time, this would be a bit like a secret military base, where my operatives in the Centaur and Sandpeoplends could return to recharge.


    But-


    Still nothing on the soul forge front.


    Then again-


    <i>[Clone deployed on Threeworlds - You are now able to receive the souls of those from Threeworlds, and also the soul fragments of the Threeworlds heroes]</i>


    ***


    Freshka is now at least a hundred years old. This city was named a good hundred and seventeen years ago, and so much has changed since then. Patreeck also began serving me a hundred years ago. It honestly didnt feel that long. Thinking back, it felt like just remembering something that happened a year, or two ago.


    The Six Ports fell to my rule slightly over a hundred years ago too, and that was the beginning of the Empire. Ive seen my vision expand from a little vige, to a region, then a continent, and now, the entire world.


    My treesnded on everyrge significant piece ofnd of Treehome, and truly, now deserved to be called, Treehome.


    The world felt more vibrant, more... alive.


    And as I covered more and more of the world, my trees, now extending to all major areas of the other continents.


    Ngeh.


    In hindsight, the speed from the rebirth of Freshka to what was my trees spread to the entire world was exceptionally fast. If I had to fight to conquer the othernds, I think it would take a long time, but the thing about trees is we are always perceived as invisible. We are always a background element.


    Except when there are evil trees, but that has been quite rare even in stories.


    Now that my trees reached everywhere, I had a title.


    [New Title Unlocked : One Who Covers the Surface World]


    In an instant, I felt something extremely powerful reach out and pull on my will.


    <i>Greetings, Tree.</i>


    The voice was in my mind, just as sudden as the voices of others. It was a little like Lilies, but more gentle, more motherly.


    <i>I was roused by a notification, and I awoke to find a tree had imed my surface world. You have the faint whiff of my fellow sisters and brothers, how strange.</i>


    Hello. This was a sensation familiar to me. It was when the Will of the Tropicsworld reached out to touch me, and when the Will of the shattered Cometworld touched me. I am speaking to the Will of the World?


    <i>Yes, but I am no will, but a relic of the creation of worlds, the residual thoughts and structured processes, a system left behind to operate each world.</i>


    I felt a tugging sensation, and at that moment, I could feel that tugging sensation reached out to touch many others throughout the world. It touched normal trees, people, everyone.


    > The will of the world awakens. We felt your presence close to it. <


    > Fascinating. We would love to speak to it again. <


    <i>How strange indeed, you have seen the demise of my sisters and brothers, and restored the structure of my consumed brothers.</i>


    Are you reading my mind?


    <i>No. Merely reading the minds of those around you.</i>


    From what it answered, it seemed the Will was merely an AI. It doesnt actively resist intrusion by the demons, and that was why the demons could consume the core. The world is a bio-magical life creating machine, and the Core of the world is but the vessel and controller of the machine.


    <i>Youve gained powers quite like mine, and you had a chance to consume my will. Make me a part of you. But you did not.</i>


    I did not.


    <i>Strange, but the Great System must have offered something else.</i>


    Now that I was speaking to the Will of the World, I wasnt sure what I wanted it to do. Are you able to control your movements in the void sea?


    <i>Void sea?</i>


    A long pause, and I felt its tendrils touch unprotected minds.


    <i>Ah. The primordial soup. I could, but I am not allowed to.</i>


    Not allowed?


    <i>Your understanding of us is not wed. We are bound, controlled by rules. Those rules dictate what we do, and what we cannot do. It binds our actions, our decisions. Perhaps, if you one day im one of my sisters, or myself as a part of you, you may instruct us ordingly, but now, I cannot do so.</i>


    What happens if I do?


    <i>An enemy of the other worlds. Your presence will be forever marked by our curse, just as these demons are forever marked by the collective curses of my brothers and sisters.</i>


    Interesting. The more I discover, there clearly seems to be some thought put into the design of these wills of the worlds. Is that why the demons be enemies everywhere they go? That everyone feels them? That the worlds reject their presence because of that taint or marker.


    Then, I want knowledge. Tell me what you know of the demons.


    <i>We know nothing, except that they carry the markers of destroying my siblings. Those are clear for us to see, and so we resist. Their presence stinks. It is foul. We know not of their history, we know not of their origins. We only know they are an enemy, and we tell the system to reward those who y them.</i>


    You can tell the system things?


    <i>We submit a notification, and the system decides what it decides.</i>


    Thats not helpful. What happened in the past? To the Margmarian Dwarves. To the Dragons?


    <i>My childrene and go. They died, or changed. That is the way.</i>


    If I merged with you, would I get marked? I may not be able to get the Will of the World, but then again, could Lillies or Reefy or Aria get it?


    <i>If the Great System grants you the option, the choice, no. Whates from the System isw.</i>


    Then what are gods?


    <i>Every system must have those who create the rules, modify the rules, those who punish the rulebreakers, those who maintain the systems as they are, and operate them. Every system must react to the forces acting on it, lest it perish.</i>


    <i>Gods are those who create and modify the rules, and those who punish the rulebreakers.</i>


    <i>Those who reach the point where the System judges them worthy, are offered a choice, and-</i>


    <i>Wait-</i>


    <i>Oh. You have not had the choice.</i>


    The choice?


    <i>To be bound by the Systems Pact, in exchange for the Powers of the System.</i>


    The implication was clear. At some point in our levels, we will face a choice with the system, and I wonder whether the Pact is the same pact that restricted the gods, like Aiva, from doing what it wants. If so, were Aivas words a warning to me? To be wary of the systems pact?


    But- why?


    ***


    Merchant guilds had always existed since I first came to this world, but it is in the great era of peace that merchant guilds gained strength and umted wealth to rival kingdoms.


    With the enhanced rule ofw on the central continent, that, as it was on Earth, empowered guilds, and these guilds eventually formed alliances.


    As a military-educational-magical organization, we did business with guilds, and as our demands grew, the guilds grew with us. Over time, guilds amassed wealth, hoarded and stored in various ces where they could not be stolen easily. First they gained wealth, then they purchased power.


    They hired the best adventurers money could buy. They attempted to sway the trained Valthorns, to some degree of sess, with money and rewards, to work for them.


    The structure put in ce for the Valthorns was massive.


    Dedicated healing, defensive outputs, focused training and equipment, and guided opportunities. For those who aspired to reach the 100s, money was not that useful. Influence or money didnt buy ess to the level 100 to 140 dungeons. Influence or money also wont buy ess to the kinds of unique weapons we make.


    In a way, the Valthorns were stuck in the system, and that unless arge quantity of them left, its hard to replicate it outside on their own.


    Even if they could, they didnt have ess to the other worlds, or the unique materials, or the higher grade sses, or the various experience boosting abilities I had.


    I didnt realize it.


    It was this system that made it very hard for them to quit, even if they were not loyal.


    That didnt stop the merchant-guilds from trying, because a single level 85-90 Valthorn was a huge powerhouse, even if it didnt seem that way. They did have some luck in recruiting retired Valthorns, though all of them were smart enough to ensure that none of their assignments would directly put them in conflict with us.


    After all, theyve seen the monsters we had to fight, they know what we have at our disposal, and our willingness to deploy it. Many Valthorns are also familiar with our spying division. Their role has increased ofte, as Treehome settles into a new status quo.


    Still, it was interesting to bear witness to the firstrge scale guild wars, where a merchant guild actually attempted to overthrow a kingdom that blocked its shipments. Right up to thest moments, I watched the merchants leaders wonder whether we, the Valthorns, would intervene. We didnt, so long as they yed by the rules.


    It was well in the news, and a hot topic for discussion.


    The rise of the merchant-nations, as they called it.


    Our non-interference in that one incident, unfortunately, set off a race.


    It set off a wave of merchant-guilds, many prosperous and very wealthy through decades of trade on the Central Continent, to n to use their financial might to overthrow kingdoms and nations on the other four continents.


    The kingdoms of the Central Continent, are generally wealthy, safe, and are also able to hire mercenaries, which made them rtively tougher opponents for the guilds. The nations of the other continents were rtively weaker, and dont have easy ess to the high quality weapons produced by the Central Continents many industrial cities.


    It naturally led to some concerns from my higher council, who wondered whether this would jeopardize our status quo.


    The four temples, mainly Gaya and Hawa, were quick to spin this as some kind of proxy invasion.


    We thoroughly denounced it, and imed that the central continents merchant guilds are also open targets. The other nations are free to attack the merchant guilds, so long as they obeyed the rules of engagement on the Central Continent.


    This was controversial, of course.


    The guilds were able to do what they did, because their finances were secure. Safe in the various Valthorn-controlled cities of the Six Ports, or Freshka.


    No one attacked a bank in Freshka or the Six Ports.


    Rather than seen as protecting the guilds finances from retaliation, I therefore ordered that the property of any merchant guilds that waged wars on other kingdoms, not to be subjected to our protection, and any funds held with our Valtrian Orders trade departments be returned to the respective guilds own banks and vaults.


    But it was still a lopsided arrangement.


    The Central Continent was safer, stronger, and the merchant guilds of the Central Continent were able to work out a temporary understanding not to attack each other, while they focused on their target nations on the other continents.


    The age of Guild-invasions and expansion had begun.


    A part of me wanted to just let it happen, to witness the consequences.

 From Three to Tree

    From Three to Tree


    <b>Year 230</b>


    In many ways, many Centaur habits or traditions are persistent even though they are of different worlds. It certainly made it easy for centaurs to adapt to their new life in Hoofhall, and they were quite to slowly form their own sub-n within the Centaurs.


    The news of thend transfer to the Temple of Aeon, however, spread quickly and reached the Centaurs. It spurred a surge of magic, as they attempted to find out who and what this particr Temple of Aeon did.


    The human-faction didnt outright dere war, but within weeks there were spies in the new area.


    All they found was nothing but an empty barrennd. A ruse, they called it.


    My clone was hidden behind hugeyers of illusions and spells that its almost impossible for any lesser person to find. They did try.


    Yet they didnt ask the Grand Pyramid directly. Communication between the factions was scarce in the best of times.


    Zhaanpu also wouldnt say too much. The three factions didnt trust each other, even if they worked together under a pact. They have a status quo that none of them liked, but didnt and couldnt break free of it either.


    Arjan and Eudoxus, thus, came with a fascinating proposal.


    As the Sandpeople are now aware of our presence, we would like to propose that we open up and dere our affiliation to Treehome. The centaurs deserve to know of the other worlds, and openmunication would permit us to do so.


    Wouldnt we be seen as lying to them all these years? Our papers were forged. If anything, it should be another centaur that leads the conversation, and we remain as the hidden hand behind the scenes.


    Dering our presence after being hidden was a scumbag move, so, I believe that wasnt a good idea. Our goal was to find a nice ce to nt my tree, and now that weve achieved it through Zhaanpu and the Sandpeople, I no longer needed a spot in the Centaur Lands.


    So, after some consideration, I decided that they should remain hidden, and changed the scope of engagement.


    I wanted Eudoxus and the centaurs to just keep tabs on them, and make sure they didnt engage in overtly harmful activities.


    Arjan, however, requested to return to Treehome. Unlike Eudoxus, he wasnt a spy, so maintaining this double-life was more taxing, than to the spymaster who flipped through personas as easily as changing profile pictures.


    My [spear saint] just couldnt take it anymore.


    Im torn from keeping lies and hiding our origins. Arjan admitted to me as he made the journey back. Of the original six centaurs sent to infiltrate the Centaunds, Arjan and one other decided to return. Id rather fight ten years in the dungeons than this, Ive no idea how Eudoxus does it, but I cant. These centaurs that I know, that I meet and befriended, they are nice people, good folks. Friendly, but I have to be on guard, and I cant tell them stuff that reveals our own exceptional upbringing.


    They didnt manage to prevent all of it. Eudoxus did say that the non-spy centaurs did leak a few words or statements that pretty much indicated their foreign origins, but so far their new friends have not picked up.


    Arjan thought he was ready for it, before he started this mission. But this long campaign in the Centaur-rulednds proved him wrong. It wasnt easy to lead a double life at all.


    That was expected, and it was entirely why [spies] and [spymasters] were needed. They had the ability, the instinct to know what to do, and could manage the double lives easily without feeling their own minds tearing apart. It required amounts of mental strength, and intellectual prowess that not everyone had.


    In fact, once he returned to Treehome, the two went back to their real family and I witnessed both of them have a small emotional breakdown. It wasnt that bad, as Freshka is pretty much saturated with my [tree of prayers], which generally improves their moods. [Tree of prayers] be less effective on those of higher levels, however, simply because of the mental protections of a stronger soul.


    Eudoxus understood. He had seen this too many times, and as the main handler, he was familiar with the emotional turmoil. He assured me that it can be managed.


    ***


    rans adapted well on Treehome, and Snek was pleased. Ste had withdrawn the portals, but because we already raided a few of the rift gates and obtained their rift coordinates, we were able to ess their world.


    The young rans joined the Valtrian Orders academies, and they leveled. Meanwhile, Snek was able to share his new blood magic.


    The heroes, and Ken specifically, watched with great interest. Ken still wondered about my intentions for Sneks blood magic, and so wanted to see what Snek collected.


    Most of them were benign, but the rans used [blood magic] extensively prior to the era of the demons to [augment] their souls, and gain spiritual powers.


    How do you insert a [hero] ss? I asked, wondering whether the rans have a mechanism different from how I insert a [ss] seed into a fruit, and the Valthorns then eat the fruit. Maybe it worked out the same way, maybe it doesnt.


    I know for a fact not all sses are created equal, and it is possible for the body to reject a ss. A [Hero] ss is probably the most powerful ss Ive ever seen, so, I wanted to know what Sneks n for it.


    In truth, its likely well need more blood magic to tie the [hero] ss with a new soul. Snek admitted, much to Kens horror.


    What?! More sacrifice? Ken said, but as far as I recall, removing Kens hero ss didnt require living sacrifices beyond snakes. The others just fainted.


    Great power requires great sacrifice, but if it goes well, no one has to die. Snek said. Theyll just lose their blood. Its called blood magic, not sacrifice magic, even if it does get used interchangeably.


    As we reviewed the old blood magic tomes collected from the various old buried sites in ra, it urred to me most of them are spying, buff, transformation, and summon type spells. They summoned various serpents and snakes to do their bidding.


    Of them all, I found the buff and summon type spells to be particrly fascinating. The buff-type blood magics temporarily enhance the soul, and unlock a higher level of power by temporarily stitching itself to the soul. We immediately wondered whether it was possible to forge this into something more permanent, in the same way that the [ginseng] was crucial to breaking the level limits.


    As I reviewed the blood magics summons, I also had a council of mages pull together some information on summon magic in our worlds.


    The concept of a summon is particrly important to identify, because, are we borrowing power from another world, or from the system or from somewhere else altogether? Where are these summons when they are not summoned?


    Eventually, I concluded that summons pulled power from the system itself. That these summons are functionally creations of the system, and not really another realm. The blood magic, and some of the faux-demonic magic, worked the same way.


    The concept of hell was a system-creation, a part of this system presets.


    Still, the soul-augmentation through blood magic, essentially taking pieces of souls and adding them to existing souls to strengthen them was worth exploring further.


    We already augmented the body and mind with my artificial minds and the wooden-crystal suits, and now, we wanted to augment the soul.


    It would make them different.


    At some point, would Valthorns still be the races they came from?


    **


    Khefri made the journey to the far north, escorted by Roon and Lumoof. Though she stomped off, since ourst meeting, in truth she didnt go far. All she did was let out her anger on some empty piece ofnd and blew shit up. Eventually, she calmed down and returned to her own queendom.


    With the barriers down, she was free to travel.


    You two seem too used to this. The scorpion-heroine was quite chatty.


    Roon shrugged. Weve been visiting worlds all the time. Once you get used to it, you will.


    Why cant we use the way you guys came?


    Oh. I thought we told you about the star mana-void mana interaction? Roon scratched his head. He swore he had that conversation.


    You did? I mustve forgotten. What are we heading to, anyway?


    Aeon. Roon smiled.


    Whats stopping me from going crazy once I get to the other side? Khefri asked.


    Us. Roonughed. In truth we dont really know how well well fare if a hero decides to go rogue and starts bombing the shit out of our world. But Im fairly certain at our levels of power we could pacify one hero. At the cost of tremendous destruction.


    Khefri paused, and then nodded. Fair. And- what-


    As the mist lifted, and the terrain itself shifted, they arrived at the sight of my clone tree that stretched to the skies above.


    Nice. She looked impressed.


    Well walk close, and Aeon will send us to Treehome. The other heroes are waiting to meet you.


    Really?


    They approached the tree, surrounded by shrubs, and arrived at a tform, a t part of my exposed roots.


    ***


    Hi. Khefri looked awkwardly at the six heroes. They nodded back.


    This is Khefri, shes one of the three heroes of the Threeworlds, the other two died in battle, so, shes thest one left. She used to be human.


    Khefri sighed. I got the short end of the stick when they made me this scorpion-thing.


    Chung whistled. On the contrary, mdy. I think monster girls are exactly my- Prabu and Colette smacked Chung on the head.


    Roon and Lumoofughed. Well, you guys get to know each other, alright? Well give you heroes some privacy. You can have a visit to the Heros journal if youre ready.


    As they stepped out, the heroes began to chat. We served them tea, hopefully for some rity and honesty of thought.


    They all shared what theyve been through, and I listened through my tree, where they had their little meetup. The heroes journal was in the tree right next door.


    Man. I didnt know some worlds have additional rules on the heroes. Adrian, the Mountainworld hero, cursed. I thought we had it bad when we were imprisoned by the demons.


    Thats pretty bad, actually. I wouldnt want to be captured. Khefri countered, and it almost felt like I detected a softening of her tone.


    Then a dam broke.


    It sucked that I had no one to turn to, no one to talk to, and all these sandpeople just suck up to me. I had followers, but no one I could confide in. That stupid pyramid corpse thinks Im a child. Like, did he even know I wanted this? I didnt!


    No one did. Adrian countered.


    I had a family. I had friends. I was happy. Khefri crumbled, and I think this was the effect of the tea. The hero ss imbued her with a sense of duty to defeat the demons, and here, all her suppressed emotions erupted. Then that stupid ident, and three of us flung into another world. And we cant even talk to each other for long. All we could manage was a word or two! Its-


    The other heroes didnt understand, of course. When they arrived, they had each other.


    It took a while for her to settle down, and eventually, she too went and read the [heroes journal].


    Over time, the heroes journal had gained quite a bit of power. I sensed the stored star mana and other energies within it grow and get stronger over time, but I couldnt look into it. Strange.


    She too shared her memories and thoughts with the journal, thebined effort of so many heroes before her. Her reaction was very simr to the other heroes.


    Now the sappy parts over. Ken said. Lets take you out on a tour of Freshka and the nice ces. I think itll feel quite nostalgic.


    Im not sure if Im ready for nostalgia. Khefri admitted.


    You need it to move on. Come, well be there with you. Like it or not, the seven of us are unique in this multiverse.


    ***


    Kei was very, very interested in Alkas supeputer-crystals. As a bio-crystalline golem, she was a natural fit to using the crystals, though we were a bit leery of directly experimenting on people.


    But over the past two-three years Alka had gotten morefortable with the inner workings of the supeputer-crystals, and began testing out versions with Kei.


    Simply put, Kei wanted to know whether its possible to augment her body by recing it, or converting her entire body into a supeputer, essentially transforming her into a living supeputer.


    We are all intrigued by the idea.


    Kei, as she is today, was fairly weak. At level 120 or so, even with the extensive powerleveling in the dungeons, she was still really far away from even getting back her previous strength as a hero.


    In a way, she was stagnant. Many Valthorns teau at this stage, the level 120s to 149 is where each level feels like it takes forever to climb. Roon and Johann vividly remember the long struggle of this particr stage.


    In hindsight, I really, really lucked out with all the fragments I hoarded.


    The first small scale experiment started with converting a bit of her shoulder into the supeputer, and then somehow wiring it to connect to her mind.


    At first, she didnt feel any different.


    But within a month, she imed it was nothing short of exception.


    This is what sci-fi wants to show us, but always fails. Its like certain regimented thoughts, like calctions can be made instantly, instead of manually going through the numbers in our head. Its just amazing. Memory also seems far more fresh, more vivid, and I just store way more detail. I know exactly whats the fastest way to go from here to there. I know the time it takes to do certain things, what and who said stuff.


    So youve be better at crunching numbers, storing information and retrieving them. Alka repeated. Sounds like an artificial mind-assistant.


    Yes, and Im not selling it short here. Even with the [hero]-sss intelligence augmentation I dont feel like this. The [hero] sss effects feel more like a really strong gut feeling of what to do. This is... I know exactly the calction that was made. Its like seeing the options avable, instead of having a gut feeling of what is the right path.


    Keis newfoundputational power did improve her ability to makeputations, but its still all about asking the right questions, and the crystals themselves dont understandplex or vague questions.


    Garbage in, garbage out.


    It would take some time for standardized process andputations to form. We have some ideas of what would be useful in battle against the demons, but Id like to see them tested.


    ***


    On Threeworlds, I expanded my trees as quickly as I could. Though most of it was barren, I could still, via roots, spawn other types of trees that fit the terrain. Cactuses, certain types of shrubs were naturally adapted to suchnds.


    I spread them quickly, and eventually, the trees also reached the city of Pyramid, home of Zhaanpu and the Great Pyramid.


    Your presence is interesting. Zhaanpu said. He spoke to a palm tree in his citys courtyard. No wonder the Crystal King ims you are an invader.


    I see you can sense me.


    We are inanimate objects. I am a corpse bound to the pyramid, my life sustained through this connection. This connection extends throughout the city, and into thend beyond. I know when trees appear out of nowhere. Still, it is nice to finally speak without the presence of children.


    It isnt so bad.


    There must be some things you want to ask.


    The pact with the gods. Does that allow you tomunicate with them?


    Rarely. When the stars align, and the wobbles of the sun happen to be in the right ce, we could.


    How?


    We pray, and sacrifice two of my priests. Their blood and my magic unlocks a key, which allows us to speak to that faraway God once more.


    I chuckled. It seems that the gods have a poor reputation.


    Well deserved, for a distant god, what could we say except he is not here when we need him? Zhaanpu sighed.


    You could get there, gain the levels. You do gain levels, right?


    Me? In thest hundred years I gained four levels. Four. Strangely, at that moment, Zhaanpu didnt look like the powerful pharaoh of the Sandpeople, instead, was just a sagging, tired corpse.


    The system benefitsbat.


    And I failed as a ruler, if I had to take the field, and the battle reached my city. Failed. How contradictory, dont you think?


    Couldnt you nominate those to fight on your behalf?


    I did. They die too quickly.


    There was nothing much to say beyond that.


    Spaizzer AUTHOR NOTE : Thanks for reading. I''m on break for the week of January 24/25, 2023. Will be away.

 Market Hostilitrees

    Market Hostilitrees


    <b>Year 231</b>


    I watched the children y. The void-attuned children.


    Perhaps it was sentimental value, but I had requested for the children who spoke to me to call me TreeTree.


    My priests quickly spun it into two aspects of my divinity. Aeon, the guardian of the continent, and TreeTree, the tree of youth and children. It was a little cringe to hear the sermon in person, but I suppose if propaganda works, it works.


    It was normal in myths and legends for gods to have different aspects of themselves. Just like how Lilies had different faces, different views, because they were abination cobbled together from the spirits of the dead.


    That was a small matter, really, though I did wonder whether this was how those multi-faceted or multi-headed gods started.


    No matter, I focused on the small group of children, ying and wrestling. Ka, and the rest of the void treefolk grew up well, and we witnessed the first of the void-attuned lizardfolks. She had a ck olive-skin, her scales shone in a way that was different.


    Small, but no less dangerous in potential.


    This y-based training was not reallybat training. Not yet. Ka would speak to me, about their friends, about their lives.


    They were special, and they sensed it. By now, we had specialist caretakers. Matrons and caregivers that had skills to ensure their children grew up healthy and strong. Some even had the ability to improve stats permanently by sheer exposure, though the amount of absolute increase in stats wasnt that great. Yet, at that age, it was a rtive advantage.


    On Treehome and Branchhold, weve observed improvements in the childrens health. A regr child of the Central Continent or Branchhold, now had health and physical conditionsparable to the wealthy, powerful nobles of the past.


    That said, being sick does sometimes lead to levels. Every kind of setback was measured against their condition, their struggles, the process of healing.


    One of the issues that urred, really, was that as my [healing aura] got stronger, the speed at which my [healers] gained levels slowed. Priests also unlocked less healing spells, and more buff type abilities.


    This was a consequence of the challenge-based experience system.


    As a mitigation, to ensure my healers still kept pace, they spent more time in dungeons, to heal those injured or poisoned by the creatures of the dungeons, and so dungeons and the city around them transformed into centers where healers congregated.


    ***


    How many heroes is enough? Khefri asked the question that pretty much was on everyones mind.


    We dont know. I answered. The scorpionoid hero wanted details on what exactly she signed up for.


    We are trying to get better reads and sensors on the rtive power levels of the ck sun, and all the other defensive structures that we can see, but thats really more of a range, and does not truly convert into power. Power levels are a really fuzzy thing. Ste exined.


    You dont know. Khefri repeated with emphasis. So this thing that we are preparing for?


    Wait. Theres some misunderstanding here. Lumoof immediately rified. As I understood it, the League of Heroes isrgely a <i>defensive </i>pact. The problem, in short, is that the heroes will eventually stop. The gods ability to turn the tap and churn out new heroes is either limited by quantity, or limited by some kind of magical distance. The League of Heroes aim to prolong the survival of the living worlds by pooling together the heroes, and so effectively nullify the demon kings inherent design advantages against the heroes.


    Khefri understood the gist of it from the Book of Heroes.


    So you dont n to attack that ck sun?


    Wait. Let me rify. We, as in Aeon and the domain holders, do. Lumoof answered. With or without the heroes. If we can destroy the ck sun, we will try to do so. We want to see what happens, and whether there is an end to this stupid wave of attacks.


    And if there are other ck suns out there?


    Then were screwed. Everyone looked horrified, and Lumoofughed. Well, not really. Well just have to constantly y this game of whack-a-mole and stomp out the demon kings as they appear, or, take the battle to the demonnds, free the core, and over time, create a buffer zone between the living cities and the demon world.


    So this league of heroes. We hope from world to world and defend it from demons. Like a bunch of superheroes. Ken exined. What I do want to know, of course, is how the presence of OTHER heroes interact with the pact of the gods that your world has.


    Khefri shrugged. Do I look like I know such things? All I do is y with my pretty boys.


    The heroes rolled their eyes, but in my mind, its likely this was not unique. There must be worlds, where some local powers made arrangements with these faraway gods.


    The n is to y defense, while we find ways to go on the offense. The demons can see the heroes, we know this, but we dont really know whether this is true on a nar scale. Ken exined. This is why its best for Aeons domainholders to do the scouting.


    Alright, but lets y a number? Khefri insisted. Twenty? I mean, to attack that ck sun thing.


    No. Ste answered. At least a hundred


    Shit. Were nowhere near if each world only has 1 or 2 like me.


    Unless we find a way to drift closer to where the gods are summoning heroes. Ste said. The issue, from our point of view, is that distance has an impact on how many heroes the gods can summon. Its also likely each god has a specific range, and some ces are just too far from any god to get summons.


    Ken nodded. Thats one merit for going in the other direction, instead of towards the demon sun. Its likely that we get closer to the gods, and in doing so, we ess worlds with more heroes. That should bring us up to the number we need.


    The mountainworld hero nodded. If we ever encounter the gods again, Im going to give them a piece of my mind. Like, fuck em so hard.


    The scorpionoid heroine rolled her eyes. I should be first in line. Im not even human!


    You have a point, whats up with this humanoid supremacy for heroes? Ken agreed. Its almost as if all the heroes are derived from humans with just minor cosmetic changes.


    Maybe the first gods are human?


    Or maybe the source worlds are human? If all the source of heroes were from these earth-clones, its only natural that this gets propagated over the multiverse. Especially with how frequently heroes set up harems and mate with the locals.


    You do realize that means every human in these worlds are descendants of some horny hero somewhere? Chung interjected.


    The girls had a horrified look. E.


    So youre saying the constant introduction of heroes, which are majority human, function as super-breeders into the poption, which helps lead to a humanoid-majority poption. Ken nodded thoughtfully. Thats a very interesting theory.


    Thats like Genghis Khan''s lineage.


    The girls shook their heads. Guys, lets not take this conversation there.


    Were all adults here. Why cant we have this conversation? Chung responded. Its fascinating to consider the implications of heroes on the long term trends of the human poption. Our extended aging also means we could have more children.


    Goodness that makes heroes sound like super-breeders. Heroes as hypersexual individuals, and thats really ufortable to think about.


    Harems have effects.


    Khefri paused ufortably. She had a harem, and as it turns out, Hafiz and Adrian also possessed a harem. A small one, but a harem nheless, so they kept quiet during the conversation.


    Shouldnt this apply to all long lived creatures? Even high level individuals.


    Ken coughed. You do realize heroes have many cards stacked in their favor?


    ***


    On Branchhold, it was an era of rtive quiet, and my attempts to build a vertical, denser city encountered some obstacles.


    On one hand, theres a clear increase in overall quality of life, on the other, the density, noise and hectic environment, even when suppressed by [tree of prayers] did turn off some of the inhabitants, which led to emigrations to the surroundings.


    Sprawl, essentially. Lifestyle.


    Some people just prefer a quieter environment, but still desire the safety that we provide.


    No one tried to attack us so far, but based on my spies and trees, its an inevitability. Jealousy, fear, all these factors still pop up, though some are wise enough, or, their system gave them enough warning that theyll lose, that they decide against it.


    ***


    Lillies finally created an avatar. An inferior one, well, I suppose everything would be inferior whenpared to Lumoof, but an avatar nheless.


    The avatar was essentially a soul fragment of that greater hivemind, possessing a wooden puppet. It was created from abination of a permanent [scry] spell and some kind of projection ability.


    That said, it had zerobat power, and the range of the wooden puppet was still fairly limited. For now, it could only travel a small region around Lillies.


    With more levels, it would gain extended range. Something they really looked forward to, because they really wanted to experience and see the other worlds for themselves.


    Aria and Aispeng also tried to do something simr, because being repeatedly shown what Ive seen on the other worlds was strangely tempting. They tried to create an ice-avatar, since that was where their shaping and sculpting abilities were best, and Aria insisted that they wanted to look good.


    I privately felt like they were spending too much time on appearances, but it was inconsequential. Thats how they chose to spend their efforts.


    As fellow members of the pantheon, I tried my best tomunicate with them, and so Patreeck helped schedule me to talk to them at least once every three years, and ad hoc if there are any big developments.


    Three years felt quite regr, for my two fellow immortals. It almost felt like we were meeting every other week. I wonder whether as my age increases even more, itll feel too frequent. But for now, the conversations with the two were mostly about showing what weve seen, and they would givementary and ideas.


    ***


    On Treehome, the Continental Guild Wars, some called them the Vassal Wars or Puppet Wars, were quite messy. For now the fighting were mostly smaller scale skirmishes, and targeted attacks. Due to the guilds history and exposure tobat on the Central Continent, their first instinct was to conduct surgical strikes. Attacks to remove the leaders of the respective kingdoms, and rece them with their own puppets. Essentially a replica of how they fought on the Central Continent against each other due to our rules of engagement.


    But over time, this morphed into conventional warfare, and this was where the guilds noticed their first w.


    Theycked the high levelmanders needed to leadrge scale conventional invasions and maintain invasion-period logistics, again, due to theirck of experience on the Central Continent.


    If they hired generals from the regr kingdoms, they didnt have a level advantage against the kingdoms of their respective continents, in fact, they were frequently outleveled by the generals of those kingdoms who had more conventional war experience due to the constant kingdom wars.


    Thestrge scale conventional wars on the Central Continent were during the Sabnoc era, and most of the great generals of that time died during the final explosion, and many more were killed during my subsequent expansion to the rest of the Central Continent.


    As I remembered it, my expansion to the Central Continent was primarily led by the elite force, supplemented by a near-infinite army of beetles, and against the tide, the kingdoms folded.


    The guilds didnt have such an advantage, and so, the local kingdoms of the other continents adapted and hired significantly more security.


    As the Guild War raged, the guilds themselves found that superior equipment and technology was incredibly helpful during the first strike, but the advantage it provided diminished over time as survivors counter-leveled and managed to steal those equipment from the dead.


    Survivors adapted, gained skill-counters, and began to fight back.


    My Valthorn strategists and leaders collected data on the various wars fought by the guilds, and used them to create learning experiences and case studies on what the leaders shouldve done. Patreeck and my artificial minds also used the data to build simtions, where my strategists and leaders could try out different tactics and attacks.


    I quickly learned that the simtion was incredibly taxing, because it was impossible to ount for the use of skill and level gains by the troops on the field.


    The systems pattern of awarding levels was also something that we didnt have much data on. Most reporting of the levels, at least by my Valthorns, was done after the fact. That meant we couldnt specifically tie level-gains to specific events, even if we understood the patterns.


    We deployed Alkas crystal supeputers to supplement and speed up the simtions, and I really, really found it sad that all thisputational power is used to fight wars.


    My first observation from this conflict was wars of attrition had to be done quickly, and more overwhelmingly, with nobat survivors. It essentially encouraged ughter, since survivors have the highest chance of gaining counters.


    So, if I were to, hypothetically invade these kingdoms, it had to be swift, and strike with overwhelming force. Once the conflict drags on, the winning percentage will shrink and casualties will increase. Im still confident of victory due to the massive level gap, but more people will die.


    The second observation was that the temples were rallying the other kingdoms in defense. Aiva and the other three temples came to support the defenders, and fought against the guilds. For this reason, the Eastern Continent was the least attacked by the guilds, due to the Aivan temples higher levels and constant shared training with the Valthorns.


    The other kingdoms and temples tried to retaliate by cutting off the guilds finances on the Central Continent, by attacking caravans and trade shipments.


    On this front, I was forced into a rather annoying situation, whether I should continue to protect trade shipments from such attacks. After all, the incredible prosperity on the Central Continent was due to an active internal trading between nations, and allowing attacks on the trade routes fundamentally attacked our economy and our overall prosperity.


    In any case, I decided to stick with the principle of non-interference, and instead, marked all the expeditionary guilds as war participants, and therefore not subject to our protection. This extended to subcontractors and shipment partners. That meant trade shipments were separated, by convoys, into protected and not protected convoys. Even trading posts had to be separated into protected and unprotected. The markets had to be reorganized as well, to prevent coteral damage.


    I wonder whether the guilds were trying to force my hand, but from Patreeck and my trees observations, they stumbled into it. Isting the war participants led to an outroar from the guilds, because non-war participants could undercut them for waging war, since their shipments were protected.


    Yet, this process addedplexity into trade, because everyone traded with each other at some level, so where did the line stop? Who was subject to the protections, and who was not? Was the baker who sold bread to the warring guilds a supporter of the war? Where was the line where one wasplicit?


    I wondered whether this was simr to moneyundering issues, because protecting these warring guilds was essentially subsidizing their war effort.


    Its also interesting to observe the new [Merchant Kings] and [Guild Lords] in action, as they consolidated their powers and responded to the challenges both in their new vassal kingdoms. Communication and oversight at such distances was a problem. [Message], [Scry] and all that helped, but didntpare to the full time surveince state that I employed.


    They couldnt match our speed of reaction, or how quickly news of an attack spread. They were always a few days behind, and things changed.


    All of this dictated deployment of high level individuals, dependable ones on the ground to take over, but left them exposed.


    Some of the defending nations had [hero items] and heirloom artefacts that gave them an edge. The guilds, despite their immense wealth, could buy some from the other kingdoms, but most of the time, these items were not for sale.


    The deteriorating and stress ced on the guilds due to the war also invited attacks from non-war participant guilds, who used the chance to muscle in on their poorly defended territories.


    It was very much a criminal gang war, and I really wonder whether stepping in was the right choice.


    For now, the Central Continent remainsrgely unscathed. The Valthorns continue to protect unrted parties from these gang wars, but the embers of war are spreading.

 Plant Missiles

    nt Missiles


    <b>Year 232</b>


    Based on the notifications I received when I ced my clone on both Threeworlds and Mountainworld, it seems that I could only collect hero fragments and souls from the worlds where I ced my clone.


    This naturally raises a practical issue with the League of Heroes. My clone should only be ced where there are a lot of heroes.


    I have one left, and I dont know how many I could im to get over the next few battles. If lets say I get an extra five seeds in the next fifty levels, and each world only adds perhaps two heroes, then thats just an extra 10 heroes to the existing pool. Its clearly a limitation, because the only way heroes can travel and visit each other is via my clones. Without the clones, there is no league of heroes.


    My senior leaders also know this, which was why Roons idea of targeting only living worlds made sense. Reiming demon worlds doesnt add to our hero strength.


    Ideally, if domainholders could gain a full hero-tier strength, that would remove the dependency on my clones, since Stes portals and the rift-gatework is quite robust and domainholders could freely travel. Its also less risky, since domainholders in my pantheon effectively cant die.


    In a way, it totally made sense to throw my domainholders at the grinder, since theyd be able to take risks heroes couldnt. They understood it, of course, but they still didnt feel too keen on dying. They may revive, but death must leave a mark.


    Someone who revived repeatedly would probably feel the strain of death in some way or form. Very few abilities are without some kind of w.


    What if theres some abilities that are only unlocked after multiple repeated deaths? Lumoof asked. After all, one gains resistance to certain events after repeating them. What if its the same for death?


    Death is a fairly unique element of the world, since it is the process of separating the inner soul from the body. A person is dead when the soul leaves, even if the body may be alive.


    We studied the blood magic tomes Snek collected, and I found the aspect of willing sacrifices to be worth pursuing further.


    My problem was really a matter of test subjects.


    I harvested my sacrifices from the scum of society. These were criminals who broke thew, and not just anyw, but the serious ones like rape or murder. These are very rarely, willing sacrifices. They all have strong needs, strong cravings.


    Sneks society, at least in the early days, maintained arge cult of the blood, where people truly are devoted to the goals of that blood cult, and at the side, were people who seen the positive effects of that cult.


    Unlike our mortals, somehow the rans managed to avoid the negative bloodthirsty natures of the blood magic. Their focus on augmentation of the soul revealed something that I soon saw in the rans themselves.


    Their souls were robust, and could repair themselves from damage far faster than our regr souls. These rans essentially had inbuilt soul-regeneration. In their day to day life, I noticed that the rans did not face permanent limb-loss. Their souls, even when a limb was lost, could maintain the soul-schema of the limb without any phantom limb pains.


    Strangely, it was this self-regeneration that allowed the users of the blood magic to resist the corruptive effects of the


    When looking at Snek, I couldnt really notice it, because his soul was already warped in order to survive the void forest.


    The young rans, despite their tiny size, could recover from most kinds of non-lethal damage with absolutely no drawback physically. This,pared to the other humanoids, where healing or limb reconnection had to be done within a short day or two timeframe or its gone for good. But this wasnt very useful when faced with the giant demon dragons who could kill them in a single strike.


    If the rans faced a goblin-type demon king, or something more zerg-like, theyd have far, far better oues.


    Anyway, back to the blood magic, my issue was I didnt have a way to volunteer individuals for blood magic sacrifices, and I didnt think using Valthorns was a good idea. They were an investment.


    I also found the idea of getting people to volunteer to die for the sake of science a little iffy. But as it turns out, I shouldnt feel that way.


    Aeon, the Valthorns are willing to die for various causes. We battle great wars, and in doing so we risk our lives. Many will die in the line of battle, that is expected. Lumoof advised.


    Initially, I thought of approaching those who were about to die due to various medical conditions anyway, to volunteer for such experiments. Its umon even back in our world, but for science, many have put their lives on the line.


    But, because of my medical and healing abilities, the general health of the popce was very high, so this was an incredibly small group of people, nowhere enough to actually do experiments.


    Next, I tried looking for those who were emotionally unstable or wanted to die. Yet, as I spoke to a few such individuals, I wasnt particrlyfortable using them for such blood magic. There was the issue of contamination, because their emotional states also affected the condition of their souls, and so, their souls were not high quality.


    In the tomes gathered from ra, they went at length to rify the conditions to create clean sacrifices. From what they exined, its likely that if I used those who were mentally not at a good ce, I may still end up having hex because their mental states were not clean.


    So, this clean blood magic was a really wonky situation where you needed to be emotionally stable, mentally sound and able tomit to killing yourself for a cause.


    Absolutely ridiculous conditions, in my opinion, but the rans method of augmentation of the recipient soul is without much of the downsides associated with blood magic.


    On another hand, I also know and very much preferred my own method of stitching soul fragments together into the soul bomb, since these required no sacrifices. Now, I just needed to find ways to link the two together. They clearly are meant to be linked, since they are both soul-type abilities, but I just needed to figure out the rtionship between these two concepts.


    Its a bit like a blind man touching an elephants trunk and an elephants tail, and now has to figure out how the whole thing is supposed to look like.


    ***


    Its quite rare youve paid attention to us again. Yvon said, as I observed the children in their care. Both Eriz, Yvon are in their somewhat humanoid forms, connected to their respective trees.


    I hope you do not feel neglected. My minds tells me you are all doing well. Well, I was aware of them through my artificial minds, but my attention was on the children.


    I still feel it. A little. Eriz answered, as one of the focused caregiving trees of Freshka, naturally interacted heavily with the children in our care.


    Children like Ka, or the void-attuned lizardfolks and treefolks, needed our best nursing and care, and so it naturally fell on people like Eriz to look after them. Once they were ready for any kind of training, its also my training trees, like Yvon, that trained them in the basics.


    They are well, if thats what you are wondering. Eriz answered, shes in the level 70s as some blend of caregiver. Some of the new caregivers have gained specialized skills dealing with them.


    The health of children throughout the central continent was good, though there are areas with spotty coverage, where the Valtrian Orders childcare services were less robust, or the persons handling the task of lower levels.


    One of the bigger issues that we face, that people like Eriz and Yvon help tremendously, was staffing and resourcing. These sort of administrative and domestic work leveled slowly, and training young women and men for these roles was a challenge.


    Its not perceived as a sexy or mourous role, even with the high sries the Valtrian Order gave for these roles. To me, caring for children is part of my talent management program, part of the pipeline, so it is only natural that they are paid a good sry.


    But after decades of stability on the Central Continent, the general poptions mindsets shifted, and now began to resemble earth-like societies, where young men became pickier with their roles and [sses].


    My own obsession with giving the people choice, essentially led to these folks choosing certain careers, and leaving certain careers understaffed, even with higher pays.


    The young also wanted to move to the bigger cities, where everything was. For full time mothers, we do notice that younger children tend to be healthier than the older children, as a result of mothers themselves gaining more skills rted to caring for their children.


    In the Central Continent, the cities with strong Valtrian Order presence have good birthrates, mainly due to the nearly free end-to-end childcare services provided to those who want to have children. So, with the mental load of caring for children taken off most parents, they were free to fornicate as they please, and that kept birth rates decently high.


    I did this, not for altruistic means, but merely to make sure that the modern society didnt face a poption crunch, which would lead to a talent and resource crunch. The cost of providing such services was essentially my talent cost.


    As the society progresses and individuals have more choice, I would have to add more incentives, in order for the society to produce what I want it to produce. For caregivers like Eriz, this was a role Ill need more.


    I noticed that certain races had aspects that made them excellent at certain parts of giving care. For example, treefolks and dwarves were persistent, and encouraged a great connection to the ground. Treefolks and elves are both very good at looking at the effects of actions after longer periods of time.


    They could visualize how hard work today would payoff decades down the road, and dont perceive it as a pointless exercise. So that made them great guides and counselors, because of their long-term views. Humans and the shorter lived races were better at quickly emotionally bonding with the flock, establishing passionate rtionships and rapport. But these alsoes and go quickly, unlike the longer, respectful and mutual trust that elves and treefolk usually tended to have.


    Usually.


    For longer lived creatures, I noticed how Laufen and Lausannes rtionship evolved over time. To Laufen, it was expected that her daughter would be an adult, and that was the same for their children, Arlisa and the boy, Lauda.


    As full adults, they lived normal lives, though Arlisa did go through what essentially amounted to two decade-long rebellious phase. Her mother had to bail her out of trouble a few times, though frankly, everyone gave Lausanne a lot of leeway.


    We rarely speak these days, though she did make regr trips to the Northern continent to meet up with Me and Alexis.


    Old friends, she said, and Mes hospitality was impable.


    Speaking of Me, my domain holders approached her on the idea of a multiverse arrangement, whether her [branch hotels] could be used as a recement for my clone trees. She seemed agreeable, but her branch hotels did not have teleportation ability, and without the teleportation ability, what use was it?


    ***


    The heroes were curious on the next step. Alright. Whats next, whats next. We cant be waiting here!


    My people exined that its a slow process. We are, after all, trying to plot against something that has the corpse of the dead god, or something to that effect. If it could destroy gods, it certainly could destroy us.


    But what are we doing offensively? Surely there is something that can be done. The heroes said, and I wondered whether this was an effect of their mind control.


    Since weve disclosed the presence of the ck sun, Ive been curious whether the gods would take action. I long suspected that the gods had some way of seeing the world through the heroes, though nothing has truly been confirmed.


    But, they have a point.


    Perhaps, I am moving too slowly.


    How do I get closer to the ck sun?


    I want to avoid a situation where I send people after the ck sun only to die catastrophically. Theres no way to test it out, the best I could do is a simtion.


    The void mages came with an interesting idea.


    The will of Treehome said that they could move through the void sea, correct?


    Yes.


    Therefore, it is likely that any will, or any world, could move through the void sea, sensible?


    Yes, that sounded right.


    So, we have the Cometworld, barreling through the void sea. Its moving too fast, but it is a small world. Tiny, in fact, and we believe, almost invisible to the demons.


    Oh.


    Ooooooooooooooooh.


    It would be interesting to attempt to control or manipte its movements. One of the void archmages suggested. I dont know what itll take, and if you can ask the Will of Treehome for details that would help. If we can control and direct the Cometworld-


    We could turn it around and aim it towards the ck sun. We could, essentially, have something that could deliver a strike team right at the enemys heart.


    If the demons sent aet at Treehome many, many centuries ago, why couldnt we do the same?


    It was just poetic justice.


    Spaizzer


    Today I''m shouting out Norman the Necromancer!


    Norman had always been a bit of a loser, a cker. Preferring to spend his days enjoying himself and just coasting through life. Then the apocalypse happened and he got a second chance only he managed to screw that up too when he decided to be a Necromancer. Now he is unemployed, his girlfriend left him, and he is an outcast and pariah due to his bad choices.


    Can Norman get his act together and unravel the mysteries of the afterlife or will he waste thisst chance to make something of his life like so many times /series/597132/norman-the-necromancer/


    oh.


    <strong>I''m on break next week. NO CHAPTER NEXT WEEK</strong>

 230. The Heartless Tree

    230. The Heartless Tree


    <b>Year 233</b>


    ***


    The void mages were the busiest group these days. They had so many moving parts, but theres only so few of them.


    Ste had about 1,500 void mages under her, and her four other archmages. There only used to be three, but even one more wasnt enough. Not with what we wanted to achieve.


    One group focused on deciphering the map within the demon kings core, and developing ways to make most of the map.


    There was another group that designed the listening devices, and the potential interference devices. They looked out for demonic transmissions, to figure out how the demonsmunicated with each other through vast distances, coordinated their attacks and selected their targets.


    One group worked on expanding the riftgates, and trying tobine thenguage of the rift-gates to the maps. They also tried to find ways to work around the limitations of the star mana, which is our main stumbling block for a proper interdimensional league of heroes, and empire.


    Now, we had the group working on moving theetworld through the void sea. On one hand, I realized that the will of the world was able to move through the void sea without void mana, thus I do suspect that void mana may not be necessary for that purpose, but core mana would be the more likely material or resource. Yet, void mages as the ones most familiar with the void sea, and so it is them whomit to the task.


    There are smaller groups, like those focused on weaponizing the void mana, and developing better ways to destroy the demon king and that demonic ss droplet.


    Mages, as a whole, were rtively rare. Void mages, even more so, and even till this day I feel theck of high-level mages acutely. We have level 120 mages, but so far, only Ste reached the domain.


    I dont know what a domain-tier archmage or wizard could achieve, but having someone at that level should greatly help our cause.


    We see this with thevaworld, where weck the means to securely ess the core.


    Magic, despite its perceived ubiquity, is still quite hard to train even if we have made incremental improvement over thest century. There is a certain level of genius that I feel the system expects from a mage and the mage would not progress far without it.


    Even with decades and centuries of magic training, its surprisingly hard to reliably get someone to a master, even if we do have arge amount ofpetently trained mages.


    Madeus, my first resident wizard, many decades ago, once said that it is quite easy to learn the basics, after all, the first spells are not much moreplicated than skills.


    Now we have an army of mages at his level. But our attempts to grow stronger [archmages] were just slightly sessful.


    We only have about a hundred to two hundred mages that are above level 100. The highest of those in the level 130s.


    Magic was extremely hard to excel in, because theres aponent thats not dependent on experience, butprehension of some kind of vague magical concepts.


    Our statistics indicated that, although almost one in two individuals gain some type of magical ability and spellcasting, such that they could use simple and intermediate spells, only one in forty has the talent to walk the path of a mage.


    Of this small fraction, most just teau at the level 40s to 60s. In our Valthorns, the number seemed to suggest that only one in twenty mages who make it to level 60, even with magical experience boosts from the dungeon.


    Of the almost half a million mages we trained over thest century, we only have less than 200 level 100 mages.


    Attempts to brute force the levels didnt contribute to magic-sses gaining levels, instead our attempts to force them to level caused their sses to reflect abat focus.


    The system essentially starts funneling levels tobat-type mages, instead of pure magic sses. This meant [mages] evolving into [Battle Mages] and [Great wartmages], or simr sort and they gained morebat-spells skills instead of pure magic skills.


    This was useful in their own way, but what I wanted was the out-of-the-world, hail-mary type of magical solutions that entric mages could provide.


    So, over thest century, the way we trained mages also changed. Instead, we rotated mages to various roles on the Central continent. They would perform research, perform exploration of the underground chambers and ruins, conduct sses in the FTC and provide basic concepts on magic to the administrator sses, maintain various magical artifacts and formations throughout the continent.


    Combat was still needed, which meant mages would still participate in dungeons, but only after a reasonably good and long stint in nonbat roles.


    This was how we discovered the way to somewhat reliably level a mage into proper [wizard] and [archmages], instead of relying on brute-forcing and dumb luck.


    It reminded me of the time, during the early years of Freshka, and the FFA, I tried creating [archmages] and [wizards] through ss seeds fusion. That didnt work back then, and it still didnt work now. Myrge stockpile of high tier [archmage] ss seeds, instead came from the small army of archmages that died over thest century. My artificial minds im the archmages all have their own quirks and reading their minds often involve great leaps and thoughts that seemed rather disjointed.


    Training mages is still a problem we havent truly cracked.


    We could teach them skills. Teach them spells from our massive library of spells. Let them have the resources needed to experiment.


    But it all gets stuck somewhere.


    Maybe in that way, its the same with everyone else. I have knights that never make it as far as Edna, even if Ednas path was clear for them to see. Most Valthorns teau before level 100, even with the level breaking gift.


    Only those who breached a level 100 could even try to challenge the monsters we face.


    Right now, we have about two thousand level 100 individuals, and so far, all of them are sucked into the system, a part of the structure we created.


    Reality is, if they all turned against me, Id have a big problem on my hands. But they wont, simply because theyve all seen what was beyond, and realize, we are all still just small fishes in a very big pond, and together, we are stronger.


    More importantly, I begin to think the reason the guilds failed to entice the true powerhouses to their camp is because of the level 100s increasingly long perception of time.


    Capitalism is meaningless, when one gets better at visualizing the changes after some passage of time. The powers that the guilds try to im and control, is nothing more than holding on to a candle.


    It is bright, and warm, but momentary. It will fade, and is not something that wouldst.


    They know, as weird as it sounded, that whatever they created outside, would copse in decades, and they would return to our fold anyway. They didnt have to look far. Even on our central continent, guildse and go, kingdoms as well.


    Even creations of heroes could copse once their heroes fall. Whatever the guilds are doing, it would be just a fling.


    A summers dream.


    A project made for profit.


    Gone, once they got bored of it. Canceled, once it wasnt profitable.


    I wonder whether Ive trained my Valthorns too deeply in my own ideals, that they fail to relish in the beauty of momentary flings.


    ***


    My artificial minds, the thousands of them that now crowd around the valley and also near to all my various clone trees, essentially sustain and operate the entire continent. Without my artificial minds, I would be immediately overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things that require my attention.


    Id pretty much attribute the modernity of the Central continent, down to the artificial minds organizing, maintaining and monitoring the various aspects of our continent. Without artificial minds, I would not be able to achieve any kind of omnipresence in the Central Continent.


    I would be stuck to just the area around the valley, and even then, Id be able to focus on just a few things at a time.


    The topic of artificial minds came up fairly recently, as Alka tried to do some resilience tests, to see how we would fare in various types of events.


    We have a massive vulnerability because the entire beetlework, the application of growth boosts, the monitoring of crime and trade, monster attacks, all essentially relied on my artificial minds. They did the heavy lifting, supported by a smaller army of administrators and druids.


    If, by some event of a magical virus or disease were to sweep through my artificial minds, or say a demon king with an EMP-pulse ability that could disruptmunication with my artificial minds and the trees, we could face a huge setback.


    They would need to design some backup systems and processes, for such an unlikely event. All of this was additional cost and manpower.


    ***


    I have envoys from the Crystal King, and the message clearly requests your presence. Zhaanpu said with a chuckle. Your attempts to stay hidden didnt work, and it seems to have figured that we made contact.


    I figured as much. I said through a tree located in the Pyramid Citys parnds. My trees, cactuses and shrubs covered vast areas of the sandpeoplesnd, and also segments of the Centaurnds. Domain holders are not so foolish.


    More mana. That was what I wanted, and I was getting it. Zhaanpu merely grinned. Then have your priest be present.


    Lumoof smiled as he saw a familiar face. The envoy was thedy he met, Fourth Archpriest of Mas, Yaddah. Ah,dy Yaddah, its nice to see you after 30 years.


    She had aged quite a bit, but at someone at level 80s, she clearly had at least a few more decades in her. She froze for a moment, as if a memory she long suppressed reawakened. It IS you.


    She didnt say a word to him after that.


    Zhaanpu did not appear in person, instead, he had one of his own senior ritualists attend the meeting, dressed in the most gaudy and overwhelming attire ever.


    Speak, envoy of the Crystal King.


    Yaddah said, but she didnt dare point fingers. Instead, she unfurled a scroll, and said. The Crystal King demands, as per the pact, to know the deal with this Aeon. Outsiders are not a party to the pact, and the Pact of the Three dictates that thend is shared by the three parties, and not to be yielded to third parties.


    Zhaanpus priest was quiet for a moment, and then responded. The Great Pyramid merely leased thend to the temple of Aeon, to conduct some farming activities. They are just customers of the State of Sand.


    Lumoof didnt respond to the lie.


    Is there an agreement?


    We can provide the documents in due time. They would have to create a fictitious set of agreements, but Lumoof didnt intervene. This was Zhaanpus territory, and he should handle it as he saw fit.


    Now. Yaddah insisted.


    The Crystal King is intimately familiar with the concept of patience, we highly suggest he apply it. Retrieving documents takes time. Zhaanpus ritualist responded.


    Fine. We will wait three days. Lumoof could feel there was some kind ofmunication happening. A set of encrypted magical messaging. But she looked away every time Lumoof nced at her.


    Zhaanpus priests quickly gave somend transaction records, and it was clear this was a fake set of records. Some kind ofrge scale forestry and farming project.


    It is less troublesome that way. Zhaanpu admittedter. I dislike dealing with my peers, even if I do respect them for what they are.


    What exactly is the Centaurs uh... guardian?


    Youve not seen it? Last I recall, a possession-linked formation where the two joint patriarchs of the Centaurs would meld with the formation, thus granting the Centaur leaders ess to the ancient wisdom, and also the means to control the formation over Hoofhall and its surroundingnds.


    Just like the Pyramid, the truth was also shrouded in mystery. Even until today, my centaur spies are still trying to piece together the identity and abilities of the centaurs guardian.


    To some extent, I wonder whether I could force them to react to me. My trees had also begun to spread to thends owned by the Crystal King and the Centaurs, and though I kept it low profile, I was sure theyd realize it eventually.


    Would the Crystal King wage war because I had trees in theirnd?


    My bet was, no.


    It was just posturing.


    ***


    One thing became clear once the guilds controlled kingdoms and nations. Capitalism didnt inspire loyalty in the same way as a monarch or a religion.


    The loyalty a guild leader had, was just not to the same degree that a King, or a priest. Hired mercenaries bailed when the risk-reward ratio no longer made sense, but a loyal knight or fanatical zealot would keep fighting under theirst breath.


    The guilds, after decades of prospering as a business and treating its lower ranking people callously, now needed to find ways to brainwash their men to fight with their lives on the line. A guild leader cared about the bottom line, cared about the sries of its people, and operations, but now it had to think further, of winning loyalty, of winning over hearts and minds.


    Thisck of loyalty meant the guilds often had to deployrger forces, stronger forces with bigger, better equipment, just to convince the mercenaries they had good odds of winning, or its quite likely that theres a sudden copse in morale, where mercenaries, particrly multiple different groups, all quit in session.


    The guilds also discovered that they needed to insource military might, to have internalpetence and ability. Guilds that built up a stronger internal military arm, or have adventurer-guild subsidiaries or partners performed better than those that had to hire all their military strength from mercenary guilds.


    Various mercenary and assassins guilds, many of which merged with the merchant guilds over the decades, began taking onrger roles and used their growing importance in the war for new territories to take over their own conglomerates. When the merchant guilds concentrated on just trading alone, and focused on Central Continent businesses, the leaders of such guilds tended to be pure administrator/merchant and assassin types. But with their newfound colonial ambitions, the military andbat leaders had more visibility, and so they moved up the ranks.


    There was no space for weaklings, when the assassins began to target the leaders on the Central Continent.


    There was also a growing schism, when some of the leaders sent to rule their newly conquered territories began to amass wealth in their new territories, and used it to defy the central continental guilds leaders.


    After all, the heaven is high, and the emperor is far, far away.


    Even with magic, the central continental guilds needed the means to enforce its rule, needed ways to ensure loyalty of its far flung representatives. Some guilds relied solely on the loyalty of its invasion leaders, which, as they soon discovered, wasnt very loyal.


    Some realized they didn''t need the central continent, and convinced the entire invasion army to rebel and set up independent nations.


    It was such a clusterfuck across the world that my leaders began to discuss intervention methods


    Even the kings and representatives, who meet regrly at Freshka for their own quarterly updates and discussions, were very worried about the chaos created by the guild wars.


    Weve tried our best to sequester the conflict to specified zones, and ensure innocents harmed were minimized.


    There was death.


    Death cannot be avoided in a conflict.


    Lilies spoke, they too were aware of the guilds chaos.


    > I am afraid so. < I realized that Lillies was right.


    I thought about the past decade, and realized I was beginning to drown in the big picture. I wish I could sigh. > I am torn between choice and life, and I am often reminded that I prefer choice over life. This is an extension of that decision, the consequences. Mortals must be given choice, and they must suffer from the consequences. <


    > Then I must engineer them away from such mental frailties. It is a w to be corrected. <


    I realize my earlier sentence was dangerous. If I began considering mortals as wed, and such, began engineering them away from such ws, how is it their choice?


    But I have been doing it. My void treefolks, the void lizardpersons. The augmented children.


    I have been engineering with their form, trying to fix their ws. Their weakness. Give them skills, give them advantages.


    I veer so close to the edge of darkness.


    And I felt Lillies minds.


    I mentally sighed. It is an incredibly hard challenge, to bnce the two opposing poles.


    To focus on the big picture, yet not lose sight of the small things in life.


    To focus on the arc of civilization over the decades, and still live in the minutes and hours of the people.


    Spaizzer <strong>After 4+ years of writing Tree, I''m finally headed to Amazon. So, that means some of the earlier chapters will be taken down as of end Feb 2023 toply to Amazon''s exclusivity rules. So, if you know anyone who hasn''t read Tree of Aeon, now''s a good time to start. Or you can wait for the heavily EDITED version on 28 March 2023 :)</strong>


    Also, if you want something to read, go check out Tongtian. It''s awesome :)


    -> /series/663812/mythic-cultivation-my-tongtian-cant-be-this-cute/

 231. Wild Cultreevations

    231. Wild Cultreevations


    <b>Year 234</b>


    The kingdoms ramped up their counter for the guilds financial strength. Religion. As they were quickly reminded, zealots and fanatics are not easily tempted by money, and the Hawa, Gaya, Aiva and Neira faiths all have fairly deep pockets of their own. Worse, some zealots took their money and went to the other side anyway.


    Secretly, the triumvirs were quite concerned about the conflict, and through our private channels, they ryed their feedback. Our line of thinking remained, this is a private affair undertaken by the new corporates of the Central Continent, ordingly, we will not interfere, and we will not protect them. If the Aivan faith wishes to retaliate, they are free to do so.


    If I didnt intervene in conflicts between kingdoms of the Central Continent, it certainly didnt make sense for me to intervene in conflicts between a kingdom and a kingdom of another continent.


    I reiterated mymitment to the overarching framework of non-interference, to the disagreement of quite a significant portion of my ruling ss. As long as the rules of engagements were obeyed, I would uphold my part.


    Royals rise and fall over time. Was corporatised royalty any different? If they have imperialist ambitions, they are free to test it, and see whether they seed or fail. If they fail, they die. Ites as a package with their position.


    The rise of higher level zealots, in the range of level 50s among the defending nations and temrs, spurred the counterattack against the merchant kings, their superior equipment, financial wealth and higher level employees.


    The defenders had some sess, but the merchants wealth seemed limitless to the defenders.


    The guild territories expanded some more.


    Based on my artificial minds data collection, of the fifty or so guild-groups that set out on their imperialist ambitions, all managed to conquer at least one city on another continent. About half managed to fully take over an entire kingdom or nation, but all of them encountered fierce resistance, gueri warfare and rebellion throughout the past few years. They deployed mercenaries liberally to crush the resistance, to varying degrees of sess.


    Of the half of the guilds that conquered entire kingdoms, about a third managed to suppress the resistance, mostly at great cost that the financial returns from the lowerbor costs and resources collected barelypensated for the sums expended to wage the war. But of the third that managed to control the resistance, half of them should be able to make a profit within another two to three years, as the costs of managing the resistance began to dwindle, and the poption adjusted to the new regime.


    A few luckier guilds actually generated a profit already, but all of them faced the prospect of more prolonged wars, as the temples ramped up on their propaganda against these capitalist entities.


    My spies soon discovered that a few of the guilds seriously debated pulling out of their vassal kingdoms.


    For some, the profits from their vassal kingdoms were impressive. Some managed to get hold ofrge gem or gold mines that meant they were able to recoup the cost of maintaining their farrger defensive force, especially when these gems and precious minerals were sold back on the Central Continent, where prices and demand was naturally higher and more sophisticated.


    But fanatics were one of the factors they were not able to fully mitigate. The guilds rulers, became the target of the religious propaganda from the temples, and this led to fanatics, and covert assassinations.


    Even if the guilds still had the advantage, this was frightening to the guilds, because of how ruthless they were.


    The guilds needed a counter, and so, some of the guilds began to form alliances to attempt to develop counters.


    But ultimately, they realized loyalty, a problem they always had, could only be resolved with fanatics of their own. They could hire mercenaries, and soon realized mercenaries would change sides if the other side offered more.


    Fanatics were different.


    Inspiring loyalty to the point of death wasnt something guilds excelled at. Theyve always known that, but its not as if theycked references. There were some kings among them, those who got the title through their conquest of the kingdoms on the Central Continent, and they leveraged their position to create-


    A Royal Cult. Lumoof rubbed his head when the spies gave the briefing. Back on Earth, kings used to wrap their position with pseudo-divine references, as if they were anointed by some god or descendants of some legendary hero, to enhance their position in society.


    Yes, Patreearch. Were very concerned that these cults, whose existence entirely serves to reinforce the throne of these merchant kings, may threaten our faith.


    The gospel of prosperity, with a merchant king at the top. A cult of money.


    An act of desperation, simply because I refused to support their outbound conquests, while the defenders had the support of the defending faiths.


    Lumoof paused for a moment, and thought. We are no stranger to cults. We were a cult, once. I suggest we leave them be.


    But were different, Patreearch! Surely you see the difference!


    Eh. From my vantage point, it is just system levels that differentiate a cult and a religion. Lumoof answered. If they can ascend to the level of a religion, that is a good thing.


    But well be disced?


    Are we that inferior as a faith? Lumoof challenged. That we cannot tolerate cults? Aeon is not a god that cannot deal with challengers! If anything, we will emerge stronger from their attempts to usurp our position. These pretenders are but polishing stones in our path for ever more greatness. If they are strong, we will crush them, and emerge ever stronger


    The spies nodded, and indeed, if I wanted choice, I had to allow it. But let them know this. If they try to attack us, we will crush them. If they leave us alone, obey the rules of engagement and leave innocents alone, we will do so too.


    It was only fair to let these nascent little cults have their chance. In the way of nature, if I couldntpete, I surely dont deserve my position at the apex of this world, and how do I even im legitimacy to push outwards to other worlds?


    When you break it down, every cult is just a form of association between a group of people, with stronger bonds, with a set of shared beliefs. A fanclub could easily be a cult. A group that madly chased after money was a money cult.


    The issues with a cult was not the cult itself, which could easily be benign. It is often the negative activities undertaken by the cult, in the sense that they had their own set ofws, and acted beyond the scope of what they could.


    There was a separate discussion among my clergy.


    My patreearchs and matreearchs had their own set of views.


    But who is innocent? A child brainwashed from young by a cult is innocent, but because he embodies the beliefs of said cult, he doesnt know it.


    Lets think of this in extremes. What if there is a cult that seeks to destroy us? Is Aeon going to tolerate that?


    No. Lumoof said after I expressed my feelings through him. We will crush those that go past the boundaries that we set. We were more than willing to coexist with the other temples, but it was their attacks, their crusades that forced our hand. Likewise, well set certain terms. Terms to ensure reasonable conduct.


    I do feel this still cuts too closely to our faith. Matreearch Hoyia was also present. All religious cults weve seen have been fairly hostile to our rules.


    Weve seen cults. Blood cults, secret cults, but again, all of them did crazy things so we mped down and crushed them. But these corporate cults and royal cults were different. They were not that different but merely existed to support their kings.


    In fact, I consider them to be a return to the olden days, when the kings maintained a huge myth around themselves. They were not just men, but more.


    The guilds merely adopted them. To instill loyalty. It was extra pomp and pageantry meant to inspire those serving them into believing they were part of something greater. More rituals, more little ceremonies.


    And it worked to some effect.


    The system acknowledged rituals. Symbols. Those who go through the process, usually get a modified version of their ss to acknowledge their rituals, and this only reinforced the necessity of the process.


    [Knights] and [soldiers] became [Blessed Knights] or [Ritual Soldiers].


    Some corporate guild employees, from regr [royal merchants] transformed into [Royal Cult Merchants]. They used their new skills to convert the people of their new territories.


    All to secure their position.


    A natural evolution, and just looking at it, eventually these cults will grow.


    Again, I feel it is right to let them grow. If they didnt turn against me, I could co-opt them into our structure. If and when they turn against me, I would crush them, and my people would gain levels that way.


    Or do I have to?


    Discontent towards my hegemony would rise over time, that was expected and normal. No empirests forever.


    I called on Lumoof and my patreearchs, for an idea to consider.


    Vanish. I suggested. Ive seen enough superhero and spy movies to realize that all viinous organizations are invisible, but somehow everywhere.


    Could we achieve this, using the cloak of the vassal wars? Could I use these cults to my advantage?


    But- why?


    Its just something to think about, whether we could switch away from the pervasive super-state, and be the <i>Illuminatree</i>, with our agents at every major institution and yers. Our Valthorns then transform into folk champions and heroes, crushing injustice wherever they go. It would allow us a far widertitude of action. I was not sure whether invisible was the best way to achieve my goals, but it was something to consider.


    We already have thattitude of action. My leaders responded. If we want to, we can do it. There is no institution, perhaps except the heroes, that can stop us. And they certainly dont have our breadth and reach.


    Theres also the possibility of just having Freshka disappear from view, but that didnt seem particrly useful, since our threats mostlye from demons who somehow could see through illusions. Even if locals attempted to hexbomb Freshka, we have ample defensive measures.


    For now, the thought of existing entirely as the hidden hand of the world was shelved.


    ***


    Even though the vassal wars pretty much swept through all the continents, there were still some concerns on the dyed demon king. We defeated the demon king thirteen years ago, and it was alreadyte.


    Aivan Triumvirs naturally asked for updates.


    We defeated the demon kings. Thats all we said.


    But there was no notification. The triumvirs challenged. Their knowledge of our affairs on the other side was extremely limited, and till now, we didnt share what we are truly capable of.


    The local rulers themselves had a worry or two, but for them, it wasnt a problem until it became a problem.


    Their reaction to not having demon kings is more muted than expected. Ednamented.


    What- You expect them to be grateful? Roon responded. Weve seen how our people generally think.


    True.


    There was extensive thought analysis for my Valtrian order and Valthorns, at each step, they were mentally evaluated by my artificial minds before they took the next step.


    Loyalty. Compatibility with my beliefs. The evaluation only stopped truly ipatible or potentially dangerous individuals from getting further benefits, but otherwise, I allowed disagreements. But that meant bickering happened a lot, mostly friendly. It asionally escted into rivalries between factions. Ultimately, the goal of defeating the demons trumped them all.


    We still dont know what sort of countermeasures the demons have, despite the void mages best efforts.


    On Threehome, now that we have our own little corner of the world, I sent my void mages here to spy on the skies above, and see whether there was somewhere we could visit.


    ***


    I still dont get how theres trees in this demon world. Never seen it. Edna said, but then she stopped. But then again, rans managed to have some underground farms, I suppose being a demon world doesnt totally exclude the presence of trees


    Borealworld, or iceworld. I havent quite settled on the name.


    Roon, Edna and a continent of level 100 Valthorns were sent to this demonworld to scout out the location. Theirst invasion was the Mountainworld.


    The rift gates still worked, since our void mages were already locked to their rift gates locational codes. Wevergely cracked the nar element of the code, but were stuck on thest few digits. It appears to be some kind of checksum character, but were not exactly sure.


    The Valthorns were a party of druids, mages, and some other researchers. Here, they collected samples and performed studies.


    There was a smaller team that came earlier to deploy the listening devices, and we noticed it was still untouched.


    Data collection was a really long affair, and even when we knew what we were looking for, the somehow low frequency of transmissions meant that Stes endeavor was pretty much looking for aliens with superrge radio dishes.


    Theres a lot of waiting, and theres a lot of nothing.


    Meanwhile, the druids harvested and collected the nts of the borealworld. These were unique species to the world, not found on any of the three worlds we were at, but not entirely alien. There are simr nts.


    They are surprisingly tolerant of ice, and I wondered whether Aria and Aispeng would love this iceworld. It seemed like the perfect ce for them to make use of their talents.


    Once we could reim it from the demon mother of this world.


    I decided to bring the idea to Aria and Aispeng, whether they would be keen on moving to this world.


    Im immobile. Aria and Aispeng said. Id be relying on the summoned creatures and the ice monsters to fight for me.


    Thats like me. I responded. All thebat could help your levels.


    Hmmm...


    It wont be immediate. Were still working on creating therger rift gates, and thats taking a lot more time than expected-


    Why do you need arge rift gate?


    Youre big?


    Aria chuckled. It seems you forget that I can shrink. Im an ice-crystal with a soul. All these are just excess appendages that I can shed and regenerate.


    Huh. I paused and considered the implication. She technically could be deployed anywhere, though icy environments are most advantageous to her. Just like how Zhaanpu would probably excel in a desert, sandy environment.


    Again, let me think about this, I should be able to provide an answer within a few years. Aria said.


    They had specialized skills that worked in such environments. As for myself, I consider myself mostly a generalist, but I excel in forested or grassy environments that are more temperate or tropical in nature. This is partly because my beetles perform best in these environments. In colder and sandier environments they needed specific adaptations, which took up some space for other types of skills.


    Domain holders like Edna, Roon and so on had tremendous advantages inbat. They are mobile. They can hit really hard.


    But thats also part of the problem. They do not excel in building safe spaces for lower leveled folks to live.


    Lavaworld relied massively on my trees presence to suppress the demons, and act as a safe anchor for my forces to retreat to.


    For domain holders, its not an issue. But it is a critical one for those in the level 100s to 149s, and these are the group of people I really want to get to the next level.


    We needed forward bases, backed by domain holders.


    Youre suggesting that we be an invasion force? Zhaanpu sat and stewed on the question.


    Yes. I responded. Let me be clear, this is an idea that we are considering, given our limitations. Ive stretched myself as far as I could, and we have clones on a few worlds, and one active demonworld. But realistically, if we want to strike back at the demons, we need more.


    Zhaanpus golden eyes sat and mulled the question. It''s certainly an interesting proposal. If we seed, we essentially have the entire world to ourselves, and many of my servants would gain levels. But given my size, that would be-


    Its something we can solve. The demon kings can move theirrge bodies through space. We should be able to do it too.


    Zhaanpu stretched, and cracked his mummified fingers. There are some lingering concerns, especially how it affects my pact with the old gods. I would have to revisit the terms and study them.


    I agreed. There is no urgency. Not yet, anyway. It is an idea Im floating with other immortals.


    it is something that needs much more deliberation. I must contemte this suggestion a little longer.


    ***


    Lilies mulled the idea, though I sensed it was fairly lukewarm. If there was anotherke or parasite-type world, Lilies, as a being that could spread roots across the entireke could be a candidate. Any swampy environment would do.


    That said, the chances were low. Theyve never left, and they survived so well in their current state. Why would they change?


    But in any case, they didnt reject me outright. Just like both Aria and Zhaanpu, they needed time. Relocating to another world, a demon world just to wage a war wasnt a simple decision. It was amitment.


    I remembered I didnt like moving. I hated it. My fellow domain holders would agree that moving sucks. Our presence was all about permanence. We existed, and the world warped around us.


    If they rejected the offer, that was fine. We are already developing countermeasures and bases that do not depend on my presence.


    Id probably consider Reefy as well, if theres some waterworld out there. I believe there should be some waterworld, though Im not too sure whether Reefy would even let me move him. Reefys very, very touchy about his core.


    That said, Reefys probably too low leveled to reach that stage. The Valthorns worked on smaller, morepact and self-sustaining bases. Little independent outposts on these demon worlds.


    Well find a way.


    Spaizzer


    So, did you know that there''s SEVEN patreon exclusive interludes on my patreon? The seven interludes are all little slices of life around the main story, two chapters on the lizardfolks and certain ces in Treehome, one on the fallen hero Astra and what happened to him (if you ever wondered what he did), the hero''s journal, a little holiday by Edna/Ste. So, if you always want more tree content, do have a look at my patreon. it''ll help me pay my bills and deal with intion.

 232. Muddled Pools

    232. Muddled Pools


    <b>Year 235</b>


    The vassal wars raged on, and the long war drained both the many defending kingdoms, and also the merchant guilds.


    Therger merchant guilds, even with their greater risks on the Central Continent, stillmanded respectable market power and thus were able to continue to fund the war.


    It helped that the central continent was far more prosperous, and with higher poptions. The prospects of achieving greatness conquering other continents led to some ufortable propaganda, which I asked my spies to quietly suppress.


    The smaller merchant guilds were feeling the strain on their finances, thus, began to sought out some financial assistance from therger guilds, and that led to a string of takeovers by therger merchant guilds.


    It felt like I was witnessing the start of the conglomerates, as smaller entities began cobbling together into arger whole.


    A [Guildmaster]s [Skills] and [Abilities] interacted in guilds and corporations in the same way as a [Kings] skill, but it clearly strained with the massive number of members. We spied a few instances where certain skills ran into limits.


    Most times, hitting those limits triggered ss evolutions. The [merchant kings] and [Guild Kings] emerged as an upgrade, to reflect the growing power of the guildmasters over their members.


    Their powers were stronger on the weaker members, but less so on stronger, higher leveled members. This matched my own control over my Valthorns.


    With souls, what mattered is the gap in levels. The higher the level, the stronger the souls ability to withstand outside influence. So its fair to say, I have fairly little actual ability to force anyone above level 100 to do what I say, though I do have the weight of the entire institution behind me, which oftenpels them to obey.


    As the guilds expanded, we also observed the guilds have upgrades of the typical [administrator] sses to [executive] and [manager] sses.


    To be fair, the massive Valtrian Order as an institution already had [manager] and [executive] sses for quite some time, so these weren''t totally new, but it was just interesting to note that the guilds finally got them too.


    The powers of [contracts] were heavily invoked, and [Guild Contracts] that served as the foundation of alliances in their outward war.


    Kings and nations had the ability to form alliances, and sign contracts with each other for a while, but the nature of kings meant, under the system, they existed above petty [contracts]. The [King] ss, due to the feudal nature of being above mere men, refused to bow to a [contract].


    So, normal [contracts] died when they reached a [king]. Thus, alliances of kings, based on trusts and rtionships, were frail, brittle, and prone to abrupt dissolutions.


    That was not the case for a [guildmaster]. A well written normal [contract] was a chain that a guildmaster cannot easily shed, unless his ss changed.


    A guild, by constitution, exists because thew permits it to exist. A guildmaster could never be abovews and contracts. Thus, each guild is bound by [contracts], even if their members could leave the guild. Leaving a [guild] usually imposed penalties, even if temporary.


    So, the ascension of their members to Kings, led to some interesting shenanigans, and vulnerabilities.


    A [merchant king] and a [guild king] did not have the ability to shrug off thew or the contract as easily as normal kings. In short, they were inferior.


    Our observations of their abilities also soon revealed they were weaker than the typical king, at the same level of power.


    Last year we noticed some guilds experimenting on cults, as an attempt to shore up loyalties, especially when faced with fanatics from the other continents.


    The need to increase loyalties was magnified by the increasingly united defenses of the four temples. The four temples selected high leveled kings and queens, and backed them strongly. They engineered mergers of the smaller kingdoms into therger kingdoms.


    It surprised me that the temples were willing to do so. Theyve never mounted a coherent response against the demon kings, but were strangely united when invaded.


    Still, the merger of the kingdoms, and the quasi-holy state of these nowrger kingdoms created ss upgrades for the defenders.


    It was my first encounter with the [Holy Emperor] and [Holy Empress] sses.


    Ive never managed to actually create [Emperor] sses, despite collecting multiple [King] sses over the decades. Just like mages, there were some strange things about these royal and noble sses.


    The first [Holy Emperor] of the Southern Continent rose to the throne of the empire as the first of kings, cobbled together from twenty-two separate kingdoms. A union forged by the church of Gaya and the church of Hawa, they initiated a grand ceremony to invoke the greater blessings of Gaya and Hawa.


    They merely hoped to upgrade the chosen kings ss to that of a [blessed king], but I suspect because of the scale of thend and followers involved, and perhaps a bit of desperation, they somehow created a [holy emperor].


    I watched and felt the moment when the Kings presence warped and changed, from a set of trees within the pcespound. The first [Holy Emperor].


    On this great day, we, the archpriests of Gaya and Hawa, grant and bestow all of the blessings we could muster upon King Erranuel, for the great Erranuel shall be a king above kings, and lead ourbined empire against the foul advances of the greedy guilds. The archpriests of the two temples dered, and I felt a great power emerge from within that Erranuel.


    His voice changed, as if he had the force of the gods behind him. I knew it wasnt, but to any lesser man, it would certainly feel as if one was standing before a god. His body suddenly radiated an incredible oppressive aura.


    He was silent for a moment, as that strange twisting presence settled.


    I am [Holy Emperor] Erranuel, and I evoke the [Emperors Edict]. We wage a holy [crusade] against the guilds and the foul enemies that lead them from the shadow.


    His followers throughout the continent experienced a sudden surge of power, which we estimate to be close to a ten level boost. A blessing, the [Fury of the Crusaders]. At the same time, an [Emperor]''s blessing was stronger than a [King], and I witnessed the empires financial and economic might seem to improve out of nowhere.


    The retaliation of the new Holy Empire of Erranuel, as the ten level boost seemed topensate for the technology and level drawbacks they faced against the guilds.


    The weaponization of faith forced the guilds and the [merchant kings] to adapt, and try to develop their own.


    I thoroughly disallowed the use of my faith in the conquest. Anyone who did was promptly punished, and thus, the guilds had to seek out other faiths, or in their case, invent their own.


    The guilds then found a fundamental issue with faith, especially one that sought to elevate a single person into some kind of reincarnation or blessed by the gods.


    A guild is a union of various merchants, working together, thus, each merchant has a stake, a shareholder. Due to the fractured ownership, these merchant guilds had structured ways of decision making, almost every guild often resolved and made decisions throughmittees and councils, and a guildmaster was often elected from the merchants themselves, even if he was the leader.


    But a King was different. A King was not elected from a selection of merchants. It was not the nature of the [ss]. Not in this world.


    Mixing the feudal structure of a king with the enterprising, raucous nature of the guilds. Then add the worship and idtry present in cults, and that made thingsplicated.


    One of those elements would prevail in the end. For better or for worse.


    Some guilds tried to make things into a two-tier system, where the cultish behaviors and messaging was applied only at the lower levels. This seemed to be the smartest solution from some of the guilds.


    In some guilds, the feudal elements they introduced proved too strong, and these guilds then faced strong factionalism between those who wanted to hold onto the guilds more democratic roots, and those who converted into a master-servant rtionships with the kings.


    In others, the cults did bring in loyalty, but again, gnawed at the corporate structure. The ordinary methods of guild decision making were abandoned, and the cult leaders became those who could do no wrong. It was a slippery slope that many merchants didnt even seeing. After all, even in ordinary guilds, there were always dominant figures.


    As a result of the fraying internal forces of the guilds, and the stronger, united response from the defenders, the vassal wars that were fairly one sided all this while, began to seem more bnced. For now, the guilds still had advantage. Tremendous financial advantages, seemingly limitless manpower due to the central continents stability and prosperity, and better quality equipment meant many guilds still held onto their conquered territories.


    The four temples, rushed to replicate the creation of the [holy emperor] in the Northern Inds, the Eastern Continent and the Western Continents respectively. They seeded in creating two more.


    ***


    With the Valtrian Order, there were a lot of discussions about thetest developments. For my senior Valthorns, most understand my position that the conflicts of the world are irrelevant.


    People fight wars all the time. Its not for me to step in, unless they crossed the red lines. For most part, wars remain feudal wars where two armies meet on some battlefield. My Valthorns, as far as I could tell, understand that these empires would fade in time, and they all recognize the progress being made on defending the world from the demons.


    But the question of When is Aeon going to do something about this? just gets ever so loud, and my priests had to go on overdrive to exin my inaction to the general popce and the increasingly unhappy nobility.


    The heroes were not unaffected by the war either.


    Some of them maintained small kingdoms, and harems. For now, the guilds were smart enough to avoid attacking them, since that was suicide. A hero could level a kingdom overnight.


    Instead, the guilds approached the heroes for tech. They offered to pay them for hero-items. Superweapons to deploy against the other side.


    I had to step in and stop the transaction, and reminded the heroes that they shouldnt get involved.


    The heroes didnt quite like it at first, since it meant they didnt get big amounts of money, but they understood that hero items would be tools of mass ughter. That wasnt the reason why hero items were made. They were designed to be emergency tools, not super weapons meant for conventional warfare. Even defensive hero items meant the defenders could have a solid base for expansions and counterattacks. So, the only winning move was to not sell hero items.


    The heroes also got tremendous pressure from the four temples, demanding that they support the defenders with hero items. The temples argued that their powers, their presence in the world was all because of the gods, and so they should support the [holy emperor] in their crusade.


    Again, the only possible move was to abstain.


    At this point, it was increasingly clear that if the defenders win decisively, a retaliation and a crusade against the central continent was almost a certainty.


    Buoyed by the high of winning, they would try to reassert their strength, as vengeance.


    ***


    I asked my domain holders privately what they would do, if ced in the current situation. Edna sighed. Ive been actually getting that question from my knights order. Many are itching for a fight.


    An unnecessary fight. Lumoof said. But this war seemed to have helped create more high level individuals on both sides of the conflict.


    Thats a horrible thing to say when people die. Ste cursed. Aeon, you should stop it. Wars are bad.


    Ste, as an earthling, naturally didnt think wars are a good thing. People died, even if the death wasnt as crazy. This was simply because of the conventional nature of these feudal-type wars.


    Killing citizens that produced goods, operated the mines and generated resources the conquerors needed didnt seem like a good idea. Too much death in a certain area tends to generate death energy which triggers the spawn of undead and ghosts, and creates cursednds.


    This still wasnt the world of bombs and missiles, even if there were some equivalent-tier weapons. Mages, even if they seemed like they were everywhere, were not so many that they could use their abilities without restraint.


    Alka shrugged. Its appropriate to remind everyone that our goal is stopping the demons for good. If this leads to that goal, indirectly, by leveling everyone, I say that its fine to leave with it.


    Surely there are better ways to level people up than wars! Ste protested.


    On arge scale, without arge institution that we have to control? Alka responded. Wars are the best way. Second best are demonic incursions into our worlds.


    Maintaining an institution of that size would be better than this. Ste said, and then eventually, she had a long sigh. It just sucks that the sheer presence of levels and magic meant the ying field would never be equal, and so the concept of equality frankly isughable. Its like trying to say a fish is equal to a man.


    Exactly. On some scale, this is just the natural order of conflict. Your world may have the concept of equality, but it exists only within humans. Can a human ever be equal to an alien with far superior strengths and intellect? Can a human ever be equal with a dolphin or a lion? There must be some kind of shared understanding in order for equality to exist, and to some extent, a narrow range of abilities. With such great ability differences, it is only normal that kingdoms value the level 100 general way more than the level 10 soldier. Because they are NOT the same.


    Sorge power gaps create feudal societies. Ste cursed. But I suppose you are right. A chicken farm, even in the millions, cannot prevent man from chopping them off. A higher being with far greater intellect than ours would consider our intelligence no more than that of a farm-raised chicken, and thus would ughter us for food if they find us tasty.


    Thus, it is not beyond Aeon to consider Aeons decision as the equivalent of a human watching tworge armies of ants ughtering each other. Does a human stop ants from fighting?


    But these ants could one day grow into something on Aeons level.


    And only then, will Aeon treat them as another of them.


    Ste scratched her hair, and Edna sighed. I dont quite like that.


    Choices have consequences, Ste. The choices of the guilds, and the choices of the kingdoms. Lumoof intervened. Our goal is to enforce the scope of engagement, to limit the damage. Let the children duke it out in the sandpit.


    The knightmander nodded in agreement. That, we will do.


    ***


    Ste, of course, was soon distracted by other pursuits. She and a group of void archmages were now on Cometworld, hoping to figure out how to manipte the Cometworlds trajectory through the void sea.


    Its not an easy task. It certainly doesnt have any clues.


    My attempts to quiz andmunicate with the Will of Treehome was greeted with nothing. It had returned to sleep. The other domainholders had no clue either.


    So, we had to experiment.


    The void mages tried injecting void mana into the world, or into the void sea. They suspected that manipting the void sea was probably how worlds drifted on them, so they tried using techniques simr to the astral tunnels created by the demons, and use the tunnels as some kind of oar.


    Then, a group of void mages observing the Cometworld would then monitor for any shifts against expected trajectory.


    Nothing.


    They tried different shapes of those void tunnels, or more power.


    They werent sure what they needed, even if we knew what was the end goal. For now, they had to keep on experimenting.


    Its possible that we may not be able to control a world without the Will of the World, perhaps via a system. If that is the case, we would need to create a new domain holder who is able to merge with the Will of the World, and then send that world on a suicide mission.


    That seemed like a far more daunting and horrifying prospect.


    The void mages didnt give up, though.


    Spaizzer First 50 chapters of Tree of Aeons will be gone by end of February. Reread if you want to.

 233. Aeons Perspective

    233. Aeon''s Perspective


    <b>Year 236</b>


    Alright, the goal is to push into the ridges. Edna dered to the group of eight level 100 Valthorns, and the eight nodded. Well be here.


    Lavaworld was now our main training ground, other than the dungeons. For most high leveled Valthorns, their life involved tours through the worlds, visiting ces like the Borealworld where they took month long missions to explore the location, and attempt to piece together the history of that world, or a tour on the Lavaworld where theyd fight throughrge swarms of demons, arrive at a certain location, set up a temporary base and defend against the hordes.


    With a small team.


    We tried our best to push them, to try stranger, harder things. The level 100s also suggested missions and challenges for each other, after all, everyone needed to have a mind of their own.


    Two of the level 100s in the group of eight were members of Ednas order of Valthorn knights. It was an unofficial group, and as it wasnt official, they named themselves, partly as a joke, the Order of the Pointy Stick.


    Knights were trained to be proficient in a wide variety of weapons, but jousting spears, spears and pikes were a favorite of these knights.


    It was a practical consideration. When demons are such massive creatures, it makes more sense to use spears, especially throwing spears charged with magic and designed to release huge bursts of energy.


    The range was just more useful withrge magical creatures, and safer.


    Hows this group? Ste sat next to her, taking a break from her own tour through the worlds. She offloaded many of the initiatives to the archmages, since she couldnt feasibly attempt so many projects at the same time. The other archmages even took on leadership roles, as Ste and one other void archmage focused on the training aspects of new void mages.


    There was a gap in education for void mages, despite my best attempts to copy and record her experiences through my dream academy.


    The training oues of void mages was always a little bit better when Ste was the instructor, as she had first-hand experience from the Zaratans. The pain she went through during the multiple attempts to develop void mana gave her a sense of perspective that younger void mages, with more focused process, didnt have.


    The Zaratans were not warriors, and Lillies told me that any attempts to get the Zaratans to participate in any war effort would fail. The most they would do was teach.


    This year was also the first year since the founding of Branchhold that a recruit from Mountainworld was admitted to the elite Valthorns. .


    Its been slightly less than 30 years since that day, so, a single individual from Branchhold, a human [swordsman] named Farsan, reached level 100.


    There was nothing quite like the shock of visiting the demonworlds for the first time. To feel the presence of nothingness in a world conquered by the end.


    It made it easy to see what would be of their home, should the demons seed.


    Amon w in people was that many struggled to visualize the future, if they didnt see it for themselves. You could tell them a thousand tales, but until they were there, to feel it on their skin, to see in with their eyes, that future just seems ever so remote.


    For my Valthorns, especially those who visited the demonworlds for the first time, it was usually an experience.


    A reality, a version of the future if their homes fell to the demon.


    This usually evokes a visceral reaction in some first timers, and for Farsan of the Mountainworld, it did. Some, even though these are Level 100 folks making their first trip, had a minor panic attack.


    For those less than level 100, I mostly sent them to fight in dungeons within Treehome or the few dungeons in the underground areas of Branchhold. Once they crossed level 100, they would be sent the other worlds to hunt demon champions.


    This meant some of them visited ces like Lavaworld, or Borealworld, or ra.


    For Farsan, we dyed his exposure to these other ces until level 100. The Valtrian Order spoke of the existence of these worlds for a while, but as the first of Branchhold to see what it was like, he returned feeling sombre, as if he now had a burden on his shoulders.


    I cant be the only one who knows. He said to the Valthorns who came from Treehome.


    They know.


    No, they dont. The Mountainworlder looked at the destion of the Lavaworld, the sense of emptiness and lifelessness. They dont know it at all.


    The Valthorn gave the Mountainworlder a knowing tap on the shoulder. Once youve seen it, you really just cant go back and pretend everythings fine.


    Ive gotta give credit to Lumoof and the priests. Theyre really quite good at selecting fanatics to join my military cult.


    From what I know, a part of it was skills. Over the decades, Lumoof and my senior priests gained skills like [Eye for talent] or [Recruit Scanner]. On top of that, theres also a whole load of education and perspective.


    Its probably brainwashing to some degree, though my priests would argue that presenting a set of facts doesnt constitute brainwashing.


    By this point it feels academic.


    ***


    Tropicworlds reconstruction effort was beginning to speed up, as more migrants and pioneers moved to the new world.


    Its been ten years since this initiative started. At this point, about 70,000 from Treehome had moved over to visit a world unlike any other. A world that has all traces of civilization erased, and now ready to be repopted.


    I wondered whether the will of the world resisted it, and it responded with a mere sensation of acknowledgement. I prodded it more, but it responded with a feeling. eptance.


    Not agreement, but eptance.


    Over the time since we reimed this world, Tropicsworlds natural environment significantly improved. Trees, animals and monsters now cover most of the world, though the magical energies barely recovered above 25% of the living worlds.


    Three to four small towns emerged, the frontier towns of each of the races.


    The Canari were quick to set up their own little ce, just for themselves, as did the Treefolks and Lizardfolks.


    The air of the Tropicworld was different to that of Treehome, and the [pioneers] who moved to Tropicsworld had skills that made settling in easier.


    The Treefolks and Lizardfolks have feet better adapted to the muddy terrain, the Canari gained skills that made them better able to regte their heat and deal with the generally dirty waters of the Tropicsworld.


    The water system of Tropicsworld was still unstable, even if they were carved through the powers of the Core. River banks could easily shift, and rain patterns still irregr. Some part of this was due to the Core itself, the Cores power ebbed and flowed, and that affected the strength of rains, the speed and growth of monsters, the strength of the winds and the heat from the ground.


    So, even rivers andkes were not permanent, as the subtle shifts in the ground due to those fluctuations move water around.


    Some [pioneers] remarked that the weather only got more erratic as the Core of the Tropicsworld regained its energy.


    ***


    The void mages attempts to manipte Cometworlds trajectory through the void sea went nowhere. They were essentially iling at the unknown.


    They tried a wide array of items and techniques, but ultimately nothing seemed to work. Or at least, they were not sure whether they made any impact because it was quite hard to measure how it worked.


    Meanwhile, the void mages pursued their other tasks, until one day-


    Ste, youve got to look at this. She felt one of her archmages magical energies as the void warped in the area around her office, and her archmage appeared through a small portal.


    She stared at the contraption in the void archmages hand. A crystal record linked to the various listening devices. Another void archmage popped up right behind him with the exact same item.


    Oh, youre here already. The 2nd one quipped, andughed.


    Hah. You got the same signal from your side?


    Yeah.


    Ste checked both of the crystal records, and looked at the two archmages. She had her suspicions, but then waited for the archmages to give their views. What are we looking at?


    Likely some kind of transmission. If all the other nes were getting it, its not a routine one. I was studying it while on the way here, and here. The void archmage pointed to a part of the transmission. This was the only part I recognized. A locational coordinate.


    Treehome. Ste said as her mind scanned through the transmission again. As of now, weve not yet decoded thenguage of their transmissions, but with our growing lexicon of demonic characters, we could try to guess. What does it-?


    It may be one of the countermeasures. The void archmage spected. Ive asked the mages to scan the skies but for now-


    Nothing.


    Ste paused and looked at the transmission again.


    Ste, you could use the demon kings core to check. The archmage suggested something Ste already nned on doing, but she was pleased that he brought it up anyway. She nodded.


    Come with me. Ste said and then she called out to me. Aeon, Ill need some mind backup.


    The artificial minds were ready, and Alka teleported in. I was summoned.


    Ste tapped the bomb-maker on the shoulders. Got a weird transmission from the demons.


    Alka whistled. Predictions?


    Our long awaited countermeasures. Ste said as she walked into the special chamber now crawling with roots and vines. There was a station right next to the demon core, surrounded by more vines and roots, with some crystals. Mixed among the mass of regr vines and roots were some ck ones, those that produced demonic mana harvested from the few unrestored Rottends and the demonic hybrid trees.


    A few mages shuffled about, preparing the ce and documents.


    Ste strapped in, and I felt the artificial minds buzzing with activity. I kept track of her physical state, and noticed her heartbeat was elevated. She pulledrge quantities of mana at certain moments, and about six hourster, she emerged all sweaty and exhausted.


    The third void archmage joined the earlier two, Lady Ste?


    Nothing conclusive. My [Void explorer] is too far, but I suspect theres something. This transmission came from the demon sun itself. Whats the progress with our attempts to develop extended void-sea detection?


    The three archmages nced at each other. Well need to spy on them? One of them stopped.


    Progress is middling, were still attempting to test it out on our junior void mages-


    Dont think this can wait. Run the side effects and observations, and if its usible we need to scale it up as soon as possible. The earlier we can see what the hell the demons are throwing our way, the more time we have to prepare for it.


    The three nced at each other. At once, mdy.


    ***


    Something concerning I should know about? I asked Ste at a private session.


    The demons have sent something, but the star paths dont indicate anything. No star paths yet-


    It could be something that doesnt travel on a star path.


    I know what youre thinking. Weve been predicting it for so long that I know its the damned dem. Ste cursed. But I want to be sure, so, Im nning to hop my way as far as I can go. Ill need some bodyguards. Looking at the demons starmap, the Borealworlds probably the starting point.


    Ste wanted to hop to the Borealworld, and travel to the nearby worlds and figure out a way to get closer to the demon sun.


    Due to the weird nature of the void sea, this could be a decade long journey, or could be super short, because traveling the void by hopping to nearby worlds didnt actually mean getting closer to the core in the demons map.


    Can I take Lumoof and Edna with me?


    I could pull all three of them back instantly through my ability. Alright.


    You dont sound convinced.


    What if were wrong. I thought. Its not aet, and its multiple demon kings invading at once. The fact that our coordinates, our location is transmitted seemed to suggest some kind of coordinated strike.


    Why not both? Steughed ufortably. In either case, we need to go and see, get some visibility. If its multiple demon kings, wed have a chain of astral pathways over our skies. Those things take a while to build, unless-


    Unless the demons had a way to open up such portals instantly.


    As it is, the rift gates we had could open portals to other ces, even if there are no astral paths, but the void mana cost is significantly higher without the path. That essentially ced a cap in the range of the stolen and repurposed riftgates.


    Like, yeah, we have the numbers to call, but its like not having enough money to call an international number.


    Theres nothing to worry about, but to take our next steps. Ste said. We need information, and well only get it if we get nearer, or can see further.


    ***


    With the support and powers of the [Holy Emperor] at the heart of the new empires, the guilds had to form alliances of their own. [Merchant Kings] allied with each other, and tried to use theirbined weight to push back.


    Adversity rewarded those who made it through them, and it was horrifying to the Kings that the Emperor was gaining on them in terms of levels.


    A new skill from the Emperor, or just a few extra levels meant his blessing was stronger, his empire produced more weapons or some other effect that began to push back. The guilds began to encounter more draws and losses, and the assassin-guilds, previously eager to take the Central Continent Guilds businesses, began to shift.


    The central continent guilds decided to double down on the financial and technological prowess to counter the faith powers and the Emperors abilities. They invested more on even better equipment, and leveraged on their industrial bases to build stronger, more powerful weapons.


    Of this, came thergest privately owned warships ever seen on Treehome, equipped with long range bombardment equipment.


    These weapons resembled railguns, but were magical. These came about after my craftsmen and Alka all worked onrge quantities of long range weapons against the demon kings. Some of these designs were inadvertently leaked to the general public, and independent craftsmen began designing copies.


    The magical railguns, equipped with a crystal-core projectile were one of those that was copied. It was simr enough to ballistas that the private sector could begin making modified versions, and now, they have these weapons that could shoot a location almost a hundred miles away.


    At the same time, my Valthorns had to be extra careful with their state-of-the-art weapons, and even older generation weapons. My spies and counter-espionage agencies detectedrge quantities of attempted spying and theft of Valthorn-issue equipment. Any advantage, any exposure would lead to attempts to study, replicate, and then mass produce to use against the other continents.


    So far, theyve not outright attempted to attack the Valthorns, but my agents and people were increasingly edgy. My artificial minds picked up multiple thefts and spies, some of which were then caught by my own agents.


    It felt like the guilds were in a cold war with the Valthorns, even if we were publicly cordial and professional.


    Even the nobility were fracturing, those who supported the guilds secretly and some publicly. The nobility of the Central Continent all had respectable wealth.


    These nobilities benefited as they were at the top of their realm, taxing a percentage of all trade going through their nation. Then, they could store that wealth in highly safe ces, such as with the Valtrian Orders banks, but that was limited. In order to prevent excessive robbing, we ced deposit limits on the ounts itself, and the limit was usually about the price of a single reasonably sized mansion. This forced the nobilities to have other investments,


    These banks were usually safe from attacks and riots from their peasants, so they had a lower risk of losing their money in a political upheaval. It was a deal many nobles took, even with the high storage or custodian fees charged.


    Next, they ced their monies in assets, and in investments, such as these guilds. It was fairly well known that many guilds were essentially bankrolled by the nobility, even if their management was independent and profited off the nobilitys money.


    But the increasingly costly wars meant the guilds were now forced to spend arger share of their monies. It triggered the wealthy nobility watching their money pool shrink.


    The response was fairly varied. Some began to publicly campaign for outright annexation of the empire, iming that these empire-folks were essentially primitive cavemen that deserve to be liberated from the ancient chokehold of their primitive religions.


    I found it hrious, of course. As if the very presence of a [Lord] is not a primitive thing. As if the Central Continent wont begin a devolution if my army of artificial minds were removed.


    Intip, one of my oldest spymasters, had to hire and train more counterspies.


    He had no choice, because the guilds were fanning the mes of war.


    Aeon, like or not, you will have to step in eventually. The heroes, Kei and Ken all remarked. A sentiment that my domain holders also increasingly shared.


    This is a challenge to your authority over the Central Continent. The Valtrian order sits at the top of the continents political pyramid, but right now, by taking actions of waging war, and fanning the public opinion, they are trying to drive you towards an oue.


    Increasingly, Intip, and the spies caught a few instigators who tried to paint my non-interference as wrong. Worse, it was an opinion that a growing number of my own Valtrians shared.


    We were superior. They said, If Aeon stepped in this war would be a ughter.


    But what was the point?


    To the lesser Valtrians, who were not privy to the greater conflict in the background, they felt a lot could be done to improve the condition of the other continents.


    I wanted mana. I wanted resources. I wanted talent.


    These three things supported the war effort against the demons.


    I didnt need all thend. I didnt need to RULE everything. Others could do it.


    But it was so, so easy for the nobles and guilds to easily twist it into a narrative. It didnt help that the temples and the Holy Empires used those same talking points, to amplify the hate.


    Aeons long attempts to train administrators and Lords through the FTC and the educational institutes was a long-term n to improve the quality of the worlds rulers and nobles. The seed of this conflict began when Aeon began brainwashing the nobles. The Central Continent views themselves as superior to the rest of us.


    The Holy Empires new crusade against the guilds also attacked us indirectly.


    They fanned hatred towards the Central Continent, concocted propaganda against us. It undid all the goodwill and assistance we had, and caused a return of the old wars.


    Once more, we all felt the beginnings of another crusade. One brought about by my inaction and refusal to stop the Guilds expansion.


    I could tell that the nobles and merchants were indirectly leading the situation towards an oue where we could only choose the Guilds.


    For now, public opinion within the Central Continent itself remained fairly ignorant of the war.


    My agents on the four continents also found it harder to defuse the situation.


    The propaganda that emerged was full of hate, and essentially painted the entire central continent as an enemy. The fanatics and the holy believers that now form the inner circles of the new Holy Empires were harder to crack.


    All because I didnt stop this war.


    A war I wanted no part of.


    Yet its been years, and Im getting more and more intertwined with this conflict.


    Even as Imanded non-interference.


    I wanted to abstain.


    My spies sounded the rm, that another crusade was not far away. A few years, before the anger would boil over and wed be faced with a total war.


    What a waste of resources.


    I stared at the prospect of a demonic counter invasion. I would need to prepare for it.


    But my house is not in order.


    So, I brought my council, Valthorns greatest spies and agents together, and suggested an idea entirely impossible for anyone but us.


    It tormented me to even contemte whether to use my force in such a manner.


    Matreearch Hoyia spoke on my behalf, as she stood to the crowd.


    Aeons question to everyone is this. If we capture all the rulers of the guilds and all the rulers of the target kingdoms, can we control the vassal war? Prevent it from spiraling further out of control.


    All the spymasters and agents, senior Valtrian and Valthorns present were quiet. The rest of my domain holders were elsewhere, busy with the bigger things.


    -what?


    Let me rephrase. Aeon wants to know whether, if he were to order the capture of all the kings, rulers, merchant kings, priests, lords and generals, and essentially force everyone to sit down and talk, would it stop the nonsense and prevent it from escting to a total war?


    The crowd stared, as if waiting for the Matriarch to continue. She did.


    Aeons intention is not to stop the war altogether, but increasingly, we are getting caught in the crossfire. The fanning mes will grow into a crusade, and a world war. It is unnecessary, and so we intend to have this session to remind the participants of this conflict to keep to their designated scope. As parents often say to their fighting children, we want them to y nice. Or y in the agreed sandpit.


    What if they dont?


    Aeon proposed sending the leaders to Lavaworld. For a year as punishment for excessive warfare. Nobles supporting the war will spend some time on Lavaworld too, depending on the extent of their involvement in this war.


    I could tell all the members present were seriously contemting it, and some looked at each other, wondering whether its even possible.


    But they knew it was. Theyve seen my void mages, and its entirely possible for mages with teleportation spells to swiftly capture any nobility or general, especially with our Valthorns huge level gap and superior equipment.


    No one was safe. Not when we could reach anywhere in the world instantly.


    The heroes stared at each other, before Prabuughed and everyone else followed. It was a good thing they were in their own soundproof chamber so no one else could hear them.


    Oh lord. Aeons going to catch all the naughty boys and send them to the naughty corner.


    Does that work? Im sure people are greedy and-


    It might. Ken nodded. Fear does great things to people. Whats happening now, is that all these people waging this war are increasingly arrogant and belligerent, confident in their own strength.


    You know that doesnt work, itll just return eventually. Colette said. Naughty kids dont get better from going to jail or detention.


    There is no one better suited to break the souls of warmongers.


    Back in therger hall, one of the spymasters, Varida, stood. Im in agreement. I believe it will work. If anything, it is about damned time Aeon asserts our strength, and reminds the world that things must be done in moderation.


    The crowd stared in horror at the spymaster. One Lord looked back at Matreearch Hoyia. Matreearch, do you believe in this?


    Matreearch Hoyia shrugged. Those who live in fortunate times do not know how fortunate they are. It would be helpful to remind these ignorant ants gnawing at Aeons roots, and give them a small dose of Aeons Perspective.


    The same spymaster smirked at Hoyias wordy. I propose that the phrase, Aeons Perspective be the official name of this operation. The simrities to Aeons Mercy must be intentional.


    The matreearch nodded. Thank you, spymaster Varida. I see the concerned looks of those present, and I recognize some of you need time to process Aeons thoughts. Please, go back and think about it. Discuss and return. Well meet again in two months.


    I did not intend to carry out the order just yet.


    I wanted to see how much mileage I could get out of the threat.


    Aeons Perspective.


    A little embarrassing, but if it strikes credible fear into the hearts of any ruler, so be it.

 234. Springboards

    234. Springboards


    <b>Year 236 (part 2)</b>


    A world since Borealworld. Ste said as she stepped out of the portal andnded right into a pile of mud. Her magical shield immediately popped out around her. Lumoof and Edna followed close behind, and looked at the world around her.


    Borealworld was linked to two other worlds, and the world was surprisingly empty. Yet, no demons.


    Hmmm. Where are we? Lumoof asked, as Ste tried to triangte her location in the void sea. Each worlds location was different, depending on which map were looking at, so Ste looked back at Lumoof like it was a weird question. He naturally picked it up, andughed. Sorry, stupid question. Still happens sometimes.


    Hah. Ste sighed and then her eyes gazed on the skies above. The location was not good, it seemed further away from the demon sun. Not good.


    Lumoof looked. Well, I suppose all we can do is keep hopping until we figure out how to link our version of the void sea to the demons version of the void sea.


    Stes magical senses nketed the world, and discovered that it was a medieval fantasy society of humans.


    So. Do we spend time exploring this world? Lumoof asked.


    No time. Well need to keep hopping. We cane backter.


    Edna looked around. Well, then I shall give it the temporary name of Mudworld.


    Your naming sense is just as bad as Aeon. Ste cursed.


    Im a [Knight]. Not a [Namer]. Nor a [Scribe].


    As someone who used to paint posters for a living-


    Edna didnt let Ste continue. Now, now, were pressed for time, right.


    Theres two. Ste said, referring to two other worlds we could visit.


    Pick one.


    Ste pouted, waved her hand, and then, we felt more void mana in the air. Using solely her void mana, a portal ripped apart the space before us, and we stepped through.


    ***


    The next world was supposedly Mudworlds astral neighbour, and it was just quiet. It was also barren and dusty, and perpetually gloomy.


    The sun was small, tiny. There was a faint scent in the air. Strange and alien. Stes senses spread out, and so did Lumoofs.


    Theres some living beings here, and I sense magic.


    Another non-demon world. Edna seemed puzzled. If we are headed towards the demons, shouldnt there be more demon worlds?


    Void sea peculiarities. The demons targeted every world that is close, but only from their perspective. From our perspective, it isnt. Ste said. She once described it as each world existing in a 3D space, and the demonspressed it into a 2D nd from the top. For her, they are viewing it from the front. Our attempts to reverse engineer the original 3D illustration of the void sea from our 2D perspective proved to be very challenging.


    Wouldnt our perspective of the astral neighbors be the real one?


    As real as the demons star paths. Ste said and sighed. Were somewhere far away now. Well have to hop again.


    Alright. Lumoof waited, and then, another ck void appeared before them.


    Ill need to rest after this. I have enough for a single portal back, but thats it.


    Edna paused. Before we go, we should give this world a name. Do you want to do the honor, Lumoof?


    Tiny Sun World. Lumoof said and both thedies groaned.


    Itll have to do for now. Ste answered. Names were temporary, anyway. They could be updated once we interacted with the locals on ater date. Lets go.


    Got it. Lumoof and Edna said, and they were through to the 3rd world.


    ***


    The 3rd world was a demon-conquered world. Edna was the first to sense their presence, as the demonic hounds roamed the terrain.


    The demonic world itself was covered with the same type of spires weve seen in other demon worlds. There were multiplerge spawning pools.


    Are we close? Lumoof asked as Edna ughtered the rest of the demonic hounds. They were weak, but these hounds looked almost exactly like the ones weve seen on other worlds. Demonic hounds were frankly like the low level grunt-type that the demons spawned on so many worlds.


    Ste frowned and didnt answer. It was a stupid question. She rested in the small prototype rest stops. These prototypes were meant for Valthorns to use in the event they couldnt retreat to any of my trees. The domain holders this was as good a time as any to test it out. Honestly, no idea.


    Magical bag of holdings, and a set of crystals that functioned as a controller, they deployed a magical wall, a small home, and also carried a small store of materials. Things that a domain holder didnt really need, but was still nice to have.


    It was fairly easy for three individuals to hide, and the fact that the defenders were so weak just made it easy.


    Edna looked around. The air was fairly dry.


    Houndworld?


    Hounds are everywhere, not just this world. I dont think calling it houndworld would identify it, though it is quite funny we havent seen anything other than hounds. But they were not really looking, andzed about in the encampment. Ste took a nap, and Lumoof read a book. Edna fiddled with her knife.


    Void mana took about three times longer to recover than regr mana, even with Stes soul and domain powers. A regr archmage regained their mana pool within hours, a void archmage would take a day.


    Lumoof looked around, and then back at the mostly barren, lifeless terrain. Lets call this Demonhound World?


    Not better, but I suppose itll have to do for now.


    Lumoof shared my ability to see the astral paths, and we saw this world had an active starpath to another world. The demons of this world were invading somewhere else, and was also linked to another two worlds.


    Once Ste regained her void mana, it was another choice. There are three worlds we could ess. One, through the rift gates, once we find it, and two internar neighbors.


    Which one?


    Going to the invaded world is definitely going to be a habited world. Were trying to reach the demon sun this way, so, logically we should be going in the other direction. Ste, is there a way to trace the rift paths backwards? Like, to see old rift paths?


    Edna stared back at Lumoof. Shes napping!


    She can hear me. Lumoof retorted. I know shes not really sleeping, just closing her eyes.


    Ste turned, and yawned.


    Yeah. So you know how roads, after they are not used they eventually stop looking like roads. But Im not sure whether these void sea roads leave any... marks.


    Edna looked at Lumoof. Youre saying that since every demon world must have been invaded at some point, there must be a demon world where that was the source. By repeatedly following the source, if such a thing is even possible, you suspect we eventually get to the demon sun.


    Exactly. Youre smart!


    Ste yawned. Void mana decays very quickly. No marks.


    What about core mana?


    Core mana decays when exposed to any form of light. The mixture doesnt stay stable for long. Once the rift path copses, its gone.


    Lumoof paused. There must be a better way to do this than just randomly hopping, I think. What about the rift gates? Do they have an origin coordinate to call?


    No. Ste said. I checked.


    How these rift gates are made is still a mystery to me.


    Ste nodded. They are spawned.


    Edna looked back at Ste, seemingly thoughtful. Actually- Let''s say our suspicion that the demon sun threw aet our way, thiset must exist in both perspectives of the demons, and ours, even if its movement is erratic in one of them.


    It would appear as if its teleporting. Ste said.


    Lumoof shrugged and sighed. I dont get it. Youre using void mana, and the demons are using void mana. Why does it work so differently? Is the rift gates doing something were not? You say they look at it differently, and our views and theirs are different. But that cannot be the case, is it? There must be an absolute truth somewhere, even if its beyond our scope of understanding.


    Before Ste could continue, Lumoof went on.


    Like, is void manapressing dimensions or something? Or does it ttens perspective, and its the users perspective thats ttened-


    Stes eyes widened and she stared back at Lumoof.


    What.


    You might be on to something. Ste said and she went on a monologue, speaking her thoughts for all to hear. Void mana as a mechanism to tten one of the dimensional axes is worth exploring. Perhaps there is something within the rift gates that were not studying properly. If lets say void mana is a form of anti-dimensional mana, then the star mana, which eliminates and offsets void mana, is an extradimensional form of mana, or at least, contains some kind of super-dimensional quality. Thus they just copse on each other when they interact inrge quantities. Our initial assumption of star and void mana as matter and antimatter is a close enoughparison but clearly misunderstands the way they work.


    Im lost. Lumoof said, and Edna just shrugged.


    Edna just closed her eyes and teased the priest. Youve awakened the thinking Ste. Im just going to take a nap.


    Ste then continued. If thats the case, its possible to posit that Core Mana are actually a form of node. Wait. No. It might be that core mana is a form of origin marker, which allows void mana to achieve stability as it copses one of the dimensional axes. Wait. Wait. That may not make sense either. Core Mana could be a ne of reference that allows the void mana to have directionality.


    I was equally lost, but I suppose it makes sense to some people out there. Perhaps the void mages would be interested in such academic discussions.


    Ste flicked a finger and a magical notepad appeared. She began repeating the whole thing, and once done, she passed it to Lumoof. Send this back home for the archmages. They should start exploring how to go about doing this.


    Lumoof shrugged, and activated our teleportation ability. The void mages would have a lot to do. How long more before we can start going somewhere?


    The void mageughed. Another two hours.


    Oh Aeons! Ive got to bear with your magical mumbling for another two?


    Hey!


    Im kidding!


    ***


    They picked one of the other worlds at random, and it was another demon world.


    Well, if were heading towards demonworlds, that should be a good sign, right?


    Edna nodded. The demons of this world took the form of gigantic turtles, simr to the gigantic lizards seen on the anti-magic world, but also subtly different.


    Demon Turtleworld.


    Demon Turtleworld it is. Edna sighed. We probably shouldnt reduce the name of a ne to the single first thing we see.


    We say that but we still do it.


    Lumoof looked back. Im wondering whether this is really the best way to do it. Have we tried to just use the rift gates and just call home.


    Ste rolled her eyes. Of course we did. Theres a barrier. So we cant.


    Hmm. Would we encounter a barrier eventually? Howd they make such a barrier anyway?


    No matter, lets go look for a rift gate. Ste said, and it wasnt hard to find one. The riftgates were very visible in therge, barren ins of the Demon Turtleworld and so once we found it, Ste captured it and stored it in her own personal supersized magical bags of holding.


    The reason for looking for the riftgate was simple. It allowed Ste to find this worlds riftgate number, which does seem to be somewhat corrted to distance from the demon sun.


    Yup. Were somewhat in the right direction. Lets keep going.


    Got it.


    ***


    It was not a demon world, and instead, theynded on what appeared to be... storms and clouds.


    Stes magical shield twisted, as her shield was battered by lightning. There were strong storms around them. And yet, there didnt seem to be anynd, or earth. Edna and Lumoof both levitated around her, aided by their own levitation artifacts.


    A gas giant? She looked around. Nond at all, but the gas, was so thick and dense, it seemed like there were bright rivers of cloud


    She extended her senses to the world around her, and through the clouds. Lumoof did the same, but he was ufortable in this world of gas. In fact, I was ufortable too. I didnt like being so far away from solid ground.


    Its just a nagging sensation, about being away from earth that I dislike. It was gas and cloud as far as I could feel to our surroundings.


    There was nothing below us, or at least, nothing except those thick flowing rivers of dense clouds, intertwined with some kind of magic.


    Leylines, forming rivers of clouds.


    This was a strange, strange world.


    Edna looked up, and squinted. Hmm. Look at that!


    Huh? Ste stared, trying to see what Edna saw. The knight had the best eyesight of the three, her physical abilities augmented by her levels and abilities. Where?


    There.


    Ste and Lumoof followed the general direction of her finger and extended their respective magical senses in the general direction. They felt something, and then, Ste manipted the bubble of magic around the three and levitated them in the general direction.


    As the three moved upwards, bolts of lightning from the storm clouds around them smashed into her magical shields.


    It felt like forever, and those bolts of lightning were powerful.


    Alka would like this. Hed probably try to store some of this stuff in his crystals.


    They floated up the skies, and Ste felt the magical energies around her churn. Weird.


    There were rivers of energy, in the form of clouds that flowed in this world. Ley lines. Such a strange phenomenon.


    They floated up even higher, and now they could begin to see the sun and the skies above. The sun of this world was very bright, but very small.


    I shouldve been more careful. Ste said as she continued to levitate everyone closer to the stars. I just checked that theres nothing obstructing us.


    There really was nothing obstructing us. Lumoofughed and then we began to see what Edna saw.


    It was hidden, small and high up in the skies. The stormy clouds and lightning made it hard to even see, but then we saw it.


    A floating ind.


    ***


    The trionded on the ind, and looked at what appeared to be t on the top. There were no nts, its surface was bare.


    Ive got no expectations. Lumoof shrugged, Ste did. She expected an ind with trees and probably some people.


    Nothing. But why was the ind floating?


    Lumoof looked at Ste. Well explore this ce for a bit, but if theres nothing, we should get going. The other worlds await us.


    Ste nodded. Yeah.


    The ind itself was really empty, but then Lumoof paused and examined the rock itself. Why did it float, and then Lumoof deployed avatar mode.


    My roots entered the stone and rocks of the floating ind, and then, as I kept searching, I felt the presence of something at the center of the floating ind.


    Through my roots, I created [Root Tunnel], and both Edna and Ste went to the location where they saw a small ck stone que. It radiated a presence that felt familiar, and it emitted a strange energy that pushed back against mine.


    And it was really, really old.


    Ste approached it, and then she stopped. Aeon. Its divine energy. Or at least, a half-decayed version of it.


    As Ste squatted around and examined it, she looked at Edna. Ive got a theory.


    And you want me to listen? Edna groaned.


    Yeah.


    Next time?


    Fine. Ste pouted. Lumoof get down here.


    The root tunnels shouldst for a while before they start to copse, so Lumoof rushed down and reached the strange que. Lumoof squinted at the etchings on the que. Lets keep it for now and lets keep moving. We cane back to this Stormworld some other day.


    Lumoof released vines and wrapped around the stone que, and with a bit of a tug, sent it home. It went directly into one of my research pods, along with the old divine wooden log.


    The entire floating ind started to shake. We got to go.


    Ste nodded, and began to scan the starways. Alright, goodbye, Stormworld.


    ***


    Spaizzer


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 235. Hedges at the Dark

    235. Hedges at the Dark


    <b>Year 237</b>


    It began with a challenge.


    Aeon wouldnt actually do it. Some of the nobles said. A statement echoed by many throughout the world. Those older, and have seen the more violent era were wise enough to know I would, and they tried their best to persuade those sitting on the fences.


    Its one of those cases where there really was a generation gap in thinking. Those who grew up during the first few decades of my rule would remember me doing what I needed to do. Those who grew up in the post-Freshka dominion would not, and so they highly doubt my resolve. Partly because a lot of the duties and battles became things that urred without much fanfare.


    The wars were fought by Valthorns and the elites, using means that most young nobles would not see.


    Would Aeon actually do it? Some younger nobles met with Matreearch Hoyia after a regr sermon. The threat of capturing all the leaders.


    Her wrinkled eyes seemed to smile. A priest does not doubt her Gods words.


    But- The nobles protested her answer, she nodded and began to walk away.


    Again. A priest does not doubt ones god. If Aeon does not act, it is because Aeon chooses to do so.


    How would Aeon do it? How is it even-


    The old matriarch just smiled. Look around the continent, young one.


    ***


    It seems the nobles love to bother you, Hoyia.


    Hoyia smiled at the other old man, also dressed in the same robes. One of the fellow decarches of the Treeology, Patriarch Walfad. I hear youve been bothered just as much.


    Do you remember thest time Aeon issued such a public threat?


    Hoyiaughed. No.


    This is an entirely predicted response.


    To some extent, it worked. For a while. In the few months following the threats, the propaganda quieted down, and all the participants in the war seemed to just take the precautions. The war between the guilds and the Holy Empires of the four continents seemed to take more of a conventional approach.


    But it didntst, and soon the participants all returned to their old ways. I repeated the threats again, and this time, had my void mages deliver little messages right to their doorstep.


    This spooked them, and I needed stronger deterrence.


    So, I escted my response. I hauled up the propaganda masters of the empires, and also the warring merchant guilds with a contingent of void mages, where they came face to face with my main body directly.


    Where I then deployed the age old tactic of intimidation by sheer power. The weight of my presence deployed on these level 50s to 60s [Rumourmakers], [Plotters], [Spies] and [Rabble Rousers].


    It made almost all of them pee in their pants. I was fairly impressed with those that could hold their own.


    Do you know why you do what you do? I asked the few that could still stand. Even together, the level gap was sorge that they couldnt. Some of them brought out their weapons, their items. They failed before my shields.


    Its interesting that ones soul was a weapon. The weight of our presence was a tangible thing that we could control.


    Weaponized.


    -I didnt know youre real.


    Its just sometimes horrifyingly annoying that people dont believe what they dont see. No, even when they see it, they just think youre not real.


    Really? Even those with Aeonic sses?


    Those sses... they are super rare in the continental states! Thats not true. I could sense their presence. Those who believe in me, and thus gain the Aeonic sses are scattered on all the kingdoms, and even in the Mountainworld.


    I was silent, and the crowd of inciters shuffled ufortably. This power, to find and pick up the masterminds all over the world is something that tyrants would kill to have. All because of an army of artificial minds and trees monitoring and tracking everyone of any value.


    A power unimaginable to our world, but possible here.


    Power and magic shapes societies in different ways, magic and power adds power and tools for a tyrant to rule. A world like this, with this sort of system, is pretty much designed for tyrants.


    Every god is a tyrant. Every god imposes their will.


    The inciters were ufortable, and then, one of my spymasters emerged. Spymaster Varida had served us for decades, and he grinned at those present.


    Some of them recognised him. You! Youre that merchant!


    Oh. I am a merchant in service of the great Aeon, tasked to haul you fools here. We are here to remind you, to y within the bounds set out for you.


    Many knelt for forgiveness. Some fainted, again.


    A tyrant flexing his strength on the weak. I felt disgusted at myself for doing so, but I remembered Lillies words.


    Mortals need pain to remember. This was only normal.


    You will be released this time. But next time-


    A portal opened, and the Lavaworld was clear for all to see.


    We intend to send those who break the rules of engagement to the demonworlds. And we mean it.


    One of them stood, a priest of Gaya. Youre a demon god! You have the power to ess the demonworlds!


    Varidaughed. It seems you fail to see our perspective. Let us provide you with some... dreams.


    The priest looked horrified. Mental reeducation. Perspective. I wish it didnt have to do so. But these folks escted the conflict, and brought about the threats of a wider scale war.


    [Dream Academy].


    The inciters were all subjected to a dream, where they saw the demonworlds, and the various conflicts with the demon king.


    Dreams of death and destruction.


    Blood. Suffering. Pain.


    There will be no clean hands in the path I pursue.


    I value choice. I value freedom. But with choice and freedom,es consequences.


    This path to end the cycle requires me to make some sacrifices, and for the rest of the world, they will have to suffer under myws.


    Every ruler imposes their will orck thereof. Their power shapes the world.


    There arews. You may not agree with it. Varida answered after the session. The inciters were all shaken. It was one thing to incite conflict and flee before suffering the consequences, it was another to directly experience suffering. But until you are powerful enough to overturn Aeonsws, you are subject to it.


    There was not a whimper of protest.


    Remind your Emperors and Kings, that it will be their turn soon enough. You are free to go.


    They all knelt in gratitude.


    I felt disgusted again, but this is the steps I must take.


    This is the blood on my hands.


    I ept them.


    ***


    The propaganda shifted once these inciters were returned. A few were so mentally distraught they were unable to perform their duties any more.


    Regardless, a message was sent.


    I could reach them all, and the Emperors truly feared my reach. The merchant kings were horrified to see what was done to their chief strategists, and the letters in their rooms made it clear they were next. If they were not paranoid before, now they were. Trees were chopped down and uprooted. Not a single nt in their chambers and castles. Even nt art or flower motifs were removed and ouwed, those who drew nt art were now suspects to be my worshippers. It was the greatest anti-nt movement, even if they dared not publicly arrest them.


    One emperor even decreed that he shall have no vegetables or grain on his meals, demanding to consume only meat, fish and bread.


    But these days my trees can see a lot further, and my roots are a lot more discreet. My vines can sneak through the gaps in their stone castles easily, even those made with skill and enchantments.


    Enchanted castle walls. Enchanted floor panels. What was their skill and ability before the weight of my domain?


    It was no more than a paper wall before a bulldozer.


    I broke through them easily, and I did so publicly.


    It was an event unseen to therger public, but the nobility all learned not to throw stones.


    The vassal wars continued, but this time, without the attempts to test my limits, and the scopes of engagement were now properly respected. To reinforce thews of engagement, Imanded the Valtrians to set up branches in each of the continents, so that the continental kingdoms could benefit from the same protections afforded to the merchants.


    ***


    Its probably the least bad option. Prabu said as he ate. The heroes had their own preparations, mainly for the next demon invasion on Mountainworld, and ording to Zhaanpu, they also needed to prepare for the demon king two years after that on the Threeworlds. Mountainworld already had rifts opening, and a few of the void mages there were deployed to perform scouting.


    Kens age really was showing. His hair was now all white and some were falling off. He had the best medical and healing abilities we could offer, so despite his age, he could walk and move just fine. But age was the slow decay of the soul blueprint. A person aged both in body, and soul. It is why when the body is healed magically, it recreates or regenerates to the aged body, instead of the body from a long time ago.


    Least bad? Aeon could do much more. Take away the tools of war.


    You know thats not practical. The archmage hero said.


    Ken smiled. I wouldve forced them to sign a treaty. Have some kind of Geneva Convention.


    As if such a convention has teeth.


    Eh, if it somehow gets absorbed into the system, it would.


    Thats quite a fascinating idea. Prabu actually took the idea seriously. Since the system does respond to changes, and has the ability to create new sses, there must be a way to influence the system.


    Youre going into wildly theoretical realms here. Kenughed. But honestly, I think you heroes are unlikely to be able to affect the system. Its likely that domainholders who get such privilege.


    Mountainworld was invaded by a type of harpy-demons, which highly suggested a flying type demon. Not the worst type of enemy to deal with, since we had a wide array of anti-air equipment.


    Thats a little heavy handeding from the man that thought this was a religious fascist empire. Prabu smirked. All the heroes except Khefri were in the Mountainworld. Khefri instead returned to Threehome to prepare for their own set of demonic invasions.


    Ken choked on his drink, and thenughed. The hell with you.


    The void mages had triangted the location, so the strategy was the same as thest time. The heroes punched through the spawned demons to im the arrival spot, and began to rig the ce with bombs.


    In order to encourage the leveling of the level 130s and 140s and get their domains, all the domain holders did not participate in the preparation or thebat. Instead, the preparation was significantly performed by the 130s and 140s.


    But Roon, Johann and Alka were not far away, just in case.


    The locals had never seen so many high leveled individuals in one ce, since many of these Valthorns were frequently never seen in public. They would either be fighting in dungeons, or working in some secret location, or battling it out on the Lavaworld.


    The heroes didnt mind. They were essentially the superheroes, and we were the supporting cast. Rigging the battlefield was our strength.


    ***


    White the preparation was on the way, a group of void mages snuck through the rifts to visit the world of the Harpy-demons.


    It was a world filled with soaring cliffs, covered in demon spawning pools. The demons had somehow adapted, their spawning pools in the form ofrge bird nests. These spawning pools on these cliffs then had bird-like eggs that hatched these harpy-demons.


    Harpy demons were the mostmon type of demons in this world, but they also had giant demonic birds that could manipte fire and lightning, and giant demonic goats that could leap really high and with magical horns. The few champion types we encountered wererger variants of these three demonic types.


    The void mages raided a few of their rift gates, found their pit, ced a few listening devices, and then got out.


    We ruled out engaging the demon king on their home until we found out what exactly the countermeasures were.


    ***


    Some of Ednas knights on Mountainworld came equipped with specialized Anti-air swords. Edna, during the years since she gained her [knights quest] ability, consistently attempted the quests monsters to unlock all sorts of different weapons.


    And so they had an assortment of strange, unusual swords, such as these Feather-buster Swords. She left them in her Knight Orders care, for use at their discretion.


    Along with that, the crafters and cksmiths also builtrge ballistas, rapid fire arrow-machines, throwers, harpoons.


    The heroes didntin about our spawn camp strategy.


    It was also a good thing that the site of the invasion was already attacked by demons, so there were very fewmoners and regr folks to notice therge amount of items and preparations we made.


    ***


    Snek had given up on the rans back on ra. His focus, for now, was the small group of young rans that went through training. About two hundred went through the whole rigmarole of training to be Valthorn tier, and honestly, of the two hundred, we found almost three quarters of them to be inadequate.


    Only fifty matched the usual markers for progress to the level 60 to 80 range.


    It was a tough message for Snek to swallow, but eventually he understood that it was a game of numbers.


    If you hoped to create one hero, and the odds of that hero was one in a million, you really had to have arge pool to pick from.


    The rans refused to respond to Sneks other proposals, at least, until he had something to show for it.


    All entirely valid points, and I was not keen on moving rans to other worlds, since I absolutely did not understand them as a society. At least the Canari lived on Treehome for long periods of time and I understood the forces and factors that mattered in their culture.


    I could, of course, use my ability to level up any single ran to level 60. But I was rather sure it would backfire. A poor, unfamiliar level 60 would only send the message that high levels didnt matter.


    The rans must at least be able to y their local demon champions on their own. Only then we could have a conversation on what and where they wanted to go with their civilization.


    ***


    My worldhopping trio spent some time on another demon world that was filled with more regr demons. I dubbed it Regr Demonworld 2.


    Ste began noticing that the void portals she used to hop to nearby worlds consumed a lot more void mana than before. So they had to spend some time resting and recuperating, before they were ready to make another hop.


    The sensation on this next demonworld was unmistakable.


    They instantly felt as if they were bombarded with waves. It was like being on the beach when a storm was raging, the violent waves crashing onto the shore.


    The reason was simple.


    There was a burning wall of darkness, upying the skies above and beyond this worlds sun.


    A wall in the void sea itself.


    I wondered whether this was a barrier meant to prevent incursions.


    Despite the wall, Stes vision could see clearly and noticed something moving very slowly in the void sea, though it remained out of range.


    I need more time to observe whats happening here. Ste said as she immediately got to work. A wide array of monitoring equipment immediately emerged. I need to get a team here with me. Theres way too many things to understand here.


    Lumoof looked around. Alright, Ill get in touch with those back home, and get started on the amodations. The barrier emitted a constant wave of energy that made life on the surface incredibly ufortable, and so Lumoof activated his avatars ability, and then constructed underground dwellings.


    There were various pre-made temtes stored in their various spatial pouches.


    Edna shrugged. Ill handle defenses, then. Let me just go check out what sort of demons inhabit this ce.


    As it turned out, only champions. The presence of the void waves meant any lesser creature without adequate protection was boiled out of existence.


    Our attempts to discover whats happening encountered another wall. But we now know we are headed in the right path.


    Spaizzer


    You might have noticed my first few chapters are gone. Well. I''m headed to Amazon on 28 of March 2023. First 41 chapters will be edited and published as book 1 :)

 236. Treevialized

    236. Treevialized


    <b>Year 238</b>


    Id feel better if Patriarch Lumoof or Edna were here. Some of the senior Valthorns mused as they prepared the battlefield for the demon king from the harpy world.


    Pretty sure thats what everyone feels. Arjan said as he participated in the preparations. After his departure from the Threeworlds, his new assignment took him to the Mountainworld, to do something he liked.


    Fighting.


    The harpy demons have spawned, and with multiple rift gates everywhere, the Valthorns participated in a few defensive battles at the invitation of friendly nations.


    Mountainworld had their own high leveled individuals, but there were too few to actually protect everything. The wars between the kingdoms also led to some unfortunate deaths.


    It was a good chance for my guys to gain levels and build goodwill.


    The two local heroes, Adrian and Kelly, zoomed from ce to ce, participating in the defense. They split up, but were supported by a few of my Valthorns just to prevent any unintentional events. It wasnt impossible for a demon champion to kill a high leveled hero, even if the chance was very remote.


    Its my first time fighting a demon king outside of my homeworld. Im nervous. Khefri said as she hung out with the Treehome heroes in Branchhold. They were just one short teleport away from the invasion location, and there were minders tending to them.


    You get used to it, mdy. Do not worry, well be here with you all the way. Chung smiled. Chung was thoroughly smitten with the scorpiondy, and so spent a lot of time trying to woo her with all sorts of things. Chung extensively tapped on the Valthorns to get bookings at the fine restaurants, beautiful beaches and beautiful gifts, but Khefri wasnt impressed at all.


    Prabu and Colette collectively shrugged, though they both really enjoyed watching and gossiping. Hafiz was just minding his own business. Hafiz, as king in his own right, has a harem of his own, though he fairly recently decided to move his kingdom elsewhere. He gave his own kingdom to his harem members, though he still guaranteed their sovereignty and provided them with protection.


    If he dies, itll be just a repeat of what Harris went through, though his harem was a lot smaller.


    ***


    Ken and Snek approached my valley, escorted by one of my Valthorns. Kens hair had turned all white, and some parts balding. He had the best medical services on Treehome, and with the effect of various abilities, he was in exceptional health, but its so easy for it to fall apart.


    Age was like a gradual decay of the soul. The wearing and withering of time.


    Would you not take Aeons offer, Ken? Snek said, during his break away from the young rans. The rans progress was as fast as it could be, but clearly, not fast enough.


    Id like to die properly for a change. Kenughed. In bed, surrounded by my friends. They used to say to die old and with whitened hair is a fortune of its own.


    And what about a family? Snek said. rans used to believe that to die at ones den, surrounded by fellow rans, to be a great blessing.


    Neh. I think its unfair to anyone to be my partner knowing what I know. To be fair, Ken did have some dates here and there, but his dates were usually elves. He had a thing for elves, even if he didnt mention it.


    Eventually, they reached my central valley. Here in the depths of my valley, it buzzed with all the artificial minds, and various strange trees performing all the weird research.


    Snek looked at Ken, and then, Well, Aeon, theres actually a theory that Ive had on my mind for a while. Im not keen on speaking about it with any heroes around.


    Yes, yes. And you want to speak about it within my domain protection. So I allowed the two into my [secret hideout].


    Aeon, have you ever considered that the gods and the demons are actually on the same side? Ken said. It was something I heard before a few times, from my domain holders, no less.


    Yes.


    What do you think of it?


    Possible, but currently no evidence points toward it. The fact that the demon sun has remnants of divine energy strongly suggests they are not friends. My current belief is to approach the gods cautiously, that these gods are no more than higher leveled versions of myself, and their ability to intervene is strongly affected by distance.


    Ken nodded and then continued his own side of the theory. We know that this world copies a lot of abilities and systems from the fantasies of earth, and amon knowledge is that theres always a war in heaven. A war of heaven. The presence of the dead god at least gives credence that there might have been such a war of heaven.


    And you theorize that the demons are one faction of gods?


    Currently, I have three main ideas. One, there is a demon god somewhere. Two, the demons are a creation of God that overwhelmed the God. Three, the demons are some kind of shadow of the gods, which makes them a natural counterbnce of the gods.


    Thatst idea presupposes the existence of a counterbncing mechanism in the system.


    Yes. Ken said.


    It is also fairlymon for demons to be creations of ill will and void energies. What do you think about this sort of theory?


    That also requires a counterbnce mechanism in the system. Hell exists because of the evil of men. That demons therefore exist because man exists.


    I hear your concerns that the gods might not take it lightly if we meddle too hard and upset this bnce of things. But so far, their behavior has not indicated anything unnatural. Perhaps the gods have not gotten to the point of paying attention to them.


    Exactly. The gods barely keep track. But if they did-


    Again, not worth worrying about. Our path takes us to the demon sun, and we will destroy it. Or whatever we need to do to disarm the demons.


    What if the solution requires you to quarantine them. Have the demons focus only on a single ce, a single world, instead of everywhere?


    I thought about it for a moment, and nodded. So be it. If one world needs to be sacrificed to spare the other worlds from the wrath of demons, I will do so.


    What if- What if its you? What if you have to be the demons jailor for the rest of your life?


    I paused for a moment, and asked myself if its the only way forward. I actually dont know the answer to it.


    I know the heroes would. They werepelled to.


    But me? What I did so far was because this thing threatens to destroy us all. But would I go as far as sacrifice myself to stop it?


    I- I might.


    I wasnt sure, but I know its the right thing to do in the long run.


    Does it have to be me?


    ***


    Ste was on the demonworld, together with Lumoof and Edna. It took more hops, but eventually a group of thirty void mages arrived on the world, supported by another fifty or so builders and other generalists.


    They had an outpost to construct, and they deployed a huge amount of magical readers to try and figure out what was going on with the barrier.


    How did it work? Why? Can we break it or get past it?


    The void barrier was extremely fascinating. That my void master asked for help. Is it possible for you to create arge pool of water here, and then invite the zaratans toe and see this?


    I could- but Ill need to protect them from being boiled alive by the waves.


    Even the eighty or so support team had to be covered in thick protective armor and artifacts, at least before they finished construction of the underground base which was simrly covered in many, manyyers of protection to weaken the effects of the void radiation.


    Over the course of three months they built a massive dome that emitted an offsetting energy wave that counteracted the void barriers radiation waves.


    Their studies began to have some sess, as Ste and her team was soon able to identify the flow of energy in the void barrier, and followed its energies to trace it to a certain set of worlds within the void sea.


    Theres a set of ten or sos that maintain these barriers. If we want to get closer, well need to break down the barrier. So, well need to hit these tens and crush whatever machine thats creating this thing.


    We still couldnt see what the demon sun did, but its likely that whatever they did, it either moved very slowly, or it was just some kind of message.


    Alright. So more hops?


    Ste nodded. Yes. Well need more hops.


    ***


    ording to Stes spection, the sun was probably protected by a set of sixty or eighty worlds, each of which had a role to y in the void barrier.


    Of course, Roon, Johann and Alka were rather keen to see some unique demon architecture.


    The demons are clearly capable of building things. Even my own Valthorns had different understanding of the demons. Those less experienced, at least, before our education program, presumed that demons only built spawning pools, and those demon riftgates were some kind of invention from elsewhere, or were ported in.


    Its a very appealing tendency to think of demons as this mindless horde. Its a popr set of thoughts, especially Mountainworld and Threeworld, who view the demons as nothing more than overpowered pests.


    How do we hop there?


    We keep hopping until we find it. Ste said, now that theyve got some idea of where the demons barrier world is. Thatsrgely the only way.


    Cant you level up, get a skill and solve the issue? There has to be a better way than just random chance.


    That requires me actually leveling up. Ste responded over the transmission. Building a starmap is still a work in progress. Their locations isrgely on the demons map, here and here.


    The locations were marked in a magical projection, based off the demon core. We could try to use riftgates to get there, but we dont have enough void mana if its from Treehome.


    What if we use other ces? Like that ce youre at. Do you think it has enough void mana-


    Possible. Ill test it out.


    Roon nodded. Alright. Well join you once were done with these two demon kings. We got oneing our way soon.


    ***


    The seven heroes waited, as I gave the signal. My void mages on the demon world already detected the demon king leaving its womb at the center of their world.


    It wasing out.


    The demon king was a demonic giant of a bird, and the first set of magical traps prepared itself to go.


    Seven heroes, one demon king. A fuckton of traps. This should go quite well. Chung tried to reassure Khefri and calm her nerves.


    My Valthorns retreated to a safe location. They would initiate the bombardment and the traps once the demon kingnded.


    A massive rift opened at the predicted location, and the bird charged out, a flying bird surrounded by lightning. A thunderbird demon king.


    [Demon King Triw has arrived]


    The spells triggered, and the Valthornsmenced fire. The entire Mountainworld felt the sudden surge of magic, as they unloaded the entire arsenal on that specific valley.


    The detonation of so much magic in a single short moment would leave magical scars in the ce for decades toe, and cause the spawn of various magically warped monsters. But that was ater concern, as for now, the giant thunderbird was bombarded with an overwhelming amount of sufficient firepower.


    Holy shit. Khefri had never seen such massive detonations in her life. You guys werent kidding when you said Aeons really hacking this whole thing.


    I know, right? Chung said, as the Thunderbirds wings were vaporized, its entire body filled with scars and burns.


    The thunderbird regenerated, it had tremendous toughness,parable to the older demon kings. But we were also getting better at fighting demon kings, and the firepower we deployed just got bigger and better.


    After the third volley of traps and bombardment, the demon king was already weakened.


    The heroes engaged with their star mana powered weaponry and abilities, and it was a fairly short battle.


    Seven heroes overwhelmed the demon king, to the point it was frankly bullying.


    Every demon king was escorted by a small army of demon champions and regr demons. These other demons were fodder, but even they could distract, weaken, and hurt the heroes. But here, they could focus.


    When the heroes could focus only on the demon king and nothing else, it made the battle nothing more than a one-sided beatdown.


    Even when the thunderbird split into three, and summoned lesser thunderbirds, seven heroes was still too much. The lesser thunderbirds were destroyed by the supporting volleys from the faraway Valthorns.


    This is ridiculous! The Scorpiondymented how her fellow heroes died for nothing. No one wouldve needed to die if you guys were there to help us. I didnt even need to deal with the lesser pests.


    Khefri! Dont drop your guard, the demon king usually has a nuke at the end. Prabu reminded.


    Got it got it!


    They killed the demon king in record time, and the thunderbird was about to detonate once more. It went so well, that it went ording to n.


    They teleported out, and the detonation was a rtively small one. It wrecked the valley and left a huge pile of daemolite behind.


    ***


    Next up, was Threeworlds.


    Khefri spoke greatly about your aplishments in the other worlds.


    Oh, she has?


    Indeed. It seems sending her to the other worlds away from me, had improved our rtionship. Perhaps absence does make the heart grow fonder.


    She just couldnt stand being cooped up. I countered.


    I admit that it is a w of my method of upbringing. It is what I know best. Zhaanpu chuckled. Khefri returned to her little Queendom, where she yed with her own harem once more. Her harem members were frankly a little bored because Khefri was away for so long.


    The Crystal King sent a missive protesting my agreement with you. Do you want me to have it delivered to your outpost up north?


    Oh? He has?


    Yes. They discovered that my hero, Khefri was missing, and traveling to the other worlds. I suspect some of my servants may bepromised, and some of his agents are actively searching mynds. Zhaanpu responded. I normally let him do what he pleases, such small matters are not worth struggling over. But do you want me to intervene?


    Let him search. It didnt take long for me to detect those agents in the quiet, secludednds up north. They found nothing, but they didnt stop trying. Itll just make him more angry, and Id rather not deal with that. Not with the new demon kinging.


    Indeed. The rifts should be here soon.


    That was when the news was a bit annoying. The demon king would spawn in the human-popted Crystal Kingsnds.


    A part of me didnt want to assist.


    But thats not what I agreed with Zhaanpu.


    So, now that the battle on Mountainworld was over, we began to move people over to Threehome, to wage the next war.


    ***


    Since Arjan left Hoofhall, the capital of the centaurs, Eudoxus had continued to work on expanding my influence, indirectly. Most of this was through awareness of another world.


    We didnt need to be so discreet, now that we didnt have any significant ns beyond friendship. Eudoxuss n was to create our own little allied group, and draw the attention of the relicholder of the Centaur.


    I also engaged a centaur diplomat from my Treehome, and now, armed with what we know of Centaur society, publicly sent a delegation.


    The reception was fairly lukewarm, but my centaur diplomat Kinnara was eventually allowed to set up a small diplomatic chamber in the outskirts of Hoofhall.


    We epted it anyway. Some official means ofmunication was better than none, even if the diplomatic chamber was pelted with eggs and other trash every now and then.


    They im we lied.


    They didnt acknowledge the existence of other worlds.


    Its so weird that people think that their world is the only world, when theres so much evidence to the contrary.


    ***


    After the defeat of the thunderbird demon king, quite arge assortment of my Valthorns gained levels. A few of them were now getting closer to the level 150 boundary, but for now, none reached it yet.


    Strangely, one of the closest ones was one of the projectile makers. Ana, a [Magical Weaponcrafter] was now about Level 143, and she had a penchant for making her weapons in exotic locations, and making requests to use ley lines energies to help enhance her tools.


    It rose quite drastically from this battle alone, and she gained 14 levels. Partly because she made quite arge portion of the tools used to crush the thunderbird demon king.


    For the heroes, most of them gained about three or four levels.


    Oddly enough, I also gained two levels despite ying just my coordination and support role.


    [Youve gained two levels. You are now level 240]


    [New domain skill unlocked : Lesser wooden avatars (shareable with pantheon)]


    [You are now able to create up to five lesser wooden avatars with the strength of approximately level 100. You may use these avatars yourself, or you may link them with any of your fellow pantheon domain holders, where they may use these avatars as a split version of themselves. Your pantheon members can gain experience through these wooden avatars, but will be unable to use their domain tier abilities. Once linked to a fellow pantheon member, the wooden avatars cannot change until it is destroyed. Avatars take a year to regenerate if they are destroyed, and can be spawned at any of your clone trees]


    I suppose a conversation with my fellow immobile pantheon members would now be necessary.


    Spaizzer


    Do you guys write Harem? Here''s a harem fic. Feels kinda slow though. But give it a /fiction/65061/the-emperor-zahar-opmc-harem-cultivation

 237. Detreereence

    237. Detreereence


    <b>Year 239</b>


    Whos best to use the avatar? Lumoof shrugged. Anyone, really. Its just a chance for people to see the world for themselves.


    I spawned one of the avatars, technically, the ones that are used by me can be linked and transferred to other pantheon members, but once they are transferred, they no longer can be changed. I suppose thats because this is my pantheon?


    The avatar was surprisingly nimble, and could essentially take any shape I wanted to it take. It was like a living, flexible, ever changing tangle of wood and vines. It could form a face, and could even talk.


    I think this ability came a little toote. Ken mused. Itll totally be a human form for you.


    But its level capped at level 100. Its just a dummy. Prabu countered. Lumoofs ability is way better.


    Lumoofs a domain holder. This is a destructible dummy. You could send it to ces where you EXPECT it to be destroyed as a scout. Ken answered the archmage.


    You mean use it like a summoned creature, like how Johann can look through his animalpanions? Roon said as we analyzed the new ability.


    Yeah, kinda like that. Johanns pets are way more precious than these spawnable avatars. Think about it, we could use it tomunicate anywhere.


    Johanns little pet dragon was actually a lotrger than expected. A spawn created from the dragonbones, it was some kind of fire dragon, with jet ck scales. Based on my estimates, itll get stronger as it ages, but its still a long way to maturity.


    It was also one crazily hungry creature, and Johann had to pack loads of meat for it. Its a great thing he had bags of holding that could easily store and preserverge quantities of meat.


    Without bags of holding, the animalpanion would probably suffer for it. Johann imed that the pet could survive off his magical energy alone, but would not be able to grow during that period of time.


    Within the Valthorns theres also a debate between whether its better to level up my domain holders, or just try to create more domain holders.


    Ive mostly decided to focus on creating more domain holders, but this argument stilles out every now and then. But thankfully, it seems I still gain levels just by nning and supporting all the demon king battles.


    Lilies was surprisingly interested in the avatar. They have made something of their own after all, but it wasnt all that interesting, and the limitations were so annoying that their avatar was functionally useless.


    This one, at least, would retain some of their strength, at level 100, and allow them to gain experience from the other worlds.


    Liliesnguage and sensation felt more keen, more interested, and so, if an avatar was what swayed their position, so be it.


    Aria and Aispeng naturally booked one. Theyve been carving up various models of their avatar with ice, but their condition was really vain. I want to decide what my avatar looks like.


    Thats a small matter.


    Alright!


    The second avatar was granted to Aria and Aispeng, and Aria tried her best to recreate how she looked like, from a long long ago, as a human. She really wanted to be a human once more.


    Once I created the avatar and linked it to her through our pantheon, she was off fiddling with her avatar.


    I also took the chance to offer it to Zhaanpu. Zhaanpu didnt ept my pantheon membership due to his concerns about the interactions with the gods pact.


    Tempting.


    But no answer.


    ***


    This avatar ability on its own is pretty average. Lumoof said, But Aeon, the fact that you could share, really opened our minds to possibilities. Imagine for a moment, if all the domain holders abilities were concentrated in a single body.


    Itll be as strong as a hero. Ste said. Or more.


    It may be a good idea to explore the way it works, and to use Aeons soul-magic to explore whether we could link power.


    So we are building off the power of friendship, literally. Steughed at how corny it was. But I like it. Linking and concentrating the powers of multiple souls in a single body seemed like a great way to create something where the whole is so much more than the sum of its parts.


    It really made me have a different perspective of the soul-stitching mechanism of hexbombs and blood-soul magic.


    If you could somehow adapt the links within hexbombs to amplify the power of multiple domain tier individuals, somehow allowing a single avatar to express theirbined power, we could really create a god-level war machine. Hacking the avatar function to host multiple and allow them to amplify each others ability would really create something world breaking.


    Looks like we have sort of a roadmap to the end. Cometworld as the delivery mechanism, and a multiple-avatar in a single unit as the weapon or warrior to destroy that damned demon sun.


    Sharing power was always a part of my repertoire. My familiars were a means of sharing power, and so I really liked this idea. It seemed consistent with the path I took so far. It seemed usible, even if it involved linking multiple people together.


    Maybe its some kind of pantheon ability. Lumoof wondered. We know that sometimes, if we think about it enough, the system finds a way to give it to us.


    What- Ste looked surprised. Oh. Youre trying to tell the system that we want this sort of pantheon ability.


    Yeah. Ability tobine powers across the pantheon.


    Well, then I want the ability to manipte the movement of an object through the void sea. Ste pretended to pray to the system. And the ability to break down that void barrier.


    Edna justughed at her two fellow domain holders. Why dont you wish for the ability to destroy the demon sun while you are at it.


    Yeah! But that sounds so vague, yknow. Ste said. I think what the system awards usually has some specificity, like we roughly know what we want. Itll give you a hammer if you know what exactly a hammer looks like, and what you expect it to do.


    ***


    It wasnt hard to infiltrate the crystal kings territory. The Crystal King maintains nominal control of all the smaller kingdoms in his territory, just like how Zhaanpu controls all the smaller desert cities and nations, or how Hoofhall oversees the lesser centaur tribes.


    That meant, it was very easy to disguise ourselves as people from other kingdoms and cities, and we also had invisible means of infiltration such as my trees. I was fairly sure the Crystal King sensed me, but it hadnt gone as far as to order outright deforestation.


    The rifts soon spawned demons, and we were greeted with therge demons with axes and wings. In short, the regr demonworld.


    One of the theories that developed from the void archmages, was that worlds that are closer to the source of the demons should be more regr-demon like, than those who possess unusual characteristics like the parasite world or the sandworld.


    The idea was that the variance in the demons is something that umted over multiple invasions.


    His idea was, Demons invaded world A. Demons spawned by world A possessed some additional characteristics adopted from the World As cores. Demons from World A then invaded World B, and captured it. Demons from World B thus had qualities inherited from World A and World B. Over time, the demons would be wildly different from each other, depending on the path it went through.


    We also observed that each generation of demon king, even though they mightvee from the same world, had minor variations, so this suggested that the core of each world essentially had a certain degree of flexibility in the powers granted to its demon king. We saw this when wepared the Sabnoc demon king we faced, and the Sabnoc-type encountered by Adrian and Kelly.


    The different types of demons we encounter was the result of cumtive adoption of traits from multiple demon worlds. Its perhaps intentional, perhaps unintentional, but this was a natural theorem arising from the demon spawning mechanism that adopts its host worlds qualities.


    Thus, working backwards from this idea, worlds where the demons were in and regr were thus a lot closer to the demon sun, than those further away from the demon sun who went through more jumps.


    Its a theory, a hypothesis which we cannot quite prove. Each demon core didnt keep records of how many worlds came before it. Or at least, not that I know of. Perhaps there is some kind of gic marker within its core.


    Anyway, that digressed. We found the rifts quickly, and they spawned regr big demons with ming axes and the like.


    Typical demons, in short. Frankly one of my favorites, because of how big they are.


    Some of my void mages snuck through the rift, and found anothervaworld. Which we named Lavaworld 2.


    We roughly triangted the location of the demon king, and then we encountered resistance.


    By the order of the Crystal King, stop what you are doing. The crystal king sent a small army to any location where they detected our presence, and it decided to camp at where we wanted to set traps.


    The demons spawned, and they fought it.


    We should just let the demons overrun them, then continue with our work. The Valthorns quipped as we helped the crystal kings minions fend off the demons.


    I asked Zhaanpu for his assistance.


    He will not be cooperative. In fact, Im fairly certain his preferred response is to let Khefri die, and a new batch of heroes get summoned, so that he can have one hero under his thumb.


    Ridiculous. I answered.


    Havent fought his forces over the centuries, yes, that is what the crystal king is like. Actually, if I was in his position, that is what I will do too.


    -what.


    Its just politics. The bnce of power is upset by the presence of heroes. Their response is normal. The only saving grace is that the pact forces us not to use heroes against each other. But, each hero makes hero-items, and hero items still have plenty of power. If I was the Crystal King, I wouldve done so with probably much better finesse.


    I sometimes forget that Zhaanpu is just as maniptive as any other domain holder. Ive lucked out that the first domain holder I meet is Lilies, who seems just happy to hide away in their littleke like a hermit.


    I wonder whether Lilies would be best suited to advise on how to merge the powers of multiple domain holders, since Lilies is after all some kind of hive mind.


    It was another thing in the list of magical research to pursue.


    ***


    The Vassal wars threat was not as serious, once the fangs of propaganda were weakened. The Holy Emperors continued to use their power to push back against the merchant guilds, but their leaders took greater control of public opinion and ensured that they remain focused on the Merchant Guilds, and vice versa.


    The Holy Emperors were also happy to wee my banking services and some of my security people into their cities, which ensured that some of their nations assets were now somewhat secure.


    Yet now, it was the temples who goaded the [Holy Emperors] to continue and push the war against me, despite the differing counsel of their propaganda masters and strategists.


    Thus, it was time to flex my might once more, and stain my roots and branches with a bit more blood.


    I invited another group of senior priests from all the four temples toe meet me face to face.


    I didnt do this before, since thest time I met the senior leaders of the Aiva Temple was really long ago and I never met them again ever since. All our dealings with Aiva were through my agents and proxies.


    It was something that none of the temples publicly stated, because it would greatly impair the nobles confidence in them. What sort of protection could they offer if their own leaders couldnt protect themselves.


    The three triumvirs of Aiva, the first priest of Gawa and Hawa, the council of five of the Neira were all captured and then, through void magic, sent my way.


    It was something toe face to face with some many priests, and I thought they withstood my presence a lot better than the first group of propaganda spreaders and plotters. The priests were far moreposed, and they were trained in the priestly ways tobine their auras to resist my own.


    Yet it shook them.


    All of them looked sick. Unlike the earlier group, they never doubted my existence. They only challenged my rising divinity.


    Yet, the presence of my [domain] at level 200 was a weight they could not deny. My own people spoke of it as being face to face with a force of nature, as if one was in the way of an avnche, gazing into ones doom.


    But they were brave.


    These men of faith, for their nagging resistance and struggle against me, had incredible nerves. One of the bravest, a priest from Gaya, stood, his legs shaking, his fingers shivering, his face as pale and purple as one could be, but still he said with every word in his soul.


    Aeon, you resist the call and prayers of our gods. He tried his best to speak, but each and every word shook. Why have you brought us here?


    I brought you here to talk. And, first, I was never given a chance to ept your call or prayer. I responded frankly, and if I remember correctly, the Gaya faith didnt like trees that much. A century or so ago, the four temples dered a crusade against me. For what? I tried to sue for peace. For coexistence, but your gods, or your leaders then dered I should be crushed.


    They were silent. The edicts of their own gods back then were clear. <i>Crush the pretender.</i>


    Only Aiva was wise enough to pull back. The priests of the three temples heads all turned suddenly at the Aivan priests present.


    What? They red usingly, their question aimed at their peers. Exin yourself.


    I spoke to Aiva. Many shouldve felt its presence those years ago.


    -you received a message. The priest tried to downy what I did.


    The Aivan priests shook their heads. A temporary link was opened.


    What. The other priests red. Youve known how to open a link and youve never shared?


    Its- itsplicated.


    No matter. I said. What matters is right here. Im here, and your four gods are far away, and will soon abandon you. Its been decades since my talk with Aiva, and I suppose its about damn time I start spilling beans.


    Abandon us?


    Aiva said so. The gods reach fluctuates to the whims of the void sea, and the great disturbances of thend beyond.


    The priests paled and looked at the Aivan priests. You know this?


    To- to some extent, yes. The full truth is only heard by the Triumvirs present.


    Lies. One priest barked, but it took all his willpower to resist. If you brought us here to awe us into submission, no, we wont do it.


    I decided I made my message quite clear, and lifted the oppressive presence. The color on their faces returned. I do not expect or require conversion to my faith. Hell, itll be great if you maintain your faith to the best of your ability.


    Then why are we summoned?


    Because this war annoys me. At that moment, a group of void mages appeared. And I realize, were fighting because you dont see the greater enemies we face, nor do you trulyprehend what the demons want to do to our world.


    Greater enemies?


    Perspective. It was a privilege of the Valthorns, and now, it was something I had to share with the others.


    They may be my enemies, but I believe they too, deserve to see the truth.


    Come, they will lead you to see the demonworlds.


    ***


    The leading priests of this generation stared at the vast destends of the Lavaworld, at the hordes of demons that we leave free to roam, so that my Valthorns could fight them for experience.


    It was hell, and intentionally left so.


    This is where you sent the strategists?


    No. They were shown the ce, but no, theyve not visited. Come, let us visit another. The void archmage led them back, and this time, we sent them through a riftgate.


    A riftgate set for ra.


    With our discovery of the riftgates dialing numbers, and the small amounts of core mana granted by the worlds core, we were now able to restore temporary rifts to the demonworlds such as the anti-magic world, ra, and many others.


    Those more distant, or dyed by the void barrier were inessible for now. It cost a bit more void mana to form and link the two worlds, but now that we could, I used them to teach, to share and let them witness the world beyond.


    I decided I would and should extend this experience to the rulers and nobility.


    Perspective.


    It was a weapon.


    It was an idea.


    It was letting them see the sword of Damocles that hung over all our heads. To see the extent of the demons true power, and to unveil the ignorance of their entire life.


    What was remote wasnt so. It was a certainty in the future, even if not their own future.


    The priests were silent, as they saw what happened to the rans. How they now live in little holes rather than the cities of their past.


    The world is a lot more perilous than you know. We face demons who seek to do this to us. To our world. The void archmage said on my behalf. Honestly, those of us whove seen whats out there, cannot unsee it. Why is it even worthwhile to fight over scraps when there are entire worlds out there that can be reimed? Why is it even worth it to fight each other for power when well all get destroyed by something far bigger?


    The gods will protect us. The gods grant us power to resist those who want to destroy us.


    They <i>do </i>want to protect you. The void archmage didnt rebuke them. But they are drifting further away, and their power wanes over longer distances. Your god wants to help, but they are losing the ability. It is our spection that their weakening power is why we have less heroes.


    Its all Aeons fault. His presence blocked the gods'' ability to help us.


    Oh please. Aiva said so Itself. In about two centuries itll all be over. The void archmage said.


    This is sphemy. One priest said. One does not insult the gods this way.


    Is it? The void archmage said. But no matter, with Aeon, we are reaching to the other worlds, to take the fight back to the demons. You folks can indulge in your jostling for position back home, but Aeon does not intend to let you disturb our greater war.


    This system was created by the gods. Your attempt to go against the demons directly is not what the gods nned. I sometimes marvel at the priests ability to warp any position into an argument against me.


    And thats why youre a fool. The void archmage said frankly. Do you not see that this system engineers all of us to die?


    If that is how our gods want us to die, then it is how we shall die.


    My archmage was frustrated, but not all priests were so stubborn. Some saw the other worlds, and now realize what we have be.


    We were not just a temple ruling a continent. Were an organization engineering the goal of destroying the demons for good.


    What is it that Aeon wants?


    The void archmage sighed. It is not something I agree with, but Aeon wants a truce. Well let you fight your wars, but leave Aeon and the Valtrian Order out of it. We have bigger fish to fry.


    Some of them were quiet, they took the offer seriously. One of the priests asked. Isnt this just a ploy to weaken us while you gain more power?


    The void archmageughed. Yes, but youre wrong on one point. We have no need to weaken you. We can crush you now, and it is Aeons mercy that prevents it from happening.


    And you expect us to appreciate that your monstrous god stays his hand? A dictator is still a dictator. A monster.


    The void archmagesughter continued. Oh, I think you are sorely mistaken. Were not looking for appreciation.


    Then?


    I expect you to have the wisdom of leaving the damned beetle nest alone.


    There was a look of absolute horror in all the priests.


    ***


    Spaizzer


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    PLEASE?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?! (So that I can earn more money and write more /Tree-Aeons-Isekai-LitRPG-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0BHXF8KWK

 238. Instreetutional Display (AND BOOK LAUNCH)

    238. Instreetutional Disy (AND BOOK LAUNCH)


    <b>Year 240</b>


    The Crystal King didnt like us on hisnd, and he knew we wereing. He could see it, and so, he sent his men to harass us.


    The harassment involved attacks with magic. His mages and his golems. His vassals stonewalled our attempts to reach the demon kings spawn point.


    Despite the demons from the rifts spawning constantly, the Crystal King treated it everything as if it was under control.


    After a long and thorough discussion with my Valthorns on how to deal with this annoying but powerful piece of rock, weve concluded that he likely respected strength, and any soft approach would not work.


    If we wanted them to give us space to do what we did, I had to show we have every right and power to crush everything that stood in our way.


    This applied to all three factions of Mountainworld.


    My centaur spies told me that they wouldnt respect anyone without strength. The centaurs, who had trials bybat to select their leaders, also respected strength. Eudoxusmented that they even have options for judgements and trials bybat, instead of the more logical, evidence based judgment we applied back home.


    For the Sandpeople and Zhaanpu, I also needed to let my fellow immortal see what I was truly capable of. He had heard stories from Khefri, and felt some of my powers, but I decided a demonstration of my might was in order.


    I didnt like this. It was against my insr, turtling nature. Im also generally quite paranoid and dislike showing off my abilities too much. My favorite strategy was that of a camper. Id build and tech up.


    But time and again, my experience over thest century or two had provided me with evidence, with moments where I realized so much shit couldve been stopped. So many pointless wars, and also the whole silly vassal war shenanigans.


    I needed to flex my powers every now and then.


    A reminder of how high the heavens go, and how tall the tree can grow.


    Remind themon folk that I stood above. Even if I didnt intend to.


    It was the path of the tyrant, and the rice was already cooked. The timber has been made to a boat. The nice tree has been chopped by reality.


    Thinking back, I was rarely nice. I thought power afforded me the luxury of being nice.


    But it was also only true, if the other people realized I had power. If they believe I am powerless, they would be so tempted to cross me. Treat me as if Im not there. A nonfactor.


    The Crystal King once said I came to invade.


    Well, he was right.


    ***


    The site of the demon king wasnt located close to the crystal king, but well within his territory. There were fifteen kingdoms in the way, all human, and all vassals of the Crystal King.


    They had fortified the entire path, and then, beetles appeared everywhere.


    I couldve just used [Root Tunnels] and only invaded the chosen location, but I didnt want to reveal that card. I decided to just invade the normal way, and clear a path in the process.


    It wasnt necessary to clear or attack everything along it. There were segments that we could easily take detours, so we did. But I decided to attack about five fortresses along the path simultaneously for the spectacle.


    Milord! There are beetles attacking all our fortifications! The defenders shouted.


    But where are they from?


    The trees, sire!


    Which one?


    All of them!


    But- how?


    I dont know!


    My beetles overwhelmed the defenders easily, and I equipped a variety of beetles. Some only injected paralyzing poisons, some more lethal. We had to be, some of these defenders were frankly trying to destroy the beetles, but for most, what we did was we flooded the area with so much beetles, paralyzed everyone, and then the beetles moved everyone out.


    I decided to go even further, sending Hytreerion over. Hytreerionsbat abilities, as I experienced in earlier battles wasckluster, but against human kingdoms, the Walker was a walking fortress that signified death.


    He was a walking icon.


    This action naturally invited a response from the Crystal King. It wasnt even hard to detect the magical spells that formed, and theyunched magical projectiles toward my Titan.


    They were slightly more powerful that the magical sts used by the demon champions during the Sabnoc era. Those projectiles smashed into my wall of wooden shields. It was powerful enough to destroy a fewyers of my shields, but my Titan emerged unscathed.


    ***


    Having fun? I asked Zhaanpu, who was obviously scrying the entire battle. He was curious and couldnt help himself. I also knew the centaurs were watching.


    Id say the same to you. That giant creature-


    A former demon champion.


    Ah. That exins the simrities. You have the power to reim them?


    I wouldnt call it reiming, if you know and have seen how they are made. Ive converted them.


    Semantics. Zhaanpu shrugged. If no one has heard of you before, they will now. The Crystal King will take this as the cause for war.


    One can find a reason if thats all he looks for. If its a war he wants, then he shall have. I intend to demonstrate a few more of my abilities and minions, just to show that Im not to be trifled with. Ill take a tense peace over this constant annoyance of warfare.


    For a tree, you sure have a lot of grudges. Zhaanpu smirked.


    Its carved into my being.


    ***


    I flooded the area with beetles, with enough beetles to make the horizon a line of darkness. It was a spectacle, even if it wasnt the most efficient.


    It wasnt even the way I wouldve fought.


    Instead, my strategists called it a parade, and Hytreerion was the big nuclear missile I showed off. I had Hytreerion shoot a few magical sts, and I intentionally didnt interfere with any attempts to scry or spy.


    We wanted them to see, and they did.


    ***


    We didnt need to block scrying at where the demon king was supposed tond. The magical energies once the battle starts usually cause all attempts to scry and view the battle to go crazy. Too much magical energy interfered with such spells.


    But, that did mean everyone could see all the teleportation that urred, and all the crystal bombs and trapped that were deployed at the soon-to-be ground zero.


    Impressive preparations. Zhaanpu praised as he checked the area. Khefri sung praises of your organization, and I see its not unfounded.


    Its the work of an institution, not mine alone. My job is merely to set the direction. In time, your men can participate in this, and gain levels. In fact, if you joined my pantheon and gained an avatar, you could even participate in the battle yourself.


    Zhaanpu thought, and didnt respond to my attempt to convince him to join the pantheon.


    The area was rigged with our usual stuff. Bombs, bombardment towers, ballistas, traps. Snares and harpoons. The seven heroes all rested in a nearby makeshift dwelling, while they waited.


    We had some Valthorns sneak to the other side as usual, to watch for the signs, and nt our listening devices. It felt like we were beginning to develop a set of standard operating procedures on how to deal with demon kings, and I felt cautiously confident.


    The heroes were t out confident, but both Ken and Kei tried their best to talk them out of it. They still needed to prepare, and the demons could easily spring a surprise.


    Our biggest problem, essentially, was we didnt know what we didnt know.


    My Valthorns on the demonworld tried to spy and get some ideas, and it does seem fairly typical. The wildcard that I had to deal with, was the countermeasures. I didnt know what, and where that was.


    Anyway, for now, ground zero was arge, mostly uninhabited valley filled with trees and animals. It wasnt hard to ensure the ce was evacuated, and we were, after all, dealing with a typical demon king.


    ***


    The Crystal King was annoyed. He sent very harshly written missives to Zhaanpu, which was meant for me, because, well, they assumed I was in cahoots with the pyramid-immortal.


    Which wasnt wrong.


    He was fairly amused. One of my Valthorns activated the item, which was imbued with his domains energies. A missive in crystal form, and a holographic memory. It was quite a bit like those crystal image storage devicesmonly found in Xianxia fiction.


    <i>The pact of the Three permits no intruders. Pyramid, if you know better, break off your alliance with this foul invader. His presence threatens us all.</i>


    Zhaanpuughed. Hes taking some legal liberties there, interpreting your presence as an intruder, on par with the demons.


    From his point of view, the difference in our nature is merely in form and methods. We are invaders either way. You three, are the locals, the natives. Its a nativist approach to things. I countered. But Ill say it makes all the difference. It is differences in form, methods, and how we interact that separates friend from foe.


    Again, differences in perspective. Zhaanpu shrugged. I look forward to witnessing this great trap of yours. You seem to have utmost confidence in your prediction of the demon kings location.


    Well, we hope we dont disappoint.


    ***


    My diplomat to the Centaurs, Kinnara, was suddenly a very busydy. Everyone wanted to talk to her.


    Again, as a spectacle, there was a sizable centaur contingent preparing for the invasion of the demon king. They wore ceremonial armor, shy, colorful, not-as-practical. The centaurs wanted proof of the existence of the other worlds.


    The centaurs themselves were fairly fragmented. Each tribe or vige was a small nation on its own, with minimal oversight from Hoofhall, and this was especially so for the far out tribes. The centaurs, as naturally fiercely independent folks, didnt really like bothering each other, though, like tribal ns, they often banded together to fight off the humans or the sandpeople.


    Just like what I wanted to do on Treehome, I decided I needed to give the leaders perspective.


    To open their eyes to the multiverse.


    All in due time, though, I suspect once I do so, the Crystal King and the leader of the Centaurs would take this perspective as an affront to their authority.


    Zhaanpu didnt care as much. Or maybe, he was just hiding it. But I have a sense that hes not really bothered with ruling over people. He often just has to rule, because that leads to the best oues.


    ***


    [The Demon King Malthusian descended]. Right at the location we predicted.


    The traps activated, and in a sudden, the entirety of Threeworld shook from the explosion. The ripple of magic was so intense that even those not normally sensitive to magic felt it.


    The demon king took the form of arge ten-winged demon with four massive arms. But all of that didnt matter when the bombs detonated and its first form was destroyed.


    It transformed into something smaller.


    The seven heroes engaged. But before that, a massive rift gate opened above the battlefield, and demons poured out by the tens of thousands.


    A second wave of explosions and bombardments thinned the demonic horde, and the seven heroes focused on the demon king.


    It was a fairly short battle, all said and done. The seven heroes have gained strength after each battle, even with their weakened star mana abilities.


    The battlefield was littered with magical explosions, and those who sought to spy on the battle soon found the connection to be choppy. Quite like trying to watch a football match on satellite TV when theres a storm outside messing with the reception.


    The heroes won, it tried to detonate itself once more. They teleported out just in time.


    The battle was won.


    More of my Valthorns gained levels. Yet, still none at the domain.


    Maybe not yet.


    Weve got a process. I wonder whether its worth it to replicate this in every world we visit. For the levels and for the spectacle.


    Spread some goodwill, as a dimensional anti-demon force.


    ***


    The domain holders were impressed, but not shaken. But the spectacle was seen by many others. Smaller kings, the vassals of the three Overlords of Threeworlds, all now considered the implication of a fourth force. They were shaken, and many made covert attempts tomunicate with us.


    Against the wishes of their Overlords.


    The questions on their minds were simple.


    What did we want?


    What are we willing to give or trade?


    How would this affect the dynamics of the Three-party-state?


    Were we stronger?


    Many have seen the presence of the Seven heroes, six humans for another world, and one Khefri. It bolstered Zhaanpus reputation, as a wise, farseeing partner able to ally itself.


    My diplomat was frank. We wanted unique resources, talents, and abilities. Powers to help the fight against the demons throughout the world. Kinnara, referred to her office as a recruitment and marketing tform, to pitch the idea of joining the fight. A promise of a fight greater than the world.


    If the people of Treehome grow soft, the must widen.


    Treehome was akin to an oil well, where theposition of its reserves has changed over time. In the past, we dug out more ck oil, more gasoline. But over time natural gas would form arger part of the extracted resources.


    On a long enough timescale, there are no permanent reserves, even if I try my best to preserve and prolong them.


    ***


    Wait. Were invited to visit the other worlds? I had the Valthorns send invitations to all the leaders. Is this a trap?


    The Valthorns who sent the messages to the various lords, and for the interest of things, Ive sent the same invitations to the [Holy Emperor] and [Holy Empress] of the other continents.


    A trap.


    The priests who returned didnt know what to tell them, at least, at first. It was eye-opening, but also horrifying. They generally advised the [Holy Emperor] and [Holy Empress] no. They were too important. They were rulers of an Empire.


    An Emperor does not take holidays.


    But it was no ce for a priest to tell an Emperor what to do.


    An Emperor does what an Emperor does, and one of them was fascinated so much. Holy Emperor Erranuel read the document, andughed.


    Aeon invites me to visit the other world. Heughed to his Court. He taunts me, if he thinks I wont ept.


    The Valthorn was a fairly high leveled individual, at level 100. I could sense he was inwardly annoyed, but the Emperors aura was a strong one. Such was the nature of ruler sses.


    Tell Aeon I am not afraid of him. I will go. Men! Prepare to set sail for the central continent!


    My Valthorn shrugged. That wont be necessary, Emperor Erranuel. A portal will be opened to send you and your entourage across. Along with all the other folks we invited.


    ***


    I think we need a formal tour guide division. My void archmages privately petitioned. Were tweaking the rift gates to make it more of a standardized trip. Theres also the issue of these [ruler] sses. Some of them are using their powers on my people, attempting to sway us to their side.


    Escorting nobility was amon task of spies and diplomats, and thus, I approached the FTCs graduates, the Lords and Ladies of the Central Continent for candidates.


    There were quite a few takers, especially some of these noble sses that didnt want to actually go down and deal with the nastiness of politics. A formal role as Freshkas Inter-Dimensional Tour Guides for these foreign dignitaries was respectable, well paid, and none of the risks of assassinationsmonly associated with war.


    Spaizzer


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 BOOK ONE LAUNCHED ON AMAZON

    BOOK ONE LAUNCHED ON AMAZON


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 239. All Bark

    239. All Bark


    <b>Year 241</b>


    I met the Holy Emperor, and I felt his aura brush against mine. It was quite like a dog, barking loudly against a truck. Pointless. He seemed confident at first, as the Emperor exited the portal. His small army ofpanions and guardians followed, but they were pale.


    He kept a straight face as my aura smashed into his like a hammer. It seems the rumors have some steel behind them.


    The confidantes all didnt fare better. The Emperors aura couldnt protect them, and against my own, his aura was pushed back into a small area norger than the Emperor.


    Likewise. I thundered, my voice these days took the form of the echoes of the forest itself, a thousand trees all speaking at once. They echoed, andyered over each other. Greetings, Emperor Erranuel. Are you ready for your trip across the stars?


    He tried to keep a straight, confident face. I could sense the mild shaking in his fingers, but the fact that he wasnt cowered in spite of my weight made me rate him much higher than I would otherwise. Of course.


    For all the pomp and arrogance, I could feel that this Holy Emperor had a backbone stronger than many others. The arrogance was merely a cover for something more within him, and there seemed like an actual, active mind within him. I will send you to the other worlds, now. Through my power.


    He nodded, and checked on hispanions. I felt him use some kind of power to empower his fellowpanions. Steel yourself, men. We are not cowards.


    Some of them look better, a bit of color back to their face. My teleportation ability sent them through to Lavaworld first. It is not often I speak to you people. I believe your people consider me enemies?


    The Emperor paused and looked back at his men. They were now all in another world, and I noticed him touch his skin, and feel the air. Yes. You are our foe. The threat to our Empires existence.


    Strange you say so, when we offer coexistence at every avable opportunity?


    The Emperor looked at the demons that swarmed thevaworld. He looked rather sad. My advisors tell me you dont mean it. Coexistence is a lie.


    We do. I said. We have bigger foes to face. Our goal is to end this cycle of destruction. If we could hide the world, we will.


    What if thats done? Will you seek to annihte us? The Emperor used, but I realised, that usation came from ignorance.


    What are your advisors feeding you? Do we seem like a bloodthirsty bunch eager to kill at every corner?


    The guilds, do you not fund them in secret?


    No. We certainly dont.


    But the banks?


    The banks are independent entities set up to protect the wealth of the people. Everyone can use them. Including you.


    If you dont fund them, why do you let them go wild? I ensure all the guilds in mynd listen to me. The Emperor countered. Tell your guilds to stop if you mean to coexist.


    I realized there was a gap inprehension. I understood coexistence as a hands off approach. I believed that by not doing anything, Im therefore coexisting with them..


    For an Emperor, everyone reported to him. So, it was natural for an Emperor to assume that by allowing guilds from mynd to attack them, I really did not have the intention to coexist with them. The guilds, in the eyes of supreme rulers, were my minions by sheer association.


    What if I told you that these guilds are truly independent of me, and I have no desire to rule over or control them. Feel free to destroy them if you are able to.


    The Emperor paused. And you wouldnt step in the way?


    Why should I? Guildse and go. They are just temporary groups of people, like a cult of money, or an adventurer party. These are just fickle, temporary existences. Do you care about how the packs of insects form groups or guilds?


    The Emperor had an epiphany of his own, as if he suddenly understood that I really didnt give a shit about the guilds.


    Capitalism and corporations have a tendency of constantly finding the best way to make money. This time, that sadly meant conquering othernds.


    I would stop them.


    Do you stop children from fighting, Emperor? You let them fight, and hope they grow. All I will do is set boundaries, so that both dont end up worse off. But these days, I have to shout to get my rules heard, and even summon the parents and the guardians.


    The Emperor chuckled at the reference. Your child is snatching away my things. But you dont consider them your children, do you?


    I dont. They are folks that happen to live under my rule, but I do not care for their political structures. These guilds, corporations, cults or whatevere and go, and in my lifetime, they will fade. Its almost a certainty. Two, if you cant protect it, you will eventually lose it.


    I wasnt aware you believed in might makes right. The Emperor retorted.


    What stories do they feed people like you? For an Emperor, you must be aware of what bullshit you are consuming.


    The Emperor paused. His aura wavered a little, as he looked at his weakened entourage.


    I see. The priests often say you are the hidden hand, but it seems we have all been too presumptive.


    To me, war is nothing more than aplicated, bloody, selection and training process for my future war talent. For this war. A war for our right to exist.


    The Emperors eyes gazed on the vastvaworld, the wastnds and the demonic hordes that fill the horizon. The perpetual battlefield, and my Valthorns training ground.


    ***


    The war was still fought, of course. Against each other. Like kids.


    But for once, they learned. It was nice to feel like they wont bother the Valthorns. For a few years. Maybe a few decades if Im lucky. Then Ill have to do this whole scare-regime again.


    It is what it is. My new dimensional tour guides did well, they sung praises of my efforts across worlds. The nobles were treated to a life on the other worlds. Of hardship. Of suffering. Of death.


    It was tourism. With my values, my circumstances.


    Many nobles came through with someprehension. The scope remains too hard to fathom, and certainly, its too much to take in from just a three-four day trip across the void sea. My priests were all generally in favor of publicizing the existence of the multiverse to the general public.


    As far as they were concerned, its already an open secret. There were all these folks that came from another world, like the Canari, or those who migrated to the growing Tropicworld. So, it made sense to go all out, and start talking about the other worlds. It certainly enhanced my position, and helped separate us from the regr kingdoms. Everyones gonna get some perspective.


    In terms of finances, my Valtrian Order financial administrators salivated at the prospect of charging a bomb for the privilege of visiting other worlds, and creating true interdimensional trade. Money didnt mean much to me. To me, it is the ability to direct resources and talent that truly mattered. But this was one of the areas I left it to the experts.


    Each trip, theoretically, cost mana. But Ive got so many trees and so many clones that the mana produced pretty much covered all my military and exploratory use. Butmercial trips are usually an entire league of its own, though, I suppose I could set quotas.


    Theyd have to bid for it, or perhaps, a lottery. Then folks get to travel from ce to ce. Maybe it should be a one way trip. Or maybe both, since Id still want some financial revenue. Thatll help make my administrators happy.


    Id sell it like isekai-lite. That these guys start out in another world, with the option to return. Best fresh start for anyone sick of their current situation.


    I was quite amused by the idea, though I was also horrified at how much I think like the gods.


    ***


    Ste, Edna and Lumoof were on the move again. Thanks to more sensitive sensors, and also some artificial mind work, theyve roughly estimated the locations of the barriers source worlds, and now needed to get there.


    As it turns out, Ste figured its possible to abuse the barrier itself, to use the barriers void energies to create a path to those source worlds. The archmages were also getting better at modifying the rift gates.


    They were prepped for a fight, any world where theres some sort of barrier mechanism is likely to be fortified. Unless the demons were so confident. All three took up arms.


    Ready? Ste looked at her two fellow domain holders, and they nodded. This will feel different. Its not a portal, but instead, were going to be in a bubble.


    They warped, and Ste flung the three in that bubble of void mana onto the barrier itself. Ste said it was the equivalent of throwing a t stone across a pond, and the barrier was that pond.


    It bounced, and hopped off the barrier.


    They crashed into a world, their void bubble unstable, but when theynded, they saw a world filled with demons, and a lot of demonic structures.


    Spires of all kinds. The terrain was dry, devoid of all life. Lumoof extended his senses, and felt the core was like any other demon world.


    But it was clear this wasnt any world, because all they had to do was look up, and saw that there was a sun with two ck rings around it. Even from the surface of the world, they could feel the twisted energies of those rings. Stes magical powers focused on those rings, and looked at her two peers.


    Well, the barrier is generated by extracting energy from that strange sun- Wait. Ste looked around, her magical senses traced the energies. There seems to be some kind of space mining. I cant see it, but I can sense them from the magical energies in space.


    Okay. Edna nodded. Weve got some things to destroy.


    Those two rings- theyre producing void mana, somehow. From the suns energies. I could feel them funneling those energies away, into the barrier, but also somewhere else-


    ck suns essentially stored void mana, and doesnt generate its own?


    Maybe it does.


    But not enough to fuel its ambitions. Edna counted.


    So the demons captures, and also capture suns to supplement it? Lumoof said.


    Ste didnt seem sure. There must be something about this sun. We need to get closer. It was quite amusing to realize that all my domain holders all had some kind of summon ability.


    It seemed that as one reached that level, having magical minions was part of the skillset. Lumoof could summon spiritual warriors, Edna, magical knights. Ste could summon creatures made of void mana. Energy beasts. Their summoned creatures fought the demons, while the three continued to survey the location.


    Theary surface was fairly normal other than the high presence of demonic spires and spawning pools. Demons.


    Can you get us to those rings?


    Ste looked. No issues. Same world. Dont even need to spend all that much void-


    She coughed, as she felt her own magical senses blocked.


    Oof. Magical shield. We need to bombard it from here, break down that shield, then teleport onto it.


    Theyre surprisingly thorough. Edna quipped. Sounds like they have some intelligent demons among those present.


    Like the demon parasite champions? Lumoof looked around. The demons on the surface were all regr demons.


    Its possible the demon champion versions of these demons are intelligent. We dont even know its just some or all those demon champions. Ally can think. Its not a stretch to consider those here, are able to think just as well. Edna said, and then looked back at Ste. If you need to bombard that ce, well need reinforcements.


    Ste nodded. Yes. Lets go get ourselves some rift gates. They should have some on this world.


    There were no star paths for this world. This world wasnt invading any other world.


    Getting people onto that world proved significantly harder than expected, even with captured rift gates. Its location was really far, and the way they got there was through bouncing off the surface of the void barrier. It was likely that if the void barrier copsed, a group of them would not be able to return the way they came.


    Unless they had my teleporting familiars, which was fairly limited. Theres like only twenty plus slots, the rest of the Valthorns typically relied on special call-home scrolls to emergency teleport back to a safe location.


    We needed volunteers for this mission.


    Matriarch Hoyia gathered them, and about a thousand of my best Valthorns came for the briefing. Of these one thousand, I hoped about a hundred would agree to make the leap to the other side.


    This will most likely be a one-way trip for a long time. At least, until Aeon deploys a seed on that side of the void sea. Ste, Lumoof and Edna are now on one of the barrier-worlds, where there is a magical structure that the demons use to extract void mana from the sun, via some unknown process.


    Using magical crystals, we could disy images and pictures. Illustrations of what we have seen.


    Aeon is of the view that there is a fairly high risk of death, and his ability to protect everyone is uncertain. It is too far from our homeworld, and call home spells will not work. We do not know what this structure is capable of. But, if we can break down the protective barrier and infiltrate those rings around the sun, we would take a step closer.


    The matriarch shed an image of the barrier world.


    We know something is headed our way. This mission supports that agenda. If it is the long theorizedet of demons, we hope to catch it before it gets near. It is likely behind that barrier.


    She looked at the crowd.


    I understand that some of you may feel that this is a suicide attempt, because of the distance. That is alright. But Aeon will need volunteers. Those willing to go along with the void archmages to make all the jumps needed. At the final part, Ste will be the one opening the portal from the other side.


    A hundred volunteered.


    ***


    Stes void explorer was headed in the other direction. As far away from the demon sun as we could. The other side of the goal was to reach the god-covered worlds.


    See whether we could get allies.


    Talk to gods who could supply us with an army of heroes. One of the void archmages led this part of the project, along with all of our other initiatives.


    Theetworld project met a dead end. It was likely we werent getting the right materials. Or we didnt have ess to the system.


    Veter was one of these void archmages, and he was most convinced of the god-world strategy. It was sensible. If gods could protect their own domain, and even send heroes to further out worlds, the best way to defeat the demons was to reach the gods, and get their help.


    If a bridge could be created via my clone, essentially the gods could just keep summoning heroes, and send them to the far out worlds via mywork of clones. I was the funnel, the canal that helped irrigate the abandoned worlds with heroes.


    ***


    My void-treefolk grew up well. The first of them was in his teens, and didnt disy any unusual behaviors. His physique was reasonable for his age, not exceptional. But his void magic was incredible, and he disyed the ability to manipte small quantities of void magic with very minimal training.


    The lizardfolk experiments were a bit more mixed. Some experienced some challengester in their life as they aged, the void mana seemed to cause problems for their body that we did not encounter with the void treefolks.


    I stepped in a few times to heal these lizardfolks, and beyond that, tried to correct the ws created from the experiments with void mana.


    The archmages wanted to create all types of mana-attuned people. Core mana, or star mana attunement was naturally the next step, though star mana was just as difficult to work with as void mana.


    Luckily, star mana didnt have the tendency of harming the body. Star mana decayed into regr mana, inrge quantities they triggered what we call mana poisoning. Mana poisoning was fairly easy to deal with, Lumoof was one of those who experienced extreme levels of mana poisoning.


    We have not been able to replicate the gods ability to create souls capable of producing star mana like the heroes.


    Its poured in, in the heroes through those magical vases as Ive seen in the soul spring, but the heroes themselves were somehow able to produce some star mana once their soul spring fully converted to that heroic white marble form.


    I still tried to recreate it, though from the name, it highly implied star mana had otherworldly origins.


    Even my own few star mana generating leaves collected energies from the stars, though my earlier attempts to increase my production of star mana had gone nowhere. Among my normal mage-researchers, the creation of star mana from natural sources remains one of the most highly coveted goals.


    ***


    Spaizzer


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 Interlude – Mountainworld Lizardpersons

    Interlude ¨C Mountainworld Lizardpersons


    Chief Jaan was a lizardperson whod seen too much war in his life, and he had seen too many of their viges spawn and younglings die in the wars. Wars against the other kingdoms, wars against demons. It was just war in perpetuity, and he had always thought this was how life was.


    He watched as the matron, the eldest of the females, tended to the spawning pools. Life was cheap.


    The spawning pools gave their vige hundreds of young broods every year, but everyone knew it was a tradeoff. Spawning pools, in which lizardfolks donated their eggs and seeds into amunal pool, were amunal affair. The females of the vige, when they came to maturity, could all produce a special liquid known as <em>spawnfeed</em>. This would be then brewed with other foods andponents into a broth which is poured into the said pools. This nurtured the eggs and seeds from their infancy.


    Naturally, quantity and quantity was a trade-off. Spawnfeed came from the females, and it was a drain on their physique, and its quality determined by how much was produced, and how much they had to make. The quality of the other foods andponents also mattered in the strength of the spawn.


    The first years of a spawnling was their years of haze. Lizardfolk did not gain full sentience and mind until the 2nd year, when they finally stepped out of their spawning pools, but the quality of the food and spawnfeed had a huge impact on how long this took, and the level of intellect the spawns had.


    Yet, in order to ensure some spawn survived the wars, quality was always sacrificed for quantity. So much so that its almost a sacrilege to go for quality.


    Then he saw the visitors for the first time. The knight, Ebon, seemed like a demigod from the ancient tales passed down from lizard-chief to lizard-chief. His presence far outstripped even the strongest that he had met, and as Chief, he had seen many.


    Then, a few yearster, the visitors came.


    With a lizardfolk. A lizard person from the other world, dressed in the bright green insignia of that other world.


    <em>Valthorn.</em>


    Unlike the lizardfolk of the vige, who were generally smaller, and had skinny muscles, this lizardfolk stood tall, as tall as the biggest of the other races, with muscles that radiated power. His scales glimmered when the suns rays reflected on it, a reflection of good health. His eyes were bright yellow, instead of the dull brownmonly seen in the other lizardfolk.


    Everyone fawned, Chief Jaan included. It was fair to say every single lizardfolk stared at Kafa.


    The knights chuckled at their reaction. Kafa, everyones staring at you again. Chief Jaan immediately imprinted the name in their mind.


    Kafa shrugged, he had been through this too many times, this reaction was absolutely normal. Even back on Treehome, healthy lizardfolk were rare, and lizardfolk like Kafa, who were specially bred for pure power and strength? Every tour of the outer continents was met with fawning looks.


    The result of the Valtrian lizardfolk repoption program over the decades, and Aeons dedicated development program, Kafas natural abilities far outstripped the malnourished lizardfolks of the Mountainworld.


    To Chief Jaan, Kafa was living proof that something else was possible. Something other than their endless grind of sending young, malnourished spawnlings to the meat grinder of war.


    ***


    The vige of lizardfolk did nothing. Life in the vige was stable, even if its not ideal.


    The heroes were freed, they broke the demons, defeated the demon king, and the war against the demonic armies came to an end.A new nation in thends cursed by the demon. Jaan heard the news in the cities, during the Chiefs regr tax payment visits to the capitol.


    This was nothing more than background noise to the vige.


    Yet that stability was short, because the inter-kingdom wars long held dormant resurfaced. Old grudges returned, and the kingdoms fought over the right to rule in this new era of peace.


    He was upset when sixty of his strongest lizard warriors were drafted for the war and never returned. Upset, but they did nothing.


    It was when mes of war came for their vige, that they finally were spurred into action. A skirmish that led more of their people dead, and rumors of more attacks.


    They thought of moving, even if that meant abandoning the spawning pools. Unlike the rest of the civilized worlds, lizardfolk had no attachment to their spawnlings, a byproduct of their reptilian origin.


    Eventually, the discussions on migration led back to Kafa. He thought of the new nation in the cursednd, and wondered what kind of kingdom they would be.


    Could their spawn be like that warrior?


    ***


    Branchhold, they called it. It was visible from miles away, the trees of Branchhold seemed to reach so very high into the sky. Thergest of them seemed to touch the clouds itself, and Chief Jaan wondered whether it was just some kind of magic.


    Even the air felt different, they felt the ripples of aura on their skins and their bodies.


    Was this city always here? One of his lizard mates asked.


    Jaan never visited this area, even before the wars, but as far as he knew, no. This ce shouldnt have existed, unless some great magic hid them from the world. I am not certain.


    The leaves of the forests were vibrant, the grasnds had a life in them that theyve not seen elsewhere. There were still fallen leaves, and dried grass, but it seemed like new grass had already sprung up to take their ce.


    The group was greeted by three fullyers of walls covered with vines and roots that looked taller than the highest of demons theyve seen. Beetles crawled on those vines and roots, patrolling.


    The gates were manned by a group of soldiers in bright green uniform. The same uniform of the lizardperson, Kafa.


    Are you here for the resettlement arrangement? One of them approached them. Sorry. I mean, are you refugees looking to move to Branchhold?


    Jaan paused at the words, and realised that they were in fact, refugees. He nodded. Yes. Yes we are.


    ***


    The dwellings they received were strange, located at the roots of the trees. They were organised to different sections based on the race of the refugees, and Jaans vigers received strangely high quality dwellings made out of roots. The roots themselves curved to form these roundish dwellings, and there were pools of water for younglings.


    What was rather unusual, was that each dwelling had their own spawning pools, instead of amunal spawning pool. He made a note to locate a spot suitable formunal spawning pools within the area.


    Greetings, Chief Jaan. One of Branchholds representatives came to greet them, another lizardfolk.


    Ah, greetings, you are?


    Foorang, Im an administrator of Fresh- Branchhold. The lizardperson said. How are they taking to their new dwellings?


    Its veryfortable, but we do find some features a little strange, but may I just check, is this our temporary dwelling?


    Oh. These dwellings are yours unless you find them unsatisfactory. Will you continue to be the chief of these lizardfolks? Foorang asked.


    Chief Jaan paused for a moment. I see. What will it cost us?


    Sorry?


    What will the nobility require of us lizardfolk to pay for such amodation? A hundred lizardfolk warriors per year?


    Foorang struggled for a moment, as he racked his brain for a response. Ah. Uh... I think thats a conversation with the central governing body. There will be reproduction quotas, like how it is organised back on the Central Continent.


    ...sorry, can you repeat that again? Chief Jaan wasnt sure what he had just heard.


    I think its best that we exin this in a dedicated environment. Foorang quickly redirected the conversation, as he realised there was a cultural gap to bridge. For now, will you be the chief of these lizardfolk?


    Why?


    The administrator wondered momentarily. Every new refugee group needs an appointed representative to the Council of Branchhold.


    Ah. Yes. I will be, for the time being.


    Great. There will be a briefing for the new migrants, and you can take two others with you. The council will exin the rules of our city and answer your questions, should you have them. Foorang said. There will be a lizardfolk-specific session as well, which we will first run through with the leaders and matrons.


    ***


    The issue of taxation and drafting was easy to get through. Lizardfolk viges normally paid their taxes by way of manpower. They supplied expendable lizardfolk warriors by the hundreds, and this was their tax to the kingdom.


    A shift towards work and payment by way of production wasnt hard to understand, and Chief Jaan was aware of some lizardfolk viges that paid their taxes by way of swamnd herbs and potions.


    What they struggled with was the change to the policy of spawning pools. It was a concept that they understood, but found it hard to internalise. Lizardpeople were expendable. They bred by the hundreds, and died by the hundreds. A malnourished lizard warrior was half as strong as others at level 10, but they covered that up with sheer numbers.


    Each lizardfolkmunity would be given amunal spawning pool, but it would be located near the giant tree in the center of the city. There were visiting hours, and each matron would be trained. Eachmunal spawning pool was also limited to only 50 spawnlings at a time, unlike the multiple hundreds that they were used to.


    They were briefed on the objective to breed stronger lizardfolks with higher quality of spawnfeed and additional nutrients, and the city would supply specialised saps that would be fed to themunal pools.


    A normal spawnling would take two to three years to mature in themunal spawning pool, so, after the first year in themunal spawning pool, each family of lizardfolks will be allowed to move a small group of spawnlings to their personal spawning pools, if they desire to raise the spawnlings in their own ways. Otherwise, they would remain in the mainmunal spawning pool.


    The matrons have to work with the herbalists and the druids of Branchhold, coupled with sharing of the feed with non-lizardfolks and the spawning limits, Jaan could already see the defensiveness brewing in their brown eyes.


    Some of them were already muttering some unpleasant words under their breath, and Jaan got the full uncensored version once they got back.


    Spaizzer


    Well, my book on Amazon did pretty alright, reached 240 ratings. So, as a reward, I decided to share the once-patreon exclusive interlude on the lives of Lizardpersons. <strong>There''s a second part, which I''ll share when I hit 500 ratings (Come on, buy my book and leave me a rating :P)</strong>


    BUY MY BOOK ON AMAZON


    Or, if you don''t want to, READ <strong>THE JESTER OF APOCALYPSE</strong>


    /series/705951/the-jester-of-apocalypse/


    <blockquote>


    Neave is no cultivator, and if he can have his way he never will be. His desperate struggle to free himself from his father''s grasp eventually leads him to a book. A cursed tome he shouldn''t have touched. After being trapped in a hellish time loop for umpteen years, he is finally free.


    Oblivious to the horrors he had dragged outside.


    Unaware of the apocalypse he would be.</blockquote>


    <strong>FOR ANYONE WHO LIKES JUST MESSING WITH POWER SYSTEMS AND STUFF THIS STORY IS FOR YOU(sorry for caps)</strong>

 240. A Tree Reaches for the Sun

    240. A Tree Reaches for the Sun


    <b>Year 242</b>


    I had a fairly good impression of Emperor Erranuel. He seemed level headed, if a little misguided and uninformed of what could exist beyond his sphere of knowledge. Once educated, he wasnt stupid andmanded his Empire behaved ordingly.


    War was still brutal as hell.


    The merchant kings were far more calctive about things, and they did have a tendency of measuring territories in terms of how much money they made. But, the existential threat was super effective.


    Since that visit, we maintained contact, much to the displeasure of the priests around the Emperor. He had questions, and a curiosity for the greater war beyond Treehome, but s, we are from different factions.


    It was rare to find nobles and administrators interested in the greater war ying out. There were some, of course, and those that did, we would rope them to assist with the greater battle. There was always a need for people to grow our fortifications on our other worlds, such as Branchhold and Tropicsworld.


    Branchhold remains one of the locations where we maintained just that one patch ofnd, legally. But since every nation respected us, and we sent our missionaries, spies and traders everywhere, we were respected as the one true neutral nation in the entirety of Branchhold.


    We also spoke of other worlds more openly. This intrigued the nobles and wealthy of Mountainworld, and, my tour people had more work to do.


    At some point, we would have to allow for more open travel between the worlds, right now the movement of individuals was artificially limited. There were medical concerns, such as the introduction of unusual diseases.


    This factor was negligible with my Valthorns since they had the blessings of my familiars and various abilities, but for civilians with none of that, we were concerned theyd kill themselves without knowing it.


    Even those who went on officially sanctioned trips, we maintained a small team of healers just to make sure they dont suddenly keel over. Its unlikely, but not a good look for us if those that went on trips didnt return.


    ***


    On the Barrierworld, my domain holders and the small group of Valthorns were still at work.


    It would be better if Aeon could deploy a seed here. Lumoof actually suggested, since, with its unusual location, it was hard to ship anything over or back.


    Well need it for the Sun-Rings itself. Ste countered. We settled on the term Sun-Rings to refer to the two rings around the sun. The Valthorns built arge base essentially overnight, and shifted to constructing an array of magical bombardment tools meant to break or weaken the magical shielding around the two sun-rings.


    There was a group of mages that studied those rings, and they im it to be some kind of dyson-ring, harvesting sun energy. I thought that was pretty obvious, but I guess we have to establish foundations, however obvious they are, before we can make more meaningful conclusions.


    The main issue with the bombardment tools was essentially range.


    We were the equivalent of some guys on Earth, trying to shoot something towards the Sun. The distances involved were massive, and even with the void mages portal magic which significantly reduced the actual projectile travel time, it still involved a lot of coordination. Teleporting bombs right onto the magical shields was also quite costly. Mana-wise.


    One of the great things, however, was the presence of daemolite, and it was quite easy to recharge void mana. This world was filled with it, those two rings created so much void mana that some of them inevitably diffused to the environment around them.


    So, for Ste, it was just picking up those excess void mana.


    Alka, naturally, decided it was best if he went to this barrierworld, and so he, escorted by a second contingent of about twenty volunteers, also made the journey to this world. Their journey would take at least a year, because even Ste took a while to get to the barrierworld.


    They estimated itll take another year or two to create sufficient tools to bombard the ce.


    ***


    On Threehome, as the specter of war against the demons was behind us, my issue now shifted to war with the Crystal King. He has essentially dered war on Zhaanpu, and the rest of us by proxy. What this meant, was harassment, since, despite his im of total war, he didnt dare actually mount open war.


    None of his vassals were keen on facing a seemingly limitless beetle army, but they postured. It was all smoke and mirrors, all show and no actual action. It was pointless open hostility, but they still did it anyway.


    Zhaanpu imed it was just pride, and frankly, Zhaanpu poured oil on the fire by goading the messenger, iming he was not afraid of war.


    I naturally realized Zhaanpu was a bit of a warmonger himself, and loved to use the excuse of my presence to fight wars. Strange, because he imed he was weary of the war and the stalemate. Yet, he was more than happy, hell, it felt like he was looking for any excuse to have a war.


    In his own words, I do not shy away from war. If it is war that Crystal King wants, it is war he shall get. I have scimitars that skill desire blood. I have raiders eager to hack at their kingdoms.


    The war between the Sandpeople and the fortified humans were essentially rough, and there were no observations of any war conventions. There was rape, there was piging, there was war in its most brutal form. The Sandpeople did not share my values, even if we were nominally allies.


    I decided, after speaking to my own folks, to stay out of their shit.


    There were centuries if not thousands of years of bad blood between the three factions. Everyone wronged everyone, and I didnt want to get into it.


    Zhaanpu didnt really mind that I didn''t give assistance. He was a domain holder, and just like the Crystal King, he had an ego and pride. He wouldnt take things from me, unless it was something he didnt want to deal with. Like Khefri.


    He made himself clear. I will fight this war myself. There is no need for you to get involved. In fact, Id prefer it if you dont meddle.


    My spies eventually realized its because he had to still maintain the semnce that he was the main boss of the Sandpeople, and thus, it didnt reflect well on Zhaanpu, if I fought wars for him.


    If his power was not necessary to win the war, the nations of Sand would lose their loyalty, and that was not what he desired.


    The Centaurs, however, didnt have a choice. They were too weak. They were more than happy to sit out this war between the Sandpeople and the Humans. They were the weakest of the three after their recent problems with the previous demon king, and thus, they also needed to rebuild.


    My diplomat naturally wanted to support the Centaurs in their reconstruction, since supporting the three-party state seemed like a good idea. This was aplicated process since we essentially needed to use portals extensively to deliver goods to the centaurnds after teleporting them in through my clone tree in the far north.


    I didnt want to ship goods through the Sandpeoplesnd, since we werent exactly short on teleportation spells, and it just wasnt a good political look to ship goods to another nation, when we did not give that same support to Zhaanpus sandpeople.


    My diplomats recruited talented Centaurs to join our cause. My centaurs, as odd as it sounded, rmended me to throw them into the pool and watch them swim, as these talented centaurs from all over the centaurnds was shipped to Lavaworld, where they found demons until they were exhausted, gave up, or found it to be what they wanted to do.


    They were a martial kind, after all, and war was a calling


    The prospect of a war where they could go all out for long periods of time, without having to adhere to any ethics, since demons were pretty much monsters, excited some of them. It was even therapeutic, to dance in war with a foe that is truly inhuman.


    But it worked, and we recruited about a thousand centaurs to join us. Warmongers, really. These centaurs loved war, and our mental analysis soon revealed that as long as we gave them the tools to wage war against the demons, theyd be loyal.


    It was a drug, and hell, Ill use it.


    Centaurs like Arjan and many others were deployed to the Centaurnds, to help them with reconstruction and remation of the taintednds. This was an easy political win for us, and made us friends with the tribes that used to own these taintednds.


    It was a dangerous game, of course. Just as Zhaanpu saw the potential for civil war if he allowed my influence to set in, the same would happen with the Centaurs.


    Each act that benefits us pulled some of the native centaur tribes away from Hoofhall. At some point, they would perceive us as a rival state, rather than friends, and the centaur tribes may even descend into civil war.


    It was a future problem, since, right now, they were in no condition to do so.


    Along the same lines, my diplomats tried their best to get closer to the powers within Hoofhall.


    Even till today, I knew little about the magical creature or item that ims to rule over the Centaurs. Zhaanpu himself was vague and elusive about the nature of Centaurs guardian. Referring to it in passing as them.


    One day.


    ***


    <b>Year 243</b>


    How many bombs do you think itll take to break that down? Lumoof asked. Alka arrived just a few weeks back, and got straight to the task of battering down the magical shielding around the Sun-Rings.


    We did test detonations, where we sent smaller bombs towards the barrier, and they worked fairly well. The shields held, of course.


    Im guessing, something a hundred times bigger, if we go the normal way. Alka said with a bigugh. Its a blended shield with demonic and void mana, all we gotta do is dump star mana on it and it should go crazy.


    The demons had some kind of defense mechanism, of course, where we detected the Sun-Rings emit a distress beacon. The same one that came from the Demon Mother.


    Itll just drive the demons nuts. Lumoof looked. Sure thats a good idea?


    Well. We havepany. Ednained, as she went out to deal with the champions that spawned out of the demons core. Nothing we couldnt handle. Not yet, anyway. Itll take the demon mother itself for us to actually n something serious.


    The Barrierworld itself was astral neighbors with two other worlds, but Ste was too busy trying to crack the magical shield to travel there. One of those astral neighbors was inessible anyway, somehow located behind and on the other side of the barrier, despite clearly visible to us.


    I think we could dig a hole, though. Alka said. Rather than blow up the shield, may be easier to just go with an offsetting magical signature to neutralize the effects of the shield, creating a small path for us to go through.


    You do realize if whatever we use to create that hole copses, well have no way out.


    Just make more. Were not exactly limited by resources.


    We are.


    Oh. Then, Ste, travel back to Treehome to fetch our stuff and back.


    Hey! The void mages can do that! Ste whined as she did her own things. Besides, you need me to offset that void magic element in that shield.


    But youre a lot faster.


    Next time Aeon gets more clone seeds, we should rmend he keep two in reserve. Wed have a much easier time if we could ce one here as a base of operations. Lumoof said. Not all items could be sent back and forth with my ability, and forrger items, the void mages essentially have to be magical couriers and delivery.


    That starts us down the path of eventually asking Aeon to keep a hundred clones in reserve. Alkaughed.


    If Aeon had a thousand clones, wed have an amazing time. Imagine the number we can field across such a world.


    If that happens, Aeons new job will be a full time email server manager. Ste joked.


    I didnt get that.


    Imagine someone whose job is to tell [messages] where they need to go, from world to world.


    Oh. That sounds mundane as hell. Aeon would just offload it to an [artificial mind]. Alkaughed. By the way, I read the studies about Void Magic as a mechanism to tten a limited aspect of dimensional space, its intriguing.


    Lumoof and Ednas mind promptly shutoff the conversation.


    It is, right! The concept of void magic as an anti-dimensional mana seems to be linked to this barrier. By pushing this ability to the extreme, theyve somehow created a null-dimensional space, the demons essentially created an impassable barrier.


    You could reverse it, or offset the effects of the barrier.


    On a smaller scale I could. At least, my smaller tests suggest I could do it, but the power at ce here is orders of magnitude higher. Ill need something much more powerful to break it, and we need to get a sustainable opening, if we want to look behind the veil.


    Alka looked up at the Sun-Rings. Ste nodded.


    The demon sun is clearly able to release a portion of its energies to support the demon kings on their invasion, you think those rings also serve as a form of funnel?


    I would think so. The rhythm of invasions may be somewhat linked to these rings.


    Didnt seem like something the demons would do, to restrict their own expansion that way. Lumoof butted in.


    Thats true, unless this was a defense mechanism against the gods.


    The gods cant reach them. Or, maybe they used to. Lumoof thought. When the multiverse was smaller. The concept of a multidimensional expansion was probably weird.


    Maybe they dont know that. Ste said. Over the eons it''s likely this barrier itself will copse, as they run out of the mana needed to maintain it.


    If space constantly expanded, and mana consumption thus increased with space, it was only logical that eventually this barrier will consume more mana than can be produced, and thus copse on itself. This null-space barrier was very very tiny, as it turned out. The demons were spreading it thin.


    It worked both ways, of course. If I could create this null-space barrier, it should break the demons ability to invade as well. Permanently, at that.


    It was likely Alka had a point. The demons had a way of getting things out, despite the presence of the barriers. These Sun-Rings likely served as gates into the protected area. Anything going in or out of the demon-space was through those Rings.


    So, even if we get onto that thing, do we destroy it, or capture it? Both works, but capturing it would let us tap this massive void mana generation device. Alka said. If we break it, and somehow cancel this barrier, wed have free ess to the demon realm.


    Youre saying as if its a done deal. My void archmage stretched. We dont even know what happens if we destroy the Sun-Rings.


    Over a long period of time, it is. Alkaughed. Havent you spent the most time with Aeon to know that everything is ultimately inevitable? I prefer to capture them. ess torge quantities of Void mana, and ability to study the magical concepts behind them would greatly push ourprehension. This is an actual magical structure that could ultimately redesign our future.


    If you put it that way- Ste looked up. There is incredible potential for the ability to manipte space.


    Why cant we use it as a weapon?


    Souls reject void mana, remember. Theres a reason we go through that toxic void-mana ordeal in order to be void mages. Also, these dimensional spaces are inherently unstable and will copse.


    Doesnt seem that unstable to me. Alkaughed in jest. But I get it.


    ***


    One of the rans back on Treehome finally reached level 70, and with the right equipment, the ran Earth Mage could technically take on a demon champion on its own. Once they were better prepared, I would intend to send them to Lavaworld where they can fight with the demon champions.


    Snek, of course, was excited to see one from his world get stronger. There was still more to go.


    But his partner was getting older, and increasingly, Snek grew worried.


    Ken, are you sure you dont want some kind of magic treatment? His level teaued. It was true that level made them live longer, but Kens age was now closing in on thete 70s to 80s.


    The magical snake didnt age. But Ken did, and Ken resisted all attempts to de-age or extend his longevity more than necessary.


    Even the heroes were increasingly touchy about it, especially Chung.


    Bro. Chung met him for lunch back in Freshka. I know its hypocritical of me to ask this, but, please, reconsider your choice. Weve been friends for decades now, and I cant see you go.


    Kenughed. It was true that Ken looked like a man in his sixties, while Chung looked no more than a man in histe thirties, looking in great, amazing shape. If you know me that well, then shut it.


    I cant, bro. Weve been friends for decades, and frankly, theres that few of us. If Aeon offers you a deal, please, take it.


    Fuck that. Ken said as he sipped on his anti-oxidizing tea. Health fads were very real, in this world, since magical teas do exist.


    You dont intend to see Aeon reach the goal of defeating the demons for good?


    Snek, who took the form of the tiny lizard, agreed with Chung. Chung has a point. Aeon needs guidance.


    All I provide is trope advice. And these days, everyone has heard my tropes a dozen times over. Id like to age gracefully, and die in my sleep as I originally envisioned. Let me die, brother.


    Chung didnt seem happy, and decided to approach me directly. For a deal.


    Aeon, weve fought together many times. Can you go against Kens will, and let him live longer? I cant bear to see a friend of mine die. Ive seen so many of mine die back during the early days in this world, and the idea or thought of seeing Ken die-


    He is healthy and well. He still has a few decades in him. There is no need for this conversation.


    But he looks so old, and he-


    He reminds you of his mortality.


    Chung sighed. Yeah. Looking at him, his skin wrinkled, his hair white. I cant help but really feel how fragile his life is. Like all it takes is just a snuff.


    I feel that way with everyone, actually. Everyone ages and dies. If it makes him happy, I wont go against his wishes.


    Im a hero, hes not. Do something, and I know Ive been a bit of a rebellious bastard, but make a deal with me. Dont let him die.


    You seem confident that you will live longer than him. He doesnt serve the front line, you do. Perhaps you should care about your own life, more than his.


    Its still early for any of them to die, actually.


    ***


    Spaizzer


    Hey, I got two shoutouts today. Both scribblehub fics


    <strong>first, Rise of a Manor Lord! It''s a kingdom building /series/725995/rise-of-a-manor-lord/</strong>


    <strong>After stabbing an evil demon summoner to death, Drake inherits the old farts mansion, powerful servants, mountains of gold, and the ability to do magic.</strong><strong>


    Which would be great if it also didnt paint a giant target on his back.


    With ruthless enemies now seeking to kill him for his manor, he must learn how to use his powerful magic, win his peoples loyalty, curb stomp his enemies, and lie his ass off until he bes so powerful no one dares challenge him.


    <em>Next, please read JESTER of Apocalypse! I shouted himst week during hte interlude but some of you might''ve missed it.</em>


    Check out Jester of /series/705951/the-jester-of-apocalypse/</strong>

 241. Burning Sunflower

    241. Burning Sunflower


    <b>Year 244</b>


    Alright. Shield-piercer deployed. Alka said with relief, as the portal closed. The magical artifact floated into location, right above the shield around the Sun-Rings. Activating.


    The shield-piercer was a ring-shaped object, about the size of a Rift-Gate. It wasrge, about three stories tall, and meant to essentially create a hole within the shield by creating an offsetting magical energy.


    It was a work of incredible craftsmanship, made by level 100 craftsmen who had to travel to the Barrierworld to see it made.


    The Shieldpiercer whirled to life, and my void mages grinned. Yep. It works. Ready for our invasion?


    Whats the freaking n? Lumoof cursed. Go in, deploy Aeons seed and conquer? What if the seed doesnt work on the rings? Its not a, you know. You cant grow nts on steel.


    It doesnt look like steel.


    Ste looked at the rest. Well, I think the four of us should go first. If the coast seems clear, then the rest of the teames in.


    One of the Level 140 Valthorn nodded. Well cover the base here, if you need a ce to retreat.


    Got it.


    We dont really know what we are dealing with. Lumoof said.


    My bet is more demons. Alkaughed. But you know what, the four of us can go with minimal risk. All we waste is time.


    Aeon, should we go? Lumoof asked for my opinion. Ste and Alka both advocated going, the prospect of learning something new was worth it. Edna was neutral. Lumoof was the only one feeling a little cautious. I feel like- given the size and importance of the Sun-Rings, its defenders are likely more powerful than what weve seen before.


    Agreed. But we need to do this. We cant figure out how to deal with the demons without some risks.


    Alka had a point, and I couldnt just wait here. Well have to risk it. Four of you go. If it seems clear, then call the rest of the team in to investigate.


    Lumoof nodded. As youmand.


    The void domain holder weaved her void magic through the Shieldpiercer, and then the portal whirled into existence. She frowned. Not very stable, theres some disruptive elementsing from the surface of the Sun-Rings. Possible anti-magic presence.


    Alka looked around. We go first. The rest stay behind.


    Alright.


    The four moved through the portal, andnded, possibly, as the first mortals on the Sun-Rings.


    [Title awarded: Invaders of the Ring]


    Snarky system. Ste cursed, as wended on what was super, super close to the sun. At this distance, there was a perpetual searing heat that threatened to bake anything that faced the sun. A protective shield emerged above, and even that was cooked.


    As we looked around, we were pretty much on the inner side of a Ring World. On this side, it was just a sheen of gold, the surface was cooked. But we saw some crystalline formation itself, collecting the suns incredibly intense mana.


    That heat wasced with mana.


    I was star mana, yet, it didnt feel like star mana of the heroes. Instead, it felt like a raw form of star mana. Untouched by the divine energies of the gods. Very much like those produced by my little star-mana producing leaves, but in a slightly different form.


    Even star mana has variants within them.


    Ste, I thought the prevailing theory was that suns dont produce star mana. At least, our tests didnt indicate that to be the case. We were unable to replicate the conditions of the Cometworld, but our tests on Treehome, Mountainworld and Threeworld did not find any star mana from their suns.


    Clearly that theory was wrong. Ste answered. Some of them still do.


    Alka countered. Maybe its just the stars age. Ken once told me that a star goes through a life cycle of growth, and gradual death. This is a sun in its dying days. Like the Cometworld. It takes the dying moments of the sun to produce it, and this is a reallyrge sun, so-


    Has a long time to go from when it starts producing star mana to its dying moments.


    There was nothing here. Not on the inner side.


    Lets move to the other side of the ring. Ste said. Bad news is, well have to walk. At this distance from the star, Im feeling quite a strong drain on my magic.


    Fine with me, actually.


    The walk was uneventful, and for four domain holders with all sorts of augmented abilities, they moved quickly. Lumoofs blessings and enchantments meant they moved through the strangely steel and ss like structure of the Sun-Rings.


    Then we reached the dark side of the Sun-Rings and were greeted with demons. The demons were slender, and looked quite like those cool demon knights weve seen long ago. They all had swords.


    Company. Edna said, and her weapons shredded them easily.


    Here, on the dark side, the weather and temperature took an abrupt turn, turning incredibly cold instead. We also had a better look at the materials beneath us.


    Crystals and ss, with bits of steel and rock. The unusual magical formations seen on the rift gates were seen here once more, but in different words and different patterns.


    The demons had their own runguage. One that we didnt understand, though we tried to copy.


    The defenses were cleared fairly easily. At least, we managed to remove those that we found with not much trouble.


    Think its safe to call the rest of the team here? Ste asked.


    Alka nodded, he squatted and touched the floor. It was beautiful when it wasnt burning hot. Yeah. I want people looking into these ss materials beneath us right now. They are incredible.


    Edna looked around the cold, dark side of the Sun-Rings. Ill look for somewhere to set up a base. Its likely we wont have any, if this whole ce is built for purpose, so well have to just set up camp on top of this.


    Thatll have to do, I suppose.


    Ste nodded as she did her thing, a portal whirled into existence. Im still feeling the mild magical interference, and I think itsing from beneath us.


    Ambient interference from the sun?


    Possible, but you think the ss has some anti-magical qualities?


    Well have to look at it. Alka said. Cant say for sure, even with my identification abilities.


    Lumoof spread out his own senses, and mine. I felt like I was floating in the air, despite the presence of a solid surface. This whole thing was artificial. It wasnt earth. Except certain parts. My senses abhorred most of the surface, but its likely the Sun-Rings was built by joining asteroids oroids together to form an underlying structure.


    There are parts where I wanted to be. Parts where there was an asteroid still hidden underneath all the ss-and-crystals.


    Lumoof repeated our observations, and the rest of the team stepped through.


    Should we approach the holes?


    There was a part of the Sun-Rings where the star mana of the sun was pulled and pushed through a set of unusual gigantic holes on the Sun Rings. That was where the star mana was somehow transformed into void mana. It certainly invalidated the idea that a superdimensional mana could somehow be converted into an anti-dimensional mana. Or at least, there was a way to extra the super part and rece it with anti?


    Or there was a way these two facts could exist while still being true?


    Ste shook her head. I think were not ready. Lets just do some more research. We find out what we can, then once were mostly done, we push through to those ces.


    Why? Because of defenders? Alka countered. We could get more research done there.


    Well, yes. Ste said. If that ce is important, its likely to have stronger defenders. We have a good base of operations here, we ought to just stay here and take what we have.


    Edna nodded in agreement.


    Very well. But we will be spending time. Valuable time.


    Nothing much urred for the next two months, as the demons ignored our small base of operations in that quiet corner of the Sun-Rings. The samples of the Sun-Rings materials was extremely interesting, being made of some kind of fusion of crystals, anti-mana ss and some weird type of steel-alloy not found on our worlds.


    That steel-alloy felt like one of those rare minerals only found on selected worlds, a world we clearly need to capture for our own.


    So, were ready to go? Alka was excited, as were the rest of the team. We packed up, and we began to journey to what we referred to as the Furnace.


    The journey there was littered with demons, and we ughtered them as they came. There were no spawning pools here, so we had no idea where they came from.


    Then after a month of walking through the magically disruptive dark side of the Sun-Rings, we arrived at the Furnace. Along the surface of that circr Ring that guided the jet of void mana, were strange statues.


    It was massive, looking across the furnace was quite like looking at the moon. The distances were probably simr, or more, since this was pretty much a sr-scale superstructure. The Circr Rings were made with even more unusual materials, and the magical energies here was extremely powerful. The void mana generated and sent into the null-dimensional Void Barrier and beyond felt like an intense pulsar.


    A very intense pulsar that even my domain holders couldnt get near.


    This was akin to approaching the sun itself. Wed be baked alive. For the level 130 and 140 Valthorns, this was a sight theyd probably never forget.


    If they survived this trip.


    You know, the idea that the demons are some kind of self-replicating machine are starting to make sense. Alka said. This is the kind of thing Im pretty sure Ken would say to be the work of a robotic creature.


    Demon-golems. Edna shrugged. She spent enough time with Kei and the heroes to be familiar with the terms.


    Lumoof looked at Ste. Well, from our earlier observation, we know that capturing this structure is impossible. Wed only be able to capture the rock-remnants still within certain parts of the Sun-Rings.


    That only leaves destroying it. Alka said.


    Can we even destroy something this massive? One of the Valthorns interjected.


    Well have to-


    At that point, we noticed the statues around the Circr Furnace activated. A distress signal? Ste immediately cursed.


    Prepare for battle. We havepany.


    The aura we sensed was immediate, as a rift opened right in front of us. A demon king emerged. It was a massive creature the size of a building, it had two glowing axes the size of cars, and armor. Around it were those slender demons, but with more power than before.


    [Demon King (Defender) ???? arrived on ????]


    Nows not a good time to be funny, system. Lumoof cursed-


    The entire Sun-Ring vibrated, and then a pulse. The ss-crystal structure underneath our feet glowed, the symbols and runes shed.


    My mages immediately cursed. Shit. A strong anti-magic suppression field!


    It was so strong that it would disrupt most normal magic, and Stes portal ability.


    Edna looked back at the demon king, and smiled. Well, it seems Ill have to hold the demon king back. Lumoof, Ste, Alka, get everyone back to safety.


    Safety? Lumoof cursed. Not everyone has teleporting familiars. Aeon cant recall all of us back with it.


    There were about eighty level 100s with us. About ten of them were in the level 130s. I wasnt going to lose them. They served me for decades.


    They were prepared to die. I wasnt nning on letting them die.


    Ednas magical shield appeared and parried the demon kings axe. Figure it out, Lumoof.


    Lumoof looked around. With the anti-mana present, it meant most magical forms of teleportation to safety would be out of the window. Stes own void mana was somehow nullified. Normally, it wouldnt affect her, but there was just way too much anti-magical suppression on the Sun-Rings that it overcame her domain-tier abilities.


    The demon king roared, and I felt it use some kind of anti-magic ability too.


    Edna cursed as the ability bounced off her shields.


    The level 130s were not ready for this fight.


    Lumoof. Alka said, somehow turning back to join Edna. Use Aeons clone somewhere. The domain abilities should circumvent the anti-magical prevents. Well waste Aeons ten years. But its better than losing our people. Go. Take Ste.


    Lumoof and Ste both nodded. All of you, with me. We need to get to a location on the Ringworld that has an asteroid underneath or within it. Thats our key out of this, or well be killed by the demon king.


    Lumoof activated one of his strongest blessings. A priests abilities were mixed, some spell-based, some system-based, and it immediately empowered the entire group.


    Edna attacked the demon king relentlessly, doing her best to attract the demon kings aggro.


    But it was not the only demon. Demons emerged from everywhere, as more rift gates opened. The demonic knights poured out of them.


    How do the demons do it? Ste cursed, as she had to rely on conventional weapons. The level 100s and 140s could deal with the regr demons, and with Lumoofs blessing, they could flee. But there was nothing that could really take down a demon king, and attempting to fight it now was a stupid idea.


    Thus, the only solution was to retreat.


    The win condition was to stall the demon king, and Edna had to upy it before it reached any of our non-domain holders.


    Lady Edna. May I join you? I hope you [Duty] is already active. Alka leapt to join the battlefield. My researcher had rarely seen battle, but he had seen enough from afar that it didnt scare him.


    Of course. But I hope its not a death wish. Ednaughed, as she parried a few more furious, earth shattering strikes from the demon king. The attacks left huge gashes in the ss-crystal tform beneath them. You have a n?


    Just one, really.


    Alka looked back. Lumoof, Ste and the rest was speeding through the Sun-Rings. Theyd likely reach somewhere safe soon enough.


    Edna parried more attacks, and Alka threw some bombs to shake off the smaller demons. You dont really need to help, you know. Aeon could just pull me back once you get to safety.


    Alkaughed. Actually, Im just buying time.


    He looked back again, as more time passed. He was protected by a wide variety of skills and abilities, but they wouldnt hold against the demon king.


    So, for now, he was just nearby. Waiting for the moment, and watched Edna harass the demon king as an undying knight. Her sword of anti-demons was like a golden me, and it left some clear cuts on the demon king.


    But this demon king was at full strength, not yet weakened by bombs or traps. She may be strong, but she is not yet enough to beat a demon king on her own.


    Yet, the demon king was gaining ground, and pushing them back. Ednas range of attacks was also running out, and it was increasingly clear that the demon king began to realize he could ignore Edna.


    Alka looked back at Lumoof some more. It felt like they were far away.


    ***


    Lumoof and Ste reached a particr segment of the Sun-Rings. With the antimagical aura present throughout the Sun-Rings, void mana teleportation was impossible.


    Here. Aeon, can we use the seed?


    Yes. It was a difficult choice. Id give up the flexibility and insurance of one clone seed for the next ten years. But I had to.


    I wouldnt let these people die. Not when they were so close to the domain level.


    Lumoof pulled out the clone seed from his pocket space, and with a punch with his entire strength, punched the tform. It left a crack.


    It wasnt necessary. My seed pierced through the tform like it wasnt there, and zoomed towards the rocky portion hidden underneath all the ss and crystal. My ability to seek out soil is uncanny, and a clone emerged.


    My tree cracked through the tform and the turbulent magics, and I felt the magical power of the Sun-Rings interact with my own.


    It was strong, and felt like burningva. This Sun-RIng produced more mana than I had, a few times over.


    The Valthorns looked relieved, as they rushed to the clone.


    Alright. Lets send you guys back.


    What about those on the surface? There were some of them still on the worlds surface, not on the Sun-Ring.


    Theyll have to wait. Ste will have toe back and pick them up.


    They touched my tree, and I sent them home.


    Lumoof and Ste didnt go through. They waited.


    Should we go help Edna and Alka?


    ***


    The demon king naturally felt the presence of my clone, and immediately assessed me to be its greatest threat. It wanted to move-


    Edna pulled out a harpoon and attempted to shackle it to the ground. She wasnt strong enough to hold the demon king down.


    Alka smiled. Edna. Iming.


    Alka ran towards the demon king, as he consumed some non-magical potions. His speed wasnt impressive, but it was enough to dodge some of the demon kings magical attacks and get close enough.


    The demon king saw himing, and the axe almostnded.


    I always wanted to do this.


    Alka grinned.


    [Always a bomb].


    Alkas body shed, and at that sudden moment, the entirety of the Sun-Rings shook. It was an explosion sorge that it was equal to any of the traps we left for the demon king. Alka had somehow tricked his ability into epting the traps as a single superstructure?


    A sudden burst of light was so bright it briefly outshone everything in the world, and could even be seen on the Worlds surface. The explosion ripped through a portion of the Sun-Rings tform, and charred the demon king.


    But this was no ordinary demon king. It was a Defender, and its toughness was incredible. The explosion merely revealed an inner self that was thoroughly unharmed. Slimmer. Smaller. But still just as powerful.


    It had a sword of liquid blood that came down with the fury of an angry god.


    Alka cursed. Oh-fuck.


    I pulled my [domain holder] back home, using my [Court of the Deitree].


    The attack wrecked the already wrecked tform. The Sun-Ring shook, as a segment of the sun-ring cracked and shattered.


    Ednaughed. Oh dear. Aeon, I think were done here.


    Agreed. Lumoof and Ste answered.


    I pulled all of my three remaining domainholders home.


    My clone was the only thing left on the dark side of the Sun-Ring. I had never fought a demon king head on. This was perhaps my only chance. In truth, there was nothing more to achieve here.


    The demon king instead turned to my clone tree, and charged at it. Furious. Angry, its attack was incredible. It met my wooden shields, and my shields shattered. But it did not hurt my clone.


    It attacked again. And my shields shattered some more. But its des or ws didnt reach my body. I countered with my roots.


    I was stronger. I was no longer an ant trying to bite an elephant. I was just a small cat.


    But my defenses were leagues above my offensive ability, and I blocked every attack the demon king threw my way. Shields were shattered, but I could make more than it could shatter. This exchange of none of us hurting each othersted for hours.


    Then it stopped, and then called for help.


    Another distress signal, I sensed a twisting in space. A rift opened.


    [Demon King (Defender 2) ???? arrived on ????]


    Oh shit. I cursed, as I watched a different type of demon king emerge.


    Realizing that I was fucked, I decided to not let it have the luxury of killing my clone. I pulled my clone back, and unmade it.


    ***


    That was a disaster.


    No one died. I dont call that a disaster. Ste said. Luckily, the void archmage on the surface world quickly ordered everyone to retreat once they saw that bright lighting from the Sun-Rings. They were far enough not to be affected by the anti magical properties, and could still teleported away.


    But the barrier is still there.


    That is true. But it is weaker. Fainter. I can see deeper into it.


    Well, we could do so again?


    When Aeons clone recharged in another 10 years. Ste said. We know Alkas bomb ability worked. We can bomb that shit out of existence.


    So, what now?


    Ste looked at the barrier from the safety of Treehome. We have a Comet to deal with.


    Spaizzer


    Thank you for reading. There are three more chapters on Patreon, link /treeaeons


    Also, if you want the edited version, please buy Book 1 on Amazon - /Tree-Aeons-Isekai-LitRPG-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0BHXF8KWK

 242. Cometh Tree

    242. Cometh Tree


    <b>Year 245</b>


    The Comet. It was a red glowing world from our view.


    We saw it only briefly, in the moment when Alkas explosions temporarily disrupted the barrier of the void. The disruption caused the null barrier to be so thin that we could see what was beyond it.


    A moving object in the void sea and it moved slowly, in the still extremelyrge void sea. During that short window we were able to see it move. It teleported, at least from our perspective, but yet, we were fairly certain it got closer.


    During that brief moment when the barrier was down, a transmission from theet itself got through, and we detected it as a momentary sh within the demon kings core-map, quite like when a software update was pushed out to all devices. Theet wasnt even hiding itself because it shouted its location to all the demon kings and In an act of utmost confidence, the update even came with its trajectory through the void sea.


    We just couldnt see it on this side of the barrier before, and now, Ste gazed at the core map. Looks like once it got to the other side of the barrier wed detect it anyway.


    All in, It would take about another 25 years to reach us, if our estimates were correct.


    We now had a countdown to work with, and we actually went to two of the worlds close to its expected path.


    We have two chances to hop onto the Comet. Ste repeated. One in eight years, another in fifteen. After that its going to go through what appears to be arge patch of void sea with no known astral neighbors. If we want to hit it and destroy it before itnds, thats our two moments.


    I cursed. I wont have a clone ready in eight years!


    Lumoof could just camp on theet for two years and deploy your clone once its ready.


    We devised a n to counter the dem before, in the off chance we get to face our own demonicet. The strategy essentially came down to - invade, manipte, destroy, evacuate.


    We would invade theet, if we could reach it, and attempt to manipte it. If we cant, we will destroy it. If we fail to destroy theet, well evacuate and attempt to reim the world after the demonicet makes impact and smashes into Treehome. Evacuate was my least desired option, since it essentially reset all the gains we had with Treehome.


    Invade, manipte, and/or destroy theet. That was my preferred option.


    My void mages were most excited, especially those who worked hard to manipte theetworld. Here was a world, traveling through the void sea! They immediately wanted to know how the demons did it, and if there was a secret on this Comet we could learn.


    If it was a device, we would steal it.


    That was obvious, of course.


    My entire institution was geared for this moment. To get ready for war with the demons. To prepare for an eventual counterattack. We knew it wasing in the days since the demon king was in on that other world.


    Eight years from now, its expected path would take it really near to the demonic turtleworld. That was where we needed to be to engage in an attack on the Comet.


    We would have to give up on the Barrierworld and the Sun Rings for now. We would return to it someday, once we resolved ouret problem.


    ***


    Alright. We got eight years before it actually crosses path with the demonic turtleworld. Lumoof announced to the group present. The announcement of theing Comet to the entire senior leadership, and effectively all of the Valthorns, made everyone panic. Some of you involved in the Margmarian Dwarves City Ruins will find this extremely familiar, because we are essentially dealing with the same counterattack from the demons.


    The crowd went wild as they talked with each others.


    Aeon and the domain holders have essentially outlined a few key strategies, and our goal is to intercept the demonicet. We will attempt to capture it, failing which, we will attempt to destroy it with as many bombs as we can.


    Are we doomed, Lord Lumoof? A Valthorn stood and asked in panic.


    I dont see why we are. Lumoof said. Once we reach that world, we have essentially about 13 to 15 years to destroy the Demons Comet. Its certainly not as scary as I made it out to be.


    Its a.


    Our initial estimates based on whatever little data we have reveals that it is a world half the size of our current world. Still pretty big. Wergely dont know whats on the Comet, whether what we aplish is even possible, and all that. Our goal, therefore, over the next eight years, is we must be prepared to bomb this world to smithereens. One of the void archmages stood to present their findings.


    The crowd quieted down when Lumoof raised his hand.


    We will be splitting the Valthorns into multiple task forces.


    Alka took the stage. I will be leading the destruction force. The goal is to blow this Comet up if we cant capture it. The existing group thats making bombs will need to massively scale up its work.


    Edna, Roon and Johann led the invasion force. They need to build a massive base of operations on the demonic turtleworld, and also Lavaworld, and prepare for that day. They will need to get there to support the destruction force.


    One of the void archmages and a Lord from Tropicsworld would have to lead the evacuation force. Wed n to evacuate everyone to Tropicsworld around 1 to 2 year from impact if we realize we have no way of avoiding that Comet.


    Ste and another archmage led the void maniption group, with the intention of redirecting theet towards somewhere else. This was the same group that worked on the Cometworld, and so, now they would have to take their failure, and hopefully turn it around.


    There was also a group that worked on shielding and bunkering. Essentially, a repeat of what the Margmarian Dwarves did. This didnt end well for them, but unlike the Margmarian dwarves, we are now a multiary organization. We know exactly what everything is, and as long as my body stands on Treehome, bunkering could be a viable strategy.


    We just needed to be way better prepared than them.


    ***


    Aria and Aispeng naturally panicked. They were not here when theet came the first time. Can you move me? I mean, I know Im not normally helpful, but I dont want to die.


    Your true body is deep underground, right? If so, you may not be that much of a risk.


    Were talking about a-sized projectile. How are we not fucked? Everything on the surface is going to be destroyed. Its probably big enough to blow up half the and some. Even Lillies is going to be in trouble, but I guess theyre not so much at risk since they can cocoon themselves.


    Well see what we can do about it.


    Theres nothing to see. Get some of your guys here, dig my main body out and shift me to one of your other worlds. I have no intention of testing out your reincarnation ability.


    Reefy said as I informed my fellow inanimate object located in the sea. Reefys grown, and regrly sends me images of strange monsters from the deep. Leviathans, krakens and stuff like that. Theyre all fairly harmless though, creatures in the level of 60 to 80.


    > Its a little too big for you. < I responded as I tried to share the estimated size of the thing.


    Ah yes. Reefy had discovered bombs and used them to bomb his enemies. There are merpeople in the water that he doesnt like every much. I dont interact with them, and these merpeople donte to the surface either, so, our rtionship is one of mutual ignorance.


    Some of them did asionally travel to my shoreline trees and nts, and those kelp forests, but they didnt do me any harm. So, I was fairly content to leave them be.


    Lilies of the Lake took the news with resignation.


    > Would you help? <


    Lilies dug deeper into the ground. I just wasnt sure whether that would actually help.


    ***


    Tropicsworld, Mountainworld both began to haverger sites for Valthorns, as we increased our diversification efforts.


    We needed to duplicate everything we had on Treehome, on Tropicsworld as well, and also prepare for the possibility of evacuation, and beyond evacuation, a war to reim Treehome from the demons after the Impact.


    The heroes were involved as well, and for them, they would be part of the invasion andet destruction team. If I could deploy my clone on the Comet, Id then send the heroes there to destroy the demonset.


    Their tremendous firepower was essential, and given what weve seen on the Sun-Rings, we are also expecting defenders at the same level as the demon king.


    This buzz of activity was felt by the locals, as they saw my Valthorns gear up for a bigger war.


    The question that came soon after was simple.


    What were we preparing for?


    Do we tell people that they may die in 25 years?


    Should I tell therger poption about the existence of a demonicet headed our way? Do we want to scare the people and set offrge scale panic?


    What was the right thing to do? If we could prevent the demonicet from ever hitting us, then theres really no reason to set off a mad rush for safety. But if we told them, and theet really was still headed our way, their cooperation would make evacuation significantly easier.


    We need about five years to prepare for a total evacuation of Treehome. We can keep this program quiet for 20 years. Theres really no reason to rm the people yet. If we fail during the two invasions of the Comet, then we start shouting. Lets keep this mainly to those in power. Lumoof rmended.


    It wasnt an immediate problem to my people, but twenty years is very short to me.


    After much deliberation, there wasnt much these nobles could do to help, but if they set offrge scale panic, wed need to deploy people to suppress those issues. So informing them was a-negative.


    Most suspected something was up anyway, because we massively hired new members for the Valtrian Order, alchemists, cksmiths, crafters to hugely, hugely ramp up our weapons production, and also bunkers.


    For those on the other worlds like Branchhold and Threeworlds, they witnessed great amounts of crystals and simr others shipped.


    ***


    We need to revive our moonbase project. Its likely as the two worlds collide, the space between the worlds will first meet in space. Ste said. Imagine each world as a bubble, the demonset is a bubble of its own. If we want to interrupt or disrupt the demonset, there is likely a third opportunity or chance when it gets near to us, if we fail in the first two meeting points.


    Its speed is likely significantly higher once the two different realms collide. Hell, I think thats probably the point where an evacuation is the only way forward.


    I doubt shields would do much against aoid-sized projectile.


    What else could we do?


    That was the question that hung on my mind.


    We still had at least a few years before we needed to deal with the demons on Mountainworld and Threeworlds. We could, theoretically invade the demon worlds and get at the demons in those worlds, but like Lavaworld, there was no connection. Lavaworld was cut off when the demon king was killed.


    If I ever felt like being pulled in so many directions at once, well, I always have.


    Prioritiespeted with each other. We always had a time limit, but knowing ones time limit does put a kind of pressure on everyone to get shit together. We needed to prepare for theet, but at the same time, I also needed my people to get stronger.


    For those who had not gotten their domains, they worked harder to get it. They attacked the dungeons with renewed vigor, because with the blessings of the pantheon, they knew they would be able to survive.


    ***


    The Crystal Kings golems were getting stronger. The Crystal King didnt back down after the demon king was destroyed. Instead, he sent golems into Zhaanpusnds.


    Zhaanpu responded with golems of his own. Creatures that resembled sphinx made of sandstone.


    My spies and informants im such prolific use of these old war machines had not ured for centuries, and partly was due to the presence of Hytreerion on the battlefield.


    They had to shore up domestic support, to convince their own political vassals that they were on par. So, it made the two domainholders reveal their own gigantic creatures.


    Their own spies and people hyped up the strength of their own giant golems, but it was clear they all were nothing muchpared Hytreerions incredible arsenal. In this big rod-waving contest, I have the biggest, best gun.


    Not much to be proud of, and honestly, an old war machine made from a demon walker reduced to military grandstanding was just sad.


    ***


    There were fragments of the materials from the Sun-rings in my bibs. Things that I needed to study.


    I didnt know what certain parts of them were. They had aponent part that was likely to be the anti-magic sand that had been processed into ss. But the steel was not a type of steel found on any of the worlds so far.


    That meant the demons had ess to a kind of unique metal we didnt have, and if we wanted topete with the demons on the same level of ability, we needed to have this metal too.


    I called one of the Void archmages.


    We still only had four, plus Ste, that made five. Stes already busy, one of them worked on the invasion, one worked on the evacuation ns, one worked on the surveys and listening devices throughout all the demon worlds, and another one worked on the dem void-sea maniption ns.


    I needed him to hop worlds, and get this metal while the rest of them worked on their tasks. He would go with a small group of protectors.


    They were off.


    Those that were still here, they continued to study the metals. We are not sure whether they are engineered, or an alloy, or whether they are natural.


    My team worked on it anyway, because it was key to their Sun-Ring structure. If we could identify the weaknesses, perhaps some kind of magical frequency, or a specific breakpoint, we could tailor our explosives and magic for maximum impact.


    There were multiple Sun-Rings to destroy to gain ess to the inner worlds.


    ***


    Wheres your [void explorer] now?


    Still headed in the other direction. Since her void explorer left ra, she went further in the other direction. The hope was that we could reach some of the God-inhabited worlds.


    ces where the influence of Aiva, Gaya or whatever was strong. Id want to speak to them, and then, get them to help us in our fight. They are strong. I am fairly certain Aiva in his or her homeworld would have incredible power that even a demon king is no threat.


    But nothing?


    Nope. Not yet. I hope I get somewhere. Soon.


    Spaizzer


    We hit 500 ratings on amazon! Weee!!! So uh, as promised, I will release the 2nd part of the lizardfolk interlude in a few days :)


    Those that bought my book and left a rating, thank you so much. I suppose I should be kinda sad that I''m ranked 2000s now, but eh, I thought I did okay.

 Interlude – Lizardfolk II

    Interlude ¨C Lizardfolk II


    Life for the migrated lizardpeople wasfortable, but different. The migrants enjoyed theforts and the outward safety, but in private, they argued and bickered over the tradeoff. Jaan suffered their pleas and whines, for he is chief.


    It is him, who they me for their situation, after all, he suggested this particr location.


    "This ce is not the way of the lizardpeople."


    Tradition, as it is, resisted change.


    Jaan felt tradition was helpful, it helped them make good decisions. But he was not beholden to them. They were not a rule. Tradition was not always the answer.


    Thus lies the first schism with tha matrons, as that was not how matrons saw it. The matrons believed that tradition was the only way for young lizardfolks to be lizardfolk.


    Veer away from that, and the lizardfolks are something else entirely. It was as if a lizardfolk, and the culture around being a lizardfolk was inseparable.


    That schism was at the heart of their dispute. <i>Was traditionw, or just a rmendation?</i>


    His ears, if he was human, wouldve fallen off, and he could now recite their arguments by heart, the words imprinted into his mind.


    But he didnt believe it.


    Their culture was part of the problem.


    Even in their small n of lizardfolk there were the traditionalist, and the modernist who embraced the new way.


    He had hoped there was a bridge somewhere. Something to bring the two sides of the n together. It existed somewhere, but as of now, he did not see the way to it.


    ***


    "Aeon intends for the lizardfolk leaders to see what life is on Treehome. Ten of your most senior representatives are invited for a trip to the Treehome, this trip will take about three to four weeks."


    "A trip to Treehome? Where is that?" The matrons asked.


    "Aeon''s homeworld." Jaan gasped. In his day to day life, he had heard whispers and rumors that these people were otherworlders, but it was another thing to travel there.


    Naturally, they couldnt miss the opportunity. Jaan and nine others came, and there were many others. Lizardfolk, elves, and the other migrants had all selected their own representatives for the trip. Jaan recognised a few familiar faces, faces he met during the monthly migrant integration meetings.


    They gathered for the trip at the floor of the gigantic tree of Branchhold.


    They didnt like being here, just approaching it felt them with a sense of such overwhelming dread and he could see the same, pale faced expression on his other n members. They werent exactly sure why.


    They brought some luggage along, stored in standardized bags provided by the Branchhold''s officials. On the ground, there was clearly some differentiation between the officials of Branchhold, and those of this ''Treehome''.


    They had a slightly different badge that pulsed and had a strange scent.


    "Please stand here. The transportation process will begin shortly."


    Jaan saw the first of the other groups vanish suddenly, and one of the matrons shouted in surprise. The officials quickly calmed her down, exining that it is a teleportation spell of some kind. The matrons shouted back, at first, iming that itcked the mana presence for a spell.


    "Chief Jaan, you''re next." The officers guided them to the location. He stood, and just as suddenly, he felt a vine touch him. It sent something through him, and at that point.


    <i>[You will be sent to another world. Do you agree?]</i>


    He could refuse, but he felt that the spell could send him through anyway. He knew by instinct it was powerful enough to overpower him. Jaan nodded, and it was instantaneous.


    In a sudden, he was elsewhere. The rest of the representatives from his n joined him just momentster. The eldest matron was amazed. She hadnt known of a skill that could send one through worlds.


    The air immediately felt different, the stench of the demonic presence gone, reced by the overwhelming presence in the air, a kind of natural magic. Branchhold was still surrounded by quite a lot of corrupted demonds, territories unimed, and that stench still drifted to Branchhold asionally.


    Here. nothing.


    "Wee." Everyone was here, and there were a hundred of them. They were located in a deep valley, though with all the bright lighting, it''s hard to tell. "Please, this way." They were guided to a convoy of tour beetles.


    The wide-eyes lizardfolks were led into protected beetles, where they witnessed the vast, sprawling metropolis of Freshka. Freshkas various districts were visible as the beetles crossed the little crest of a hill.


    Jaans slitted lizard eyes scanned the metropolis from their vantage point. The segments of the academic district with the towers of the FTC, the military-magic district where the Valtrian Order and the mages trained, and the sprawling economic and residential segments that took up all the spaces in between.


    He had seenrge cities, but never sorge.


    Ive never seen a city sorge. One of the female matrons said, and the eldest matron was just silent. Jaan knew she had a lot to take in. Silence was how she processed information.


    After a short moment, the beetles ferried them through the streets on the dedicated branchways that crisscross the city. Traffic was hardly ideal in Freshka, even the dedicated branchways had to share traffic with many other beetles, among the other dedicated paths made from branches, and underground root paths that moved people from ce to ce.


    And so messy. Another human, one of the leaders of the human-faction of Branchholdmented.


    Some refer to that as being alive. A city that lives.


    Jaan began to tour the districts. Their first stop was the education district, and they were greeted by four young Lords of the central continent. A treefolk, a human, a centaur and a lizardfolk.


    He froze when he saw one of the Lords and Ladies was a lizardfolk, covered in all kinds of badges and dressed in a beautiful set of armor. Whoever nned this trip was clever, and he noticed the matrons themselves red enviously at the youngdy.


    Greetings, I am Lady Ghairen. The lizardfolkdy spoke to them. It is my honor to greet our esteemed visitors from Branchhold. It is indeed a shock to me, to know that lizardfolks exist on other worlds too, and also a great honor, that I am tasked with introducing the ways of my fellow lizardfolk to the representatives of Branchhold. Greetings.


    The matrons res were a mix of both envy and pride. She was tall, and her body strength did not pale to any male. There was a deep sheen to her scales, a rity to her eyes, a glint to her teeth. Jaan himself was fairly bbergasted to beauty. It was an admiration not unlike seeing a goddess. He had to dig deep and to pull himself to react.


    Now, Ill be your guide during this process. For the lizardfolks, we will be touring some of the lizardfolk enves in Freshka, and also a dedicated tour of the lizardfolk viges in the outskirts. We will also be meeting a few elite lizardfolk Valthorns, the valiant warriors who protect us from the demons.


    Everyone nodded, thedy had some kind of skill that seemed to just hold their attention, even if what she said was boring.


    A matron immediately ribbed Jaan. Why dont you speak like that?


    Jaan snarled. Wrong ss.


    ***


    The college of the nobility and themoners wasnt of much interest to the lizardfolk. The elves and humans, however, found it thoroughly fascinating, as they had some kind of schooling and academy system back home and so couldpare notes.


    Then, they went on to the military academy and that was when the matrons truly, truly revealed a thirst he had rarely seen in them.


    The Valthorns had an area where the lizardfolk Valthorns trained, and all of them were strong, powerful individuals. Their stares and nces were greedy, filled with desire, even the eldest matron.


    Lady Ghairen nodded, as if she expected the reaction, she was used to the scene so she didnt react to the sight of these powerful lizardfolks. The Valthorns will perform a demonstration of their levels of strength. The group here is part of the junior batch, at around level 60 to 80. The military of Treehome are organized around the Valtrian Order, which has the mass military forces, the Valthorns, whichprised the elite forces of Treehome. Within the Valthorns itself, there are further segregations into specialized units, with the junior batch of level 60 to 100, the senior batch of level 100 and above, and the elites, the best of the senior batch.


    Level 60 to 80 is the junior batch? One of the matrons wanted to faint.


    Of course. Lady Ghairen smiled. The bar to enter the true Valthorn ranks is level 100.


    Level 100!


    To be able to challenge the demon champions single-handedly, level 80 is the minimum. You will meet a few level 100 lizardfolkster on.


    How do they train till such levels? Jaan was curious about the specifics.


    Thats ssified. I do not know the full details of what the Valthorns go through. There are some guesses and rumors, of course, that Aeon has some secret dungeons for the Valthorns, but no one has ever found them.


    I see. Jaan admired the incredible build and strength of the lizardfolks, and felt proud that lizardfolk could stand toe to toe with the best of them.


    The humans and elves were less impressed with the high leveled elves, because they too had seen level 80 elves and humans, but rather, they were taken aback that lizardfolks, that they normally consider to be generally weaklings, even at the same levels, disy such exceptional strength.


    I dont want to paint the wrong picture, here. Lady Ghairen rified. The Valthorns, even the lizardfolks, are trained from young. These lizardfolks are designed, and educated for the long war against the demons. They are selected for their exceptionalbat talents, and not all lizardfolks live such lives.


    How many lizardfolk are there? A matron asked. How many serve as tools of war?


    From what publicly avable data revealed by the Valthorns, only less than three thousand lizardfolks serve in the Valthorns, though about hundred and seventy thousand serve in the Valtrian Order throughout the central continent. Our total poption, based on the estimates collected by the FFA, puts our lizardfolk at somewhere around eighty million.


    Eighty million?!


    Yes, one third of that number lives in the area of Wetport Lapule, which is the lizardfolks de facto capital. The rest are scattered all over the continent, in smaller towns, swamp and marsnd cities, or in the various viges.


    The matrons looked at each other, curious what a great lizardfolk city was like. Will we be able to visit that city?


    Lady Ghairen wasnt sure, and looked at a Valthorn assistant. Ill get back to you on that.


    The tour took them to the Treeology School, again, fairly boring to the lizardfolks, but fascinating to the elves, humans and others.


    Some timeter, Lady Ghairen came with splendid news.


    Yes. The Valthorns agreed to provide some free time to visit Wetport Lapule. Lady Ghairen said with much joy. I wont be going with you, however as I have some tasks here. You will be received by a district chief of the city, instead.


    ***


    Four days it took for the lizardfolks to make the trip to Wetport Lapule.


    Nestled along the Lap Bay area, where the once-pure waters of the Pule river met the great Eastern Oceans. Along the Eastern seaboard of the Central Continent, Wetport Lapule was and is the noisy hive of the lizardfolks.


    A stench foul to all but lizardfolk filled the air, the ce was once idyllic. Urbanization, and the massive influx and poption explosion of lizardfolks erased most of that purity.


    Over ten million lizardfolk lived across the many structures and lizard-made rivers along the coasts of the Lap Bay, and another ten to fifteen million more across the great metropolis.


    Here, it was where the Great Chiefs and Kings of the Lizardfolks would rule over the rest of their kind, though no lizard had dared call themselves King of the Lizardfolk since the great catastrophe of the Rottends.


    For all it took, was to look up and witness the great tree that loomed over Wetport Lapule, the twisted, swamp-adapted form of their guardian and patron, Aeon.


    A reminder of death, an obelisk of the great restoration and also a shining guiding me of the city.


    Many other gigantic trees loomed over the city and the bay, spawned over the generations by their patron, but it is to their Light of the Swamps,


    The beacon of the Wetport, the biggest of them. it was both a tree and lighthouse, on the tallest branches of that tree, there was a stairs that led to arge, forever burning me.


    They once wanted to rece the me of the ports with a bright magical crystal that did not require the careful tending of a group of specialist lizards, the [meguardians].


    Yet, superstition prevailed, as rituals and beliefs emerged over the decades, and the n for the crystal light wildly resisted.


    What was Wetport Lapule without the ever burning mes on the highest of their trees? The lizardfolks believed, even if untrue, that the me was a remnant of the Rottends. In truth, it was just Aeons copy of the crown of mes that once lit its true body. The lizardfolks needed a lighthouse, and his giant tree could easily serve the purpose.


    Despite truth, symbolism. Faith.


    Prevailed.


    Aeon was perhaps wise enough to know that it was pointless to stop superstition. The races sought patterns, and symbols, so Aeon allowed it.


    It was the symbol of rebirth. A symbol of the way home.


    Rain or shine, whether storm or hurricane, the [meguardians] ensured the mes lit the skies, marking the Lizards return. Next to service as one of the great Valthorns warriors, the [meguardians] was coveted.


    Among those lizardfolks who survived that fateful day, and lived, many privately worship the great tree as a variant, an image of some animistic deity of the Lizardfolk.


    Heresy. It was not what the Treeology priests taught, thus quietly said and whispered among the closest of lizardfolks. It was something a lizardfolk would only share when their scales touched, and their bodies intertwined with each other.


    Yet tolerated.


    As Jaan and the rest of them marveled at the great, foul, disgusting, and sprawling mass of their kind, they realized, at that moment.


    This is what we could be. The matrons realized, if nothing else. A sight that theyve never realized possible, that their kind could have a great city of their own, so massive and sorge that the residents of the Wetport Lapule would need days of scrubbing and showering to wash off the stench of all the droppings.


    Jaan shook his head. Of all things, this was what the matrons wanted for their kind?


    A city of lizardfolks? It was true that lizardfolks did ascend to quite high and senior ranks back home, and there were lizardfolk kingdoms and nations in the past. But, the sheer nature of lizardfolk breeding habits and their weaker-than-average strength, on average, mean lizardfolk kingdoms rarelysted long.


    Civil war wasmon in lizardfolk kingdoms, as generations after the founding king, so many im to be descendants of the King. Theirmunal breeding nature did not help, and Jaan had always felt this was a w of their breeding practices.


    But he did not express his thoughts, as his eyes looked at the city around them. Their carrier beetles led them through the long, dedicated passageways, but they could see housing and shops that seemed to stretch as far as the eyes could see.


    Almost all lizardfolks, though some other races had chosen to live among them.


    The bay was pristine, once, but much has changed. Instead, it was filled with ships of all shapes and sizes, and massive, gigantic lizardfolks meant for war filled the docks.


    Pirates. Privateers. Sailors.


    Back home, Jaan had never known of lizardfolk sailors. They could swim quite well, but they were most familiar with the shores and seas. Not the deep oceans, but here, their kind adapted.


    Jaans [inspect] quickly revealed that their levels were not much higher than his own, yet, their physique and health suggested a far better quality upbringing. Their scales all had at least some shimmer, unlike their own dull scales.


    Chief Jaan. A Valtrian order assistant, an, had to wear some kind of mask. The stench was overpowering. We are arriving in another hour. Ill introduce you to District Chief Saraf, he runs District II of the Wetport, and hell bring you all around.


    The beetle convoy of lizardfolks stopped at the bottom of the great tree of the Wetport Lapule, and the location itself was grandly decorated.


    Arge, opulent receiving tform, and ornately carved walkways, lifts and handles. Statues made of valuable materials littered the location, and smaller but incredibly beautiful trees scattered all over.


    Their eyes drifted to the crowd waiting for their turn. There were lines of pilgrims and young lizardfolks, led by their teachers, minders and matrons.


    A faith and superstition reinforced.


    But to the matrons, they saw tradition. A tradition not their own.


    Greetings, Chief Jaan. must be a journey, toe from a faraway small vige to the big city. Saraf was a tall, slender lizardman with spotted red scales. He was ornamented from head to toe, with gold studs and gold-ted scales to rece where some scales had dropped off, and gemstone rings on his scaled fingers. He had arge, thick ne simrly made of gold and silver.


    Greetings, Chief Saraf. Jaan responded.


    Ah, I must correct you there. I will be referred to as District Chief. There are many chiefs in this city, I am but one of the thirty-four district chiefs of the central Wetport administration, and I would be in trouble if anyone heard you refer to me as anything else.


    My apologies, District Chief.


    Then heughed, and gently jabbed Jaan on the shoulder. Im joking, dont be a tense lizard. Your tail might drop off. We are not so uptight. Wed die from stress,, if were anal about things like naming. Come,e.


    Jaan noticed there were guards, but just ordinary ones. Better equipped, and in better health, but noticeably ordinary.


    Weve arranged for a trip up to see the Light of the Wetport. Thats the first touristy thing everyone does. Or religious, I suppose.


    Touristy? What does that mean? Jaan asked out of genuine curiosity. A concept unheard of, back on the Mountainworlds.


    What you happen to be doing now, Jaan. Visiting. Touring.


    -Ah. It is a thing here. Pardon me.


    No worries. Vige bum problems. Sarafughed, as they waited. The matrons watched eager, cheerful young lizardfolks, escorted by their minders into specially made wooden lifts, so they didnt have to climb up the steps. Each lift had multiple ropes and anchors, and once filled, properly secured and then lifted up to the top.


    The work of lizardfolk [crafters] and [builders].


    But not all took the lifts. There are those who took the hike up the great tree as a journey of their own, the fenced stairs anddders coiled around the twisted giant tree like a snake.


    It was soon their turn, but by now the Matrons faces were visibly different. They had seen so many, old and young, visit.


    The light itself, a me that seemed to burn the tree itself was located on the tallest branch of the tree. It seemed to burn ravenously, and burned the branches, intentionally so. Yet it never seems to spread, specialized lizardfolks ensured it never did.


    Jaan felt the heat from the bright mes, and watched the [meguardians] go about their work.


    The tour group was safe, their vantage point was arge ring-shaped tform around the mes. They shared therge tform, the earlier groups were also admiring the mes. Jaan looked at little young children, with their still tiny scales and bright eyes, wobble and go gaga over the huge mes.


    A matron couldnt help herself, approached the guardians of the young lizardfolks, and struck up a conversation with the minders. The rest of the matrons swarmed in to join her, eager to learn about the locals.


    They were curious, and conversations between the matrons and the minders were juicy.


    Jaan just watched, and looked at the district chief.


    Everyone visits these mes?


    Yes. Its a thing. We sell paintings and sculptures downstairs for lizardfolk visitors who wanted to take a bit of it home. Souvenirs.


    Really? Jaan didnt understand the concept.


    Yeah. I dont get it either. Paintings and souvenirs just cantpare to actually being here, high above the city and being next to the mes that guide our raiding ships home. A painting or a sculpture just doesnt have that presence.


    Most captains and sailors have some navigational skills, but [lighthouses] and [ports], are structures that act as beacons in their own minds. Like waypoints.


    Symbols.


    And if enough people believed in it, the system absorbed elements of the symbols.


    ***


    Jaan couldnt get the matrons to stop talking, but luckily, the minders and the children had to go back to their care centers.


    Yet, he could see it in some of the matrons, who realized that traditions changed.


    Yes, there is an argument to hold onto original traditions, to write them down, to remember why they were, and what they were for. Jaan knew that their own matrons understood the traditions, and their purpose.


    The beetle now led them to tour the rest of Wetport Lapule, which was different.


    There was a bustle, an energy in the docks that was palpable. Everyone did something, and wanted to do something. There was always a ship setting out, and even though the skies looked cloudy, no one seemed to mind.


    Just being here made Jaan feel like he was a cker.


    The eldest matron stood next to Jaan, and sighed. They are so strange.


    Strange? Jaan asked.


    Lizardfolks. Sailors.


    Their world is different. They haverge oceans, while ours only has onerge one.


    Their traditions, their ways. So different.


    Jaan nodded. We may be simr in appearance, but their people changed over time.


    A ship sailed in, battered, but the captain was arge, burly lizardman. A giant lizardperson with scars, and tattoos that glowed. Level 50 [Pirate War Captain]. Enchantments. He wore gloves made of some kind of unusual steel, thick with magical enchantments.


    But look at them.


    The matron gave out a long sigh. Thats the thing. I cant say they are wrong. They have life, they have dignity, their own city, their own culture. These lizardfolks belong here, unlike us, running and fleeing from the mes of war. Our kingdoms neverst more than a decade, and here-


    They have the might to defend their im. We dont.


    You know we usually fall to infighting. The matron answered.


    Lizardfolks of mountainworld are segregated. Separated. Treated as disposable units deployed just to overwhelm their enemies with sheer numbers.


    Thergest they had was just a city not even one tenth of this monstrous, sprawling agglomeration. They never gotrge enough, which was ironic, given their breeding patterns designed for volume.


    Even when they did, infighting broke their ns and viges apart, and they were back to square one. The poorer average quality of lizardfolks meant many just died along the way. Their poor skills and abilities meant they couldnt even feed that many, if they wanted to.


    Jaan nodded. I dont believe they are entirely right, Matron. But there are things to learn from their path. Something in between the two traditions.


    The matron shook her head. Mixing traditions is even more dangerous.


    Jaan shrugged, and saw what they liked. Lizardfolks of Wend Lapule were truly masters of herbs and potions, due topetition among the [herbalists], [witchdoctors] and [shamans], and far better record keeping and tracking of recipes by the central authority.


    There was tradition, but new traditions could also be made.


    ***


    District Chief Saraf, when we were back on Freshka, we saw some Valthorn lizardpersons. Are there any here?


    Sarafughed like it was the most ridiculous statement ever. Is your vige so small that they didnt even put a Valthorn? The Great Tree has people everywhere. Everywhere.


    He then pointed in a particr direction, where Jaans eyes suddenly saw a giant tree, just asrge as the one with the mes, located slightly further ind, but still deep in the suburbs and districts of their city. Strange. Why didnt I see that before?


    Tree-magic. Sarafughed. I think. Or some godly shenanigans. But if you want to find Valthorns, that is where you go. Thats also the super rich-district, and the administrative district of Wend Lapule.


    Super rich?


    Yup. If youre one of the Guild Lords or great Admirals, youll have a home in District XII. Its a fancy, really upscale ce where theyd kick you out, if you got a scale out of ce.


    Really?


    Jaan stared, and Saraf eventually shrugged.


    Alright, Im half joking. The Valtrian order doesnt do that. But the private establishments do. Uppity farts with half dropping tails between their legs.


    If you didnt tell me, I wouldnt think you look out of ce. Jaan smiled.


    Meh. Saraf cursed. They think Im a tryhard. Fools with too much money and too little brains. Theyll be poor in a generation or two.


    Jaan didnt get it, but he nodded.


    Anyway, lets not bore you with ss dynamics in this swamphole. Jaan saw through Sarafs fakeugh. All was not perfect here, and so, Jaan tried to poke a bit harder.


    Whats life being... poor?


    Fantastic. You just make your babies with some whore from the bar, and dump them at the Valtrian orders nurseries, and its no longer your fucking problem, then youre back to serving on the decks and a deckhand, then at night youre pissed drunk somewhere, somehow, but never actually falling into the bay. Saraf said. Then, you try to im every orphan lizardfolk who made it as somehow your descendant. One you dont have a hand in raising.


    Jaan felt that sounded way too personal, as if he lived it.


    Hah. Didnt expect that, right? But anyway, Im kidding. I wouldnt want to be poor again. Its terrible. All that alcohol doesnt numb the fact that society sees you as worthless.


    Another set of statements Jaan couldnt wrap around his head.


    But honestly, its the middle ss who gets shoved. Mainly from stupid, ridiculous, absurd property prices. You know us lizardfolks, we dont like tall skyscrapers like humans or elves, we like our homes onnd, with some bits of flowing water and all that. Thats why weve kept building outwards and pretty much taken over the entire bay! The other races now call this ce the Bay of Lizards.


    They were now back on the deck.


    Huh. Its almost entirely why they instituted production quotas. This ce essentially bore the faults of lizardfolk over-birthing in the earlier half century. Aeon wanted to repopte the lizardfolk poption, which was fine and all, had everyone listened to their directives and lived in the old lizardfolknds where theres still a lot of space, but every other damned lizardfolk wanted to be here.


    The chief stared at the district chief again, and couldnt help but ask. Why?


    Its the biggest market for lizardfolks. Highest wages, goodpetitive roles, best employers, and thend where all the famous non-Valtrian lizardfolks live. If you want to work for a famous [baneer admiral], this is the ce to be.


    Dont chiefs tell the young lizardfolks what to do? Jaan asked, as if the idea was so ridiculous. Why were younglings not listening to orders? In his mind, there was room for discussions and all, but once the decision was made, everyone had to follow.


    That was the way. Oh lord youre one of those oldies that still want to dictate younglings, arent cha?


    Jaan paused, and felt like he too got pped in the face. Metaphorically.


    Haha, my bad. Dont mean to step on your old tail, but seriously, young lizardfolks these days are brought up with so many supplements and provided with suchrge amounts of knowledge and education, theyre just different. You gotta adapt, or you wont keep your role for long.


    Wha-


    I can feel that youe from a ce unlike this, but reality is, the young will have their own thoughts, and they wont agree with you all the time. Time to let go. Let them experiment. This ce was an experiment, after all. Though, I suppose you could also say this damned ce is an experiment that went on for far too long and its high time Aeon stepped in to revamp this damned bay.


    Suddenly, he now understood the matrons resistance.


    Tradition dictated that they defer to the matrons on matters of family and raising younglings, and he tried to change it.


    Here, his role was subject to change. He was old, and felt old. This was what it was like to feel like the worlds changing too fast, and you cant keep up.


    He had been too selfish, and perhaps ignorant. He thought that his own position was safe from change. Was the matrons resistance arising out of insecurity over their own roles in the future lizardfolk society?


    Where do they go from here?


    ***


    Spaizzer


    Once again, thank you for supporting my book on Amazon.


    Those that bought it, thanks! <3


    This is just a side story on the life of lizardfolks. I keep getting requests from readers to write more about the story of those living under Aeon''s rule, and this is one of the attempts. There are a few more on patreon, some worked, some didn''t.

 243. Bursting Peas

    243. Bursting Peas


    <b>Year 246</b>


    The Comet was still behind the veil. The barriers thickness recovered, which suggested that the demons had reconstruction abilities. They could somehow repair the Sun-Rings so quickly even after Alkas ability blew up and shattered a chunk of the Sun-Rings.


    Yet the transmission the Comet emitted was sufficient. Itll cross the barrier in a year or two.


    Well see it. This was a slow mo truck crash.


    And somehow, I felt nervous.


    ***


    Demon turtleworld. Roon and Johann arrived at the location, along with the void mages. What a name.


    You know Lumoofs never been one for names. Roon chuckled and looked at the barren ins. As they explored the ce a little more, it soon turned out there were more areas in the world than they initially expected, and some of which actually had some kind of murky, quasi-acidic pools and seas.


    The demonic turtles were resistant to those acids and we observed them entering the acidic pools and seas.


    Johann shrugged as more and more Valthorns arrived. This is going to be home for a while. Johann flicked a finger and out of nowhere, a small dragon emerged. The dragon finally hatched, and it was a golden dragon with absolutely beautiful scales.


    There were already Valthorns who asked to buy any excess scales, something which Johann rejected. He was going to keep all of them, and then turn them into armor. Dragonscale armor sounded absolutely amazing.


    The golden dragon hatchling breathed a golden me that was not seen anywhere else, and even the mages wanted to study it. Dragonbreath. True dragonbreath was something lost to time, and everyone wanted to see it.


    The little golden dragon wasnt big enough to carry Johann yet, but it ate voraciously. We shipped meat over by the truckloads, but honestly, we were not exactly sure what to feed it. In time, I wondered whether Johann would be able to control such a powerful dragon. Even with its current size, I already estimated it to be something in the level 80s or 90s. In its full strength, it might even be able to deal as much damage as the heroes.


    Shouldnt we just hit the Core of this world just to fuck with the demons? Roonughed, his equipment strapped to his back.


    Think we can do that after we deal with theet. Johann frowned. Were building a base in a ce with a quasi-demon-king underneath us.


    Its not very different from the Lavaworld.


    You know the difference. Johann arched his eyebrows.


    Roonughed. Were here. Thats sufficientfort for the guys here.


    Over the next two to three months, the Valthorns discovered that the Demonic Turtleworld experienced regr,rge amounts of tremors that shook the ground and moved some of therge barren sands. The tremors came from the core itself, as if something in the core of the kept moving.


    Our base on the Demonic Turtleworld therefore had to be built with magical securing artifacts that altered the ground around them, such that the forces of such tremors were diverted away.


    The turtles themselves were fairly easy foes, and despite being demons, they were surprisingly non-aggressive. They attacked when we got close, but these demons didnt seem to take the initiative tounch attacks. They were simr to the anti-magic giant lizards, they had high defenses, strong melee and close range attacks, and strong magic resistance.


    But ultimately, they had certain weak points, such as their underbelly.


    The void mages scanned the sky. The demonic turtleworld had some smaller asteroids around it that floated in space.


    They were not immediately obvious, but once we found them, a group of them headed there immediately to set up a second position. The simple reason that the void mages had stronger power in space, and if we were not sure how close or far the dem will get when the paths actually cross.


    So, the wider our range, the better our chances of actually catching theet in its path.


    ***


    My two domainholders fanned out the demonworld, and began stealing rift gates. Along with the daemolite next to them. We neededrge quantities of daemolite to supply the void mana needed to open a portal to theetworld as it passed by.


    Normally, my potato storage units would be able to store the void mana, even with decay, but I didnt have enough clone seeds to deploy a clone on the Demon Turtleworld, and I also needed one clone seed to deploy on the Comet itself, if thats possible.


    There was a suspicion from my mages, that the demons have a way of controlling worlds, andmanding them to move in the void sea. Just like how the Will of the World said that they could bemanded to do so. If this is the case, my clone will be required to reim control of thisets will of the world. That would allow us to then override the demons instructions and steer it away from collision.


    In the meantime, we worked.


    Daemolite. We collected so much daemolite from across the entire demon turtleworld, and bit by bit, moved them to the nearby asteroids. The Valthorns quickly set up a base,plete with all the life-support supplies needed to operate on a rock without breathable air.


    We developed powerful earth magic, meant to moverge amount of dirt and ground in a short period of time. The idea was that well need these earth magic to dig into the Comet, its likely not to have an open pit that we could just drop into. Powerful earth-escavation magic was created and stored on tens of thousands of magical scrolls.


    Demonic turtleworld transformed into warbase by the end of the year, with tens of thousands of bombs and various ordinances.


    Magic truly is amazing. Skills too.


    The demons attacked us, but so far, the demon mother refused to leave its pits. So, we didnt have any reason to enter it.


    Not when I only have one clone left, and its still in cooldown.


    ***


    Arias avatar was ready. The wooden avatar was linked to her, and then, transformed into an icy tree resembling an evergreen pine. It had hair in the form of evergreen leaves, that meant, pins, and she said it was based on her original form.


    I shouldnt feel so bad for being born a scorpionoid. Khefri chuckled as I introduced Arias avatar to the heroes.


    I believe I would rather trade ces. Ariaughed. Being a block of ice for centuries isnt fun. The only reason I have not gone insane is because magic and skills put me through hibernation.


    The scorpiondy had lightened up significantly since a decade ago. Traveling multiple worlds and fighting demons across the worlds gave her confidence, and her new friendship with the fellow heroes gave her life a meaning she oncecked. Even though her rtionship with the archer hero Chung was fraught with the usual rtionship ups and downs.


    Then Prabu dropped the bomb on me one day.


    Aeon, I would like to try and have children with Colette.


    Okay. Heroes mating with each other- thats thats normal, I suppose.


    Weve known each other for decades now, and for a while, it felt like fighting demons was our only purpose in this world. But as the sss hold on our mind wavers, we- we want to have children.


    Why now? You dont have the need before this?


    It- its just something we never thought about. The idea of having children as heroes fighting demons was so wild. I mean, I could imagine other people having children, or non-heroes having children, but having one with Colette- its just different, somehow.


    Hero-ss mind-fuckery? Thats so-


    Do you think there will be side effects? I mean, right now, the strongest, most powerful healer in the entire multiverse is likely you.


    I dont think itll be a problem, but given what weve seen of other hero-offsprings, theres no special benefits. Hell, you might still be like you now, by the time your kids grow up. Is that something you want?


    Well be like elves, then.


    Yeah, and Im not saying it lightly, that its going to be a huge mental block. Having children is fine. A hero losing their children. Thats when shit gets crazy. A mad, angry hero was probably going to be way more destructive.


    I know. Harris once said he was surprised how little he actually cared for his offspring. It took his conscious effort and reminder to ovee his innate urge to ignore them. Prabu said. Im not sure whether a child of two heroes would be different. I feel it might be.


    If its not clear, the hero ss is clearly designed for you heroes to have a light touch on the world. With as little attachment as possible.


    That is fading, clearly. Prabu repeated. Its been many, many years, and Im more- more in control of the ss. I feel Im getting better at spotting the sss attempts to mess with my mind.


    The fact that you can have this conversation is probably a sign that its hold wanes.


    Thats dangerous, isnt it?


    It is. I cannot afford a runaway hero. Or a hero that is destructive. There is too much at stake. Not when theres aet headed our way. I dont even know if we can deploy a seed or a clone on the Comet. If we cant, then we really have a limited window to hop on the Comet.


    Prabu looked sad. After the Comet, then. Id like to move to Tropicsworld. Permanently. That world doesnt get invaded.


    For now.


    I wondered briefly, what would happen if Treehome fell, but the heroes still lived. Would the mentalpulsions on the hero vanish if their homeworlds no longer existed? Was there even such a condition in the ss? It was a pointless thing. I chucked that thought into the back of my head.


    But yes, after the Comet.


    You want us to wait a few more years. No, maybe two decades. My child could grow up till he or she is seven, or eight, or even in his teens. Prabu said. Actually- maybe theres no good time after all.


    At this point, I realized the heros mind was made. He was going to have a child with Colette, and the best I could do was just support them through it.


    We wont wait. Prabu said. We wont know if we die or not when we fight all the other demon kings, but we ask that my children be relocated to Tropicsworld should the daye.


    The heroes continued to pay me in hero items, and I suppose theres no harm. Not anymore. Very well.


    ***


    Aeon. I need to go on a demon king hunting spree. Alka said.


    Oh?


    I know Ive been tasked with thatet stuff, but I was thinking that the best way forward is to amplify my own destructive abilities. I need to obtain some kind of ability that meshes well with my [Always a Bomb]. If I could get a multiplier effect, I could fundamentally be a mobilend mine to soften any demon king, and theet.


    That was quite true. Alka right now possessed the single strongest destructive ability that wasnt restricted by the void mana portals. I couldnt send certain types of superweapons through void mana, especially those loaded with way too much star mana.


    Working with Stes portals, I am effectively a nuclear bomb. The goal, therefore, is to make me into a bomb capable of cracking theet. With our resources soon to be split, we will have a problem.


    The demon king of the Mountainworld would arrive at the same time as when the Comet crossed the demon turtleworld, both estimated around Year 253.


    I believe the heroes could handle it with my support. But it did mean some of the bombs would not go.


    I could frontrun that invasion, and go to the demon world- Alka said.


    If you die, and you have to be resurrected- we wont have you against theet for a while. We dont know how long the respawn mechanism takes. Sure, I can send you against the demon king but thates with risk.


    Its worth it. Alka insisted. The size of that thing is monstrous. Were not going to get gains without gaining some levels.


    If you can get on it, you can use your ability repeatedly to chip off the Comet.


    What if the explosion causes it to change direction in the void sea?


    That''s the objective achieved. I answered.


    Fair. But let me go chase some demon mothers in the heart of the demonics. We can start with the demonic houndworld. It seems like a fairly regr ce. We have good people in charge of all the departments, we can let them handle it while we try to find and field more firepower.


    I thought for a while, and decided he had a point. We didnt need my domain holders in charge of the nitty gritty details and administrative matters. They should be gaining levels, and providing direction with their experience.


    Just like Stes attempt to search for more resources.


    ***


    Arias level 100 avatar joined Alka, Lumoof, Edna and Ste in his quest to gain levels. Sure, Aria was effectively level capped as a level 100 avatar, but they still gained experience from the battle. Also, just because the avatar was level 100, wasnt that big a restriction as I thought.


    Aria could make really powerful equipment, which could then be wielded by the avatar. This effectively added 10 to 20 levels ofbat power to the avatar.


    Their first destination was the demonic houndworld, and they headed straight for the pits.


    So we just nuke the demon mother and run? Lumoof said. Arent you worried we destroy the core while were at it?


    Thats why youre here. You need to flush it out. I need to gain levels. You chase it out, force it out of the core, and it wille this way. I will nuke it when it gets anywhere near me. That should defeat it.


    If this works we could free multiple demon worlds at the same time.


    But what if there is a growing demon king in there. The demon mother wont leave the growing demon king alone.


    Then we nuke that too.


    But we might blow up the core. Thatll piss off the [system] and make us enemies of the world.


    That- that doesnt sound good.


    Lets just go down there and see what we have? If it doesnt work out we can find another world. That world before the barrierworld is another good candidate.


    We shouldve done research.


    No ones going to go into the pits without us domain holders being there. Lumoof frowned.


    Ah. True. The things we do for the fate of the multiverse. Alkaughed.


    Ste just rolled her eyes. Ohe on mister bomberman. Were getting close.


    The core was simr to Parasiteworld. It was a hollow center filled with rocks, and just a gigantic sphere of rock that was theary core. It was a sphere with tunnels criss crossing its spherical structure, and a gigantic creature with its tentacles everywhere.


    The demon mother.


    It wasnt growing a demon king. Maybe not yet.


    Well? Patriarch Lumoof, please do the honors? Edna teased.

 244. Outgrowth

    244. Outgrowth


    <b>Year 246 (continued)</b>


    Well? What are we waiting for? Alka said. We need to gain levels.


    Are there better ways to do this? Lumoof looked at the demon mother. Surely there are alternatives to luring it, just to gain levels.


    The demon mother isnt as strong as the demon king. In the scheme of things, we should be capable of taking it on without much assistance. Alka repeated. We either go hunt for demon kings to fight, or we go for these things.


    In truth, they were venting. They knew this was one of the best ways. The dungeons no longer gave enough experience for domain holders to gain levels. Still, we didnt have that much ordnance ced on the surface. Edna and Lumoof shared a nce, before both headed for the core of the of the Demonic Houndworld


    Lumoof activated his avatar mode, and through it, my vines spread through the core.


    I hated how this was bing a familiar experience. The first time I did this was the anti-magic world. Then during the battle to reim the Parasiteworld. Stes void mages was on the surface, ready with the void weapons. If the ck sun reappeared, we were going to shatter that droplet.


    Repetition.


    It still felt fresh and different to my domain holders. For Alka, this was his first battle, even if his role was just to nuke himself.


    For Lumoof, I could sense he shared my exhaustion. We were just so tired of all this shit, but we had to soldier on.


    I was tired.


    Exhaustion.


    I need a thousand years of no-demon kings to really properly rest, but the demons wouldnt let that. And its unfair to the thousands of worlds out there that faced the demon kings. Like the rans. Like all the other habited worlds.


    My vines rushed into all the various holes throughout theary core and flooded them. The demon mothers energies met my own, and it turned back. It reoiled from contact, and at that moment, I knew quite surely I was stronger than the demon mother.


    I would like to capture a demon mother. I imagine the demon mother to just be a supersized version of the demon rod. Its ability to tap into magical leylines should therefore be superior to most magic, since a demon mother was able to capture as core. Could it even capture a sun?


    My vines chased after the demon mothers body, as it darted within. Its tentacles battled my vines, and it lost every exchange. I was just stronger, even through Lumoofs avatar.


    I felt it emit some kind of magical energy.


    Uh- something weird is happening.


    Its calling for help. Ste said and immediately barked instructions to the team on the surface. Surface team, prepare for possible ck droplet!


    The team on the surface was armed, but with my vines everywhere, the demonic mother soon found itself with nowhere to go but outside. It tried to escape, but though it still had the tremendous ability of corrupting aary core,bat clearly wasnt its strongest set of skills.


    My vines, guided by Lumoof, smashed into the demons own tentacles, and forced it out of the core.


    You know, if Aeon could do this to the demon mother, we should be able to start freeing worlds fairly easily. Ste said, but quickly regretted it. But I spoke too soon.


    Edna cursed as one of her spears mmed into the demon mothers tentacles, and she tried to pull the demon mother back. The demon mother was still exceptionally fast and it shrunk dramatically as it realized it was under attack.


    It released another warning, something within its body vibrated in a certain way, one that my surface level team also recorded with their array of magical sensors. My surface team was ready for the arrival of the ck Sun, the teardrop.


    Alka separated from us, and took position along the shaft to the surface. The idea was to detonate once the demon approached. Weaken it significantly, and then kill it.


    Alright. Lumoof announced as my vines kept pushing the demon mother towards the shaft. Alka, get in position?


    Already am. Alka said, as he floated alone somewhere in the middle of the long pit into the core. We didnt want to detonate in the core. The risk of destroying the and the negative impacts from theary curse was something I didnt want to risk.


    There were magical bombs along the way.


    Ste, teleport us out.


    Cant. Core interference. Ste cursed. The turbulent energies within thes core wasmon with all the worlds we''ve been through. It made stable portals impossible. It was like trying to build something next to a swirling whirlpool with sand. Well need to chase after it, once we get a bit out of range of the Core, Ill teleport you guys out to the surface.


    Got it! Roon and Johann nodded and they all rushed ahead. Lumoof was the slowest of them all, mainly because my vines were all tangled up and had to be withdrawn from the core.


    At that moment, I vaguely sensed a slowly rousing presence from the Core of the Houndworld. The demon magic from the demon mother wasnt gone, though. It was still there, sticking around like oil and dirty grease. Its clogged.


    Lumoof. Stay. Imanded. The core is reawakening. But it might take a while.


    Lumoof looked at hispatriots, Ste, Roon, Johann and Edna rushed towards the demon mother, and the demon mother, as expected, ran up the shaft.


    Alka. Edna notified, as they kept harassing the demon mother with attacks. The demon mother seemed to have eyes on its back, dodging our attacks. Even so, not all missed, as some of Roon and Johanns abilities were homing, enemy-chasing projectiles. The demon mother seemed to recoil from every hit.


    You shouldve brought your dragon. Roon teased his fellow bow-wielder.


    Its too small, and I dont wanna risk it.


    It cant die!


    Yet, the demon mother was a demon king. Somehow, along the way of capturing a world, that energy was lost, or perhaps, converted? Or given to the next one as a seed? Or reimed, somehow?


    I havent actually seen how a demon king fully conquered a world. Did the demon king actually leave a shadow of itself, which became the demon mother, and it went on to attack other worlds? Or did it just somehow decay into this form?


    Theoretical questions that weren''t worth pondering now, as the rousing senses of the Houndworld connected with my own through Lumoofs avatar ability. This wouldnt be a permanent link, since I didnt have a clone here.


    Alka felt the demon mother head his way.


    Alright, itsing up. Im going to explode.


    At that moment, Roon, Johann, Ste and Edna looked at each other, and decided to stop chasing after the demon mother. They didnt want to be too near. Ste immediately pinged. Aeon, be ready to pull us back.


    Yup.


    The demon mother surged towards Alka, unaware of the trap. It was already weakened from our repeatedbat.


    The surface team began to detect void mana and demonic mana in the air, a sign that the demon sun wasing-


    Then right as the demon mother approached and almost ran past Alka, he exploded. This was the second time he used the ability, and like a nuclear bomb detonated underground, it sent a seismic shock throughout the entire surface, one that I could feel even through my vines in the core.


    The entire chamber and shaft from the surface to the core was lit with a sh of light. An explosion. Freedom. The echoes and the vibration was deafening, as rocks began to copse.


    In our world, it was impossible to have a chamber that led to the core. Theres molten magma and mantle. But in this world, in some worlds, quite a fews were rock all the way through to the core, and the core itself was more like a magical dynamic than one made of molten rotating liquid iron. Gravity was magical. A form of magic drawn to the core.


    The rocks began to fall.


    The surface team was puzzled, as the void mana in the air dissipated.


    Oh. Its dead. Alka cursed, as the demon mother was vaporised in the explosion. I was expecting a harder fight.


    It never was stronger than the demon king.


    I didnt gain a level. But Alka did. Just two levels, and no new skill. He cursed.


    ***


    I felt the magical grease and oil in the Houndworld suddenly seem less heavy. As if I could push them out. So, through Lumoof, my mana began to flow into the core of the Houndworld.


    I had a feeling this would be something I will be doing more often, once the war with the demons moved to another stage. The cores consciousness was like a scattered foam, gradually but surely regrouping.


    It would take some time, just as the Tropicsworld did. Right now, I did what I could, and purged the demonic energies within the core. I drained them through my vines and roots, through Lumoof, and released them into potato storages back on the other worlds.


    Lumoof got better at dealing with such mana fluctuations. He practiced extensively, and gained some skills over the years that improved his tolerance to magical energies. He still wasnt a fantastic spellcaster, but he had eptablepetence.


    But he was a [domainholder], and expectations were different. It was a sore point, but my priest epted it. It is nothing more than the demands of our struggle.


    ***


    In a war against the demons, Id be retaking worlds from the demons, and I would need help.


    Ste, so no news from your [void explorer]?


    Did you know a space probe took about 12 years to get from Earth to Neptune. Ste quipped as she rested on the surface of the houseworld. I suppose she meant to say that space was exceedinglyrge. So yes, the void sea is this massive, massive ocean. Its like were in this small paper boat, and were paddling very slowly through it. Were moving, for sure, but there are also fluctuations in this sea.


    Can you see anything, at least?


    I could. Other worlds. But Im not near enough. Ste waved her hand and a magical three dimensional projection of the void sea appeared. This isnt urate, by the way. The void sea clearly exists in more than these dimensional forms, but this is the one Im mostfortable with. Using the other types bends my mind and its hard for me to demonstrate it in a projection.


    She pointed to a glowing red arrow flying, at the tip of a long spear-like part of the projection.


    This is my explorer. As you can see. Im going super-super far. ra was far, but Im now even further.


    I paused.


    How far do you think the gods are?


    Im pretty sure they are not clumped together. If they were- that does seem to suggest some kind ofwork effect, or perhaps a creation-event. Ste mused. But I did recall you exining what Aiva said. That the gods are far away from each other too.


    If the gods were separated, the demons essentially could pick off one god at a time. I wonder, momentarily, if the demons have in gods, and if so, how many have they in? They have one in the demon sun. So- each sun contained one god?


    In any case, we can only try our luck. Ste said. I hope to reach something. Somewhere.


    Rather than keep searching with the void explorer, would it be better to stop on one of these worlds, and try hoping using conventional astral paths? After all, their paths may be linked to some other worlds? It was the equivalent of stopping the use of wormholes or warp space, and using spacenes to visit their astral neighbors.


    I thought of that. Ste said. Im going to stop then. Maybe theres something Im not seeing.


    <b>Year 247</b>


    This was a rtively quiet year, as everyone moved to do their part. Quiet, for me, of course, because there were wars raging on every world. On Threeworlds, Zhaanpu and the Sandpeople waged a terrible war against the Crystal Kings golems.


    I had inadvertently caused an esction in the type of weapons used in the war, as both sides unleashed stronger units against the others. Even the Centaurs of Hoofhall felt this war was the most horrific in recent memories, as the magical golems of the Crystal King fought against the sandstone constructs.


    On Treehome, the vassal wars continued. The guilds did not stop invading and trying to imnd, and the defenders didnt relent or give up. The Emperors were strong, and with their enhanced abilities they were able to somewhat offset the technological advantages in areas where the Emperors im was strong.


    The royal sses, as strange as it was, were somewhat linked to loyalty. The greater the loyalty of its ruled popce, the stronger the effects of the Emperors power. A soldiers benefit from its king''s blessing was very much linked to the faith, trust and loyalty that soldier had to its royal institution. Not the King, even if its often seen interchangeably, but the actual mechanics of it was actually linked to the royalty as an institution. Each member of royaltys actions and abilities fed into a royal institution modifier in the System, and also the distance of a person to its king and royalty.


    This was unlike a General, where the benefit of a Generals power was linked to a soldiers position in the army controlled by the General. A member of an army benefited from every skill a general had that affected his army.


    Royaltys power is more subtle, wider, more pervasive but also, can be resisted.


    These findings emerged from decades of observation of the royal families in Treehome, because we noticed there wasnt much change even when a King passes on. A Kings blessings and powers lingers on after his death.


    A kingdom doesnt copse immediately, but a timer starts ticking in the system, and with each passing day, the dead kings blessings weaken, reced by the powers of the new king, or, if there are no new kings, nothing. Ceremonies affect this sort of timer. A powerful ceremony attended by many members of society affects how quickly a new kings powers and sses ripple through the nation.


    Nations that did not have kingdoms, instead, contributed to a body of rulers regardless. The high council, or parliament, or members of the city-states, membership in that body then gained the powers simr to a king, but one that is collective and shared. The constitution, if there is one, gains quasi-king-like powers, but it does so very slowly.


    In a world where justice and rule ofw is strictly obeyed, I specte that their constitution, through decades and centuries of political investment, grows into a demigod ofw. That opportunity was curtailed on Treehome, because gods and religion exist. The way faith is so intertwined with the political structure meant a constitution was tied to faith.


    It was for this reason that most non-royal institutions dontst that long, and this whole damned world is stuck in the feudal fantasy era.


    All this, tied into the powers of the vassal wars. Ultimately, with me and the Valthorns cleanly out of the picture, it is a contest between the financial, sociodemographic and technological of the trading-guild-nations, against the faith-empowered theocratic empires of defending nations. I designated areas where the forces of the four continents are allowed freending zones on the Central continent, so that the forces of the theocratic nations could attack the guild-nations at their home.


    It was much to the silent annoyance of the guilds and their backing nobility, but the guilds quickly reinforced those locations.


    Internally, the Valthorns understood our ambitions were beginning to outgrow the Central Continent. We were bing a multi-world organization, and we needed to exist above and beyond. We had duty to our home worlds, but we had to shed the shackles that tied us.


    Trees are often repotted once they outgrow their pots.

 245. Chronometree

    245. Chronometree


    <b>Year 248</b>


    The time ticked. We had 5 years until theet intersected with the demon turtleworld, and Alka was in a rush to hunt more demon mothers. Alka got a title, but the rest of us didnt, simply because it was the same title as the one before when we liberated Tropicsworld.


    This demonic houndsworld was free.


    Lumoof stayed back, and made regr trips to this world, to get a sense of the worlds mind. Each world had a will, and each will was probably slightly unique-


    <i>Woof.</i>


    I was flooded with sounds and images of dogs and hounds, and they came from the freed core instead. Dogs. Hounds. All kinds. I saw a field of grass and flowers, and dogs running through them, chasing afterrger animals. Sheeps. Cows. Animals.


    There were just dogs. They were a little like the Canari, but these were not truly sapient. It was just a world with dogs. I felt more images of dogs, and I briefly wondered whether the overwhelming presence of demonic hounds throughout the demonic worlds was due to worlds like this. Surely there are demonic cats as well.


    I shouldve known that some of these Will of the Worlds have primal, feral minds. Just like how tropicsworldmunicated mainly with images and sensations.


    ***


    On Mountainworld, the local team prepared for theing demonic invasion. Five years was plenty of time, but with explosive crystals in rtive short supply, the forces on the Mountainworld had to find local alternatives.


    The heroes, in particr, led the charge, as they adopted some of our methods and used their [hero forges] to create star mana explosives. These were functionally unusable via the void portals as they cant be shipped and delivered as payload to theinget due to the void-star mana interactions.


    So, they deployed and made them on Mountainworld instead, and for now, everything was stored in my clone tree. These were incredibly powerful bombs made of pure star mana, and if I intended for any of my clones to go with a bang, teleporting these star mana bombs through my clones was probably one of the best ways. Its likely to destroy my own clone in the process, or severely injure and damage my clone.


    The demon king could be early orte, but for now the star paths through space were still rtively fuzzy. The path still wasnt robust enough, but if we wanted, a void archmage could open a path to explore the invaders world.


    But void archmages are in short supply. We have four, still only four, and they are all upied with their own projects.


    Despite that, the heroes are confident, and they have every reason to be. Even with our B-team deployed on Mountainworld to support the heroes, they should still have enough weapons at their disposal to weaken whatever came their way.


    We should be able to pin down the demon kings location closer to its arrival, perhaps in another four years.


    ***


    Tropicsworld was our primary backup location. Large and mostly uninhabited, we maintained multiple operation bases back in the days of the war, but since its eventual remation, we granted the use of some of these bases to the pioneer migrants.


    But, with theinget, we had to prepare for evacuation of an entire, and a lot of my Valthorns came over and constructed a few cities out of locally avable materials. Along with it came everything the cities needed to be self-sufficient.


    The pioneers did well, with the few [Pioneer Lords] and [Pioneer Chiefs] leading the way, and the rtive safety provided by perpetual Valthorn presence meant there were already a few independent cities of their own.


    The great thing is that theres effectively an information embargo between Tropicsworld and other worlds, because almost no message got through without the void mages, or me knowing about it.


    [Message] spells didnt work across worlds, though there are some magical ability that allowedmunication across worlds. My Valthorns tested certainmunication abilities like [mind-link], which allowed two people to maintain a mental link, and it persisted even through other worlds, albeit at a high mana cost per message.


    In time we would probably need to figure out a way to tweak the riftgates such that they function as information routers and modems.


    Prior to our remation of the Tropicworld, there were already multiplerge forests due to my presence and the long war against the parasitic demons, and these days, the entire world was pretty much covered with trees, except for the areas where the terrain warped to suit the recovering cores preferences.


    The pioneers had to adapt to the new environment, and they did so with quite a bit of sess since the beginning of the remation projects. But so far, the core somehow knew where we were and no one had actually died when it did some unusual terrain adjustments.


    I estimate the core to be about a third of Treehomes strength since its freedom three decades ago. The rate of recovery over the past three decades appear to be fairly erratic. Im not sure whether the rate of recovery of Tropicsworld would slow down or elerate.


    In any case, at the current strength it should be able to sustain the poption of Threehome. If barely.


    I do have a tinge of worry, whether overloading a world with too much people affected the core.


    ***


    Ste. A few decades ago you estimated that there are a certain set of core suns, and also themand nodes. I asked Ste once more. She was on the Demonic Turtleworld, setting up more magical tforms on the asteroids. Has that changed? Are these Sun-Rings thesemand nodes?


    It seems to match. Ste said. For her, its a theory she worked on for thest few decades. We know theres the ck sun, and theres also the blob. The core has a single demonic blob that serves as the prison. I also know there are multiple ck suns, at least from the core, but the demonic blob is the one with the divine energy.


    But we have only know of one demonic blob so far, at the center of our copy of the demons star map. The demon suns were located further away, and only one was in the star map. In their star map, the demon sun and the demonic blob were not far away.


    Why would the demons need multiple demon suns if its far away? Was there a purpose? Or perhaps, more demonic prisons at the heart of it all?


    I found the demons structure entirely confusing, but in the end, to end the cycle, all of these things must be destroyed.


    As a tree, the demons have brought pointless destruction. If they could exist without resorting to nket destruction and world-draining, it would be much more ptable to tolerate their existence.


    Ste suspects it may be easier to destroy the demon sun and severely weaken the demons ability to power itswork of riftgates. Doing so would take out the demons ability to invade new worlds, and thus turn the tide of battle in our favor. A game of defense and where we are the attacking party.


    But, if the demon suns are linked somehow, then that wouldnt do us any good.


    Are we ready for the first pass? I asked my domain holders.


    Alka shook his head. Based on the sizes estimated by the void mages, we currently dont have enough weapons to blow it up from the surface. But, if we could somehow ess the core of this Comet, we can teleport enough bombs into the depths such that this dem shatters from within. Its a shame we cant use the heroes star mana bombs without Aeons clone, and my ability doesnt work with their star-mana bombs.


    A lot of our actions are constrained by this foul void-star mana elimination.


    My chief explosive researcher then further exined. That said, we dont really know whether we can use Aeons clone. Based on what weve seen on the Sun-Rings, the clone can only be used if theres an earth-like object. Its not possible to deploy a clone on steel, for example. So, depending on the materials of this Comet, there is a fairly remote chance that we have to count Aeons clone out.


    Ste said. Remote.


    I know, but we have to prepare for it. Not being able to use Aeons clone will be a significant problem.


    Can we ram an asteroid with Aeons clone into the demonset? Roon asked. Is there a minimum size of asteroid that is needed for Aeons clone to work?


    We dont even know if theres an asteroid near this dem. The best chance for that is when its nearest to our world, when the bubble of existence of Treehome and thiset are theorized to collide. Alka answered.


    I mean, can Ste send an asteroid through her void portal? The ranger repeated and looked at the void archmage. Thats just a mitigating step if the surface is hostile to Aeons clone.


    She frowned. A small one, probably. Not sure if its big enough for Aeon.


    Work on it? Alka pushed the void archmage, and she frowned, but eventually epted. Edna chuckled.


    Ste already has a lot of things on her te.


    Well, if theres some other alternative to void magic to move shit around, then we better get to it. Alka said. If Aeon is willing to kidnap some angels, for example.


    I rejected that idea. No kidnaps. I dont want to ruin a potentially sensitive rtionship with the angels. They appear to be the kind that remembers such transgressions, and petty enough to wage a war over it.


    Alkaughed. Well have to make some enemies, even with people we like, Aeon. We need their angelic powers. If we can breed some of our own-


    Edna stepped in. Alka, I think thats probably not where we want to go.


    The scientist paused as he realized he probably said too much. Ah, yes.


    <b>Year 249</b>


    There was nothing much to do beyond watching my folks prepare for the inevitable. My trees and research trees did their best to find ways to dig into the demons. It took slightly longer than expected, but the demonset could now be seen on the demon kings core. Our magical sensors picked up its transmission to each of the demon worlds.


    A group of my mages tried to figure out how the demon sent transmissions through the void sea, because if we could replicate that, we could have interworldmunication thats not entirely reliant on mywork of clones.


    My domain holders were busy, but with the Houndworld freed from the demons hold, it was also another potential evacuation spot.


    But it was a lot less essible, because it required my void mages to multiple hops to reach the Houndworld.


    A smaller group went and set up an operating base anyway.


    ***


    The vassal wars had a small breather this year. Both sides grew weary and tired of the war, and the merchant guilds wanted to consolidate their positions. So, in an entirely unnned moment, most of the guilds and the defenders just stoppedunching new offensives, focused on their own defenses and shoring up their own economy.


    They will return to the wars eventually, but the breather gave the general popce a great chance to recover from damage.


    Until it all gets destroyed all over again.


    ***


    Do you feel we are increasingly bing irrelevant? Chung asked the other heroes one day when they were on Mountainworld. The preparations were going well, and there was still leisure time.


    I didnt push the heroes very hard, as long as they fought the demon kings. What they did in their free time, I left it to them. Like Prabu and Colettes n to have a child.


    What do you mean? Prabu said while stuffing himself some more.


    Not really. Colette answered. Were still doing what we are meant to be doing.


    But were increasingly bing less- less important.


    Did the [hero] ss suddenly trigger something, Chung? Prabu looked at his friend with a strange look. Theyve been together for decades, and the rtionship among heroes can be a little tense because even the smallest things trigger them after so long. Thankfully, they only need to be together when they prepare for the demon king, and the heroes frequently return to their own homes to dpress.


    Im very torn on the nature of the [hero] ss. It certainly has an overwhelming influence on the heroes mindset, and guides them towards fighting the demons. The best time to investigate the hero ss is when a hero is weak, when its still growing and not fully matured. But that often involves capturing or letting a hero suffer some kind of injury such that Id be in the position to ess the hero ss and their soul spring.


    Just like Harris or Me.


    I remember being able to remove Mes ss at one point, but with the current generation of heroes I had never gotten that prompt.


    ***


    My [void explorer] reached a new world. Im not sure if its near the gods, yet.


    The gods could be hiding, and honestly we dont know how exactly to sense a god. I know that Aivas presence could be keenly felt, but theres no certainty that it is repeated everywhere, or whether the other gods transmit their presence.


    Therefore, it fell on Lumoof to explore this new world.


    ***


    Is it a good idea to explore when we face the prospect of a demonset? Lumoof asked me privately. Alka spent some time fighting more monsters in the dungeon, but since the demon mother only gave a few levels, it wasnt really worth it. Freeing an additional world was a risk, especially if it meant that world could be retaken by another invading demon king.


    Even the Houndworld, without my clone, I didnt have much confidence in my ability to secure that world if we were attacked by demon kings since the heroes wouldnt be there to deliver the final blow.


    Theres nothing much we can do, beyond getting stronger, but the prospect of gaining allies from far away is worth it.


    Lumoof shrugged. Alka was busy preparing weapons and checking on all the bombs on Turtleworld. Stes still working on the void magic tforms on the Turtleworlds asteroids. Roon, Edna and Johann were preparing the invasion force.


    There were priests and other patriarchs to do the priestly stuff that Lumoof sometimes did.


    Youre my avatar, if not you, then who?


    Lumoofughed. I suppose so.

 246. Wayfinding for Trees

    246. Wayfinding for Trees


    <b>Year 249</b>


    Two months. Lumoof said to himself. We would spend two months in this world, and no more.


    Ste shrugged. Dont worry about it. There are enough of us to cover you. Seriously, just go and explore this world and see whats there. Its really far away that I dont know what to expect.


    Lumoof rolled his eyes at the human voidmage. How strange could it get?


    Very. Each realm and world is its own little cocoon.


    Fine, lets take bets. Im betting well see humans. Lumoof said.


    Steughed. Whats the prize?


    Ill take your next assignment to wherever, and youll take mine.


    You know it doesnt work like that. But sure, Ill take the opposing bet. No humans. Well add drinks to that, too. Ste epted. From what I could, people seem to be living there.


    Really? Lumoof said. Very well then.


    Good luck, old man. Go forth and spread Aeons gospel.


    Lumoof choked. You know I wont do that in a strange new world.


    I know. Steughed. Have fun.


    ***


    The link through the [void explorer] faded behind Lumoof, the aberration vanished like it never was.


    I could feel Lumoofs nagging guilt, even though we both knew we had time. Exploration was important, for growth, for learning, for allies. We pushed on anyway. At this point, it was up to my team to do their part, and for all of us to show up when it mattered.


    Lumoof, my priest and avatar,nded in what seems to be forestednd, with patches of greenish grass, and pine trees around us. The air had a faint citrusy scent, and as Lumoofs magical senses expanded, we detected the presence of wolves, rabbits, and foxes. Birds on the branches. Insects.


    Lumoof could feel the presence of the ground, and it spoke back to him. Or at least, it gave him a sense of where people were.


    As usual, lets just spy on the locals before we make contact, I repeated, and Lumoofs magical ring cloaked his presence. Unless one actively tried, magical perception would fail.


    Forest. It was strangely calming to be in the presence of the woods, and Lumoof soon found himself taking a leisurely stroll through the woods. None of the animals approached us, though we could feel their eyes on Lumoof. Instead, they scurried away and ran as soon as we even approached.


    We couldnt see the presence of the demons usual star paths in the skies of this world. Cautiously, I took it as a sign that this world was not invaded, and that was a good thing. The demons taint has not spread to all worlds.


    It took about two hours of casual strolling before we arrived on what appeared to be a road. It was a muddy road, but a quick nce revealed the presence of unusual marks on the road itself.


    Large, gigantic w-shaped marks, and next to them, smaller, human-sized marks. But their feet were not humans. Or may not be humans.


    I might lose this bet, Lumoof smirked as he examined the dried muddy road. Beastmen of some kind?


    With lizard mounts, I answered, or war animals.


    Lumoof followed the path, following the footsteps where they led. As we continued along the path of footsteps, or w marks, we eventually approached what appeared to be a camp of some kind. An army camp. I knew it was an army because there didnt appear to be young, small children.


    It was a group of beastmen, with the heads of either a lion or a tiger, and they wore heavy armor made of bones and weapons made of magical ivory. There were no young, here. Each of the beastmen radiated strengthparable to a soldier around level 30 to level 40, and the leaders presence was someone around level 50 to 60.


    Our first encounter with this worlds civilization was a war party, so that was not a good sign. Lumoof nodded. Let us watch a bit more, and see who they fight.


    They didnt detect us, and Lumoof followed the lion-tiger beastmen for three days until they were out of the forests. During this time, we listened into their conversation. The lion-tiger beastmen referred to themselves as the Sinmau, while their opponents appeared to be a group of Wolf-Fox beastmen referred to as the Mug. They had war mounts that were gigantic lizards with scaled armor, which they referred to as the Cheecaks.


    At first, we didnt notice it, but Lumoof began to notice something unusual about the Cheecaks. They had a strange strand of magic about them, as if all of them were linked to something far away.


    The day of the battle came, and Lumoof watched the Mug army approach. They were a small n of simr size, about thirty beastmen with wolf and fox heads, and their strengths wereparable to the Sinmau force.


    The leaders of both sides thumped their breasttes and faced each other for a duel.


    Foul cubs, did your ancestors not teach you of stupidity? Your foolish attempts to encroach on the ancestralnds of the Mug Whitewolf n will be the death of you. The leader of the Mug war pack shouted to the Sinmau war leader.


    Lumoof inwardly groaned. Two months couldnt pass fast enough.


    The two leaders fought first, and to Lumoof, it was like watching two soldiers in the Valthorn academy fight to the death. They were all so weak that it really wasnt worth it.


    We could capture some of them, Lumoof suggested, And use them to tell us more about the world.


    No. Not yet. Let us watch a little longer. The battle was frankly pathetic to watch and nothing much of interest, but my fascination with the Cheecaks used by both sides increased as the battle continued. We noticed the unusual strands of magic as if they were bound and tied to something else, really far away.


    The battle endedrgely with a tie, as both sides were severely injured and retreated. But Lumoof decided to trust our instincts and follow what was interesting to us. The strand of magic that linked their Cheecak mounts.


    ***


    My priest followed and traced the strands of magic in the air, and we noticed they came from everywhere. Lumoof, cocooned in his own enchantments and magic moved swiftly across thend. Having


    The terrain of this world was varied and had a high level of diversity and frankly reminded me of our own homeworld. There wererge forested areas, areas where its just vast grasnds, high, soaring mountains, andrge rivers. But our interest in the Cheecaks only increased my suspicion that something was strange with these mounts.


    All those strands of magic could be felt like momentary flickers in the air. The presence of a connection, like a message, but more than that. We traced it for a week and arrived at what was arge mountain, the tallest mountain we have ever seen.


    Its a mountain that was covered in a kind of red snow, and clouds swirled around the peak. There were more beastmen here, clustered around the four cities around the mountain itself.


    We spent a day or two observing the cities from the distance. Each was home to a different type of beastmen. The lion-tigerfolks the Sinmau, the wolf-fox people the Mug, the bird-headed people, the Burung, and the rhino-headed beastmen, the Tanduk. The Cheecaks were used by all four different beast ns.


    This mountain was Mount Kina, the holynd of the four ns of beasts.


    Were not here to meddle with their politics. We are here to find allies, if any. If these people are not worth it, we will leave and return when we have the time to make a better stand. Our goal are the Powers, and anything strong enough to help us against theet.


    Over a few days, as we continued our observation near that mountain, we realized those magical strands led to the mountain above.


    Lets go. I said, and Lumoof nodded. A mountain was nothing to worry about.


    As it turned out, the act of climbing the mountain was an act of pilgrimage. The mountain, which soared into the heavens above was separated into ten steps, and it is said that a beastmans prestige and rank among his n was determined by which of those ten steps he reached during one of the great climbs.


    Climbing outside of the scheduled Great Climbs was frowned upon, there was no blessing in doing so.


    It mattered little.


    Weve roughly settled on the name Beastmen world for the people here, though our spying soon revealed that they refer to their own world as the First Realm. I wonder whether they even know of the existence of a world beyond theirs.


    Lumoof stood at the edges of the mountain and frowned. I think we can just teleport up there- Ah. Nope. Theres something interrupting the magic.


    If there was anything worthwhile in this world, its likely to be up there. Even now we could sense the minute strands of wills and thoughts, all from the various Cheecaks all over the world. Since we couldnt get up there by spatial magic, it was time to do it the old-fashioned way.


    Lumoofs body charged with blessings and magic, and he jumped. In a single bound he leaped up to the seventh step, where the mountain touched the misty crown of clouds. There was a weight from above, a presence not unlike the aura of a domain holder. It pressed onto Lumoof, and it bounced off like water on an oily surface.


    Well, a domain holder at the top. Lumoof mused. Without the weight of that domain holders aura dying our rise. He leaped up, through the clouds, and thennded on what was the tenth step. There was arge teau, but it was not the top. It went even further, its presence masked and distorted by the powers of a fellow domain holder.


    There were arge group of heavily armed beastfolks on top, with representatives from each of the races, but they didnt notice Lumoof behind the veil of magic. But they looked visibly upset and uncertain, their weapons were drawn and edgy.


    His holiness ims there is an intruder on the Mountain. They shouted, and each of them looked.


    The presence of another domain holder from the top, and Lumoof paused. Should we even bother?


    There really was no good way to make contact with another domain holder without seemingly barging in. Its not as if there are agents we can talk to, and those came with a set of risks too.


    I thought it was more effective, and more honest, to just go for the center and be blunt about it. Lumoof asked a question, then. How would you like to be approached, Aeon?


    It actually stumped me.


    An earlier, more vulnerable version of myself would prefer for contact to be made through my Tree of Prayers, instead of my real body. Or through any of my subsidiary trees.


    More than anything, what more an immovable immortal, I felt vulnerable andpromised when approached. Its likely that any immortal that could not move didnt like anyone or anything to get near its main body, and would go to great lengths for things to stay that way. Our location, truly, is a sore point. We cannot move, and thus, our attempts to hide are made harder because anyone who wants to find us already knows where to look.


    Maybe I should first try to respect that boundary, and actually try it.


    So, Lumoof stopped, instead of climbing further. Actually, lets catch one of those Cheecaks and use my mana on it. If our suspicions are correct, the Cheecaks are linked to this strange entity at the end.


    Surely we should first try to talk to these seemingly mindless creatures?


    I suppose thats the equivalent of someone talking to my beetles, and expecting me to notice it on my end-


    Wait. I actually would notice it. My artificial minds would notice it, for sure.


    ***


    Lumoof retreated back down the Mountain, and left the guards confused. The entire four cities remained fairly tense and on alert, as the guards departed from the high mountain down into the cities below.


    My priest retreated quickly, his moving speed likely outstripped what the locals could do, and arrived in one of the small towns outside a few dayster.


    Lumoof managed to find a group of Cheecaks stored in some kind of Cheecak stables. It was more of a mosh pit than anything for these giant lizards to roll around and pretend like they are still tiny lizards.


    There were just a few guards, and Lumoof tapped into my avatar powers and quickly put them to sleep. It was easy. Despite their different anatomy and body, the powers of a system still worked, and they all slept like any other.


    Logically, a sleep spell designed for humans should not work on someone not a human. But system shenanigans meant a generic sleep spell would work on all creatures, provided their immunities are low. With the Mug guards all asleep, Lumoof approached one of the Cheecaks.


    It looked like a nk, dumb animal.


    Hello. Lumoof said on my behalf. I knew he felt somewhat silly, but we wanted to see whether we could call on the de facto god of this world.


    The Cheecak did not respond.


    I know youre there. Somewhere in there. Linked to the Mountain high above.


    Therge lizard did not respond.


    Lumoof ced his hand on the dull giant lizards head, and my mana flooded the lizard. My mana poured into it and searched for that little strand that tied the lizard back to whatever was up on the mountain-


    I felt it.


    A strand of energy. It snapped just as quickly as my mana twirled with it.


    It felt like a figment, a minor shadow of a soul. It shattered into pieces just as my mana reached into the lizard.


    The Cheecak reacted to it badly. It was already dull, but now it looked absolutely nk, as if there was no thought or will behind it at all.


    Failed. Lumoof cursed, he felt my every move, every twitch and movement of mana. Lets go to the next one.


    I failed to touch that figment in the next three Cheecaks, I tried to be faster, slower, more gently, with a minor presence. But it didnt. Instead that figment just snapped.


    There were still a few more Cheecaks left, and then, one of them looked at Lumoof as if it had gained a few extra braincells. Lumoof looked back.


    Hello. Are you there? Lumoof said.


    The Cheecak just looked at Lumoof nkly.


    Lumoof sighed. Or do we have to snap a few more of your fragmented souls to get your attention?


    At that moment, that single Cheecak experienced a convulsion, as if it was in shock. Lumoof felt it, and I did too. I felt a growing presence within that Cheecak, gathering, and then the Cheecak had a third eye appear in between its existing two, that glowed green.


    Youve managed to summon us-


    <i>[Domain has blocked attempted inspect]</i>


    There was a moment of silence, before the giant Cheecak spoke once more. Who are we speaking to?


    Lumoof smiled, at least our attempts to talk to a dull lizard did actually awaken the actual puppeteer behind it all. I am Lumoof, avatar of Aeon. We are outworlders, not from this world of yours.


    It was a long silence, before the Cheecak spoke once more. From the divine-touched worlds?


    I do not know what that means.


    Another long pause, and once more our domain blocked a few more spells. Strange. Its been so long since we had a visitor from the stars.


    I noticed the word, we. Is this another one of those hive minds, like Lillies? I wondered theyll be friendly, but then again, it matters little. From what Ive seen so far, theirbat abilities were not fantastic. Potential is there, but I believe there are a dime a dozen other simr worlds out there.


    Lumoof sensed it, and understood what we wanted. Greetings, then who are we speaking to?


    We are the Great Beast Spirits, and collectively, we are referred to as the Bitu. Why have you called us outworlder?


    Where are the divine touched worlds? If there is nothing here, might as well ask for directions. We wish to reach and speak to the gods for their aid in our battle against the great demons.


    There was a long, long silence as the Cheecaks third eye continued to stare. Lumoof was way too used to talking to domain-tier individuals that he was absolutely unbothered.


    The devourers. Bitu answered. They still live?


    They are everywhere. Lumoof answered. Except here, somehow.


    Thest weve seen them was- I cannot remember how many sr cycles ago.


    Perhaps your world somehow drifted to safety. Away from their reach. Lumoof just spected.


    That would be sensible. But we do not know where the divine-touched worlds are. Thest of the divines messengers came during the age of the devourers, and vanished with them.


    Lumoof nodded. If that is the truth, then we shall be on our way. Our war is not over.


    And it seems, it is not over for us too.


    Spaizzer


    Salvos has a weic. It''s here.https://tapas.io/series/Salvosic/info


    Also, Thanks for reading. It''s been fairly disheartening to read some of the negative reviewstely.


    But, oh well, I get it.


    The weight of time and working for too long on the same story does that to me too. I''m exhausted, even though when I look at other writers doing it full time, pumping out multiple chapters a week, I think to myself, hey, I''m such a cker. But I know I can''t write like them. Our process is different, and as a discovery writer I have to go with the flow. If the flow doesn''te, it just doesn''t and I write nothing. I''ve been lucky that I''ve managed to somehow push through the slumps, but at the same time, I really wish my flow was better.


    I''m honestly jealous of folks that can produce 10k words a week. I sometimes daydream that if I could write 10k words a week, I could finally finish Tree in maybe 6-8 months and finally move on to other shit.


    Anyway, thanks for hearing me whine.

 247. Tree-minus Two

    247. Tree-minus Two


    <b>Year 250</b>


    Three years till first alignment of the demonset. We see it bright and clear in the void sea, its transmission to the worlds were picked up by our sensors across all the demon-infested worlds.


    It taunts us with its presence. I wonder whether its intentional, or its just confidence that theres nothing we can do to stop aaryet barreling our way.


    Lumoof returned from the stint on the Beastworld, and Ste sent her [void explorer] further. Im not sure if well see them again, but what we shared with the Cheecaks hive mind was a story told a thousand times over.


    Instead, my attention was split on our preparations on the Demonic Turtleworld, and also Mountainworld where a demon king should be arriving any time.


    My void mages on the Mountainworld observed the path of the stars to the demon world grow in strength and form, almost enough for the void mages to activate the rift gates and send our own spies through to the other side.


    Preparations on both worlds were fairly intense but the preparations for the demonset truly stretched our forces and our resources, and caused wild swings in the economies of Treehome and Mountainworld.


    We sent resources to our bunkers and bases on Tropicsworld in huge batches, enough to build new cities outright. Steel, iron, metals. Stone. We bought so many for the weapons and bases we constructed on Tropicsworld and also the Demonic Turtleworld.


    To make bombs, we bought so many crystals, and materials for runes that we essentially caused a shortage of runguage liquids and ink.


    To set up the void tforms and amplifiers, we bought all types of precious gems and rare metals. Our craftsmen and builders were fully booked, some of them working extra hours.


    The resource demands to destroy a demonset was so high that as long as any matching resource or material hit the markets, we would bid for them.


    As strange as it sounded, the economic and resource demands for the Demon Comet essentially drained the fuel and fire out of the vassal wars. Soldiers couldnt fight without weapons. Warships couldnt be built without runic ink and liquids, formations or steel. Fortifications couldnt be built.


    Even magical scrolls were in short supply because we kept buying and ordering scrolls.


    In order to stockpile food, should we ever need to resort to arge-scale evacuation, we bought seeds and various longsting food types for storage on the other worlds.


    For merchants and for the kingdoms on the other continents, this wild purchase drove prices up, but to me, money is always just a means of exchange. There was always gold somewhere, in some other world where we can easily mine. Some of my [subsidiary trees] were even specialized resource harvesters, collecting gold and precious metals where they are easily found.


    Essentially, money was aplenty, and we could pretty much print as much as needed to pay our suppliers. Resources were not.


    Most nations, in the face of our massive buying spree, had to resort to export embargoes and export quotas, preventing merchants from selling too much, or only their excess supply. Some resorted to nationalization, where the Holy Emperor essentiallymanded that certain mines were temporarily Imperial Property, in order to continue their war effort.


    Ultimately, the strain on their resources ced an umon burden on their logisticswork.


    It was as if two warships sailed at each other, and both of them ran out of fuel.


    As the Valtrian Order, the central Fresnd authority,monly referred to by the folks as Central, we were the preferred customer for many resource producers simply due to the scale of our orders, the military protection we provided, and the bankingworks that we controlled. If we put in an order, most of them would prioritize our orders, simply to avoid offending us.


    Its a threat we rarely used, but my spies ensured that the propaganda and words spread out there ensured most merchants knew their ce and strongly believed we would. After the whole vassal wars, it was imperative as an organization that we were not seen as ame duck authority. Our threats were real threats, and not just statements we didnt mean to act on.


    I think about that sometimes. For threats to be real threats, there had to be action. Seen, visible action.


    Actions done in my name, actions such as bribery, kidnapping, torture and assassinations. Threats. Actions.


    Blood on my hands. Blood on my roots. Blood on every single leaf and tree.


    I think about it, and remember that it must be done.


    ***


    For the heroes, they were taking things easy. They were well prepared and there didnt seem like any reason for them to panic. They traveled frequently between Mountainworld, Treehome and Threeworlds.


    Colette had a daughter, Rohana. She was perfectly normal, like what a human child was expected to be, and had no unusual or inherited abilities.


    Both Prabu and Colette were strangely relieved, and asked that she be cared for by us, directly. I wasntfortable being the trustees and guardians of a heros child, and it reminded me of that time when Roma was growing up.


    History sure loves to rhyme, and with enough time, there is always a rhyming pair. Ken naturally understood my position, and instead volunteered to arrange for other long lived persons to y the role. In this case, Ken actually asked Kei, Lausanne and Edna to y the role of Godmothers.


    It wasnt the first child. Hafiz had many children outside, with his little harem, but Hafiz always kept his harem separate from the rest of the heroes. Chung, prior to his infatuation with Khefri, also had a harem, with some children too.


    But as strange as it was, I was fairly sure the heroes didnt consider their children to be one of them. Ive observed Hafiz with his harem, and I could tell there was some genuine love for his harem. Yet, there was always a wall that these children didnt get through.


    Their children were not part of this little club of earthlings.


    Rohana was different. She was the first child born to two heroes Ive known so far, and it was actually quite difficult for Colette to conceive Prabus child. It was a matter that strained the couples rtionship, and was instructive to both Khefri and Chung.


    I learned something throughout Colettes challenges, even though I had to y the role of a voyeur, after Prabu came to me for assistance.


    The hero ss is incredibly fertile, and this was why the heroes could have a harem and get so manydies pregnant. It was why Harris had so many offsprings, and why every hero seemed to have some descendents scattered all over the world. There were written letters and books passed down by various royal families that recorded that a heros discharge could fertilize and cause a princess to be pregnant even after a month.


    Essentially, the ss was really a [super breeder].


    But this benefit did not apply, when the other party is another hero. The hero ss didnt like to give birth to another heros child, and rather than promote it, it actively suppressed their bodies when they were in the act.


    But it was something they both wanted, and I had to find ways to augment both their fertility and align their cycles. It wasnt difficult to pull a few herbalists, healers and mages to help out on this project.


    The hero sss resistance to fellow hero pregnancy wasnt extremely difficult to defeat. The ss actively discouraged pregnancies to other heroes, but with sufficient fertility boosting stuff, it was eventually a sess.


    Privately, I wondered what the purpose of such a restriction was. To prevent friction with a hero group? They already suppressed their mating instincts before they killed the hero. Or was the intention really to dilute the heros bloodline with some native?


    Why?


    And why did the ss make them so fertile? Was there a purpose for that level of excessive fertility?


    I had no answer, even if there were many theories.


    Was there a function of why the heros genes seems to be designed to mix in themon gic pool?


    A part of me wondered whether this is due to some kind of inherent w in the nature of the people. At some point, people must be created by the system.


    All these magical races didnt emerge out of nowhere. They must be created at some point far in the past, and perhaps the intention of mixing heros gic data with the offsprings of created races was for some kind of gic resilience?


    Again. Many theories, no answers.


    ***


    The entire Treehome wanted to know what we were up to. Why did we buy so much stuff?


    I believed that most economies were self adjusting, that if prices were high enough, it would be so profitable that more people would do it, and that was true to a certain degree. But rare materials are rare for a reason.


    Even if one dumped more people at it, they wouldnt be made or found.


    My Valthorns thus considered the need to expand beyond the Clone Worlds, worlds where I had a clone, and set up mining and resource bases in the worlds such as the Angelworld, or the Beastworld, or many other smaller worlds. Mining and trading outposts, essentially, where we could learn from the locals and buy from them.


    Threeworlds, we couldnt do much trade, because only the Sandpeople and the Centaurs would trade with us, and with their own war ongoing, Zhaanpu didnt authorize any significant movement of materials or resources. The Centaurs followed Zhaanpus decision. The human faction, beholden to their Immortal Crystal King, refused to interact with us in any substantive manner, even if we knew they were curious.


    Their criminal factions were willing to work with us, but only on a surface level. Their suspicions of us as outworlders was surprisingly high, and the Crystal King went all out on the Outworlder propaganda.


    To counter this Outworlder narrative, I did what we did elsewhere. Tours.


    For the Sandpeople and the Centaurs, we invited some of their leaders for a trip to Treehome. To see our world, and for them to learn. Over the past few years there were at least a hundred such trips granted to the people of Threeworlds, and Mountainworld.


    I hoped to pull these two worlds closer to us, in time, these three worlds should be our local group, where all three could easily support each other.


    ***


    Despite this, my artificial minds already began to observe the same sort of nativism espoused by the Crystal King. Those on Mountainworld would wonder why goods and resources were redirected to other worlds, instead of reinvestments.


    Even my Valthorns, a significantlyrge majority of them came from Treehome, and trying to bnce the viewpoints of those who came from Branchhold, or the other worlds was a problem that would only grow.


    Secretly, I thought of creating a voting system where each world could send representatives to Treehome to deliberate on matters pertaining the whole.


    After all, the kingdoms and nations of the Central Continent all have representatives in the Centrals ruling council.


    Right now, although each of these worlds are somewhat self-administered, their position is quite like the Six Ports, where they are direct territories of the Valtrian Orders.


    It was a potential for dissatisfaction if the local citizens were not given a means to express some of their views and discontent, even if its argely performative role. We are a growing internar empire, and thus, the political and administrative structure that rules the Empire cannot be the same one that ruled the Central Continent.


    It didnt matter for my military worlds, where the only ones who lived there were my military operators and were primarily a transient poption.


    My base on Threeworld, right now, is governed by an appointed governor from Treehome, a Valtrian administrator. Tropicsworld is also simrly governed by an appointed governor, but unlike Threeworld, Tropicsworld has a farrger civilian poption due to the settlement programs over the past decade. Branchhold, my nation located on the Mountainworld has arge number of refugees who then turned it into their home.


    Some day, if Lavaworld or Cometworld have their own poptions, it is likely they will ask for some means of self governance, at least in areas where it is relevant to them.


    Each of these worlds are in different levels of economic, political and structural development. The size of their poptions were different, so the level of administrative talent was therefore different. The expectations and degree of self management afforded to each of these locations cannot be the same.


    There were legitimate and valid concerns about standardization ofws.


    Especially if we n to have arge civilian group traveling between worlds in the future, formercial and social traffic.


    In the meantime, my lords suggested the creation of a second representative council, one called only when I desired their views, each with representatives from each of the Clone Worlds.


    <b>Year 251</b>


    The Comet got closer, and my void mages actually tried to reach it from the asteroids of the Demon Turtleworld. It was still too far.


    Even Ste couldnt go so far.


    Couldnt you use your void explorer on the Comet? Ednained, and it was an idea raised before. But the void explorer actually needs to travel back to Ste. It is not something that can just be dispelled. Perhaps some day, Ste would gain levels and unlock multiple Void Explorers. That would significantly improve our exploration speed.


    Still, all of this was not fruitless. We were getting better at detecting, scanning and figuring out the nature of the demonic world. Just like how scientists of Earth had many tools and scanners to detect theposition of a, our magical tools improved over the decades.


    Our tools suggested a high likelihood of crystals, and so its likely to be a rocky filled with daemolite.


    I could tell there was an undercurrent of worry and anxiety among the Valthorns tasked to prepare for the alignment of the Demonic Turtleworld and the Cometworld, especially the void mages.


    Everything depended on the void mages actually sessfully opening a portal to the Cometworld. If there was some kind of core-defense, just like howary cores shredded void portals close to their core, then we would be in trouble.


    Infiltrate, Manipte, Redirect, Destroy, Evacuate. If infiltration failed, evacuation was the only way.


    ***


    On Mountainworld, the Star Path to the demon world solidified. We should be seeing the rifts soon, though so far, there was none spotted.


    My void mages on the Mountainworld, on average, were less experienced than the team on the Demonic Turtleworld, but they were still led by my experienced void archmage, and Ste still moved between the two worlds to provide some guidance and oversight.


    Its in our interest to settle this worlds demon king as quickly as possible, so that we could redirect manpower to the dem.


    Alka, after a long and convoluted argument, decided that it was best that he supported the heroes on the Mountainworld. He needed the levels, and if he could blow the demon king up, or weaken it significantly, he could get stronger and use that strength to hack at theet.


    I didnt want to risk it with the demon king. Demon Kings can vary wildly in strength, and some have really unusual power sets, so I felt it was an unnecessary risk for Alka.


    Despite my disagreements with that approach, we put it to a vote with my domain holders. Edna, Roon and Johann all supported Alkas attempts to grow stronger. To the three, fighting demon kings was absolutely normal, so they didnt think it was a problem.


    Lumoof and Ste opposed, preferring the more conservative approach, and partly because we didnt know how long my respawn process was.


    Oh well.


    Well just have to deal with the consequences, whatever they are.


    Spaizzer


    Wanna shout out two guys who are going to Amazon today. Avitue and Valerios. I wish them all the best.


    First is Avitue''s Book 2 of Blood Demon''s Retirement.. /gp/product/B0C666YPGP<blockquote>


    <em>Family. That was something Cal, the Blood Demon of Al-Shan, had mostly forgotten about since she was orphaned after her parents passed away. Meeting with a half-brother she had not known she had during her travels was a pleasant asion, to be sure.</em>


    <em>What she had not expected was to find even more family, other siblings herte father had left behind. Nieces and Nephews, even someone she could consider a stepmother. Others that she never even imagined were still around. Slowly, she started to recall the feeling of warmth and belonging that a family gave out. A feeling she had thought was lost with her parents.</em>


    <em>A feeling that had been rekindled by her newly found family.</em></blockquote>


    Next, we have Valerios''s Road to /Road-Mastery-LitRPG-Apocalypse-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0BW9X6H59<blockquote>


    Alone. Surrounded by monsters. Armed only with his fists... Time to fight.


    Jack Rust was a disillusioned biologist with a PhDalmost. When an extraterrestrial AI calling itself the System invaded Earth and thrusts it into a world of aliens and violence, the least Jack hoped for was gaining ess to magic.


    Nope.


    Even worse, the System also spawned a forest dungeon around him and a goblin in his face...


    Armed with nothing but his fists, Jack must grow strong enough to survive hordes of monsters. He needs to return to civilization and find out what the heck is going on. He might also get magicor not. Surprising himself, Jack discovers that violence is fun.


    In this battle-ridden new world, Jack finds the life he always dreamed about. He wont just survive. He willthrive.


    Don''t miss the start of this action-packed new LitRPG Apocalypse Series from Valerios. Join Jack the Brawler as he pummels everything that gets in his way with his fists on his road to mastery and power. It''s perfect for fans ofPrimal Hunter,Defiance of the Fall,and lovers of all things Progression Fantasy and LitRPG.</blockquote>

 248. Perplexitree

    248. Perplexitree


    <b>Year 252</b>


    One year to go till the first intersection and my void mages tried to cheat. Approach it. Extend their range. Find ways to get there and buy us more time. By my mages estimates, we have a short window when we can deliver people and goods onto the Comet. After that window, itll move out of range.


    Its critical that both Lumoof and Ste get there. My clone seed still has another three years to go, but if we cant deploy my clone, wed have to make do with all the equipment we can deliver during this somewhat short window. How well proceed will depend on what we discover.


    ***


    Mountainworld.


    The path in the skies above now glowed and the rifts arrived as predicted. Demonic spiders poured out of the rifts, but the Valthorns on Mountainworld ughtered these poison-users easily. Their gimmick seemed to be abination of poison and self-replication,rger demonic spiders exploded into smaller spiders, and smaller spiders exploded into even smaller spiders. The smaller one was norger than a basketball, but it meant that every gigantic demon spider was an actual army of spiders.


    It reminded me of tower-defense games where mobs had decay or devolution mechanics.


    Spiders. These demonic spiders differed from their regr spiders by their bodyposition. The demonic spiders were made of the same kind of rocky, semi-crystalline material seen on other demons, and they had their signature reddish glow through their body.


    A few captured samples indicated that underlying it all, their nature was simr to the demonic hounds, and I was able to capture some to study their abilities. If my beetles could replicate that ability it would significantly enhance my beetlesbat powers.


    It didnt take too long to overwhelm them with my mana, just like the demonic hounds, but once I captured them, they lost that ability to break up into smaller pieces. It was soon clear that the ability came through linked energies, linked to the unborn demon king, just like the parasite-demons with their ties to their own demon king.


    Just as I dealt with the strands of faint energies seen in the Cheecak, I have be more aware of the faint threads and links that exist between these creatures, and their masters. With the same refinement and finesse I attempted to tap into these links, to trace the path of these faint lines of magic and control.


    To see what was behind it all.


    My mana got better at piercing behind the veils, and it followed the roots down to the sources of water.


    The demons copsed like puppets with their strings cut.


    Even the giant spiders copsed and disintegrated, rather than resist. All it took was for my root to pierce it, and for my mana to begin seeking the source. It was as if I was getting closer to the drone controller, and in panic, just as it always had, its first instinct was to cut off the connection.


    I didnt know whether it was fear.


    Aeon, youre making this too easy. Alkaughed. If we still want demons to fight well have to jump to the other side.


    Alka looked more than happy to dive headfirst into the demon world, and mess with the attackers. He needed the levels, and killing a lot of demons was one way to get them. Even if its hardly worth it for him, it took forever for a creature of his strength to level.


    The rest of my demigods were on demonic turtleworld.


    ***


    The demon spiders homeworld was naturally named Spiderworld, because, well, it had to be. When we got to the other side, what we saw was a variant of the Rottends.


    A vast, towering world filled with huge demonic trees, and a lot of webs everywhere. I felt a sense of kinship immediately. These were trees, even if they were demon trees.


    I still keep a small amount of demonic trees, in specified orchards, just to continue studying these fascinating hybrid trees. Here, this was essentially a demonic ecosystem, geared to invade other worlds.


    The demonic trees were essentially vast spawning pods, each of them containingrge numbers of cocoons made of webs. Inside, were dormant demon spiders, by the hundreds and thousands. Still, they were trees.


    The hybrid trees were under my control, now. Their links to their foreign masters severed and now mine. They still produced small quantities of demonic mana, mana I used to fiddle with demonic equipment.


    The earthlings spected that the demons were the magical equivalent of self-replicating gray goo. The evidence, despite my skepticism, generally supports this view. They may feign intelligence, even possess it, but ultimately their base instinct was to assimte everything, and turn everything into demonic gray goo.


    Lumoof wasnt here, so all I could see was sent through Alkas magicalmunication devices and scrying.


    A group of Valthorns apanied Alka to the other side.


    Well. Alka looked at his team. This world has demon trees, and our patron will want to study it. Each of these Valthorns went through years of training to get here. These were the level 80s to 120s, and so they know the drill. Each of their squad leaders went through at least two demon-world raids, and knew what to do. Same stuff as thest time. Capture the rift gates for our voiddy, locate the pit, kill the demons that stop us, and report back.


    The team of about three hundred fanned out. The spiders were no match to the well armed Valthorns, even if they were incredibly persistent.


    The entire world was filled with trees, and we soon found water. It wasnt regr water, though. It was purple andced with metals. Poisoned for normal people, but the demon trees of this world adapted to them.


    Eventually the Valthorn druids began shipping some of these demon trees, packed inside special containers, through the rift gates back to Mountainworld, for my studies. They were adapted to the metals of the Spiderworld, and the metals of the spiderworld had surprising self-reconstruction abilities.


    They were not very strong, but these metals, when stimted with small amounts of magic, could remember their form, and would naturally reform that remembered form. A dose of magicter, the metals could then forget that form, as if it never happened. This metal immediately made me check the captured demon spiders. They were not made with this metal, and yet, the demons somehow manage to pass on the qualities of the metal to these spiders, which was why they could explode into smaller quantities.


    The demons abilities often feel like borderline bullshit, because there shouldnt be a way to have such a wide array of abilities.


    The simpler exnation is that the demon king is a kind of adaptive virus that adopts all the abilities of its parents, and then all its minions essentially get a weakened version of those adopted abilities.


    If this is true, we can conclude that the demons only have a few abilities. The rest is just stolen shit.


    The ability to capture, absorb abilities and then pass it on to minions.


    The ability to self-replicate itself in smaller and weaker versions.


    The ability to build void portals, structures, and the ability to use void magic.


    The ability to create and summon these infesting superminion-controllers, the demon king.


    Based on this core set of demonic abilities, the ability to unmake or interfere with any of these abilities individually, would stop the demons in their tracks.


    Stopping the demons ability to build void portals and void magic would stop the demons ability to travel and reach new victims. Stopping the ability to create demon kings would essentially reduce the threat level of demons to the equivalent of an army of strong natural magical beasts.


    This was the medical equivalent of stopping the infection vectors, or mutating and turning the demon king into just a slightly strong influenza. Dangerous, but not undefeatable.


    Anyway, Alka eventually found the pit of the demon king, but it was so rigged with demonic spiders and webs, that it wasnt worth the risk.


    He wasnt a one-man army. Hes essentially a ss nuke. The Valthorns captured the rifts, took some more samples of every single strange or unusual thing, rigged the pits with bombs, nted our magical sensor equipment and then, went back to the Mountainworld to await further instructions.


    ***


    My mages were more than happy to have new metal types to y with. The immediate uses were not clear, but with research and magical items, their usefulness often emerged after decades of tweaking, experimentation and happy little coincidences.


    Each small step enabled something further down the line. It was just how it is.


    We nt trees today, and only decadester do we know what they look like. Even if we have druids guiding their path, nature often surprises and takes unusual turns.


    ***


    We captured enough rift gates that the number of rifts on the Mountainworld was pretty much cut by two thirds. There were still some riftsing through, and the demons likely had even more rift gates in ces we didnt find, but the number of demons was manageable.


    The heroes waited.


    The location of the demon kings arrival was getting clearer, and then we realized something absolutely annoying.


    The spider demon king will arrive right in the center of one of the Dwarven capitals of the Mountainworld.


    ***


    This is ridiculous. The king of the Dwarf mmed his table when my envoy from Branchhold arrived with the news.


    I didnt have the resources to send a strike team to the Spiderworld, not with the n to invade the dem, and I didnt want to do it anyway. Destroying the demon king on the Spiderworld could trigger another dem, and that was a risk I didnt want to take.


    Thus, the safest way was to evacuate the capital for a battle with the demon king.


    The capital could be rebuilt.


    My ancestors built this capital four thousand years ago. This pce was built three thousand years two hundred and eleven years ago. Do you know how many ancient structures remain in this city?


    My envoy was apologetic, and tried his best to appeal to the distraught emotions of the Dwarf King. But he was stubborn, and his people stood by their king. They were not moving, and looking at the city of the dwarven king, I certainly could see why.


    They were prosperous, industrious, and the city super well fortified. There were enough magical weapons and defenses to stop a regr demon attack. The people would lose all they have built, all the resources and time they invested in building this city.


    All I saw was how it would burn like paper before the demon king.


    I couldnt nuke the demon king if it arrived here. Not without killing the locals.


    ***


    The void mages scrambled to find a solution, whether we could try to meddle with the demon kings path, just like how Lumoof meddled with the anti-magic demon king.


    But the answer was no. Unless Lumoof was willing to hitch a ride on the spider demon king again, but thest time we did it, Lumoof was out for weeks.


    I needed Lumoof for the Comet intersection.


    ***


    I called the heroes for a briefing, for a message that was going to be hard to swallow.


    The dwarven king refused to cooperate and will not evacuate. The entire city too.


    The heroes cursed. Ken looked absolutely sad. I knew this day woulde one day. The demon king has so far avoided popted areas, but it was by sheer luck and the fact that the wilderness outnumbered cities by arge factor.


    There woulde a day that the demon king would strike a popted area.


    It just sucked that I had anothermitment. One that threatened our world.


    Adrian and Kelly, the two native heroes of the Mountainworld, looked absolutely devastated. Adrian volunteered to talk to the dwarven king again. Hes killing his people, I will try to change his mind.


    The dwarven capital was one of the most prosperous in Mountainworld, and there were screams of jealousy. They said this was a plot to destroy apetitor, despite our track record of predicting and dealing with the past demon king attacks.


    The heroes immediately asked to replicate what was done before. Can Lumoof-


    No. He cant. I need him when the Demons Comet intersects with the Demon Turtleworld. He cannot be at two ces at once, and I am not triggering another dem.


    My reasoning was clear.


    But the unspoken truth hung in the room.


    I would let the dwarven capital die.


    If they refuse to heed a warning or our assistance, so be it. It is their choice, and their choice has consequences. If the other cities see the consequences, they will be more cooperative in the future.


    As for the heroes, they would have to face the Spider Demon King without the benefit of a softening blow. I have utmost confidence in their ability, they were all much higher level than they were before, and my Valthorns will still assist to provide bombardment support.


    In fact, I soon pulled Ken for a quiet discussion.


    I intend to rig the dwarven capital with bombs without their assistance or approval.


    There are people there. Ken thought.


    I will have the void mages teleport out who they can, by force. They wont be able to save everyone, but the demon kings arrival is a death sentence to the capital anyway. I am merely elerating their death.


    Why not act by force?


    I will make an enemy of the world.


    Should you care? Ken asked.


    It would greatly endanger my recruitment efforts if Im seen to forcefully take over another world. I can recruit good people because I am still perceived as doing the right thing. This-


    Ken sighed. This is just all shades of gray. Someone dies, and no one will be happy.


    I want you to talk to them, tell them dont do anything too crazy while we figure out some ways to deal with the dwarves.


    I- I dont think they will. Ken said with uncertainty. But I will see what I can do.


    ***


    The heroes attempts to persuade the dwarven king failed, and all they got was more curses and mugs flung their way. It was supposedly the highest of the dwarven insults, to have beer mugs filled with beer thrown at them.


    The heroes morale took a dive. They liked what they were doing before this, and to some extent, they had life on easy mode since we were able to spawncamp. Now, the horrors of their assigned duties caught up with them again.


    They would fight in a city filled with the dead. People they could not save, and it massively triggered their hero sses effects on their minds and thoughts.


    Chung took this time to talk to Ken on death. To talk him out of it. Ken, there will be a time when all of us need you to talk us out of this. More than ever, we need a friend who is with us.


    Ken gave the archer hero the eye. He knew what this was all about. Chung. Lets leave that aside, and try to figure something out.


    No. You know how broken we are. We need a guide. Aeon isnt that guide, but you are. You know us. You were one of us. You see the effects of the gods on us more than ever, and can talk us out of our failings.


    Ken felt Chung trying to guilt trip him. Guilt. That he shouldnt abandon the cause.


    The heroes from all the worlds need someone to hold it together. We are all these broken, cracked ss cannons. Chung admitted. We are all wed in some way,pelled by this power, this- this- curse. This duty. You cant just leave us and let us fight this war while you die peacefully of old age.


    Guilt.


    Ken sighed and kicked the barrel down the road. I hear your concerns, old friend, but Im not dying.


    Yet. Chung didnt want to let him go. Tell Aeon to make you immortal like Kei. He can rip your soul out and ce you in some other vessel.


    -lets leave that decision toter.


    ***


    My pantheon on the demonic turtleworld heard the news, and Lumoof took a day to pray for things to go well.


    For Mountainworld. For the dwarven capital to be safe.


    I found it ironic that he chose to do so, even though he was praying to me.


    He was praying to me.


    I am his god, and this gods hands are tied.


    Spaizzer


    <strong>Announcement : Chapters for book Two to be taken down this weekend. Book 2 ends at the Cmitree & Aftermath. Book two is on track for 28 June 2023. I have a feeling it''ll tank, though, but oh well. I want printed copies of my own stuff <3</strong>

 249. Threading Twines

    249. Threading Twines


    <b>Year 252 (Part 2)</b>


    The decisions of the dwarven rulers were taken badly by the Valthorns and Valtrian Order of Branchhold, and here, those native to the Mountainworld wanted a stronger reaction. The response of the Valthorns from Treehome was rtively muted.


    They didnt really have an emotional attachment to the cities of Mountainworld, but for the natives, some of them were immigrants, and some even had distant rtives in that dwarven city.


    Within these Mountainworld natives, there were those that understood why we couldnt force the dwarves to evacuate, and why they had to bear the burdens and consequences of their choices. There are also those who believe that it was our duty to save them from their stupidity.


    Even more extreme, were those that believed I wasnt doing enough. That Lumoof, my patreearch, should be able to be here and save the dwarf city.


    Their argument was that the dem didnt threaten anyone yet. Not until another eighteen years down the line. There was another chance since Lumoof could intercept the dem during its 2nd passthrough near Lavaworld. The dwarves were under a much more present and immediate risk,pared to Treehome.


    Some supported this view.


    This view essentially created a rift between those of Treehome, and those of the Mountainworld. I predicted this, but facing it for real was a lot more troublesome than I expected.


    ***


    Lausanne walked back to her table, sipping the already cold tea. She finished her briefing. Her mother and Kei sat on a small table by the side, and waited. There were a few more Valthorns nearby as their bodyguards, in case anything happened. The crowd was small, but consisted of the former heroes, Me, Alexis, the few other idental summons, and the senior members of Mes institution of spies and informants, the Rosewood Hotels.


    Folks I did not pay much attention to, because they didn''t have the intention to participate in whatever schemes I worked on. They were victims of Alexis''s propaganda, and so we started on the wrong foot.


    Suspicion.


    Still, Lausanne remembered Me. Her mother did as well. Friends, at one point in their lives. The truth of their origins were something the elves realized muchter.


    Lies shrouded their rtionship since day one, even if they meant to be friends.


    We were the same.


    In a different world, where I didnt feel insecure.


    In a different world, where we could all be open and trusting, perhaps we all wouldnt have to be like this.


    But what is done is done, and I allowed thement of what-it-could-have-been linger briefly, before it dissipated away.


    -theres time. Me said. Slightly more than seventeen years before the Comet threatens to blow this world apart. Does TreeTree have a n?


    Evacuate. Lausanne answered without revealing too much. The fact that we can travel worlds was fairly well known since our attempts to educate the world of the multiverse.


    Only evacuate? Me said. Lausanne was not privy to the full extent of our operations. She may be de-facto royalty, and I still consider her special, as one that Ive seen grow from a baby since my early days, but her actual role these days is ceremonial and diplomatic in nature.


    There are other worlds that are currently set as shelters. Dwellings and amodations are under construction. As part of the arrangements with former earthlings, Ken requested that we extend the evacuation offer to you, and those under your protection.


    Alexis didnt buy it entirely, of course. I knew her well enough. She doubted my intentions, despite all the evidence to the contrary.


    All because things didnt start properly. Rtionships are like that.


    I think about how certain rtionships could be salvaged. Like the Crystal King. If only there were a way to unite all the domain holders. Wed have strength equal to the heroes, or even more.


    This isnt all, Me answered, saying the truth that was in to all but still needed to be said.


    Perhaps. I dont know the full extent of it. Lausanne answered frankly.


    -when did Aeon first know about the presence of theet?


    Lausanne paused for a moment and sighed. Eight years ago.


    Alexis mmed the table with her beetle-like arm. It was made of armored carapace and had improved slightly since west met. But she was not stronger than Lausanne. I could feel it through my prying trees. Ridiculous! And you choose to tell us now?


    In fact, I even felt like she was weaker.


    They have lived in this world for decades, and strangely, teaued. Theycked the means to gain more levels, especially with the demon issue mostly sorted. I had taken away their stairways to ascension, gobbled up all the experience for ourselves to feed my little army of Valthorns.


    I would do so to all the worlds I establish a clone in. Thinking from an experience point of view, I am the invader, muscling in to rob the natives of their experience and future growth.


    Lausanne merely nodded. There is still an estimated fifteen or so years before the demonset approaches us, so, there is plenty of time to decide whether you want to evacuate, or stay put.


    And face certain death? Me rified. No- knowing TreeTree, there is a n in motion? Is it linked to the massive resource collection that- No. It has to be linked. Now everything fits.


    Again, I dont know the details. Lausanne answered, ignoring Mes attempt to gather more out of her. Ie to offer a chance to migrate to another world, at the behest of Ken, one of your former earthlings. You have ten or so years to decide.


    -wait. When will this be made public? Me asked.


    I was told, about six years before impact. The mass migrations will ur then.


    This isnt right. We have front ce tickets because we are earthlings? Me answered.


    Lausanne thought for a moment before she realized Me had a point. That- thats frankly a good point. I will bring it up with Aeon.


    -tell us more about this other world? One of the reincarnated humans was just a tiny lizard. He hardly leveled, but remained under the care of Alexis. I wasnt sure when and how they managed to find him, but it seemed that the gods did have idents every now and then.


    Lausanne nodded and began to exin about the world that would host them. She has been there a few times.


    ***


    Am I wrong? I asked Lumoof as he waited on the Turtleworld. The Comet remained stubbornly out of reach. Should I tell the truth to the whole world?


    The consequences of telling the world that we are aware of an iing disaster we may not be able to stop. To tell the world that death ising for them, and the only sure way out is to leave.


    My Valthorns did not doubt my decision to keep it a secret. We know so little about it, so, why cause panic in the general poption by informing them of thising disaster? But I realize that was also selfish because we didnt want to trigger widespread chaos while we tried to prepare for theet.


    In a world where resources and man power were no constraint, I should inform the general public of the looming threats, and they should then decide to make their assessment and act ordingly.


    No.


    There was likely nothing they could do.


    The only choice the locals could make was to migrate to Tropicsworld, since Lavaworld, Mountainworld and Threeworlds were not suitable forrge-scale migration.


    There was no way these two existing worlds could absorb such arge immigrant poption without causing even more conflict and fighting, and it would massively wreck the rtionship we have with the existing local rulers.


    In theory, I could forcefully assume control of Mountainworld, and I do hear folks within the Valthorns who advocate that sort of view. Threeworlds still has the three hegemons that could potentially resist me, and as such, thats not within the picture.


    So, for the locals, the only effective choice they have is to migrate, or stay. Should I tell the world of their future death, one that they could do nothing about but wait until the timees?


    Not just that, the whole reason this Comet urred is because of a sequence of events that we triggered, because we defeated the demon king before it arrived our way.


    I couldnt help but briefly consider whether this was my fault.


    No.


    Defeating the demon king on their home world, before they could even damage our world is sensible, even if the consequence was retaliation. A sized retaliation. Whether the people living their lives deserve to know? How different is it from an oracle making a prophecy about aing doom?


    No.


    Yes.


    I wasnt sure.


    I decided to look at it from the lens of preparing for theet. Not telling the world would buy us time to make more preparations.


    It is not preparations they would desire. It is not what the locals will want.


    It even reeks of a nanny state. We will do preparations on their behalf because we dont expect them to be able to do better. Its certainly an elitist thought process, even if it feels true.


    No, we know its true because of the levels. The system of levels, sses, and skills in this world legitimizes feudal behaviors and elitist behaviors. Quantified value, especially so at ater stage. We feel legitimized to act on their behalf because levels and our power tells us for a fact that we can do things they cannot.


    So-ing back to the topic, should I let the general popce know?


    No.


    I realized Me may be morally right, but I will not let the world know.


    Not with what we need to do. Not with whats at stake.


    If this is a sin, so be it. I ept it.


    ***


    The heroes gathered to discuss theing battle. Their attempts at diplomacy failed. Time was running out, and there was only a few months left to the next year. Even if they agreed to evacuate, it would be an iplete one.


    Lets force the dwarves out. Adrian said. They cannot behave like this, not when a demon kings going tond on their heads.


    Ken panicked. Please, dont do something hasty.


    I dont think its hasty. Adrian, the native mountainworld hero insisted. Our power was granted to us, our ss, to defeat demons. We are just getting coteral damage out of the way-


    Coteral damage. Ken repeated, and he felt his body ache. Age wore him down, even if he was augmented in many ways. The hero sss effects are well documented. We know they behave like this when the demons are involved. Adrian- lets think for a moment.


    We have been thinking since we knew about it. If the damned dwarves dont want to move, then well have to move them. Use some earth magic and move the entire city if we have to. Adrian said.


    Wait- you mean- like Superman? Ken interjected, realizing that Adrian might have a point.


    Well, yeah. Like Superman. Adrian answered.


    Ken paused. It- It might work. If the reason why the dwarves resist the whole issue is because of the old buildings and history, moving it and relocating it elsewhere.


    -actually- that might work? Prabu said. We could try and move the city, a bit.


    Why didnt we think of this shit? Chungined. That was superhero-tier stuff, moving entire cities.


    There was a long moment before the answer everyone hated. It was Colette who sighed. -because weve gottenzy. Weve been relying on Aeon and the Valthorns to solve all these kinds of problems.


    Hafiz, the defender hero turned to face her and tapped her on the shoulder reassuringly. Colette looked back and smiled. Itll be fine. Well just have to solve this with what limited time we have.


    Yeah. Well deal with ourzinesster. Lets think about this strategy.


    Hafiz shrugged and looked back at Ken.


    We have to move them quite far for it to work. Colette thought about it, and then briefly carried Rohana and ced her child on herp. Its a huge city, and were dealing with the demon king. We need to move it quite far, a small diistance wont be enough to avoid the coteral damage.


    Ken nodded. Chung frowned. Well have to be selective with what we save- And get the rest to leave.


    Has Aeon announced the details?


    Mostly. The Valthorns began to spread news of the demon kings projected arrival on the capitol.


    The demon kings detonation was usually enough to annihte a small region. Theyd have to move the city quite far just to be safe, which meant this was a far, farrger act. If they resist, the cost of magic would just increase. If they had a focused earth archmage instead of a general all-rounder like Prabu and Colette, it would be possible with the amount of Star Mana they have.


    Prabu did the calctions and quickly concluded the strategy. Its possible, but well need a lot of time. Were pretty much forcefully evicting the dwarven nation to another part of their country.


    We dont have enough time. Ken answered.


    Better than destroying everything?


    We wont be able to save everything, Prabu concluded. It doesnt matter, I guess. I think we should do it.


    Ken stared at his friends. He looked so much older than the rest and seemed like the grandpa among the young adults. Forcefully moving the city could be a recipe for disaster. Do we have enough time?


    Prabu hesitated. -Lets just move what the dwarves care about, I think we cane to apromise. If- if we agree to move it back after the war.


    ***


    -How many times do I have to throw all these perfectly good mugs of beer your way, until you understand that we are not moving? The Dwarven King stubbornly insisted. But, as it turned out, the dwarven council was a lot more level-headed and understood that the heroes solution of teleporting ancient parts of the city was the bestpromise theyll ever get.


    They stood by the King when there was no good option because they couldnt abandon the ancient structures their ancestors blessed and built for them. This was their heritage, and they might as well die with it.


    But moving the entire structure via heros magic was different.


    The council of dwarven elders, in a strange moment of conflict with their King, stood and agreed. The dwarven king stared murderously at his council, but the dwarven society did not grant their King absolute power. There had been too many drunken berserkers and rampages by past kings for them to do so.


    The heroes got to work.


    They wouldnt be able to move everything. But they would be able to preserve some of the old structures and ancient buildings. Each building needed three-four days.


    Of the heroes, only Prabu and Colette could move the cities. The rest of them were not mages, so they couldnt help much. Ancient buildings, so they had to be careful. And because there were only two, the amount of structures they could save was limited.


    History.


    History, which the dwarves actually respect and do a pretty good job of safekeeping.


    It was incredibly taxing to move the city just fifty miles from its original location. The void mages triplechecked all theputations, and reaffirmed the location of the demon kings arrival.


    The dwarves themselves were split into two groups. Those that resisted the heroes idea, and tried their best to stay put, and those that worked with the heroes.


    I could see this decision taxed them. Forced to act without the natives approval pit the hero sss own internal rules against each other.


    The dwarves were not happy about it. Some cursed the heroes, using them of bringing cmity to the city. Some of the dwarves tried to sabotage Prabus attempts to move the ancient relics.


    There were usations that the heroes cared more for the powerful than the normal people. After all, they only saved the historical structures owned by the powerful.


    For the weak, all they could do was run, and lose all they had built.


    The heroes tried to ignore the naysayers, ignore the negativity.


    The heroes were designed to fight demons. Defeat the demon king.


    The ss, to a much lesser extent, asked them to protect locals. This was a much weaker mentalpulsion. Each hero was subtly told not to do too much harm. The gods didnt mean for the heroes to cause the worlds death.


    They were meant to be medicine, not poison that killed both the disease and the patient.


    ***


    The heroes idea of moving the city away made me ask the same question.


    Could we move our world out of the way?


    I tried to reach out to the Will of the World of Treehome, and felt it rouse from slumber. I sent it my message, and all I got was-


    <i>No.</i>


    Rejection. The world wouldnt move to preserve itself. Instead, it responded with eptance.


    I didnt get it. They curse the demons, and yet when the demonse their way, they do not act to preserve themselves?


    Why?!


    Ste had a theory, of course, that the act of deliberately moving through the void sea is an energy-consuming process. The sole data point is Cometworld. Moving through space consumes the cores energies, and thus, causes the world to copse.


    This is because in this world, the Core and its suns appear to be a package. Each world doesnt exist beyond its immediate sr system. Far away stars that we see- they dont exist, or are perhaps reflections from the edges of the void sea.


    The worlds constetions are artificial. Magic.


    We also have not seen twin worlds. Worlds where there is more than one habited world. This leads to the idea that each realm we visit is centered around the. The sun thus exists as an extension of the, not the other way round. Even the Sun-Rings had a single once-habitable. Void magic also guides itself to the, and not the sun as its center.


    If people need to spend mana to travel through the void sea, it is therefore logical to assume, that worlds and realms spend mana to move through the void sea.


    Cometworld now moves entirely on pure momentum. But even so, looking back to that movement, or the speed of that movement, it is not hard to suspect that its movement is likely detrimental to the core and the sun. That was why it eventually copsed, leaving the tiny bubble of darkness. Its even possible that if I withdrew my clone, the realm would copse forever, never to be seen ever again.


    Moving either spends energy or elerates the decay of a cores energy. Its possible that each of these worlds or realms maintains a barrier or bubble of reality, and movement in the void sea erodes this bubble of space. This resistance in the void sea is what causes realms to stay clustered together with their astral partners. Moving quickly through the void sea results in a realm spending more energy to maintain that barrier, more than what it produces, resulting in these worlds losing its ability to hold its realm together, and thus triggering a copse. Their sun or suns would vanish.


    Again, this entire theory hinged on one sample size, ie, Cometworld. We do not know for certain whether moving quickly through the void sea has any such implications. Its also hard to test empirically because we are unable to view the worlds respective moments in the void sea through all frames of reference.


    How does this even rte to the demonset?


    Because we wanted to know how it moves, and why worlds are reluctant to move.


    It was getting closer each day.


    If I took Will of the World long ago, that domain choice clearly led to the ability to move the world. Did that set of abilitiese without the usual costs of moving worlds?


    Is there a price to pay normally? How are the demons doing it? I wanted to know. Because moving worlds seemed like the best way of attacking the demon sun on our terms.


    On an inteary scale, demons were pretty much cancer. Mutant cancer that hijacked each world to self-replicate. Moving through the void sea was how this cancer spread to different regions.


    Why are the worlds not defending themselves? Why are they not moving out of the way?


    What loophole were the demons abusing?


    No. The fact that the world refuses to move out of the way merely makes me ask the question that everyone didnt want to ask.


    Are demons a deliberate design feature of the system?


    Because if I wanted to end the demons by destroying the demon sun, in the event we actually seeded, how do we know its permanent?


    This would lead to the question, how did the demonse about in the first ce? Are they creations of the [system] itself? If so, destroying the demon sun merely bought time, and eventually the system will create new demons to rece the old ones.


    My hope is that the demons are quirks, bugs, or a virus. Not a feature of the system.


    A haphazard but persistent anomaly that has somehow found itself as a regr urrence in thendscape of the multiverse, countered by injected medicine, heroes.


    Because there is no happy ending any other way.


    ***


    Spaizzer


    Did I tell you that KrazeKode''s Qi=MC2 is finally headed to Amazon? Well, check it out here!


    https://geni.us/firswofcultivation


    He''s a great buddy and he also shouted me out. Give his book a look :)

 250. Trimming Twines

    250. Trimming Twines


    <b>Year 253</b>


    The arrival of the demon king of Spiderworld and the moment when the Demons Comet came within our range were no more than weeks apart.


    First, was the Demon King of the Spiderworld.


    The Dwarven city was cut up into pieces, and some of the old relics and ancient structures moved away. I was quite surprised at myself for not thinking about moving the city away. It only reminded me of how my approach to problems can still be influenced by my old realities, instead of my new ones.


    Most of the poption of the dwarven capital sensibly moved away at the advice of the heroes. Only the dwarven kings loyalists made a fuss.


    Im not moving- The dwarven resistance, thest of them,ined as Prabu looked visibly annoyed. The heroes, from what I observed, tried to minimize their dealings with the locals. Disagreements and politics with the natives grated them. Even those who set up their own little fiefdoms, like Hafiz, Adrian and Kelly, employed well-paid managers to handle the nitty-gritty stuff that they disliked.


    Its a good deal for their managers because they were often paid in hero-items, which granted them exceptional financial returns and often, a good deal of levels too.


    Even within the Valthorns, there were those who focused and built a career out of dealing with the heroes. Simr roles exist within the temples, too.


    Friction, due to cultural differences and the huge chasms in their mindsets. Prabu sighed, and a magical bubble emerged around the segment, along with everyone in it. Frustrated, he just vented and the dwarves cowered. Look. Im doing this to keep you guys safe.


    And a flickerter, the entire bubble floated into the sky. Most parts of the dwarven city were now empty, houses that could be rebuilt at ater date. I volunteered to pay for my [builders] and [contractors] to participate in the reconstruction, since it was a good opportunity for them to gain levels.


    Prabu levitated the entire bubble the whole way.


    But there were those that remained.


    They were first to die.


    ***


    On the demon spiderworld, a small group of my Valthorns kept watch of the pits. They would warn the heroes that the demon was on their way, and we nted our magical sensors there, to keep watch of the fluctuations in the core. It should give the heroes a day or two of advance warning, before the demon king was on the way.


    For us to give the insane dwarves ast warning. Tell them that this is their final chance to keep their lives.


    But dwarven stubbornness was well known. The magical readings began to go nuts, and we all knew it was time.


    The Dwarven resistancest year already cost us a tremendous amount of time, and the preparations to set up the magical bombs and traps were not as robust as wed like them to be. The dwarves didnt like the idea of trapping what remained of their kingdoms city, even if it was mostly abandoned, and they protested the ns despite it.


    Some of the dwarves were logical, and they saw the logic in our ns. Another portion were the preservationists, who protested everything that tainted their ancient history.


    Fools.


    The star path glowed in the same manner as before, and we felt the demon king arrive on the Mountainworld.


    We waited for two weeks, and annoyingly, the dwarves didnt believe us.


    Then, the demon king was here.


    The rift ripped the sky above the dwarven capital apart as if the bluish sky was a piece of cloth, its threads came undone from the center. What came out of the ckness were two gigantic legs, each of them smashed into the grounds of the dwarven capital and left a small crater.


    Those who stayed died in that single instant.


    What a waste.


    Hold! The Valthornmanders yelled. It was not yet time to set the bombs off. The heroes tensed, their magics ready to go. Alka stood next to the heroes and waited. He was a dwarf and high-speed movement wasnt his thing.


    He only had one shot to use his ability.


    Two more legs emerged.


    Should- should we just blow up the legs? Khefri asked the question as they pinged the Valthornmander. Alka looked uncertain, trying to figure out what was for the right time. Unlike the heroes, my dwarven mad scientist was not a war genius. His sense of timing was average at best.


    The bombs should be used on the main body, Prabu repeated. Dont waste our debuff.


    How many legs do you think it has? Chung wondered as the fifth leg emerged. Eight?


    Its a demon king, it could have as many as it wants, Colette said as she rolled her eyes. Her child was safely handled by a group of caretakers back on Treehome, an entire world away. Come on, lets get this over with.


    Hafiz, the defender hero, tapped the two archmages on their shoulders. Yeah. Lets get this over with. Shouldnt be that hard to squash a giant spider, and get both of you back to your kid.


    Colette smiled at her fellow hero. Wed like that a lot.


    We felt a pulse of magic that came from the rift and we all knew it was time.


    [Demon King Rach arrived]


    Gigantic spider-jaws emerged from the rifts, and those multiple mouths released gigantic magical webs that spread out in every direction. I was fairly sure that was anatomically incorrect, but I guess the demons dont care.


    From the jaws of the Demon king, in a single explosion of sticky threads and webs, the entire dwarven city, whats left of it, was now covered in webs.


    Then it rained spiders. From the rifts. From the webs itself.


    Bombs! The Valthorns yelled and scrambled to activate the bombs. Before our eyes, the demon kings legs seemingly vanished, and all my Valthorns felt panic.


    Was that a demon kings aura?


    I felt it brush against my own, and I wasnt sure why we were panicking. Weve done this many times. But my slightly less experienced forces, for some of them, this was their first encounter with the demon king.


    My forces ignited whatever bombs we managed to install. We worked overtime. The explosions detonated in a burst of light that could be felt miles away. Star mana bombs made by the heroes and my Valthorns vaporized the smaller demonic spiders, but the demon king spider was still invisible-


    Then, through my subsidiary trees, I felt the pressure from a high speed thrust.


    Khefri was first to react, and she pushed the rest of the heroes out of the way, and dodged the thrusts of the demon kings attacks. Switch to other forms of vision! Its only invisible to normal sight! Chung then roared, his eyes glowing with a rangers special vision.


    I swapped to spiritual vision and saw the Demon King clearly.


    I saw the physical outline of the demon king in my spirit vision, along with its partly charred body in the form of jagged outlines. The creature was a gigantic ten-legged monstrosity, a part of its body already burnt from the attack, and of its original ten legs, three were already partially destroyed, leaving just a stump. It was regenerating, but fairly slowly.


    The demon kings legs were its principal offensive weapon, each thrust was quick and came at unusual angles.


    Valthorns, retreat! Themander yelled as more spiders emerged from the rift, and annoyingly, they were invisible as well. Not all of my Valthorns have the ability to use spirit-sight, though some of the archers have heat-sight or magic-sight. Without the ability to see our opponents, we would be sending Valthorns to their deaths, so we ordered them to retreat. At this point, our contribution would be to support from afar.


    Alka looked with uncertainty, the chaos of war still unnerved him. He may be a domain holder, but not all of them were suited for war.


    Wait. I told him. There will be an opportunity.


    Bombardment turrets and stations from further away nketed the area. They didnt deal much damage against the demon king, but helped clear the battlefield of the mobs.


    Alka waited, and I could sense his restlessness. For now, it was up to the seven heroes.


    ***


    The Dwarves watched the battle from afar, horrified. The Dwarven King himself looked pale, as the Council of Elders that vetoed his decision found themselves validated. Some of my Valthorns were nearby to provide support and deal with the demonic rifts.


    The demon spiders were everywhere, simr to past demon kings, demonic rifts experience a surge in activity whenever the demon king descends.


    Nations throughout Mountainworld battled the demon spiders and their champions, and it was a great relief that the invisibility effect granted by the demon king did not extend to those outside its massive wall of webs.


    We would likely face far higher fatality rates if we had to deal with invisible spiders all over Mountainworld.


    ***


    The dwarven capital turned into a field of craters, as each of the spider kings stabs and thrusts left massive craters in the ground.


    I decided to give the heroes some backup, as the volley of magic attacks dwindled. My horde of beetles and spider assassins joined the fray, to distract the demonic spiders and take some heat off the seven heroes. I spawned multiple giant attendant trees throughout the battlefield to help amplify my skills and spawn my army of spiders and beetles.


    I thought it was interesting to have my spiders fight against demon spiders.


    But that was a mistake.


    The demon spider ejected a st of goop that smashed into my beetles. I instantly felt my connection to the beetle snap, and then we witnessed the beetle explode and release more spiders.


    I cursed, and so did everyone else. The demon spiders goop-sts could possess other creatures and turn them into spawning pools. That meant I was just giving the demon king more flesh and hosts.


    Even my giant trees were more trouble than help, since the trees acted as anchors for the spiders web, extending the range of the invisibility.


    Aeon, pull back your Giant Trees and just focus on cutting away the webs! Chung roared as he sent out flying arrows that shed through the webs. The webs were surprisingly magically resistant, and so had to be cut through in ol physical force.


    Then the demon king pulled out another trick. The demon king vanished again, this time, it was even invisible in my spiritual vision. But, it could still be sensed through movement, through its heat signature and its magical pulse.


    Khefri, of all the seven heroes, had the easiest time with this demon king. She was innately attuned to the shifting movements in the earth as if she could feel every single vibration on the strands of web, every single shift in the dirt. The web, ironically, just made Khefris senses better. As a part scorpionoid, she was exceptionally resistant to poisons, and she survived a hit from the demon spiders poison head-on with very little damage.


    She was more physically attuned and coupled with her wide range of senses, she was the only one able to consistently approach the demon kings vanishing body andnd hits. The rest, except for Adrian and Chung, couldnt adapt to the demon spiders changing invisibility as quickly. Adrian, as a monk-hero, also had his own set of invisibility detection, but it wasnt in the same tier as the scorpionoid. Chungs archer skills, luckily, came with some detection abilities.


    The webs grew, and that expanded the demon kings hiding spots.


    The battle now turned into a game of hide-and-seek and endurance. The heroes needed to constantly figure out where the demon king moved, while trying to cut down its range of movements by destroying its massive wall of web.


    The massive webwork repaired itself constantly. The demon king itself would intermittently release sts that expanded the webwork, it was supported by the demon champions. Those champions were also able to grow the webwork, though at a slower rate.


    The demon spider king weakened from the initial sts and repeated attacks, even after its regeneration. The massive size meant it relied on its invisibility and webwork to maintain an edge. The webs also slowed the heroes, and would asionally catch them in its web.


    My artificial minds were able to conclude that the demon kings raw abilities were fairly average, but the variable invisibility was really quite effective against the heroes. Without the invisibility, and in its already weakened state, the demon king would struggle to hold its ground, what more counterattack so effectively.


    Therefore, removing the webs, the key to its invisibility and battlefield control seemed key.


    I recalled the heroes faced an invisible demon king once. Harris died to one. An assassin demon king that seemed to be able to turn invisible at will, and didnt rely on webs as a gimmick.


    Its a good thing demon kings never have thebined skill sets of all the demon kings. There likely is a finite amount of abilities that they can sustain at the same time.


    Since my trees and my beetles didnt help, I diverted to use my spiders, beetles and roots to cut off the webs or pull them underground, while the Valthorns continued to attack only with long range volleys.


    We exhausted most of our supply of magical bombs so they had to use them sparingly on the higher-value targets.


    The two archmages area attacks were incredibly helpful in clearing the field of the smaller spiders. Without their magical infernos and energy explosions destroying most of the lesser spider spawns, the melee and mid-ranged focused heroes, Khefri, Hafiz, Adrian and Kelly wouldnt be able to focus on tracking the invisible demon king.


    But really, of these four heroes, only Khefri wasnding hits consistently. The rest were ying a guessing game half the time, and by the time they figured out where the demon king was, it would have moved.


    Even sticking close to Khefri and attacking where she attacked wasnt that great, because they couldnt see the attacks from the demon king, which just put them in danger.


    This isnt the right strategy! Hafiz, Kelly, both of you pull back and just focus on taking out the spiders webs and theser mobs. Once we remove the invisibility, Chung and the mages can blow it up! Khefri said. Kelly, a knight-barbarian, Hafiz was a defense-focused fighter, and this wasnt the right matchup for the two.


    The two melee heroes split up and went on a cutting spree. The three ranged heroes tried to keep their distance, and coated the battlefield with area-of-attack spells.


    These attacks hurt the demon king slightly, but nothing like focused attacks.


    I didnt hate spiders. But I do now. Chung cursed. The spiders moved really quickly, but somehow only where there were webs.


    His shots kept missing, then he saw a pattern-


    Hafiz, Kelly, clear the webs strategically, we can selectively use the webbed areas to funnel the demon king into a narrow space where we can attack. The demon king only sticks to the webbed areas to maintain invisibility!


    I looked around the battlefield, trying to align my root strikes and attacks with the heroes. The dwarven city was transformed into a field of craters.


    There was not a single pristine building left.


    I focused my strikes on cutting down more webs. Cutting down webs is probably the best way to contribute, as my attacks hardly hurt the demon king.


    The heroes still had to repeatedly dodged the demon kings attacks, but with both Hafiz and Kelly focused on clearing the webs, the area with webs avable to mask the demon spiders presence quickly diminished, and the spider demon kings range of movement shrunk.


    Slowly, the tide shifted.


    They were hitting it more often, and harder, and I already felt the pulsing from the demon king. Weakness. Its weakening. Be prepared for anyst-minute oddities. I warned the heroes.


    The demons attacks grew more relentless, at times, iling with its multiple legs repeatedly. Yet it was getting slower. The attacks were not as fast. The thrusts didnt hurt as hard.


    The spider demon king took three more hits from Khefri, and then that pulse strengthened. The heroes recoiled, they were now familiar with that sensation, and all seven of them jumped backwards. The demon king reached is limit.


    Alka! Nows a good time to blow it up before it blows us up! Chung shouted at the top of his lungs while he moved back at the highest speed he could.


    Alka nodded, downed a speed-enhancing potion, and zoomed towards the mass of webs where the demon king hid. He zoomed right to the center, and then immediately activated his detonation ability.


    Thanks to multiple parties clearing the webs, there was only a small area where it could hide.


    An explosion ripped through the remains of the capitol, and melted what was the outeryer of the demon king.


    The demon king managed to deliver an attack right when Alka was about to explode. It stabbed Alka and cut off his arm. He screamed, and I recalled my explosive scientist back home for treatment immediately.


    His wound was tainted by a demonic-curse-filled strike, not unlike what the demons did to the first few heroes I encountered. An earlier version of myself would not be able to fix it, but even so, Alka still needed at least a week of recuperation.


    ****


    The explosion triggered the next transformation of the demon king, and each of the legs cracked open. It had four legs left, the rest chopped off through the earlier fights. Its main body melted and then turned into dust. From those four legs, four significantly smaller demonic spiders emerged. Each of them is weaker but so much smaller and faster.


    They were also no longer invisible.


    The four split up, and these smaller spiders all had spear-like legs.


    To call them spiders was probably incorrect. They were like human-sized sea urchins that levitated and rolled.


    Khefri managed to intercept the one andnded a hit. It stopped in its tracks, and turned to face the scorpionoid head on. The second one fought with Adrian and Kelly and momentarily was on par with the two.


    The third one charged at Chung, and he managed to impale the smaller spider with magical arrows before it got close. It didnt die, even after all the attacks.


    The fourth one headed right at Colette and Prabu. They sted it with magic, but the demonic spider shrugged it off. These spiders were magically resistant.


    Prabu took out a staff made of my enchanted wood and smashed it into the spider.


    At that moment, I detected that familiar pulse again. It came from within the four spider-urchins and spoke to the heroes. Get some distance from the spiders! They are suicide bombers!


    My roots emerged from the ground and tried to grab hold of these spider-urchins and hold them in ce. I didnt want the spider to chase after the heroes. My roots managed to catch three of them, and my roots immediately got to work and tried to drain the energy out-


    The fourth one dodged my roots, and went straight for Prabu.


    No, you dont. Hafiz, the defense-oriented knight, mmed into the self-destructing spider, allowing both Prabu and Colette to flee.


    My roots emerged as well and tried to protect Hafiz, while simultaneously trying to grab the fourth spider.


    The four spiders exploded.


    The earlier three spiders detonated weakly, their explosions didnt harm anyone. But the fourth one, pinned down by Hafiz, stabbed one of its spears in Hafizs arm, and exploded right in front of the knight. The defender hero was encased in his own protections, but that was no use. Not at this range.


    Not with a gap in his protection.


    The heroes watched in absolute horror, and I heard their voices yell out in fear. But their screams were for naught.


    Hafiz was burned alive in the demonic explosion. ck mes encased his body.


    [Demon King Rach has been defeated!]


    [Hafiz has died. You received one fragment]


    [You have 97 fragments!]


    [You gained one level!] [You are now level 241!]


    ***


    I checked on the rest of the heroes, but at that moment, I felt something strangeing from Colette. She looked upset, as she stewed in the aftermath. The rest of the heroes were upset and cried too, but Colettes spiritual reaction was unlike anything Ive seen.


    She didnt approach Hafizs burnt corpse for hours, even though the lingering demonic mes couldnt really harm her. The body was charred ck from the mes. His hero-items were ck and would disintegrate at a single touch.


    But my senses were locked on the hero. This wasnt sorrow.


    It came from her soul, and I felt as if she was a person torn in two. Prabu walked and ced his hand on her shoulder. She buried her face in his chest and cried.


    But the crying did not remove that constant sensation she emitted. I allowed them some time to grieve, they watched as Hafizs body turned into ash and dust, blown away by the wind and leaving nothing behind.


    I waited, while my consciousness shifted to Alka. He was stable. Injured, but stable. He had to nurse his injuries from the demonic curse, and I would need some time to regenerate his arm.


    I checked back on the heroes. They muttered curses, some said a prayer. It felt like they were ready to talk again.


    All of you, pleasee to my bib for healing and detailed checkup. I just want to make sure everythings fine because I detected something unusual. I asked, as I still sensed the unusual sensation from Colette.


    Ken panicked. What happened?


    Im not sure, Id like to check everyone just to be sure.


    The former hero paused. I want to be there.


    The heroes returned to Branchhold and straight to my clone body. Ken, along with many others, were there to receive the heroes. Chung walked to Ken, and then stabbed his finger in his chest. You. You couldve stopped this.


    Ken stared at Chung, unsure what hes talking about. What-


    You. You selfish bastard. You chose to give up your hero ss, and here we are now. With one less. He wouldve lived if you were-


    Ken red at Chung. I couldnt believe how Chung came to such a conclusion. Stop, Chung. You know this is bullshit. You dont get to me Hafizs death on something I did so many years ago.


    Chung wanted to say something, but Colette stopped him. Chungs right.


    Kens eyes turned to face Colette-


    You shouldve told all of us to give up our hero ss.


    Chung stared at Colette. -thats not-


    Kens right, too. This [hero] ss is a poisoned chalice. Weve known since we touched the journal. Lets go, Aeon awaits us. Colette said firmly, and she walked ahead of the other heroes. I felt such a strong sensation in her soul that I really wanted to know what happened.


    Chung turned to face her partner, Prabu. -what happened to her?


    Prabu sighed. Someone died. Read the room, Chung. Whatever you want to tell Ken, now is not the time.


    What? Its me, now?


    Prabu ignored the archer and walked past him. Khefri tapped Chung on the shoulder. I agree with Prabu. Just give it up for today.


    What! Chung protested. We couldve used more hands!


    Not today. Khefri repeated, and ignored her pursuer.


    Ken watched the exchange, and sighed. He couldnt help it. He walked to somewhere quiet and watched the heroes head to the bibs. He sighed as Snek sat next to him. Aeon, where did we all go wrong? Should we use the [hero] ss weve been holding?


    Snek wanted to keep it for ra, but I sensed he was also having second thoughts as well.


    ***


    My book 2 is out next week on 28 June 2023. Please preorder if you want. You can find it here:


    Tree of Aeons BOOK 2


    It covers chapters 40 to 81. Sadly my audible''s not doing so well so the narrator''s only able to work on it by Sep 2023. Hopefully it doesn''t get dyed even further. *sads*

 251. Camping on the Comet

    251. Camping on the Comet


    <b>Year 253 (part 2)</b>


    Hafiz died. Ste said. There will be consequences, that I will have to deal with. Already I felt brewing discontent among the heroes, and some went to their heros journal for sce.


    Ste got the notification on the fragments too, and she waited on the demonic turtleworld. Her eyes and magical senses was waiting for theet. It was almost within range. It was so very close.


    I had already regenerated Alkas destroyed limb, but he still needed some time to rest. He wasnt ready for the attack, yet.


    Lumoof added a prayer. May he find peace in his sacrifice.


    Ste nodded. Peace, and hopefully the gods hold up their bargain.


    The demonset entered the range of our void mages, and then we were immediately hit with the sensation of something pushing at our minds. Ste, you feel that? Lumoof said.


    Edna, Roon and Johann gathered around Ste. It was now within our portal range, and their magical senses got to work. The void mages looked grim.


    Weve got to go first, Ste said. Ready?


    Lumoof shook his head. Never, but lets go. I shared the feeling that we wont ever be ready for what awaited us, but there was no dying the inevitable. I could feel our collective resolve to get this shit over with.


    Ste nodded. Well, lets see whether our portals can get through-


    They did, and Lumoof was first to go through, entirely encased in magical shields.


    ***


    Lumoof stepped through the magical portal, and we were immediately assaulted by the overwhelming presence of demonic magic. It was as if the entirely of the Rottends was amplified a thousandfold and distilled onto this Comet.


    The Comets surface was filled with reddish spires, filled with spawning pools-


    A demon champion attacked us almost instantly, its ws smashed into a wall of wood. Well, thats the weing party I was expecting. Lumoof smirked, as his feet touched the crystalline floor. He scanned the surface to answer our key issue and cursed. There are ces here that Aeon cant deploy his clone. Well need to look for it.


    Edna, Roon, and Johann joined the fray soon after, only to find ourselves surrounded by more demon champions.


    Well. Edna looked amused as she eyed the demon champions. Were we too early? We alsoe with gifts.


    Her anti-demon spears rained down on the champions, and soon thending area was cleared of demons.


    ***


    Theres strong magic holding this entire ce together. Ste cursed. Her magical senses were the strongest of the domain holders, Lumoofs senses were instead constantly disturbed by the swirling demonic magic in theet.


    Roon and Johann looked around, only to find more demon champions throughout the ce. Should we call the rest of the team? We need to start bombing this ce.


    Ste shook her head, as she examined the crystals. I think bombing this ce up from the surface wont work. These things are particrly magic-resistant. The effects of magical bombs would be reduced. We need to figure out whats holding it together.


    Do we need to? Roon shrugged. Its definitely a demon king. Or a core. Or both. Fairly sure that if we get to the core, kill the demon king, the Comet will then disintegrate. Whatever keeping this ball of rock and crystals together will break apart.


    Kinda annoying that we prepped for so much explosions only to find out its not as useful as we like.


    We can use it on the core. Roon said. Portal to the source-?


    Ste shook her head. Theres a core. The central area of thiset has some kind of magical winds shearing away my attempts to form a portal.


    See? Roon said smugly, much to the annoyance of the rest of them. I suppose we should be looking for a way to the core, then?


    You think there will be a pit, just like the worlds? Ste could only shrug. She had no answer, and her magical senses couldnt-


    There was a pulse of intense magical energy, and all my domain holders recoiled. Ste immediately created a magical shield around herself, and the rest of them were protected by Lumoofs wooden spherical shield


    Itsted for a good 30 minutes, and it felt like the entire surface was cooked. The dirt below us was incredibly hot, that it was almost burning, and the red crystals glowed like they were amp. Tthe core itself released a strong burst of heat and magical energy that burnt everything on the surface.


    Except, demon champions. Even lesser demons were destroyed by the burst of heat.


    That rules out the surface team. Edna cursed, as she observed the heavy burns on the wooden spherical shield.


    Sounds like the demons had experience with people invading their Comets. Roon mused.


    Ste didnt, instead, she seemed thoughtful for a while. The magical energies came from multiple areas underneath the surface, not really the core. There seems to be certain parts of this Comet that contain-


    At that point, their conversation was interrupted. A group of demons emerged, and a quick read of their magical energies revealed they were likely to be formed from the merger of multiple demon champions.


    Weve known they could merge, just like how the demon walkers merged to form the demon supercannon.


    When did the demons have such powerful creatures? Roon cursed, as the demons attacked.


    What do you mean, when? Johann countered as the swarm of merged demon champions attacked. He deftly dodged the demons attacks, and could easily counterattack.


    My domain holders were more than a match for these merged demon champions. Demon champions, on their own, were generally ssified as threats around levels 80 to 100. If someone had anti-demonic super-blessings, like myself, I could handle them at level 60. Many of my Valthorns had lesser anti-demonic blessings, and Ive seen my own Valthorns defeat a demon champion single-handedly at level 65.


    These merged creatures were stronger, around level 120 to 130, but my domain holders were in their level 160s to 170s.


    It wasnt much of a fight. Lumoof stood his ground, and my roots emerged to wrestle with these demon champions. My mana flowed through my avatar and my roots, then attempted to overwhelm these demon champions.


    We won easily, the demon champions suffered tremendous damage and victory was at hand-


    A pulse from the Comets Core, and a sudden surge of demonic mana once more. It was so thick that it felt like I was absorbing demonic mana just by existing. The demon champions devoured the thick demonic mana like a parched man, and their wounds mended.


    We cursed as we watch our attacks were regenerated so quickly.


    We need to blow them up in one go, or this crazy demonic mana will just regenerate the whole thing! Roon cursed. He was able to blow up one of the merged demon champions in a single magical shot, but it clearly took a lot of energy.


    I recalled that earlier incident with the separated demon king, and how their soul-imprints served as the foundation of the regeneration. I wanted to search for simr- but then I quickly realized that the demons were not regenerating themselves, but reconstructing themselves.


    Just to be sure, I briefly activated spirit vision through my priest and found none that these demon champions were just hastily cobbled together, fueled by the abundant demonic mana released by the Comet itself.


    If they are indestructible like this, Edna cursed, Can you imagine demon kings constantly regenerating?


    Thats a horrible prospect to imagine, Roon responded while he blew up another of the demon champion, but he wasnt thorough enough. A part of it survived and began to quickly reassemble itself from the dirt and crystals around it. This entire damnedet is just fuel for the demons!


    Lumoof realized this was going nowhere and decided the best way forward was to drain away the demonic mana. Roots and vines expanded everywhere. Im going to drain the demonic mana. Take that window to blow them uppletely!


    Got it.


    He sucked the demonic mana from the air itself and from the ground. It reduced the density of the demonic energies for a brief window which my champions quickly utilized to crush the demons.


    The demon champions couldnt regenerate, and for now, we had our victory. They were all destroyed.


    Then the pulse happened again.


    More demon champions emerged, and they repeated the strategy.


    It was exhausting.


    Well have to stay here for the next two years until we can deploy Aeons clone. Roon cursed, as they fought through the demon champions. The Comet didnt have much of an atmosphere, so it was through magic that they could function.


    It drained them slightly, but it was a constant drain that detracted from their fighting strength. They leveled slightly after they fought through the tenth batch of demon champions.


    They moved and looked for the entrance. But this entire thing was a creation of the demons, and Ste suspected it was builtyer byyer. So, there was no entrance.


    We have to punch a way to the center. Edna said as she remembered the various ns they created.


    We were prepared for that, in fact, one of the options was to use my Titan slot to create a digging-type Titan, but its likely well need to provide it support while it dug to the center of this massive thing.


    Lets just find a ce where Aeon can ce his clone, secure the location, and wait until the clone is ready. my avatar reiterated the strategy. Well just have to endure until then.


    The question is whether to bring the rest of the team over. Ste asked.


    The Comet and Turtleworld will only share an intersection for only about a year. After that year, well only be able to reach the Comet once it intersects with Lavaworld many yearster.


    Edna, Roon and Johann looked at each other, then Johann said, We could use some support, Lets bring 30 of the strongest ones, to cover us while some of us rest. If were going to be fighting constantly for the next two years, well need rest and rotation.


    Alright then. Ste said.


    ***


    About 30 Valthorns all ranging around Level 125 to 149 prepared themselves for the move to the Comet. They would bring resources and materials with them, to prepare for a long war.


    Two years of constant harassment by the endless demons before I would be able to deploy my clone.


    They bring with them anti-mana weapons, made from the same antimagic sand. It was effective in reducing the mana density of the surroundings, but only up to their absorption limit. This meant they could slow down the rate of the demon champions regeneration, and increase the damage window avable for us to permanently destroy the demons.


    Lumoof naturally talked about whether its possible to push back the demonic mana by converting the ground.


    Id use the [Forest Rod]. He suggested. But with the overwhelming demonic mana from the core, it might just get pushed back.


    The core red again. The Valthorns were all equipped with magical shields and my familiars, and it activated to protect them from the char.


    The demons core red intermittently, at least once a day. Every time it did, the force of five domainholders and thirty Valthorns had to brace for attacks.


    ***


    Im fine now. Alka said and he felt healthy. My checks indicated he mostly recovered from the battle after three weeks of recovery. I need to join the rest of them.


    My dwarven explosions expert stretched and equipped himself. The news of our discoveries were ryed to the local team, and we probably needed to activate my Titans on the Comet.


    Utility. That was the function of my titans. They cant deal the sort of damage needed to hurt demon kings, but their utility is where they excelled. Alka was generally receptive of the idea, a few earth mages together with my future digging Titan should do quite well.


    I rechecked my Titan options that I first encountered almost 80, no, 90 years ago, back when it was Year 163.


    In terms of digging utility, I have three main options. The Depth Worm was likely to be the best at digging since that was its specialization.


    <i>[Depth Worm - Starts at Level 70. A creature of the subterranean world. Extremely good at digging and making tunnels. Has very good earth-sense and is able to detect hidden features in the deep ground. Weak to magical attack. Also produces certain types of minerals and metals.]</i>


    <i>[Fusion with Horns. Starts at level 80. Transforms Horns into a Goliath Kingbeetle thats able to use earth magic and various other protective and offensive abilities. Goliath Kingbeetle can create Royal Warbeetles. Also produces very high-quality beetle-silk. Royal Warbeetles can improve crop output in the area]</i>


    <i>[Giant Tree Serpent, Nydus - A massive serpent. Able to use earth and wood magic. Starts at level 70. Gains powers to summon all sorts of serpents and poisons. Master of poisons and has the ability to brew multiple types of potent poisons and cures. Able to grant poison immunity.]</i>


    Although theygged behind in terms of levelspared to my level 125-149 earth mages, Titans are very good at their narrow scope of tasks, just like how Patreeck is incredible at mind reading andputation. So, the depth worm, or earth magic Titan could be just aspetent at moving earth, or more.


    Think the depth worms the best choice. My advisors said. Horn was mostly bored out of his mind, but being an artificial mind, he wasnt the type toin all that much.


    I probably could disassemble Titan-souls now since its been a long time since I meddled with them. Myprehension of the souls improved a lot.


    ***


    Alkanded on the Comet and smiled at the rest of the domainholders. He gave the rest of them a hug. The rest of them were taking a rest, in between the constant demonic harassment.


    We were wondering when youd join us, Johann said while petting his pet dragon. Wee to Hell. I heard you lost a hand.


    I thought thats Lavaworld. Alkaughed and flexed his arm. Nothing Aeon couldnt fix.


    Thats just purgatory. Ste smiled. This is the firstyer of the pits where we face endless evils.


    Sounds like fun. Everyone rolled their eyes.


    Youll change your mind soon enough. There was at least one wave of demon attack per day, often two. This is like a dungeon that never quite ends.


    Exactly what weve been looking for? Alkaughed as he eyed the rest of the Valthorns. He recognized most of them, most high-level 125 to 149s were friends of the domainholders and interacted with them a lot. A ce with high-level threats for Valthorns to level!


    For the Valthorns, this was indeed a great leveling opportunity. Yet, after the constant harassment, it did feel tiring.


    I dont really see why we need to camp here. One of the Valthorns said. Cant we just jump in a few days before the window closes? There is a year after all.


    That was a valid point, but Ste answered frankly. Were not taking risks with portals. Our portals can be easily shredded by unusual magics, and this Comet is filled with surprises. If we are here, lets just wait it out.


    Two years of constantly fighting demons. Man, its like were back to the old era again. One of the Valthorns sounded nostalgic. Bet those battle-nuts on Mountainworld would love to be here.


    Alka shrugged as he scanned the horizon of demonic spires. They were camped in a valleyish area surrounded by more demonic spires, and frankly, there was no safe space here. Well, I should start using my ability?


    If you could draw the demons away from us, why not? Edna smirked. Dont die, alright?


    Ste called him over. Have a look at our records before you do.


    Alka walked over, picked up a few of the crystals and rocks from the ground while he studied the data, and damn, these crystals are pretty much designed to absorb magical energies. Its like this wholeet is Daemolite.


    Ste nodded. Yeah. Your bombs are going to be fairly ineffective on the terrain.


    Fairly. It would still destroy it, but it would take more explosions to get to the core.


    Of the 30 Valthorns that joined Ste, about six of them worked on various observational equipment. Many were custom-built for this operation.


    They scanned the depths of theet, especially the daily charring pulses, and soon noticed there were eight nodes that released those bursts. Each of those nodes were located fairly deep, but not entirely to the core.


    The Comet itself was a blend of crystals, earth, and something in the center. It emitted a core-like energy that was heavily mixed with demonic energy but did not provide sufficient data for us to understand what exactly was in there.


    Would Aeon survive the pulse? Alka asked.


    I bet he could, Ste said. Im more worried about the overwhelming demonic mana, and what it means to be nted on theet.


    Id be exposing myself to huge quantities of demonic mana. It could potentially overwhelm my clone. But at this point, risking demonic corruption is a risk Id have to take.


    Spaizzer


    <strong>There will be an extra chapter tomorrow, well, because it''s my bookunch day. Book 2 is going to be out on Amazon!</strong>


    Thanks to all those who give my book a rate, a buy, or whatever.


    LINK /gp/product/B0BZ168P68


    It''s heavily edited, should massively improve my grammar, and therefore, should be the superior product to my initial version. :)

 BOOK 2 of TREE OF AEONS NOW ON AMAZON KINDLE UNLIMITED

    BOOK 2 of TREE OF AEONS NOW ON AMAZON KINDLE UNLIMITED


    So yes. It''s been three months, and now, it''s time for Book 2!


    It''s EDITED. I was told, TWICE! That should fix my clunky terrible grammar.


    You can find the book here on Amazon KU (so it''s FREE if you have a KU subscription)-


    Here''s the link /gp/product/B0BZ168P68


    Oh, and this is the COVER


    Add to your library. LEAVE A RATING. LEAVE A REVIEW. THose help. A lot.


    That dude on the cover? He''s a rando that''s gonna die.

 Interlude – Soul Realm

    Interlude ¨C Soul Realm


    Death. Colette has seen it a lot in their earlier days, buttely, it felt as if she already forgot how it felt like. Then Hafiz died.


    Why, Hafiz? Why do that for us? Colette asked. The heroes were gathered all in the main tree on Branchhold, in a special part. A really thick vine wrapped each of their bodies.


    Hafiz was a glowing ball of light. A soul, and the space around them was filled with stars.


    [Soul realm].


    Colette remembereding here once. Long ago- so long that she didnt even remember the time. But this felt familiar. Stars. Flickers. Lights.


    All the other souls. It felt bigger now. Wider. And she could see there were strands of light that illuminated the paths that went into other ces. Worlds. Each seemingly a link. She struggled to make sense of the space, it felt like the space bent into itself.


    Because what else is there to do? Hafiz said, Dont make it sound so noble. I already epted that our lives in this world were just temporary, it was time. It was damned time.


    You nned to do it? Prabu asked.


    Yes. If it ever came to sacrificing one of us, I decided it would be me. I have the least to lose. I dont care about anything. Im losing the ability to care about anything at all. Hafiz said, his frustration palpable. Colette had never seen him so animated in years.


    Colette looked across their magical-soul space. At Prabu. At Chung. She stopped, and then looked at Hafiz again.


    Hafiz. How do you feel? As a soul?


    Hafiz was quiet, his glowing soul hovered and moved a little. Only the five of them were here. Four heroes of Treehome, and one former hero. Ken. Khefri was never that close to Hafiz. Adrian and Kelly were Mountainworld heroes and their rtionship was fairly cordial. In the end, everyone went back to do their own thing.


    Even Hafiz. He drifted away a bit. They would meet up once every month or so, hed teleport over to Freshka or one of the suburban cities and theyd hang out. But the drift was there.


    If there was doubt about the long term sess of Kens League of Heroes, theck of personal rapport was one of them.


    Honestly, do you guys really want the answer? Hafiz asked.


    Chung didnt say a thing.


    Ken nodded. Yes.


    Colette always thought it was just a sign of maturity. A sign of age. The weight of experience. They were aging, and she thought it was natural that they all began to quiet down. They were not young, and it would tone down their drive. Even Ken calmed down over the years.


    I feel light. The dead hero answered. I feel liberated. I feel like I suddenly can remember all the things that I wasnt supposed to.


    Ken was the only one that nodded. For him, he always remembered.


    I- I feel like I really want to see my family again. Hafiz said.


    Will you? Colette asked. She tried to remember her own family, before all of this. But its been so long, and it felt hazy. She could remember snippets, but she forgot what her mothers voice was like.


    I dont know. I could feel a power calling me. One thats not Aeon. Its waiting for the time. I can linger here, maybe a few months.


    Six. Ken answered. Aeon said the waiting time is six months from your death.


    Colette tried to remember her parents. She could hardly remember. Ste once said she took up painting, in her earlier days in this world, to paint her own memories before they fade away. There was no photo here, and the only way she could preserve her memories was to draw them. Paint them.


    She wished she did. She wished shemissioned someone to paint a portrait of her family when she could still find the words to describe them. Now, she wasnt sure she could even link the image if someone showed her a simr photo.


    Prabu sounded confident when they spoke one night about this. That they would certainly know. But she felt from the depth of her guts that theyve already lost it.


    Hafiz continued, Six months. I see. Then I mustve used up a month. How long has it been? The sense of time in this ce is- wonky.


    One and a half. Ken answered.


    I remember our lives back home vividly. Images and things I thought I forgot, now clear to me. Im afraid some of you will want to remember this. Remember the past.


    Chung abruptly interjected. Ken. You knew this? Do you remember?


    Yes. Colette wondered briefly whether Kens memory of tropes was vivid, because he didnt have the hero ss trying to suppress his past. No, she was now sure its linked. Not just that, it even felt like Ken talked about this before.


    But somehow it never stuck in her mind. As if-


    As if-


    As if-


    The connection should have been clear. Yet what was she trying to link? She looked at Ken, and Hafizs floating soul.


    Hafiz. Repeat it again.


    Everything in the journal? Hafiz said. Its true.


    Colette paused, and remembered her daughter. Unlike Khefri who bore many children with her toyboys, and ignored them afterward, she couldnt do that to Rohana. There was no one she could pass her to. No one she would pass her to.


    Why? Why couldnt she think like Khefri?


    Was a child made with half the blood of natives worth less? No. That shouldnt be the case. Was it because of pain? Suffering?


    Rohana was hers. Her child. She was a mother. A mothers duty. Suffering. Sacrifice.


    A mothers duty is first to her-


    A heros duty is to y the Demon King.


    Colette felt her connection to the [Soul Realm] waver.


    Demon Kings.


    What- She whispered it, as if her mind was splitting apart. As if the words seem to lose meaning. As if all was pointless.


    Sacrifice? What sacrifice?


    She raised her head, her spirit transported, Aeons bridge to the soul realm. She looked at Hafiz and she saw death, at Ken and she saw age, at Chung and she saw anger, at Prabu and she saw her new family.


    What did she lose to get here?


    Theyve done their share. Served their time. Now that she wanted to look back, why did it seem like its so hard to remember things before all of this?


    She looked at Ken.


    He seemed to be the only one actually getting what Hafiz was saying.


    She felt jealous.


    Envy.


    She wanted to know, and she felt her soul cracking.


    Spaizzer


    DID YOU MISS MY PREVIOUS POST?


    So yes. It''s been three months, and now, it''s time for Book 2!


    It''s EDITED. I was told, TWICE! That should fix my clunky terrible grammar.


    You can find the book here on Amazon KU (so it''s FREE if you have a KU subscription)-


    Here''s the link /amazon/B0BZ168P68


    Oh, and this is the COVER

 252. A Tree Plans for Starfall

    252. A Tree ns for Starfall


    <b>Year 253 (Part 3)</b>


    Unlike Jura or Lovis, I couldnt hold onto Hafizs soul. Not if he didnt want me to. A hero was a hero.


    Instead, I received a [Titan Frame]. I could deploy up to three Titans, now. Keis, Hafiz, and one left from the three heroes of the earlier generation. Supporting three more titans, or five titans simultaneously wasnt a problem for me magically.


    Titans. Useful for Comet, if I could get them there. I would deal with thatter once I got my clone deployed.


    The hero, Hafiz wanted release from his heroic duties. Like all heroes that were no longer shackled by their worldly chains, they sought to return.


    He saw something. I could feel it, and so he didnt want to be here. I wanted to hold him here. With us, but he refused and vanished away. He was a hero, and he slipped through my grasp like a slippery eel, and back to nothingness.


    Where I hoped the Gods fulfilled their promise.


    Because back on Treehome, the survivors bear the cost of his sacrifice.


    And in Colette, I saw Hafizs experience. There was a strange disquiet in her, and it manifested in her soul spring. I noticed cracks throughout the entirety of their normally pure white stone around their soul.


    Colette stood quietly, alone in the wooden room. The Heros Journal glowed faintly on the table, infused with the will and magic of the heroes from times past.


    Here, in a Giant Attendant Tree created solely to house the Heros Journal, she prayed. She wept. She injected memories into the journal, and it certainly felt like there was more unsaid than could ever be said.


    Her partner, Prabu was with their daughter, Rohana.


    Mother needed time alone. To mourn and to grieve for the dead. He told her. But even he could see the distance in his partner.


    Hafiz and Colette were friends. Colette felt that way, at least. Not close, but friends. I listened to her talk to herself, as if she was talking to him. Things she wished she could say. She thanked him, quietly.


    Before all of them drifted apart.


    That was how their rtionships were. They were allies of convenience and circumstances, brought together because they died together. It didnt mean much once the demon king died, and their different interests pulled them apart.


    The hero ss did nothing to keep the heroes together, beyond a shared purpose to y the demon king. In the same way, the Valthorns exist as protectors against the demons.


    Ken definitely had a point when he asked the question of me. What if you win? What if it really was the end, no more demons. What happens to all the things and structures that you and the Valthorns built?


    Ken may havee around and epted the purpose and direction of our role, but his skepticism of whates after never faded.


    What do you do when your purpose is lost? That decides whether you are benevolent, or just a dictator. I hope that what I see is true, that you will let go.


    I thought about it, and certainly, my role as a tree is to ensure nature exists. The demons must be removed because there is no coexistence. But without their existential threat, Ken is correct to say we would lose a big part of our purpose.


    Colette sat in the room. She was there the whole afternoon, sipping tea, thinking, and then checking the journal again.


    And again. And again.


    After a long while, she suddenly asked.


    Are you able to remove our hero sses? Colette asked. The hero from a previous generation, Mirei, when you disabled her hero ss, she suddenly dreamt of home. She dreamt of family. Friends that she has long forgotten. Like Hafiz.


    Life has a way ofing around in cycles. Events rhyme with those of an earlier time. I looked at Colette, and saw a weary young mother, trying to remember what life was like before all of this. Before death.


    Maybe Mirei would be like her, or she was like Mirei. I wasnt sure. They blend together, sometimes.


    I think about Lilies, about how all the people, all the personalities seem same-ish after a while. There were only so manybinations of character traits. I remember why even a hive-mind like Lillies couldnt find it in them totch and get close to individuals, to treat each individuals as unique.


    Is it because after enough time, people really do blend together and you notice how the character traits blend together in slightly different ratios to form a slightly different individual? Just variations of certain base temtes.


    Can you do it to me? Not remove it, but, just suppress it for a while? Just to see what was there, what was before all of this? Colette said quietly. It was something Mirei would have said. I could imagine her saying it.


    I knew the answer to the question. I think I could.


    To suppress the effects of the hero ss for a rtively short moment is certainly not out of the picture with my current strength.


    But do I want to?


    I had a shback to Mirei from so many decades ago. She wanted death as a release from her duties as a hero. I looked at the mother of a growing baby girl and wondered whether I could impose this sin on myself.


    That feeling reemerged once more. That moment after Hafizs death when I felt something brewing within Colettes soul.


    Is this something you really want? I asked.


    Colette looked back at the journal, closed her eyes and seemed lost in thought for a moment. That feeling strengthened. Dissatisfaction. Discontent. Anger. It was as if Colette radiated chaotic energy.


    When she opened her eyes, she nodded. I thought I saw her resist some pain, or it was a wince. She quickly picked up the cup of tea and drank everything.


    She answered. -yes. It is.


    Very well. There will be consequences. Consequences that extend beyond yourself, and I will do so only after youve discussed this with your partner.


    Colette paused as she digested my words. After a while, she nodded. I suppose he deserves to know what im thinking.


    It is her choice. But her choice has consequences for the sole offspring of two Earth heroes. Mirei went down a death spiral, and I wasnt sure I wanted to facilitate that for Colette. But, I understood the need to know, and so I only ask for her family to make that decision with her.


    Consequences for her, for her partner, for her child, Rohana. The young child seems normal so far, her soul spring turbulent and unformed.


    I wonder what blessings or curses await someone so special.


    With a parent like Colette, going through her own challenges, it would not be easy growing up. I looked at the child, and thought of Arlisa.


    Such wasted potential.


    I looked at the parents, Colette and Prabu and realized that they were going to be just as bad as Lausanne at parenting. Maybe worse. There was no one to humble them. They exist at the very top of society. What was life growing up like that, so detached from everything?


    Morbidly, Rohana would likely see her parents die. Her parents are heroes.


    Their fate was death. I briefly wonder whether the gods prevented hero-parents just to ensure that every child would likely have one non-hero parent still live.


    I doubt the system was so sympathetic.


    ***


    Call me a selfish bastard again. Ken countered, and the rtionship between Chung and Ken was tense.


    You are a selfish bastard. I said it once. I will say it again, and I stand by my damned statement. You are a coward. You ran away from our joint duty to defeat the demons, and now you criticize us from the sidelines. Well, do you feel happy, do you feel smug watching the rest of us toil in misery? Chung said. Do you feel validated in your decision?


    I didnt understand why Chung vented his frustration on Ken. I suspected helplessness, and so he turned on the traitor. They were good friends.


    Yet even good friends disagree on things. Ken was silent before he nodded. Yes. I wanted no part in the schemes of greater powers.


    And yet here you are, consorting with the greater powers. Hypocrite.


    Ken sighed. Yes. I am a hypocrite. But I now know what I really wanted out of.


    What?


    I wanted no part in schemes that I have no knowledge and control of. I hated how the Gods didnt inform us the full scope of our duties, our burdens, the chains that shackle us, both physically and mentally. I hate they treated us as tools, instead of partners that should work together. I hated we didnt have CHOICE, Chung.


    And that hatred of you led to one of us dead.


    Chung, youre making no sense. I have no way of preventing his death. Even if I was a hero, so what? Could I have stopped thatst part?


    We- we- I realized Chungs arguments were just frustrations. A bundle of emotions. Chung just stomped, and his magical stomp radiated through the ground. The floor cracked but wasnt destroyed because my roots quickly reinforced the ground.


    Look, my old friend. Ken tried the soft approach. Weve been through years, decades together. Weve been apart, and we pursue different goals to satisfy the emptiness in our hearts. To fulfill what the gods robbed from us. Right now, I think the gods influence is meddling with your mind. You are not thinking about it properly.


    Then tell me why you want to die, while leaving the burden of the living to the rest of us. Leaving us to face the duty of fighting some other persons war. If you are my friend, I need you here. I need you alive and well to tell us that all over again. Because you know its meddling with us, and because- Chung took a deep breath before saying it. -Ill only listen to you.


    Ken was stunned to hear it from his friend after so long. He suspected Chung was a little too attached, on that point, a fact I knew for quite a while. But it wasnt something to bring up.


    Chung sighed, admitting the truth. -Im not good with advice. I cant take it from the others, or Aeon or any of my servants. I tried. But I just couldnt. Please, friend. Stay and live along with us. Be themon sense we sorelyck. We will suffer from your absence.


    Ken let out one of the longest sighs in his time here. His posture sagged as if he aged ten years after that conversation. You suffer from my absence. I suffer from my presence here in this world. Im weary, Chung. Im sick of this game. I didnt trust the gods, and I dont want to live to see my current faith rot into something else.


    Selfish bastard, Chung repeated.


    You know what, I guess I am, Ken said. Im selfish because I want to die peacefully while the rest of you wont ever have that option.


    Chungs fist almostnded on Kens face.


    But it didnt.


    Because it would kill him if it did.


    Curse you. Chung said.


    Ken felt his heart skip a beat. A heros attack was still a heros attack, and Ken was just a regr person with a fairly normal ss.


    ***


    The dwarven capitol was wrecked, but the location was not ready for the people.


    This is all that damned trees fault. They must have nned this or in cahoots with the demons. The Dwarven King wasnt quite happy about returning to what was a destroyedndscape. Most of the original dwarven citizens of the capitol cursed as they surveyed what remains of the home.


    Foul magic still lurked here, some of the demon spiders escaped, perhaps squashed or hidden underneath the rubble, waiting to strike anyone who discovered them. As with all prior demon king-deaths, the ce was filled with the remains of the demon. Daemolite.


    Ruins. There were craters everywhere. Old buildings, alll destroyed. The explosion at the end burned and left dark marks in the soil itself.


    The people were unhappy, and the King could sense it. Some kings gained skills that give them an innate sense of how loyal their people were, the rough tones of their popces emotions.


    There was no good oue when a city is lost.


    Let us help to rebuild. Some of my Valthorns from Branchhold reached out to offer assistance.


    The dwarves themselves got to work. It would be some time before the city would be a city once more. The general popce lived in tents. In temporary housing. Long-term temporary housing, at least for a few years until the city could be properly reconstructed. The wealthier dwarves moved to other cities.


    Even if the Capitol was rebuilt, the people who lived there would have changed, and a lot of their bustling energy and magic would have gone far away.


    The King, although he seemed d not to die in the battle with the demon king, the anger of his poption meant he had to find a target. Someone to me.


    Conveniently, the target of their frustration was the heroes.


    Indirectly, we were caught in the crossfire.


    ***


    <b>Year 254</b>


    The heroes were trouble I didnt want to deal with. Instead, I focused on Lumoof on the Demons Comet.


    Only one more year before my Clone was ready, and already, the Demons Comet drifted out of range of demon turtleworld. We didnt even ship all the bombs we made, so that was a waste.


    My Valthorns relocated the bombs to Lavaworld, a process that would take a few months because we shipped so many. Shipping these bombs without proper storage could identally trigger the bombs, and we had some of our crystal bombs exploding during one of the Demon Comets daily re ups.


    The next intersection in six years, by Year 260, and we really needed to make our time on this ce count.


    ***


    Whatd you get? Ste looked as Alka ced another magical probe on the ground. It would be destroyed if the res activated, but it was one of the best ways of scanning the Comets structure. They all looked exhausted, even if the rotating system meant they all managed to get some rest.


    Those eight nodes- there seems to be a chamber around it. There are rocky parts located throughout the Comet.


    We know that. Ste clicked her tongue, a little irritated.


    The rese from the nodes, but because they radiate outward like a fanning wave, these rocky parts are deep enough to be out of range of the nodes.


    So well just have to dig down the rocks, deploy Aeon there?


    Probably the best chance to get a somewhat safe ce. His probes and scanners still couldnt figure out what was at the core. Until we could deploy my clone, I couldnt start creating my digging titan.


    Its still pretty damned deep.


    Not all the way to the core, just a quarter of the way. Alka thought as he looked at the team. We should start digging. A tunnel that far down should take us a year.


    If the Comet doesnt copse on us.


    It wont. Alka said. These crystals are pretty damned solid.


    The Comet was made from a magically resistant material, so the best way to dig down was to hit it physically. With pickaxes and hammers. Its a good thing some of the Valthorns were more physical in their talents.


    Dig.


    Based on whatever data we had, we built a model of what we thought was the most efficient way to reach the rocky areas beneath the crystallineet.


    Wed have a year to dig. One of the ns developed by the Valthorns over the past year of data collection was essentially to dig deep, and nt the bombs there. Trigger an explosion from within, disrupt whatever magical bonds that held theet together.


    This should be one of the better ways of destroying theet without actually destroying the materials of theet. Once theet loses its bulk, whatever damage it could deal would be survivable.


    Should.


    ***


    Spaizzer


    Thanks for reading. I''ve been feeling crazy exhausted, so I''m taking a break. Two weeks for Royalroad/Scribblehub, one week for Patreon.


    Thanks.

 253. Impact Gardening

    253. Impact Gardening


    <b>Year 254, Part 2</b>


    The Comet is big. It goes without saying that all the bombs we gathered so far, would not be enough if we tried to blow it up from the surface.


    My own scientists estimated the bombs we gathered would probably be enough to create a rtivelyrge tunnel to the core, but nowhere near enough to shatter this Comet. Therefore, the way we used our bombs needed to be quite strategic, and we really needed to hit certain parts of theet. ces where the magic from the core of theet holds the entire thing together.


    Gravity. Its not exactly gravity that holds this rock together, but magic. That is expected for objects such as this, it wasnt created naturally through-


    Actually, what is a normal process in this world of magic? Why shouldnt I consider things that are created by magic as natural?


    Anyway, my Valthorn observed that there are areas within the Comet that were weaker, and likely more vulnerable to our explosive devices. Based on their estimates, it should significantly weaken the structure of the Comet.


    Alternatively, my domain holders suggested weakening the structure of the Comet itself by taking out the eight nodes, or modifying them such that they destroy theet itself.


    I thought it was a genius idea. The Comet fed these eight nodes, and these eight nodes red on a daily basis to purge the surface of invaders like myself. It was clearly powerful, as it is able to create a re that covered the bulk of the surface.


    If we could turn the Comet Cores energy against itself, it would significantly elerate the process of destroying the Comet.


    This meant I needed to seize control of these nodes with my clone, or find ways to hijack the energy flowsing from the core, and through meddling with energy flows, alter how those nodes behave.


    ***


    Man, how much deeper do we have to go? One of the Valthorns was a strength-focused barbarian-type. In order to protect him from the res, he constantly carried a set of magical artifacts that protected him from magical attacks. He, and about ten others were the tip of our small digging force.


    Each of them were level 125-140, so when they attacked, the ground gave way. Physical force was far more effective on the crystals than magic, and each m of their skill-enhanced pickaxes, the crystals crumbled.


    Another Valthorn looked at the data. Probably another two more months.


    The barbarian rolled his eyes. This is just as bad as camping in the dungeons for months.


    Id say its worse. The Valthorns chuckled. Theres no underground town to rx and unwind.


    Theyve been digging for months, and about three months in, we noticed the res were weaker, and less frequent. Its likely that the nodes were designed only to purge the surface, and not this deep into the Comet.


    It didnt get hotter underground. The core didnt release any heat, even if we felt stronger magical turbulence.


    ording to our sensors, there were subterranean tunnels that crisscrossed the Comet, not by design, but by ident. These were created likely due to how the entireet was cobbled together, and naturally there were pockets of space that just didnt line up correctly.


    My Valthorns theorized that the Comet was essentially a bunch of different rocks stitched together through the magic from the core, because there were segments where the type of crystal, sand and rocks had slightly different mixture in them.


    If the demons have the ability to construct the Sun-Rings, it is not beyond them to construct something like a Comet. In every way the Sun-Rings were just bigger, more sophisticated and more powerful.


    On the other hand, the demonic energies found in this Comet clearly suggested this was meant to be a seeding pool. Perhaps there was a time when the demons just flung them in random distances and hoped they crashed into a world. Then, the remains from the Comet would act like a big re that marked the existence of a world.


    Theres just a lot of daemolite on this damned rock.


    ***


    The drill mmed into the wall and it copsed. The group was instantly assaulted by a wave of heat and magic that rushed in.


    We hit another of those chambers.


    On the surface, the spawning pools respawned even after we destroyed them. The demonic mana re-ups just regenerated everything we destroyed, and even created new spawning pools. At some point, it certainly felt like destroying the demons were pointless, because they just respawned.


    Down there, hundreds of miles below and months from the surface, some of the chambers were filled with demons in spawning pools, but here in the depths, the demons take a different form. They resembled more like golems made of crystals, rather than the normal, usual demonic form out on the surface.


    Thats the sixth one. How big is this one? Edna looked around, as Lumoof extended his senses. I felt it too. This one stretched quite wide. The Valthorns took out the golem-demons easily, and here, this deep in, theres no res to respawn the golem-demons.


    At least, not any weve seen.


    Its entirely possible the core itself could release a re.


    Lumoof looked around. Here in the depths, the crystals released a strange faint glow. It would have been pitch ck without their reddish glow. Yet, it wasnt hot. There was no heat in this ce. No air, either. The only reason the Valthorns could exist was because of our equipment.


    The demons clearly did not expectpany. Not on their Comet.


    I suppose they should, since we invaded the Sun-Rings after all. Maybe the next Comet, if there is one, would have suitable countermeasures. This Comet was likelyunched before we even demonstrated the ability to find the Sun-Rings.


    This leads fairly close to one of the nodes. Lumoof said, as he concluding his magical senses.


    Ste felt a range of mana swirling around her, drawn to the magical formation in front of her. It was her magical observation formation The density of void mana here is getting higher.


    She paused momentarily.


    The core is a mix of void and demonic mana and I feel theres Core Mana too.


    Wait. Lumoof looked back. How?


    Ste shrugged. Well just have to find out. Lets keep digging. The ce for Aeons clone should be just a bit more to go. The demons either have some means for storing Core Mana without it decaying into normal mana, or they have a way of generating Core mana.


    The location for my clone was not much further.


    ***


    This really is cobbled together. Roon looked around and said as we reached another different chamber. Theyve passed three more subterreanean chambers over the past month of digging, and now, we finally arrived deep enough.


    We were now on arge subterranean structure that was clearly once part of a muchrger rock. It even had a slightly different color, and it contrasted so heavily to the crystalline-mixture that weve seen on our way down.


    Why do they do such a thing?


    I dont think anyone knows. Steughed. But its good that they do so. Imagine if its crystals all the way down. Then were really shit out of luck.


    True. Roon nodded.


    Soil. As Lumoofs legs touched this slightly different part of the Comet, I knew this was probably an asteroid at some point, and it fulfilled the conditions for my clones deployment.


    Well, were here. We might as well camp here and some of us start exploring whats around. Lets start digging tunnels to the various nodes?


    My Valthorns estimated this was the best ce to ce my clone, at least, until we know more about what we faced in the Core.


    Our own theories generally assume that whats in the Core is likely to be a demon king equivalent. Ifs had demon mothers, something like the Comet with its naturally invasive nature meant this Comet should have a demon king in it, that would deploy once it crashes into the.


    Records of the energy levels, calcted from the total energy needed to create the daily reups even suggests that we may have to face multiple demon kings. Not that crazy, if the Sun-Rings able to call on the protection of multiple demon kings.


    We would have to approach it carefully, and find ways to destabilize thiset without triggering such a thing. Or only approach the core once we were sure what we faced and prepared ordingly.


    Wed also prefer to approach the Core of the Comet with the heroes present. With the heroes exceptional star power, we could destroy the Comet, and deal with the demons in the Core with higher confidence.


    ***


    Lumoof touched the crystals that formed the walls. Now that weve located the ce to deploy the clone, a group of Valthorns stayed back to build some structures. At that depth, the res from the nodes, which only released res upwards and outwards to the surface, didnt harm us at all.


    It was quite dangerous to approach the nodes from the surface, because the res were denser if we approached it. It was like a high pressure water jet, and the pressure was strongest at the top of the nozzle. But, now we were approaching it from the size, and its like grabbing a water hose from the back.


    We were getting closer to the channels of energy from the core.


    I feel like I shouldve gained a level after digging so many tunnels. One of the Valthorns joked as they walked through the tunnels.


    My priest merely chuckled. If we could get answers from the System, it wouldve been much, much easier.


    True that. The Valthorn Warrior, Ezar, sighed. He was Level 143, in total, from a mixture of Brawler and Ranger-type sses.


    Alka just chuckled. If the system gave answers, Aeon wouldnt need people like me.


    I dont think thats true. Lumoof said as the Valthorns continued to dig closer. Aeon is always in need of someone to blow shit up.


    Thats not what I meant. Alka countered in jest.


    I know.


    The other Valthorns groaned. Most of the younger Valthorns didnt realize how much the domainholders ragged on each other for fun. Theyve fought demons together so often that they could take each others shit.


    The Valthorns extended the tunnel, and then magic rushed through. Well. Were here. Looks like we found the mana aqueducts. Lumoof looked at what appeared to be a ley line in physical form.


    It was a massive, pir-like structure that extended from the core itself, and up to the node. Huge quantities of magic flowed through it, and transformed the rocks and crystals along its path into a glowing, reddish, highly-dense crystal structure.


    Some of that mana leaked out, but most of it flowed through the pir.


    There should be seven other such pirs.


    You think well shatter the Comet if we blow up all these pirs? Lumoof asked.


    Alka shook his head. Not if we dont disrupt the magical flow. These pirs merely exist as a byproduct of the flow of energy from the core to the eight nodes. They are not the cause, and destroying them wouldnt change anything. I think it would even regenerate itself. Alka said as he tried to chip away at the highly dense crystal structure.


    It was incredibly hard, and any chip seemingly repaired itself before their eyes.


    You know, it feels quite shit that we made all those bombs only for them to be useless. Lumoof said.


    Not exactly. We can use it to blow up the source. The core. The demon kings. Anyway, boys, time to dig upwards. We need to get to the nodes.


    Got it. The Valthorns answered.


    ***


    Back on Treehome, Snek looked at an upset Ken.


    Colette wants to suppress her hero ss, to see what was before all of this. Ken answered. Unlike the rest of the heroes, Ken actually remembers what life was like before they were selected to be a hero vividly. He has seen how the rest forgot so much about their past, the effects of the hero ss meddling with their memory.


    Suppressed. Faded.


    The effects of it on the heroes were insidious, as if it was subtly molding the person into this person focused on the demons. It stripped out the memories over time, while trying its best to retain the qualities it desired of the heroes. Yet, it couldnt just delete it.


    Was it because the gods protected the heros memories while they were sent to another world, and the hero ss stood on top of it? Therefore, if the gods removed the memories, they essentially destroyed the foundation on which the hero ss stood on, and the heroes would develop in a way different from what they wanted?


    In Kens case, once the hero ss was not there, he could freely ess that memory. But for the heroes, it was like there was a concrete floor that hid all that memory, and as the hero ss got stronger, that concrete floor got bigger and wider, and eventually, they couldnt even see what was underneath anymore.


    Prabu, naturally, was afraid. He wasnt sure what Colette would do if she could remember. But he couldnt tell her no.


    Dont you want to remember, Prabu? About life before all of this? About our parents, our family. Our old friends, all back home. Even if you dont want to remember, why dont you let me remember? We are notplete, Prabu. This is just a part of us. The part the gods want to keep, so that we serve as their tools. Hafiz is free. I want to be free, too.


    But-


    I want Rohana to see her motherpletely. Not just this aspect of us. She needs a mother, and increasingly, I fear that this ss prevents me from being a good one. Aplete person. I want to know.


    Prabu had no answer for her, and all he could do was ask for some time. Time Colette dly gave, since there were still many things for them to do.


    ***


    Do you think we should use the hero ss? Snek asked. I have it, and I initially intended to use it to save my world. But now I realized there are ways to achieve my true goals without it.


    Ken looked at the little Snek. Snek held the [hero] ss, stored in his soul. The one Ken gave up. -wait. Whats the catch?


    Ken may have spent forever with his little Snekpanion, but the [hero] ss was always Sneks prize.


    I am willing to trade the [hero] ss for Aeons clone. Convince Aeon to deploy a clone permanently on ra, and be our gateway. My people will benefit from ess to the wider world.


    You know that he refused to do that before.


    I know, which is why Im willing to trade the ss for it.


    -we dont even know whats the conditions to use that [hero] ss. No one has ever tried to create a hero from a hero ss seed. There may be conditions to that ss that we are not aware about.


    In fact, its entirely possible for the [hero] ss to turn out to be a dud. I could therefore see why Snek would offer it in exchange for permanent ess and connection to the wider world.


    But, I may not want it either. What was I to do with a hero ss, anyway? Do I even want to create another hero?


    My clones are genuinely in short supply. Its already hard to level up, and even if I do gain more clones, each additional clone is further away.


    There are so many worlds, and I need to use them wisely.


    ***

 254. Tough Nut

    254. Tough Nut


    <b>Year 255</b>


    My clone could finally be deployed, and the emotions among my Valthorns was a mixture of excitement and relief. Theyve waited two plus years for this moment.


    Some of them just couldnt wait to finally head home for a rest. Some just couldnt wait to get started.


    My Valthorns double checked theirputations and ns. We had one good shot, and if we stretch it, maybe another shot. If the circumstances forced me to, I would withdraw my Lavaworld clone to deploy a second clone.


    Based on current projections, itll still take fifteen years before it impacts Treehome, so if I withdraw any of the other clones now, I should be able to deploy them a few years before impact.


    If that makes a difference. I hope it doesnt get there.


    I felt the clone seed in my soul notify me of its readiness. Ready for deployment, and through Lumoof, I could summon the clone seed.


    Its finally time to nudge this Comet out of its path.


    ***


    Alright! Lumoof said, as my clone seed emerged through the avatar form and sunk into the rock. This former-asteroid or former received my seed easily, and my roots emerged from the rock-


    Retaliation came instantly.


    A surge of demonic mana gushed in from the surroundings, and flooded my growing clones roots. Luckily I was well prepared for this, and through the mana from the rest of my clones and bodies, I pushed back with mana of my own.


    My roots spread through the rocks, weaving through the gaps, or forcing through at times. The tree grew upward and outward.


    Scientifically it didnt make sense for a tree to exist here. There was no sun to guide the trees growth upward, so in space, in an area with nothing but ambient magical light, the tree should just grow randomly in whatever direction it happens to be in.


    I wasnt sure why I was thinking about such a thing while I was drawing mana from all my clones, and pushing that mana against the demonic mana from the Comets Core.


    My tree grew, as the flow of mana intensified. The demonic mana was strong, but I was really good at filtering the demonic mana. Its something Ive done for decades.


    Ever since the Rottends.


    Its as if the Comet tried to flood me with this dirty mana, only to find that I can clean it and expel the dirty mana faster than they could throw it at me. Its true that they are still arge ocean of mana, but I didnt need to clean all of it at once, just whatever that could reach me.


    The amount of demonic mana from the Comets Core was less than a full grown, but it was still more than the smaller, recovering worlds.


    My clone tree grew, and reached its full size. I felt my branches and vines push against the crevices of theets rocks.


    There is no sun.


    A tree shouldnt exist here.


    Yet, despite the impossibilities, I do have a tree on the Cometworld, and now I have another one on the Demons Comet. I felt like this was too much adventure for a tree. For a tree to boldly go where no Tree has gone before.


    I mentally pped myself at how ridiculous that was, and focused on the retaliation from the demons. We detected the presence of demons headed our way.


    Parts of the Comet itself shook, and the rocks transformed by the demonic mana. They turned into demonic golems, and tried to attack us. Demons made of rock, and crystals, and cobbled together from whatever that was present. It was as if the demonic mana possessed the earth itself to rise up against us.


    But this type of resistance was useless. The aura of my demonic suppression field weakened these lesser creatures, my vines and roots stabbed the demons, drained them of their mana and without their demonic mana, they had no ability to regenerate. The rest of my forces crushed the defenders easily.


    The demons foolishly repeated the attacks. The walls around us, those made of crystals and all that transformed into demons. That was actually quite helpful, because it meant that with each group of golems made from the crystalline walls, it just created more space.


    With my Clone effectively draining the demonic golems of their mana, Edna and my Valthorns made short work of them.


    ***


    The Clone is active. I dered to the Valthorns eagerly waiting news on Treehome, Branchhold, and Lavaworld. The crowd cheered. Its time to move to the next stage of the n.


    Titans.


    I reached out to the Titan Frames stored in my soul realm, and prepared them for use.


    Depth Worm. I repeated to my Valthorns. My domain holders nodded. While waiting, my Valthorns constructed even more tunnels throughout the Demons Comets, preparing for the bombs that would be everywhere.


    My roots spread.


    The demons resisted, their overwhelming quantities of mana put up a good fight and slowed the speed of my spread. I couldnt nt subsidiary trees here. They were too easily overwhelmed by the demonic mana, and would then die. Instead, only my Giant Attendant trees could be deployed in this sunless world.


    Back home, I abused my teleportation ability to ship truckloads of the Comets crystals to Lavaworld, where a huge deployment of research trees and Valthorns worked on developing roots and nts adapted to the crystals. Just as how some nts learned how to grow and climb on concrete structures, I believe I can magically create nts able to work on these crystal structures.


    We already shipped some back during that one year ovep as it coasted close to the Demon Turtleworld.


    Itll still take some time to develop nts adapted to crystals.


    My roots spread.


    Demonic mana pushed back. Despite the presence of tremendous tranquility, the battle between the demonic mana and mine continued forever. My clone drained the demonic mana, and expelled them.


    The crown of my clone tree ignited in mes, as the demonic mana burned.


    I pushed towards the nodes. Giant Attendant trees, bit by bit.


    All while the demonic golems tried to attack us


    The pace of my expansion was slow.


    Slow.


    We were too damned slow.


    ***


    I need more mana. I exined the progress to my Valthorns. Right now, the mana generation from all my worlds was used to sustain far too many different projects.


    In terms of mana, Cometworld, and Lavaworld are both mana-deficit worlds.


    Tropicsworld has finally approached breakeven, but it hadnt started to really generate mana to add to the pool. Treehome, Mountainworld and Threeworlds are the three mana-generating worlds.


    On top of that, each teleportation between worlds, through my clones, also consumed a little bit of mana. Immaterial individually, but in aggregate, they added up. I also spent mana sustaining two titans, Patreeck and Hytreerion, and now will add another one for the Depth Worm. I was rtively sure Id keep them, so turning them off was out of the picture.


    Patreeck got to work analyzing all my mana consumption. I spent a rtivelyrge amount of mana sustaining the whole beetle army that supported the Central Continent. These were pretty much the logistics backbone of Treehome, and again, out of the picture.


    So, I thought about it for a moment, and spoke to the heroes, and the other domain holders.


    Do you want to share your mana with me?


    Due to the way my clones work, I can essentially move mana from ce to ce with hardly any loss between my clones. Theres always some mana loss from transportation, when its moved, but my clones are pretty much magically entangled that any movement between them is instantaneous.


    Between my lesser trees and through my roots, there is some energy loss. Just like how my attacks and my abilities are weaker far away. That said, my Giant Attendant Trees also act as amplifiers, and they also reduce energy loss from transmission, in the same manner that the Giant Attendant Trees also reduce the distance penalty to my skills.


    For heroes and for the other domain holders like Lillies and Aria, their mana was respectable too.


    The heroes just needed to drop by every few days to let me drain them off their mana, which I used to supercharge my expansion on the Comet. I could theoretically send them to the Comet, but without knowing what I faced, it seemed rather dangerous.


    With the additional mana, I burned through them to force the demons mana back.


    But it stirred the Comets defenses. The presence of star mana swirling against the demonic mana triggered the Comet to vibrate violently.


    What the hell is happening? Edna looked around while the entirety of the Comet shook, and this time, I felt the mana flows that was previously sent to the nodes shifting and moving around us.


    The rivers of demonic mana that powered the nodes instead moved like it was a serpent, and the rocks around us, those that still carried the taint of the demons energy transformed.


    Demons! Edna said as gigantic demons charged at us. Golems that were made of so much demonic energy, and I immediately recognised the familiar feeling.


    Run. Imanded. Theyre self-destructing golems.


    Inwardly I cursed. The demons clearly didnt mind blowing themselves up. In a way, that would achieve the goal of destroying theets. But, why would they do something like that?


    Unless-


    The entire Comet is a crudely made golem. Stes observation came just as immediately as mine. Weve been lurking on the demons body, and Aeons a parasite on one of its parts wrestling against it.


    They could regenerate. Alka mused. Hes been itching to use his detonation ability, but so far, we didnt get such a violent reaction from the Comet.


    My roots attacked them, preventing them from getting close to my clone.


    The golems exploded in a sh of demonic mana, their explosion was made of highly dense demonic energy. Then I noticed something unusual.


    The golems were running towards where I injected the star mana into the ground. They stopped if engaged, but otherwise they seemed to be looking for something.


    I decided to test it out. I spawned one of my trees, and used some star mana to push back against the demonic mana all around it. The golems, as if alerted, swarmed and charged towards that tree, and detonated themselves.


    The subsidiary tree didnt stand a chance and exploded into smithereens.


    My initial n of hacking into the nodes now had to be scrapped, because the rivers or flows of mana in the Comet were now shifting violently, moving and spawning more of those explosive golems packed with demonic mana.


    The demons started spawning conventional defenders, but also packed with demonic mana. Serpents made of rock and sand. They attacked my clone, and together with the self-destructive golems. These golems, with the amount of mana they contained, could rip through my defensive shields. At a certain distance I could still block them, but it was hard to properly protect my Valthorns while fighting the demonic serpent.


    I had to pop them before they got close and trigger their explosions. Their explosions at a distance still created shockwaves, and my forces immediately retreated into my clone. The multiple gigantic serpents.


    The demons, as much as I hated to admit it, was pushing me back and winning. They didnt mind blowing themselves up, because the immense magical energies they possessed meant they could regenerate easily.


    I needed to push back-


    I struck the demons with roots and vines. I drained them of demonic mana.


    Then, the demon cores river of mana moved around and all of them focused on my clone.


    ***


    If I had hands, this sensation was quite like putting my hand into a burning fire.


    The demonic mana, previously just distributed and scattered, now focused all on my clone. It overwhelmed my lesser trees easily, because this was the entirety of the Comets mana. All of the rivers of mana that fueled the nodes redirected towards my clone.


    A part of me, my clone body struggled to push back, and maintain control.


    My clone body shook as if we were being uprooted. Parts of my peripheral roots were transformed by the demonic mana, turning into ck-reddish things, mixed with crystals.


    The mana tried to wrestle control of my body, but the main part of my body was protected by my domain. That was impervious. My domain was like an invisible screen that it couldnt pierce. This was a part it couldnt possess, it was a feature of the system.


    But everything outside that screen burned and transformed. All my smaller trees were torched and turned into crystallic rock by the overwhelming quantity of demonic energy. Like standing in a thunderstorm with an umbre, my soul and the main parts of my body were the only parts that were still dry. Everything else was soaked.


    The demons mana poured and tried to overwhelm me, but it was useless against the domain.


    Instead, it tried to corrupt the ground around me. Again, my domain protected arge segment of the ground where my roots reached.


    ***


    It felt like we were imprisoned. With the overwhelming amount of mana the demons kept sending our way, and all the suicidal golems constantly blowing up around my tree, I couldnt even send any of my folks out there.


    My clone only survived because my main bodys toughness is really high, and the explosions merely burn through a fewyers of my wooden shields, and just merely ckened my clones barkskin.


    But for my Valthorns and domain holders, I dont think they could face the demonic mana head on. Maybe the domain holders, because their domains protect their souls and body- but with the overwhelming demonic mana severely restricting my range, we needed to rethink our approach.


    I constantly drained the demons mana, trying to get better at dealing with them, and even with the entirety of the demonic mana focused on me, I still tried to push back. I tried to grab control. Corrupt it.


    How do I reverse this?


    Even with the heros star mana, the Comet had way too much mana.


    I needed more.


    Or maybe, I needed something different.


    If I fail to regain control, the Comet will effectively destroy everything weve built. But as much as I hate to say it, it seems like Ive bitten off more than I can chew.


    Evacuation. It was the option I hated the most. Id be giving up on Treehome, and Id have to rebuild from scratch. I needed to figure out what was the best way to fight against the demons mana.


    There must be a way I can win.

 255. Rotting Wood

    255. Rotting Wood


    <b>Year 256</b>


    I spoke to Lilies first, and Lilies understood. Our roots connected, and I shared the images and experiences on the demonset. There was a shared, mutual realization that evacuation should be our utmost focus. There had to be a way to achieve it without losing so much weve built so far.


    I felt Lillies understanding, and more importantly, agreement. We would need to rethink our strategy, move our people.


    <i>Will of the World.</i>


    Lillies first thoughts were to beg for aid. To move our world in the void sea. I promptly tried it, through my roots all over the world. I sent my thoughts through ley lines to the will deep beneath.


    Nothing.


    Refusal. I cursed. I tried it before, but even with new information nothing changed. The will would not move without the suitable authoritymanding it. My Valthorns and domain holders returned to Treehome, and they felt a little defeated. But it was not over yet. This battle against the Comet was not yet over.


    But our odds were slim, and Ste redirected a group of the void mages to other projects. Mainly, to find new worlds that we could spread our poption.


    The Central Continent has been incredibly prosperous over the past few decades, and that meant we are dealing with far higher levels of people than weve ever had in the history of Treehome. Its likely there was never a time in history when there were this many living beings on this world, thanks to all the periodic disasters.


    I thought about teleportingrge quantities of star mana bombs over to my clone on the demonset. It might be enough to shatter it, if I could get enough. But Alkas immediateputations suggested it wouldnt be sufficient. Not at our current quantity, or strength.


    The heroes needed to make a far more powerful star mana bomb. Something capable of doing a lot more damage than anything weve done before, but sadly, the heroes are not in the best shape for that assignment.


    ***


    Lumoof was happy to be back in morefortable dwellings, but even I could sense the nagging worry at the back of his mind. I could feel him asionally take moments just to calm himself, and to live in the present. There was no point thinking about whether this was all going to be gone soon.


    Life was on a timer. It was always on a timer, in different ways or forms. Change was inevitable. Ste dropped by to visit one of those days, with food from their favorite restaurant.


    How many worlds do you n to visit? Lumoof looked back at Ste. Any good ideas?


    -I think it wouldnt be enough.


    We had reports from the Tropicsworld that it wouldnt be able to absorbrge quantities of refugees. Its production and resources still significantlygged behind Treehome due to its generally weaker levels of ambient mana.


    Even with my blessings and the presence of stronger druids, the soil itself was weak, and there was only so much one could squeeze out of a parched soil. Theary cores strength ultimately fuels everything about that world.


    Still, the druids tried their best to get the world ready. They used spells meant to massively restore thends vitality, special nts that feed life back into the soil. Just like my trees.


    But we couldnt avoid the fact that if we moved everyone to Tropicsworld, our current estimates indicate that the food output of Tropicsworld would just be enough to provide subsistence for the entire worlds poption. I wouldnt be able to feed the poption the way we do today. Not withoutrge scale food imports from both Mountainworld and Threeworlds.


    Maybe I should be happy with that, but no. Its not good enough. Not with our goal of freeing our world from the demons. The reality of creating an army at the strength of the Valthorns required a lot of resources, a lot of food. It is difficult to train strong warriors and maintain a powerful standing army with terrible food supplies.


    The soul nourishes the body, and the body nourishes the soul. It is a feedback loop. With a poor physical condition, it has effects on mana generation, mana capacity, healing, and mental faculties.


    That didnt even go into the issue of construction. The sheer numbers of the worlds poption of at least a few hundreds of millions meant wed have to provide housing for that many people. This was an issue that would need thebined effort of multiple million workers.


    Even with the construction of multiple new cities on Tropicsworld, the scale still wasnt enough to adequately for that many people. It would truly test the theoretically with my upper limit of Subsidiary Trees, spawn a few million trees, and that would house that many, but still not enough.


    But, with the low levels of ambient energy, its likely I would ultimately end up with a huge mana sink. If we lost Treehome, my currentrgest source of natural mana, the mana deficit would be even worse.


    We had to mitigate it. Not substantially, but at least a tenth or a fifth of the worlds poption would have to move to Mountainworld and Threeworld. We looked at Branchhold, and my growing hidden city on Threeworlds. Weve been expanding them gradually over the past few years.


    Branchhold was a prime candidate for massive expansion, even if Id resisted it in the past. There was no choice, now. Circumstances forced my hand and Id have to make this world do their share and absorb some of the people. I would need to mitigate the political fallout afterward.


    As for Threeworld, Id need to have another talk with Zhaanpu.


    Lumoof and Ste sat in his fancy dining room. His residence was decorated in an understated style but had a fantastic view of the sprawling metropolis. He kept few trinkets or decorations, his wall filled with all his broken equipment. The food was decent, and Ste activated a small crystal gem that projected out a starmap.


    My void explorer continues to move to more worlds, and if we hit one thats habitable like the Beastworld, I think we should take it.


    Take it? Lumoof flinched.


    Invade. Ste said. Im not mincing words here, but if we encounter a world that can support us, we should take it.


    That doesnt make sense. You might as well advocate for an invasion of the Mountainworld or Threeworld. Those worlds can support us. Hell, lets invade the angels too, Angelworld surely can support our poption.


    Thats not a bad idea. I came to the realization that invasion is ultimately a necessity. Ste countered.


    I think youre not thinking straight. Why not the demonworlds? Lumoof rebuked. The Valthorns can handle most demonic foes, and the demon king never actually attacks its own world.


    A waning world is not sustainable. The demon controlled worlds fade, eventually.


    We can free multiple worlds. Lumoof countered. We did it on Houndsworld. A few more free worlds and we spread the people around.


    -do we have time for that? Ste looked out of the balcony. I didnt need Patreecks mind reading to know how tormented she felt.


    I dont know. Lumoof shrugged. But they wont be linked by Aeons clones. We will have to build riftgates. Those cities and worlds will have to find ways to recover without Treehome as the Core world.


    Ste thought. What if they dont move? Like the dwarves.


    All we can do is offer them a choice. Lumoof said. There will be those who take the mantle and be pioneers. There always will be. We will support them, and they willy the foundations for the majority.


    My void domainholder shut her eyes for a while, her eyes of eternal darkness swirling. Ill need to get started. Start looking.


    Let me know if you need me.


    I think youre needed elsewhere, for now.


    ***


    Kei sat next to the aging Ken. His age was increasingly more noticeabletely, partly due to the stresses of the Comet. Its been a few years since the fellow mbers death, but it still hangs over them.


    You alright? Kei asked.


    Ken just frowned. Aeon still refuses to answer me about what to do with the hero ss.


    Give him some time.


    I asked him two years ago.


    Thats still not enough time. Kei chuckled. She teaued in terms of levels, not more than level 110. It was partly because she stopped participating in the higher level battles, as well. Former heroes, Kei, and Ken, seem to still retain some leveling benefit, even if they didnt keep any of their heroic blessings. Is that why youve called me?


    Nah. I wouldnt bore you with my whining about Aeons slow decisions. Ken shrugged and offered her a ss of tea. She didnt need it. I want your views on the hero ss. What can we do about it, and- have you heard about our n for a League of Heroes?


    Yeah I heard. It goes around. But with us not discovering new hero worlds-


    -yet. Ken coughed. But thats not the point. Long ago, they wanted me to lead it. Im beginning to think Im not the best suited for that role, and I want to pass it onto someone. Someone immortal, like the heroes.


    Keis artificial face still revealed a look of horror. Oh no- you want me-


    Genius! Kenughed. Ill die of old age, or someshit like that in a decade or maybe two if I get lucky. Look at these creaky old bones. Even with the blessings of high levels Im nowhere near my best shape.


    Kei frowned. Thats because you refuse to participate in battles. Without the battle experience-


    -I know. You dont have to repeat it to me. Ive heard that nagging lecture a thousand times. Ken said. There was a burst of de-aging at level 100, level 125 and level 150. Between and below that, the effects on aging were subtler. He was nearest to the level 100 threshold, but he refused to participate in any of the tasks needed to get there.


    Chung called it nned suicide. I couldnt disagree.


    Im beginning to think my approach was too- aggressive. Too- in your face. I see how you work with Lausanne and the heroes, and I think your gentle, less-intrusive approach may be the better one. I cant be the bridge, or the chain that holds the heroes together. But I think you can. You have the mostplete hero experience of all. You did your part as a hero, I didnt. I just ran when I could.


    A long silence between the two, before Ken continued.


    Even now, Im running. Im leaving this shit to others to clean up.


    Kei sighed. I- I cant do it. I couldnt even convince my two hero-mates to fight by my side, and I died to the demon king. Youre asking for someone who has a bad track record to lead something much bigger.


    Ken nodded. I believe dying-on-the-job still counts as work experience. A great testament to yourmitment.


    The golemdy chuckled, and then turned serious. No.


    Theres no one else. I dont know the two other former heroes, and from what I heard, we cant trust them. Just think about it. I hope when I die, the answer will be Yes.


    Youre a maniptive piece of shit, putting it like that. Kei just cursed.


    I know. Im a master of running away and leaving shit for others to clean up. I even thought long and hard about what to say.


    I hate you. Kei said. I knew she didnt mean it.


    ***


    On the demonset, I continued to experiment.


    Trapped. Surrounded in a sea of demonic mana, my domain was the only thing that kept me safe.


    I spawned trees and watched them turn into stone-and-crystal. My beetles, they sttered whenever the rivers of demonic mana entered them.


    It exploded.


    Most of my creations too, then I began to wonder- was it linked to the type of creature?


    Would people do better? I wanted to witness the effects ofrge amounts of demonic mana on people. I thought about sending my soldiers, and I knew some would volunteer to die a martyr, but ultimately that was suicide.


    I didnt want to do that. I didnt want to be an old man sending young people to their deaths, without knowing why or what they died for. I wouldnt do that who volunteered to serve in my army.


    So, curious, I looked back at my prisoners on Treehome. I have many prisoners, criminals on the death row who did things they were not supposed to. Murders, rapes and all that. Actually, if I was judged by an astral judge, maybe theyd find me horrifying too.


    For a brief moment, I hesitated. Was I being cruel? Was this terrible?


    Yes. But my vines, roots and leaves were always bloody. We were executing these criminals one way or another. Death by drowning in demonic mana was just the means of execution.


    I decided I didnt cross a line. Maybe someone else would judge that I did.


    I pulled one of those convicts through my ability to teleport people, and pushed them out of my trees domain projection.


    The criminal died. Instantly. Its as if they choked. Their bodies shriveled as all life was forced out of them.


    Sadly that wasnt the end of it.


    Then their bodies were transformed by the overwhelming demonic mana. Those human bodies, dead from the toxicity of too much demonic mana, began to warp and transform. I began to vaguely sense the demonic mana reaching into that mans soul, and felt as if that demonic mana was beginning to hijack the corrupted corpse. I had a really bad feeling, and immediately pushed against the wall of the demonic mana around me,unched a root strike and destroyed that body.


    That wasnt a good idea. I cursed as I watched the remnants of the criminal. I thought about what I could do, and then remembered my hybrid nts dying slower than the rest.


    Could I use demonic mana, or creatures made of demonic mana that still remained under my control? Does the Comet know how to distinguish my demonic mana and its demonic mana?


    The hybrids we used before still died and were destroyed by the overwhelming amounts of demonic mana.


    Ironic. This was us being on the other side of my ability, [Natural mana Overwhelming]. It seems to me that the demons have their own version, though their mana seemed to cause things to blow up.


    In my fields of demonic hybrid nts, I pulled their demonic energy to my clone, and was surprised by how effortlessly my mana slipped out.


    It went out untouched, as if the rivers of demonic mana around us were never there.


    It was clear.


    If I wanted to destroy the demonset, Id have to coat myself in demonic mana.


    Ill have to be a demon.


    Spaizzer


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 256. Libertree

    256. Libertree


    <b>Year 257</b>


    I collected demonic mana from all my demonic hybrid trees, and began manipting them. Ive practiced with demonic mana in the past, and even went as far as attempting to mold them. I once used demonic mana to coat my beetles, and made them appear as if they were demons, but inside they were still normal beetles.


    But Ive never tested creatures made with demonic mana against other demons.


    So, concurrently, on some secluded location on Lavaworld and Mountainworld, I began to shape one of my Giant Attendant Trees into a spawning pool from all my experiences taking over demonic spawning pools on all the various worlds.


    Lumoof, naturally, sensed and understood what I was doing.


    "Aeon, this is the path where we have to walk carefully, lest we be the monsters that we fight. A small step here could lead to depths we cannot foresee.


    "I know." I was worried, but I had to push on. The fate of Treehome depends on it. "If I stray, my dearest Avatar, tell me. Let the domain holders know of my ns to create my own demons."


    I felt the risks were reasonable. The domain protected my soul, and the demons energy would change only the creatures I created. I wanted to create a puppet demon.


    The Giant Attendant Tree transformed as I allowed the demonic energies to transform it.


    Lillies was wary. The fury of the multiple worlds may descend on you. Transacting excessively in the demonic energies might create a curse.


    The tree transformed slowly, as I replicated the forms Ive seen in the spawning pool. I had ideas about the spawning pool, because I always wanted to create a champion like the demons. I studied them excessively hoping to create champions of my own.


    Each time, I tried to use the concepts but made entirely out of my own mana. This time, I tried my best to stick as close as possible to the original recipe of the demonic spawning pools. With demonic ingredients.


    The demonic energy caused my tree to turn into this hard, rocky structure, with spikes and jagged edges quite like the demonic spires Ive seen. This was the natural form of the demonic energy, and suggested that the demonic energy itself came from a rocky world with such features.


    The tree was ready and then it died abruptly. Insufficient demonic mana.


    I tried again. Repeatedly, tweaking and tweaking the mana. As weird as it sounded, each demonic spawning pool was surprisingly specific about its energy requirements. It needed resources from the surroundings, the right intensity of mana throughout the spawning process, and the structures had to be formed carefully.


    I couldnt just y with one demonic giant attendant tree at a time. If I wanted this to work, I needed an entire farm of spawning pools, each with slightly different configurations. That would allow me to test what works, and what doesnt.


    So, on Lavaworld where it still overflows with demonic mana, and there are still local demonic spawning pools, I started arge-scale demonic experimentation facility.


    A thousand giant attendant trees, each a slightly different configuration. This would allow me to test which configuration worked better with demonic mana. I also tried using the demonic mana from the Comet itself, absorbing it through my roots.


    Mana of all forms carries the intent of its controller. It was this intent, embedded with mana, that allows mana to function and do things. Mana without will just floats around without purpose.


    Each mana absorbs or carries this intent when it emerges through the Soul Spring.


    It is why when my mana encounters another mana, whether it resists, passes it by, or absorbs each other, is because of the intent that is tied up with that mana. Intent, from the mage, shapes the mana into form. Into spells. Into abilities.


    Demonic mana that seeks to corrupt carries within it, the intention to corrupt. While, my mana, seeking to protect myself, will therefore sh and fight with the mana that resists.


    This is why its often a battle of wills, because intention within the mana is the one thats driving the resistance, and refining how ones mana resists the intentions of other forms of mana is how I got better at fighting off demonic mana.


    This is why, intentless demonic mana, like those generated by my hybrid trees, can be possessed and manipted. My soul can impose my intention onto these nk motes of demonic mana, because there was nothing there to resist it. The ability to project intentiones from the Soul Spring. The Soul Spring is a printer, the device in which the code is injected into each mote of mana.


    However, if these two intentions do not conflict, they can coexist. This is how groups of people manage to work with each other, and ovep their spells, or even bless each other.


    But at the same time, this is also a vulnerability. Intentions can be changed, but luckily, a souls ability to control the intention of mana usually ends once it leaves its body. In short, the manas intention is usually fixed the moment it exits the body, as the soul can no longer interact or pass on its intention to the mana, or even if it could, the range of interaction is usually limited.


    Its the equivalent of programming codes going live, free to interact, coexist, or fight other codes. To change it, wed have to upload or send a new set of codes.


    Mana themselves have certain natural properties. Just like how star mana was the equivalent of coding with radioactive nuclear fuel, demonic mana felt quite like coding with poison, core mana felt like coding with stone and rocks, and void mana is like coding with some kind of thick ck oil.


    In its raw, base form, demonic mana and energy is naturally slightly corruptive and wanted to change everything into itself. It wanted everything to take its usual shape.


    Its a familiar sensation, my own mana has the tendency of warping things into trees or nts.


    Every soul changes the mana they produce slightly, even if its not enough to be considered a whole category of its own.


    There are elemental biases even in the mana, just like how Arias mana is tinged with ice, and Lillies mana has both water and deaths taint. Residual codes as a result of processing from each soul spring.


    This theory exins why, despite no real input from me, demons that I controlled were transformed into wood-forms. Like the first time I turned the demonic hounds into wood hounds so many decades ago. Or how the demonic walker transformed into the hulking mass of roots that is Hytreerion.


    Allowing the demonic mana to flourish is counterintuitive, but I had to rein in my own intentions. I pulled the demonic mana produced by my hybrid demon nts, and used them to produce demons.


    Gradually, I found a set of configurations that allowed my demonic-mana giant attendant trees to not only grow, but surprisingly, absorb the natural demonic mana of the demon worlds and convert them into a usable form.


    [Skill acquired : Demonic Mana Refinement. You are now able to refine and clean demonic mana from certain worlds.]


    This ability did not work on mana from the Demon Comet. The intent to conquer from the Demon Comet was too strong, too violent.


    But this was a huge revtion for me. In a single skill, it changed the bnce of mana production altogether.


    ***


    With these demonic giant attendant trees, I can produce mana on the demon worlds. With this, I am no longer mana-negative. I said the domain holders, much to their horror. But-


    I didnt really need to say it. But for rity, I had to.


    It means I will be using a lot of demonic mana, and demonic mana will flow through my body inrge quantities.


    Do we know what happens when you have too much demonic mana? Ste countered. Void mana changed my body, and those of the void mages.


    I dont know.


    No. Ste said. We shouldnt go down this road. The demonic mana might gain control of you, and its effects-


    The rest of them promptly agreed. They think this was a line that cannot be crossed. Small scale demonic mana was fine, but oncerge quantities of demonic mana flowed through my body, the effects on me- well, I dont know what the effects are.


    My soul should protect me, or it might not. Actually, no. It wont.


    This is MY demonic mana, and its likely the domain would not step in. After all, the domain would not resist itself, and the domain is subservient to the soul.


    This was granting the demonic energies the equivalent of root ess to my programming. It could unmake me and theres nothing I could do.


    My domain holders were unanimous, and they voted no.


    Even if this would significantly elevate my mana constraints by turning Lavaworld from a mana-negative location into a mana-positive location. Lavaworlds demonic mana, which was controlled by its demon mother, could be easily converted into usable demonic mana.


    But it is a risk.


    I realize I probably wasnt in the best mental state to make this decision, because it is entirely possible that the demonic mana had already affected me without me even noticing it. So, I decided it was wiser to agree with my councils thoughts, and did not expand the demonic mana harvesting.


    I didnt expand the demonic giant attendant trees mana farm, and instead, focused on tweaking the spawning pools. Once the demonic giant attendant trees were functional, they could now begin to produce my new prototype demonic scouts.


    The first demonic beetle created from almost entirely demonic energies copsed on itself. It died. There were aspects of its creation that reminded me of my earlier days when I first experimented with beetles.


    We learned a lot from those days, much of that knowledge is now handled by my small army of artificial minds. Still, we had to redesign the creature from the ground up. The structural elements of the demonic beetle body had to be different, due to the different strengths and flexibility inherent in the demon-organic materials, and we couldnt just reuse the old temtes.


    The one thousand demonic giant trees became arge experimental spawning pool, where I figured out the strengths and weaknesses of the demonic-material.


    One, they were naturally hard, and weve known demons had a strong earth-fire element bias. But, unlike the beetles, they were significantly less flexible, and so, certain elements of the demonic beetle had to be reinforced, while certain parts could do with less.


    My first functional demonic beetle struggled to walk, but the data we gleaned soon allowed us to prototype newer models.


    ***


    Back on Treehome, I faced Colette, who could no longer put off her request. She waited long enough, and she finally insisted for it to happen.


    Prabu was there, and I could see a resigned eptance in his face. Her daughter, Rohana, understood it as Mother needs to find a missing piece of herself, and was thus naturally supportive of her mother.


    Suppress the hero ss. Colette repeated.


    Very well. After so long, everyone knew of it, but no one dared stop Colette. Despite her calm appearance, everyone could sense as if there was a maelstrom swirling within. It seemed as if the threat of her fury was enough.


    I gathered the energies from throughout Treehome. With my expansion on the Demons Comet blocked by the rivers of demonic mana, there was nothing much else I could do. Colette dipped into my [Soul Forge], where I would apply the weight of my domain and my energies against her hero ss.


    I entered into her soul spring, and found the cracks on the vast marble spring had gotten muchrger.


    Your soul-


    I feel as if my soul and the [hero] ss are at odds with each other. She repeated, our minds linked through my vines wrapped around her body. Ever since the day Hafiz died, and that conversation we had, I felt as if something weighing down on me. Its holding me back from remembering and reaching into- into something.


    Cracks.


    About a hundred and forty years ago, I tried to suppress the hero ss for Mirei, to lift the curse within. Today, I looked at the cracked hero ss around Colettes soul spring, and wondered whether the hero ss was the curse.


    Power flooded my soul-vines and appendages, and it wrapped around the stones that formed her souls spring. I knew I could do it. The power I had in my disposal was no less than what Harris and Gerrard provided to me, and not just that, I was much more powerful.


    This entire thing was the [hero] ss. It is the means that trante their intent into power.


    It didnt even take much of my power to lift the white stones of her soul spring. Her very soul resisted it. It felt as if the ground itself pushed against the stones, and all I had to do was give it a hand.


    Her soul had grown stronger, the core part of her soul now wanted to shed the ss that sought to impose itself on her.


    It wouldnt be too far-fetched to think she might have been able to suppress her hero ss, with enough time.


    Unlike Mirei, who found it extremely painful, Colettes unconscious body rxed. As if she was in a long, peaceful sleep.


    She was in a dream.


    A long dream, as I held the hero ss as long as I could. With her soul itself resisting the hero ss, I- I didnt even have to spend much energy to do so. I took this chance to look closer at the stones that made a hero, a [hero].


    There were severe damages into the structure of the hero ss itself. Parts of the stone were worn out, hollowed from below, likely from the souls resistance.


    There was umted damage in the structure of the spring too. Gaps and holes where they probably should be none. Cracks and scars. Chips in the rocks.


    Was this caused by the natural weakening of the hero ss? Actually, could it be that due to the forced nature of the hero ss, the soul itself struggles against the hero ss, and so inevitably it would decay over time? The symptoms we see might be just the side effect of prolonged wear and tear, as the soul grew stronger over time.


    I could mend the hero ss, but I realize it may not be what Colette wants.


    The floating vase of star mana in the sky continued to pour down into her soul, but nothing.


    Suddenly, I felt a rumbling. Her soul vibrated and yet she looked peaceful. The rumbling came from where the actual waters of the spring surged out. Like a wave, it sted outwards.


    Then, I felt Colette awaken after hours of sleep. I felt joy.


    You can stop. She answered.


    The hero ss is damaged. Do you want me to fix it?


    No. That wont be necessary. I gently ced the stones back, and then just as suddenly, the rocks began to move and reshape itself. I can do it.


    Just there and then, huge waters poured out of her soul, and flooded the [hero] stones. Encased in the waters of her soul, the rocks themselves vibrated and then glowed dimly, as if they were stones around a very hot firece.


    Thissted for an hour, while ripples of energy whipped through the valley.


    When it was done, her words answered all my questions. The gods control me no longer. Colette said, as we all felt the change in her hero ss. I am now a [Liberated Hero].


    Spaizzer


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 257. Tree Blight

    257. Tree Blight


    <b>Year 257 Part 2</b>


    <b><i>Thirteen years till Impact</i></b>


    Liberated hero? I asked as Colette exited from the soul forge. What in the world-


    I have gained control of my ss, and no longer will it inject me with its whims and desires.


    How? What-


    She smiled. I actually dont know. But I remember my family, and I remember a lot of love from everyone. I had a great, incredible dream, Aeon. A dream of a lot of suffering, but always a lot of care, and affection. And I remember that I desired to remember all those who cared for me, and really desired to return that care to those around me. Then when I felt the hero ss return- all I did was push that desire towards it.


    She walked to Rohana, who looked at her mummy. Mommy, did you find it?


    Colette squatted down, pulled her child for a hug, and nodded. Yes. Yes I did.


    Can I look at it? I spoke to the hero directly. Again?


    Later. I want to spend some time with my family.


    Prabu wasnt sure what to make of it. He looked at her partner, unsure. So all he did was wait. She carried her daughter, and looked at him with a smile. When you are ready, you should ask Aeon for it too. It feels- It feels like I no longer forgot our childhood.


    Rohana, the young child, merely tugged her mothers hand. Does it make you stronger, mommy?


    Not really. But, I feel like I see things clearer. As if a veil was lifted.


    Thats good, mommy. Can we go eat something now?


    ***


    Ken stewed at the revtion that it was possible to escape the control of the gods, while still retaining the hero ss. He immediately looked at Sneks hero ss.


    Do you think theres a way to turn your hero ss into that? Whatever that was?


    -do I look like I know? Snek answered. Our knowledge of the Soul never got to that point. Hell, the moment we got a hero ss, were frankly in uncharted waters!


    Ken frowned. I still kick myself for falling for your scam.


    It was a mutually beneficial arrangement. As far as I could remember, you wanted to get rid of it, at almost any cost.


    -fair.


    Honestly, no one knows, and I wasnt even sure whether I could replicate it. Thatst part, where her soul itself heated her hero ss, as if purifying it- I was sure that it came from her, and had nothing to do with me. I merely facilitated the moment, enabled the circumstances where she could then make it happen.


    It was something within her that gave her the strength to change the hero ss, and the heroes themselves wanted it.


    But I could try.


    Modifying hero sses was certainly not out of the picture.


    ***


    Time was ticking. The dem was thirteen years away from impact on Treehome, and three more years till the next internar intersection with Lavaworld.


    Time.


    I had all the time in the world, and none at all. The heroes were not willing to go on a suicide mission on the demonset.


    Not with the torrents of demonic mana flooding my tree. As much as I hated to admit it, the demons were learning and adapting to my methods, and trapping me in a heavy dose of demonic mana was way more effective than I liked.


    So, I focused on my experiments with the demonic mana, demonic trees and demonic beetles. The demons clearly had not adapted to my ability to use demonic mana, and I reckon that once they know I could use demonic mana, they would adapt ordingly.


    After countless more experiments with my demonic beetles, I was finallyfortable enough to test one out. I still retained control of the demonic beetles, my hold on them through the demonic mana was unaffected by how they moved.


    I wondered, briefly, about the nature of demonic mana, and its corruptive abilities, and thought about my choice so many decades ago.


    When I chose Tree of Life, instead of Crown of Magic. Could Crown of Magic absorb demonic mana with none of its drawbacks? I wondered briefly whether the Crown of Magic wouldve solved the dem issue easily, due to its natural mastery of magic.


    Ah. I quickly snapped myself out of my contemtion, and focused back to my demonic beetles. I could control them, but I couldnt see through them. My next problem was I needed the means to remain in contact with the scouting demon beetle as it explores the demonset, so I tested more variants of demonic nts and trees, just in case I needed them to explore the demonset and expand my beetles range of operations.


    It was frustrating that the dems rivers of mana continued to focus on my Clones location. I had hoped that they would somehow realign themselves back to their original nodes, then I could use that opportunity to expand outwards, in some manner that wouldnt rouse the attention of the core.


    Now, with the swirling rivers of mana, it was dangerous even for the heroes, and the constant harassment from the demonic creatures never quite ended. Despite destroying so many of these demons, I have not gained a single level.


    My demonic beetles were now ready, and I sent them to Lavaworld to experiment on them.


    Amazingly, the demons of the Lavaworld did not immediately attack my demonic beetles.


    No-


    Not just that-


    The demons on Lavaworld were oblivious to it.


    It was an incredible sensation. It was one thing to be invisible, but another to be visible but clearly ignored. With this, I immediately worked on more demonic beetle variants, and then sent my first one through to the Demons Comet.


    Unlike the other demonic controlled worlds, the beetles would need to dig, and I wondered whether I could create a titan filled with demonic mana.


    A digging demonic titan. It didnt take long for me to discover that I could-


    [Conditions fulfilled. Depth Worm Variants unlocked. Demonic Depth Worm Titan is now avable. Starts with high endurance, extensive digging abilities and extensive earth sense. Will also share vision and image].


    Its been a long time since I felt like this, but thank you, System, foring in clutch and supplying me with exactly what I need. Still, this was a Titan Frame, and it was a fairly limited resource, even if it could be recycled. So, I decided to first try out digging with my roots.


    Anyway, back on the Demons Comet, I sent my beetle, fresh from Lavaworlds sess, and right into the rivers of demonic mana.


    My beetle stepped through invisible line that separated my domain and the rivers of mana outside-


    I thought it was going to explode and stter into goo like the rest of the beetles, but watching my demonic beetle step into the sea of demonic mana unharmed was highly, highly amusing.


    My confidence replenished, I began to pump in demonic mana from my small farm of demonic trees and spawned them as demonic trees in the area around me. These trees and beetles are almost 99% demonic in its structure, and once more, I watched in incredibly surprise how the demonic mana just moved around of my trees, and leaving them unharmed.


    The incredibly obvious question thus popped up.


    Lumoof, imagine a demonic warrior. Do you think theyll be immune to demons attacks?


    Aeon, I would have absolutely no confidence-


    No- Imagine a demonic suit of armor. If an outer structure made of demonic matter-


    Like a Golem Armor?


    Yes!


    Lumoof frowned, but then nodded. It could work.


    I wasnt sure how long before the Demons Comet would pick up that the presence of other demonic mana is unnatural, so I needed to work fast. I quickly spawned more demonic trees to expand my range, even as all this demonic mana moved about around me.


    Perhaps the rivers of demonic mana itself have no ability to tell friend from foe, because it was unreal to watch the huge demonic creatures spawned by the demonic mana just ignore my demonic trees as if it was just the background.


    It makes me think that these demonic creatures are just programmed to attack anything that doesnt feel or emit demonic energy.


    With demonic roots, I dug deeper into the demonset.


    I was finally making progress again. It was slow, but it was great to escape my cage of demonic mana.


    My demonic trees and roots dug deeper into the demonset. The rivers of mana was not everywhere, and once the roots reached parts of theet where there wasnt any river of demonic mana, we could act with much more freedom.


    ***


    Ste regained ess to the anti-magic sandworld, and one of the alternatives we wanted to consider was to use massive quantities of anti-mana gems to break free. Weve been building up more anti-magic mana crystals, and trying to use them to shatter the daemolite.


    Were also trying to find a good, easy, convenient way to destroy daemolite, since the entire Comet was pretty much some kind of daemolite. Mybs on Treehome were heavily experimenting on their structure, and eventually it was Ednas [Quest] ability that came to the rescue.


    She emerged from her quest with a ck hammer. Well, this is a [crystal crusher]. It should help the physical warriors destroy the crystals and allow us to dig. Ill keep trying for other type of quest rewards.


    Which then led to the next project that I ran with utmost urgency.


    My Valthorns assembled arge group of master crafters and golem makers, and sent them over the Lavaworld. We need operational demonicttice armor able to deceive the dems demons.


    There were two real approaches. One, where we created a golem frame, and then ced demonic matter around it, and Two, where the crafters and golem-makers created a golem entirely out of demonic structure, growing it bit by bit.


    The crafters were already aware of the existence of the Comet, but working on demonic matter was an entirely different league.


    But we had no choice.


    ***


    The heroes had one big question. Was there a big difference in the power of the [Liberated Hero]?


    Not much- and it seems I am no longer blessed by the gods. Colette said after a short trial. The power didnt increase. -But its worth it.


    But, not increasing in power ignored the fact that the heros power experienced decay over time. The power of the [hero] ss was strongest right before they fought their demon king, and after their first demon king, it has been observed that some of their skills and abilities were downgraded to a lower version.


    With the [Liberated hero], there was none of that. No decay, no future weakness. Their strength was preserved, and they could act freely.


    I hope some of you will join me. She said with certainty, and the other heroes merely stared, puzzled. Even her partner, Prabu, merely frowned.


    I reviewed the data from the incident, of how Colette broke free, and realized that her own soul must want it. Based on what I know, its likely that if the heros soul wasnt strong enough, the [hero] sss hold on their mind may actually be enhanced. The very act of pushing against the hero ss drained the soul of its energy, so if it didnt have enough, it could be a mistake.


    I quickly rified the risks of attempting simr acts, and also exined that there were already tremendous cracks in her soul before she broke free.


    I would hesitate trying it again, until your souls reveal simr characteristics as Colette. I said. In fact, my gut feeling told me that the hero themselves must have conviction, and a desire for it.


    I also dont know the consequences of a [liberated hero]. Does it affect how future heroes are summoned?


    Do we still receive fragments?


    ***


    Magical research focusing on the destruction of the Comet was in full swing, and by now, rumors of an impending disaster leaked out to the wider society.


    After all, Valthorns would tell their families of the Comet, as means of convincing them to make the move to Tropicsworld. Some of these families would speak of it to their friends. The rumors spread, and as time ticked, the nobility were first to panic. Some of them sent emissaries, demanding details of the rumors.


    Knowledge of the other worlds weremon, now. Everyone knows we have ess to other worlds, and so the fact that there was a Cometing our way didnt seem farfetched.


    Most didnt know the details, of course. Some thought it was just a super-demon-king, some thought the itself was cracking. Some thought it was just all the water on Treehome was evaporating.


    It was hrious and sad to watch how stories mutated as it passed on.


    But ultimately, emissaries began to visit Freshka in droves, demanding truth. My own diplomats initially tried their best to dy it, by denying the truth.


    I felt conflicted, as my diplomats and leaders denied the truth despite the evidence. Our official stance was this is a military preparation for theing demon king.


    I was a liar. We were all liars.


    But it wouldnt help my cause. No. I would expect resources will be needed just to satisfy their demands. In fact, some would demand to be sent over first. Panicking would not help and would lead to misaligned use of resources and time.


    ***


    The way to the demon world is opening in about two years. Maybe less.


    Threeworlds would face the next demon king in another two years. Thest time we fought a demon king in their world was Year 238, and their world faced a demon king every fifteen to twenty years.


    Ste and Khefri pointed to a location on Threeworlds. The Centaurnds. Khefri merely cursed. Theyve gotten hit hard, and now theyre getting hit again.


    There are times when I feel rich. When I feel we have enough resources to pursue anything we want to.


    Then there are times like this, where I have not done enough for the Demons Comet, and I still need to dig into my reserves to resolve a demon king on Threeworlds. The heroes would be there.


    They have to be.


    We would need to properly rig the ce for war.


    ***


    Ridiculous. Lumoof cursed as he heard the emissary. Absolutely ridiculous. The dwarves of Mountainworld demanded us to reconstruct their capital, and move the structures back.


    The heroes, in their grief, were in no shape to immediately start work. Matters such as moving the dwarven city buildings back to their original location? Low priority. Colette and Prabu, the two mages, dragged their feet, because that location still reminded them too much about Hafizs death.


    Lumoof mmed the table. This is very unreasonable of the dwarven king.


    The dwarves had initially med the heroes for their capitals fall. Now, their discontent towards their new living conditions, despite our attempts to assist, were aimed at us. The Dwarven King was not wise. It was something I know, but I suppose, it wasnt important before. But now, the dwarven king, unable to do much to improve things, aimed that anger at us.


    I have sympathy for those who lost their homes.


    But if they dere war against us, that would be unreasonable. Reconstruction from a disaster, where reasonable, was already ongoing.


    Full restoration was not.


    What ensued was gutter politics. The dwarves sent letters to neighboring kingdoms, using us of deliberately destroying their capital. My spies intercepted them, and sent letters of our own. Most kingdoms were aware of our neutrality, and the nobility, privy to a wider range of news, were mostly on my side.


    But the dwarves were quite good at riling up the masses. Their rapport with themon folk was good.


    Politics and public rtions sapped resources and manpower. It was tiring, trying to deal with a Comet, while these gnawing things came my way, both on Treehome and Mountainworld.


    But I swallowed my frustrations, for now.


    I will deal with them. Later.

 258. Obstructive Wilting

    258. Obstructive Wilting


    <b>Year 258</b>


    Khefri watched as the Valthorns began to pour into the Centaurnds with whatever weapons and bombs we could spare. After the incident on the Dwarven kingdom, the heroes seemed to suddenly regain their fear of demons, and devoted more time to prepare for the demon kings.


    Weapons shortage still caused issues across all the three worlds, but my mages were innovative folks, as some began harvesting crystals from the various demon worlds.


    Resource shortages had forced my mages and Valthorns to develop a dedicated exploratory mining and manufacturing expedition force, to take resources avable on the various demon worlds.


    We could not just work with our three habited worlds. Not without messing things up for those who lived there. Significant price intion for crystals, runic materials and magical crafting affected high society and culture in strange ways, even if we ensured that food and necessary supplies remained cheap and readily avable to almost all segments of our society.


    In a way, it really amplified ss divisions and messed with the education of young children. Those who could afford these materials could give them a head start in magic education, but the rest of them couldnt.


    Ste felt that personally, because as a former educator, she saw the effects of resource shortages happen back home. Watching how those with advantages and wealth, those who could afford private tutors, special materials and have practice with expensive materials get a head start in life really sucked.


    The Valtrian Order tries to mitigate this, but there is a bnce between quality, quantity and cost, and also our other priorities, such as war.


    Due to the rise in crystal-based equipment, such as crystalline bombs, crystalline magic storage devices, and crystal powered golems, crystals were the new gold. Its possible to create artificial crystals, and grow them through various means. Yet, these remain rtively slow processes, and the amount of crystal consumed by a society that depended on them to organize work, move money around, supply energy to various equipment and store important memories was huge.


    Prior to the era of peace, it didnt make sense to buildrge magical formations for mundane purposes. Magical formations were first and foremost for protection, and for war. That meant the use of crystals as a store of energy, or to supply heat, power cooling or lighting were fairly limited in scope.


    It didnt help thatmon crystals didnt store a lot of mana,pared to the demonic daemolite. It took significant development over the years, from the entire crystal-crafting industry and pretty much an army of other mages, craftsmen and even dedicated crystal growers, to create high-density crystals that could store more mana, and pack in more spells.


    Development of high-density mana crystals, in terms of total output and total capacity, remains an ongoing research subject, because of the expansive usage options. There were attempts to use anti-magic ss and crystals from the anti-magic world to create segmentation within mana crystals, to pack more magic.


    The mages called it [microcrystallization]. The craftsmen called it [crystalpartmentalization] or [crystal nesting].


    Density was always important. Even back when we were trying to design bombs meant to kill demon kings in a single blow, Alka and his team have always tried to create high density bombs and crystals.


    The best way, currently, remains star mana, which sadly was corrosive. It meant the crystal-bombs, created by the heroes through their hero forge, packed with star mana, all had an expiry date.


    This was true for all [hero items]. After a while, they would decay, but bombs were exceptional because of their design. They were meant for explosive single use, so their nature was against endurance.


    The expected arrival ce of the demon king was on a vast field of grass. There were some habited areas nearby, but the centaurs were semi-nomadic. So asking them to move temporarily proved to be significantly easier.


    If the demon king arrived at Hoofhall, Id face more problems getting the centaurs to move.


    Khefri watched as more bombs were ced.


    I sensed magical disturbances as my trees spawned in the area in the form of small shrubs. Attempted scrying from the humans affiliated to the Crystal King. It didnt take long for agents of the Crystal King to start causing trouble.


    Khefri and the heroes were naturally furious, as the fifth attempted saboteur was caught.


    This is ridiculous. The crystal king wants me to die? Khefri held up the man, her scorpionoid hands trembling. She was trying her best to hold her anger within.


    Yes! The man was deathly afraid as the heros fury rippled in the air. Magic made the world around them feel heavy. He wants a new generation of heroes to appear.


    And he is willing to kill me to do it?


    No! He said to just mess with the preparations-


    Khefri was furious. Thats just trying to kill me in another way. Does he want war? I have no issues marching into hisnds and sting that damned mountain to smithereens.


    In truth, Khefri would be a fool to do so alone. Each of the rulers and deities of the Three forces were packed with ancient spells and artifacts. Khefri might as well kill herself. There were certain aspects of Khefris hero power that were tied to an ancient pact between the Three, and that meant the Crystal King had countermeasures against her.


    But, if the entirety of the hero force, especially those from Mountainworld and Treehome headed there, there was nothing he could do. Those heroes were not shackled by the pacts of the Three.


    As the fourth force, I thus assisted the heroes in making a deration, and a warning.


    If the Crystal King messes with the anti-demon king preparations, I would apply the weight of my force against him.


    It was a controversial statement. One that Zhaanpu didnt like, but he didnt say much. He did g his concerns on the ancient pact, that should the Crystal King were to die, the ancient pact with the gods could be broken.


    Some worlds had pacts, some didnt.


    It didnt matter.


    If the Crystal King indirectly causes the death of the heroes, I consider that just cause for war. It would also help that Id be able to then use hisnds as home for potential refugees. The people of Treehome.


    It was convenient, even if I certainly came across as machiavellian. For his sake, I hope he didnt give me just cause.


    That said, not everyone was unhelpful. The Centaurs of Threehome themselves had a special request. As the war would be fought over theirnds, their ancient customs dictate that they must participate in the battle. Even if it was suicide, their ancient custom does not permit others to defend theirnd on their behalf.


    Someone from the Centaurs must fight.


    Their ancient honor system depended on martial prowess, and martial prowess did not allow hiding from a fight to protect their home.


    ***


    I have another world for you to visit, Lumoof. Ste came over. The archmages found one of the worlds that could be of interest- the metals on that world are unusual, but we have not yet found-


    Dont we have the demons of Threeworld to prepare for?


    Roon, Johann and Alkas headed there already. They can handle it. This ones for you.


    Alright- Lumoof nodded. Another world to visit.


    ***


    The way age works is well known, but its tendency to strike is still hard to pin down, even if we could chart its probabilities. Old age is like ying a game of chance. Each day, youre a little bit closer to death.


    Every day, the dice is weighed a little more.


    Ive studied death in old people many, many times, and often, the copse is sudden. There are many ways old age kills. One of the mostmon was when the souls link to its body somehow tears, as if a soul that no longer wanted its body. Then, the body would begin to malfunction. Organs that functioned normally the day before started exhibiting unusual behavior.


    It is as if a gear just decided to turn a different way. Or a key that went into the wrong hole. A door that didnt open properly. Organs and parts of the body begin to copse, and teath woulde soon after.


    Old age is a sneaky assassin, and behaved, in some ways, like stress. Or wear-and-tear. Its a ticking time bomb. It leaves its mark on every part of the body, for the right moment to trigger, and these markse in physical, magical, and spiritual form. Ive gotten quite good at removing the physical and magical elements of old age, and it is why I could extend some of my soldiers lives, if they wanted me to. Even spiritual elements of old age, the marks left by the soul, could be removed.


    If I could find them.


    For old, dying mortals, if they were under observation and the signs of soul-misalignment arising from age were to strike, I could usually step in, and correct that misalignment of soul-body.


    Prolong ones life for a few more weeks, or months. Even years. I could do it, often consuming a little bit of my mountain of soul fragments. Patching a soul had a cost. A small one.


    And today, the specter of death came for the former hero.


    He was at home. Ken looked perfectly fine, and then without any reason but time, he began coughing like mad. He started to choke, and my vines wrapped him. Healing fluids help suppress the symptoms.


    I could save him, but he said. No. I didnt listen.


    You have a lot to do that youve left undone..


    The hell with that. Ken coughed. Through my vines I could sense parts of his body imploding on itself. This was something Ive seen in many old folks, and I could rescue them. If I wanted to. He coughed a bit more, and I sensed parts of his liver and lungs starting to copse.


    My healing powers flowed through his body-


    Stop. Ken said- choking half way.


    No. I answered. I will not let you die without the other heroes being here.


    Dont tell them. Ken said. Dont tell my friends.


    Ken, selfish as it may be, I will keep you alive until your friends get here.


    Fuck that. He said. Fuck-


    Its not all about you. Its about the optics of letting you die without your friends.


    Fuck. Cant even die in peace. Just drug me, put me to sleep and let me go- The former hero cursed. Old age was a battle against the soul, and one Im really good at winning. I could keep him alive indefinitely.


    But I know he doesnt want to. Snek spammed the magical crystals and sent alerts to all the heroes. I felt the local area shift as teleportation magic created a temporary warp, and the heroes ran in.


    Chung was naturally first to barge in. He came cursing. You fool!


    Fuck you. Cant even die without seeing your stupid face. Ken cursed back.


    You dont regret it? Come on. Just tell Aeon to fix your soul and make you live longer. Chung said, cursing, but also pleading. Dont.


    No. Ken said. Im not-


    Prabu and Colette came next. Colette walked in, and she frowned. Howre you feeling?


    Dying. But Aeons not letting me die.


    Colette smirked. Smart ass is still putting up a fight on your deathbed.


    Chung looked at Colette. -tell him to stay.


    The liberated hero shrugged. Me? No. I like to believe in choices. She looked at Ken. Is this your choice?


    Colette- thats rubbish. Choice shouldnt matter when hes making an irreversible decision to kill himself.


    Ken frowned. Its called euthanasia, Chung. Did you not pay attention in school?


    I was young as fuck when I was sent here. Do you think I remember what I learned in school?


    Colette looked at Prabu. Prabu didnt say anything, just nodded and held Kens hand. His skin was quite wrinkly, but today, its as if there was an extra fifty years added.


    Snek actually agreed with Chung. I agree with your friend, Ken. Live. You still need to convince Aeon to nt a clone on ra.


    Kenughed-while-choking. You can negotiate with the Tree yourself.


    He coughed some more, and couldnt seem to stop. I injected him with more of my healing energies, and helped patch him through. Aeon, can I die now?


    I thought about it for a moment. Ive seen people die around me, usually suddenly. Most would not want to die, but suicide was not umon. No.


    Fuck- Ken cursed, and he iled against my vines, trying to rip them off like a medical patient trying to pull out all the medical tubes. Unlike medical tubes, my vines were much stronger, so I injected him with a sleeping drug.


    The heroes watched as Ken iled and then slept.


    Ive put him to sleep. For now.


    Dont let him die.


    He will. His soul is imploding.


    You can fix it. Chung said.


    I can, but if he doesnt want me to fix it, itll make things harder.


    I dont care.


    Colette looked at Chung. She looked sympathetic, but in a way, he looked pathetic. Colette sighed. Chung, let him go.


    No. Chung turned to face Colette, his face was ugly. Are all of you murderers? Why are you aiding his suicide? This is insane.


    Therees a time- and ce- when we must let our hands go. Colette said, with a maturity Ive not seen before she became a [liberated hero]. She spoke from a ce of inner peace. -you must let go. The more you try to hold on to him, the more he will resist, and he will walk way. Death is not the end, Chung.


    Death is not the end? Chung repeated, furious. This is absurd, Colette. It is the end, in every way and form.


    No. Not for us. We are promised a return home.


    You believe that shit? Ken doesnt believe it.


    Colette smiled. Theres no evidence against it.


    Theres no evidence for.


    On the contrary, we know souls reincarnate in this world. Why is it so hard to believe that our souls will, too?


    Chung stomped away, he didnt go far, just down the corner where there was a rtively new drinking ce. He better not die while Im away.


    Thats not your choice to make, Chung.


    In a way, it was mine. And I needed Chung''s help.


    Ken won''t die. Not yet.


    ***


    thanks for reading. did i mention i have a patreon with 4 chapters (+ many patreon exclusive interludes) ahead? -> be my patreon here-> /treeaeons


    also, buy my books

 259. Tree heart-to-heart

    259. Tree heart-to-heart


    <b>Year 259</b>


    <b>11 Years to Impact</b>


    Some of the heroes wanted to let Ken go, but ultimately, I saw Ken as leverage. It was pathetic, and sad, but I could not afford the heroes to fracture at this time. I needed the heroes to help me get through my Comet problem. Chung absolutely refused to let him die, and insisted that I keep him alive.


    He threatened to quit from allbat engagements if I allowed Ken to die.


    Ive always had a rather tense rtionship with the archer hero, but this sort of ckmail only confirmed my feelings. Khefri, the woman that Chung had a crush on, found his threat so repulsive that the two had an argument.


    Youre a dickhead. Khefri cursed. Why do I only attract people that either want my power, or just outright horrible people.


    Chung tried his best to downy the severity of the threat. Khefri,e on, Im just asking Aeon to keep Ken alive.


    Ive had idiots on Threeworlds trying to sabotage the demon king preparations, and here you are flinging threats like this around, threatening Aeon not to participate in battles against the demon king. What does that make me? Im an idiot for thinking this hero-league thing could work, if itsposed of selfish assholes like you. You immature foolish prick.


    Khefri-


    The scorpionoiddy refused to talk to him, and went back to Threeworlds to continue the preparations.


    After thinking about it, I decided I was in no position to refuse Chungs request, and it only made Ken mad as hell. He understood, but he was mad.


    Youre a horrible person, Aeon. Ken cursed. You said youd like to let me die.


    I felt a little shit doing this to him, but at this point, Id rather offend Ken than the heroes. I will. Later.


    He understood, of course. He wasnt stupid and saw the writing on the wall. You just want them to help you destroy the Comet.


    My non-response was all the confirmation he needed.


    To think that at this point, Im fucking leverage. I hate you, Aeon. Dont do this to me.


    There are sacrifices I need to make, to achieve the goals. Goals that your friends agree with. I will throw you under the bus, if I have to. Unfortunately, your friend has forced me to do so.


    The demonic manas gotten to you. Ken cursed. I know it didnt, but it didnt change that some people would think that way.


    ***


    Demons. What is a demon? I believe I am at the point where it is important to differentiate between being a demon, and being made from demonic stuff.


    Or is this me trying to defend my own decisions? Has using demonic mana influenced me already?


    I asked Patreeck, and my artificial minds to give myself a scan, and wondered whether it was even possible to duplicate a copy of my thought process, such that I could remember who I was. THey could copy my memories, but my thought process was very much linked to my soul, and essentially, Id have to duplicate my soul.


    Not possible.


    Demons. What are they?


    Its actually quite hard to answer the question, but we know that they seek to assimte worlds, and have captured gods to do so. Or at least, their divine energy. They have advanced portal and void technologies, and have the capability to construct superstructures to make the most of them.


    It seems to me that the demons themselves cant really answer that question, because my roots, made of demonic-energy and materials, moved unobstructed through the Comet.


    My beetle moved unharmed.


    We walked and moved among demons, and they did not react to our presence. We dont know how long this wouldst, but we have to move quickly.


    Before the demons figure out there is a pretender among them.


    Digging deeper, and deeper, while the time continues to tick. Next year, the Comet will briefly approach Lavaworld.


    If theres an opportunity tounch an attack, thats one of my best chances. I could simultaneously attack from the surface, and from my clone, while trying to sneak some demonic-mana beetles, trees and roots into the very depths of the Comet.


    My roots were naturally sensitive to the rocky-crystalline structure around us, and it was easiest for my roots to push deeper through the gaps, where different types of rock-crystals meet. I had presumed that the rock-structure would get more coherent as we went deeper, but the presence of imperfections in theets structure reinforced our earlier theory that this rock was a cobbled mess.


    ***


    Just assume for a moment. What if you could have your own demon swarm? One that you controlled? The repulsive idea came from Alka. Despite his own reservations about the demonic mana earlier, as time went on, he somehow came out with a wild idea.


    It was the magical equivalent of creating a mutant supervirus, one where I already have the cure, and have a built in kill switch. The dangers of such a weapon was so off the charts that I couldnt even contemte the oue should it out-evolve its inbuilt kill switches.


    If we could reliably control it, its no different from your swarm of beetles.


    But we cant. I had no confidence we could control our own swarm. I wasnt so conceited as the Terrans to think we could manipte our own autonomous swarm. The beasts we seek to control could consume gods, and I wouldnt be surprised if it could some day turn against me. I wouldnt even-


    The hunger within the demon kings, that intent to corrupt and consume from the Comet was enough evidence that demonic creatures have an inbuilt bias towards consumption and assimtion.


    But my chief scientist was not one to shy away from dangerous thoughts. It was because of his crazy, outright dangerous thoughts that he could design oundish massive bombs. There are times, especially with Alka, that the line between genius and madness is incredibly, incredibly thin and so porous.


    Just a bit too far, and wed be making our own demons-


    Youre already created your first demon, Aeon. My beetles cracked through thest of theyers, We dug for an entire year, and eventually cracked through one of the deepestyers of the Comet.


    There, we found the heart of the Comet, wrapped in a tangle of demonic sludge and tentacles, and its many guardians.


    I witnessed, through my demonic roots, the full glory of the Demon Comets Core, and felt the presence of power.


    One, a demon king, that took the form of a rocky octopus with way more than eight tentacles. Perhaps a <i>multipus </i>would be more appropriate. It didnt take much for me to realize this demon king was strong, because I could feel its throbbing aura pressing around it.


    Then, a core.


    An actualary core covered in demonic structures and materials.


    I looked at this section again, through my magical vision and noticed the flow of demonic mana. The core was already mostly corrupted by the demons such that it generatedrge quantities of demonic mana.


    Was this how demons generate even more demonic mana?


    They could infest a core and make it do something else?


    Like a virus?


    They could repurpose cores into a womb for the demon king. They could repurpose cores to produce demonic mana. What else could they do with it?


    But-


    There was a weakness we immediately spotted.


    Can we blow up the core?


    This was our initial n. Fracture the core, or disrupt the energy flows such that the magic that held such arge structure together crumbled.


    My domain holders rushed to make theputations. It took days, but we all gathered once more to go through the data. We met in a hall decorated with old, dried timber products.


    May not be enough. Alka frowned. And we dont have a way to move such arge number of things without the demons noticing. Its likely that some of the bombs may trigger-


    Alka had a strange epiphany, as he looked at the cracked shapes in some of the older wood.


    -Unless we could create fault lines in the core.


    Aeon- do you think the beetle could excavate bits and pieces of the Core without the demons noticing? Create points of weaknesses along the core that would trigger a full fracture once we blow it up.


    Possible. It was the equivalent of termites biting away at a buildings foundation for centuries- and then, all it took was a sudden shockwave to cause it alle crashing down.


    ***


    My demonic beetles set out to work, the demons did not notice our presence, and they even snuck around the Demon King Multipus without raising its attention. It didnt seem awake, or alert, as if it was hibernating.


    Weve reengineered demonic beetles such that they were designed for digging and removing dirt, and set out to dig. We approached the demon-possessed core, and got to work.


    The core did not resist. Nor did it seem to mind beetles slowly moving bits and pieces of their hard rock. The Core was made of the same materials as the one I possessed from Cometworld, and also the other samples from Houndworld and Tropicsworld.


    Just that this one had a farrger ratio of demonic energy.


    We tweaked the materials a little, so that my beetles found it easier to dig.


    The Demon King continued to sleep, and my roots began to touch it-


    I immediately felt the presence of something within the Core. Shit. Ive known that each Core contains a Will.


    <i>-You are not these things. Youe from another world. </i>The Demon Comets core spoke. <i>Yet- you are coated in their energies. What are you?</i>


    I wasnt sure whether I should be honest, or should lie. If it was hostile and subservient to the demons, Id immediately lose my cover. If it was friendly, then I could help it.


    I wasnt sure how to answer, and immediately sought out help. I tried to contact the Will of Treehome, and the Will of Tropicsworld-


    Whether they could see-


    Nothing.


    I got nothing.


    I went to my domain holders, and at this point, it could go either way. Im not sure if waiting too long would-


    Lets go with honesty. Lumoof suggested in the end.


    So, I transmitted my response through my demonic root. <i>Someone trying to stop this rock from crashing into our world.</i>


    <i>-Invaders. </i>I felt my heart drop. Shit.


    Immediately, I could feel contamination. The voice I was speaking with wasced with demonic energy. The entire demonic Comets Core shook, as I felt the Demon King Multipus rouse from its slumber. Things have not been going well for me this time.


    There was really no point to hold back, at this time, so I spawned even more beetles-


    Here, in the depth of the Comets Core, the mana from the core was extremely dense, but clearly, the demons have no way of separating demons from each other.


    What the fuck. I cursed, as I watched the awakened Demon King crush their own demons as well as my demonic beetles. It didnt care. It began to destroy everything. Tentacles the size of buildings mmed into the ground with such force that the rocks cracked.


    This could be a strategy! Lumoof shouted. It cant identify friend or foe. So it can only attack everything that isnt itself.


    I realized that was true, and my demonic roots expanded as fast as I could push them. I drew even more demonic mana from everrger demonic Giant Attendant Tree farms.


    I know I shouldnt.


    But there was no choice. Watch me and stop me if I do anything strange. I pulled even more demonic mana, felt a strange sensation nagging in my mind, and forces pushing back against it.


    Patreeck voiced his concern immediately. Master, we need more minds to watch for unusual behavior from the demonic mana. Youre pulling too much mana from Lavaworld-


    I spawned more. But I needed more demonic mana to sustain my expanded roots, as the demon kings gigantic tentacles smashed into the ground around us.


    The core itself was unharmed-


    Could we confuse the demon king? Lumoof entered avatar mode, and I felt some of his thoughts . Make it seem as if the Core is part of us?


    We- we could try.


    I injected my demonic mana into the rocks and stones- my roots and vines constantly trying to spread further and deeper into the core, and I felt more of the Cores will make contact with mine.


    <i>[Domain has blocked attempted intrusion]</i>


    <i>[Domain has blocked attempted intrusion]</i>


    <i>[Domain has blocked attempted intrusion]</i>


    <i>[Domain has blocked attempted intrusion]</i>


    <i>[...]</i>


    I felt my domain block intrusions repeatedly, but at this point, all I could do was flood more demonic mana into the demons core. The gigantic tentacle king mmed its massive limbs on the core structure, and more of them cracked.


    It did so repeatedly, but the demons core somehow caught on to my plot, as the core suddenly began to emit a constant wave of demonic mana, and it formed a shield around itself. I tried to inject my demonic mana through that barrier of demonic mana, and it didnt get through.


    My advance deeper into the core was halted. For now. I immediately tried to mimic the cores demonic mana signatures. It was still subtly different, but somehow, it seemed to have fooled the demon king.


    The demon king continued to smash everywhere for a bit more, and then it stopped.


    It just sat motionless for a few days, as if trying to pay attention to the mana flows around it. It was all demonic mana. Mine, and the dems cores.


    But the damage was done. The dems core was now littered with huge cracks from the demon king.


    I took that time to observe my surroundings. Ive gotten quite good at blending my demonic mana with that of the surroundings.


    <i>Intruder.</i>


    But I had also gotten quite deep into the core.


    <i>-destroy you.</i>


    <i>-help me. </i>The voice that got through was distorted. A whisper. Is there a will underneath that, despite the control of the demon king?


    ***

 260. Unsettled boundaries

    260. Unsettled boundaries


    <b>Year 259 Part 2 - (Chapter 260)</b>


    Khefris Threeworld battle


    How many saboteurs are we dealing with? Khefri barked. More humans attempted to disturb our preparations, but by now I had the entire area filled with trees that its fairly difficult for low level spies or assassins to sneak through. But the old crystal dude was relentless.


    I caught many of them, and made public executions. Public executions, along with magical broadcasts.


    Death. I dered to the horror of those watching. I knew the mages of the humannds, and the Crystal King watched. Their scrying magics were easy to spot. To those who disturb our preparations.


    At some point, I would have to start making enemies. No. Ive already made enemies. Could I crush them? I am struggling on whether I should just march an army into the depth of the Crystal Kings fortress and blow it up.


    At some point, we should. Chung said. At some point, we must.


    My domainholders didnt think that was necessary. The crystal king was an annoyance we could deal with. Its just like flies. Edna thinks that if we scare them enough, theyd go away.


    The centaurs opinions of their human neighbors soured greatly. Centaurs and the crystal kings humans went to war a long time ago, but recent events seem to have undid a fair bit of the goodwill since then.


    The field where the battle would happen was properly rigged, and my Valthorns observed the demons on the other side.


    Roon and Johann returned from the demon world with a party of void mages. Theyve done the usual set of procedures, where we nted our tracking devices, stole a few riftgates, and observed its own astral pathways. Were dealing with bugs.


    The first few rifts released only the stereotypical hellhounds, but theter rifts from the demon world confirmed something else


    Khefri cursed. There were just a few small rifts. We don''t have a good track record with bugs and insects.


    I know. Prabu, Colette were ready in my clone. My city in the northernnds of Threeworlds was a proper magical fortress. For Colette, this was her first real test.


    Well, after this we''d wage a full scale attack on the Comet.


    There wasn''t much time left, and though I had wanted the odds to be stacked in my favor, with the Comet, we didn''t have much of a choice. Preparations for the attack on the demon''set were in full swing.


    ***


    "Bugs." The rift of the demon king opened to the flood of locusts pouring out of them.


    The mages, Prabu and Colette, rained a burning inferno and the bugs burned into ashes. Side by side, it was easy to notice the subtle differences. She was clearer, and less affected by thepulsions of her ss. Even if her powers were not stronger, the rity of mind made her stronger. In a way that was less dependent on skills, but from a kind of elevated situational awareness.


    The demon king was a giant bug that spawned more bugs, in an ironic repeat of the Spider Demon King. But, without invisibility, and the bombs, the demon king would not have been worth a mention.


    We detonated the bombs the moment we sensed the demon king walked through the path across the stars.


    At the same time, the crystal kings attempted sabotage took a leap. An esction that would begin more conflict. The crystal king created a portal, a rift appeared in the skies above, one that was different from the demons. A hole in the sky appeared as if the sky was a piece of rock, and a shattered chunk emerged. A golem of crystal mmed down, and strangely, aimed for Khefri.


    What the hell! Khefri cursed as the golem attempted to sabotage the battle. My vines quickly emerged and attempted to wrap itself around the golem, only to suddenly feel the golem releasing some kind of poisonous mana into my roots.


    My roots shriveled. At first. But I quickly adapted as I could purify the poisonous mana away.


    -thats new. I cursed, while bug champions emerged from the demons rift.


    Chung shot an explosive arrow that destroyed the golem instantly. Some of those shrapnels explode and identally smashes into Khefris scorpion armor. Fucking distraction! Im gonna get that chunk of rock-


    Dodge. Colette said as she pushed Chung out of the way of an exploding bug with magical force. Do you forget to dodge when you fight demon kings?


    Argh. Chung cursed, as he unleashed a volley of magical arrows in fury. They mmed into the giant bug demon king Sectar.


    Khefri frowned. Chung, can you stop being an idiot?


    Im not! Im attacking this damned bug.


    Prabu and Colettesbined inferno continued to burn, turning the vast grasnds of the Centaurs into a swirling firestorm that destroyed the bugs. Thankfully, despite their own fiery origins, the demonic bugs were not fire resistant. Their base natures as bugs meant fire still hurt them pretty badly.


    The demon king itself, Sectar, a gigantic insectoid with wings. It was more like adybug, and released waves of attacks from colorful spots on its back. Regardless of its gimmicks, the heroes overpowered the demon king without major issues.


    The demon king was no match for the power of the heroes, and was swiftly defeated. My Valthorns supported the battle, and some levels were gained.


    None for me. Not that I devoted much resources to it. Everything I had will go towards theing invasion. When the Demons Comet intersected with Lavaworld.


    ***


    Whats happening to him? Chung demanded as Ken looked even more frail than before. Age, decay, seemed to set in.


    Age. Ken responded weakly. Heh. Aeons keeping me alive just to make you happy. But hey, it seems if a soul wants to die, it will die.


    Chung looked mad. You bastard. Dont do this to yourself. Whats happening?


    Lumoof sighed. What Aeon has been doing so far is fix the body. But the scope for reversing aging directly on the body is fairly restricted. If we want to really extend his life, we need to meddle with his soul. The soul is the heart, the engine of the body, the controller of how the body operates. If the soul is toxic or in decay, a perfectly healthy body will decay quickly.


    Fuck. Chung sat next to his friend. At this point. I wonder whether they are still friends. Aeon-


    Theres only so much we can do if he refuses to let us work on his soul.


    Prabu and Colette looked at each other.


    "And he won''t let me." I could force my way through, but I left that part unsaid. It is better for most people to know that I prefer to use my powers with mutual agreement.


    ***


    Rare of you to return to your old home, Khefri. Zhaanpu said as Khefri waltzed back into her old pce. There was nothing here now, the entire city abandoned. Looking for something, child?


    Zhaanpu projected himself like a ghost, a power I knew he had. He could project himself anywhere in his territory.


    Yes. Peace. And you still call me child after so long."


    "Did you find it?"


    "No." Khefri said. "The pact that rules over me. What is it? Why does that chunk of shiny rock hate me so much?"


    Zhaanpuughed. "He doesn''t hate you as a person. He hates that he doesn''t have a hero he can control, while our new tree friends have heroes at his disposal. If it''s one thing that shiny rock dislikes, it''s ack of control. The tree is a wildcard he can''t predict."


    "So, the pact. What is it?"


    "The gods, in an era long ago, were all nearer. Closer. There was a time when the worlds were linked, by bridges of light made by the gods. At least, that is what my predecessor shared with me."


    "You have a predecessor?" Khefri could not believe it.


    "Hah. As funny as it sounds, even mummies like myself eventually tire. A suitable sessor is found among the Sandpeople, and we undergo what the people refer to as a merger."


    "Merger?!" Khefri stewed.


    "I undergo a refresh. We swap bodies and souls, such that I start anew." Zhaanpu said. "Naturally, sacrifices must be made for such an act."


    "That''s horrible."


    "There is a price for power. Each time we go through the merge, our older memories fade a bit more. We are the same but different, thus I refer to them as my predecessors. Semantics, really." Zhaanpu exined.


    The world wasnt a nice ce.


    "It always horrifies heroes when I tell them this. My predecessor told a hero and the hero almost attacked them. It is because of the pact that the hero could not. But back to the pact. There was a time when we were closer. When gods walked the worlds, and the bridges of light allowed those who want to go everywhere to do so. Somewhere, somehow, the first demons emerged, and the bridges of light were captured as their tools. Some worlds were closer, like ours and that of the Tree, that should a rare alignment of events ur, the bridges of light can emerge once more."


    Khefri frowned. You seem talkative today.


    Well, you should know, because the pactes from that era, when gods used to walk on our world. Before many of them left. They promised they would help defend our world, lending their power to their chosen ones, while they fled from the demons.


    I dont get it. Why flee? Are they not gods? Cant they crush the demons?


    You are a human, and you can crush insects when you see them. But what if they live in the buildings, live in the walls? Would you tear everything down to crush them all? Even then, some would escape. Gods are affected by distance, more so over time as the worlds drift apart. They cannot crush the bugs in another persons home. Instead, they send someone over to do it.


    But why not just- find the source? Khefri said. The bugs have a source!


    Do they? Zhaanpu said. That ck blob, the prison, may not be the source. Its been millennia since the demons existed. How many worlds do you think they already control?


    Khefri had seen Stes maps, and theyve spoken to each other enough to know that the map in itself is iplete. It is perspective-led, and so, its the equivalent of you cant crush the bug that you cant see.


    They could be hidden worlds where the demons continue to live in, where they breed and thenunch attacks on others.


    Then whats the point of this entire struggle? Khefri sighed. If there is no end, and no victory!


    Life. What else is there? Zhaanpu chuckled. You create your own purpose, though I suppose that is an opportunity denied to heroes.


    One of them freed herself. [Liberated hero]. Khefri said, and Zhaanpu had a look of absolute horror.


    Impossible. She would be a threat to the entire world. The powers of a god without the gods control is far too dangerous in a childs hand.


    Khefri stopped talking. I reckon what went through her mind then, was whether Zhaanpu just distrusted heroes, or whether he was genuinely fearful for the world.


    -She must be in. She is an agent out of control


    No! Khefris response was immediate. She- shes fine.


    For now. Eventually, without the inhibitions of the gods, they will turn against everything.


    Khefri countered. How do you know for sure?


    That made Zhaanpu pause. His golden eyes flickered. -true. I am merely remembering the faint vites of the past. But be wary, child. Those unshackled from the controls are dangerous. The hero ss is a dangerous weapon, it can hurt as much as help, and it is for that reason the gods keep it tightly leashed.


    The scorpionoid heroine frowned. Fucking scam of a ss.


    ***


    Lavaworld was busy as hell, and my demonic trees were visible to all those who were there. Ive sent demonic beetles over to the demonset repeatedly, trying to explore and take control of more things.


    The demon king Multipus seemed to react particrly strongly to the presence of star mana, and I could use that as a distraction. Cause certain parts of my roots to inject star mana into its surrounding, marking it as a target.


    The will of the Comet wasplex, as if multiple voices talking to each other.


    <i>-intruder. Destroy.</i>


    <i>Help!</i>


    <i>Destroy!</i>


    Every time the willmanded <i>destroy</i>, the Demon King Multipus would rouse from its slumber, but the Comet was unable to provide targeting information. So Multipus could only search for a target. Everything around them to be demons.


    I had somehow fooled it.


    I wanted to create more cracks on the demons core, but with the barrier of demonic mana blocking my advance, I moved around, and continued to spread my demonic roots to more parts of the demonset.


    The use of so much demonic mana was beginning to strain, and I had to quicklypartmentalize the mana, and set up specific artificial minds to monitor the flow of this demonic mana.


    Even then, each time it moved from the clone to another clone, it had to pass through the clones body.


    And I began to experience hallucinations. Visions. My artificial minds tried their best to block their influence, but even then they still creeped in.


    It was a familiar vision.


    <i>That old sandy, deserted world filled with demonic spires. Home. Origin.</i>


    Now though, I wonder whether they are looking for a ce, rather than just a memory of their homeworld. Are the demons looking for their homeworld? If I could shake my head, I would. Why was I thinking in sympathetic terms with a group of demons that clearly ughtered almost everything in its path?


    Still, I needed to prepare the Demons Comet for the invasion. The Valthorns, and the heroes were prepping for battle.


    By injecting star mana in random locations throughout the Comet, I lured demon king Multipus tosh out at the surroundings, and it left huge cracks in the demonsets structure. Some of it would mend itself over time, as the demonic mana from the core reached it.


    But with most of the demonic mana curled up to shield the Core from my intrusion, the speed of this recovery was significantly weakened.


    Alka didnt look optimistic. All of hisputations suggested our weapons were not enough to destroy theet. But with ten years left on the clock, we had no choice. We needed to act, and we couldnt wait too long.


    The invasion team was ready. As much as we can be.


    The heroes were ready too. Even with their conflicts, they epted the task of battling the demon king Multipus while the rest of us tried to wreck the ce.


    Its time to roll the dice, and attack.


    May fortune be with us.


    ***


    Spaizzer


    Please buy it :)


    <strong>[Also. Book 3 chapters going down tomorrow - up to Chapter 85- 137]</strong>

 261. Dendropolemics

    261. Dendropolemics


    <b>Year 260</b>


    This is it. Alka looked around. Ste was located on Lavaworld, waiting to open the void portals. There was a force there, waiting to strike. The surface teams goal was simple.


    There were already existing cracks in theet, left by the Demon King Multipus. Most of the dems mana was upied by my constant intrusions. So, that prevented these cracks from healing. The surface team would spread out withrge quantities of bombs, and set up the bombs.


    The other half of the force would be from my clone. That force would reach out for the nodes, capture or destroy them, and then also nt more bombs.


    Thest force was the heroes and my domain holders. The heroes would attempt to engage in battle with Demon King Multipus, and also destroy the demonic presence around the Comets Core, simultaneously with my clones intrusions. The domain holders would split into groups. Edna, Alka and Lumoof would rush to the core, and attempt to destroy the demonic presence in the core, while Roon and Johann would assist the heroes.


    That was the rough n.


    We didnt know itll work. There was no time to simte and test it out more. Alkasputation had no conclusive answers. It was an oue that wasnt good enough, but our window of opportunity was slipping away.


    We needed thevaworld intersection. Just as a means of escape, if our attack goes to hell.


    Ive seen Multipuss offensive abilities and am fairly sure my clone would be able to hold out against it. Ultimately, the real risk is if Multipus decides to destroy everything around my clone, thus denying my ess to the wideret.


    ***


    Ken was alive. I made sure he still was. Colette knew I was doing something to him, and for reasons she understood.


    I also knew she didnt agree with me, but at the same time, she also understood her friend, Chung, well enough that I had to. So, after a few harsh words from her, she did not protest much beyond that. Prabu and her were the more understanding ones. Adrian, Kelly and Khefri didnt care all that much for Ken.


    Given the situation, I had to just work with the cards I have. Maybe it was myck of will.


    Colette sat next to Ken, one day, before all of this, and spoke to him.


    Hang in there. Hell let you go. Aeon will let you pass.


    If theres one, there will be again. I hate it.


    Youre old enough to know that we often have to give up on some of our values, in order to achieve far greater things. This is Aeonspromise.


    Fuck that.


    He cursed, as we prepared for the invasion.


    You want me to watch this. Ken said, coughing. There was a bit of mana spent to supply vision and share what I see with him, and an entire army of other advisors. Live advisors. It was one of the ways we augment the assault team with advice and instructions from a group of support staff.


    My artificial minds coordinated the vision sharing, through [Dream Academy].


    Yes. Chung and the heroes are going there because you live.


    I spoke to the other heroes. They understood why I kept Ken alive despite his wishes. I needed the heroes to still work together, and Chung, as much as I hated him, still needed to do his part. The heroes, to some extent, understood this attack, on the spectrum of things, was quite suicidal.


    If the core exposes itself and releases its rivers of mana towards the heroes, the heroes would be in trouble. The only way I know, at the moment, the heroes could engage Multipus with a reasonable margin of safety was with my roots constantly poking the core.


    It was so conditional. Everyone knew it.


    You keep me alive, so that I can watch my friends die.


    Friends who want you to live, Ken. I answered.


    Will you let me die if this works?


    Yes.


    ***


    Multipus leftsting damage to various parts of the Comet over the year, and the Core continued to remain on the defensive. It was wary of my constant poking.


    <i>Intruder!</i>


    It spoke, and only confused Multipus.


    In a case of the boy who cried wolf, all Multipus saw was more demonic mana, and I had somehow conned it into not-responding to the Cores constant yapping.


    <i>Help!</i>


    I wasnt sure who was asking. It didnt matter. I was going to break this Comet apart. I need a window to act. To force myself through the Cores defenses while Multipus engaged the heroes.


    ***


    Alright. Ste, were on your notice. The rest of the domain holders were camped on the clone.


    What do you mean, on my notice? Ste responded through our sharedmunication. The surface team was ready.


    The Comet was visible on Lavaworld. Within range.


    But fine. Its within range. Get ready! She sent out a ping to the army, two thousand strong. Each squad of tenprised usually two void mage, two regr mage, and about sixbat units. Each of them would be tasked to destroy demons they encounter, and head to the specified locations with their payload of bombs.


    Another three thousand Valthorns waited within my clone.


    The heroes have not teleported in. The heroes, with their tremendous star mana, would shine like beacons in the night sky. Multipus would be drawn to them immediately.


    They would need to find a ce to engage somewhat distant from my clone.


    The group of three thousand could then charge out towards their own targets, and also n their own set of bombs. They would follow the various tunnels, holes or chasms we made over thest few years. Many of these chasms and cracks in theet were left by the demon king over thest year.


    Where my roots could fit, I made [Root Tunnels] for the Valthorns to walk through, but with most of my demonic mana focused on the Core and Clone, theyd have to make thest mile themselves. It wouldnt befortable terrain.


    Alright- surface squad ready. Were going in. Ste said, as we instantly felt the twisting of space. Void portals emerged on the surface of the Comet, and it immediately roused Multipuss interest.


    Edna, Alka, and Lumoof were next. They journeyed as close as possible to the core.


    The surface team is starting their part. Lets go. Heroes will arrivest to lure the Demon King away from us. Roon and Johann said, as the doors to my clone opened.


    To give my forces an opening, I intensified my intrusion on the Cores mana shield. This forced the Core to draw more mana inward. Ive gotten better at understanding the nature of the Cores mana shield over thest year, it was rather simr to the way the demons rift gates were modted by some kind of mana frequency.


    <i>Leave.</i>


    I poked deeper. I didnt do it before, because I wondered whether Multipus would eventually find out. But now, with the heroesing to provide a distraction-


    Stop. I said to it. Turn back.


    <i>Must do asmanded.</i>


    I pushed further. My roots was quite far from my clone, but once Lumoof got closer, I would try to push a lot more.


    ***


    The heroes were next. They prepped for transport. The heroes didnt say much.


    Lets go skewer a giant octopus. Chung said. Make some takoyaki.


    Its got way more than eight legs. An Octopus is incorrect.


    Octopi.


    -and you dont want to eat this dudes meat. It looks like a stone-tentacle monster. Colette retorted.


    Whatever. Lets go.


    Well. Lets go kick someet ass, and buy our friends some space.


    Ken looked at one of the Valthorn attendants. Its all for this moment. Im alive for this. Go. Get this shit over with.


    The heroes were pulled through my body to my clone, and the mere presence of the heroes in my clone caused the entireet to shiver. Multipus already sensed them.


    Well, our greetings are on the way. The heroes sted out of the clone tree like superheroes leaving their base. Multipus red up, and seemed to fly.


    ***


    Okay okay okay! Lets go! Lumoof ran as fast as he could towards the core, activating magical teleports to get as close as possible. The core emitted a pulse of magic that shredded teleportation spells, but close range teleports, where the magic itself is reinforced, was still possible.


    Ednaughed. Youre awfully enthusiastic on this day.


    This is a great day! Lumoof countered. Weve waited for this for decades!


    Throughout the Comet, whatever residual mana swirling within the crystals all awakened from their slumber, and transformed into demons. Golems.


    More golems.


    The entire Comet itself was probably a golem, linked through the energies of Core.


    And the entireet transformed into a battlefield.


    ***


    Surface team, report in. Ste said as she opened void portals. The crystal bombs theyve made were deployed, ready to be triggered.


    Weve set the bomb. One by one each of the teams reported that theyve deployed the bomb.


    The bomb would go off once a magical pulse sted outward. In theory, a magical pulse of the right frequency should cause all the bombs throughout


    But the presence of the heroes reawakened the sleeping demons. Enemies inbound!


    The golems were an irritant. The self destructing demons too. My Valthorns essentially had to y dodge, and luckily, they were good at that game.


    ***


    The Demon King Multipus found the heroes, and engaged. Their attacks began to cause tremors throughout the Comet. It was still toorge to crumble or shatter.


    But the already existing cracks widened.


    ***


    With the demon king upied, Lumoof managed to reach the very edge of the Comets Core. Through Lumoof, I felt the presence of the Comets swirling will, as if multiple waves were trying to exist in a single body.


    The Core itself is stitched together. Alka said, as hended next to him. I could blow myself up here- should break up the power supply of this giant golem.


    Lets try something else, first? Lumoof said, as my [avatar] form descended right next to the core. In my avatar form, I linked with the existing demonic roots, and pushed against the defenses of the Comets Core.


    It was distracted. Bothered.


    Its mana was affected by the presence of heroes on the world, and it couldnt help but be drawn to it. This meant there were gaps. Fluctuations in its shield of demonic mana.


    Alka looked at the golem while my roots and vines spread, pushing deeper into theets will. If there were different parts of it, I want to talk to them all.


    My roots pushed against the cracks in the core, widening them. The cracks spread, as my roots kept forcing through the gaps.


    <i>Intruder!</i>


    It said the same thing.


    My roots pushed deeper into the core. Ive known from my roots that spread around the core that certain parts of it seemed different. Those gaps were weaknesses.


    Cobbled.


    And the person best to exploit those weaknesses was now here. Edna. Use that rock crushing weapon. Her shining rock-crushing de shone with magic. Magic that came from the system. It smashed into the core, and the weaknesses cracked.


    She frowned, held up the sword again.


    And swung again.


    And again.


    Each time, the cracks got far wider, and deeper.


    <i>iNt-ru-deR-!</i>


    <i>HeLp-uS</i>


    The words became a jumbled mess, and the erratic mana of the core scrambled to react. But Ednas de cut through the rocks as if they were paper.


    At the same time, my roots also pushed through the other gaps, and my own mana began to mix in the core mana of the Comets Core.


    As Ednas rock-shing de kept hacking away, I began to notice prities in the core mana. There were areas of the Core that had higher concentrations, and each of them were subtly different.


    They were normally mixed together. Its like a mixing bowl with multiple taps pouring slightly different colored water into it. They would normally mix together, but because the bowl of water was getting emptied quickly, we could see the slight variations in the different taps.


    We cut, and my roots pushed against the different parts of the stone-


    ***


    The heroes battled the demon king through the various tunnels and chasms. In a way, it was an odd battle, because the heroes had to create their own paths, a task that fell mostly to Khefri and Adrian.


    I tried to support them, through a group of demonic trees, but with most of my mana and energies concentrated on the core, my ability was mostly useless.


    Yet, it was what I was doing in the core that caused Multipus to pause. As I pushed deeper into the core, attempting to reach those different parts of the Will, Multipus stopped attacking, and started to retreat.


    Aeon! The heroes roared as Multipus suddenly stopped and darted away. Multipus is retreating! Watch out!


    Edna and Lumoof panicked. Fuck. We dont have much time if its headed this way.


    Alka grinned. On the contrary, I believe this is exactly what we need to do. Edna. Keep digging. We need to get deeper into the core.


    Ednas constant attacks dug a fairly deep hole into the core, one that my roots quickly infested and reinforced. Edna stared at the dwarf, as a realization got into her. Her rock-sher de glowed. Well, I suppose that is one way to take out a giant golem.


    We all felt theet shaking violently.


    ***


    Aeon! Ste said. The cracks and gaps in the structure of theet! They are the areas where the giant golem is supposed to separate itself!


    Like a transforming robot, theet was essentially one giant golem that was curled up. If it survived impact, it would unfurl itself like a rock transforming into a robot. The gaps were not weaknesses, they were there because they were meant to be!


    Alka naturally understood the implications. Wait- doesnt that mean were just putting bombs at the surface?


    Ednaughed. Well, I suppose amateur mistakes happen to even the best of us. Lets just hit this core as deep as we can. If we can take out the central power source-


    The dwarf nodded. There is no choice, then.


    ***


    Try to hold Multipus back. Imanded the heroes, and they tried. Multipus was trying to flee towards the core.


    Chung fired a magical arrow with a chain made of magic, like a harpoon, and the arrow pierced into Multipuss limb.


    The mages cast spells of ice. I tried to use my own roots and assist in entangling the demon king. But it was strong.


    It punched through the spells, and it sacrificed a limb. The limb broke apart, while its main body continued to rush towards the core.


    Fuck. Chung cursed, as he still rushed ahead. He fired a few more arrows that pierced Multipus throughout its body, and through that magic, yanked the gigantic demon king backwards. Help!


    Roon and Johann too,unched attacks at the demon king, and also harpoons of their own. They needed to pin the demon king down.


    The heroes quickly came to Chungs aid as they helped pull those chains.


    ***


    Is this enough? Edna asked, but she kept cutting. She was in the zone, hacking like a machine. The three domain holders were quite deep now.


    <i>HeLp- InTrUdERRRR! </i>The Will of the Comet roared. I was fairly certain this Will of the World was mostly corrupted by the demons. I could feel Multipus struggling against the heroes.


    My mind instantly felt the hammering, as the Comets Core assaulted me with its presence. Lumoof winced, as he too shared my burden of facing the Comets Will.


    We need to keep going. Lumoof repeated. We must be doing something right.


    ***


    Multipus twisted its tentacles, and doing so, dragged the heroes along. It sted attacks their way, and it spread demonic magic into the crystals around it. Each time it does so, more of the Cometswork of tunnels copsed and crumbled.


    Each of the demon kings attack, a creature made of tremendous demonic mana, and in Multipuss case, also void and core mana, began to leave tangible ripples in the Comets bubble of space.


    The Comet, an object traveling through the sea of void, started to experience turbulence.


    The Comets reality began to tear apart.


    ***

 262. Rock and Log Roll

    262. Rock and Log Roll


    <b>Year 260. Comet Invasion Part II</b>


    As the bubble of space was ripped apart by the Demon Kings struggles, Ste immediately sounded the rm. The domain holder of void was most sensitive to the weakening bubble of reality.


    Im evacuating the team- Ste yelled, as the void mages began to bail out, back to Lavaworld. -All this disturbance is making it harder for us to escape! Void mages began to open magic- but the turbulence sucked them in, and some of them vanished.


    Literally. Consumed by the void sea, or perhaps flung somewhere.


    Its like jumping off an airne while its flying through a hurricane. The little tunnel of void energy between the worlds that a void mage forms had very little chance to survive the teleportation.


    Scratch that! Do not attempt teleportation back to Lavaworld! Team- teleport to the Clone! Aeon will have to send us out!


    I wasnt sure whether that was a good idea, as my massive clone body was also beginning to feel the effects of reality crumbling apart. It felt like some parts of my roots seemed to have vanished, along with whatever rocks it held onto.


    Magic was going to be wonky in this sort of situation.


    The entireets vibrations grew in intensity. My demonic roots and the connections to my spawned demonic trees shook, and parts of theet began to shift.


    -uh. Ste stopped. I think the golem might be waking up?


    Really? There were parts of theet, where my roots were, it felt as if the Golem wasnt waking up, but instead was forced by the ripples of space. More and more of my Valthorns began teleporting to my clone, and I quickly sent them back.


    But Ste remained. She held the button to trigger the explosives. Around the same time, the Comets Core itself tried to reassert its hold on reality. The flow of the rivers of demonic mana went nuts, while more of it tried to block my intrusion into the core.


    It wasnt working. The domain holders were immune to the effects of the demonic mana. The cores attempt to overwhelm my three domainholders hacking deeper into the core was ineffective.


    ***


    How much deeper do we need to go? Edna asked, but not once her attacks stopped. She seemed to be able to wield the rock cutter de as if it weighed nothing.


    Alka frowned. I dont know, but from the magical energies around us, I think much deeper.


    The tunnel was also covered with my demonic roots, but the cores frantic attempts to throw all their mana at the domainholders was just like its attempts to overwhelm my clone. Blocked.


    If it was anyone else, theyd be overwhelmed by demonic mana and corrupted.


    <i>-SToP-</i>


    Lumoof, and myself, was bombarded with the voices and screams of the demons core. My senses, through the roots connected to Lumoof, told me this was the right path. I was getting closer to the core.


    <i>TuRn-BaCk!</i>


    <i>TrUCE</i>


    The voices of the Demons Core got louder. We kept going anyway.


    Because the cracks kept growing. With each hit, the stability of the Comet''s reality bubble weakened.


    ***


    Are you guys alright? Ste asked from the surface. Her team protected her, while the demons tried to attack the surface team. Even as reality seemed to be falling apart, the demons were relentless. Spurred and empowered by the chaotic mess of demonic energy, demons attacked Ste repeatedly.


    Roon and Johann pinged back. Were fine- but the demon kings still getting closer! You should get yourself back to safety too!


    Ste mmed that idea. Ill do that once I get everyone back to the clone safely.


    Even then, some of the teleportation failed, and some Valthorns vanished into the nothingness. If that was an end, it was a cruel one, because consumed by the void meant I didnt even manage to hold their soul.


    The demon king Multipus made progress towards the core. All the heroes and their repeated attacks, and somehow Multipus was just built to a different level of toughness and strength. Roon and Johanns repeated strikes did nothing. Johann even summoned his dragon to attack the demon king, but its wounds healed as quickly as they were made.


    This guy is incredibly tough. Even after hitting with all the shit we have its still going! Edna, how are you holding down there?"


    Edna responded. Were deep in the core. Im feeling a huge amount of mana swirling around us. We seem to be breaking reality up."


    Alka touched the rock around him, and felt the swirling energies. He gave Lumoof a look. He''ll have to use his ability soon.


    Will you be able to get out? Ste was worried that the Cores huge blob of mana and its existence would mess with my teleportation ability.


    Doesnt seem like it would. Edna countered. But no matter, well be fine. Send the rest of them back.


    Trying! Ste said. Im trying to paint in a storm, here!


    The three domainholdersughed. Well, were in the eye of the storm, and we dont feel a thing.


    Come on. Ste sent more of the Valthorns back to my tree. But even more vanished, seemingly eaten by the ripples of the decaying void bubble. -shit.


    I didnt feel them die, but I suddenly could not sense them anymore. I tried to pull them back through the system, but I couldnt. Whats happening? I asked.


    The voids decay is creating very unstable areas between the Comets reality and the greater void sea, and those unstable areas- well, Ive no idea what the hell is happening.


    Theet, or theet-golem, shifted. An entire chunk of theet vanished.


    If our goal was to break theet, it seems were almost there. Even if it felt like we were not winning.


    Should we just start the bomb? Ste said.


    ***


    But what was the golem? Was it the core? Or was it the demon king Multipus? Or is there a part that Im missing? Or is it all three together, and they fuse together like somebination robot transformation?


    What exactly are we targeting, when we bomb this piece of rock? Just destroying the rocks?


    ***


    The heroes attacked the demon king constantly. Multipuss severed tentacles attacked the heroes like automatons, but its attacks were like the wild iling of a separated lizards tail. All it did was leave more cracks and marks on the demonset.


    More chunks of theet vanished.


    Why wont you die! Chung cursed as he bombarded Multipus with even more attacks. But the dems core redirected its mana flow to Multipus, and doing so significantly amplified its regeneration.


    Aeon! Can you shut down the flow of mana? Its regenerating from all our hits! The mages, Prabu and Colette said.


    I tried. I attempted to mess with the mana flow of the dems core. The mana of the demonset core pretty muchshed out erratically, yet the nature of demonic mana meant it still couldnt corrupt something that was already corrupted.


    <i>CrAcK!</i>


    The Comets Core then released a strange pulse-


    Stes eyes widened. The Comets structure made huge, loud cracks. Theet was cracking apart, like a golem unfurling itself- Aeon- Im triggering the bomb now. I dont think we can wait anymore-


    She pressed it, and a magical signal sted outwards, out to all our crystal bombs throughout theet. Each of them vibrated, and the magic stored within them was instantaneously released.


    ***


    The magical ripple from the explosion could be felt throughout the Comet. On its own, the bombs wouldnt have destroyed the Comet. But there were cracks, and tears already present in the Comet, many created by the same demon king.


    The cracks and weaknesses in the structure copsed, and the sudden explosion of magic only amplified the chaos of the already chaotic bubble of reality around the Comet.


    Parts of the Comet vanished, along with everything on it.


    Bail bail bail! Roon and Johannmanded, as the cavern chamber they were in began to copse. Lets st the demon king with the strongest thing we have and bail!


    The fraying fabric of space could be felt even in the depth of theet, not just on the surface. The heroes could feel it too, as if the rifts itself were twisting. The heroes attacked with their most powerful attacks, trying to weaken the demon king. It took the hit, and then released a magical pulse quite like the self-destruct sequence.


    Shit. I cursed.


    Roon and Johann both yelled in unison. Teleport back to Aeons clone. Now!


    But the magical ripples in theets reality made teleportation messy. Both Prabu and Colette, being the masters of magic, managed to teleport back safely to the Clone. The heroes did not expect the other heroes to have difficulty.


    Khefri, Adrian, Chung and Kelly were left behind. Their first attempt to teleport failed as their magic was torn by the copsing fabric of space and reality.


    Shit. I cant get a clean teleport! Prabu, Colette! Help! Chung yelled.


    Wait. Trying! Prabu and Colette rushed to create a portal from their end, while Roon and Johann both rushed towards the demon king, with a slew of special anti magical and anti mana weapons.


    These were made as part of the anti-explosion countermeasures, because we noticed that they seemed to reduce the potency of the demon kings explosions.


    A portal opened, and Adrian, Chung and Khefri got through-


    Roon and Johanns anti-magical weapons smashed into the demon king, and one of the demon kings tentacle limbs exploded.


    The explosion, however, was lopsided, the st radius curved and bent by the ripples of space. It destroyed Kelly instantly. My two domain holders, despite being nearer, escaped the st radius.


    <i>[Kelly has died][You received one fragment]</i>


    Kelly, dammit. Adrian cursed, but now in the safety of the clone, there was nothing he could do.


    -Lets go. I spoke to the heroes. Lets send you back before reality crumbles around us.


    But- Adrian frowned.


    Ill retrieve whats left of Kelly, if theres any.


    There was a charred body. I felt her soul enter my own.


    ***


    The st radius from the demon kings exploded tentacle left a huge tunnel along its st radius. The Comets crumbling was almost certain, as the cracks in theet were now everywhere. More chunks of the Comet seemingly disappeared into the void sea.


    But the demon king wasnt dead. The Multpus then multiplied, its body bubbled like a strange boiling pot.


    Wait what. Johann was bewildered that it couldunch such an attack. That wasnt its suicide move?


    Uh. Roon looked at the demon king, they kept attacking, but without the heroes, they didnt have the firepower needed. Multipus was easily the strongest demon king they ever fought in terms of durability. Never have they seen a demon king take so many hits, and could still counterattack.


    Then-


    Back in the core.


    Lumoof was the first to sense the unusual magical movements in the Cores mana. The Cores behaving strangely.


    The manna of the demonset began spread throughout theet, instead of trying to defend itself. My mana pierced through its defenses.


    I took in some of that demonic mana, and pulled it through my vines and roots-


    Only to immediately see a vision of a world.


    Then a direction. An explosion. Impact. There were coordinates transmitted through the demonic mana and core mana, and I sent it to Ste immediately.


    Treehome. She deciphered it.


    THe mana fanned out, and the Core itself started to crack intentionally. It was splitting apart-


    Wait. I thought the Comets a golem? Edna said, wondering as the cracks and the tunnel we made started to get a lot bigger suddenly.


    Even more chunks of those Comet parts vanished, as if swallowed by the void sea. But theets mana touched every single piece of rock it could, as if giving each and every chunk instructions, core mana and demonic mana, and a destination.


    My mana tried to steal more of these mana away, removing the mana from the crystals and rocks.


    The Comets turning into a barrage of missiles. Ste realized.


    Alka frowned. Lumoof- you might want to bail. Edna, you should probably activate your [Duty] now. I think we need to blow this core up before it gets even further.


    ***


    Multipus multiplied, splitting itself into many smaller tentacle demons, and then, each of those demons split up. Only one headed for the core.


    Uh- you guys seeing this? Roon and Johann tried to attack repeatedly, but Multipus, still powered by the cores tremendous mana, continued to regenerate. The fact that they could hack the core to produce demonic mana, and then use an infinite regeneration source clearly meant the demons actually had some defensive advantages too. This was something we needed to prepare for.


    I tracked the movement of the smaller demon kings, and noticed they entrenched themselves in different parts of theet, as if preparing to hitch a ride.


    Great. I cursed. If these smaller rocks hit Treehome, it will also deliver Multipus to Treehome like an orbital pod.


    Theres no time to waste, Aeon. Lets nuke this shit apart before we lose our window.


    Edna nodded. Ill stay with you.


    As ast ditch effort, through Lumoof, I tried to seize control of the core.


    I had already broke through its defenses earlier. But getting an entry wasnt the same as taking over. My mana pushed against the Core.. Even with my significantly improved control over demonic mana and core mana, I still didnt have enough.


    A cores mana still outstripped mine.


    ***


    Chunks of the Comet began to break off, but these chunks did not vanish into the void sea. Instead, we could see them turn into smaller, much smaller bubbles of space. Their own little bit of reality.


    Like smallerets emerging from thergerets, they separated, somehow, from the ma.


    Then, some sped off, out of reach, and some drifted slower. Some vanished.


    But most of these much, much smaller chunks, they moved in the same direction, towards Treehome. Faster.


    And out of reach.


    I was impressed. With the mana and instructions provided by the demonic core, the chunks of Comet could somehow maintain its own bubble of reality. So I tried to steal more of the mana. I wanted to know how the Comet did that.


    All that did was give me more visions of Treehome, and coordinates. Coordinates that the demons used for their riftgates. Ste teleported to my clone and pretty much told Lumoof, Alka and Edna to get out. Get your ass out of there.


    Wait. Alka said. I need to nuke this thing.


    Not when the demon kings headed your way.


    Multipus, at least, thergest remaining segment of the multi-body demon king that is Multipus, continued to head towards the core. More parts of the Comet were breaking up. Alkaughed. I happen to enjoy living dangerously. Theres no time to wait. Lumoof? Edna?


    Ste frowned. Theres no need to risk it. Theets smaller. Well have to prepare for impact.


    Alka disagreed. On the contrary, this is the perfect chance for me to destroy thergest remaining part.


    Ill stay with you. Edna said. Someone needs to hold the demon king off.


    That wont be necessary. Alkaughed. My ability was meant for this.


    All my domain holders carried my special familiar. Edna waited, and realized. Teleport out once youre able.


    Theres absolutely nothing to worry about. Alka assured her. Go.


    Edna nodded. Very well.


    The rest of the domain holders were sent back to the temporary safety of Freshka. By now, everyone who could get out, was out. Whats left were those that were swallowed by the void.


    Just me- and you, Aeon. Alka said as we felt the demon king rush towards us. By now, the core was cracked in many, many ways. The Demon King Multipus somehow could sense Alkas presence.


    With most of theet broken up, there was no need for me to disguise my mana. The sea of demonic mana around us was weakened. The core itself had lost multiple chunks to the void sea. Fragments.


    Like an onion, the entire outeryer of theet was already gone. Whats left was the inner part, an egg shaped inner core that was filled with holes. Even my Clone struggled to hold on, as all the rock around my clone began to vanish, swallowed by the void. The bubble of reality was shrinking quickly. The Demon King charged through the gaps of the hole, and Alka grinned. Ive always wanted to be a pioneer.


    He waited as long as he could, and just as the Demon King was about to strike, he activated his explosion ability.


    In a single explosion, it cracked the significantly weakened inner sphere, and it crumbled into hundreds of chunks. This included the rock that held my Clone. I held onto the rocks around me, and I floated in the void sea once more like the Cometworld. I tried to grab whatever rocks I could that flew close.


    Alka naturally noticed, but he frowned. Looks like its not over.


    The hundreds of chunks each were their own bubble of reality, many with their own little Demon Kings on them.


    Thergest of the Comets remnants was the hollowed Core. There was a carapace of sorts, an outer frame that defined the Core. Fractured from all the strike, it was thergest single remaining object, and on it, were Alka and Multipus.


    It looked like a car that went through a nuclear explosion, with only its charred frame left.


    The explosion destroyed three of the Demon Kings tentacles, but it was not enough. I saw a tentacle pierced through my dwarven domain holder. Multipus somehow lived, holding on to the remnant of the hollowed Core.


    Alka? I asked.


    Im fine. We can resurrect, remember? Alkaughed, blood sttering out of his mouth, and in his dying breath. I shall be the pioneer for the resurrection ability.


    Then, even the remnant frame of the egg shaped Comets Core shattered like ss.


    With theets core effectively fractured into hundreds of parts, the bubble of reality around us copsed, like a big giant soap bubble exploding into hundreds of smaller soap bubbles.


    Each of those small bubbles represented a tiny chunk of the Comet.


    My clone vanished with the copse of thest bubble of reality, shredded by the void sea. Thergest chunk of the Comets Core vanished with us.


    Some devolved into crumbs. Little chunks that continued the journey.


    <i>[Alka has died. His soul has returned to your main body, and will now begin resurrection. Resurrection will take 17 years. You may consume excess hero fragments (in excess of a hundred hero fragments) to elerate the resurrection time. Each Hero fragment will reduce time needed by 5 years ]</i>


    <i>[Youve shattered the Demons Comet! Youve gained 18 levels You are now Level 259!]</i>


    <i>[You can now deploy three (3) more additional clones!]</i>


    <i>[New [Domain] ability obtained : Panspermia. In addition to your clones, you may now control up to ten (10) Node Trees. Node Trees take the form of Space Seeds that you may now shoot across the void sea like a minoret of your own or deliver normally by your assistants. Once theynd on a particr world, they will transform into Node Trees, which will function like a teleportation gate to any of your clone trees. You may also convert any Node Tree into a Clone, if you have a Clone slot avable. Doing so will free up a Node Tree slot. While the space seeds travel through space, they have some vision. Note that Space Seeds can be destroyed if they encounter void barriers or unusual events, or are attacked by the creatures of the void]</i>


    <i>[New [Domain] passive ability obtained :ary Symbiosis. Each of your clones now generate significantly higher mana and energy. Additionally, some of these energies will be shared with the Will of the Worlds, and expand the bubble of reality. This will allow for the existence of secondary livables in the same realm, and also sr systems. Note, removing your clone will cause the eventual copse of these secondarys.]</i>


    <i>[New [Domain] passive ability obtained :Titan Substitution / Titan Supercharge : Due to the significant increase in power and energies of your clones, each of your clone bodies can power One (1) Titan each. For Titans powered by Clones, you do not require a Titan Frame from Champions or Heroes. With Titan Supercharge,bining a Titan Frame with a Clone Substitution will immediately increase their power levels.]</i>


    <i>[New Title awarded : Cometbreaker]</i>


    ***


    Alkas soul nestled quietly within a special chamber deep inside my main body. He was asleep, his soul damaged by travel. The reconstruction of his body happened through some kind of system shenanigans that I did not understand.


    But I wasnt the only one that gained levels, and two of the Valthorns that fought with us were elevated into new [domain] holders.


    One of the physically-focused Valthorns who did a lot of excavating, his name was Ezar, a brawler-ranger. He was level 143 just six years ago, but the entire Comet campaign somehow pushed him over the edge, and now he was a Level 150 [Domain of the Fist].


    It was a funny thing, of course, because everyone joked that he shouldve been a shovel-domain, since all he used during thosest few years were shovels and mining pickaxes. His first ability [Fist of the Rising Star], allowed him to essentially punch stuff super hard.


    The other was Kafa, and he became the first Lizardfolk, [Domain of the w]. His first ability was also anotherbat ability with some parallels to Ednas. [Tooth and w] made Kafa a temporary hero-tierbatant, but didnt grant him invulnerability.


    In terms of utility, I suppose both their abilities were kindame, but additional hero-tierbatants were always useful.


    Edna too, reached Level 190 , but her new domain ability was instead an expansion of her [Duty Beyond Life and Death]. It now protected her for a week, and also, cast a healing presence on all allies around her.


    Roon and Johann gained levels too. Johann gained the ability to have a second super-pet. His dragon, also experienced a sudden growth and became much bigger. Personally, I found Johanns pet somewhat underwhelming, since it didnt do much on the Comet. But I suppose it wasnt the right tool for that sort of situation.


    Roons [Sniper] domain granted him a power that ovepped with mine. [Domain Awareness], and granted him full knowledge and awareness of everything around him. In short, he was a super spy. In some cases this would be useful, especially when were exploring new worlds, but on the Core-Clone worlds, this abilitys use would be fairly limited since my trees effectively covered most practical uses.


    There was also the issue of how [domain] abilities spied on other [domain] abilities, and in Roons case, it didnt work.


    Ste also reached Level 170, and so gained two additional [Void Explorers]. In addition, she gained the ability [Void Shadow], where she could sense all use of [Void magic], and reopen any recently closed portals or tunnels.


    Lumoof, my domainholder, was now the second highest leveled person around, as he reached almost Level 197. His new [domain] ability was [Fury of the Avatar]. In a weird twist of how skills and abilities stacked, [Fury of the Avatar] made Lumoof a strongerbatant than my main body, because there was some kind of multiplier applied when fighting through Lumoofs avatar mode.


    Id have to wait till Alka woke up to see what he got, if he got anything after all.


    ***


    Ste looked into the skies, as we prepared for the next phase of our battle.


    There will be smallerets and meteors.


    These rocks wouldnt destroy the world. . But it could destroy cities and countries, and theres the demon kings body thats hitchhiking on these objects. There was no way to intercept them. It was just emptiness after the Lavaworld, but they were all still headed our way.


    Objects from space would likely appear at the very edge of Treehomes bubble of reality. One that was much bigger thanks to my new ability.


    They were much smaller, these fragments of the Comet. Babyets. Stes data indicate that thergest of them could still be destroyed conventionally. But theres a lot more to destroy.


    So, taking a note out of missile and projectile warfare, we nned to build weapons to shoot down the smallerets and meteors, the moment they entered the range of our reality. Wed have to build moon-based Weapons tforms, and prepare to shoot those meteors andets down.


    Weve destroyed the biggest Comet. Somehow.


    Now, wed have to shoot down some meteors. What remains of the Comet would not wipe us out, even if it would rain death on our world.


    A problem a few years down the road.


    But first-


    With the focus on the Comet world lifted, there were a few annoyances I wanted to solve.


    I have another annoying shiny rock to crush.


    Spaizzer


    Hi There. Thanks for Reading. Book 3 of my webnovel is on Amazon on 27 September 2023. Please give me a hand, buy my book, leave a review or rating. Thanks again for your /gp/product/B0C8PBXKJ1

 Book Three of TreeTree is out on Amazon KU. Pls check it out

Book Three of TreeTree is out on Amazon KU. Pls check it out


    Hi. My book 3 is out. Please check it out  /gp/product/B0C8PBXKJ1

 263.1 Penaltrees [DOUBLE Chapter DAY 1/2]

    263.1 Penaltrees [DOUBLE Chapter DAY 1/2]


    <b>Year 261 (Chapter 263)</b>


    <i>Estimated 8-9 more years to impact</i>


    The heroes mourned the death of their own, the Valthorns mourned the disappearance of so many Valthorns. About three hundred Valthorns vanished when their attempts to teleport back to my Clone were interrupted by the fluctuations in the fabric of reality.


    Death.


    But we had to prepare for the next stage.


    There were now smaller Meteors headed our way. Demonic Meteors that we have to destroy. My council summoned the builders and mages, to prepare our countermeasures.


    Our countermeasuresrgely fell into three groups. .


    The first, would be our void mages. These void mages would essentially jump to these meteors once they are detected, nt bombs, and leave. With their smaller size, we could knock them out fairly easily.


    The next defense would be our space based defenses. We need to shoot them down the moment they cross into Treehomes bubble of reality.


    The main anchor of this would be the moon base and the various asteroids around Treehome. Id need to reactivate the moon base, and then transform it into a space-based weapons and projectile array. ording to our trackers, some of those meteors will be faster than others, so we should be seeing some of these space rocks a lot sooner than the rest.


    Some of them will carry the smaller Demon King Multipus on them, which means we need a way to destroy the demon king in space. Our initial ns for this is to construct weapons tforms in space, redirect these smaller rocks to them, where we can then engage the demon king inbat.


    My builders all sketched out multiple wild ideas. Space based ballistas, guns, cannons. Space ships and tugboats. At this point, we decided to go with all of them. Some of these meteors are uninhabited, without the presence of Multipus, and are essentially moving on momentum. Magical ships could then apply an opposing force to bring them to a halt, and then guide them into a safe orbit around the sun.


    Those where we detect the presence of Multipus have to be destroyed, because Multipus would attack our ships, and these ships are unlikely to be hardy enough to withstand a demon kings strike.


    We would also like to construct special suits for the heroes. The ranged heroes like Prabu, Colette and Chung should be able to destroy these smaller rocks. All they need is the ability to fight in space. Because this remains solely within Treehomes bubble of reality, we dont have to cross the void sea, and use void magic portals, so conventional magical portals will be sufficient.


    The thirdyer of defense would be our Treehome-based defenses. Shields, more cannons, magical weapons. These should catch those missed by our first two forces.


    Most of our efforts will be focused on the first twoyers, because once they enter Treehome, thats already a little toote to prevent destruction. Instead, itll be just damage mitigation. For these, we would need to construct massive shields and barriers in all our major cities, along with magical weapons to destroy these space rocks, or deflect them away fromrge inhabited areas.


    ***


    There was a small little funeral for Kelly, the Mountainworld heroine. She stuck around in my soul realm for a bit, and then vanished when it was time.


    Death seems frequent,tely.


    **


    Happy? Ken asked, coughing. He sat in a chair filled with my vines, those vines ensured that he lived. I had to intervene frequently over the past few months, his condition worsening.


    In a way, he was chained to his chair, and it was a miserable existence. I was ready to let him go. Chung was next to him. Fuck it, Ken. No.


    Theets done. Let it go already. The former hero said. Its time I go.


    Aeon- dont you-


    Goodbye. I can feel it. Ken smiled. He knew I wasnt nning on letting him live even longer. This was it. Prabu and Colette stood nearby, and held his hand.


    Aeon, save him! Chung roared. Angry. Frustrated.


    Theres not much I can do, if he doesn''t allow me to meddle with his soul. I could force it, but I wouldnt say that part out loud. In a way, I was allowing him to die.


    I could keep him alive. I could undo it, with far more intrusive procedures. But there was no point. Ken smiled, and I reckon he had fun. You werent this mad when Hafiz died.


    Chung fumed, as Ken closed his eyes for thest time.


    Kens body gave way.


    His hero friends watched him die, and I felt his soul slip out of his body. I tried to catch it.


    just like Hafiz, he appeared briefly in my soul realm.


    Its this ce again. Now, it was his turn to be a soul, a floating ball of light.


    Well, this is the middle ground, before you go to where you are meant to go. I told him. This is the final station, before the unknown.


    Is it really the unknown, or you just wont tell me? Ken asked.


    I really dont know, but goodbye, Ken. Youve been helpful.


    Thanks. I wish you well, and I hope you do not stray too far from your goals.


    Ill try. I answered.


    Try harder. The myriad worlds suffer from your neglect.


    I felt that sting a little. Thats harsh. Neglect is-


    It is only true. Ken said. There is always more to be done, and that weighs on you, far more than anyone else.


    It was hypocriticaling from him. Says the one who fled from his duties.


    Im weak. Fragile. Ken admitted. I only hope that you, and those around you, can be way stronger than we ever were.


    ***


    At this point, we had a few years where theres nothing we could do. The smaller meteors are now in the depth of the void sea, and they are mostly invisible to us. At most, we could hit some of them once they enter within 1 year of Treehome, but thats a fairly small sphere of influence to destroy hundreds of meteors.


    So, there was an annoyance that I wanted to deal with.


    One that Ive tolerated for a while.


    Let it go. Zhaanpu said, as Khefri soon informed him of what I intended to do.


    No. I answered. Khefri herself seemed pleased.


    In every world, in everynd, if there is a gun, it must be fired at least once. Not because it has a target, but to show the world that it is real, and that it can be fired.


    ***


    The magic city of man, Maelga. Seat of the Immortal Crystal Kings power.


    An immortal. A domain holder.


    An irritation.


    Four of my domain holders volunteered to deliver the message. Lumoof, Edna, Roon and Johann. We made a statement, as we appeared in a highly visible portal of magic.


    My fournded on a vast open field on the outskirts of the city.


    The army of Maelga scrambled to action, as a scout immediately rode towards the four.


    Stop. State your business.


    Were here to settle a score with your Crystal King. Lumoof answered, as our aura of power radiated outwards. Lumoofs presence was like a tsunami of magic that propagated outwards, and smashed into the citys own little sphere of influence. Everyone in that city immediately felt a strong difort.


    The air turned tense, charged with our aura pushing against the Mountains own. He would know we are here.


    I found it ironic to think that he was right, really.


    How unfortunate.


    It is a beautiful city.


    I once stood right there to look at the city below. Lumoof said.


    Well?


    And now Ivee again to break it.


    The four were soon at the edge of the city. There were soldiers at the gate. All armed to the teeth.


    They were prepared to fight. A brave captain shouted. Leave! You are not wee here.


    We do not need your wee. Lumoof countered. Well find our way easily enough.


    The captain shouted back. Even from a distance I could see him quivering in his ce. Leave!


    Consequences. Lumoof dered, ignoring the captains statement. His voice wasnt loud, he didnt shout, but the entire mountain shook. Did you believe your actions had no consequence?


    The forces of the Crystal King marched out to face my domain holders


    One of the Crystal Kings officials wore armor made of crystals. It was powerful, and definitely would have cowed any lesser foe. But today their enemies are not lesser foes, because they were the ones shaking.


    YOU DARE CHALLENGE ONE OF THE THREE?! The leader of the defenders said, clearly juiced on some kind of potion.


    Lumoof stood forth, as my avatar form descended on the city of magic. The entire earth shook, and people began to flee. There was panic all around, but we waited. There was no need to begin the attack yet.


    We wanted them to remember this.


    We wanted the survivors to remember the cost of raising their arms against our goal. We want this tale to be spoken for all of eternity.


    When the Tree broke the Crystal Mountain.


    Lumoof smiled, and gently responded to the man. Yes. We dare.


    Through Lumoof our roots cracked the earth, ripped the grounds, the crystals cracked. The mountain glowed. Magic-


    And it met my own aura of anti-magic. The weaker magics crumbled.


    Gigantic roots and vines emerged throughout the citys walls, and it met with crystals. The citizens of Maelga seemed in shock, but soon discovered that we didnt intend to harm them.


    My quarrel was with the Crystal King, and those who stood with him.


    The people fled, as my roots climbed over their magical walls, and pierced their magical shields. My roots poked through their shields easily, it wasnt hard to coat my roots with a bit of anti-magic sand.


    Lumoof stepped closer, the three others followed closely behind.


    Aeon always wanted to know what the Crystal King really looked like, underneath all that rock.


    The defenders of the Crystal King raised their weapons. Fully equipped warriors, in the best armor and weapons they have. Power flowed through them, but they fainted the moment the weight of my presence pressed on them.


    And it was foolish.


    The Crystal King will be punished. And nothing will stop me.

 263.2. When Roots Crack the Mountain [DOUBLE Chapter DAY 2/2]

    263.2. When Roots Crack the Mountain [DOUBLE Chapter DAY 2/2]


    Interlude - The Crystal Defenders


    Maelga. Pride of the humannds, home of their lord and protector, the Crystal King. One of the Three Hegemons of thend, there was never a time where the Captain Onyx of the Crystal Guard ever felt that Maelga would be attacked outside of a demonic event.


    Even when demons spawned in their world, when the demons invaded, Maelga stood. Maelga was home to so many magical enchantments and defenses, that in the era of legends, it once withstood the might of even a demon king, and had enough firepower to counterattack, and injure it significantly.


    In Captain Onyxs mind, that was the truth, even if it was untested. Because that was what it felt to live in Maelga.


    To walk the city streets was to walk near the power that lived within the Great Crystal Mountain.


    To live under the overwhelming presence of the Lord of Crystal.


    In the minds of Maelgas defenders, an attack on Maelga was impossible. No one ever tried to attack Maelga. Even the other two forces never ever managed to march forces beyond their inner ring of defenses. Even when this new force, this- this upstart pretender called Aeon sent an army burning through their defensive lines, just to help the heroes destroy the demon king, it never ever urred to them that Maelga would be attacked.


    After all, who dares attack a deity?


    Well-


    Other deities, naturally.


    ***


    Onyx ran, as the defensive bells rang. It has never rang in a real emergency, not once in the past fifty years. All previous ringing of the bells were all for drills. Entirely for practice purposes, and publicly dered.


    Is it a drill? One of the civilians asked as Onyx ran towards the tower.


    He shook his head. There really was no need to answer when they all felt the air feel heavy, as if the heavens itself pressed on them. Their mountain pulsed, and they felt a familiar force rise from below to resist it.


    The soldiers were not sure what to do, either. In truth, only the elite guard would be able to stand against whatever dared attack the Crystal King. The lesser soldiers are nothing more than flies, if such a hypothetical enemy existed.


    There must be some great illusion. An army somehow snuck past thosezy defenders and scouts.


    Onyx climbed up the stairs and reached the walls, expecting an army outside.


    All he saw was four individuals and a terrain he did not recognise. A man with a wooden staff, a woman in knights armor, and two archers. In normal cases, hedugh them off, but all of them emitted an aura not unlike their own deity.


    Their ripples of power caused the air itself to seemingly churn in defiance. The grass seemed to sway violently. The ground trembled.


    The entirety of Maelgas surroundings were almost entirely dusty, rockynd. When did it all turn into grasnds?


    Crystal King. The voice was soft, and came from an older man with a beard and wrinkled face. He sounded older than he looked. We have found your attempts to sabotage our preparations against the demon king appalling.


    Onyx frowned. He wasnt aware such a thing happened, but if it did, it must be one of the high crystal priests plots. The elite forces of the King, and magical golems, all emerged from their barracks and waiting areas, ready to fight.


    He looked and saw one of the Elite Guards, Commander General Somun, take the stand and shouted something. Despite the Commander General yelling at the top of his lungs, he heard nothing.


    Instead, all he heard was the voice of the older man. Consequence.


    Huge towering roots shot out of the ground around the city, akin to the tentacles of a kraken pulling down a giant ship. There were so many roots that emerged out of nowhere, they emerged outside of all the walls, and they mmed into the defensive shields.


    The shields wobbled.


    Onyx prayed the shields would hold, but they didnt.


    The roots didnt even have to try very hard. He watched the roots cut through the shields as if it was like soft butter.


    The citizens panicked, and screamed.


    The Commander General yelled, activating some kind of ability. The walls of the city glowed. Magical sts of all kinds looked ready to be fired, and as they activated-


    Then half of them were snuffed out instantly, like a fire that ran out of oxygen or fuel.


    Even Onyx felt the effects of the anti-magical aura. -anti-magic? He cursed, as he watched the enchanted weapon in his hand flicker, as if magic was drained out of it. -how?


    He could even sense it in the air, as the air itself felt as if mana was sucked out of it.


    The other half, the higher tier spells mmed into gigantic wooden shields. It didnt do any damage. The soldiers panicked.


    One of them, horrified, and then begun to run. The rest of them realized the same, as did so.


    Wait- what are you doing? Onyx shouted at the soldiers, some of them clearly weren''t ready to fight them. We are the guards of the Great Crystal City. We do not run!


    Captain! This is madness! Were not fighting them. No way! The soldier countered. Not those gigantic roots, and not without magic-


    Onyx looked at the soldiers. They stood unmoved. But-


    Captain. There is a time to be brave. Now, is not that time. Can you not feel their power pressing down on us-


    He couldnt continue the sentence, as the entire magical defensivework of Maelga shattered like ss. Not from an attack, but from the weight of the enemys presence.


    Onyx looked back, and his eyes gazed on the gigantic silhouette of a dark, shadowy tree. It was big, as if he was looking up a tree the size of a mountain, and some.


    A shadow. A silhouette. A distortion in the air in the form of a tree. Just merely ncing at the strange apparition in the air made Onyx feel as if he was looking at a thousand forests, and somehow, a single tree.


    His fingers trembled. The soldiers couldnt even run. Their knees went weak.


    -what in the mountains-


    He felt his legs buckle. Not just them. All of the soldiers felt a weight of fear that suddenly crashed into the entire city. The panicked citizens turn even more panicked and delirious. Chaos turned into insanity, as they screamed and shouted.


    Only the Crystal Guards managed to stand in defiance. Onyx couldnt see who, but it was one of the great Generals of the Crystal King shouted. [Generals Rally]!


    A wave of relief flooded the entire city, and Onyx felt his legs regain just a wee bit of strength.


    Then, came the word of the enemy.


    Run. The old priest spoke, his voice seemed to be carried by thend itself. The wind seemed to carry his message, that it felt to Onyx like the priest said those words beside him, whispering into his ears. Run or feel our wrath.


    The roots surrounding the Crystal City suddenly opened to reveal two openings.


    Flee.


    The citizens ran. The soldiers ran. The servants ran. The lesser priests fled. Onyx ran, and he looked back at the mountain. Would the Crystal King answer their slight?


    Then the Crystal Mountain cracked.


    YOU HAVE A LOT OF GUTS COMING HERE! A gigantic crystal golem emerged from the Mountain, as they felt the Kings crystal presence push back against the four. It certainly tried. YOU DIE TODAY.


    Onyx thought that they were saved, but the feeling didntst.


    The Crystal Kings presence was overshadowed.


    The old man smiled, as the shadow of the tree that seemed to be around the man grew evenrger. The buildings of the city trembled and cracked. Onyx couldnt believe it, but he saw segments of the magically enchanted walls crumble, not from an attack, but from the weight of the Trees presence.


    Even the Giant Crystal King staggered. -YOU!


    The voice that followed was thoroughly alien.


    It was not the old man, even if it was spoken through him. The voice that emerged, that all of them heard clearly in their minds, was spoken as if it passed through the rustling of leaves and the whispers of thend. A million ancient trees spoke at once, its voice echoed in every one of their minds. <b>-you once said we woulde as invaders.</b>


    The crystal king raised a spear of crystal sorge that it could have been a tower of crystal.


    <b>Your prediction is correct.</b>


    The towering spear of crystals was thrown towards the old man. With it, the weight of the Crystal Kings history. Everyone could feel the immense magic of the Crystal King, condensed into a single strike.


    But roots emerged from the ground, and the roots intercepted the spear midair, entangled it with its roots. <b>I was keen to let you be. But here we are. Do you feel delighted that you predicted correctly?</b>


    The Giant Crystal King rushed ahead, stepped on the buildings and crumbled walls, and pushed at the spear. Even more magic was channeled into the spear, but the wall of roots that held the spear did not move. The Crystal King struggled. I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU THERE AND THEN!


    The old mans chuckle could be heard throughout thend. Thend itselfughed with him. Little rocks, bits of sand, the grass, all shook as ifughing together. <b>Killing my avatar does nothing but enrage me. My fury arrives eventually.</b>


    It was a sh of power, all in a single move. The kings spear, and the wall of roots. INVADER- I WILL NOT SUBMIT. The crystal king roared, the crystals magic glowed. Yet, Onyx swore it looked like the spears magic was sucked about by the roots.


    <b>So be it.</b>


    The roots emerged from all over the city. It broke through the rocky tiles, it broke through the ground. They wrapped around the Giant Crystal King. The lesser golems, the elite guards all wanted to attack-


    But the two archers fired a rain of paralysis arrows that stunned all of them. Those that managed to dodge the arrows were wrapped by the roots, and those roots paralysed them as well.


    The Crystal Kings power wobbled. MY DEATH WILL SHATTER THE PACT.


    <b>Death is too easy for a hardheaded fool.</b>


    The roots wrapped around the Crystal Kings arms, and everyone screamed when they saw those roots ripped the left crystal arm off the body.


    Onyx couldnt believe it. It wasnt possible-


    Then the roots wrapped itself around the right arm, and it ripped it off as well. It flung the crystal arms to the side, throwing them away as if it was trash.


    YOU- The crystal kings energies glowed, as it regenerated both arms. -YOU THINK THIS WILL HURT ME?


    The roots wrapped around the entire body of the Crystal King. <b>Then this will.</b>


    The entire city shook as they felt a huge amount of magic was sucked out of the world around them. The roots drained magic, even from the crystal king. Yet the King was defiant.


    Onyx watched, as a root emerged from the ground, farrger than any others. The root transformed into a spear embodying the world, and in a single, loud thrust, it pierced the Crystal Kings golem body.


    The sound that followed was as if the entire world had cracked in half.


    <b>May this pain be eternal.</b>


    Onyx wasnt sure what happened, but there was a huge amount of mana flooding the Crystal King. It wasnt demonic, but instead-


    It reminded Onyx of the dark nights. <b>Your domain protects your soul. But your body remains vulnerable. How ironic. I was just in your position not too long ago.</b>


    The gigantic golem of the Crystal King crumbled. The citizens and soldiers of Maelga watched, dumbfounded and in horror. Many have fainted. Onyx stared at what remained, held by the roots. A spherical crystal no bigger than a basketball.


    <b>So this is your true form. A spherical crystal that gained a will.</b>


    A wall of roots that emerged, and encased the spherical crystal.


    <b>For the crimes of tampering with our preparations and attempting to assassinate a hero, I, Aeon of Treehome, imprison you for the next hundred years. You shall remain a watcher of the world, while your empire copses around you.</b>


    A giant tree grew on their mountain of crystals, and this giant tree held a single object in its canopy, surrounded by vines and roots.


    A tree, made into a prison, to hold the spherical crystal core of the Crystal King.


    A beautiful prison for the King, on what was once their Crystal Mountain, and turned the rocky, crystallinend of Maelga into a verdant, blooming hill.

 264. Penal Colony

    264. Penal Colony


    <b>Year 262 (Chapter 264)</b>


    The giant tree that stood in the city of Maelga. A prison.


    The system recognised my attempts to imprison another domain holder, and warped the Giant Attendant Tree into a special tree.


    The [Crystal Prison Tree].


    From a distance, it was poetic. It was as if nature rose to defy the magics of the Crystal King.


    The once crystalline city of Maelga was now overrun with trees.


    The very act of imposing my will on another [domain holder] was exhausting, but he was weakened. Keeping an injured domainholder imprisoned was significantly easier, because most of its powers are used to heal itself.


    He was smug, at first. The domain protected his soul from normal things, but I could hurt everything outside of that domain.


    If you dont intend to kill me, then you cant hurt me. He bragged. His crystal core was like a dungeons core. It stood imprisoned.


    He said, as I destroyed everything outside of it.


    Then, I discovered that a [soul tree] was indeed a special thing in the multiverse.


    After all, its not every day that I had the opportunity to mess with another domainholder. So I did. I tapped the power of my [soul forge], and with its unique power, attempted to pierce his domain.


    He was smug. He thought it wouldnt work like all my earlier attempts to deal damage without killing him.


    Then my roots made a hole in the crystal tforms of his soul. I could chip away at his domain!


    It would heal, in time. But at that very moment, the Crystal Kings horror was palpable. Impossible! He cursed.


    But the domain could be cracked by my roots, when they were empowered by the energies of my [soul forge].


    This told me one thing. My domain was not a perfect defense. It had worked against the demons so far because their attempts to corrupt my soul were not properly tailored to damage my soul. Even mana was just a bludgeon. Unfocused, even rivers of mana couldnt harm it. The domain is still an object of the soul, a creation of the soul, and a weapon attuned to the souls nature could still hurt me.


    In fact, there may be a domain holder, made from some kind of [soul] or [spirit], that could possess the ability to deal soul damage. The ability to hurt the soul directly. This sort of ability would be this multiverses equivalent of destroying ones meridians and crushing ones energy cores.


    This was a dangerous power, and the cracking of the Crystal Kings domain silenced the smug Crystal King.


    It released a pulse of energy that spread through the pact of the Tree.


    A warning.


    ***


    How. Zhaanpu asked my little tree in his garden. How did you hurt him? Our souls are well protected and should not be damaged, yet I felt you crack his soul at that moment.


    In the same way I fixed a heros soul. The [Soul Forge].


    I told him, and the old pharaoh thought. You freed a [hero], and now, you just soul-damaged one of the Three. That makes you a very dangerous existence. Some gods will not consider you a friend.


    Then I will have to avoid them.


    Easier said. Zhaanpu countered.


    ***


    Youre doing some pretty dangerous things. Aria and Aispengs golem spoke her will. Youre not afraid how this appears to the rest of us domain holders?


    It is what it is. He ordered his people to sabotage our actions, there are consequences.


    The golem of Lillies nodded. Such consequences are mild. 100 years is but a fluttering of the eye. Heroese and go.


    Yet, as I brought the two golems to Maelga, the Crystal Kings senses were not dulled. I felt its attention, it looked in surprise as his senses brushed over the two golems. -youve seen more existences like us.


    Of course. Which made you a fool. I spoke back. I offered you friendship, but you chose hostility. These are friends, both from my world.


    You seek to rule. He argued.


    I would prefer not to rule if I have to. In this situation, where he was imprisoned, I realized it was probably a good time to educate him, just like how I shared my experiences and visions with Zhaanpu, Lilies and Aria. It made the three of them see what I see, and gave them understanding. I would have preferred not to do this.


    Matter of time. He still argued as I bombarded his will with my thoughts. Over time, you seek dominion over me. Even if I offered friendship. The nature of our rtionship will not change. The weak will submit to the strong.


    He blocked it with his [domain].


    Stubborn piece of rock.


    ***


    Ste looked at the special chamber in the depths of my main tree, where Alkas body was being reconstructed. It was magic. It was the [system] at work.


    Wonderful, isnt it? I said. I tried to understand what was happening, but this was the [system] on autopilot. I had no input here, because he would be rebuilt exactly as he was.


    It is. Ste said. I stare and stare and have no idea whats happening.


    I know.


    Its nice to stare at something dumbfounding and not have to worry about whether its trying to kill me. Ste added. Its a great- how do I say this, relief.


    That is true. Every unusual or mind boggling thing weve seen seems to be trying to kill us, one way or another. The Sun-Rings, the Demon Comet, Multipus were all strange, wild things. And this is great insurance.


    If I have one of my trees survive.


    With your additional clones, you will.


    After seeing my recent abilities, Im not convinced its that great a security.


    Youre worried theres some demon that deals [soul] damage, that could hurt your soul directly, regardless of how many clones you have. Ste said. If that is the case- none of us are safe.


    I doubt itll be that bad. Perhaps my domainholders would still remain, so long as I existed. My ability allowed regeneration of my domainholders. The [System] says they can regenerate, and I trust it.


    ***


    Threeworlds reeled from the consequences of the Crystal Kings defeat. The once difficult human cities became instantly subservient.


    We would have a need for theirnds and their supplies. Stes eyes watched the stars, and noticed that the remnant Comets decayed into even smaller Meteors. Without a singr Core to hold it all together, even the smaller rocks fragmented.


    But they were undoubtedly still headed towards Treehome. It would be the equivalent of earth passing through a cloud of asteroids.


    A rain of meteors would be likely, and in the thousands, it would be hard to destroy them all. Still, if they came in waves, it was theoretically possible.


    So, after therge bomb building exercise, we redirected our efforts towards a series of construction work. Anti-projectile cannons, magical shields, and one of thergest bunker construction projects.


    The construction of bunkers brought back memories.


    Aeon, do you really need the bunkers? Thest time we built bunkers was decades ago, and it didnt help. Lausanne joked, as he reminded me of the time when we built the bunkers, then Rottends happened. That didnt help.


    But what else is there to do? I countered. We could also perform emergency evacuation once we get the trajectory of the meteors.


    Lausanneughed. Build a wall?


    Thats just bunkers without the roof.


    The evacuation idea seems to work.


    ***


    Chung went into a spiral of self doubt and avoidance. He refused to speak to us, but at this point, I expected it. He knew, of course. He wasnt stupid. I watched him try to drown himself in alcohol, but annoyed by alcohol being mostly useless to him. He needed something that could offset the hero ss, in order to get drunk, but he refused to drink anything made with my leaves.


    Colette, Prabu, Adrian and Khefri. Survivors.


    Adrian retreated back to Mountainworld. Kelly left some things for him. Unlike the other heroes, Kelly didnt set up her own little kingdom. Instead, her ambitions were smaller, and she ran an elite adventurers guild, where the elites received hero items from her. Naturally, she was sessful, and now responsibility for the guild passed to Adrian.


    A guild was a lot easier to manage. Politics present in nations were less so, with guilds, especially small, focused guilds that just attacked dungeons on Mountainworld.


    You think hell kill himself? Prabu asked his partner as they rested back on Freshka.


    Nah. Colette said. Just give him time. A few years. Hell get over it. Find someone to love or something.


    The two mages worked on creating magical shields, as a contingency for theing meteor shower. Their hero items were very powerful, and an array of space-based shields should deflect most of the smaller meteors. They had arge mansion with multiple workshops, for them to build all their stuff.


    [Hero Forge] did most of the work, but its better with materials, ns and space for extra stuff.


    Yeah. Prabu hoped. I hope he doesnt do anything stupid.


    You know he will. Just not overly stupid.


    -good point.


    Khefri refused to talk to him, and returned to Threeworlds. After long periods of being away from Threeworlds, there was something about the deserts of the Scorpionoidnds that felt like home.


    Kei, the designated sessor, refused to get her hands involved. This is a rtionship problem between the two. Not something I can fix. Im staying out of it. Id rather be recruiting new heroes.


    Chung was stupid.


    I just hoped he didnt walk down a path where he became stupid and dangerous.


    Ive never killed a hero. But if I have to, I believe I can.


    ***


    Ste sent more [Void Explorers] out into the void sea, each in a different direction. There were some unspoken passive effects, such as the higher speed of void explorers, and how the void explorers also moved faster across familiar paths.


    In short, void explorers moved almost instantly when traveling on existing paths. We have to continue exploring new worlds, only through getting more worlds, we could knit some kind of alliance together.


    ***


    My two new domainholders were on Lavaworld where they tested out their new abilities. Kafa and Ezar were briefed, in totality, of our history, and why we do what we do. It was a recap of things they knew, and an affirmation of loyalty to the cause.


    To end the demons. Both were Valthorns, they joined us in our fight in their earlier years, rising through the ranks. Now they have reached the top, and we have to ask them to give even more.


    Domain holders.


    It made them demigods. They know it. They saw how I imprisoned the Crystal King, and I knew, even if they never said it, that my domainholders would think that they could be on the receiving end of that same treatment.


    The next phase of our n, other than to survive the meteor shower, was to mount a second attack on the Sun-Rings.


    Our intention, this time, is to either capture it, or destroy it. Unlike the Demons Comet, this was a stationary object, and this time, we would be at the advantage.


    After the Comet, and the Meteors, we would be the invaders of the Sun-Rings.


    I wouldnt know when we will be ready, but we will be.


    ***


    Mountainworld. Threeworld. Lavaworld. Tropicworld. It was time to consolidate power. The demands for surviving theing meteor shower was less intense than the first push towards destroying the Comet. We still had leftover weaponry, and the bulk of the builders focused on space based defenses. The significantly smaller size of each meteor also meant the odds of an existential crisis for Treehome was fairly remote. At best, wed be dealing with tsunamis.


    So, it was time to do what I couldnt do before. To redirect my attention to domestic affairs, to test out my new abilities, and also, to prepare for the future.


    With my newfound abilities, I felt the bubble of reality around these worlds slowly expand outwards, and in doing so, it also extended my range through the void sea.


    My Valthorn builders finished the reconstruction of the dwarven kingdoms capital. They continued toin about me, but rather than engage them, I decided to pull all my men out. I still had spies, of course, but if the dwarven king continued on his path of hostility, he would soon find himself in an unfortunate ident.


    It left a bad taste in my mouth. Once again, I regret being so soft, when I shouldve been more forceful.


    Choice. There is an important line somewhere. When do we allow others to make stupid choices? From my point of view, there is always a stupid choice. I can see it, but thats because I have a perspective they dont. Or maybe, its the other way, they have a perspective I do not share.


    One day, a demon king will spawn on another city.


    When that timees, I will give them a taste of Lavaworld, and remind them why they should obey. If they dont, Im going to force them out. I will drag them out of their homes, screaming and struggling.


    I was wrong to allow them to waste my time. To waste the time of my soldiers, and put those who fight for me at risk.


    If given a choice between the life of those who fight for me, and the happiness of these citizens, I know I would choose to save the lives of my soldiers.


    Just like with the stubborn Crystal King, I was wrong. There are times when force is necessary. The world is a cruel ce, and the demons would not hesitate to destroy us. I cannot allow these people to stop our fight.


    So, my Valthorns streamed into the humannds of the Crystal King.


    As he predicted, we came as invaders.


    We would collect their information. Harvest their knowledge. Learn their magic.


    They would not be happy.


    But time will undo most wounds, and mortal memories are short indeed.

 265. Looping Branches (with Poll)

    265. Looping Branches (with Poll)


    <b>C265 - year 263</b>


    The year began with a rare congrattions from the system.


    <i>[Domain assessmentpleted. Faithputationpleted. Congrattions on reaching Level 250. Thank you for waiting, the system needed to coordinate avability of administrators. We will now start the the special event. ]</i>


    Then, I was brought into a strange room, where I met a very familiar old man. I wasnt entirely human anymore, I took the form of a tree, more than a man, even if there was a man at the center of it all.


    Matt. The voice sounded exactly the same as it was when I started.


    Mozart. I didnt know why, but his name was imprinted in my head.


    At that moment, another different old man appeared. Mozart raised his hand, and presented his friend. He was just as old. This is Bach, my superior.


    I nodded. It felt weird to nod after so long, but it came as naturally as breathing. It must be important for me to face two of the systems administrators.


    Wee offering you a pact, as required by the System. Bach said frankly. It is a choice, first and foremost. I want to be clear that this is a choice.


    I nodded once more. Go on.


    For every soul that reaches level 250, and meeting relevant faith requirements, hero or otherwise, we offer a pact with the System. In this pact, you will no longer gain experience, but instead, your soul will be moved from the [Experience System] to the [World Faith System].


    Of course. I once wondered what the gods were.


    If you ept, under this system, you will gain various powers, such as the power to summon your own [Heroes], subject to your annual faith point avability. Each world you rule generates a certain faith value, and worlds marked as your Core Worlds generate more value. The Faith points can also be used to open portals, bless your minions and followers, or spy on other worlds. You will also gain a spectral form that allows you to move between worlds where your faith is strong.


    But I remembered that conversation with Aiva. There was a catch. Tell me more. What are my duties?


    You will defend worlds with your followers. You will summon heroes when there is a demon king.


    Define defend worlds. Tell me the details. What happens to me, if I say yes?


    Bach nodded. You are required to contribute faith points to the hero summoning pool, which will be used to summon heroes. Each world is measured in distance to you, and the further those worlds are, the higher the faith point consumptions will be.


    What if I have no followers at all?


    As a god, you die.


    How many followers do I need?


    Its- arbitrary. The system calctes a sustenance value and if you drop below that, you will weaken over time and then die.


    Damn. Even with my protections and clones?


    Yes. Some of your abilities will be remade in order to fit under the World Faith System. Bach exined. Some benefits will be lost, but some gained.


    I paused. Why do the other gods ept this system?


    Because it allows them to be everywhere, instead of just one ce. Most of the old gods were from the first living beings, in an era where magic was turbulent, and the myriad worlds were much smaller. Yet, over time, the worlds expanded, and the old gods struggled to protect their people from the incursions of the other gods, andter, the demons. So, together, the [World Faith System] was made, a pact between the [system] and the old [gods], to allow them to continue functioning in an expanding world.


    I realized that since this man was willing to give a history lesson, this was the best time to ask. What are the demons? How were they made?


    Bach mmed up immediately. I cannot answer that.


    But if they were around since the era of the old gods, that meant they were a long time ago. Can they be defeated?


    I cannot answer that.


    Can you tell me about history. Why is the world expanding?


    System momentum. Bach answered. The expansion is driven by subtle repulsive energies of the void. This will continue until the void can expand no more.


    Wait. I paused. How did the gods ask the system to create a new [system]. How does that make sense? Can it still be done today?


    Bach paused, before nodding. Yes. But it requires significant and majority control of all popted worlds.


    Exin.


    Bach paused, before exining. In Earth terms, eachary Core is a node, and a vote. A right-to-vote. A right-to-petition. Control of the majority Will of the Worlds allows the gods to subconsciously, or consciously, submit changes to the system, and change how things operate. The bigger the changes, the more votes from all the cores will be needed. Most changes, racial creations and so on, will not require significant votes. But creating new systems, creating entirely new rules on how powers work? Forking the system? That needs significant control and influence over multiple worlds.


    I dont recall ever- voting?


    The cores collect your responses subconsciously.


    Wait- cant we delete the demons this way? I asked. If each is essentially how the [System] responds to changes, it should be used offensively.


    I cannot answer that question.


    Alright, I get it. I can reach multiple worlds with my current abilities, why dont the gods do it..


    They couldnt. They were not trees or corals that could clone themselves, and so, they changed their forms to amodate.


    The [World Faith System] cameter?


    Yes.


    And most gods are on it?


    Yes. Bach answered.


    Are all gods on it?


    A long pauseter, Bach answered. -no.


    I paused. If there were gods in the old system, they would be Powers in their world. Incredibly, incredibly powerful, but likely, constrained to a single world. What happens to all my powers?


    They will change.


    What are the other benefits?


    Quasi-immortality. Just as you die when you have no believers after a certain period of time, you cannot be killed as long as you have enough believers. Faith points will allow you to attain immortality, and regenerate any lost or destroyed body. I could see why some gods took it, especially if they had no means of immortality prior to this. But that was of no value to me.


    Thats it?


    Power of the World Faith System. It is a very powerful system that harvests the emotions, faith and beliefs of those who believe in you. Each temple, each faithful generates these faith points, and you can spend them to generate miracles, summon heroes, create worlds, open paths across the stars, and even permanently link worlds together. The power to create more sses, awaken more powers-


    Again, powers that the current system could offer. But, if there are other systems, then surely there are more. Are there other systems- other than these two?


    -yes. The Demons system. They grow in strength over time.


    Shit.


    If the demons have their own system, it meant they were significantly more powerful than I expected. I didnt realize when I said it out audibly, much to the chagrin of the two system administrators present.


    Well, some wouldnt consider them to be an entirely new system- but they exist on top of the existing Experience system. Thats why their souls are different. Their system has modified it. But with each additional world they control, they get a bit closer to making more profound changes to the system. Bach said.


    It exined why they captured worlds.


    And so- what do you think?


    No.


    It was clear to me since the day I met Aiva, that whatever they had didnt give them a path out of this. I could seek their help, but their hands were tied. But they could offer it to my domainholders, when they reached Level 250. They could be new gods.


    Bach paused, somehow reading my mind and then was quick to exin. They will wither and die. They must create their own faith, and grow it to a critical size. This option is not avable to those without their own faith, even if they reached level 250.


    -I see. If Lillies reached Level 250, they could be one. Or Zhaanpu.


    Must I decide immediately?


    Yes. The system only offers this choice once.


    That doesnt seem fair. I cant even discuss it with my team? I asked.


    The old gods, those old powers were not the kind that kept a council. Bach smirked. It never urred to them to do so, when they petitioned the system to create this subsystem many eons ago.


    Then- is there an option to revert back to the old system?


    The old gods were not the kind to believe that they make mistakes. Bachs grin was frankly unmistakable. I believe they still dont think they made a mistake.


    That sealed it for me. Well, no. I dont like it. And I didnt need the immortality benefit. Not when I already had it. The fact that it was a created system, instead of the original system, suggested that it probably wasnt as well made, either.


    Confirm rejection?


    Yes.


    Good. The old pact of the Old gods has room for improvement. Too bad those in it are no longer able to influence how the system developed. The basic Experience System continued to evolve over time as each node submitted and petitioned for changes, while the World Faith System remainedrgely the same system as it was made eons ago. Bach smiled. You will be receiving your level 250 [Subdomain] choices now.


    You couldve just said so. I said.


    The Pact required me to offer it as a choice.


    ***


    I was brought back, and the choices appeared immediately.


    [World Faith System migration has been rejected. We will now disy Level 250 [Subdomain] choices]


    [Subdomain : The Dark Void]


    [You gain the ability to see worlds that are shrouded by the voids, and also void worlds, and nt your clones on them. Your clones will not be consumed by the void. Your mana potatoes will now be able to store void mana with no loss or decay. Clones on the Void Worlds can harvest void mana. You are also now able to ess the Void Layers, which are different ways the void appears, and can share it with your void mages. The special ss [Voids of Aeon] will be created, and [void mages] can unlock them. Voids of Aeon can travel in the voidyers]


    [Void worlds can only be safely explored by those with void magic protection.]


    [The Dark Void will link with your fellow Void domainholder, amplifying her abilities and allowing her ess to all your new Void abilities]


    [Subdomain : Treenopticon]


    [You gain the ability to see through your familiar, your beetles, and anyone with an aeonic ss. In addition, you can also now see through your flows of mana. You can nowmunicate telepathically with anyone in the world, wherever they are in that world, regardless of distance, so long as your clone or avatar is present in that world. Your mind reading trees range will now cover the entire world. Each of your Clones will also now function as the enhanced equivalent of a Grand Mind Tree, granting significant automation, andputational power.]


    [Mages, domainholder linked through your Treenopticon will able to leverage on your range, granting them ability to cast spells through yourwork of trees as if they were there personally. They will be able to see and cast spells through your avatar, clones, or trees. Domainholders may not use domain tier abilities through Treenopticon.]


    [Subdomain : Unity of the Pantheon]


    [You gain the ability to form links with your fellow pantheon members, and express yourbined powers as though you are one. The effects of all the levels and base stats of the pantheon members will bebined additively. This power will require a willing mortal host. The hosts endurance depends on his level, and the amount of power used. Domain holders that serve as the host will be significantly empowered by thebined powers, but will need to undergo intensive regeneration after each use]


    [At level 275 and level 300, you will be able to select one of the unchosen choices. Choices avable at level 300 will be deferred to Level 325 if you elected one of the earlier subdomain choices. Choices are cumtive, and earlier subdomain choices are not removed]


    ***


    Shit. I want all of them. Ste said.


    The question is, which first? Which helps us get ourselves across the line faster. Lumoof thought.


    Can we first talk about that World Faith System? Kei immediately stepped in to speak about it. There is an entire system out there thats only avable to gods?!


    Lumoof frowned. I believe turning it down was the right choice. Weve seen the consequences of the old Gods method of work, and its not great.


    But- think about it for a moment. Functional immortality!


    A power Aeon grants to us.


    Not every society of gods has an Aeon. Kei countered. But seriously- are we seriously getting power of friendship with thatst one?


    Lumoof chuckled. I suppose my prayers dide true.


    Youre hacking. Ste smiled. But it would be amusing to raise one of us to be one of them. It also implies that it is possible to alter the system, if we control sufficient worlds.


    Lumood nodded. I cannot recall ever seeing the system change, but the fact that it has, it might be something that urred so slowly over time that no one ever noticed.


    I agree. If subtle changes are applied over a long period of time, we wouldnt even feel it. Wed confuse any changes to our abilities to our higher levels, age, or just upgrades to our skills or our ss. It was the equivalent of environmental changes. It urred so slowly that natives would adapt.


    The system must have been different, many, many years ago, the core principles unchanged, but the nitty gritty aspects may have changed. Those outside the system, such as the Gods who are on the [World Faith System], may not notice such changes. Technologys effect would bleed in slowly, as the [System] absorbs such changes.


    Lumoof sat, and thought about it for a while. Bitu may be the candidate closest to achieving conversion to the World Faith System. He has an entire world that worships them. Even more than Lillies.


    I soon shared this knowledge with Zhaanpu, Lillies, Aria and Aispeng, and even the Crystal King. I figured there was no harm.


    The Crystal King listened. Lies.


    Zhaanpu merely mulled it over. It seems we have been yed with. I suppose he meant the fact that the WFS requires the Gods to protect their worlds anyway, so the pact was unnecessary, even if it gave some natives power over the heroes.


    Khefri mused. Nice feeling, isnt it?


    Zhaanpus golden eyes red at the scorpionoid heroine. She smirked back at him.


    What? The taste of your own medicine is great? Or must it suck be to manipted?


    Zhaanpu stewed.


    Spaizzer


    The patreons made their choice, but I wonder what SH will pick :)

 266. Twined Serpents

    266. Twined Serpents


    <b>Year 264</b>


    The first of the Earth Mages from ra reached Level 70 two decades ago. Now, the first of them, that same Earth Mage, reached Level 90.


    The limits of their soul. Anything beyond here, would require the [Soul Strengthening Seed].


    rans, despite their tinier size, seemed to have a far higher level limit than humans who capped at around level 80-85. I suspect it was the nature of their souls.


    Level 90.


    I offered the not-so-young ra, Kapakrtajam, or Kobra, as his Valthorn ssmates referred to him, a Soul Strengthening Seed. He epted, but requested for a return to ra before he took it.


    With my new abilities, there wasnt much to think about. I could easily ce a [node tree] on ra, while keeping my clone trees for more strategic locations. Still, I tried to wrangle some benefits out of Snek.


    So- that [hero] ss. Will you trade it for a [node tree]? I offered, in in and simple terms. There was no need to oveplicate it. If he epted, I will ce the node. If not, I wouldnt.


    Snek paused, thinking it seriously.


    There was some movement of rans between Treehome and ra, facilitated by the rift gate, but there were times when the rift gates were inoperational, due to unknown reasons. The void mages call them void storms.


    It doesnt do much, other than make teleportation impossible, and frankly quite predictable. The vibrations tend to start small, and slowly grow in intensity over a few months, beforeing down again.


    Snek, initially, hoped to consult with those on ra, whether he had the right to give it away. After all, his mission was performed at the instruction of the old lords of the dens. But centuriester, most of the rans refused to even consider it theirs.


    It made him feel a little abandoned, and a little bitter towards the whole [hero] ss. All that sacrifice, for nothing.


    At this point, its your choice. I said frankly. Im not sure what Ill do with the [hero] ss, either. If you want, you could use it yourself.


    It was an idea Snek opposed. Im not worthy.


    Then no one is. I answered. Snek sacrificed his physical body to save his world, endured the void sea, and seeded when many others failed. If he wasnt worthy of the ss, who is? Even the kids who received the [hero] ss were not the kind that would sacrifice themselves for the cause. Its only because of the [hero] sss intervention that warped their minds into this demon killing machine.


    He couldnt decide. Not yet.


    But, through one of the Rift Gates, we sent one of the rans back anyway. Snek and Lumoof followed along.


    The first of our offspring to return to ra as a warrior. rsawabesars, or Snek, watched, as the first of the ran children, taken from their home decades ago.


    Lumoof smiled. Do you feel proud?


    The little Snek nodded. A little. But our world is not free. My hope is by fostering contact with the widerwork of worlds, my people would once again regain the pride that they lost. I want to remind them that they were once surface dwellers, that we once built our dens under the sun, instead of the depths.


    There is pride in enduring even the harshest of oppression. Lumoof countered.


    For my people, it is not enduring oppression. It is epting their ce, and that is just sad.


    Kobra looked at Snek, Old one, what do you think our people will think of me? He had spent a long time on Treehome.


    They would not know what to think. But once you show them that we can stand up to our demon dragon upiers, I like to believe their minds will begin to change.


    The party of three returned, and first thing was for Kobra to visit his old family.


    Unlike Snek, Kobra went with them as a child about four decades ago. When he returned, his family, still living in dens, were shocked to see him.


    But rans had something inmon with Lizardfolks in terms of biology. Their scales corrted to their power. Powerful lizardfolks have shiny, healthy scales, and the same applies to the rans.


    ran scales manifested the elements of their ss, which meant that rans pretty much announced the type of ss they had on their scales, by color and shape. An Earth Mage like Kobra had shiny, brown and bronze scales that flickered with magic.


    Snek and Lumoof allowed Kobra his space, but eventually, the den lord approached Snek.


    Old one.


    Den Lord rlicintenduk. Snek answered.


    Ill cut to the chase. What happened to the rest of them?


    Still not ready to return. But they will.


    Kapakrtajam says some of them are not doing well.


    Not all were as talented as I hoped. Snek countered. The world on the other side is-


    Highly advanced. The Den Lord answered.


    Snek nodded. Id like to invite more to travel over, if I may.


    And return them like Kapakrtajam? Glistening with power?


    At that point, Kobra joined the two. He greeted the Den Lord in the ran way, which was some kind of strange hiss of their forked tongues. Den Lord. Old one.


    The Den Lord looked at Kobra. Would you choose to stay permanently in ra, or with these- travelers?


    Kobra paused, and then answered honestly. I would like to stay with them. If I may, Id like to request permission to bring my entire family over.


    The Den Lord stared. -what.


    Den Lord, I do not mean to challenge your authority. Kobra answered. And, unlike the Old One, who still hopes of reiming our homnd from the demons, I believe Id like to give my siblings and future offsprings the opportunity I received outside of ra.


    Snek stared at Kobra, feeling betrayed. Kapakrtajam!


    Those who chose the old ways can stay, Old One. Why create conflict? Why upset the bnce? Kobra countered. It is better to just move. The protection, security, opportunities and facilities are just so far ahead, and having lived there for the past three decades and some, I cannot imagineing back to ra.


    Snek wanted his people to return as heroes. As liberators. You! We are supposed to rebuild ra!


    There is nothing left for us here, old one. Not when weve seen whats back there. My friends, they feel the same way. Having tasted the fruit of prosperity, how could we ever return to the harsh life of the tunnels?


    The little snake spirit felt heartbroken.


    Yet, it was the exact answer the Den Lord wanted to hear. I see. I happen to have a list of individuals Id rather get rid of. Feel free to take them.


    Snek stared at the Den Lord, equally furious. Was he using this facility as a means of removing people opposed to his rule?


    To some extent, we treated the rans with kid gloves, especially much earlier on. There was always a Valthorn on standby, to step in if things ever got too dangerous. Snek said we could not afford to lose any of the rans.


    I thought one or two deaths were expected, especially after all these years. After all, livespans, and idents are a thing. So, kid gloves. Valthorns watched them like hawks, but as time went on, the Valthorn presence was just insurance.


    The once young rans adapted well, though they are still an incredible rarity on Treehome. After all, theres less than a hundred of them on Treehome.


    We would like a permanent settlement for them, somewhere. Not Treehome, because its way too crowded and too high risk.


    If there wererge scale ran migrations, it would be to Tropicworld.


    It remains the single, safest ce of all. With no demons.


    The only downside was generally weaker ambient mana, but that was a problem that I could fix with my new [Subdomain] ability.


    I was now nourishing the worlds health. A healer of worlds, literally.


    ***


    Kobra and Snek exchanged some rather unpleasant words, but ultimately, Snek couldnt force them to do what he wanted.


    This was what you wanted. I reminded him.


    Not at the price of abandoning ra. And not splitting our society into two. Snek answered. I did not envision this. I hoped to restore ra to a single united ra of the past, with the aid of knowledge, technology and weapons of the wider world.


    The little Snek went through much. Your people have minds of their own.


    He sighed, in a way a little snake creature could. By pping his head about. I spoke about my dreams, but it seemed my fellow rans have their own.


    They didnt see how they could change their world. I answered. I believe this could be a good thing. If there is an alternative ran society, the original ra could be convinced to change. This is just like training rans, but at arger scale. Build an ran nation far bigger, far more prosperous, with far more poption. Then, let them retake ra.


    Snek paused. That would take decades or centuries- time that Im not sure my world has.


    I think it does. I answered, as Lumoof spread my roots through the ran dirt. Ive gotten better at sensing a worlds health, and I was fairly certain ran wouldst at least four to five centuries.


    Aary core wasnt a weak thing that would crumble so easily. Its a node, a key to the wider system. The right to vote.


    Now that I know what roles the world yed in the bigger picture, it made sense that demons would prefer to upy than destroy. They just needed the core, everything on the surface was ultimately expendable. It was for this reason they didnt hesitate to destroy us, because were useless to them.


    But, as long as they dont destroy the core, the core could be healed, and then, the world rebuilt through the powers only a Core has.


    Lumoof turned to face the little Snek head on. We will assign [Administrators], [Builders]. Take the rans to Tropicworld. Rebuild the old society of ra from those willing to follow. There is no other way.


    There is.


    None that would work, not in the short term. y the long game, just like you used to.


    Snek paused, and realized Lumoof had a point. Very well.


    ***


    Sneks announcement of his intentions to the not-so-young pioneers like Kobra and his peers, actually won support. Most of them were a lot more optimistic than the idea of retaking their old world from the demons, and so, the pioneer rans agreed to be Sneks messenger. To take the message back to ra, and collect those willing to go.


    It was true that the den lords had rans they didnt like anyway, but ultimately, there was little risk. With the Valtrian Order ultimately underwriting their security and providing the basic infrastructure, they would not have to start from scratch.


    And so, about fifteen thousand rans, from the various dens throughout ra, went to Tropicworld and set up their first city and nation, from unimednds of the Tropicworld.


    They named their fledgling nation New ra, and their first city, Newden.


    I hope they made something better, and dont constrain themselves to what Snek had in mind. What their old society used to be like, should be a reference point, but not it is not dogma.


    ***


    We should be taking out these demon mothers as much as we can. Stes next focus was to reim the demon worlds. Each demon world ultimately supported the demons voting bloc in the system.


    There is no need to act hastily. I countered. The system moves slowly, changes happen over decades. Lets take worlds that we can hold.


    We had to take stock of where we were. After my clone vanished on the demonset, it now sits in my reset timer. Id have that clone back by Year 271.


    Where are we now?


    I took a moment with my artificial minds to review the status of everything thats in y.


    We faced a wave of meteors, and there were alreadyrge scale constructions throughout Treehome. The void mages have restarted the moon base, without my Clone, but they didnt need it. It was good for them to practice setting up a base of operations without my involvement, even if that meant they were totally away from my observation area.


    Once the moon base was operational, they would start construction of the space-mounted weapon arrays, and the n was to move those weapon arrays into location from the moon.


    Mountainworld is doing fine, and would face a new demon king muchter, only by Year 268. Thats another 4 or 5 years to go. My spies and agents are actively working the message into the general popce that we will not tolerate another Dwarven King-like incident.


    We were still recruiting well, so luckily, the incident didnt really dent how we were received.


    Threeworlds recently had their demon king, and they wouldnt need to deal with one up until year 278. With the Crystal King imprisoned, my forces quickly began to set up shop in Maelga, effectively iming it as my own.


    It was surprising that a [Giant Attendant Tree] could hold the domain holder, but then again, all I did was destroying its outer shells and attempts to regenerate its limbs. I left its core untouched. I was fairly certain it had magical ways ofmunicating, which I could not block.


    But a message was sent, and the world was a mess. One thing was clear, I was going to make changes, changes that the insr Crystal King didnt like.


    First, I wanted trade, and so Imanded that the war with the Sandpeople to cease immediately, and next, that new trade routes opened. The sandpeople had robust tradeworks within their own cities, and the same applied to the humans and centaurs. But trade between the three was tense and dangerous, and so it didnt ur all that often. There were, as always, those who tread those sensitive lines, but they were clever enough to stay out of the limelight, and never transact in anything too high risk.


    After all, when it came to demigods like the Three Hegemons, no argument would ever really pass muster.


    Zhaanpu was both relieved and worried, and I could tell. Open trade andmunication between the three races of Threeworld had never urred in the recent centuries. Thest time it happened was many, many millennia ago, in a time when the gods touch was strong.


    The Centaurs couldnt even muster a response, as their own centaur leaders scrambled meeting after meeting whether to oppose us, out of respect for the old pact, or to side with us. But trade was something they epted. They were still recovering from the consequences of earlier demon king attacks, and they needed all the advantage they could get to restore theirnd.


    Then, theres Tropicworld.


    This was the brave new world, the world restored. Canari, humans, and dwarves imed most of thend, but there was more than enoughnd for me to carve out arge area for the new ran Nation.


    The Canari reacted to their presence generally well. These dog-people had enoughnd, more than enough that the Canarinds fractured into four nations about five years ago. Still, not much fighting broke out, since everyone was busy building up their own level of strength. The fact that Tropicworlds terrain continued to change, as the Cores strength recovered, meant most of these settlers have enough environmental issues to deal with.


    I thought of sending them to the Houndworld. Canari, after all, seemed like a natural fit for that sort of core. But I chose not to reveal its existence just yet. From my experience with the Canari, who are generally territorial, they would likely demand the Houndworld entirely for themselves. They may even view it as their promisednd. Or perhaps I could dangle it as a reward, position myself as some kind of guide to their promisednd. Would that win their loyalty?


    Regardless, the new generation of Canari were friendly, and in time, once we were ready to properly repopte the Houndworld, I would allow them first cut.


    Then, theres Lavaworld, my Hell, and also where I conduct my demonic experimentations. And now filled with demonic trees. Other than the now improved mana situation, I wasnt sure what to do with this world.


    I could attempt to free it from the hands of the demons, by mounting an offensive to the core. With my stronger forces, it shouldnt be much of a risk.


    Still, for now we hold this world as it is.


    Cometworld remains traveling into the far distance.


    ***


    I think Ive gotten my trajectory wrong. Ste said.


    What do you mean? I asked my void holder.


    I shouldve thought about it, but when we arrived at that Beastworld, where the native deity imed that they are out of range of both the gods and demons?


    Yeah.


    I shouldnt have missed that datapoint. I think that I should be sending my [void explorers] in the other direction instead. Looking at the data I have now heavily suggests that the gods are on the other side of the demon sun.


    -shit. Can you get there? I had hoped that reaching the gods would be the equivalent of getting the cavalry. If they are on the other side-


    I mean, Im going to start redirecting two of my new void explorers in that direction. Its also likely not all gods are in that direction anyway-


    There might be some that we can reach. I said. Theres nothing to do but try.


    Ste nodded. Yeah. Thats what I thought. But the one thats still going, Ill let it keep going?


    Yup. We probably need to n how to use my node trees. I can fire my node trees like little seeds, but well have to find a suitable ce. If the gods a really are on the other side, I could fire my nodes in that direction-


    Oh wait. I cant. Theyll m into the demons barrier and burn. Ill have to hop around the barrier to reach the other side.


    As for the void archmages close to a domain, its time they start doing more risky stuff, along with our new domain holders. Kafa and Ezar can help explore our new worlds.


    Got it.


    ***

 267.1 Interlude – Gathering of The Domain Holders

    267.1 Interlude ¨C Gathering of The Domain Holders


    Lumoof assembled the group that now forms the inner circle of Aeon. In a ce not far from Freshka. Lumoof looked around the quiet room in one of many secret Valthorn fortresses around the Central Continent. Edna was the first of them, and Lumoof the second. Then came Ste, Roon and Johann. Alka. Now Ezar and Kafa.


    Eight of them, lifted from mere mortals, and now transformed into demigods.


    Alka was still asleep, waiting for his revival. So, the seven gathered.


    The air in the room was thick with power, that anyone else would feel as if their air was suffocating. But each of them felt nothing. Their domains protected them.


    There was a sense ofradeship that they shared in the great struggle of their kind. Aeons words. Revtions, really, of what the greater system was, only amplified the urgency and importance of their cause. The demons could essentially unravel the entire system, once they conquered enough worlds. The gods, elevated to a different system, are resisting, but have handicapped themselves.


    Should Aria or Lillies avatar be here? Roon asked.


    No. They would not understand. Edna said. Our power was gained through war. Through Aeons assistance. Theirs from a longer period, from things outside war. How do you two feel?


    Kafa nced at Ezar, both peers. Incredible, and yet, overwhelmed.


    Roon just gave the two a pat on the shoulder.


    No words were said, but theyve all been there.


    I will not spare you the niceties. At this point, theres really no point. The scale of this war is far, farrger than even what we first expected. Each time Aeon pushes a little further, weve only see this wars scope expand. Edna said. When Aeon first spoke of his goal, he only sought to end the demons invasion of Treehome.


    Lumoof nodded. And yet, it only set us on a path of even more invasions. We are still not safe.


    The two new domainholders gulped.


    Ste nodded, and then she spoke up. I asked Lumoof to gather us here for a few reasons. Aeon believes we have time. Ste said.


    The new domainholders looked at each other.


    But my sense now, it is a risky gamble. We dont know how much time we have, and what is the current bnce of power between the demons and the gods. My models suggest that the demons already control around one fifth of the known realms, and they continue to expand. We need to start invading demon worlds, and free them from their demon mothers.


    Kafa and Ezar looked at each other. This wasnt too bad. So we need to start retaking demon worlds.


    Theyve seen the demon mothers. Theyve fought simtions in Aeons [Dream Academy]. They could do it.


    Edna looked at Ste, and then at Lumoof. "Is Aeon listening?"


    Lumoof paused. "At the moment, no."


    "Good. Thats just the battle part. There''s something Ste isn''t saying."


    The domain holders present gulped. Lumoof looked at Edna, and sighed. Edna, let me handle this.


    Edna just smiled. Sure.


    "Aeon relies on us, to ensure he doesn''t stray." Lumoof answered. More specifically, he needs our presence to tell him where he has gone wrong. As someone who has shared minds with Aeon- it is an overwhelming sensation. To see time as if its just weeks, to see all the worlds at once, to feel all the things altogether. Its absolutely overwhelming. Even with all my expanded and borrowed mental abilities, it is still too much to take in.


    Roon and Johann looked at each other. So did Ezar and Kafa.


    So, Aeon tunes it out. Aeon delegates certain thoughts to his mental assistants. Some of them, to us, to the Valthorns. Ive shared those thoughts, and at times, I tremble at the power and knowledge I have at my hands.


    All the domainholders gulped. The bomb wasing. Edna only sighed.


    I alone cannot be Aeons moral guide. I share too much in his thoughts. I lean too close to his power. Lumoof answered. I try, but there are days when I blend into that avatar mode, and I feel his thoughts, his senses, his ideas, and I feel like I am him, and he is me. Though I believe in Aeons divinity, I do not believe in his perfection.


    "Aeon doesn''t make very good choices." Edna said. "Perhaps he has be too focused on the demons, or perhaps our lives are too short that what seems like a short moment of suffering doesn''t matter, if the goals are achieved. When years are just weeks, a year of suffering feels like nothing.


    Lumoof looked torn, but nodded.


    Thats where I need all of you toe in.


    "We, the domain holders, and his inner circle, are the only ones that can steer him back. To remind him that there are other perspectives. To bnce the needs of those present, and those of the future. To take things back to the small, instead of the big picture. Because, from Aeons zoomed out perspective, its all just little bumps in the sand."


    Ezar spoke up. "Aeon would not listen to me."


    "No. Youre wrong. He will. Because you are now a domain holder and a member of his pantheon, and believe it or not, he trusts all of you." Lumoof said. "We are the ones that can apany him on this quest. We are the ones that will be there for the day we put an end to the scourge. Do not sell yourself short, Ezar. We must speak, because Aeon, unchecked and out of touch with time, will be-."


    Ednapleted what Lumoof couldnt put the words to. Horrifying.


    "Horrific?" Kafa gulped. "That seems a little- harsh."


    Edna looked at Lumoof. "The stakes have only increased with time, and Aeon prioritizes our survival. The difficult choices, such as that whole incident with Ken, that hero-friend, we will just see more of them in the future.


    The priest and Avatar nodded reluctantly. "Aeon is a creature of nature. And its sole unwavering ethos is survival. Above ethics. Above values. Above morals. All these things are that can be discarded, if the circumstances deserve it. He would sacrifice thousands. Millions. If it ensured the rest survived."


    "And there lies the clear issue. Its all up to us in the end." Edna said.


    Us?


    "You may feel overwhelmed, Ezar and Kafa. You may feel this power is immense. It will feel terrible that I am pouring cold water on your achievements. But it is our reality. Even as we stepped into the realm of the gods, we were just at the first step. We are still too weak. Aeon was ckmailed by Chung into keeping Ken alive against his will. The reason that can happen is simply because we were too weak. We needed that selfish hero.


    The domainholders nced at each other.


    We must achievebat power equal to or above the heroes."


    I spoke to him before Aeon allowed him to pass. Ste borated. To Aeon, keeping him alive was like a doctor putting a man on a horrific medical treatment for a week or two. Its nothing. He doesn''t think its a big deal. Maybe to us, extending ones life by a week or two through painful medical procedures isnt suffering. But that is Aeon, on arger scale, with longer timescales. Very few things are a big deal.


    Very few things are a big deal.


    But Ken lived it. Years, he endured Aeons energies swirled in his body, forcing him to live against his will. The void mage continued. It was intense. It is suffering, even if most of it was asleep.


    Ste looked ufortable. "We understood the circumstances. The Demon''s Comet was too dangerous, and Aeon needed all hands and all the tools. But it is a terrible choice, and in the future, we will only have more such choices. This time, it was Kens life. Some day, it will be someone else."


    Worse, some day, itll be more than the life and suffering of one person. All because we are weak." Edna repeated. "Strength, is the answer. Aeon doesn''t think so, and would not say it so bluntly that we are weak, but in therger scheme of things, our contributions have been limited."


    "What do you have in mind, Edna?" Roon said.


    "The hurdle we need to cross is simple. We must be able to take on a demon king without assistance. That will ay the bargaining power of the heroes, and prevent future ckmails from less friendly heroes. The present group of heroes are generally on good terms with us, with the Order, but someday we will face heroes that turn against us. I even suspect that Chung would turn against Aeon very, very soon." Edna exined.


    The remaining domain holders are quiet. Ezar and Kafa have secretly practiced battle against heroes, and generally came out to a loss, or at best, a stalemate under perfect conditions. The sheer firepower of a hero was insane, and inbat simtions, only Lumoof, Alka and Edna managed to win in specific circumstances.


    Alka mainly wins by taking the heroes down with him.


    "If we can do so, it would allow us to fully move away from the fading gods and the need to support heroes, because we can do so ourselves. It will also give Aeon better options, and we can then steer Aeon towards better decisions."


    Ezar asked. "How far are we from that?"


    "For you two, at least 50 more levels. Edna answered. For me- Im not that far. Lumoof and Ste too. If each of us can reach level 200, my current knowledge indicates that is the point when we are on par with the heroes. In a straight fight, we can hold our ground, and depending on what powers we receive, even produce the damage and destruction we need.


    Oh Aeons. Roon looked at Edna. So whens the next demon king? I didnt need a pep talk, but now that I got it, I want to go kill some demon kings.


    The one on Mountainworld.


    Yes. But thats not all. We will go and free up more worlds, take on the demon king, and collect a loose alliance of allies. Aeon needs new worlds, and he takes too darned long to decide. Edna exined. Ste-


    Yes, yes. Aeon already wants more void domainholders. Were getting there. Ste said. Void mages dont grow on trees.


    I wish they did. Ednaughed. I really wish they did.


    Edna smirked. No matter. The issue of the other worlds is important to us. Us domainholders will be Aeons emissaries to the new world. Aeon- I sense a growing resolve to handle things more decisively, but I fear for those worlds.


    Kafa sat, and sipped his thick tea ufortably.


    These other worlds, worlds that do not have domainholders, or have weak ones, their fate is an eventual doom. The gods will fade, and they will fend for themselves. Ultimately, our decision on how and what to do with these worlds, determines the lives and fate of those who live on them. If we ignore them, they may live on, but some day, they will be destroyed. If we establish rtions and decide to maintain a position, we can support their defense, and hopefully, train some of them up into future domainholders.


    Edna stopped just to drink her cup of water.


    I know Aeon believes that each world deserves a choice on what they want to do, and if they want to fend for themselves, they should be allowed to do so. But thats Aeons thoughts. If you are asked to choose to establish a presence on a world, deal with all the troubles thate with it, for that remote chance of saving them in the future, would you do it?


    Roon looked at Edna like she was an alien. Shit Edna, I didnt think its that-


    Its just the harsh truth. Aeons presence is like giving an orphan child an opportunity to train to be a Valthorn. Most of it turns out to be average. But some of us are here today.


    -man- If only-


    Aeon doesnt have clone seeds for all the worlds. Even with the node trees, there are more worlds out there than we can count. We will be visiting more worlds with Stes powers, and that is the weight of our choice. If we feel strongly about something, we must speak to Aeon, because those are lives that will fade away unnoticed. Edna exined.


    Lumoof nced at everyone, and chuckled. With Aeons Level 250 choice, he would only be assaulted with more information, more decisions, more worlds. I hope there are more of us here, eventually. Because this duty weighs heavily, and Ill need all of you to help scout the path ahead. I dont mean just Ezar and Kafa. I mean all of us. Because we need all of us to act as a stabilizing force for Aeon. Combined, Aeon will definitely listen.


    Ste nodded. This meeting wasnt meant to put you two on the spot. I generally echo Edna and Lumoofs thoughts. Only together, we can bnce this ship. Because theres nothing else.


    Kafa tapped his chest. -I may not know whether I am up for it, but I will try.


    Ezar nodded along.


    Roon and Johann looked at each other. You three should really tell us more about all that shit that goes on in your heads. You cant just unload this on us suddenly.


    Lumoof smiled. I apologize. But after tapping into Aeons avatar mode a little too often, I realize I cannot be trusted to be objective. I need all of you.


    Roon and Johann gulped. Well, Ill tell you for sure if you fucked up.


    Please do. Worlds get fucked if we fuck up. Lumoof said, mimicking theirnguage. Its a burden too heavy for me to bear.

 267.2 Interlude – Lizardfolks 3

    267.2 Interlude ¨C Lizardfolks 3


    Ever since they returned to Branchhold, Wetport Lapule never faded from his mind. Chief Jaan dreamed of the ce, and there are times he daydreamed of it. He could it little glimmers of it in Branchhold.


    There were many other lizardfolks in the world of Mountainworld that did the old ways. Jaan saw it, when he saw new groups of migrants. He wanted to try it, but his heart was unsure whether the matrons would support him. He summoned the matrons, and asked them for their views.


    He didnt conduct a vote. He wasnt that daring. He still couldnt let go of his role as Chief, and as Chief, his role was to decide. Perhaps one day, where the next generation of lizardfolks were all strong, powerful lizards, he would have to relinquish his role and decide by vote.


    But for now, he asked for views.


    And he listened.


    To his surprise, it was the eldest of the matrons, the oldest one that found Wetport Lapule to be a model worth following. She was most enamored with the idea of a great Lizardfolk city. A lizardfolk nation that even the greatest of humans or the other races would fear.


    It was ego.


    Pride.


    She had pride in lizardfolk.


    They wanted that. They wanted to have pride. There was a saying lizardfolks heard too often.


    In battle, one man is worth many lizardfolk.


    It was true, of course. But it was also an insult that gnawed at them personally. That each of them was worth less than a man. But now they know that this was not the only way.


    No one in our world tried to walk the path of the strong lizardfolk. The eldest matron dered. If the gods grant us the vision of how it was done, then it must have been for a reason.


    Jaan thought that was a little on the nose. Aeon guided them there for a reason. Education. In fact, he even felt maybe this was what they wanted. So he challenged the matron then. Even if he would have epted it normally. What if this is what the Great Tree wants us to do. Were falling into its trap. It wants us to be like the lizards of Wetport Lapule.


    The matron nodded. But if we are strong, who cares whether what the Great Tree wants? Do you not forget why we moved away from our old home? Because we couldnt protect ourselves from the demons or the old kings. Every war, we send our younglings away to war, where only a few out of hundreds return. Why? What for? What mother would do that to their child, if it is not a necessity?


    Younglings are younglings. They live, and they die. Those were your words, matron. They are not true Lizardfolk until they return from war. Jaan called out the matron then. It was hypocritical of her too. She wasnt one to care about younglings. In fact, she was the cruelest of them all.


    The other matrons looked at the eldest, a little surprised.


    But she answered. We do what we need to do to survive, Chief Jaan. Our hearts cannot take it to lose so many of our own for wars fought by others. So we respond with cruelty. We kill ourselves to allow it to happen. But do you not see that the other way is better? We could be like the other races. We could have strong children.


    And this price- you will pay for it? Jaan remembered her words. We will lose our traditions. We will stop being the lizardfolks of Mountainworld, but more like the lizardfolks of Wetport Lapule.


    Yes. I rather have one child who can step into the heavens, than a hundred who will die in the wars. The traditions can burn in the depths of the hellfire swamps if they dont work.


    matron! It was another matron who rebuked the old matron. That is too much. Our traditions brought us where we are today.


    And they will be inherited by the millions of lizardfolk rotting away in their viges all over Mountainworld. The matron countered. How many times have you met a famous lizardfolk, only to find themcking?


    The unspoken answer was all the time. Famous lizardfolk on Mountainworld was at most level 70, and even at level 70, they were weaker than their peers.


    Remember that dy]? The matron looked at Jaan. The ss one?


    Of course he remembered. She was a living goddess. Just like that Lizard Valthorn. Kafa. Now that was a living god walking amongst the lizardfolk.


    I will trade her for any famous person. No. All of them. The matron said. If we had someone like her, wed finally be able to build the foundations for a proper lizardfolk nation.


    But we dont. Jaan countered.


    s. The matron said. We have you.


    Jaan frowned. Im still the Chief, matron. Ill let that insult slide, this time.


    But the foundation must be built. We must try. The first generation of new lizardfolks will set the path for generationster. Then, Mountainworld will witness the rise of a new kind.


    Jaan sighed. It sounds like you agree with it.


    The matron nodded. The rest of them were a mix.


    Jaan closed his eyes, and decided to go for a walk.


    After a while, he felt he needed more evidence. This was such an upheaval for the lizardfolk way that he needed to be sure. So, he asked for another trip to Wetport Lapule.


    ***


    The Valthorn guardian of Branchhold repeated , and then he checked the travel approvals. We have a travel vacancy in two months. Come back and arrange your move. You will only be able to return after six weeks.


    Six weeks! Jaan said. But ultimately, he arranged for another of the matrons to be in charge. In the safety of Branchhold, there really was nothing much for Jaan to do.


    Branchhold was no vige at the threat of monster attacks. Branchhold was in many ways, a fortified supercity. One of the matronsughed. Go, Chief. Well be free of your meddling for six weeks. Stay longer if you want. The matron teased.


    Without the existential threat of monsters or demons, Jaan had to admit he spent most of his time being a busybody, poking into the affairs of every other lizardfolk. He called it being informed and concerned, but his matrons just said he was a busybody.


    Fine! He frowned.


    ***


    The day came. He nodded at the officer, and felt himself warp over. Treehome. The air. The stench orck thereof. It was beautiful. It was the first time he traveled alone, and this time, all he got was a single Valthorn chaperon.


    The chaperon was a lizardfolk from Treehome. Greetings. Im Solvis. Your assistant for the duration of your trip. Please, do as you please, my task is mainly to ensure your safety while you remain on Treehome.


    Jaan and Solviss ws met briefly. Well met, Solvis. Ill be headed to Wetport Lapule, and if I can, visit the other lizardfolk nations.


    Solvis nodded. Certainly. Let me guide you to the beetle stations.


    Please.


    ***


    Wetport Lapule once more, and Jaan rubbed his nose. The stench of the city had pretty much marked itself on his nose ever since the beetle entered one of the main freeways that led to the heart of the city.


    He wouldnt have a fancy rich man to guide him, this time. This, in many ways, was a personal trip. He wanted to see the city for himself. Whether it really was what he wanted to create back home.


    Solvis merely grinned, when Jaan exined his quest. Im not sure what you are looking to find, Chief Jaan. This city- well, its quite like diving into the belly of a giant swamp monster. It stinks. If you want what lizardfolks could be, this isnt it.


    Jaan chuckled, of course. The some lizardfolks of Treehome, themselves aspired for a different kind of life. Solvis spoke of those who migrated out of the Wetport and back to the small viges, where they tried to blend both the city and the old vige ways of the lizardfolks. The irony was not lost on him.


    Even if it was baffling. And hrious.


    There was an old saying among lizardfolks. Be happy with the tail you have. Not that anyone follows it anymore.


    Well, your quest starts here. District VI. The ports of the Wetport. True to its name, the piers, the floors. Everything was wet. And slimy. The ships waves caused the slimy liquids of the sea to wash up and stick to the piers and the docks.


    There were groups of lizardfolks wiping and cleaning, but only in one or two piers.


    Those are the more exclusive piers. Solvisughed. When youre rich, you can afford cleaning services and magical spells for yournding docks.


    Jaan frowned. Are you able to help me- I dont know- get in touch with some pirates? I want to speak to them, just to find out whats life like here.


    Solvis shrugged. Just go to a bar or a tavern, Chief Jaan. Pirates and scum aplenty. But, let me hold your money for you.


    -what.


    Youre going to get pickpocketed in a bar. Especially with your kind of money.


    Jaan had gotten used to the rtive tameness of Branchhold, and realized he may have had a bit more than he expected. He decided Solvis advice was wise, and handed his pouch over, except for a little bit of coin.


    At that point, another Valthorn agent appeared. He took the coin, and then vanished.


    He gulped. Who-


    The city general assistant for Valthorns. We have folks like that in every city to help us out with mundane stuff like banking.


    That- that was more like a spy.


    You can call him that. Solvisughed. Come. Lets get you to the inn, and the innkeeper will have rmendations for the best bars for lowliest scums of the swamps.


    Jaan paused. You- you dont like the pirates very much?


    They are a nuisance we tolerate. Solvis said. Much like every other nuisance on this damned.


    Are we a nuisance?


    Solvis paused andughed. To be fair, everyones a potential nuisance. Aeon believes in the principle that nuisances promote growth. Thats why he tolerates it. The challenges created by nuisances are obstacles that others ovee, and so we gain levels. Its- its part of a cycle. Without an adversary, we cant improve and gain levels.


    Oh. Jaan said.


    The innkeeper was more than happy to rmend a few famous taverns, but apparently some of them wouldnt have an empty seat. Not for a nobody like Chief Jaan. High level Valthorns dont usually participate in taverns, though most of these taverns would happily make space for them if needed.


    Unable to decide where to go, Jaan sat in the inns dining area. It was quiet. Most lizardfolks used the inn as a ce to sleep. Daytime was time for business. Evening was time for drinks and mingling with powerful lizards.


    He looked around. The inn itself was rather well decorated, if dated. But Jaan nced at the innkeeper, a lovely old lizardfolkdy, and realized, maybe he should start somewhere nearby.


    Actually- Madam, Ill buy you a drink if youd talk to me.


    The innkeeper, madam Squama, dly obliged. Why, I dont really need an excuse to drink with my guests. Sheughed.


    How long have you been here, Madam Squama?


    Call me Miss Squama. I refuse to believe Im 70. The madam of the innughed.


    Youre 70! Wow? Jaan was surprised. He was old himself, having seen wars and death of his own. But Miss Squama was older than the matron. He sighed. Im Jaan. Tell me, were you here from the beginning?


    Sheughed. No. No one alive is still here when the Wetport began. Its been here for as long as it has, but it was still a city. There were many kings and old lizard lords that ruled from this city.


    -really?


    The Wetport used to be home to three separate lizard kingdoms. On this side with the old lizard city of- I cant remember the name, I believe its Lapa or something. Then theres the P n of lizards on that size. Then theres the Mirrin n somewhere further upstream, along the river that meets the Lap bay. Ancient history. They all died.


    Oh. Jaan said. That sounded very much like their own lizard kingdoms.


    What changed- do you know how this ce became- well, this?


    Rottends incident. Miss Squama exined. And the subsequent lizardfolk repoption program. I was one of them. So that answers your question. I wasnt here. I was brought here by the repoptors.


    Jaan soon got a rather extensive overview of the history of Wetport Lapule. The city went through many ups and downs. Mostly downs, due to typical lizardfolk infighting. Then, the Rottends urred, and vast amounts of Lizardfolks died overnight.


    The Order decided that they wanted to restore lizardfolk poption through vast breeding programs, and selected Wetport Lapule, then the cities of P and Lapa, as one of the suitable habitation grounds of the new lizardfolks.


    The Order was way too strong for the local lizard kings to resist, and those that attempted to resist were swiftly killed. In the end, the Order gave the old royal families noble titles simr to the other nations, a cut of the bays taxes, and in exchange, the old families relinquished the management of the entire bay.


    It made those old families rich. But as with all typical lizardfolk families, that money was squandered away in internecine struggle, and within the past hundred years, only one or two heirs of the original three royal families remained.


    The vast repoption program, the privateer project, Aeons swamp expansions, and the one of the Valthorns naval academy, somehow caused the stars to align, and the Wetport Lapules status as the de facto capital of the lizardfolk was sealed around four decades ago.


    Jaan stared, realizing that the city came to be due to luck.


    How much of this bay is our choice?


    All? Madam Squamaughed. Many chose to move here. The Repoption Program ended decades ago, and the Wetport has tripled since! Most of those who are here, came here on their own will. People like me, were the minority.


    Solvis, who was happily listening. It means Madam Squama is filthy rich. The old pioneers still receive Order stipends.


    Squama frowned. Shh. Dont say that part out loud!


    Jaan appreciated the lesson, of course. It was context. It exined how it all came to be. But it didnt answer the doubt in his heart. -do you think- do you think this Wetport made lizardfolks better?


    It was Madam Squamas turn to stare at the middle-aged Chief of the Branchholds lizardfolk. Better? I dont know about better. If you ask the youth, theyll tell you it''s better here than the viges. Here, they have opportunities. They have jobs. They have a chance to make something in arger market. But if you ask those like me, some of us miss the quiet life of the viges.


    Jaan frowned. He remembered his nomadic life in the viges. Ill say none of my matrons miss the viges much. Its a life of constantly fearing for demons or the human kingdoms, and breeding younglings for other peoples wars.


    The innkeeper looked horrified. Which part of the Central Continent are you from? Lizardfolk viges were officially direct protectorates of the Order since- since eight decades ago, and lizardfolk youngling forced drafts by non-lizardfolk nations were banned around the same time.


    Solvis rified. Hes a visitor from the other world, maam.


    Squamas eyes widened. Oh the burning Aeons! So thats why you have a Valthorn bodyguard! Youre an actual otherworld lizardperson! I must call my friends! They will want to meet you!


    Jaan instantly felt like he had outed himself as a circus freak. That wont be necessary, Madam Squama. Id like to visit in peace.


    Nonono- I have a friend. Hes been curious since forever, and hes been waiting in line for a ticket to visit. Hes been cursing those damned tour quotas every year.


    Jaan nced at Solvis. Tour quotas?


    Theres a limited number of travel slots between worlds. Its a lottery. But there are different schemes-


    But I got it-


    Outbound travel from Treehomes really popr with the nobility. Solvis said. Inbound travel- less so. Eventually itll be a lottery on both ends.


    Squama ran to a crystalline rock and tapped in some things. Hey old Vurvis! Come to my inn now! Theres an actual lizardfolk from the other world here!


    -what! Really? Ill be there!


    Squama walked to the magical shelf, and took out two more bottles of wines. Since old Vurvis ising, gotta open up the old swamp wines. Made from real Snake blood!


    Solvis squirmed. Not my thing.


    Squama offered it to Jaan. Jaan took a sniff and it smelled absolutely like vomit. No thanks.


    Old Vurvis walked in barely ten minutester. He looked like a war hero, with scars throughout his body, and some of his ws were missing. Old Vurvis! This is Jaan! He came from Mountainworld!


    Vurviss eyes looked at Jaan, examining every part, absolutely bewildered. Holy cow. It really is a Mountainworld lizardperson! You even have distinct bumps in your shoulders.


    Theres a bump in his shoulders?! Both Solvis and Squama asked at the same time.


    Jaan didnt realize it, but now that he did, the bone structures of the lizardfolks were slightly different. Hidden under armor and shoulder tes, it wasnt an easily visible difference. Huh.


    Vurvis stared. Have you ever tried breeding or mating with our worlds lizardfolk? Do you know whether its possible to mate?


    Jaan couldnt believe it. -wha- no. I have not tried.


    Squama gave Vurvis a re. Old Vurvis! So thats why you wanted a trip to the other world! You wanted to touch scales with some damned alien lizard folks?!


    Vurvis immediately looked offended. Nonono! Its truly an academic question!


    Then why is it your first damned question?!


    Jaan and Solvis just nced at each other while the two bickered for a bit. The two old lizards were clearly very old friends. The two eventually calmed down.


    I apologize. It was something thats on my mind ever since the Order revealed the presence of the other worlds. Ive been curious to meet other lizardfolks. You see, I used to be a Pirate, but then, along the way, I realized I was fascinated by all these old remains and lizard bones, and so I left piracy and joined one of the Magical Research Institutes as an independent research assistant, focusing on lizard bones.


    Squama rified. It means hes the mages bodyguard, most of the time, even though he tries to do his own research as well.


    Hey! Im a Level 26 [Lizard Bone Analyst] and a Level 34 [Pirate Warrior]!


    Jaan paused, and asked. You are allowed to take two main sses?


    The three lizardfolks present now gave Jaan the judgy stare. But it was Vurvis who intervened. Ah! That makes sense. Pre-Rottends, vige Lizardfolks also didnt have role flexibility. To answer your question, Chief Jaan, yes. We do. City lizardfolks can change jobs and roles.


    But- how do the viges ensure their needs are met?


    We pay. Vurvis exined. Theres a lizardfolk merchants guild that helps to match [sses] to jobs, and so lizardfolks move around to fill the role, and if the pays no good, they leave.


    Jaan was surprised, but then, realized, there was no vige chief to stop them. In Mountainworld, every viger reported their ss to the vige chief. The vige chief would then assign tasks in ordance with their ss, and if they developed new sses, the vige chief could reassign them. But that hardly happens.


    The idea of lizardfolks moving from vige to vige to work? That was even more wild.


    Lizardfolks of Mountainworld stuck to their own cities, and when the vige moved, almost all moved together. Those that didnt, would find a new vige.


    In that kind of world- what do vige [chiefs] do? Jaan asked, wondering how his own job would change.


    Vurvis drank the old snake wine like water. He burped. The stench almost made Jaan vomit. I believe they just coordinate jobs, hirings, resources. As long as everything runs, who cares, right?


    But theres no- that sounds as if theres no rtionship between the chief and the vige-


    That is a drawback. Vurvis acknowledged.


    Jaan didnt like that. That was power taken away from him. If every lizardfolk had no loyalty to the vige- then- who were they loyal to?

 268. Bilatreeral Engagement

    268. Btreeral Engagement


    268


    <b>Year 265</b>


    <i>More Lumoofs Travels</i>


    Another one. Lumoof nodded, as he checked his equipment. Wheres Kafa?


    On the way. Ste nodded. Though Im sure you will be enough, we do want to increase our teams experience. The voiddy smiled. Kafa and Edna both walked in.


    Both of you?


    Edna shook his head, but Kafa nodded. The new lizardfolk domainholder was ready. An exploratory trip to a new world. Most of the time, it was Ste, Edna and Lumoof that did the visits. But Ste found more than one world, and so, there would be another team. Roon, Ezar and Edna would go to the other one.


    Ste had to be on standby for the demon meteor shower. Stes [void explorers], now three of them, moved faster. There woulde a time where theyd most likely discover more worlds than they could explore safely. Ready?


    Never. Lumoof chuckled.


    Off you go anyway. Steughed, and the void portal sucked them through.


    ***


    Theynded in what appeared to be a lush field of greenery, teeming with life. Bugs. Insects. Kafa looked around, and sniffed. I sense a great disturbance in the fabric of reality.


    Lumoof nodded, as he felt it too. He expanded his senses, tapping into the grass and the bushes, and felt it instantly. It was very far away.


    Reality. Both of them experienced how it felt to have reality tear apart before their eyes. There were ripples everywhere. Something is wrong. And they both know it.


    But this world shouldnt be like that. Lumoof reached out and sensed the worlds core, and felt it intact. Lumoof briefly looked up to get a sense of their location. This world, discovered by the [void explorer], was not linked to any others they know. But it was linked to three other worlds. There were paths they could see.


    Kafa tensed, sharing Lumoofs vision of the stars. But there are no demons?


    Then what could it be? Lumoof looked back, as a cloak of magic appeared around him. To most people, he was as good as invisible. Kafas scales transformed, its lustrous scales functioned as if they were the scales of a chameleon, shifting color to match its surroundings.


    Camouge.


    The pair rushed through vast forests and fields of animals-


    They moved, sensing the unusual disturbance in the reality of space. But as they got closer, they began to sense the source of it. It felt like powers simr to the void.


    A native void mage? Lumoof said.


    It was not impossible. Void mages can ur naturally. If there was some kind of people like the Zaratans-


    Lumoofs eyes widened. The information was ryed through the artificial mindwork and they returned with a confirmation. It matched most signatures. Zaratan.


    It was and of life, but as they sped up, they heard the roar of battle.


    Attack the creature! Themand came from a dwarven warlord of somekind, surrounded by an army.


    There was a gigantic Zaratan in a half-driedke, attacked by the natives. The natives were dwarves, and they had cannons. Those weapons bombarded the Zaratan, and the Zaratan attempted to defend itself with the use of void magic. But it was clearly injured, there were multiple deep cuts that had rotted throughout its body and signaled the presence ofbat some time ago. Its use of void magic was different from Ste. It twisted reality in order to deflect the shells.


    Lumoofnded nearby and quickly tapped into mywork of minds to figure out what was happening. We connected with all the leaves and surviving nts in the battlefield, and listened to the dwarven attackers.


    How long before we can cut this turtle up and make weapons out of its shell? One of the dwarvesined to the other.


    A bit more. Its magic is waning. This is it iling at itsst breaths. Another of the dwarven attackers said.


    The lordmanded. Keep attacking. We must not let this opportunity go!


    The connected grass focused on the aides and sycophants around the Dwarf Lord. Its always lucky that aides and shoepolishers exist to recite the n to everyone present. With the [Void] turtles body, we would be able to attack the [void] creatures in the depths and reach the ores. Well finally be able to match the other Dwarven Lords in power!


    Lumoof looked at Kafa. Ill provide aid to the Zaratan. Hold them off.


    Kafa nodded, and in a blink, he was gone.


    The dwarves cannons attempted another volley of attacks, but they all smashed into a magical shield. The lizard warrior activated a magical item that contained [shield] spells, andnded in front of the Dwarven army.


    Cease this attack at once, and Ill let you live. Continue, and I will not be merciful. Kafa said with practised arrogance. His domainholders aura radiated outward-


    Lumoofnded right next to the surprised Zaratan. Careful, Kafa. The weight of your domain can hurt this injured Zaratan.


    The dwarves froze in fear.


    Old Zaratan, allow me. Its throat and neck was injured, but the moment Lumoofs hands touched its body, a link in the mind was established.


    It sent an exnation. This ce was a trap. A ce with just enough surface water for Zaratans to warp in, but not enough to provide cover or protection from their foes.


    Through Lumoof, my healing energy spread into the Zaratans injured body. I felt his memory, and he shared attacks. We recognised some of them, and it soon exined through its thoughts. Demons, men, dwarves, mermaids and the trogs. This Zaratan has been attacked many times.


    I shared thoughts of our own. Vasira, the first Zaratan we met, and the old giant zaratans. Ste, and the void mages. I felt its relief, and instantly, its resistance to my healing energies faded. My healing powers now moved unrestricted, and began to mend its old wounds.


    Healing injured old giants from old wounds would prove tough for even level 100 healers.


    But Im almost a god, and so, this was easy.


    The dwarves stared dumbfounded, as they watched the injured flesh of the Zaratan heal before their very eyes. Regenerated.


    The Dwarven Lord couldnt move. Kafas presence made them freeze. Though Kafa was one, he had an ability to create little shadow copies of himself, and now those shadow copies were at the necks of the leaders.


    The Zaratan healed in about twenty minutes, and its voice regained. Its telepathic voice was linked to its throat, as if the means of projecting its message was in the throat.


    This Sundhi thanks the Trees avatar. A friend of my fellow Zaratans is a friend of mine. Sundhi spoke, fully healed. No longer injured, it no longer needed to warp reality around itself, and could resort to regr defenses.


    Our paths were enabled by your brethren. Without their guidance, we wouldnt be able to reach the stars. Lumoof answered. It is nothing.


    Such is the eternal cycle. Sundhi spoke. Avatar of the Tree, please touch my head again. I shall transmit a gift for your aid.


    Lumoof did, and instantly, I felt it transmit a copy of its memory of the local star system. A star map of the local area, with notations. I shared it with Ste instantly. Much appreciated. Lumoof responded.


    May it lead you closer to the goals you seek. The Zaratan said. I shall now take my leave.


    The Dwarven Lord struggled. No! You must not let it leave! We need its body! Without it, we cannot deal with the dark creatures beneath us!


    The Zaratan shrouded itself in a cloud of mist, and in a blink, it vanished. Lumoofnded back on the driedke. Lumoof walked to the Dwarven Lord, and this time, Lumoof didnt bother hiding his aura. The entire driedke shook, as water seemed to pop out of the driedke. -Im saving an old friend. Do you have objections?


    The entire dwarven army paled. The lord answered, his muscr legs wobbly. He whispered. In response. -no, great one.


    Good. Now you will take me to your city, and tell me everything. Lumoof said. And show me these dark creatures you speak of.


    -what? The dwarven lord shrunk. This was going to be hard to exin.


    This was a world of dwarves. There were no one other than dwarves in this world, and so, Kafa horrified them. Kafa, a lizardman, in their eyes, was a monster. Lumoof, with his tall height, looked like a giant dwarf.


    The dwarven lord reluctantly led them to the city of Greyhold. Not only did they return empty handed, they had to bring the potential enemy back home.


    ***


    Who are these people? The Dwarven Lords court was filled with hushed whispers. That man is so tall, but hispanion- he is a monster? Lumoof didnt need much help to spy on those around him. The Dwarven City was built into the mountain, and there were remains of old tree roots that he could easily tap into.


    Creatures- guests. The Dwarven Lord of House Greyhold rified. Of the other worlds. They were able to speak to the Void Tortoises.


    Zaratans. Void Tortoise. There were different names for the same things. Weve called this world Dwarfworld, but we soon discovered they called it Delvegard, home of the delvers.


    And you bring them back? One of the ministers of the Lord said.


    They will kill us if we dont. One of the aides defended the Lord.


    And risk the life of all who live on Greyhold?


    But we didnt need interactions to learn about these people. With roots, with trees, we stalked the city and soon learned of the existences of magical mineral veins in Delvegard. The mineral veins all produced unusual types of metals, but they were also protected by the creatures known as the Darklings.


    Void weaponry, made from the body of the Void Tortoises, was one means of defeating the Darklings. The other was the use of the Hero weapons. Heroes. There were heroes here, but thest demon king came to this world about 70 years ago.


    Lumoof chuckled to himself. If Ste was here, perhaps shed be a goddess.


    Or any of our void mages. Kafa nodded. They were given the most beautiful guestrooms, and they were escorted into an area.


    Thankfully, these dwarves of Delvegard were quite straightforward in their dealings. The actual meeting with the Dwarven Lord went as expected, at least, they didnt tell a lie, just an omission of truth.


    Darklings were creatures twisted by the void, and that was because in the depths of the Core. The magical minerals came in a few variants. First, was Sunsteel. These were the most rare ones, and they could only be found in the deepest of the magical mineral veins, where the presence of the darklings was highest. They didnt know how it was made, but when Lumoof held the sample in his hand, it felt familiar.


    -this looks like the baseponent of the Sunrings. Lumoof repeated. It wasnt in its processed form.


    Next, was Sunmetal. It was an inferior form of the Sunsteel, where the ratio of those unusual metals had not been properly formed. They were found on the outer areas of the magic veins.


    Then thest one was the Dark Ore. These were often found around Sunsteel and Sunmetal, and they had intense light absorption abilities. Sunsteel and Sunmetal were excellent weapons, incredibly magically conducive, durable and could store way more magical enchantments per size.


    But they had a downside. Once formed, they were not very easily recycled or remade. The magical enchantments were baked into their structure. Melting Sunsteel turns them back to Sunmetal, and melting Sunmetal turns them back to ordinary metals. With each process, they turned into lesser, more mundane variants.


    Even the purity of Sunsteel varied. Because even making them into an equipment required a bit of processing, and each additional process weakened the natural qualities of Sunsteel. Most crafters that work on Sunsteel, essentially did it through a process called Cold Forging, where the metals are cut using a type of ice crystals.


    Kafa looked at Lumoof. I believe we needdy Ste here.


    I believe we do. Lumoof said.


    The dwarven lord proceeded to narrate why these metals were important. This, in many ways, was a typical dwarven society, with a heavy emphasis on crafting, technology, and equipment. Sunmetal and Sunsteel, were critical for their prosperity, because it allowed creation of equipments capable of delivering more for less.


    Most crucially, they allowed the creation of the strongest of the Dwarven War Machines. The Giant Spiders.


    Lumoof frowned at the mention of war machines, and asked to see one.


    The Dwarven Lord gulped. We only possess two.


    I will not harm them. Lumoof said.


    The War Machines were gigantic weapons. They were smaller than the Demon Walkers, but big enough that they were easily one of thergest weapons. But their design was surprisingly elegant and slender. It reminded Lumoof of one of Aeons memories. A Protoss Colossus from Starcraft.


    We pack as much Sunsteel as we can onto these things. The Dwarven Lord of Greyhold exined. There was a Dwarven Engineer who walked over.


    And these are your most powerful weapons of war?


    Yes.


    Lumoof once remembered Ste and the heroes spoke of a world that ran on steam and pipes. Of machines made of steel. But looking at the machine in front of him, its slender legs and small body, it didnt match what Ste told him.


    Lumoof knew that Alka couldve made something better. Easily. Inbat ability. Or design. But to achieve the same power to weight ratio, it would require a fair bit of high level craftsmanship that only those in the level 100s could achieve.


    Do you all not have crystal weapons and crystal equipment? Lumoof asked, curious.


    The dwarves look at each other. We do- but we mostly use them as a magical storage to power the Sunsteels Enchantments.


    Lumoofs eyes watched, and the artificial minds quickly analyzed the data. It was likely that they needed Sunsteel for the hinges, because the Sunsteel offered significant performance without weight. The legs and hinges of the War Machines were slender structures, only possible because of Sunsteel.


    My priest looked back at dwarves. And why do you need these weapons of war?


    Well, other dwarves, of course!


    The dwarves of Delvegard were territorial, and frequently fought brutal wars. They tried their best to negotiate, but once war broke out, allbatants would pull out all their stops. In short, when they went to war, its all or nothing.


    Kafa was shocked to hear that the dwarves were so brutal and ruthless. They are nothing like the Mountainworlds dwarves.


    A different history. Lumoofmented. History is a shadow, forever looming over the psyche of society.


    Kafa nodded. The two sat in a room.


    What do you think of this world, Kafa? Lumoof asked.


    The lizardfolk closed his eyes. Hungry for war.


    Not that. How is this world valuable to us? Or it is not? That ultimately depends whether we intervene or not.


    Kafas eyes opened. -Patriarch Lumoof, that is a question that is worth-


    A million lives. Probably more. Lumoof smiled. Our type of engagement is vast. Ignore and do nothing, which is the least engagement. Then, theres a trading rtionship. Then, as a colony or vassal state of some kind. And at the end, full domination.


    Theres also the friendliness of that engagement. Do we engage the locals? Do we ignore them? Do we send our own people because we cant trust these guys? Do we- enve them?


    Surely not. Kafa reacted at thest word.


    I know. But the range of engagement remains present. It is a choice, even if a choice we do not like.


    Kafa thought of that conversation with Edna. This was truly the weight of their task. They were now the eyes and ears of the Order, and the Order was a machine that would consume worlds. We need more information.


    That is also an option. Lumoof smiled at the younger domainholder.


    What- what would you do, Patriarch Lumoof?


    I will first propose a friendly rtionship. A trading rtionship to buy these Sunmetals and Sunsteels from these dwarves.


    Kafa paused. Given how critical it is to their war-


    They are unlikely to agree. If the Sunsteel proves critical to our war, they will therefore need to be conquered. Or at least, we will need to establish our own presence, and start mining these Sunsteel using our own forces.


    -Is the Sunsteel that important? Kafa interjected. It doesnt seem like it would be.


    Lumoof waited. Kafa was right. Its not critical, but good to have. No. We have alternatives. But let us propose a trade, and well see how these dwarves react.

 269. The Divine Traces

    269. The Divine Traces


    Year 265 (Part 2)


    <i>Ednas visits the world of Satrya</i>


    No. Ive had it with god''s control over me, and Im not keen on it. All of this sounds like itll take away time from me. Colette objected to the idea.


    Well, what was the idea?


    I rejected the offer to adopt the World Faith System, but I realize, the ability to have an audience with both Bach and Mozart, was way more powerful. Through them, I could gain knowledge of the past. Of history and of how things came to be.


    Sure, they were not willing to share a lot, but even if they refused to tell us that, the mere act of asking questions about the system, and understanding the mechanics of the system would allow us to make projections and ns. So, among the senior leaders, we thought of creating even more people like me-


    Level 250. Its a crazy, crazy number. Of course, by telling this, I reveal my power level to everyone around me.


    Its an act of trust, of course. But at the same time, I believe it is also an act of intimidation. The rest of the domain holders didnt even reach level 200. My fellow domainholders of the other worlds refuse to share their levels, but from the weight of our presence, I was fairly sure they didnt exceed my levels.


    We approached the heroes first.


    I remember Bachs words that even heroes who meet the necessary thresholds could get it. I wonder how this is so, and whether- perhaps, are heroes robbing the gods of the faith values, therefore they decide to remove the heroes once their usefulness is over?


    At some level, faith values make their control over the world a zero-sum game. Heroes, who, given a certain level of independence, could create their own faith with their god given powers, and at level 250, rise to the point where they ascend. Their followers wouldpete in the same pool as the old gods.


    Thats a horrible way to look at things. Kei acknowledged. Prabu looked at Colette.


    Sure you dont want to do it?


    Colette looked at the growing child sitting on herp. No. Not at all.


    Kei sighed and spoke to me. To everyone looking, it seemed like she was talking to the air. Who else?


    We need someone who could have a religion built around her.


    Roon, Johann and Ezar rejected it. All three of them didnt want to be a god of any sort. Ste thought it over, and decided that her void abilities seemed more useful than whatever divine shenanigans this system was up to.


    This WFS enables an old god to do everything alone, all that matters is the faith cost. Ste said. Because the old gods are solitary existences, they exist above and beyond their old societies.


    As I mulled it over, I realized Stes observation is true.


    The old gods gained immortality, the means to open pathways through the stars, summon heroes, and tremendousbat ability.


    Whereas the experience system is intricately tied to the [ss], andter, the [domain]. This allows for a far higher peak, but much more narrow scope of abilities. In short, the gods chose width and breadth of abilities, over depth and focus.


    A pantheon, essentially, a team of domainholders with a wide variety of [domains], should outperform the WFS. But if there was only a single person, the World Faith System was truly the best choice forward.


    I believe the WFS is a good choice, in situations where we need a backup Aeon. Ste answered. A lot of what we achieved today is because of the society change created by the Valtrian Order, backed by Aeon. If we want to n for a situation where we may have to survive without Aeon for a while- one of us would need to take on the WFS, to bridge that gap.


    Its an insane idea, to raise someone up just to be a temporary Aeon. Kei countered. A level 250 warrior domainholder- per Ednas calction, should be very- very strong. Were talking about a literal god able to deliver as much power as a full team of level 100+ heroes .


    Edna. Ste suggested. She may not need it, but I believe if theres anyone worthy of a religion, or at least a mini one, it should be Edna.


    My void domainholder wanted Ednas Order of Knights to be a quasi-religious institution with faith in Ednas powers. Edna would be elevated into a patron deity of the Knight Order, and a group of Valthorn priests would have to start the process of making her into a saint or a goddess.


    An order of Temr knights, in worship of a Martial Goddess.


    Edna squirmed at being made into a goddess, but ultimately agreed. On one condition. Lets do it outside of Treehome. I- Id like to be a mere mortal at home.


    You stopped being a mortal decades ago. Ste countered.


    I mean, you understand. Edna red. Ste chuckled.


    Alternatively, the other possibility was to elevate Kafa into some kind of lizardfolk god. Or god of the swamps. Or something of that sort.


    It was a long way to go, for someone like Kafa. He was barely level 150, while Edna was already close to level 200. It was a lot more sensible to try it with Edna, but, in many ways, we could do both. We would start to include both of them, as minor deities of our pantheon of gods.


    ***


    <i>First was Aeon, the great tree sheltered all that came after. To nourish thend, for them to grow. Then came Edna, our guardian protector, defender of the weak, and the shield of the Tree. She waster joined by Kafa, warrior protector of the lizardfolks.</i>


    Edna squirmed. Everyone did. But the drafted story, the tale of a god, would be weaved. I really dont want this to spread on Treehome. Edna said with her hands in her face. It was incredibly embarrassing.


    I didnt like religious talk. Its cringeworthy.


    I hope they made better, less cringeworthy versions of the mythos in the future.


    Edna sighed. We should just add all the domainholders to the myth. That way all of us get a chance to gain faith.


    It was a fair assessment, and so the priests went back to the drawing board.


    ***


    Well, rather than dwell on that stuff, time for you to go visiting.


    My turn, I suppose. Edna smiled at Ste, then at the two men that would apany her on their visit to the other worlds. Ready, boys?


    Roon and Ezar shrugged. Ezar tried to joke. Its my first time! Be gentle!


    It wasnt. He made many trips to other worlds, but its their first time as the lead explorer. Ednaughed. When youre on the other side, no one can hear you scream.


    Ezar paled. Roon just tapped him on the shoulder. Youll be fine.


    Ste smiled. Off you go.


    ***


    The world they visited was immediately filled with the stench of blood and war. Edna could feel it in the ground, in the air, and feel the presence of battle.


    Roon and Ezar nced at each other. Roons senses were the strongest of the three, but if Edna could feel it, it must be quite near.


    Why not scout it out? Edna proposed.


    Roon nodded, as his body turned into a shadow, and then vanished. Edna looked at Ezar, and smiled at the new domain holder. Any thoughts about your first trip as an explorer and representative of Aeon?


    Horrified. Ezar answered.


    You should be. How we act, and what we do, shapes the natives impression, and vice versa.


    The brawler nodded, as they walked. There were trees here. There were markings left by des and swords. Arrowheads were embedded into the trunk of trees. The trees have been used for practice. Edna took out a ck helmet from her magical storage, and wore it. It gave her the ability to see the astral paths in space. This world was also connected to a few others. Ste or the Void archmages would need to be here to investigate.


    Edna frowned, as there was the clear tale of demonic invasion. There was a bright path in the sky. The demon king should be arriving on this world any time soon.


    Roon was back. Demons. As usual. There are local defenders. Pretty rough fighting, from what I can see. Demons appear to be the Sabnoc-variant. Ive already spotted a few demonic encampments. The variant appears to have taken up Demon Knights as their form.


    Oh. Demon armies again. Edna frowned. Thats a tough one, generally.


    Smaller, demon armies, actually. More like demon knight packs.


    Ednas eyebrow arched. -packs?! Thats somewhat unusual behavioring from the demons-


    Ezar sat and frowned. That should make it easier, isnt it. Small packs means less bodies to punch, its a lot easier to just get rid of them.


    Roon nodded. They seem to have fairly highbat strength- for demons. Each pack seems to be at least a champion-level threat. The demonic leader looks to be somewhere around level 80 to 100.


    Ednas eyebrow arched again. So this is a Sabnoc that only spawns champion-level packs of armies?


    It wasnt entirely unusual, Edna thought. There was a time when the demons only spawned dragons, and those packs of flying demon-dragons could easily be considered champion level threats.


    Ezarughed. They wontst very long. A few punches and were done.


    Lets just go visit some and see. Keep our domains hidden.


    Ill try. Ezar said. I dont have much practice!


    ***


    The group of three arrived in what looked to be a fortress city defending itself against the demons. The fortress looked fairly battered, with its massive stone walls that looked like theyve taken damage for some time.


    Theres like six thousand people in that city. Roonmented. Almost all humans.


    Edna smirked. Ive won the bet, then. Well, what else are we seeing?


    Ezar looked at the battlefield. On one side, there was a group of thirty demonic knights. They rode onrge demonic horses that had no face or eyes, but had sharp fangs. Its hooves were massive, and in some way, they looked more like bulls than horses.


    All of them looked to be waiting for a sign.


    On the other side, were a group of human defenders, dressed in simrly heavy armor. A few of them looked heavily injured. One of them rode to the front, and stood holding arge steel sword. There were about a hundred of them, and yet, in a straight battle, it was fairly clear that they would lose. The demons were more powerful.


    Come get me, foul beasts of the dark. The knight roared, and charged alone.


    Edna, Ezar and Roon collectively squirmed. Hes going to kill himself charging alone like that-


    Then, only one of the demons rode to meet him in battle.


    -what. The three domain holders could not believe what they were seeing.


    The demon brandished its dark de, and that same de shed against the steel sword of the knight. They fought each other, and yet, it was clear that the human knight was losing. They exchanged about twenty blows, and the human knight retreated back, injured. The demon had somehownded a few hits on the knight.


    Yet, the demon didnt chase. Instead, it returned back to its pack, and waited.


    This scene repeated itself as the second knight confronted the demons.


    -what in the hell is going on here? Roon looked, and tried to sense- Theres great magic at work in this world.


    The three didnt feel it, because their domains had protected them. But once Roon mentioned the presence of magic in the air, Edna and Ezar easily found it woven into thend itself. She looked at Roon and concluded the magic at work was out of their understanding.


    Not just that, it even felt like divine intervention.


    We need a mage here, asap. Edna pinged back home. Ste responded.


    All archmages on duty. WIll get back to you in a week.


    Edna rolled her eyes. Since when I couldnt override their duties!


    Treehome defense. Ste countered. Is it really that urgent?


    Its some divine shenanigans in this world. I want it looked at.


    Stes eyes brightened somewhere on Treehome. That means we are close to the gods! And no- if its divine shenanigans, Im not sending any non-domain holders over.


    Edna paused, contemted Stes reasoning and then sighed. Fine. Well ask the natives.


    Roon looked at the city. I can sneak us in. Easy! But let me just check who should we disguise as-


    The ranger activated some kind of surveince skill before concluding that there are merchants in this world, and immediately altered the disguises to match. Alright- lets get in.


    The three snuck into the fortress city easily, even as the battle against the demons went on outside. Inside, it was very quiet, as if most of the citizens had evacuated.


    Roon quickly approached one of the soldiers who walked alone, and asked.


    Hey there, soldier.


    Yes? Eh? Theres a merchant? All merchants should evacuate the city. The Combat Procedures will end soon.


    Roon pretended to be blur, and took out a little bit of coin. He had taken a look at the coinage used by the city folk, and managed to pilfer a few for use. Yes- about that, can you tell me whats happening? Like- its my first time encountering this Combat Procedures, what- whats going on?


    Edna and Ezar hid nearby, but their eyes listened in. The soldierughed. Oh. I thought everyone knew by now, but in any battle, the attackers and defenders must first have ten rounds of knightly one-on-onebat, known as the Combat Procedures, or some people call it the Ten Jousts. If the attackers win less than three battles, they cannot proceed with the attack. If they win more than three, they may proceed to the next phase of the battle, known as the Assault. Thats where the attackers may attack the city.


    The three domain holders couldnt believe what they were hearing. It was absolute nonsense. But- but why do we stick to it? Cant- cant the demons just march in without care?


    The soldier looked at the merchant named Roon like he was an idiot. Is your vige not protected by the Great Hawas Divine mes, or the Divine Protection of Proper Combat? Even the dark demons are bound to it.


    Edna nced at Ezar. They were close to the god Hawa.


    What- what happens when they break it?


    They get weakened by divine curses, and burned by the divine mes. Weaker creatures will die.


    -but, why does god not just crush the demons?


    The soldier stared at the merchant. That is sphemy. The Hawa church will have you skewered if that ever gets out.


    Roon acted horrified. Ah, my apologies. Another coin for your silence?


    The soldier looked at the coin, andughed. Very well, very well. I heard nothing. But you should leave. Most of us are leaving before thest of the ten Combat Procedures are over.


    ***


    Edna, Roon and Ezar nced at each other, wondering how the rules of this world operated.


    Most of the citizens fled, but Edna noticed there was a group of knights tasked to defend, rather than escape. They all had the resignation that they will die today.


    Do we just watch? Roon nced at Edna. He was fairly alright just letting the natives die.


    She gulped, closed her eyes. No. Well step in.


    The group of thirty demon knights charged against the walls of the city, and the walls held, for a while. The demons took a while and destroyed the fortified gates, and then charged into the city where the knights waited.


    But let us watch where we can. At thest minute.


    At thest minute. Roon and Ezar said collectively.


    ***


    It was going to be a bloodbath-


    Then a burst of arrows and the group of 30 demons were in. Roon, Ezar and Edna arrived before the group of shaking soldiers, who were all prepared to die.


    They were shocked, but not immediately thankful. Instead, they asked. Who do we owe the favor to, and what do you need for saving us?


    The three realized this was the best time to extort the knowledge, and demanded it.


    ***


    The world was bound by a great divine magic of Hawa, known as the Bindings of Hawa.


    Each city with a temple of Hawa, a lord or ruler of suitable rank, and sufficient number of knights may activate the [Combat Procedures]. Thesebat procedures apply for a period of a week, and can be activated once a month, per city. The Combat Procedures force allbatants to engage in a multi-stage battle, first with the Ten Jousts, then the Assault on the city.


    [Knights], [Priests] and [Lords] who do not obey thebat procedures after activating them will be inflicted with a divine curse. Also, in order to fulfill the rules of the [Assault on the City], there must be defenders. Otherwise, the [Combat Procedures] will be canceled, and the [Lord] and also [Priests] that cast them will suffer another divine curse.


    This was how cities throughout the world slow the demons attack, because the Bindings of Hawa could be used on the demons as well, and during bat procedures], interfering parties will be punished by divine magic. Because of this, the demons were forced to y by the gods rules.


    In this world, [Knights] are essentially Hawas warriors. The knights of this world are an order of warriors who believe in Hawa, and as a martial group, they believe in strong fortified cities, stone temples.


    [Priests] of Hawa bless each and every city, and the Hawa priests of this world are particrly good at blessing stone walls, and knights. [Knights] who survive multiple Jousts are awarded special skills by the system.


    The [Lords] of this world are naturally knight-priest focused as well. Many are either promoted Knights or Priests, so most Lords eventually set up knight branches of their own, and build fortified cities.


    ***


    There must be a source for such powerful divine magic. Edna mused, resting in the home of the defenders. They were clearly d not to die, so were more than happy to host the three. A few left the city to deliver the message that they have been saved.


    After interrogating the surviving soldiers, they eventually realized that they needed to visit the cities of the world.


    There are divine relics in this world. Roon concluded after summarizing all the interviews. A few of the kings control powerful divine relics, but the soldiers have no idea whether they are linked to this Divine Law.


    If the gods could do this, why dont they do it everywhere? They could essentially force the demons to obey certainws of engagement-


    There might be some kind of Faith-Point cost to maintain such a system, and its only realistic solution if its not too far from the actual god. Roon answered.


    -We should just ask Ste to send us closer. Skip this world and find where the gods are. Ezar countered.


    I think we should talk to the most senior priest in this world. If they can put us in an audience with Hawa, that would significantly help our cause. The knight concluded while she looked over a map of their region.


    This world was filled with many small kingdoms, with just a collection of a fewrge kingdoms. Thend seemed fairly hostile, with multiple monsters, and there were even living dragons on this world.


    Roon paused. We should have Lumoof here, if we want an audience. Aeon should be the one facing this Hawa.


    Agreed. Edna answered. But we should get information before we get to that stage. Ste will make the preparations back home, we need to get things ready. Lets fan out, and infiltrate more ces. Theres at least six different kingdoms with these divine relics.


    -are we stealing them? Ezar looked unsure. No, right?


    No. Just investigate, send information back. Well match it to what knowledge we have. The Order collected information on Hawa, Gaya, Aiva and Neira over the decades. If there were some matching information on the Hawa faith of this world, it shouldnt be too hard to line them up.


    After some interrogation of the locals, the three also found that the locals referred to the world as Satrya. Edna initially wanted to call it Hawaworld, but then decided against it. Its likely this wasnt Hawas main world, because Hawas presence should destroy whatever demons. This wasnt Hawas homeworld, but we were close.


    Then, just as Edna thought they were done with the unusual affairs, one of the soldiers revealed a strange piece of information.


    Sometimes, the heroes of this world were selected from the locals directly by Hawa, instead of summoned from another world.


    The immediate implication of this was that the gods could select [heroes] directly! They didnt need to go through theplicated summon mechanism! The Hawa locals referred to the chosen champions as [Hawas Champions], and would receive a selection of Hawas Battle Relics to battle against the demon king.


    We must see the relics, and speak to Hawa.


    ***


    It wasnt hard for someone like Edna to get enough money, and collecting it from the dead was even easier.


    As she traveled across the kingdoms of Satrya, she witnessed even more demons. In cases where the local defenders did not invoke the Combat Procedures, or ran out of the relevant materials to invoke it, the demons could easily assault the city.


    As a result, the demons were incredibly fond of night strikes, and especially strikes on cities that should have been safe.


    Then as she entered one of the more heavily defended cities, she saw warriors that probably could give the demon knights a good fight, and some.


    Knights equipped with divine relics. They were not stronger than Edna, that was for sure. A quick survey of their abilities suggested they were in the level 80s, but Edna felt the presence of divine blessing.


    Those are the Hawa Knight Temrs. They are blessed by the High Priests and granted divine powers. The traveler next to Edna exined to her. It seemed those who believe in Hawa generally have a high level of faith in the god, and thus appeared to do so.


    Ednas eyes noticed that the individuals themselves didnt appear to manifest divine powers, but this was the first time she had ever encountered someone with divine relics, so didnt have a good idea of how they stacked up in battle.


    But if this world had [Hawas Chosen]-


    They have not selected the candidates for this centurys chosen. The traveler answered as Edna probed for more information. The war with this generations demon only started two years ago, and itll be some time before the five or six chosens are awarded an audience with Hawa itself.


    Five or six?


    Sometimes. The traveler shrugged. He seemed to be a fairly knowledgeable merchant, so Edna kept him talking. The demons wille and linger for five to six years. Even the King of the Demons has not descended yet.


    It hasnt. Edna paused, as the pieces came together. Back on the worlds where heroes were summoned, the gods summon them after the demon king arrives. If the demon king hasnt arrived on Satrya, it naturally follows that Hawa wouldnt bother to choose its champions. But the gods clearly have a choice of adopting a different set of procedures for its closer worlds.


    What everyone thought was a normal procedure may just be something they had to do for faraway worlds where they had little information.


    ***


    Edna arrived in one of the supposedlyrgest cities on Satrya after two months of travel. In truth, she would have covered the distance within a few days, but she did the long way to learn from the locals.


    Hawas faith was ridiculously powerful in this world. Each city had Hawa temples, almost everyone believed in it, at least nominally, and many truly believed in Hawas blessings. The priests themselves also appear more powerful here, with high ranking Hawa priests wielding powers not normally seen in priests, as if borrowing them from somewhere.


    Mdy, wee to Museo, home of the royal family of Museo, and one of the seven Relic cities of Satrya. Relic Cities were names given to the seven cities that hosted the Seven Great Hawa Relics. The one on Museo was home to an item known as the Chalice of Eternity.


    Edna could feel it in the air itself, the sensation of divine presence. From the intelligence that she gathered so far, the Hawa Temple of Museo was an institution that had power not inferior to the royal family, and the Chief Priest of Museo was a man of incredible faith.


    It would be difficult to gain ess to the Chief Priest via normal means, since he was busy, and would not normally entertain guests.


    What would Lumoof do, if he was here on this case? Edna sat in her inn, thinking to herself.


    She considered her options. She could barge in. In terms or raw levels, nothing she saw so far even came close to her, but the presence of divine relics meant she didnt have 100% certainty.


    That would probably cause offense, and she would rather not do so, especially if she wanted to maintain a working rtionship.


    After thinking for a while, she decided the best way was to visit the temple, and ask for an audience directly.


    Spaizzer


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 270. The Bloody Forest

    270. The Bloody Forest


    Those that cant see in the darkness often remark how it is all ck, but those who could see, often see in colors that couldnt quite be described to man. I would be able to unlock all three choices in time, and I thought to myself that the [Dark Void] seemed to be the power I needed the most.


    Ive struggled with the void for all this while. Our pace of expansion is dictated by the void, our travels through the void is the clear limiting factor of how we could visit new worlds, and eventually, the conclusion of the council was fairly decisive.


    I would select the void.


    <i>[The Dark Void].</i>


    The selection itself was immediate, and quiet, but what immediately happened soon after, was the appearance of ck lightning over the skies of Freshka. Void Lightning.


    A single st to my first body.


    I wonder whether this was heavenly retribution.


    I felt my soul, already separated across my clones, began to change, and the view of the void came instantly. One moment it wasnt, and the other, I suddenly saw the different shades of darkness in the skies above, in colors I couldnt quite see.


    My immediate description of the voidyers was-


    Magical photo filters.


    This was like looking at photos of the stars with infra-red or ultraviolet light. They revealed things that were not there before, or in different ces.


    Each of these filters revealed a different version of the stars, with different locations. As I shared it with Ste, she immediately understood what this was.


    This is the different perspective weve been looking for all this while. Its hidden behind a domain ability?!


    I thought about it, and perhaps, it could be a domain ability for me, but there may be certain races or species who could see the different voidyers themselves. Ste immediately began to experiment on her newfound ess to the [voidyers].


    We were all very excited to see the new worlds hidden within the voidyers, but we had to be prepared. We were not sure what exactly lurked on the other side.


    ***


    Aeon finally has mechs. Prabu said, amazed, as he watched the magical construction emerge from its hangar on the moon. My Valthorns outdid themselves when they built the first moon base, and they outdid themselves again when they constructed what was the first orbital battle tform.


    We were expected the first of the remnant meteors to enter our void teleportation range soon, but given that they were such small objects with hardly any bubble of reality, we felt the risk of engagement in such a situation was too high.


    With such small bubbles of reality, even if we seeded in destroying them, we wouldnt be able to flee in time. Its likely that their reality was very fragile to begin with, and so, my void archmages rmended against attacking them in the void sea itself. The best area of engagement was once they entered Treehomes now-expanded sphere of reality.


    This was, in a way, the equivalent of letting the meteor enter our sr system.


    The means of engagement were these orbital battle tforms, the first few usable space warships, and these mechs. The mechs were not really mechs, but instead, to facilitate the heroes in their movements and survival in space. They were only made possible due to abination of clever crystalwork from our crafters.


    I wish we could make [mechs] with our [hero forges].


    Kei, on their sharedmunicationwork, responded. I could. You guys just need to work around your limitations.


    Each heros hero forge was different, tailored by their assigned powersets. Kei, being the shipgirl that she once was, could make mech suits. Basic ones, but mech suits nheless. For Prabu and Colette, their weapons were smaller.


    Khefri- didnt want to participate in the defense of Treehome. She said she had things to do back on Threeworlds, so, we didnt force her. Simrly, Adrian had his own set of tasks back on Mountainworld.


    Chung- well, being Chung, he decided to ignore us altogether.


    I wasnt bothered. But Prabu and Colette tested out our first mechs.


    They struggled, and we had to send the mechs back to the workshop to work on the synchronization. In theory, mechs and golems are pretty much the same thing. But golems ultimately were controlled by their masters, and so the [system] facilitated the control and maniption of the golems many parts.


    However, a mech, in our case, is piloted by heroes, and these heroes dont have the relevant skills and sses. Sure, they could still be manipted and moved about rtively well, but not at the operating level expected of heroes.


    Certainly, not a level of performance where these mechs can see battle against the demon kings, even if it should still be quite sufficient for lower levels of demons.


    ***


    Most conventional weapons continue to work, as long as they were within the boundaries of Treehomes reality bubble.


    Now that we were able to move in space, we attempted to reach the very edges of this reality bubble, and realize it was more like a rubber ball, than actually a soap bubble. As we move closer to that edge, we are pushed closer towards the center of that reality bubble. So, itll feel as if we are moving forward, but in reality we were not going anywhere.


    In other words, it was like there was a treadmill at edges of reality that pushed inwards.


    With enough force, and a high enough speed, it should be possible to ovee this force, and pierce the reality bubble directly.


    Still, day by day, I could sense the bubble of reality continued to expand.


    My domain ability was gradually pushing the world wider, and soon, it would berge enough to amodate a secondary world.


    I wonder what itll be like.


    Does the world just pop out of thin air?


    Or like a world drifting out of the void? Would ite with an inbuilt poption, or would it be empty?


    ***


    Threeworlds. With the Crystal King imprisoned, the first moments of war began to emerge. The human kingdoms and nations struggled to realign in what was a tectonic shift in power.


    We sent diplomats everywhere, apanied by our Valthorns. We had to show force, even if I didnt want to use the stick all the time.


    But I had to. There was a point of no return. When the Crystal King attempted to sabotage our preparations, that was the point of no return for me. They put my people at risk.


    Now, I put them at risk again, by making them force these human nations to bend their knee. Bloody or not.


    As with anyrge group of people, some were loyalists, and despite my deration, they were not convinced. They fought. And what began was an unfortunately brutal upation by my forces.


    Old leaders had to be expelled, especially those that sought to fight against me. Those that didnt, were actively and openly monitored. It was the noble ss that opposed me most, and it was them that I had to remove. I tried a mix of carrot and stick. I enticed those willing to bend the knee with food supplies, resource assistance, and protection. Those that didnt were punished.


    I assisted family struggles, using those willing to work with me to overthrow those that didnt.


    The human nations, some attempted to attack us with their military.


    Johann, became my enforcer. He traveled thend with his dragon, and struck fear into the kings and queens. Yet, they were attacked frequently, and in response, they were punished. Jailed.


    And at times- ughtered.


    It made me churn.


    A little.


    But then I remembered that there are times that we have to make an example of a few, to scare the masses.


    I had imprisoned the Crystal King. What was done, was done.


    Now, I deal with the consequences.


    ***


    It was a scene that was repeated across the kingdoms of the Crystal Kingsnd.


    Youe into my kingdom, and demand I bend the knee? The King roared, surrounded by his soldiers and knights. Golems.


    Johann was nked by six elite Valthorns, all level 100s, and his golden dragon. The dragon grew day by day, feasting on the meat of thend. Heughed, and flexed his domain easily. The soldiers buckled. The King trembled in his seat, even though he stood. He held his scepter tightly, using it to support himself.


    It would not do for a King to cower in his throne.


    Johann smirked. No. I demand you work with us under the old arrangements with the Crystal King. You either ept, or you will be removed, and reced with those who will. Id rather not invite the brutality of Aeons Mercy onto yournd, or let you experience a little of Aeons Perspective.


    -You! The King held his scepter, and called on the strength of his ss to withstand the weight of Johanns domain.


    One Minister tried to speak up. Your Majesty, please - we should discuss this further.


    The King stared at the minister- but another minister spoke up for him.


    Your majesty, the minister is wise. We- were dealing with a god-


    We had sent our spies and agents into the many kingdoms, to bribe, to talk, to convince those who could be convinced. This urred before Johanns visit, to prepare-the-field for the agreement.


    ***


    The same King agreedter on, convinced by his council of ministers. We bribed half of them, and attempted to bribe the other half. But they were wise enough to remain silent.


    They have seen our beetle armies.


    Many had used magic to look at what happened to Maelga, and were made speechless.


    But ultimately, we used the stick.


    There was an unfortunate King that opposed us to the end. He evoked war.


    And Johann made him into an example. We announced our intention to remove him as King, using charges collected by my spies. Then we killed him there and then, publicly before his own citizens and subjects.


    Death was a scythe we threatened on every noble.


    ***


    About two thirds of the kingdoms eventually capitted to our rule, even if we had to reward them with wealth. Wealth was no big deal, after all, it is a resource I can always create.


    One third of them saw the writing on the wall, and realized I was stronger than their crystal king. They agreed out of fear. The other third agreed with bribes.


    As for the remaining one third, we had to engage in power struggles. My agents helped those in favor of our new regime to overthrow their existing rulers, and functionally, install our people as the puppeteers of their new ruling state.


    Naturally, there was blood spilled.


    Kidnappings, murders and assassinations. All to prevent a bloodier war.


    The next one was to deal with the priests, and simr to the kings, we bribed them. Those that we couldnt bribe, we removed. My spies and assassins were busier than ever.


    idents.


    Visits to another world.


    I offered exile to those who wish to resist. I granted them the chance to live in Lavaworld.


    The priests of the Crystal Kingsnd were granted the right to operate as normal, so long as they did not incite riots or attacks against us.


    Themoners and citizens of the Crystal Kingsnds, most of them couldnt be arsed, and in the era where high speedmunication is only avable to the rich, most farmers and peasants didnt even know there was a change in power.


    They would learn of such changes over a longer period of time, through the stories spoken by merchants and bards. Again, bribes. It was honestly because I had the wealth of Treehome, that I could engage in such outright bribery of the masses.


    My spies fed these folks coin, and made them tell more pleasant versions of the story. We asked them to speak out how the Crystal King attempted to sabotage the hero Khefris battle against the demon king.


    We were the Crystal Kings divine punishment.


    It was an angle that worked well, and helped pacify themoners. Many didnt really feel strong loyalties to the Crystal King. He was too distant, too aloof. His empire was more of a ragtag coalition of vassal states, rather than a proper federal structure.


    The improved farming yields from my druids and trees that came after soon cated themoners who usually dealt with hunger and heavy taxation.


    Naturally, among themoners, not all epted the change of regime. This was most unfortunate.


    We tried to reeducate them. Expose them to what happened.


    But ultimately, some were violent. And death is the only way to deal with them.


    It is unfortunate that regime change must ur this way.


    But I ept the blood on my hands. I will pay the price for my brutality, when my dayes.


    With blood on my roots and leaves, I will transform the world and the humannds into an economy that can support this war against the demons.


    ***


    <i>Dwarfworld</i>


    My mages and crafters analysed the Sunsteel and we believe it should be one of theponents of what the demons use for the Sun Rings. At least, we believe the Sun Rings to be some kind of metallic alloy. Its this Sunsteel mixed with something else altogether.


    So, Lumoof went with the first proposal. Trade. The Dwarven Lord rejected the offer, but Lumoof wasnt bothered. There were many dwarven cities, and we would be able to find a smaller dwarven city that we could support.


    Trade? The Dwarven Lord looked absolutely shocked. You want half of the Sunsteel? You might as well rob us.


    Lumoof frowned. Half is fair. I will be doing the work. I really rather work this out on friendly terms rather than invade.


    I dont know who you are threatening- The Dwarven Lord didnt understand. Naturally, in front of him was just a man. A powerful man, but he didnt grasp exactly what he was faced with.


    Lumoof waited for a bit, and realized he might have a point.


    Though the dwarven lord rejected Lumoofs trade deal, Lumoof decided to explore the world some more, and realized this world, despite the constant brutal wars between the dwarven cities, was also filled with many rtively high leveled dwarven craftsmen.


    Many were level 50-60, and they were avable in veryrge quantities. There were multiple dwarven craft academies throughout the world that produced the smiths, crafters and engineers needed to construct their gigantic war machines.


    And they lovedrge scale construction projects.


    He pinged Ste.


    Ste, do you think youre keen on sending some dwarves from and to our homeworld?


    -sure- but why?


    Im thinking of some good ol Perspective. I think Alka would love this world, he could turn this world into one of those Forgeworlds.


    Ste paused. If they are a bunch of war hungry dwarves, why not give them war?


    Lumoof paused as he digested Stes message. You know what- youre right. We should give them war.


    Oh. Do you want an invasion force? Were a little tight with half of our folks dealing with the Comet remnants and the other half upying Threeworld-


    No. I think I have something else in mind.


    Really? Will this world be worth it? Ste challenged. What do you have in mind?


    Get me a group of dwarven lords from the academy willing to rule over some alien dwarves? Lumoof said. I believe this world has potential to assist our war efforts. A node should be sufficient, since we should be able to im somend as our city-


    Got it. Steughed.


    The dwarfworld was filled with many small dwarven towns and cities. Not all werepetent, and not all have war machines. There were smaller towns, led by less powerful lords that we could depose. High-leveled, well-trained [Lords] trained by the FTC could sweep in with Valthorn support, take over these smaller towns, and effectively cobble the smaller towns together into a coalition.


    Then, we could effectively convert the cities into our dwarven workshops.


    Rather than fight each other, it was time to channel the dwarven crafts towards a more productive war.


    We would turn this world into a forgeworld, and those war machines will find themselves battlefields where they can do some good.


    Spaizzer


    Thanks for reading.


    I started a xianxia regressor fic. You can find it here and here /fiction/76389/regressor-sect-master Synopsis


    Tundra Fox, a cultivator of immense power and Sect Master of the Verdant Snow Sect, faces an eldritch god from beyond and dies. However, a time-artifact sends his soul back 10,000 years, when he was still in the earlier years of growing his Sect.


    This storyes with cultivation, base building, and usual regressor awesomeness, paired with a heavier focus on healing rtionships, family and family rtions. Tundra Fox will try to prevent family deaths, conflicts, and hopefully, try to raise descendants that don''t be arrogant young masters.


    Warning 1: The story starts with Tundra Fox with 3 living wives at the start of the story.


    Warning 2 : Time and years might move fast sometimes.


    Warning 3: Despite the time skips, this is a slow story.

 271. Intreetwined Hearts

    271. Intreetwined Hearts


    <i>Satrya - Edna, Roon and Ezar.</i>


    Edna spent days in the Relic City, observing how the temples and the people worked. With her advanced surveince tools, it was fairly easy for her to soon get a sense of where everything was, and how it worked.


    It was a beautiful city. Especially the temple of Hawa. It was incredibly grand, and made with an opulence unmatched in any world Edna seen before. Its structure was made with a kind of shimmering marble, and the arches were decorated with gems and a kind of gold paint that looked more gold-like than gold.


    It was magic, and the presence of divine magic in the area was unmistakable. The relic in the deepest part of the temple bubbled, twisting the fabric of reality in a way only domainholders like Edna could feel.


    Here, they were close to the gods, and Edna was sure of it.


    She hoped that she would be able to arrange an audience with the gods. That would help the war effort, and figure out what the hell went wrong with the demons.


    So, the time to make a scene finally arrived.


    Id like to see the head priest. Edna dered frankly in the temple. She had been watching the ce for a while, and noticed that the head priest was present for a meeting with the citys King. He was frequently away, but this was one of the days when she saw him enter.


    The priest stared at Edna like she was an alien. Who do you think you are? No one sees the head priest-


    I insist. Ednas aura red, and the priest felt his hands tremble. She thought of more discreet methods, but decided against it. It was better to just hit it directly. If they were unfriendly, then shed deal with it that way.


    -I- I will let him know. Who- he will want to know who wants to see him.


    Tell him Im a warrior from another world, and representative of another god. Edna repeated, and the priests trembling looked even more intense. His eyes met Ednas burning gaze briefly, and he ran.


    -At once, mdy.


    ***


    Edna expected an army of temrs to charge down at her, and so, when an army of temrs armed with divine weapons did in fact emerge, she wasnt shocked.


    This way, mdy. One of the priests said, escorted by what appeared to be a decent army of temrs. They were all about level 70 to 80, which made them very strong by most measures.


    With their divine equipment, they could stand a chance even with the higher level Valthorns.


    Edna was escorted into the depths of the temple, and she could sense people moving throughout the temple. There was a huge guard force appearing around the relic, as if worried that the relic would be attacked.


    She just smiled, and walked past the corridors of paintings and tapestries all speaking praises of their god, Hawa.


    Eventually, she was led to a chamber far from the relic, and was clearly not the actual chamber of the head priest. But the head priest was there, decked from head to toe for war. Divine armaments, rings, armors. They would take a hit.


    Greetings, mdy. Of all the oundish attempts to get an audience with me, yours is the most ludicrous. A visitor from another world, and representative from another god? The head priest said. He was smug. So ridiculous. So, you seeded. What do you want?


    Edna didnt feel the need to answer it with words, and merely allowed her domain to ripple outwards. It shook the cloth and tapestries. The magical defenses in the room vibrated. The head priest felt his rings tremble, as if begging to be activated.


    It caused the Head Priests face to contort from smugness, into horror, and then, to fear. He then stood. -youre not lying.


    Edna shrugged. Why would I? Ie from another world, a world that also has Hawa as one of our peoples faith.


    She looked around, and withdrew her domain. The trembling in the room vanished.


    I will cut to the point. I want an audience with Hawa.


    The head priest stared at Edna as if she was mad. An audience with our god? Are you insane?


    No. We found the demons sun, and we need your gods help. Only gods can hope to strike at the demons power.


    The Head Priest frowned. Youre insane- how do you hope to-


    Its not the first time we spoke to a god. Edna countered. If it helps, let your god know we have spoken to Aiva.


    The Head Priest shook his head. Communion with our god is a costly, resource-intensive process-


    And it happens whenever you select your champions for this world. I know Hawa can be reached from this world.


    -and why should we do it?


    Because we will get it eventually. Edna answered. All the dys merely add time, but do not prevent the inevitable. We will find the Gods, one way or another. Be it Aiva, Hawa, Gaya, Neira or whoever other gods out there that we have not seen. AND-


    The head priest stared.


    We can help. We have the ability to breach distances through the system. Our patron god can create permanent pathways between worlds, allowing your god to extend power further than ever.


    He paused and closed his eyes. You mean it? Proof that you are from another world?


    I would dly send you to our world if you want to, but I ask that you trust me, and consult whoever you need to consult. Edna repeated.


    The Hawa Temples of Satrya were a coalition of Hawa churches, each with a relic, each with its own head priests. Collectively, they operate as a council of equals, though each branch of the Hawa church were functionally independent.


    They often do not intervene with each other, outside for the rare moments when Hawa descends and transmits a message.


    Divine Communion.


    Edna heard that it was possible since a long time ago. Some priests and priestesses hear the voices of their gods in their mind, through dreams.


    It is unmistakable, because the gods presence is extremely difficult to fake.


    The Head Priest looked at Edna ufortably, before letting out a long- long sigh.


    Can you show me that aura of yours? Again. At full strength. The head priest answered. Ill take it as proof of your ims. To initiate a conversation with our god requires agreement of all the Head Priests- this is a matter far more serious than what I can do alone.


    Edna sighed, and let it rip. This time, the walls cracked, as the full weight of her close-to-level-200 aura rippled through the entire city. The entire city would have felt it, as if something pressed on them.


    A weight of power.


    The Head Priest and all the divine guards clenched their weapons.


    Edna smiled. They were strong enough to resist, because Hawas blessing was exceptionally strong in this world. But even the weaker few felt their legs buckle. If Lumoof was here, they would all be kneeling.


    That is unmistakable indeed.


    Tell the rest of the Head Priests that we offer a return trip to our world, to have an audience with my patron, Aeon. I believe once you meet Aeon, you will find that our request to meet Hawa to be not unreasonable.


    The Head Priest nodded. I will need some time to speak to the rest of my peers. The Hawas Circle dont meet often, and the next meet is in a few months. I will bring this matter up then.


    Edna nodded. We can wait. I have plenty else to do.


    ***


    Howd it go? Roon and Ezar asked over their sharedmunication.


    The Head Priest said they will bring it up to the Hawas Circle meet in a few months. How are things on your side? Edna said as she retreated to an inn.


    Went as well as expected. I popped into the Head Priestesss room, and I got misunderstood as a suitor and apparently, if a single man appears in a single womans room at night, Im supposed to take her as my wife. Roon said.


    Ezar facepalmed from his part of the city. Edna chuckled. I think this is the second time you did something like that.


    Roon just shrugged. I seem to attract the wrong kind of people.


    You shouldnt be popping up in peoples rooms at night. Edna said.


    She is heavily guarded as hell, and I really dont want to knock people out just to talk to her. My attempts to get in through the front door got shut off because the head priestess gets too many people trying to meet her that way.


    She sounds cute. The knight smirked.


    Oh please. Roon said.


    Howd she take your confession?


    -she asks me to call the rest of you here. Roon said. And she still wants me to marry her.


    Ednaughed. She takes that pretty seriously.


    Its a faith thing. Some religious mumbo jumbo. I didnt see such a rule in the Hawa documents we have back home!


    Tell her you are married.


    I n to. Next time, we should insist on same-sex night visits. Roon countered. Im not visiting a woman at night ever again. Never seems to go well, not with my kind of shit luck.


    I wouldnt call it shit luck. The other two domain holdersughed.


    Edna smirked. Alright, alright. Ezar, whats your situation?


    The Head Priestess is an old woman. She listened, but she thought Im a madman, so chased me out. I think well need Lumoof here to speak to her kind of person. Its just a vibe Im getting. Think she respects someone like Lumoof.


    Darn. Very well, I think we should make ourselves seen during theing meeting of the Hawas Circle. Edna added. That should be our best ce to make our case to Hawa.


    They dont even say where it is- Its one of those super secretive meetings. Roon countered.


    Ask your fiance where it is, then? Edna asked.


    Shes not- and Im not manipting a womans love for that. Roon countered. Theres some red lines in my life, and thats one of them.


    Edna chuckled. Youre pretty chivalrous, despite your fondness forte night visits.


    -ugh stop it. Edna, Ezar, juste over to my side of the world and visit this woman with me. And Edna, youre going to pretend to be my wife.


    Ednaughed. You really want an old woman like me as your pretend wife instead of a beautiful young priestess? Why not tell her you have a wife somewhere else.


    Im not marrying some priestess I barely know. So shut it and y along.


    Very well. Ednaughed.


    ***


    Edna realized all the relic cities were t out beautiful. They were so well protected and covered with divine magic that it didnt seem likely that the demons would be able to attack them.


    The relic city of Olpash was located along a gentle slope along the hills, and the temple upied a central location, surrounded by walls. There was a beautiful silver statue that was fifteen stories tall of a man with a sword, a shield, and wearing a knights helmet.


    There were five castles throughout the city, each located along the walls, and each home to one of the ducal families of Olpash. Among the five, one would be King at one time, and the role of king rotated among the five families.


    But Olpash was also home to a relic, and it was a gigantic divine shield too big for any man to wield.


    Still, even from afar, Edna could feel the divine energies stored within. Should a demon king attack, it was likely they could hold the city. Just like the other relic city, the presence of Hawa was strong.


    Divine magics rippled in the air, the shields presence warped reality. Edna briefly wondered what itll be like to move all the divine relics together.


    So your prospective wife is located there? Edna said.


    Yes.


    Okay. Remember, our goal is really to get an audience with Hawa. This priestess is one of the Circle, so she can help facilitate that objective. Edna repeated. Ready?


    Roon shrugged. -I dont really want to see her again. Can you just go?


    Please, youre a domain holder and you dont want to see a woman again. Come on. Edna countered.


    Ezar just grinned. I must say, Roon, I dont recall ever seeing you this flustered.


    Look, Ezar, you go visit a woman at night.


    Ive done it! Ezarughed. They dont mistake me as a suitor. Maybe I just have a punchable face that women hate. You, on the other hand, look like the pretty boys that woman absolutely adore.


    Roon flushed.


    Oh Im never gonna let that slide. Ezar chuckled.


    Roon red. I hate you.


    Edna just rolled her eyes. Boys, focus. We got a priestess waiting for us. Lets convince her to side with our cause.


    Yes, maam.


    ***


    The priestesss room was located in a magically protected sphere, in one of the inner buildings of the temple. It was heavily protected, that most mages wouldnt even be able to get in, but for domain holders, the restraints and magical protections just washed off their bodies.


    She was half asleep in her sleeping gown when she noticed the window was open, and felt the presence of others in her room.


    Despite her seemingly youthful experience, Edna was fairly sure she was a high-leveled priestess, in the same league as the other High Priest she met. She was likely to be around level 70 to 80, and she wore a special ne around her neck filled with divine magic all the time.


    -oh, youre here again. With guests? The priestess spoke. As Edna expected, she was a beautiful woman, well equipped in all the right ces, and blessed by Hawa. Edna could feel the presence of Hawas blessing, just like in the High Priest. Its likely they have a [Hawa High Priest] ss or something simr. Are they the suitors party?


    Roon frowned. -I am not marrying you.


    The priestess frowned. Am I that unattractive? So many men desire me, and here you are, I offer you my hand in marriage and you reject me.


    Roons frustration was palpable. -Woman, I am here to continue that conversation. We need an audience with your god, Hawa.


    She frowned. Ill raise your cause during the Hawas circle if you agree to take me as your wife.


    Im married!


    Dont lie to me. I dont sense a womans presence on you.  The priestess countered.


    In truth, that was because the priestess couldnt sense anything on Roon, who was protected by his own domain. I dont believe in your god. Roon countered.


    Doesnt matter. Hawa will forgive you.


    Edna inwardly felt sorry for her fellow domain holder. He seemed to attract a certain type of crazy. Edna decided to breach the topic. Mdy, we wish to have an audience with Hawa, what else can we offer to get your support during the Hawas Circle meeting?


    She thought about it for a moment, and stared at Edna briefly. Then she frowned. Nothing. I want this man to take me as his wife.


    Edna countered. Priestess, we really do not wish to mix personal matters into affairs involving the fate of worlds. There are worlds that could benefit from our mutual cooperation.


    I know. But as head priestess, I have full prerogative and discretion in my decisions, as granted to me by Hawa. And so my condition remains. He takes me as his wife.


    Edna realized this woman was nuts, and looked at her two colleagues. Well, I believe we have nothing more to add. Lets go.


    Edna would rather take the chance and convince the other Head Priests and Priestesses. This woman was probably a little messed up in the head.


    But as Edna, Roon and Ezar was about to vanish through the door again, the Priestess realized her ways was probably too aggressive.


    -wait.


    Roon and Edna stood. Oh?


    You im to be from another world, correct? The priestess spoke.


    Yes.


    Take me on a trip together. Just the two of us, to your world. I dont believe I cant convince you to take me as your wife. If you remain unmoved, fine, Ill support your cause anyway. The priestess said to Roon.


    Edna looked at Roon, and Roon made a long sigh. Fine. Ill take you on a trip to our world. Later.


    The priestess smiled beautifully. I cant wait to see you again, husband~


    Roon rolled his eyes and vanished through the window.


    They would visit the other head priests, and attempt to convince them of their cause.

 272. Revitalizing Old Seeds

    272. Revitalizing Old Seeds


    C272


    <b>Year 266</b>


    The first of theet fragments emerged from the void. We have been tracking it the moment it appeared within our vision, and we watched with great interest for the moment it entered our bubble of reality.


    The first few meteors popped out of the darkness, like a cluster of rocks that suddenly shed its cloak of invisibility. A quick scan revealed that we didnt detect Multipuss presence, but among the rocks was a slightlyrger chunk of the Comets core, and that rock maintained a small bubble of reality.


    Engage! My mages ordered as the meteors entered our range.


    Mages, in our tree-based environmentally controlled battlesuits, attacked the rocks. They were much smaller, and it seemed the very act of travelling through the void had eroded them one way or another.


    It was a good sign. It meant that without a strong bubble of reality, the rocks we expect to face should be smaller than the main Comet.


    The distant dark skies, not visible from Treehome, erupted in explosions of magic. With extremely powerful telescopes it would be possible to see some small sparks and explosions, but we destroyed the smaller remnant meteors. For the Core remnant, a few of our mages hopped onto the rock and tried to steer it.


    Core material was valuable. I have it in such little quantities that if there was a core chunk from the Demons Comet, we wanted to see whether we could process it, and learn from it.


    But like Core Mana, it degrades quite quickly, especially when exposed to the light of the sun. Which was strange.


    One of the quirks of Core mana.


    For now, with magical propulsion, we guided this remnant rock from the core of the demonset, and directed it into a somewhat stable orbit. My Valthorn mages then quickly set up a basic maniption system, just a few magical patterns and formations that created some propulsion to steer the core away from Treehome. This would allow it to maintain that stable orbit.


    It wasnt big, but we wanted to examine this core remnant in greater detail.


    I was fairly impressed that we now had our first space-based research station.


    My Valthorns first space-based research station consisted of portable living quarters from our almost century-long experience of building underground bunkers, andter on our developments on the Demons Comet, Lavaworld, Cometworld and our moon.


    Travel to and from the research station in our world was a lot simpler, since we had ess to magical portals and teleportation spells. We didnt need rockets.


    Even deploying our new wood-based mechs involved teleportation to the closest undisturbed space.


    ***


    Ste watched as the first engagements with the meteor remnants proceeded as nned, and as my forces exert itself on Threeworld, on Mountainworld, on Dwarfworld, and now, even this world of Satrya.


    -And so begins the Imperial Era of Aeon. Ste said as she arrived in Threeworld, and watched my Valthorns crawling all over the city of Maelga.


    You speak of it as if its new. I chuckled.


    Its just an observation, really. My void domainholder watched. Within a year, we had to quell dissent in the humannds.


    In many ways, an era of great political change for the Threeworlds humans. In normal times, the sandpeople and the centaurs would capitalize on this to wage an attack and try to im some fringe territories from the human kingdoms.


    But with the presence of my overwhelming beetles, they know better. The centaurs have seen my warriors in theirnds, and know that we have far stronger warriors than them.


    Zhaanpu, of them all, seemed to have most to think about. The nature of our rtionship was perhaps an ally of convenience, but my upation of Maelga had made him feel a little-


    Queasy.


    As if he invited evil into his home.


    Perhaps it was a sensation to have power challenged.


    I thought it might be a sense of vulnerability.


    Or perhaps it was how rtively easy it was to suppress the Crystal King, even with the Crystal Kings huge array of hero items. He didnt manage to use them, and I also discovered they were primarily designed for use against heroes that turned rogue.


    The hero items effectiveness against Lumoof was suspect, and this was something that I saw Zhaanpu thinking about keenly. I noticed because he began asking Khefri for more general-purpose hero items, instead of human-killers.


    So this Empire- Ste looked at the humannds. What do you have in mind?


    The war to free ourselves from the demons will not end. Not with how they bend the system to its will. We will need warriors. We will need equipment. The myriad worlds will supply them.


    I see. Ste said. It is like that.


    Maelgas priests of Mas adapted surprisingly easily. I still wondered who Mas was, whether Mas corresponded to any of the religions of Treehome. Gaya, Neira, Hawa, Aiva. Those are the main four of Treehome. There were a few smaller ones, but their presence has been minor, and its hard to tell whether they are real gods, or just fake ones.


    Then on the Satrya, theres Hawas gods.


    Then, on Delvegard, the dwarfworld, the dwarves, so far, didnt seem to believe in any of the gods we know of.


    Looking at the trend, there may be more than ten gods, scattered over a vast area. The gods may be able to exert significant power over a set of Core worlds, but a much more reduced presence over the rest.


    An Empire gearing up for a war, but I cant help but think about the day after.


    You make it sound like we will win.


    We will. Ste said, unsure of herself. But I hope there is something for the people, after all of this. That- you know, we be a post-scarcity society, where everyone lives at peace, and can decide to live the lives they want.


    That will happen after-


    Will you let go?


    Yes. I said. I was sure I would. Id be more than happy to shed the mantle. If life was no longer at risk of extinction. If forests and my trees are allowed to prosper, why do I want to meddle in all this shit?


    Its pointless. The squabbles of life against each other.


    Pointless. I dont care for it.


    But I have to, because I need them to win this fight.


    Ste looked at the growing empire, and sighed. It was a mess. You know, Im torn whether thats a good thing.


    ***


    Kei watched as the city of Freshka fell asleep that night. It was getting dark and the skies were clear. There were lights that littered the city, it is said that Freshka could be seen from miles away, the sprawling mess of Freshkas city, at times, never seemed to sleep.


    The streets glowed from the colorful lights. Magical stones, not fully formed crystals, were somehow converted into magical lights through the inventive manufacturing processes of crafters and enchanters.


    The crystal shortfall due to the manufacturing of bombs significantly drained the traditional supply of crystal based lights, so cities such as Freshka and many others found alternatives. Some cities used a type of glowing bug that is specifically bred to provide lighting. Some cities found glowing trees and nts, which provided much needed lighting.


    Others reverted back to fires. With the huge variety of woods these days, there are a certain variety of slow-burning woods that give enough light. Some just embed a [light] spell into various types of magical material, to cause them to emit light. But this required a [mage] to constantly maintain lights throughout the city, instead of materials that could draw in ambient energy.


    Freshka was still busy at night, but traffic was less heavy than daytime.


    The citys resource demands were so high that logistics guilds resorted to moving goods at odd times to maximize efficiency.


    Kei dodged a convoy of beetles. The Valtrian Order leased cargo-ferry beetles to the various merchants guilds formercial use, and they were arge source of ie for the Order. Cheap, magically sustained, and hardy, they significantly reduced the need for horses for goods, but most kingdoms, especially those that fear Aeons retribution, still maintained their own stables and horses.


    Just in case.


    Dinner was over, and there were streets filled with bars and clubs. It was a scene that sometimes reminded her of home. People everywhere still have a need for entertainment, especially those of the flesh. Taverns were noisy at this time.


    Past the noisymercial streets, she walked into one of the quietest, most privileged corners of Freshka.


    She arrived at her destination. It was arge mansion. Quiet.


    She knocked on the gate, the gate opened magically.


    Lady Kei. An Order guard stood at the guardhouse. There was also a maid waiting for her. You arrived earlier than expected. Shell take you in.


    She was escorted into a quiet waiting room. Tea was served, along with some fruits. The walls had paintings. Of ces.


    Kei! Lausanne walked into the room. Thanks for dropping by.


    The crystal golem smiled at the master of the house. Laufen and Lausanne didnt live together. Her mother lived a few doors down the street.


    They talked about Arlisa, how Arlisas still spending her time with adventurer stuff. About Lausannes son, Lauda. Both Arlisa and Lauda are more than 100 years old now, and both as half-elves, their lifespans were going to be shorter than Lausanne, unless they gained a lot of levels. Still, they should live until at least their 200-300s if all goes well, unlike Ardi who died so much younger.


    Despite being a quasi-royalty of Freshka, Lauda founded his own small magical entity that focused on research and ruins. He didnt want to be too closely associated with the Order, even if they still received Orders funding. Unlike his mother and grandmother, who were still Order members till this day.


    Partly because he saw how Arlisa went through a rebellious phase and essentially burned bridges with many of her old friends.


    What about you- whatve you been up to? Kei asked.


    I visited the Northern Inds recently, you know, to meet Me and Alexis-


    Oh. Them. How are they? Kei said with subtle contempt. She still struggled to fit them into the ns. Even Ken didnt really want to include them, given theirplicated past with Aeon.


    They are fine. They took my advice to bunker up well. The Norths growing well, the cities feel a lot more prosperous since Ist saw them a few years ago. The vassal and guild wars didnt hurt them as badly as the rest.


    The vassal wars have mostlye to a standstill. The resource demands of the great Comet attack drained much of the fire out of the war, and now that it has de-facto ended, both sides settled into afortable ceasefire and status quo that neither wanted to restart. There might be an incident or re up that causes it to resurface, but for now, both sides are focused on licking their wounds and preparing for the eventual resumption of hostilities.


    Crystals also began to trickle back into the market.


    Kei looked at Lausanne, and then dropped the question on her mind. Lausanne. Would you be willing to take up arms again?


    She paused, realizing Keis question was serious. -why?


    -Your children are old now. You no longer have to care for them like you used to. You have free time, and now, more than ever, we need you to do what Jura once did. Be on the front lines once more, and be one of the Pirs of our world.


    Lausanne closed her eyes briefly. Is this request from Patriarch Lumoof or Edna?


    No. Me- and maybe Ste. Kei answered. Of all the elves from the first days of Freeka, only you remain. Well- and your mother, but she is not a warrior.


    Romas around.


    Kei grinned. You know its not the same. You are the first. The First true Valthorn.


    That should be Jura.


    Hes dead. Kei said. I believe Aeon would still give you a [soul strengthening seed] if you ask for it. For decades you are at level 85, theres probably some overflow experience in you that would-


    Lausanne looked at her room. You want me to abandon theforts of my beautiful home, and head back out there in the wilderness, battling demons and monsters.


    Yes. Because you are special, Lausanne. Till this day there is no one with your tier blessings. Sure, there are many, many others with the lesser variants of [Blessed by the Soul Tree], but knowing the system, there is an unspoken value as the first Blessed One of Aeon. You are the first, and that grants you a weight you can wield.


    Lausanne closed her eyes. -tell me whats really on your mind.


    Kei sipped her tea, and allowed the question to linger a bit before she spoke her mind. Aeon needs moral guidance. There are the domain holders, but we know he needs more than that. He needs a bit of your presence. You have history and a past. A bond few others can im to have.


    A bond that has turned distant.


    All I see are your internal struggles, Lausanne. Kei answered. Youre doing nothing with the rest of your life and you know it. You had just reason when you wanted to care for Lauda, but those days are over. Long over.


    What if I dont live up to that? There are so many with far better innate talent. The domain holders are all incredible people in their own ways.


    Is that what you fear, Lausanne? To try once more and find yourself not worthy?


    Lausanne closed her eyes. In many ways, it was a crisis of self confidence. She didnt answer.


    Kei continued. You once said to Aeon that you wanted to be a hero. We now know that the path to power exists. Edna is close to that point. It is no longer an impossibility. Not like your earlier days. Aeons ess to the other realms enables opportunities for growth we never had before. Lausanne, please. Its time to give that old dream of yours another chance. Jura once said your dream was foolish. But even he didnt see how things developed.


    Lausanne listened, her heart swirling. A part of her was convinced. Whats- whats your interest in this?


    The golemughed. Must everything be about interests?


    -But you have an interest in this.


    Id like to see an end to this. Properly. I feel sorry for those like me, that we are on this treadmill of endless fighting, summoned to fight in worlds that dont know us.


    Lies. Lausanne countered. Thats bullshit.


    The golem smirked.


    Kei closed her eyes, and then spilled the beans.


    I- I look at Arlisa and you, and see different versions of wasted potential. Arlisa is one where she couldnt take the expectations and crumbled. You could and some, but you chose to walk away. Weve known each other for years, decades, centuries! Lausanne, ever since the day you trained us, protected us and got us to level, back when we first met in that dwarven city, in the Eastern Continent. That day, almost 130 years ago, in my eyes, you were always a hero. You can still be one. With Aeons resources, I have no doubt about it.


    Lausanne stared at Kei.


    Both of them looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity.


    Eventually, Lausanne let out a long sigh. I have- I have a lot of catching up to do.

 273. Watching Plants Grow

    273. Watching nts Grow


    Voidyers.


    Ste felt it immediately, as Aeon said he would select the Dark Void. The world twisted and distorted ever so slightly, as if the entire world was an old cathode ray tube television that just experienced an interruption to its signal.


    The world was the same but different. There were nowyers to things.


    Aeon immediately mentioned the term filters, as if everything was photography filters. That was an eptable way of looking at things- but Ste wondered whether it was more appropriate to see things at different levels of magnification and zoom. That this was the world at different levels of zoom and magnify.


    Even Treehome looked different once Ste applied the voidyers.


    It was just in nothingness in some, and some others- something else.


    Ste wondered whether this was some kind of magical version of seeing quantum entanglement. That objects here are tied to some other objects far away, and the voidyers merely rearrange the world in ordance with how things are entangled together.


    The voidyers shifted things about.


    Eachyer moved the position of the different worlds in wildly different positions, and incredibly, they are all true at the same time.


    If teleportation was possible, in short, an ability to cross vast distances through linking two locations together, why wouldnt it be possible to have naturally urring variants? This was the worlds and realms cut up and pasted again in different ces.


    A puzzle with multiple possible answers.


    Each world is a puzzle piece, and eachyer a different eptable variation of how the puzzle was solved. Depending on whichyer, a world could be infinitely far away, or just next door.


    Ste stared as her mind flipped through the differentyers, and watched she could only process about 15, no, about 20yers. She may have ess to them, but her mind could not process those that were still too different. It hurt just trying to look at them, and she didnt even know why.


    Your nose is bleeding, Lady Ste. One of the void archmages, Veter,mented. Veter too, had gained ess to the voidyers, and he only managed to see six of theyers before his mind began to feel the strain.


    I need Patreecks help. Stemanded, as she walked into the special brain augmentation tree designed to expand her mental processing capacity.


    The minds linked with hers, as she attempted to push the edges of the [Void Layers]. Incredibly, the moment she could see it, it didnt take her more mental energy to see it again. Once she got it, she got it.


    23yers.


    Darn it. Ste emerged exhausted, and sipped on a fruit punch filled with nutrients prepared right outside. The archmage, Veter, nodded.


    Shouldnt push it too hard, Lady Ste. A few of the lesser void mages had bad nosebleeds and had to be under [healer]s watch.


    Ste shrugged. The [Void] worlds. Do you see it?


    One of them. Veter nodded. The order had about seven void archmages now, though none of them close enough to get to the domains, yet. They would have to participate inbat- perhaps intentionally triggering demonic mothers and use their void energies on the ck suns shards.


    I can see two differentyers with them- Ste frowned.


    In some versions of the voidyers, the world was entirely of a different color. As if these were special worlds, and they contained worlds entirely unseen on any otheryers. These were hidden in the gaps of the void sea.


    The equivalent of folders and files that were hidden from view through some administrative rights, and no matter how the files get shuffled around, these hidden files remain hidden.


    Veter nodded. Preparations to visit is underway- though our collective view is that we should get over the meteor remnants-


    Ste understood. I agree. Tempting as it may be, it is not the right time to jump to these void worlds now.


    Veter breathed a sigh of relief. Aeons node seeds. They could be sent to these void worlds.


    The void domain holder paused. It was true. But right now, they were spoilt for choice. With the expanded starmap provided by the rescued Zaratan, they could see even more worlds that were linked to Delvegard.


    Then, on the other side of Satrya, theres the Hawa-controlled worlds. Ste knew they were close to the gods, because of how Hawas power permeated through the world of Satrya. That- was also another front for exploration.


    They really didnt have enough void mages to go around.


    Not just that. They didnt have enough domain holders to explore the worlds safely.


    ***


    <b>Year 267</b>


    <i>Delvegard.</i>


    What do you think? Lumoof asked as he guided the dwarven lord Sundus through the small town. It was a rtively run down, undeveloped ce, but the local dwarves still built a small town here. Here, in this small dwarven town of Odeos, with no resources of worth, they were not worth the attention of the nearby dwarven nations.


    Sundus, a rtively young dwarven lord from the Fresnds Treetiary College, nodded. Can be done. But I will require assistance. Theres a lot of construction to do, and I will need the Treeology priests to back me up. Ill need some time to convince the dwarves to ept our rule.


    Lumoof nced at Kafa. Kafa nodded. Ill handle it, Patriarch.


    My avatar nodded. Ill leave the responsibilities for this world to you, Kafa. It appears I am needed elsewhere.


    The lizardperson gave a salute. I wont let you down.


    I know you wont. But do not fear failure. We will inevitably fail somewhere. Even Aeon fails. Lumoof smiled and looked back at Sundus. Lord Sundus, Ill return to Treehome and arrange the resources.


    The Delvegard force was not a full invasion army, unlike Threeworlds. We deployed almost thirty thousand Valthorns and Valtrian Order operatives throughout the human kingdoms, in order to manage the transition period and enforce our rule.


    At about one hundred people, it was pretty much a small, but elite reconnaissance force. But with Kafa around, the likelihood of threats that could threaten them was fairly miniscule.


    Sundus was one of five dwarven lords recruited from Treehome for the task, each of them will be assisted by about twenty others elites, as bodyguards, spies, and also to act on their instructions.


    They would each im one of these smaller dwarven towns, as these towns do not have a high ranked [lord] leading them. The five would then form a shadow alliance, acting in concert with the rest of the Valthorns.


    Once a certain scale was achieved, the n was that I would deploy one of my Node Trees in Sunduss town. As the situation on Threeworlds and the human kingdoms stabilizes over the next few years, we would then have more resources to redirect to Delvegard, and properly begin our colonization process.


    Of what we know of Delvegard so far, we have two actual goals, and one optional goal


    The main one, in my brief assessment of Delvegard, was to properly capture the dwarven academies of Delvegard. These craftsmen and smithing academies train a lot of the crafters that worked on their War Machines, and if we could maneuver our FTC-trained dwarven lords into a position where they controlled these academies, that would be ideal.


    The second one, was to gain ess to a stable supply of these Sunsteels and Sunmetals, and conduct experiments on how to better use these new materials for our war against the demons.


    The third one was to recruit the dwarves for our war. I would like to channel their thirst for war towards the demons. That should bring about some semnce of peace and unity to the Delvegard Dwarves. If not, we would like to convert the dwarves into our war suppliers, providing assistance to our forces.


    Right now, the Valthorns manufacturing processes are strong, but some variety of goods, and an expansion of our total military industrialplex would allow us to mount more attacks and reduce ourg time between attacks.


    We felt this keenly with the demonset, where we had to tap into all our crafters and manufacturers to make sufficient bombs. Even then, it felt insufficient. It took us too long to ramp up our production, and our bombs were still not good enough.


    As an institution, we will learn from our mistakes, and get better in the art of fighting demons. We will roll with the punches, and hit back as hard as we can.


    ***


    <i>Treehome</i>


    Back on Treehome, the situation was calm.


    More fragments emerged from the void, and during this time the heroes got some additional practice with the meteors and their tree-mechs.


    Then we finally had one that carried a part of the demon king Multipus. It was fairly small, and the heroes annihted the creature easily.


    So far, so good. None of the meteors have gotten past our firstyer of defenses. But the bulk of the meteors should only reach us in about three years time. Our space based defenses would be truly tested then.


    ***


    Here. Kei held out the strange seed in her hand. Lausanne trembled slightly as she touched it, and consumed it.


    I remember when Jura ate it for the first time, and felt like his soul was on fire. Lausanne immediately went and rested on a bed. -I feel queasy.


    I was told its amon urrence.


    She slept for a day, and when she woke up, her soul weighed more.


    So how many levels did you gain? Kei asked as she came to check on her friend. I was told some folks have overflow levels.


    Level 98. Lausanne said, trembling slightly. I seem to have done a lot since I hit my peak.


    Darn. 13 levels is pretty good. I hit Level 100 some time ago but its getting pretty damn hard to level outside of the dungeons. Ill take you with me.


    Lausanne paused. When I was sleeping, I was thinking about this- about what Im doing.


    What? Kei looked back.


    What if- what if one day we have to fight him?


    Kei shook her head. Id rather not get to that point. We bend it, we mend it, but Id rather not end it. Thats an ending well regret.


    Lausanne looked out of her home, and into the streets. She wore Valthorn armor, custom made. Her position in the society meant many gave her special rights and ess, even when she didnt ask for it.


    Its been a while since Ive visited dungeons.


    Kei smirked. Well, itll get easier with time.


    ***


    Throughout Treehome, with the winds of the vassal wars behind us, trade and mostly normal life resumed. Piracy, a problem weve pretty much allowed to ur due to the leveling it generated, came back in full swing, this time putting the pirates against their former clients.


    This time, adventurers participated in the defense of the guilds. Adventurers generally tried to stay out of the war between the guilds and Empires of the other continents, simply because their nature of work wasnt designed for regrbat, even if their high levels made them valuable irregr units.


    Most empires and guilds dangled huge amounts of money in the past, during the heated years of the vassal wars, and hoped to entice adventurers to support their war. It worked, to some degree, but some adventurers didnt want to offend either the guilds or the empires and decided to stay out of it.


    Once more, nothing from you. Why do you endure these pirates? Its been two decades since the day Emperor Erranuel ascended to the throne of his Holy Empire, but we still asionally spoke. With my reach, it was not impossible for me to contact him even in the safety of his pce. The range of my telepathic abilities has increased, a result of the cumtive increase in levels over the years.


    Why not? It is only the natural course of mortals to attempt to subvert known ways of achieving wealth. Why do you expect me to do something?


    True. Sometimes, I think nothing is exactly what you want to do. Erranuel chuckled in his throne room. There was no one present, he had chased them out whenever we spoke. But I know some of the Emperors aides are secretly listening, and he knows about it too.


    But a semnce of privacy is better than none.


    By most measures, his Holy Empire prospered since his ascension. His elevated powers brought prosperity, as the average health improved, farming yields improved, and somehow, the earth itself rewarded them with new mineral discoveries.


    A King or an Emperor bends the luck and destiny of his nation. Earthly minerals and resources are certainly not finite in the traditional, earthly sense. System shenanigans can trigger the creation of new mineral veins, just as how the flow of magical ley lines changes the mineral structure and qualities of the rocks it passed through.


    To a certain extent, there is a friendlypetition between us. Erranuel wants his empire to catch up with the Central Continent, and for most part, I dont get in the way. With our domain holders, we remain so far ahead that it would be difficult for them to even think ofpeting.


    I believe it is the openmunication between the two of us that allowed this to happen. As the Order expands into a multinar institution, our capacity to monitor and to truly control all the minutiae of local policies and politics is limited.


    Already, Ste informed the council of the presence of at least 15 more worlds that could be essed directly from Treehome, due to the newly unlocked [Void Layers].


    Fifteen worlds. Just from us directly through the new voidyers. My council gathered, and I wondered whether we should just send spies to them directly.


    But with domain holders at a shortage, using my level 100s was an elevated risk because theycked the protections a domainholder had.


    In a way, it was ironic that I didnt hesitate a full army to demonworlds, but I hesitated with these alien worlds. This was partly because demonworlds, for most part, felt like a known quantity. We were expecting demons, not other domain holders or gods. The range of possible enemies were somewhat predictable.


    If there was a domain holder hiding in the world of demons, they would be hiding really well. Gods, well, we dont expect them in the world of demons, because gods could easily defeat demons on their own homeworlds.


    I hear from the grapevine that youre exploring more worlds. Erranuel said. It wasnt that much of a secret. We explored worlds, and we publicly announced that we want to explore more worlds.


    It was a recruitment pitch, really. People who have that exploratory streak would join us. The curiosity and desire to learn was a valuable quality to have.


    What I am truly afraid of, with all these new worlds, is the discovery of a potentially hostile civilization with the ability to travel through the multiverse. If they possessed mind reading abilities, that meant only my [domain holders] were the only ones that could interact with them with high certainty that their minds are notpromised.


    I am always exploring. There are many worlds out there, and we hope to find allies among them.


    If you find our god, let him know Id like to speak to him.


    Ironically, we were.


    The Holy Emperor Erranuel was blessed, by thebined blessings of Gaya and Hawas archpriests, to create a King above Kings.


    We are close to one of them. When we do speak to him-


    I want to be there. Erranuel said. I am a Holy Emperor of an Empire, created in Gaya and Hawas name. But in the end, I want to know whether they care. Whether there is purpose in this foolish conflict that we inherited from the earlier set of Divine Communions. Whether we can end this long standing conflict, and work together.


    I wasnt sure. I didnt know whether Hawa would be friendly, or hostile.


    Of all the four major gods of Treehome, personally, I think its most likely that Gaya was hostile.


    Gaya didnt even like spirit trees in his temple grounds. I still remember their priests kicking me out of their temples garden.


    What if he doesnt want to speak to you? I asked.


    Then there is no point for this faithful one to be faithful, is it?


    Youre the Holy Emperor, surely your faith goes beyond such interaction. Is your faith so weak that it crumbles from being spurned? I countered. I didnt know why I was testing his faith, either, but I suspect I didnt like how transactional it all sounded.


    There are those that believe all the frills of our societys interactions are stripped out, ites down to our expectations. Each transaction leads to current or future benefit, or fear of retaliation.


    Many people behave well, because they know being nice has future payback. If there were no future consequences, only a select few will be nice just to be nice.


    Emperor Erranuel chuckled. Praise Hawa and Gaya, for I am a fool that cant see their greatness. If a god doesnt speak to me, even as a Holy Emperor, what more do I expect of my subjects? What more do I expect of the men who I send to their deaths in his name? I continue to believe in him, for their ways are as mystical as the darkness of the skies above, but a Holy Emperor is Holy only because he is the conduit. He is the link between the Heavens and the Earth. If he doesnt speak to me, then I must abdicate my throne and choose someone who will be granted an audience with our god.


    Ah. That was a sensible angle. He is a Holy Emperor, because he must speak for his god. Without the ability to speak to his god, he is nothing but a normal Emperor. It is a fairlymon expectation in medieval societies that the Emperor is the gods incarnate.


    What is Gods Hand, if the hand cannot see God? I see your avatar, the Patriarch and the Voice of Aeon, and wonder where I stand.


    I suppose even Emperors experience impostor syndrome.


    ***


    <i>Satrya, The Home of the Seven Hawa Relics</i>


    I doubt Hawa would actually refuse to see you. The High Priest said. It was the sixth High Priest they met so far, and of the ones they met, two had refused to entertain them. The High Priest of Museo was willing to speak for them, as was the High Priestess of Olpash.


    Two in favor, three against.


    This High priest shook his head. I will not oppose it. But I will not support you. It is His Eminences choice.


    We merely request for the delivery of the message to Hawa.


    The sixth one abstained. He frowned. Sorry. This is as much as I am willing to do. It is the matters of our God, and a mere mortal as myself would not step in.


    It is amon stance. Those that opposed generally had the same stance, that with the matter of God, Edna would be the one to seek out an audience herself. The priests have no say, and should not be seen as working for another god. Even if it was just the act of delivering a message, all matters around their God was dealt with velvet gloves, and they would not dare to even consider modifying old customs and processes.


    Faith. It did so much good to their world. It gave them protection and gave them structure. But there are times Edna hated dealing with them.


    Can you imagine our own priests turning out this way? Ezar said with a scowl.


    They could. Edna responded earnestly. We better remind the patriarchs and matriarchs not to be such stubborn fools.


    Its a bnce between essibility and mysticism. Roon said with a sigh. The ranger-archer was surprisingly knowledgeable. With more ess, god loses mysticism.


    Edna frowned. Thats so stupid. A gods presence is self-evident. Anyone standing in front of Aeon knows that.


    Edna remembered the day when Aiva descended for an audience, and she remembered how it felt. It was truly an unmistakable experience. Those who were there know who they saw, and no words can exin it.


    A god is a god, and there was no need for all this pomp and process. Before divinity, there really was nothing else topare to.


    But Aeon is not in front of everyone. Roon countered. Think of it this way, if Hawa is so freely essible, then it so happens that one can no longer speak to Hawa, will Hawa suffer from a loss of faith? Therefore, the base assumption for a faith is that speaking to a god is only in very, very special situations.


    Edna realized Roon had a point. If the god was always seen as there, then suddenly disappearing would be bad for them. But if he is always unseen, then whether he is or not, is of no consequence to the faith.


    But we are asking for an audience-


    And I bet kings and emperors have asked for an audience too. That two of six are willing to speak for us is actually pretty good.


    The Council of Hawa High Priests numbered Seven in all. Seven Relics, and Seven High Priests.


    But this means we dont have a majority. Edna frowned. We need Lumoof here to convince that old woman to change her mind.

 274. Food for Thought

    274. Food for Thought


    Year 267, Part 2


    <i>Delvegard</i>


    Sundus found it quite easy to bribe the existing Dwarven Lord to resign from his post, and hand it over to him. After all, he was the lord of a small town worth nothing, a bit of money and high quality equipment did more for him than his position ever did.


    So, Sundus soon found himself lord of the small dwarven town of 2,000 dwarves. They worked at a mine that produced regr iron, and they had forges to make high quality steel, which they sold to the other dwarven cities.


    For food, some of the dwarves farmed. It was a matter of great reluctance for the Delvegard dwarves, since they didnt like farming all that much. On Treehome or on ces like the Eastern Continent where the dwarves had their hidden underground cities, they loved to fund the other races to produce all their food and wheat or buy their food from others. It was for this reason dwarven cities are rarely mono-racial cities, because they needed some people to be farmers, and would treat them well to do what they were meant to do.


    It was a productive, symbiotic business transaction. The dwarves supplied high quality equipment and ale, and the humans supplied the wheat, barley, and rye. The dwarves were also stockier, sturdier, and generally, better brawlers than the humans, so they often provided protection to the human farmers, who also enjoyed how the dwarves generally stuck to their word.


    On Delvegard, there are no humans.


    And so the dwarves had to do their own farming. In most dwarven towns, most dwarves do their own small-scale farming, where their produce is enough for themselves, and for the brews they make. Dwarven homes in Delvegard usually came with a small patch ofnd next to their existing homes where they cultivated some of their farms, or in more structured cities, there were designated sharednds where the irrigation was centralized.


    But in most cases,rge scale farms were extremely rare, except in certain dwarven cities where there is a functional ve ss or underss of dwarves. This was an underss of dwarves that were forced to do farming.


    Theres an opportunity here. Kafa said to Sundus, and Sundus readily agreed. A monocultural dwarven society isnt able to do what they need to do well. The dwarves farmed, and they tried their very best to automate the process throughrge magical machines meant to run their farms. This was an option avable to the strongest of towns, because automated farming golems were fairly difficult to make, because for dwarves who were so picky with the quality of their wheats, the unskilled [golem]s output was still pretty bad.


    A [farmer] with skills and levels produced high quality food. Materials for brews.


    But dwarves didnt like being [farmers], and those that did, are few and far between, and so, they be rather precious folks. Despite this, their society looked poorly on them. A dwarven [farmer]s social status in Delvegard was shit, so most of them doubled up as [brewers], which was a better ranked position.


    Still, the split focus, and the micro scale meant farming output in Delvegard was low.


    Despite farming being an absolute necessity for survival, dwarves in Delvegard generally avoided taking up too many farming skills. They would take 1 or 2 just to ensure that they had some viable crops, but no more. In fact, most of them prefer to subsist on a diet of hunted meats, foraged berries and fruits.


    So Delvegard dwarves tend to base their cities and towns nearrge hunting grounds,rge forests with a decent amount of berries and fruits, or near rivers where they could engage in fishing.


    But the options are fairly limited. If we bring in an entirely new race of people to serve as farmers, that is a risk of its own. The two discussed their options. Disease, environment, and we would essentially alter the racialposition of Delvegard.


    In some ways, we were already altering it with our actions, butrge scale import of an alien race to a world like Delvegard did feel a little wrong. It felt like we were introducing a potentially invasive species, even though we already are an invasive species.


    The alternative was to engage in import of themon necessities of the Delvegard dwarves. We had the ability to producerge quantities of high quality food on Treehome. In short, we could be the remote breadbasket of Delvegard, and pretty much throw the economic bnce of Delvegard upside down.


    In a way, we really had three main options, though our ultimate solution was likely abination of them.


    We could start introducing a migrant race to do farming. We also could use my trees and my blessing abilities to boost natural food sources. We could import.


    Actually- Sundus asked. Whats Aeons time horizon for Delvegard? Do we want to take over this world in 2 years, 10 years, 50 years, or a hundred?


    Fifty. But within 10 years we want a solid foothold with at least two to three cities. Kafa said. The things we want in Delvegard are people, skills, academies. Things that would be destroyed if we acquired them by force. Our preferred strategy here is to trade and win over, simr to how Aeon won over the rest of the Central Continent with trade and pretty much overwhelming power during Freshkas first Century.


    Sundus looked at the domain holder, and scratched his head. You need to make yourself into a scary person, if thats the case. Are you going to be the stick that looms over us all?


    The lizardfolk frowned. Thats- thats still a strategy that well need to shape over time.


    Sundus countered. Lord Kafa, I hope you dont find this offensive, but, I believe you are ill suited for this assignment. If Alchemist Alka is here, we should have a significantly better time. His sheer presence as a domain-tier dwarven Alchemist should convince many to join us.


    The lizardfolk actually froze momentarily. But he was willing to entertain the idea, and as the thought swirled in his mind, he eventually nodded. You are right. But Alkas resurrection is still a decade away. For now, I will have to suffice.


    The dwarven [Lord] could only sigh. I guess so.


    All the other Dwarven [Lords] sessfully took control of their new towns. There was hardly any resistance, not when the right amount of money was paid.


    These towns were worthless, but with the Valthorn presence, all of them dwarves selected from our own academies, our work began.


    In some ways, we gave dwarves huge options. With ess to the wider Valtrian Orderwork, the dwarves of Treehome could select duties that they were most suited for, and with arge enough, we could have dwarven [druids], [alchemists], [cksmiths], and [builders].


    We deployed them in these five towns, and used their skills to give our new towns advantages. New walls, improved yields from the foraged berries.


    As the year reached its end on Delvegard, Sundus finally said his town was ready for the node.


    And so, I deployed my first [Node Tree] on Delvegard.


    ***


    <i>Mountainworld</i>


    Adrian, thest hero of Mountainworld prepared for battle.


    In a year, another demon king would arrive. Fifteen years seemed too short, or too long, depending on how you see it. Fifteen years was enough for a human child to be a war ready soldier.


    Because on this war obsessed Mountainworld, a life of war starts early.


    Fifteen. Ten. Child soldiers aplenty.


    Will you be calling them back? Lumoof looked at Mountainworld. He was ted to visit Satrya too, but that was a risk.


    I thought about it. It was a suboptimal choice, and the exploration of Satrya took longer than I expected. Partly because I wasnt expecting to find a world touched by the gods. I should.


    Weve scouted out the connected demonworld, and found it to be some kind of wolf-world. The demons took the form of gigantic wolves, but with elemental powers. Each of the slightly different variants of the horned demonic wolves controlled either fire, earth or lightning.


    The demonic champions were shapeshifting demonic wolves that possessed a demonic form. They were either wolf form or demon form, where they were the stereotypical winged demons with horns.


    It was amusing to witness the demons with shapeshifting ability, so I captured some of them for research.


    Lumoof wouldve balked at this assignment decades ago, but now, capturing a demon champion and overwhelming it with mana?


    This assignment was no sweat.


    It was nothing next to being stuck in a dem.


    We hauled three demon champions back to Treehome through the void gates, and sent them into my gigantic bibs.


    ***


    That way. Lumoof looked as the group of Valthorns carried the pacified demon champion. The wolves have been trapped in magical stasis, in a kind of crystalline prison invented by Alka a few years before theet.


    It was meant as an anti-hero countermeasure. As a prison for heroes, its still insufficient, but it proved effective in weakening demons too, because thebination of anti-mana ss used throughout its structure and magical formations drained the demons of their magical energies.


    Once upon a time, this amount of demonic mana would prove too much. But we have changed since then. Advancements, all the little steps along the way added up, and now we have prisons able to subdue a weakened demon champion.


    The Valthorns walked through the tunnel.


    Here, the Valley of the Unrotten, the presence of magic was sometimes suffocating. The Valthorns gripped their equipment, and their breaths were heavy.


    Aeon could have opened the valley up long ago.


    But it remained the way it was, with only a small opening where Aeons canopy reached into the skies.


    The rest of the valley remained hidden under the hardened, root-reinforced walls. The sludge was long gone, transformed into regr dirt and soil.


    But here in the valley, it was and of magic. Each tree here was slightly different, and anyone with magical sight would instantly notice the huge cacophony of signals throughout the valley. This was Aeons extended mind,rge numbers of Aeons assistant trees whose sole purpose is to augment Aeons sight over the worlds.


    There are smaller versions of these orchards of Artificial Minds around each of Aeons clones. But here lies the greatest of them all.


    Lumoof stopped, and looked at a grotesque existence that looked like human brains cut out and piled into the shape of a tree.


    Patreeck, the Titan Grand Mind Tree. And there were two of them. There were crystals and gems in them, turned into strange shapes. The crystals and gems were used as connective tissue. Precious metals turned into a web of links throughout the strange tree.


    Lumoof didnt remember the other ones name. But Aeon nned for more of them.


    It hummed, and for someone with Lumoofs senses, he could hear a constant buzz as Patreeck thinks.


    But this was not where they would be. There was a section where Aeon conducted demonic experiments.


    Deeper.


    There were massive trees here, but to say they are trees would be a stretch of definition. There were all a massive hollow log that could be covered, filled with Aeons vines. They would thoroughly examine any creature thrown inside, though its ability to study materials was significantly weaker.


    Here, in the depths of Aeons valley, there were no concerns that the weakened demon champion could cause damage. Aeons presence alone petrified the demonic creature, and his vines pulled the struggling wolf-demon into the log.


    It would be torn apart, and eventually, transformed with Aeons mana. Such is normal. One of them was already transformed in the field. But for those that are still purely demonic, Aeon wanted to peek into them.


    Aeon would learn from them, and often, new discoveries are reflected in the beetles. Shapeshifting beetles would be a wee addition to Aeons arsenal.


    Lumoof stood, and watched. No. He could feel it as Aeons vines began to work on the wolf-demon. He could feel the vines pierce the skin and hide of the creature, and felt it crawl through its body and grab whats left of the demon champions dried soul. It was vivid, and Aeon loved studying creatures that it never encountered.


    Across all worlds, Valthorn and Valtrian Order operatives continue to harvest and collect new specimens for studies, a tradition that started long ago during the days of New Freeka.


    Aeon had reached the wolf-demons body, and Lumoof knew Aeon had just made a copy of the creatures dried soul spring. He would attempt to rebuild it on Lavaworldter on.


    Lumoof noticed the other Valthorn operatives trembling hands as they pushed the second crystal prison close to the log. Theyve done this many times, but for non-domain holders, they know this is face to face with the jaw of the beast. They know it is safe. They know what to do.


    But fear is primal.


    Lumoof merely gave them a knowing nod. They have to face their struggles. It is safe. Aeon would not hurt them.


    As Aeon finished digesting what was left of the third demon champion, he concluded his research. Bibs were one of Aeons favorite tools, and he loved experiments. He was also eager to study the Delvegard dwarves and the humans of Satrya, but itll have to wait for a while.


    ***


    Silver weapons will be needed. I remarked. This message was delivered to the Mountainworld hero, Adrian. He visibly facepalmed.


    Oh great. Im facing Werewolves. Are the othersing to help me?


    Only Prabu, Colette and Khefri. Chung-


    Adrian shook his head. Dont have to exin. I get it.


    Werewolf demons were surprisingly hardy, resistant to magic and also blunt weapons. But like their nature, silver somehow pierced through those defenses fairly easily. It wasnt too hard to modify some of our existing weapons to incorporate a bit of silver, and many of our existing weapons already have some silver element within them.


    My void mages triangted the location of arrival, and prepared for the battle.


    In our usual way. The surplus weaponry from the Demons Comet were redirected for this purpose. Lumoof and the other domain holders would return for this. Their adventures on those new worlds would have to wait for a while.


    ***


    <i>Satrya</i>


    Edna, Roon and Ezar explored all the relic cities, but they eventually concluded that Patriarch Lumoof would have to be present in order to convince the other two Head Priests to switch sides.


    The head priests of the seven relic cities met once a year for what is known as the Hawas Circle. Hawa himself only selected the Hawas Champions after the demon king arrived, and that was a few years more.


    In short, they have at least a few more year before Hawa woulde. If they have to, theyd have to crash a meeting with Hawas Champion.


    Well, lets head back. Edna concluded. We need to be there for the fight with the wolf-demon.


    Ste would open the portal from the other side-


    You dont want to say goodbye to the priestess? Ezar teased. I bet shes going to hate you if you just disappear without telling her.


    Roon was about to roll his eyes.


    You promised her youd take her on a trip.


    He gulped. Ah man-e on, I cant be taking a woman on a trip. Not when were going back to fight demons-


    Ednaughed but nodded. Ezar has a point. I think you need to be more sensitive to how a woman of her age thinks. Lets take her with us.


    What if shes a security risk? Roon countered. Shes a high priestess of Hawa. Were revealing information about ourselves!


    Agree on that too. But at least, tell her youre going away. I know shes trying to observe you even now-


    Roon flinched. It was true he was notified that his [domain] blocked attempted scrying.


    But there were ways around it. She attempted to scry locations close to them, and it was possible to do so when their locations were not secret.


    He frowned, but nodded. Ill send her a message.


    Im leaving your world. Roon said via a magical message. He activated an item that allowed him to have a magical conversation. Also, you can stop scrying now.


    The spell only facilitated a voice conversation, partly because Roon didnt really want to see her. -you know?


    Of course. I keep getting notified its blocked!


    If youre leaving, can you take me with you?


    No. The unspoken reason was clear. She was a risk, and they didnt want to cannot expose our location.


    My God is not a threat. She answered, clearly sensing the cause of her rejection.


    We dont know about that. Roon said. Edna and Ezar listened nearby. There really was not much point for privacy in such situations.


    Im certain of it. We have amon foe.


    I hope so. But until we are sure, were not taking the risk. Roon countered. If youd arrange for the audience-


    Its all about the audience. The priestess repeated. Fine! Ill tell Hawa! But if you get to speak to him, I want you to take me to your world.


    The ranger sighed. He wondered why he had this type of trouble. Look. Its not my decision. Its a collective decision as an organization. I cannot promise you that. Goodbye.


    The magical spell was cut off.


    There.


    Ednaughed. Well done, but I do think you need some rtionship coach. The way you spoke to her was quite harsh.


    Roon shook his head. Why are you trying to matchmake me with a foreign priestess? Cant you just let me date Aeons priestesses instead?


    Im not. Its your personal choice in the end. Edna nodded. Come. Lets get back and deal with a giant pup.


    ***


    Spaizzer


    Author NOte : Shoutout /series/928639/ultiimate-level-zero/ Synopsis


    Max wanted to be a [Baker].


    Settle down, bake stuff, and enjoy life.


    The gods, however, ruined that dream. Given [Baker] and a ck skill, he is now running for his life, trying to grow strong enough to return home.


    -------


    LitRPG


    Starting Slow Burn but will begin to grow faster as the story goes


    Book 1 is done (and submitted to Publisher). Book 2 is currently 110k+ words!

 275. Securitree Concerns

    275. Securitree Concerns


    C275


    <b>Year 268</b>


    <i>Delvegard</i>


    The security situation in most of the newly controlled towns were stable. The dwarves were fairly respectful of power, and they voiced their disagreements and dissatisfactions in a straightforward manner. In the face of strength, they respected and epted that, and so didnt make much of a fuss.


    These small towns didnt have much concept of pride and its identity as a town or nation state wasnt fully formed. This was due to the rtively short history, and theck of unique selling point. As a result, the five lords from Treehome were generally free to consolidate their power and make changes.


    Its likely things would be trickier, with older dwarven nation-states. These states and cities would have longer history, more pride, and generally, a stronger desire to keep control within itself.


    But for now, nothing much urred.


    The void creatures found in the mines of the other dwarven cities were nowhere near the five towns we now controlled. But it wasnt that difficult to find them.


    The dwarves, incredibly, had a special ss for it. [Sunmetal Prospector].


    These dwarves seemed to have an inbuilt radar that detected the presence of these Sunmetals whenever they approached a newnd, and stronger, higher leveled prospectors could even sense their presence just by standing on top of them.


    From our informants, it seems that the Dwarven Lords themselves usually have some [Prospecting] or [Mining] sses, because of how valuable the sunmetal was to their war efforts.


    Sunmetal, in other words, was Delvegards gold.


    The void creatures were the dragons that guarded them. Large veins somehow generated and caused the creation of particrly strong void creatures, and in Delvegard mythology, there were stories of the Void creatures as the spirit of the Sunmetal, expelled from their flesh due to their crimes.


    In those stories, the void creatures guarded the sunmetal veins like an obsessive spouse, and would fight tooth and nail to protect their bodies.


    In other regions of Delvegard, another version of the story ces the veins as the remains of an old dwarven god, the void creatures were the poisons that killed the old god, and now feasted on its remains.


    Kafa found the stories fascinating, and traveled to learn more about Delvegard. His levels and domain made his physique exemry, and he used it to his full advantage, moving from ce and ce. We wanted to visit all therge kingdoms of Delvegard, and improve our knowledge.


    One of the key concerns the Lumoof had was whether there was divine presence in this world. We wanted to find out who these dwarves worshiped, and whether there are other domain tier individuals. Most of the dwarves we met so far seemed to believe and worshiped a god called Eras.


    But Eras was more like a craft god, and it was a familiar name. We had records of Eras, as mentioned in the Margmarian recordings. But unlike the records in the Margmarian city, Erass faith in the world of Delvegard was more casual and unregted.


    Here, the teachings of Eras were passed down from parents to children, and so were twisted in bits and pieces. Whats left of the original Eras scriptures were scattered across the dwarven nations, but no one actually attempted to piece them together.


    In some ways, the dwarves didnt take Eras all that seriously, and the pious was a real minority.


    It is a blend of an old faith with dwarven superstition.


    ***


    One of thergest dwarven factory-academies on Delvegard was an institution called the Delvegardian Yards. It was arge mountain that was hollowed out over the centuries, and home to the thirdrgest war machines and factories on all of Delvegard.


    It was, politically, a subordinate of the nearby Dwarven Kingdom of Ruthfyord, but in substance, the Factory master of the Delvegardian Yards was the true king of Ruthfyord. Even today, it is the Ruthfyord Kings father that controlled the Delvegardian Yards.


    Kafa tapped the illusionary device, and it cloaked his presence. He could do so with his scales, too, so the illusionary device was made not to interfere with the functionality of his colorful scales.


    Colossal War Machines stood motionless in the yards. Here, hundreds if not thousands of dwarven crafters worked on separate parts of the war machines. Some worked on their legs, some worked on their body, some worked on the weapons that would soon.


    Kafa walked about untouched. In this factory-academy where masters taught their apprentices, the sound of metals banging and hammers hitting steel was the background music. No one noticed the invisible lizard.


    He snuck through the vast academy, and then into the hangers located on another side of the hollowed out mountain. They had at least thirty war machines just under maintenance, and another ten more that seemed ready for use at any time.


    They had pilots. Dwarven [Machine operators], each forming a bond with their gigantic war machines.


    The war machines had to be charged. They hadrge crystal power units, and the [Operators] themselves supplied some of the war machines power requirements. Just as sunmetals were used for joints, they also used some kind of Sunmetal-Crystal mixture for batteries.


    I was tempted to steal one and even suggested it. I was fascinated. Such equipment and design were unseen on Treehome, and I believe Alka would love it.


    But I was interrupted.


    But what if this leaves a bad mark? Do we really want to start a rtionship with these dwarves on the wrong foot? Some of my dwarven diplomats advised otherwise. I believe we can obtain this above board, through trades.


    Very well. Lets try trades, then. We could easily trade void weapons for it. My void mages produced enough void weaponry, but thats something we wouldnt reveal. Not yet.


    Kafa soon learned that the kingdom of Ruthfyord controlled about seventy war machines. There were a few other kingdoms with such simr size. Most smaller kingdoms and city states controlled two to three such war machines, and even those were of a lower quality than the giants.


    The war machines themselves had surprisingly powerful beam weapons, and the legs were pretty much stabbing weapons. By my own estimates, two of these war machines could take down a demon walker.


    Their protections are rather weak. Kafa noticed, as they mainly relied on the natural endurance qualities of the Sunmetal and Sunsteel. Most of them were focused on energy reflection spells.


    Kafas espionage continued, and he snuck through the Delvegardian Yards easily. He quickly detected the presence of a hidden chamber, and entered it. The factory master worked on a super-colossus. Ten legs and enough weapons to match ten colossus, it was engineered for the Factory master.


    It wasnt that unique. Kafas exploration of the otherrge factories and academies revealed that most kingdoms worked on some superweapon.


    Bigger. Stronger. Each Factory Master wanted to go above and beyond a war machine.


    It seemed even dwarven kingdoms needed a trump card. His visit would be cut short. For now. He would return for another visit.


    Kafa. Time to go back. Demon Kinging.


    ***


    Rift emerging. The demon king is departing from the Core of the werewolf world. The void mages on the demon world now linked to Mountainworld sent the message. I wonder how hte Canari would react to another canine world, but the wolves of Werewolf-World were shapeshifters. I wondered what sort of people they had, when they were still popted.


    Well. Moment weve been waiting for. Ednaughed as she took out a gleaming de of silver. Everyone was armed with enough enchanted silver to properly stock a jeweler, but in many ways, it was a shame.


    We even modified our bombs to embed little bits of silver beads and alloys, in order to amplify their effectiveness. In theory, it should work.


    But every demon kings skillset is unknown. Demon Kings could be resistant to things their demons were weak to. Adrian, the lead defender, prayed. He prayed to his friend. Even his older friends, those that passed away long ago.


    [Demon King Marchosias has arrived].


    The ce of battle on Mountainworld was arge forest. Weve rigged the ce with bombs. The werewolf champions emerged from the rifts, and were swiftly shot down.


    Then we all felt the demon kings presence, it emerged from the rift, its fur was like a living liquid. Once we detected it, the bombs exploded. Edna and the domain holders prepared for battle. I was partly expecting the fight with Multipus first.


    The pulse of the chained explosions sted upwards, and I knew it was slightly weaker. Without Alkas presence, some of his skills were inactive, and that impacted the strength of the bombs.


    Therge forest was instantly transformed into a crater.


    It was a pity. I felt pain in my soul when such arge forest was leveled. But I would restore this forestter. I made a note to my artificial souls to do so.


    The wolf ising. Marchosias, the wolf-shaped demon king lunged for Adrian like a furious war god.


    It was wolf shaped, but not a wolf, because that was when we saw a few more magical ws and limbs emerged out of nowhere.


    Stay back! Edna charged ahead, and her silver de shone like a glorious full moon. She shed, and the demon king recoiled. Her power was fully activated then, and she tanked the demon kings powerful ws.


    Each w strike contained the power of a demon king, and though Edna took it like it was nothing more than a pillow strike, the aftershocks from each strike still left small craters around the domain holder.


    Shended a few shes, her silver de left magical wounds on the demon king, but it was clear those wounds mended.


    The heroes continued to bombard the demon king with spells, and immediately noticed howckluster their attacks were.


    Its magical resistance is astronomical. Prabu frowned. Switching to blended magical spells.


    If magic didnt work, the heroes were each given a nations arsenal of physical spears and projectiles. They would wrap these projectiles in their magic, and use them as bullets, empowered by their hero weapons.


    The heroes magical attacks bombarded the wolf-demon, and impaled it. Its fur was magically resistant, but physical weapons still hurt it quite a bit. I dont really get why silver weakened it, but I suppose its some [system] shenanigans.


    The demon pulsed.


    We thought it was going to blow.


    But it didnt. Instead, it merely shapeshifted, and transformed into a different form. A smaller, much smaller demon.


    Faster. Smaller. Edna tried to step in the way, and shed it. Edna traded a few blows, but the demon king wasnt keen on fighting the domain holder.


    Instead, it looked around, and aimed at the four heroes present. It tried to battle Khefri, and soon realized Khefris armor was too strong. Khefri, the scorpionoid heroine, was quite good at close rangebat, and her natural carapace could take more hits than most heroes.


    She traded blows with the second form, and the demon king immediately realized it didnt want to engage Khefri inbat. It shifted, and tried to target the mages instead. But Prabu and Colette were too close, and they were also protected by my domain holders, Lumoof, Kafa and Ezar.


    No go. I watched it try to attack Roon and Johann, but my rangers move speed meant they were able to maintain a distance.


    Marchosias was trying to pick off the weakest member of the party, and domain holders were not its priority. It wanted heroes, and so, its sightsnded back on Adrian.


    Edna immediately retreated. I dont like how its looking at you.


    Adrianughed. You think itll get me?


    We dont know. It tried everyone and couldnt get far. Prabu and Colettesbined bombardments meant they could sufficiently prevent the demon king from getting close, and so that meant only Khefri and Adrian were in the melee range. Lumoofs with the mages, so Ill be with you.


    It also seemed quite afraid of Lumoof, and my avatar mode. So long as Lumoof was there, Marchosias seemed to understand it wouldnt be able to get near the two mage heroes.


    Khefri immediately leapt over. Well, its weakened, and looking to pick the weakest of us off. Who wants to be the bait?


    Adrian frowned. I suppose thats me, since it didnt seem to like fighting with you.


    They watched the demon king dodge attacks from my ranged heroes, and my roots. It was surprisingly still speedy, and the rift above continued to release smaller wolves.


    Is that necessary? Lumoof asked, as he activated his [fury of the avatar]. Ill try to restrain it.


    The entire terrain was surrounded by roots, and for once, the gigantic wolf seemed tiny. It was a wolf trapped in what seemed to be a mess of vines and woody tentacles. Marchosias immediately emitted an aura, ayer of ck energy that formed around its body like a protective barrier. It briefly protected itself from all attacks, and my vines.


    A demon king with shields. Lumoof smirked. Its been a while since Ive seen a demon king with shields. Well, lets go for it.


    Immobilized, despite its shields, the demon king was sitting ducks.


    We charged our weapons, and waited for that protectiveyer to fade. Once it faded, we blew up the demon king.


    [Demon King Marchosias has been in]


    There was no explosive destruction. The demon king left a core that was tainted by star mana, but that was no matter. The entire crater was seeded with crystals, as the remnants of the demon kings corpse transformed into daemolite.


    Well. Time to clean shit up. Lumoof dered. The Valthorns quickly descended on the forest to mop up the residual energies.


    Adrian looked at Khefri. You know, I had the strange feeling like I was supposed to die today.


    Khefriughed. You think too much. With so many otherbatants present, you think youd die today?


    Well, its just a weird feeling. Like it was written in the stars, but it did not happen.


    Khefri frowned. Dont say such inauspicious things. Theres still Multipus.


    I dont think so. Its inevitable that we will die. Adrianughed. I just wonder when.


    ***


    The Cometworld floated through the vastness of the void sea. Its bubble of reality expanded slightly, very slightly. This was a world with no core remaining, and so its bubble of reality is maintained by my existence. I wonder whether only domain holders emit a bubble of reality, or whether it is something that all living creatures have.


    It floated by ces. Darkness.


    Its movement in the void sea brought us even further away from the demons, and I wondered where it was headed.


    Weve been working on manipting an objects trajectory through the void sea for ages, and even now, weve not seeded. With the voidyers, we wonder whether this is even necessary.


    Perhaps, in one version of the voidyers, the Cometworld was headed in the right direction after all.


    Thats so optimistic. Steughed.


    But true. I countered.


    Its like falling upwards.


    The void sea defies all normal types of logic. The void sea is pretty much whatever your mind thinks it is. Its like a painting on a canvas.


    My void domain holder chuckled. I cant wait to start exploring the voidyers. We need to hunt Multipus down and be done with this meteor storm.


    The demon king is out there somewhere, on one of the meteor remnants.


    I doubt it was consumed by the void. It just didnt seem like a thing for demon kings.


    ***


    Chung was alone in his part of the world. He trembled, as his mind weighed on him.


    It wasnt the demon king of his world. And yet, when he heard that a demon king came for Mountainworld, his mind seemed to strain.


    A hero waspelled to fight demon kings. It wasnt that strong, if the demon king was of another world.


    But it tugged at his mind, and heshed out.


    He abandoned his puppet state, and found a ce in the mountains. There were no sapient beings here, only animals and monsters. Heshed out, his arrows sted the surroundings. Everyone knew the area was off limits. It was where the Archer Hero went to blow off steam.


    The ce was filled with craters and holes. Ive not bothered to repair it, and left the mountainous region riddled with all the scars of his attacks.


    It happened more and more. Especially in recent years.


    I spied on him, and realized that he was slowly losing it. Conflict with this hero seemed inevitable, and the only one left on talking terms with him doesnt want anything to do with him.


    Internally, we prepared for conflict. We ran simtions of battle against the hero Chung. If he actually turned on us, the ideal state was a surprise attack.


    I didnt want to kill a hero.


    Yet, as his erraticism grew, I knew that it was inevitable.


    I only hoped that there wouldnt be too much coteral damage.


    Spaizzer


    "As the end of her journey loomed and a pleasant future wasid out before her, Cal was left with but one question to grapple with: Should she should ept the generous offer from the Deities and be one of their Champions?


    She hoped that she''d find answers that would help her make that decision on the final leg of her journey around the world, where she''d fulfill one of her long-time dreams to see the world beyond the isles where she was born.


    Whatever the result, she knew that the choice she made would be her own, made without regrets. For all she knew, an ending to one story might well just be the prelude to another..."


    Find it here! /gp/product/B0CQK2DSQZ

 276. Interlude – Patching Up

    276. Interlude ¨C Patching Up


    Interlude :


    Its been decades since she saw active duty, but Kei was right all along.


    A part of her wanted to go back, now that her kids have all grown up. It wasnt hard. It was only hard in her mind.


    Whats worse, was that she knew it was her own mind working against her. Aeon said once, apparently, from an old philosopher, that the mind is its own unmaking. It was true, and yet it still happened to her. There were things that were so clearly headed their way, and yet, the mind would refuse to do anything.


    She stretched, her elven muscles and bones regained its old flexibility. It was magic. Shed even say it got stronger. Since she took the Soul Strengthening Seed, she felt she was moreplete. More whole.


    Matters of the soul were hard to exin. The concept of being more whole, moreplete, when the soul was alreadyplete, seemed counterintuitive.


    But the soul can grow.


    The souls density. Its weight. Its presence.


    More.


    When she was a child, Aeon spoke to her at length about the nature of the soul. Of everyone in this city today, she remembered many small talks between her and TreeTree. Even now, she could feel him there, at the very edges of her mind.


    A door she could open at any time. A voice she could reach out and talk to.


    She remembered that Lumoof once said that if the mind was a house, Aeon was like one of the rooms in his mind. It was there, and she felt it was apt. For her, it was a door.


    At times, it was like an invisible limb.


    It was that door that allowed her to sense Aeons return from the Rottends.


    Long ago, during the days of her travels in the Eastern Continent, she remembered how the door wasnt even there.


    But these days, even in the Northern Inds, or the mountainous underground cities of the Eastern Continent, that door was still there. She knew what it meant. Aeons reach had covered the entire realm.


    She could speak to him anywhere, and felt the rest of her soul. She wondered why she could sense herself.


    A rare ability, the priests and other mages imed. She wondered whether it was something she inherited from Aeon.


    The soul grows. It grows when nourished. Each act of gaining experience is forming a brick that grows the spring of the soul.


    She picked up the spear. When she mentioned she wanted a new weapon, multiple high level craftsmen volunteered to make her something customized.


    Lausanne swung it around, as she practiced with her sparring partner, Kei. Her golem opponent used her golem-abilities to her benefit. She could create shields of crystal, a temporary growth from her limbs, and block her spear strikes.


    You dont seem to be in the zone, today. Kei said.


    Lausanneughed, as her spear thrust mmed into Keis shield, then followed with a rapid series of jabs. No. Im not.


    Whats on your mind?


    Whats on yours? Lausanne countered. Kei didnt like the idea of the League of Heroes all that much, despite being forced to ept the task, and Kei believed a volunteer group,posed of people like Lausanne, would work better in the long term.


    Kei wanted a mix of summoned heroes, and native champions because she saw the ws of the summoned heroes, and believed that native champions could augment the gaps. The summoned heroes were too unstable, despite their power, and strong native champions could serve as their anchors.


    Lausanne, therefore, served two purposes. Kei wanted Lausanne to be a counterweight to Aeons increasingly expansionist ways. It was impossible to stop an expansionist Aeon, and given the state of the world, some worlds definitely needed an expansionist Aeon to make up for theirck of support.


    Along that path, Kei hoped that Lausanne would also support Kei as the anchor of the mixed group of heroes. Of course, Edna, or Roon or Johann would have worked as well, but Kei knew that group was part of the exploratory force that visited all the new worlds.


    Eventually, there needed to be some kind of specialization. A defense-focused force of domain holders and heroes, and an offense and exploration focused force of domain holders. The worlds out there was toorge, and they needed more pieces on the field.


    But despite all that, Lausanne told herself she was doing this for the right reason. She didnt do it because she was selfish. She was not here to satisfy the hole in her heart.


    She lied. She knew it was there.


    A gnawing sensation.


    She liked this.


    She enjoyed it. Far more than being at home.


    ***


    Mom, youre really going back to the military? Lauda asked. She had gone through six dungeon tours by then, and this was the fifteenth time he asked.


    They were not young anymore. Lauda was an adult, and would soon have a family of his own. She would be a grandmother in due time.


    A grandmother back in the military.


    Laufen, her own mother, once said it is rare for elven grandmothers to serve in battle, but not so for grandfathers. But she wasnt just any grandmother. She looked at her own mother, and knew the life of a doting grandmother filled with social work and societal duties was not a role for her.


    In her heart, her calling was still out there.


    She suppressed it during Lauda and Arlisas younger years. Tried her best to dedicate her life to her growing children.


    But the joy and lightness in her heart when she sparred with Kei was all she needed. She knew it when she went back to the dungeons and ughtered monsters. She could feel it in her limbs.


    Yes. Its where I should be.


    Why? Arlisa asked.


    Because I enjoy it. She was good at it. She still is good at it. She may be a long way from being the best, but she was pretty damned good at it.


    Lauda understood. Stay safe, mother. But he would ask her again. Her son couldnt help but worry. Because doubt never faded. However remote, there was a chance she would not return.


    That was life on the battlefield.


    Arlisa looked at her mother like she was insane. Youre already so old.


    Lausanne nodded. It was a response from her human half. For elves, and especially Lausanne with the [soul strengthening seed], she felt fitter than ever. I know. But I still want to do this.


    Level 100 came a few weeks ago after one of the Level 90 dungeons, and her ss transformed into [Aeonic Phantom of War]. A fairly unique ss, despite it being an upgrade from the [Aeonic Weaponmaster], though Kei said there were about twelve others with the same ss in the entirety of the Order.


    Her [blessings] also mutated at level 100, turning into the only one in the entirety of the Valtrian Order, <i>[First Sentinel of the Tree]</i>


    She didnt like the name. She wondered whether Jura had it first, and a part of her felt a little torn, for taking what should have been someone elses.


    That door in her mind felt wider, and the way it linked to her familiar felt stronger. Aeons familiars had been able to replicate some of Aeons powers, and it is often capped at their own levels.


    Someone at level 80 could ess a variant of Aeons level 80 ability through the familiar. It was usually weaker. Much weaker. It didnte from Aeon directly, of course. The ess of power came through the [system]. The system replicated Aeon as a temte, and granted ess to variants of that temte.


    It was simr to how the [Court of the Deitree] retained the skills of its predecessors.


    She looked at her children. Arlisa disagreed.


    I must do this.


    Arlisa frowned. She knew her daughter opposed it. Her son didnt look at her.


    ***


    <i>Two yearster</i>


    Lausanne sweated it out in the final room of the secret dungeon. She heard of its existence, but its been a long time since she delved into the Level 100 plus dungeons, located deep in the subterranean chambers of Treehome.


    Kei smiled. That went well.


    Lausanne nodded, the boss of the level 110 dungeon was some kind of gigantic thorny lizard. The materials harvested from the lizard would be given to the Order, and they would usually make some weapons or potions out of the remnants.


    She formed a small team. Kei, Lausanne, and two other younger Valthorns that were in the early level 100s.


    They were surprisingly stressed out. Kei and Lausanne were famously known as members of Aeons inner circle. Royalty. Elite. Whatever they called it, the two of them had Aeons ears, and almost everyone treated them carefully.


    After the dungeon, they went to that secret town in the underground chambers.


    The nomadic dungeon town. Every building here was movable, and when the dungeons moved, the buildings moved with it. They had to, because the dungeons expire after a while, the ley lines energy dwindled over time.


    Their goal was Level 125. They could get there with the experience seeds, but there was a w to it. Someone who worked hard to get to Level 125 was going to be a little bit stronger than someone who got there through consumption of experience seeds.


    Long ago, Edna and the first generation of domain holders needed to move every other month, because the dungeons energies would be exhausted.


    These days, they didnt have to move as much, and the dungeons energies recharged faster. The domain holders imed that its Aeons enhanced vitality after Aeon hit Level 250. Lumoof imed it was abination of factors, such as the enhanced energy of Treehome that meant stronger leylines, and also the higher levels and skill.


    Kei stretched, and asked. Kei asked the same question many times, and Lausanne realized the golem had a tendency to repeat herself. How long is it going to take for you to hit Level 125?


    I dont really know how long itll take. Lausanne said, but Kei said her leveling speed was extraordinary. In many ways, it was. Lausanne gained 3 levels when others gained 2. Even next to Kei, with her fragmented heros blessing, Lausannes levels were still faster.


    But to Kei, it was absolutely normal. Aeons been watching you since forever, and youve got all of Aeons blessings. If you cant gain levels, I doubt anyone else can.


    She remembered Lumoofs exnations. Level 125 was where things got harder. They had to earn the right to be a domain holder. The system didnt like power levelers much at that point, and it is well known that most blessings begin to dwindle in effectiveness.


    Except for the [hero shards].


    Those divine objects worked at all levels, and were so thoroughly broken, Lausanne wondered how the system even allowed the hero shards to exist.


    It upended all the principles that everyone else followed.


    ***


    Mother, howve you been? Lausanne asked as she visited Laufen in her home some distance away.


    Well. Better, now that youve decided to take up arms. Laufen smiled at her daughter. The two dont look far apart in terms of age, for humans, theyd be mistaken as sisters.


    Lausanne said nothing. She remembered her mothers emotions when it came to her service fluctuated from eptance, support, to sometimes disagreement and objection. It often depended on the mood she was in, and the news she heard from her social circle. So, nothing was said. Sometimes, it was better that way.


    Laufen looked at her. Do you remember when Jura died?


    Lausanne remembered taking Arlisa to visit the ce that eventually became the city of Tigashfall. It was a vivid sensation, to speak to Jura through spiritualmunion, facilitated by Aeon.


    Something she didnt wish to do, ever. But sadly, death forever remains more frequent than she hoped, and she knew Aeons priests facilitated that service for the spirits that managed to linger for a bit.


    So she nodded.


    Laufen smiled. Good. I dont intend to speak to you that way, ever. I hope to see you as one of the domain holders.


    Lausanne let out a long sigh. The path isid out, but it is not an easy one. I will try, mother.


    Laufen held her daughters hand. Its one thing to see our children die in battle. Its another thing entirely to see our children die inside, hollowed out like a husk. If this is what you want, go.


    The younger elf nodded. Was it that bad? I didnt feel it was.


    I could smell the fetid stench from my mansion.


    No you couldnt. Lausanneughed.


    ***


    Lavaworld was different.


    Its been a long, long time since she visited this hellhole, and she was instantly disturbed by how peaceful it seemed. There were demonic trees right around Aeons clone tree.


    Here, she looked at the gigantic tree, and understood why Kei and the domain holders had concerns.


    Aeons clones were infinitely adaptable. They would adjust themselves to fit its natural environment, and here, Aeons tree took a hybrid form, a blend of a tree and the demonic energies of Lavaworld.


    I thought Aeon limited its use of demonic energy. Lausanne gazed at the titanic tree, its presence on Lavaworld was a testament, a monolith of natures defiance. Its tree was both green and red, its trunks glowed, and filled with streaks of red, blue and green. Its leaves were mixed, some bright, vividly green, some in a shade of demonic red, and some others, withered and dead.


    She could feel it here, the throbbing blend of natural energy, demonic energy, and something else. This is the testing ground. Kei countered.


    It seems on arger scale than I expected. I was expecting just a small farm of demonic trees, not an entire forest. Lausanne looked, and in her heart, understood the domain holders concerns.


    In her mind, maybe it was just their scale of things that didnt line up. To Aeon, a forest really was tiny. If its trees covered multiple worlds, rtively, what was an entire forest of demonic trees?


    It could be just 1%. No, less than that.


    But seeing it for itself, it did make her feel a sense of disturbance she couldnt quite exin. Lavaworld was and of magma andva. If any, what little original vegetation here consumed the minerals and gasses of the vents.


    The demonic trees didnt attack her at all. No. As someone who could feel a connection to Aeon, it disturbed her that she felt that same connection with these demonic trees. Aeon was the master of these demonic trees. She saw the demonic beetles crawling between the branches of the demonic trees, jumping, stumbling, falling.


    The demon champion is around here? Lausanne asked.


    No. Its far ahead.


    Why are we not teleporting?


    Kei looked around. I thought you needed to see this. What Aeon tries to do with the demons. Learning. Absorbing. Assimting. Studying our opponents to be better. But the humans once said, just as one gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into them. I fear Aeon learns more than he bargained for.


    Youve be really good at propaganda. Lausanne countered. She felt shaken.


    Its standard espionage and insurgency training. The spies talk about instilling fear. They speak of the gravity of the offense. To show proof, to spin small realities into great horrors. To show darkness such that they drown out the light. To rig the scales by ying with the emotions and expectations within ourselves.


    And youre still doing it. Lausanne frowned. Youre scaring me about the spy operations insidious nature.


    Keiughed. Ive spent too much time with Spymaster Intip. But the best propaganda all starts with a little grain of truth. By showing angles to the truth. By showing how the same fact can be interpreted wildly differently, just by taking a different position. Its like the void sea.


    The elvendy and the golem walked past even more demonic trees, and into an area where Aeon bred and experimented onrge amounts of demonic beetles. The entire spawning area was filled with purpose-built demonic trees.


    The truth is whatever you think it is. Keiughed.


    You dont believe that sort of flimsy statement. Lausanne countered.


    Keiughed some more. I dont. I do believe there is some objective truth out there. I believe there is right and wrong, good and evil. Id like to believe Im still innocent and naive.


    Lausanne nodded. That sounded a bit more like the Kei she knew. They stood there and watched the demonic beetles emerge from theirrge tree-sacs. These were experiments, and they noticed each beetle was slightly different. Very slightly.


    It was essentially evolution by sheer quantity and brute force. The demonic trees all spawned little beetles. Some copsed, and their bodies were reabsorbed by the trees.


    She felt a bond with them. She could feel them through that door in her soul.


    These were Aeons.


    She knew it.


    And she wondered, as her eyes gazed at the strange, alien creatures, whether what Aeon needs is really a moral guide.


    Kei.


    What?


    I dont think my role is to be Aeons moral guide. There were others to guide the ship.


    Oh?


    She thought about her own history. From the very first days of Freeka, to New Freeka, and then to Freshka. She held faith that their tree was there to protect them. Even when it seemed like TreeTree was overwhelmed by the demonic sludge, the entire valley overflowing with demonic energy, it tried its best to protect them.


    Then what do you think it is?


    To be his first believer. Lausanne looked at the demons, and felt her connection to the world around her. It was not malice. It was curiosity.


    A desire to learn.


    Despite how dark and grim Aeons actions may seem, it is guided by a desire to save us all. Even if all else fails, I want to believe in it. Ive seen him in weaker times, and his desire to resist has not failed. Even when he converted demons, even when the demon kings threatened to overwhelm us all, I believe.


    Kei looked around. Lausanne guessed Kei knew people a lot better than she let on. Kei seemed to have a sense of how to press buttons.


    Progress does note instantly. Progress does not always take a straight line. Lausanne recited it, but her heart trembled at how it felt so relevant to herself. Progress often requires us to gaze into the depths, and discover where we should not go. When a cave explorer dives into the deep dark caves to find whats down there, our role is to keep the faith, and ensure that the ropes for the diver remain secure. We protect the path, for them to climb back out of the darkness.


    Lesser beings cannot even try to explore the depths of the demons corruption. The demons would overwhelm them. There truly is no one she knows that could even hope to venture into the darkness and live to tell the tale. If it is not Aeon, then who?


    Someone has to be foolish, insane, and a bit twisted, to venture into the dark, and create the first light. To touch the unspeakable, to understand the taint of their corrupt energies, and master the means to reverse them.


    Kei smiled. You have more faith in Aeon, than you have in yourself.


    Lausanne felt that. That is true.


    And Id like to say you are born from pretty much the same cloth. Or patch.


    Lausanne shook her head. Her mind thought of Uncle Jura. She wished for many things, but ultimately, she epted his decision to die a hero.


    He died a hero, and left a set of shoes that was always too big for her.


    It wouldnt be possible to fit into his shoes. But she hoped her shoes would walk the path he once did. To continue the journey that ended for him. It just took her more than a century to realize it.


    Aeon wouldve said she wasnt ready, back then.


    She probably wasnt.


    Now, with lesser worries behind her, she will be.


    ***


    Spaizzer


    <strong>NEXT WEEK CHAPTER AS NORMAL</strong>


    <strong>But I''m taking a week off on the week of 17th January. I need a break. A long break.</strong>

 277. The Tree Reaches for the Heavens

    277. The Tree Reaches for the Heavens


    276.2


    <b>Year 269</b>


    <i>Satrya</i>


    The world of Satrya thrummed with the power of the divine. To the others, they were faint strings that required some work to notice. For Lumoof, a man of faith, they shone in his eyes, like markings made of wispy lights. They were the signs of the presence of a gods touch.


    Divinity, at some point, was how the system gged the presence of an administrator.


    Hawas power was a lot more noticeable in a world like this. The way it threaded in thend itself, and how the Core of the world was even intertwined with it.


    This was Hawas world. Whether it was a core world, that was not immediately clear to Lumoof, but it didnt matter.


    And now, they would crash a meeting of the high priests.


    The high priests, or Hawas Circle, as they were called, were having a secret meeting in a mountain far from society. It was one of those secret temples that only the High Priests knew about.


    For those who were not a man of God, it would be difficult to find it, with the illusion magics and even the presence of strong illusions. But for Lumoof, the presence of Hawas energies made the location as obvious as the suns, and even easier for him to trace it. All they needed to do was follow it, like the threads left behind by a hero as they ventured in thebyrinths. The Circle Priests were blessed by Hawa.


    They said Hawa rarely descended.


    The priest of Aeon knew that exceptions could be made, and the group followed them to the secret mountain temple. Lumoof wondered whether hell meet another god, just like how they met Aiva.


    The ce was hardly popted, though the presence of the Hawa Circles Divine Guards should be enough to deal with most enemies. They were decked in divine-touched equipment from head to toe.


    What is it with priests and their secret enves? Roonined, as my domain holders stalked the priests. It wasnt the first time theyve seen secret enves. Even back on Treehome, all the temples had secret bases.


    We shouldnt beining. Edna countered with a grin. We have enough secret bases to rival them.


    Roon wanted to respond, but realized Edna was right. Valthorns and Valtrians really had a lot of secret bases all over the realms. It would be the pot calling the kettle ck.


    They watched, and their own senses stretched. The secret enve of the Hawa was protected by magic, but they were not prepared for trees. Our trees and grasses grew through the magical defenses easily, and through them, we knew what happened within.


    ***


    The Circle conducted their secret meetings in an indoor, fairly covered garden with arge airwell. The reason it had an airwell was to allow for Hawa to visit, should the divine being decide to grace them with his presence.


    That was exceptionally rare, of course, but it is tradition, and so every generation of Hawas circle continued its meeting in this beautiful garden. The entire garden was the very picture of serenity, and as a ce Hawa once visited, the touch of Hawas divinity could still be felt even in the ground and the rocks of the indoor gardens walls and pirs. The nts here were radiant and magical, as they were touched by the gods. The flowers here are exceptionally beautiful and flowered without withering.


    The single sun-beam through the air well was somehow at the exact level of strength, neither too harsh, nor too soft, and the small man-made pond shimmered.


    It was a ce perfect for a tea party.


    But instead, it was the venue of the priests secret meeting.


    The demon king will arrive in about two years. How many warriors have you shortlisted for Hawas consideration? They were a council of equals, but it was often led by the oldest priest in the circle.


    Each of them started to name a number. Hawas champions were nominated candidates, chosen from the strongest warriors of the priests. The divine guards were often candidates, as the divine guards themselves, selected by each of the High Priests, were all incredible warriors.


    But Hawa often required warriors of a certain youth and strength, so older, more experienced guards were omitted.


    They needed to constantly replenish the Divine Guards with talented young warriors, and each of the Relic cities created dedicated academies and institutions for such purposes, or co-opted existing military structures to function as the feeder institution. The Relic City of Museo had two feeder orders, the Order of Museos Knights, and the Museo High Guards. The Relic City of Olpash relied on the Olpashs Hawa Temrs to select its Divine Guards, and the Olpashs Hawa Temrs recruits from the General Army.


    All in, the Hawas Circle named about forty names, and by tradition, Hawa would select between five to fifteen to be blessed with the powers of [Hawas Champion], and each receive a special set of [Champions Armaments].


    The forty, naturally, would have to face Hawas divine presence. Fainting before Hawa was naturally a rejection.


    After the shortlisting of names for the Hawas Champions, what followed was mundane administrative matters, such as theing Hawa Celebrations, and other smaller conflicts. This was part and parcel of their yearly priestly affairs, and Lumoof inwardly chuckled at how familiar it all sounded.


    The patriarchs and matriarchs of the Treeology had very simr meetings, with even simr topics.


    The Hawas circle spoke briefly about the demons, and from our understanding, they were not worried. The demons may win certain battles, but when the Divine-blessed take the field, victory was all but assured. The divine guards, armed with divine blessed weapons, could take on demon champions and the demon knights. The only reason why they were not deployed was because there were not many of them, and most of them were in the Relic Cities.


    ording to Roons scouting reports, only 20% of the divine-blessed guards were deployed outside of the territory of the Relic Cities. The rest of them didnt go very far.


    In other words, the suffering of the other cities can be partially attributed to the relic cities refusal to deploy more people outside. The relics were infinitely more important than the life of the cities. It was a case quite simr to how the Valthorns are mostly deployed on the Central continent and our alliednds.


    Eventually, after what felt like half a day, the meeting neared its end. The eldest of them said, and then Anything else to discuss?


    Theres the matter of the otherworlders. The priestess of Olpash asked suddenly. Visitors from the other world-


    Ah. They visited you too- Another head priest frowned.


    What did you tell them?


    Of course I didnt tell them anything. Who would believe liars like that?


    But they are real. They really are from other worlds. The priestess of Olpash defended..


    Do you truly believe there are people outside of Hawas greatness? The other priest countered.


    The priest of Museo sat quietly. The power they disy is real, at least.


    It must be some kind of stolen relic.


    The priestess of Olpash spoke up. I did not detect such things, and Hawa would have informed us-


    Then the unexpected happened. The skies twisted, as if a portal opened in the skies above them. The once blue skies turned dark, and then, from the darkness, a golden beam of light that pierced through the swirling ck clouds.


    Here, in and far from the rest of humanity, the skies parted.


    The Hawas Circle knew immediately. Their eyes widened in shock, their jaws ckened. The eldest of them immediately prostrated on the floor, and the rest of them followed. The Divine Guards quickly followed.


    Hawa came.


    ***


    I felt it through Lumoof. The twisting of divine threads, the distortions of reality. The presence of divinity. Familiar, like Aiva, but different. Just slightly different.


    The entire world felt it too.


    The beam of golden light shone from the skies above, and in a sudden increase of intensity, it shot what seemed like a golden burst of light. Lumoof looked up, and with our senses, it was easy for us to pierce it.


    The light came through a divine portal. Hawa was somewhere else, and I believe we would be seeing a representative.


    Edna, Roon and Ezar looked at each other, and the newer domain holder trembled. Edna looked at Lumoof.


    This is a familiar sensation.


    Lumoof nodded. I suppose it knows we are here. We will be fine.


    ***


    Hawa appeared in the middle of the garden courtyard, in the form of a golden shadow. It was as if light itself took the shape of a warrior knight, with a golden tail on its helmet. The golden shadow glowed faintly, and it was possible to see the outline of swords and spears in its figure.


    A million swords and a million spears. It was as if gazing into a world filled with fights and battle.


    <b>Greetings, my faithful.</b>


    The Hawa Circle knelt, and did not speak. Their heads were on the ground. Their arms were as well. They waited.


    <b>You may speak.</b>


    The eldest of them spoke. His forehead was on the stone floor. Lord Hawa. It- it is not yet time for you to select your champions. Is there something else we can assist you with?


    <b>Ah, yes. The demons. They areing soon. But I am not here for them.</b>


    The group present didnt dare assume anything. So the eldest asked. What can we assist you with? Say the word and we will do it with all our might.


    The golden shadow shifted, and walked towards the eldest priest. <b>It is not something for my faithful to do. Instead, we have visitors. Eavesdroppers, its time you make yourself known.</b>


    I didnt know how, but the Golden Shadow looked at us. I instantly felt my [domain] spam me with notifications. This was Hawas realm, and that meant Hawa should monitor this world with far greater attention than the rest.


    In a way, this was expected. We saved time, and resources. A part of me was pleased that this went as how I thought it would, even if it did ur a little earlier than expected.


    Lumoof, Edna and my domainholders were nearby, but not so nearby. So it was a surprise when their own domains were hit with the flood of notification. Lumoof gulped, but nodded.


    Looks like I must face the god.


    Edna gulped. Lets go together.


    At the same time, the priests of Hawa were incredibly surprised, and looked around, wondering who their God referred to. Lord Hawa, do we call the guards?


    The golden shadowughed. <b>Guards? You face visitors who would soon be my peers. A thousand guards would not hurt them.</b>


    Lumoofnded right in the garden, and the three domain holdersnded behind him. The priests of Hawa all yelped.


    You!


    The golden shadow raised his hand. Hawas energies were so thick that it was oppressive <b>Be silent, my faithful. This is a conversation with those a few steps into the divine. Listen well, and learn.</b>


    Lumoof sped his hand in respect, Hawas energies bounced off his body. I felt a strong force push against my own, but it wasnt enough to push me back.


    Lord Hawa, I am Lumoof, avatar of Aeon. Ie representing Aeon, and wee to seek an audience. For guidance, and assistance.


    The golden shadow was faceless, and yet it felt like our eyes met.


    I shall now call upon Aeon. Lumoof said, and instantly, the avatar forms energies rippled outwards. The priests, already suppressed by Hawas powers, now felt my own power flooding the space.


    <b>A newly ascended one.</b> Hawas shadow spoke. <b>Greetings, Aeon.</b>


    Greetings, Hawa. I answered in response, my voice spoken through Lumoof. The priests around us trembled. The divine guards froze in their ce. Weve been traveling the other worlds, in search of the old gods.


    <b>I see. Have you met my peers?</b>


    I have only spoken to Aiva.


    <b>Ah. The one of the Great Lakes. How is he?</b>


    Drifting far away.


    <b>We all are.</b> Hawa said with what felt like a sigh. <b>I felt your request to meet through my priests, and decided to cut the fats. Let us get to it. What do you wish to tell me.</b>


    Weve found the demon sun, and there is a barrier that stops us from getting close. We ask for your assistance to help us.


    Hawa looked at one of his priests. His eyes were like a beam of light, and it shone on the priest, marking him. <b>Priest Szar. Present yourself before Aeon. He will show you what he has seen.</b>


    Szar was the eldest one of the priests, and he trembled. He walked over to Lumoof, and knelt before him. I am at your disposal.


    Through Lumoof, I touched his head. In an instant, through my [Dream Academy], I injected Szar with our memories of the Sun-Rings, the Demon Sun, the ck Blob, and our detected divine energies within the Demon Sun.


    Szars widened, as if he had gone insane. But he was brought back to the world when Hawa spoke. <b>Nowe to me.</b>


    Szar walked over as if he was a puppet, and the Golden Shadow touched his head. A ball of light emerged from his forehead, and was instantly absorbed by Hawas Shadow.


    <b>Such memories should not be seen by mortals. My apologies, Priest Szar. It is best if my people do not see the great darkness that festers outside of my worlds.</b>


    We waited, as the golden shadow seemed to study the memories.


    <b>This Sun-Ring is unfortunately too far from me. I am centered around my core worlds, my existence weighed around my believers.</b>


    I can bridge worlds with my clones. I can send your champions there. I countered.


    <b>ess does not change my weighted core, and my resources are limited.</b>


    Then can you help us, summon heroes and equip my men with divine equipment? Or fight with us.


    <b>My champions pale before the foul spawn of the corrupted cores. What they send to invade our worlds are not what they have to defend their own. </b>The golden shadow said. <b>This foe of ours fought us since the earliest days of the realms, and even now it holds one of my peers as its prisoner. It defeats us by attrition over the eons, flooding us with its foul spawn, wearing us down over the millennia, until we are unable to bless enough champions to resist. If youe to request for me to fight with you, I cannot do so. I am weakened by distance from my core worlds.</b>


    I offered an alternative. If you are too distant, surely there will be some others that are closer. If you know where they are, I will seek them out.


    <b>I do not, and I suspect my peers would be the same. We cannot take the field with you. If we could, we would have done so long ago. But that does not mean I cannot help.</b>


    I suspected a task wasing.


    <b>You were offered the pact.</b>


    Yes.


    <b>Then you know that each of us has a duty to protect the peripheral worlds. These distant worlds where we summon the raw souls from the Immagical worlds, to serve as our champions.</b>


    The source worlds. Earth.


    <b>Distance. It is a strange thing. We have a duty to them, and yet, each of these worlds consume so much of our energy. So much that I have little to spare for other matters. I hear your request, Aeon, and I am willing to aid you. I will forge a weapon powerful enough to shatter the Sun-Rings barrier, but to do so, I will need to reduce my energy expenditure.</b>


    If the gods constantly spent their faith points protecting the far away worlds, they likely didnt have much left. However, if the far away worlds could be saved without requiring the use of heroes, the gods would be able to have a faith point surplus, and could do something with it.


    <b>Help me protect the peripheral worlds. You will have to defeat about fifteen of them, and hold it for some time. I will transmit their locations, through Szar. These are the worlds that drained most of my energies. Freeing them will give me the capacity I need to build something for you.</b>


    Fifteen worlds.


    <b>But, exercise caution. Even if you shattered the Sun-rings, that same power isnt enough to break through the demons foul prison. To take the battle to the demons sun, you will need more than just my power. Seek out the other gods, and convince them to lend you their power. I will lend you mine, when the timees. Perhaps together, we could remove this foul sun, and free my peer from its grasp.</b>


    Do you know who is trapped within? I asked.


    Hawa paused, as if examining my memory. <b>I do not know for sure, but I suspect it is one of the ancient steel worlds, the engineer, Eras. That is Erass true body, and though it is captured, and its energies used by the demons, it is not yet dead.</b>


    Not yet dead.


    <b>So long as his corpse remains, Eras can regain his presence. He still has believers in multiple worlds.</b>


    Through Szar, I received bright locations located in the void sea. These were worlds under Hawa rule, but we''re so far away from them.


    What are the demons? I asked.


    <b>I do not know. They fought me ever since the day I gained awareness in this world. Perhaps the ancient one, Gaya, or the First of the Suns, Shura, would know. Once youplete your task, you can return here, and I will see you then.</b>


    You cant help me speak to the other gods?


    <b>I do not know where they are, we agreed not to pry into each others affairs eons ago. We agreed to leave each others Core and Outer Core worlds alone. The war amongst the stars did no one any favors.</b>


    I didnt know what to say to that. Instead, I looked around at the trembling priests and priestesses. And yet, you have believers even in my world.


    The golden shadow paused, and as if a realization dawned on him, spoke. <b>Ah! Your world is a peripheral world too. I am amused that your world spawns something like yourself. In many ways, this audience is indirectly the fruit of your efforts. Did they send an invasive world your way?</b>


    He must be referring to theet. Yes.


    <b>I see.</b>


    The golden shadow nced at the priests and the divine guards. Then back at the papers listing the champion candidates.


    <b>Actually, let us not bless the champions. I wish to see your powers in battle.</b>


    My powers are fairly limited. I frowned. I did feel a little set up. And we fight unfairly.


    <b>A victory is a victory, regardless of the means. The demons spawn will descend in two years. Help my priests with the demon spawn, and I will redirect my resources where it can help you.</b>


    I looked at my forces. Edna shrugged. Roon and Ezar looked ufortable in the presence of a god.


    But a demon king is a demon king. Valuable experience to be gained. I wondered whether this is a trap to lure my domain holders here. But somehow, I didnt feel that Hawa needed to trap me.


    I recalled that they fought us long ago. Why did you order your faithful to wage a crusade against us?


    Hawa paused. I did?


    It took a second before the Golden Shadow realized what I meant.


    <b>Then I must apologize. Peripheral worlds are always under attack, and I cant spare the energy to scry so far away, and study in great detail.</b>


    A war.


    So many deaths.


    And all I got was an apology.


    I couldnt help but feel that the gods are callous. But then again, so am I.


    If I am in that same situation, would I have done things differently, given the limited information? What if it really was an evil force, and I chose to do nothing?


    Actually, thats what I did all the time. I usually chose to do nothing until I am sure.


    But some gods think differently.


    <b>We will meet again, Aeon. Till then, my priests will extend their warmest wee for our distinguished guests from the other worlds.</b>


    Hawa vanished.


    And the world could breathe once again.


    Lumoof looked at his fellow people of faith.


    They were of a different religion, but people of faith just the same. Looks like well have to help you prepare for a demon king.


    Spaizzer


    Hi there, Book 4, of Tree of Aeons, is now on Amazon. Please check it .au/gp/product/B0CJG2FT4Q

 278. Remnant Roots

    278. Remnant Roots


    278


    Year 270


    How many damned rocks are we expecting? Prabu cursed as his biomechanical suit augmented his movement in space. He darted from rock to rock, propelled by his own magic and the vines from the suit, which functioned as extendable limbs, in the way Doc Ock would move about in space.


    Rocks popped out of the void by the hundreds, as part of clumps or clouds of rock, usually anchored around a singlerger chunk of rock.


    On another side of the vastness of space, Colette fired magical spells repeatedly, sting the rocks.


    Despite the seemingly mundane nature of the act, I was nervous. We, were nervous.


    This was about the time the Comet should have reached treehome in one piece, and there was a demon king that we didnt kill.


    We were waiting for Multipus.


    Its on one of the rocks, and we expected it to appear.


    I suspected its alive. We didnt get notifications, but its likely we wont get notified if it vanished midway? I wasnt sure when the system gave notifications. Maybe only when we shared the same world, and so if I wasnt there when it vanished, I wouldnt even know?


    More rocksing it-


    The edges of the reality bubble bent, as if the skies and the stars was a tke that suddenly bulged upwards. It burst, and a gigantic rock was here.


    Alright, alright, volleys away! Ste and the void mages coordinated the defenses. The space-based ballistas and magical cannons were already aimed at the expected entry point of the rocks.


    More rocks popped up, this batch was evenrger than the one before.


    <i>[Demon King Multipus has arrived]</i>


    Oh fuck. I cursed, and the heroes did too.


    Right now, only Prabu and Colette were in space, dealing with the rocks. Chung was back on Treehome doing whatever shit he was doing. Khefri was in Threeworlds, doing stuff in her little queendom. Adrian was still busy with cleanup of the remnant wolf-demons.


    My domainholders were scattered too. Lumoof, Roon and Edna were still on Satrya, Kafa was back in Delvegard, and Johann was still enforcing order in Threeworld.


    Even though we knew Multipus wasing, we had too manypeting priorities that we couldnt just camp on Treehome and wait. I immediately sent out a ping, and summoned them through my [Court of the Deitree], and they were all immediately pulled back from their current worlds.


    We need to support Prabu and Colette against Multipus now. I dered, and prepared to deploy another clone, if needed. I still have a few slots avable and having seen what Multipus could do on the demonset, I was fairly concerned about what Multipus could do here.


    A swarm of smaller multi-limbed octopus-like demons exited from therger rocks. They were hiding within the rocks, and their limbs or spines shot out like really long spears and javelins. But this was space, and space was huge.


    Keep your distance and bombard it from afar. Ste advised through our shared magicalwork. With the huge distances of space, every attack from the demon king took longer, and so, for Prabu and Colette, they were able to maintain their distance and maintain their attacks.


    Aye. Colette said, as she sted magical projectiles towards the demon king. Which ones the true body?


    There were about fifteen smaller demon kings, and each of them contained fairly simr levels of power.


    None. I responded, as Lumoof teleported onto the nearest space-based tform. Would it be better to force a battle on one of the rocks?


    No. Edna arrived soon after. That sounds like fighting on the demons home ground. Fighting in space is effective against it.


    But that means we cant get near. Lumoof countered. It was harder to reach the floating, moving bodies of Multipus in space.


    But we have the advantage. We have enough bombardment weapons to take it out. Roon and Johann arrived next on the space tform. They wore a kind of wooden suit simr to the heroes. How far can you make roots?


    These days? Very far. Lumoof said. But space is big.


    We just need tforms to stand. Just support us and well shoot it out of the skies.


    Very well.


    Prabu and Colette were both relieved to see the rest of the domain holders arrive. Took you guys a damn while.


    We were out on other worlds. Lumoof countered. It is only natural that we will take some time.


    The Multiple Multipus bodies attacked, rolling like gigantic space urchins through space. Its tentacles hardened into spears and spines, and attempted to smash into the heroes and my domain holders.


    But once more, space is big. We found it hard to hit each other, but we outnumbered the demon king here.


    You know, we shouldve called it a sea urchin, instead of an octopus. Its more like a sea urchin. Ste quipped while she helped use her magic to move some of the floating tforms around.


    Multipus attacked with abination of piercing strikes, using its spines to try and hit the heroes and my domain holders from afar. In space, we traded projectiles. Lumoof summoned gigantic roots and trees that reached into space. The domain holders would then hop on them, and use them as tforms to get into better firing positions.


    The tforms, made from rocks such that trees could still be summoned on them, were transformed into living tforms. A few of the void mages maintained open portals, such that my roots could sustain the trees on these tforms, and allow them to give the fighters extra mobility.


    Wait. Multipus is here? Khefrimented as the news arrived on Threeworld. Well, send me there?


    Khefri teleported to my main body, and then, she arrived soon after.


    The space began to bend some more.


    More rocks iing!


    Another gigantic cloud of rocks appeared out of the edges of reality.


    Well, shit. Prabu cursed. We cant destroy rocks AND fight Multipus!


    As the heroes and my domain holders concentrated on the demon king, most of the rocks drifted past the first line of defenses, and flew towards Treehome. Flying towards Treehome does imply some intentional movement, but these rocks were guided to Treehome. They fell towards Treehome, tugged there by Treehomes magical gravity.


    Our bombardment weapons were concentrated on the multiple Multipus bodies.


    More Multipus bodies inbound! Ste watched as more gigantic space urchins popped out of the newly arrived rocks. Keep firing the bombardment weapons! Aim the rocks too!


    It was a hard decision, whether to aim the rocks or Multipus.


    Khefri, you should just target the rocks! Roon suggested.


    No, I wont. Not the best use of my skills!


    There were some additional space-based weapons tforms spread throughout our space, and they began firing weapons at the clouds of rocks. They were very effective on the smaller rocks. Most of them crumbled and turned into space dust within two to three shots.


    The bigger ones were hardy. Still, the impact from the projectiles slowed them down, buying time for us to deliver more attacks on the rocks.


    Meanwhile, Khefri suited up in a full suit of heros armor, and charged directly at the Multipus body.


    We were weakening some of these giant space-urchins. The spines throughout its body absorbed some of the attacks, preventing some of our spells from reaching the softer inner body. The wall of spines around the body functioned like modern active tank defenses, theyunched spines that met with the iing attacks.


    So, spells like fireballs and conventional explosive spells were diverted, and triggered slightly outside the body. The spells still injured it, but not as much as a direct hit on the inner soft body.


    We need to impale this damn thing. Lumoof said, and we can only do so if we charge right into that wall of spines.


    It was hard enough trying to catch the giant urchins barrelling across space. Thankfully, its trajectory was somewhat predictable thanks to the sparseness of space, and it clearly wasnt that good at moving in space.


    I thought were supposed to fight damned rock golems! Roon asked Ste. Roon and Johanns magical arrows were extremely effective, and after a while, they took out two of the demon kings bodies.


    The heroes themselves also changed their attacks to enchanted javelins, coated in magical power. These were more effective at hitting the body through its thick wall of spines.


    Still, Multipus used the spines on its body as anti-missile missiles, andunched them to meet their javelins. Despite this, we made progress. We were slowly taking out the demon king, but the rocks drifted past our initial defensive lines, and headed towards Treehome.


    ***


    On Treehome, my Valthorns immediately activated our early warning system, as our defenses swung into action.


    This is a warning from the Central Authority. There are meteors expected to collide and crash into our world in a few days.. Please ensure that your underground bunkers are adequately stocked for 1 to 2 months of hiding. Please ensure that your bunkers are registered with the central authority so that our forces will be able to find you.


    Sky-gazing observatories were able to spot the little streaks of light that were headed to the surface of our world.


    It was beautiful.


    And a little scary.


    We deployed our secondyer of defenses, as mages, armed with bombs and teleportation spells, teleported onto the surfaces of therger rocks and began to nt bombs. We also had cannons and various weapons stationed on our moons and nearby asteroids that started to bombard the nearby meteors.


    We whittled the meteors bit by bit.


    The skies were filled with streaks of light, and little bursts in the sky, some asionally as bright as the sun. Our weapons, firing as frequently, and as fast as they could, bombarded theing rocks. Our mages worked tirelessly to redirect them away.


    The locals wondered what it was.


    Was it the day when the skies were lit ame?


    The locals called it the days of Starspark. Some called it the day of the falling stars. For some, safely protected by magical barriers and walls, it was beautiful. Romantic.


    But it was not all beauty. There were the smaller fragments that were missed, and most of them burned up as they approached Treehomes atmosphere and magisphere. In areas closer to the Central Continent, our ground based defenses did its best to intercept the meteors before they crashed.


    Weve started construction of these ground-based anti-meteor defenses the moment we seeded in cracking theet. They came in all shapes and forms. Some wererge cannon arrays powered by leylines. Some were beam weapons, simrly powered by ley lines. Some were shields, since some mages didnt like the idea of hitting rocks midair.


    The variety of defenses performed reasonably well.


    Throughout Treehome, not all of these meteors were caught, there were slightly bigger ones smashed into the ground, leaving craters. Thankfully, the world was mostly ocean, so the bulk of the missing meteors fell into the seas and oceans. A few caused big waves and tsunamis, but well within our expectations.


    ***


    Meanwhile, the heroes and my domainholders battled it out, slowly, we destroyed Multipuss multiple bodies. Piercing weapons were more effective, since explosions and blunt weapons were diverted by its gigantic spines.


    We used teleportation spells extensively, but Multipus itself generated a small sphere of magical disruption that messed with our teleportation.


    We really could use Chungs arrows at this moment, but he didnt care. He was still too engrossed in his grief and frustrations to entertain us. In fact, I suspected he was fighting the hero ss inside his head, because the hero sspelled him to fight the demon king.


    This was his duty.


    And he didnt want to do it.


    The two forces in his soul battled.


    For us, we kept at it.


    Multipuss gimmicks were fairly limited in the vastness of space, and it looked like it had things it wanted to do, but couldnt.


    Both sides fought in an ufortable environment, and it was quite amusing that the demon king struggled with it more than we did. Multipus might be optimized for battle onnd.


    As our attacks continued, the demon king seemed to have realized it was running out of options. The multiple giant demonic urchins began to escape, and roll towards Treehome. Our weapons and defenses caught up.


    Stop it! Roon and Johann said. We had harpoon-like projectiles from our earlier days, and we used it to great effect. We attempted to ensnare the multiple bodies of Multipus, to some sess.


    We caught some, and with a heavy bombardment, destroyed a few of them.


    Some rocks are slipping through! A void mage almost shouted through our sharedmunicationswork.


    The skies were lit in beams of light and magic. The heroes themselves went all out, as the two archmage-heroes fired spell after spell at Multipus and the rocks.


    Its gaining speed! Roon and Johann said as everyone chased after the urchins. Our weapons and spells tried our best to catch the urchins, and we managed to hit a few of the urchins with really strong attacks, and destroyed them.


    But of the ten to twenty smaller bodies, we only managed to destroy slightly over half of them. The remaining half were all injured to some extent, but they flew towards Treehome at high speed.


    Surface team, intercept, intercept! Ste roared as her own set of void weaponsunched towards the demon king.


    But there are rocks headed our way? The mages manning the various defensive structures countered. We cant target both at the same time.


    There was no point hitting the demon king with weak attacks. It didnt hurt the demon, and our energies are better used dealing with other threats such as the meteors.


    Focus on the rocks. I said. Well deal with Multipus once itnds.


    ***


    The starry skies were lit ame, as six gigantic streaks of light burned through the outer sphere. Our weapons and magical attacks chased after the remnant bodies of Multipus.


    Each world has an atmosphere, and to some extent, a magisphere that protected the world. Stronger worlds have stronger protections from such incursions, though the demons have clearly mastered the art of circumventing these protections through their rift gates.


    Multipus iing. I dered, as Freshka entered a rare emergency siren.


    We found Multipus somehow charging towards Freshka directly, which I found amusing. It must have felt my presence and determined that I was the threat they needed to eliminate.


    Out on the streets, there was panic as the sirens red.


    Whats happening? The folks asked.


    Demon King iing. Expected tond somewhere around Freshka. Please seek shelter or teleport out immediately.


    Freshka quickly emptied out, as I used my teleportation abilities to send people out of Freshka and towards the rest of the city. My domain holders and mages continued to attack Multipus body, as it spins through space and pierces through Treehomes atmosphere.


    Around this point, I created a huge wall of shields around Freshka, as the six injured bodies of Multipus crashed in thends around us. Its impact on thend around them caused huge shockwaves that smashed into my wall of shields.


    The bodies did not move for a moment, and that was the opportunity we needed. Lumoof teleported down, and immediately charged into one of the Multipuss bodies.


    His body glowed with the [Fury of the Avatar], as huge magically empowered roots pierced one of the bodies. It died instantly.


    Ednanded right next to the another Multipuss bodies. She took the spines to her flesh unharmed, and shed right into its actual body.


    My roots attacked the remaining four bodies, and though I injured them, it felt like they still lived. I Immediately wrapped my vines and roots around the remaining four bodies, and I felt it struggle against my vines.


    I attempted to drain Multipus of its power, my vines immediately sucked the familiar demonic energies of demon kings.


    <i>Hate.</i>


    All I felt was hate. We destroyed two of Multipuss bodies, and the remaining four were not in good shape. Lumoof quickly teleported to the third body, and once more, with his Fury, crushed the third body with an empowered piercing root-spear.


    The three remaining bodies melted through my cocoon of roots, and immediately tried to merge. I battered the remaining bodies with my roots, and weakened it some more.


    The melted bodies reformed, and then, reshaped itself into something resembling a golem.


    Only to die.


    The heroes and the rest of my domain holders arrived, and they came with the heaviest barrage of magic and weapons.


    It died before it turned into its golem form.


    [Demon King Multipus has been in]


    [Youve gained 6 levels. You are now Level 265]


    [Your abilities and skills have been strengthened, range decay for abilities and skills reduced]


    Spaizzer


    TK523''s a great friend. So, check out his book 2


    So, Dear Spellbook''s Book 2 is out! Please go check it out here!


    https://geni.us/Spellbook2<blockquote>


    Tal has found a doorway to an ancient pocket dimension in the woods, but the discovery has cost him dearly.


    Spellbook is lost somewhere inside, held by an unknown magical force. Should his Bond to the book fade, Tal fears he will lose all awareness of the time loop hes trapped in, and any chance of escaping it. He must get Spellbook back before this happens, but the enchantments protecting the pocket dimension are formidable.


    Another threat is the presence Tal has detected hidden amidst the oblivious citizenry of Crossroadssomeone else is aware of the loop. A foe who retains their memories is a serious problem, but Tal has no idea who it could be. Hes determined to draw the mysterious individual out of the shadows before they find him first.


    Tal cant afford to let his magical andbat training fall by the wayside either. After all, new dangers are revealing themselves every resetthe behavior of the towns rats is particrly disturbing. So a new instructor is called for, however brutal their methods may be</blockquote>


    Check it out!

 279. Psychotropics

    279. Psychotropics


    Chapter 279


    <b>Year 270 (Later half)</b>


    Multipus was defeated, after what felt like a prolonged campaign. Even if the final battle on Treehome was anticlimactic, I was relieved that it was finally, finally over.


    There were still some remnant rocks to destroy, and the skies will continue to be filled with momentarily sparks of light from our magical attacks. Some will streak across the skies and burn in the atmosphere of Treehome, creating beautiful meteors.


    Now, we could redirect our attention to the other issues.


    Chung.


    I watched him from afar, and through my vines and trees. His situation eroded.


    What seemed like insanity, began to set in. Madness. Prabu and Colette seemed upset, they didnt want to be the one to kill him. Prabu and Colette did visit, and did try to talk to him. But it went nowhere.


    Madness creeped his mind, as he seemed to hallucinate that everything around him had somehow transformed into demons.


    Demons! He screamed, sting trees the moment he saw them. Grass and trees seemed to be demons. Even people seemed to be demons. I summoned the rest of the sane heroes, and updated them on the situation.


    I didnt know why.


    I didnt hurt him.


    Ive treated him fairly, as far as I could.


    Even from this distance, my [Soul Forge] could feel an intense disquiet in his heart. The energies of a soul that struggled against the demands of his ss. A gods curse. I wondered whether Hawa could remove his ss.


    Try not to kill him. Prabu said.


    I would, if youd help me. I said. This madness is caused by the [hero] ss.


    Im not mad. Prabu countered. Adrian and Khefri listened quietly.


    Not all heroes take the effects and chains of the [Hero] ss equally. Madness is the oue for some. I countered.


    You dont know that.


    Ive seen enough to conclude madness is likely the oue of the [hero] ss and his personality.


    At this point, the only usible solution, at least, the only non-lethal one, was to do something like what I did to Colette. Remove the [hero] ss from Chung.


    He would be mortal.


    Or Id kill him in the process.


    Or kill him, if he used his powers to hurt more than it is worth.


    If youd help me knock him out, I will try to remove the hero ss from his soul. I offered the heroes a way out. I know they dont want to kill their fellow hero.


    Bloody hell. Prabu cursed. I dont even know how effective our powers are.


    The alternative is death. I countered. My domain holders would assist. It was a valuable chance to deal with a hero thats not at full strength. Chung was mad. His magical powers and abilities are still insanely destructive, but with his mental state a wreck, he is likely unable to strategize and fight us properly.


    Must it be now?


    If not now, then when? Chungs mental state deteriorates, and he seems to be suffering from some kind of imbnce in his soul. I dont know the effects of long term internal struggles, and whether it can be fixed, if its toote.


    I was being a little maniptive, but it was true. A soul, as I understood it, can get damaged. It happened with the first generation of heroes I encountered, Alexis and Me. Their souls suffered damage. Ive seen soul damage in many ways or forms, and I expect Chungs situation to be simr.


    There is a rot in Chungs soul, quite simr to Colettes feeling. While Colette understood it, Chung denies it.


    Partly because he doesnt want anything to do with me anymore. Partly because he feels, and still feels I am responsible for Kens death. In his eyes, I am a murderer. I killed his friend.


    Prabu and Colette looked at each other. Somehow, the burden of this decision was with them. They were the same generation, the same batch. If they decided to help, then it was possible.


    If I have to step in, I cannot guarantee he will live. He is a hero, while we are not. We will have to go all out to take him out. I answered.


    To be fair, I was excited at the thought of finally taking on a hero. Ive known, since the Sun-Rings, that I could take damage really well. Now I wanted to see how I stood against a hero like Chung, with his destructive piercing arrows.


    Is Level 250 enough?


    I think it is. At least, Patreeck puts the chance of me winning to be fairly high, though the level of destruction we will cause was catastrophic.


    Prabu and Colette looked at each other. Khefri, Adrian, what do you two think?


    Khefri shrugged. He needs some sense beaten into him, but as much as I hate to say it, I think hes higher level than me.


    Adrian nodded as well. Ill help, but- yeah. We cant let him destroy and kill like this. I think he might get emunicated, like-


    It didnt need to be said.


    It was kinda sad. Ive watched Chung over the years, and hes always been suspicious of me. But I did think we had some level of professional respect for each others abilities. He knew I could do certain things, and I respected his power.


    But in a long enough time frame, even friends can be enemies.


    Then I wondered whether this was how paranoia starts.


    Day by day, Chungs descent into madness worsened. He sted more ces, destroyed more mountains. He began seeing demons where there were none, and it felt like some kind of suppressed rage.


    You cant postpone this decision forever. I spoke to both Colette and Prabu. Colette epted the decision was necessary. Prabu struggled a little harder, but ultimately, the [hero] ss did not oppose such matters. There were no restrictions on heroes fighting each other. They fought each other in the past. We had records that heroes went to war with other over petty things.


    Colette agreed. Lets do it.


    The n was the heroes engaged first. They would take the lead, since it is their friend. Lumoof and myself would only emerge in the final minutes, to use our disabling abilities on Chung. Edna and the rest would only step in, if any of the heroes were in trouble.


    But otherwise, as Colette puts it, Chung is our friend, and well, let us do it.


    Honestly, I think the chance of my domain holders dying was quite high, especially for my softer members like Roon, Johann, Ste, Ezar and Kafa. We exempted Ste from the battle, since she wasnt really abatant, and we highly needed her, even if we had other void mages.


    Think hell kill us? Adrian asked.


    He might be mad enough to do it. Colette said, and after a long pause.


    Chungs senses are incredible, and it is for this reason we have not attempted to set up traps nearby. Weve seen him attack things for tens of miles away, as if augmented by the [hero] ss.


    I remembered the very first generation of heroes I met, using super long range attacks against the demon king. Chung being able to do as much was entirely a surprise, but meant our ability to trap him was fairly limited.


    As a hero, he was also blessed with all sorts of protections that most of our restraining powers would likely fail.


    Except mine.


    If there was any way we could restrain him, itll have to be Lumoof and me. Together, I think I could do it.


    ***


    There was no need to alert Chung immediately, because with our teleportation abilities, the rest of the fighting force can arrive immediately. The domain holders presence would alert him, and that was not something we wanted to do. Not yet.


    Prabu, Colette, Khefri and Adrian approached him first.


    Colette spoke. She spoke softly, but with the heros senses, it was clear he heard it. Chung.


    What? Chung stood on the remnants of a mountain, sted and riddled with holes.


    Are you alright?


    Alright? Chungughed. Alright?! Is that what you came to ask, Colette?


    Colette nodded. Yes. We wanted to see why youre doing this.


    Why? Chung answered and thenughed some more. Theughter turned manic, and for us listening from afar, this was unsettling. After that long, manicughter, he stopped abruptly, and then stared at Colette. Do you really want to know?


    Colette didnt flinch. Yes.


    Why are you working with the murderers? We were friends, Colette. We were teammates. We came from the same world! And you chose to side with the murderer!


    Colettes eyes furrowed. I was there. There was no murder. Ken died, as he always wished to.


    Murderer! Chung mmed the rock next to him with heroic force, the force of the impact left a huge explosion in the ground. So much for being on the same team, Colette. All of youve decided to work with the evil creature thats clearly using us to achieve its own goals.


    Colette stared at the archer hero, and asked. So what should we do?


    Destroy the tree, of course. An eye for an eye, a life for a life. Chungughed. Were you waiting for me to say that?


    Colette frowned, as Prabu held her arm. Chung, doing that solves nothing!


    It does. It solves the knot in my heart. The fury in my soul. I want to destroy this tree, and everything it created. Chung answered. This theocratic empire is evil, Colette. It is a heartless existence thats only goal is to win. We are just chess pieces in its game!


    Then why not? Colette asked.


    Would you join me? Chungughed. If you do, we can get started right now.


    Colette sighed. No.


    Chung frowned, but there was insanity in his eyes. Its your baby, isnt it. He has your baby under control, so yourepromised. He bought you when he gave you that baby.


    Colettes patience instantly vanished. Chung, not a single word more on my child. There are some things-


    How do you know your baby is real, and not a puppet created by the evil creature? Chung pressed her buttons. I had the feeling even though he knew that was not true, but the things people say in moments of madness.


    Of course I know shes real! Colette countered, as magic swirled in her hands. The rest of the heroes took the hint. I hoped it didnt have toe to this.


    Chungs manicughter was his response. He stood from the rock, and then, the skies were filled with arrows. Prabu and Colette retaliated with shields that deftly blocked the magical arrows.


    Weve sparred a lot. Chung countered. But I bet youve never seen this!


    Chung manifested a magical arrow unlike any other, and fired it across the barrenndscape. It resembled an arrow that was tied up with chains, and it was wrapped in anti-magical energies.


    It easily pierced through the two mages shields, but it was blocked by a heavy barrier from Khefri, and then exploded. When the dust settled there was a deep mark on Khefris carapace. But the archer was already shooting more arrows.


    Colette retaliated with an area magical spell that turned the entire area into a raging inferno.


    Against the demon king and its incredibly high armor and health, the heroes generally stuck to high damage, focused spells. These raging infernos were not individually powerful, but they covered wide areas and were likely more effective against Chung.


    Do you n to kill me? Chungughed, as he deftly dodged magical projectiles from the heroes.


    Khefri and Adrian both charged ahead, trying to get him into melee. They were stronger there, but because Chung was the higher-leveled hero, the two melee heroes stuck together. Khefri immediately countered. No. I hope I dont have to.


    A magical scorpionoid tail appeared from her back and attempted to stab the archer. But the archer was already gone.


    Chung frowned. Why do you believe in that murderous tree?


    Khefri and Adriannded. Because it is the best choice.


    Even if its evil? Even if it kills other heroes? Even if it makes us fight against each other?! Chung countered. Look what it has done! It rules over the worlds like an iron fisted dictator!


    He somehow dodged a wave of magically enchanted icicles, shot an arrow that created a small shield and blocked some of the spells headed his way.


    The two melee heroes charged in, trying to make use of the space created by the mages. Yes. It is still the best choice. Because the alternative is demons.


    Chung countered. Wrong! Thats what the tree wants you to believe! The alternative could be us! Us heroes, as rulers!


    Khefri frowned but wasnt affected by the archers words. She was encased in a golden carapace and attempted to step close. Chung created mirror images of himself, phantom clones that vanished. You told me long ago you didnt like ruling.


    I dont. Chung replied. But some of us can do a better job!


    Khefris ws barely grazed Chungs skin before he somehow vanished. No. We cant. Weve seen it in the journals.


    Chung countered. Thats also the Trees doing! How can you believe it!


    At that moment, thousands of magical spikes emerged around Chung, and trapped him. Chung panicked, and attempted to smash into the magical spikes. It hurt him. Khefri watched, as more spikes emerged. There were spells from both Prabu and Colette. The two were the only heroes who were closer in levels.


    Free me! Youre under his influence!


    Colette frowned. Maybe. But what youre doing is not right, either.


    Prabu added. Chung, we didnt want to do this. But we cant let you go mad.


    Lumoof then appeared, and in my avatar form, we entered the trap.


    Chung struggled in madness, as Lumoofs magical vines quickly grabbed hold of the archer hero. Let go!


    Lumoof didnt reply, but continued to focus on disabling him. My energies began to flood his body, and we began to forcefully drain his mana. His soul attempted to fight mine, but this was a sensation familiar to me.


    I remember Alvin struggling in the same manner. Chung was quickly immobilized and paralysed, as my own energies took hold of the heros body.


    He struggled. Let go!


    But eventually, my spiritual energies overwhelmed him, and he was knocked out. I teleported Chung into the depths of the valley, and we would begin the ursed process of stripping a hero of his ss.


    ***


    Chungs soul spring was encased in the same type of shining marble stone. But, on closer inspection, the shape of the rocks had turned intorge, thorny structures that surrounded the sparkling, star-filled waters.


    Get out. I felt Chungs thoughts here. GET OUT.


    It was the souls resistance, trying to force me out. It was like a wave, pushing back at my presence.


    But this wouldnt kick me out. Not now. My presence was like a tree, and my energies, like roots, grabbed the soul spring, and pierced the soil of his spirit.


    I would rip the hero ss out of his soul, and I would do so in the way a tree would.


    My roots pierced the gaps of the marble stones, and forced my way in.


    WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Chung roared.


    Stripping you of your powers. I answered inly, as my spiritual roots drew power from the worlds.


    NO!


    The rocks cracked, as I pushed. It was harder, because Chung wasnt cooperating. But I am now Level 250, and the hero ss wasnt going to stop me.


    EVIL! YOU WORK FOR THE DEMONS!


    I dont.


    YOU WILL BE THE NEXT DEMON. Chung used.


    My roots pierced the foundations of his soul spring, and slowly, I lifted. The rocks felt heavy. They always were. I felt his soul spring try its best to hold on to the rocks. But I pushed. My roots grew, and his soul spring buckled like a road with roots growing underneath it.


    Maybe. I answered, as I kept working. But I posit life is better than death. So better alive than dead.


    I RATHER DIE WITH PRIDE AND DIGNITY THAN TO SERVE.


    I didnt bother answering that. His soul buckled.


    ***


    The entire valley trembled with the turbulent powers of a heros energies. The four heroes were nearby, near my main tree, and they could feel it.


    Everything alright? Colette asked Lumoof.


    Lumoof shrugged. Its going well. The hero ss is loose.


    Khefri had a mischievous grin. Zhaanpus going to have a good time once he knows you can do this.


    Lumoof looked at Khefri, and shrugged. Hes been having a good time for a while now. We still owe him an apology. Aeon promised hed get an audience with a god.


    Khefri then looked at Lumoof. Wait. I wasnt briefed on that.


    Ah. Yes. Priorities. Lumoofughed. We did intend to inform him about Hawa and the things that were discussed, but, things happened.


    Khefri squinted. Fill me in.


    Later,ter. Aeons getting there.


    The valley swirled with turbulent magic. Lightning and bursts of magic seemed to manifest out of nowhere, and briefly, everyone felt divine magic.


    Huh. Lumoof said. That was unexpected-


    They were instantly hit with notification that their domain had blocked attempted scrying. For the heroes, they were all instantly hit with a headache, except Colette, who felt as if something attempted to touch her.


    Lumoof looked at the heroes, and immediately encased them in a barrier of roots and vines. Somethings trying to look through your souls.


    Adrian, Khefri and Prabu struggled for a little, before the sensation vanished. Whats that?


    Lumoof frowned. A gods trying to spy on us.


    ***


    Chungs spirit was in turmoil, as my roots and vines separated the marble rocks that made up the hero ss from the soul spring.


    The hero was in intense pain, the act of ripping out ones ss is quite like removing a central pir of his identity. I spent quite a bit of my energies trying to hold him, as the rest of my energies pushed the hero ss out of the way, further, and further.


    My spiritual vines grabbed the stones of his hero ss, and bit by bit, I pulled it further and further away from his soul spring.


    A full dayter, the hero ss was finally out of the reach of his soul spring, and then-


    [Youve removed the [Archer Hero] ss]


    [Youve gained the [Archer Hero] ss Seed]


    [Warning : This ss Seed is highly unstable and may cause death during attempted merger]


    Chung was alive, but suddenly, the young man strapped into the soul forge began to age rapidly.


    Uh. Shit

 280. And So the Begins the War of the Clones

    280. And So the Begins the War of the Clones


    <i>Year 270 (Part 3)</i>


    I cannot de-age him. I said.


    No. If I said I could, and I did it against his will, I would just prove Chungs point that I could have saved Ken but chose not to. If I didnt do it for Ken, theres certainly no reason to do it for Chung. I had to keep the story straight.


    But- doesnt this mean we just killed him? Prabu and Colette both looked horrified.


    Chungs soul just had his ss ripped out of him, and even as I tried my best to soften the edges, it is still a traumatic incident and would cause aging.


    Khefri frowned. How many years does he have left?


    Five? I guessed, based on the rate of aging. His body was under a lot of stress, and he didnt trade his hero ss for the other sses.


    Wait. Does that mean he could keep his immortality if he traded his hero sses for other sses?


    To some extent.


    There is a limit, just like how there is a limit with the Experience Seeds. As far as I could tell, only domain holders are immortal, as the rest of them still age, albeit slowly. In that sense, this was a unique advantage afforded to us non-humanoids.


    Even a lich, or a mummified corpse, like Zhaanpu, experienced decay over the years and had to go through a process of rejuvenation. The heroes didnt like this development, of course. Why would they? They thought they just merely stopped him. They didnt think they just gave him a death sentence.


    Over the days and months, as Chung regained his consciousness, heughed maniacally. Well done! Well done, all of you!


    Prabu was the only one there when Chungughed. Chung. You were being destructive.


    I know. Chungughed. And you did it. Well done, Prabu, Well done. Youve worked with evil, and decided to kill me.


    I- I didnt know it was going to go this way.


    And you trust that crazy tree anyway, don''t you? You knew, and yet you trusted him.


    I was tempted to just kill him anyway, but I didnt care. Chung now posed no harm, and I thought it was useful to have him around, as a test for the heroes nature.


    Prabu shook his head. We didnt expect it either.


    You think the damned tree didnt know this was going to happen?


    It never removed a hero ss ever. Prabu countered. And you were a danger to everyone. It was the only way.


    Was it?


    You were not listening to us.


    Why should I?


    Prabu frowned. Youre being difficult.


    Chung frowned as well. Is that what you call standing up for myself and whats right?


    No. Youre being destructive, and you wrecked the ce in the Southern Continent. I dont call that standing up for yourself.


    I did that, didnt it? Chung said, as if feigning forgetfulness. Why not just kill me? Thats what the tree would want.


    Its not what we want. Prabu countered. For the greater good, this is the best way forward.


    For the greater good. The former, now powerless hero said. Thats how we justify it all.


    Yes. It is. Prabu somehow snapped. And it is the greater good if youre not destroying shit.


    Fuck you.


    Prabu stared at the shell of a man. I thought I would be sad to see you die. As it turns out, its just me holding on to someone who I thought was my friend. Someone who was with us for the fight against the demons.


    Not for-


    No. You were always looking for excuses. I had it. Weve been in this world way longer than Earth, or wherever they call it. These worlds are our homes, now, and Id be damned if I dont protect it.


    All because you have a daughter-


    Fuck you, Chung. Prabu said. So what its because I have a daughter. I want to protect the world she lives in. At least I have something worth fighting for, unlike you just wrecking shit up because you think youre better.


    I did. Ken was-


    Ken was always our friend. Prabu countered. Even when he vanished and hid away, ditching his responsibilities as a hero. You, on the other hand, used him as a fucking crutch. You me all your mistakes on Kens death, and it fucking tires me.


    I liked you better when all you did was eat snacks. Chung somehow aged in that moment, while he looked at the hero that usually seemed quiet. Prabu was not a person of many emotions.


    But he snapped today, and Chung wasnt sure why.


    Maybe the gods tried to ensure the heroes stuck together, so with each other, they were forgiving of each others faults. Now that Chung didnt have the hero ss, those effects vanished?


    I wasnt sure.


    Guess I ate something too spicy and I just had to vent it. Enjoy your final days, Chung. I hoped we could be friends like we used to, but I realize all Im talking to is a shadow of the person I once knew. A rotten shadow.


    Go to hell, Prabu. Go fight for the evil tree and I hope you realize the mistakes you made in your final days.


    Prabu walked to the door of the fortified bib. Ive seen the spirits of the heroes that died before us, and I know we are on the right path. Its a shame you refuse to see the cruel reality. We will go to the demons hell, and we will destroy them.


    Fuck you.


    Oh, did I tell you Aeon spoke to a god? Prabu smirked.


    Chung stared, his eyes a mix of confusion and betrayal. -what.


    The Order finally found a god-protected world.


    Wait- dont go!


    Prabu shook his head. Ille back if I feel like it. Bye.


    Chung yelled, while his body was strapped to all the vines and roots that tracked his every bodily readings.


    ***


    ***


    Lumoof, Roon and Edna were back on Satrya, where the demon king would arrive, this time, escorted with an actual Valthorn contingent of our own, mainly to set up the n. Our void mages quickly triangted the location, and since we were expecting a demon king simr to Sabnoc, our approach was the same.


    Nuke the shit out of it once it spawns.


    Once the n was ready, we had to brief the locals.


    The meeting location was the city of Olpash, the home of the priestess. The full Hawas Circle was present for Lumoofs presentation of our n.


    The usual way. Bombs and explosions, then followed by direct engagement should the demon king survive. Our n also involved the deployment of one of my [node trees], in order to transport the heroes from our world to Satrya, and all the bombs we needed for this purpose.


    The priests didnt see the necessity for such crude methods. In fact, they were horrified.


    On worlds such as Satrya, the demons were not the endlessly consuming gue. Here, they had to obey the intensely powerful rules woven into the fabric of this worlds reality. So, in the Core worlds of the Gods, the demons were not an existential threat.


    They couldnt be, because the Gods who watched over them would intervene. It didnt cost them much to intervene.


    But since Hawa himself dered that we would deal with it, who was the Hawas Circle to oppose our n?


    None of them wanted to speak up against Lumoof, because he was my avatar. Our presence distorted reality, and warped the environment around us. Just like when I ascended to be a domain holder, my presence rippled throughout the world of Treehome, that even Lillies could sense it, Lumoofs presence on Satrya had a simr effect.


    Our threads mixed into the divine presence of this world, and it made the priests ufortable.


    They have never felt their Lords authority challenged this way. The presence of another god in a world that never had the presence of another was unnerving, and it shattered a long held belief. The primacy of their gods ce in the multiverse.


    Their god was only one of the many.


    Eventually, the Hawas Circle themselves appointed two to attend to our needs. They would act as facilitators, and ease our conduct with the rest of Satrya.


    The head priestess of Olpash, and the head priest of Museo.


    Roon had an eyeroll, like the fates were ying some kind of divine prank on him. Maybe she volunteered herself for the role.


    It is time we are formally introduced, then. My given name is Olivia of Olpash. The head priestess said.


    And I am Michael of Museo.


    We wouldter find out that they are named that way because once they ascended as Hawas Circle, they are supposed to consider the entire city that is their home-state as their home, and as such they are given the citys name as their normal family names.


    Thend where the demon king would arrive was located deep in the uninhabited territories, and it seemed that the magics of Hawa had somehow twisted their magical rifts such that they could onlynd in a few specified locations throughout Satrya.


    These areas became known as the demonnds to the Satryan popce.


    Uninhabited, and perfect for a node tree. Or a clone.


    Our forces easily pierced the depths of the demonnds. Demon champions were frankly nothing at this point, Edna and Lumoof could handle multiple simultaneously.


    I thought about what was the right level of force to apply, and briefly weighed the risk. From what I could see so far, Hawa offered to help, but we would have to help free up resources.


    With a node tree, I didnt show my true strength. But why? Why hold back?


    Should I be fearful of Hawas retaliation by cing one of my clone body on its outer core worlds, or betrayal?


    I briefly considered the experiences so far. I would have the clone I lost in year 261 back in my reserves soon, and Alka would be back in business in about two to three years.


    Lumoof understood my concerns, and then asked Olivia and Michael. How trustworthy is your god?


    I saw the silliness of the question. How could their own priests know their gods character? But even so, what their answers helped.


    If Hawa is not worthy of trust, no one is. Michael of Museo answered in confidence.


    Hawas decisions in its peripheral worlds do not inspire that sort of confidence. Yet, I suppose to those who live in privilege, what would they know?


    Olivias response was simr. There is no one we trust more than Hawa.


    Lumoof nodded. Is Hawas promises reliable?


    Olivia and Michaels facial expression was one of genuine disbelief. Of course! They countered, as if appalled that their gods character should ever be questioned.


    But the dealings between Gods are all a matter of trust, is it not?


    The system could ensure contracts and agreements are followed, but it would take a pact, a pact with the same level of power like the [World Faith System]. In short, it would be a [constitution] formed from thebined votes of the multiverse.


    But right now, my dealings with Hawa will entirely be based on trust.


    The belief system, in its design, should be one of trust. One where the Gods act in ordance to their myth, and Hawa was never seen as a deceitful god. After all, actions contrary to the Gods character will cause the gods to lose believers. It is an incentive to encourage consistent behavior.


    Very well. Lumoof made the two priests of Hawa speak of their gods character, to describe his greatness.


    They preached. They were trained to do so from a young age. Hawa in their eyes was the god of Laws, Honorable Battle and Honor. Of battlefield excellence and the purity of skill.


    To the Satryans, Hawa was the only god in their eyes, naturally their own creation myths exined how the primordial egg created Hawa, and the remnants of the primordial egg formed the rejected parts of the world.


    The demons.


    It was totally untrue.


    Hawas faith on Satrya didnt speak of the others at all, unlike how Hawas faith on Treehome was a blended creation myth.


    Perhaps, the gods created a few versions of their own creation myths. A set for the peripheral worlds, that includes the other gods, and a set for their core worlds where they would not encounter the other gods.


    In that sense, the existence of the other gods meant Hawa lied to themon popce. I could see the reason for it, after all, Hawa wanted believers, and for its core worlds, it was best not to give its believers options. Here, he was supreme, and the only alternative wasnt one.


    Only the inner circle, the Hawas Circle, knew of the other worlds. But even they didnt know the full picture.


    There was no reason to know.


    Despite this obvious lie, I didnt think it invalidated Hawas trustworthiness. The variation in creation myths didnt seem malicious.


    I also had value that I brought to the table. I could offer the Hawa a way to gain more faith points, by transporting his priests and believers to ces that would cost too much [faith points] for him to reach.


    I could defend worlds where it cost too much for him to act.


    So, I decided it was worth it to give this rtionship between two powers a shot. If they wanted to see us in action, well, Id do so with a clone.


    I had three to spare, and one more on the way, /pd/Tree-of-Aeons-3-Audiobook/B0CJL65ST7

 281. Logged and Loaded

    281. Logged and Loaded<ol start="281"><li></li></ol>


    <b>Year 271</b>


    <i>Satrya</i>


    My clone was ced close to the demon kings predicted arrival slot. The actual location of arrival would be rigged with enough ordinances to nuke the ce to ashes, so my clone was located a little further away.


    The rifts swirled.


    Ste sighed from the safety of my clone. I cant help but feel that weve just signed up to fight someone elses war.


    It is true. But some concessions have to be made, for trust. In an agreement between powers, what else could there be but trust?


    We still have the voidyers to explore. Ste frowned, I felt her eagerness to see the voidyers for herself. There was something that we wanted to see, there, and yet here we are, torn by all these other obligations.


    We were stretched. And we will be stretched even more.


    The scale of the Valtrian Order needed to match our ambitions.


    I needed to expand on arger scale, and to some extent, these peripheral worlds seemed like the perfect ce for it. They were exposed to enough demonic attacks that their people should have a reason to take up arms against the demons.


    I know. I consoled the void mage, but she was here anyway. She monitored the subtle shifts in the void paths of the demon king, making sure we got the right spot.


    She merely grunted at my response, and after a while, asked. You n to send someone over to the other side?


    The rift gates hummed in the distance. The Valthorns present ced our bombs, as the two officials of Hawa, Olivia of Olpash and Michael of Museo, watched as bombs were carried out of my clone tree by the beetle-trucks. They watched with what seemed to be a mix of horror and amazement.


    Weve gotten better at the logistics of remote mining demon kings spawn points, and my n involved designing standard deployment packages, each with enough to deal sufficient damage 2 x over, and deliver them to each of our attacked territories.


    We needed to transform each fight with the demon king into a routine process that we could repeat everywhere. We would be a well-oiled war machine.


    If only to get the coordinates. I answered.


    Ste nodded. A world that creates a demon king like Sabnoc would be of much interest. What sort of natural terrain they possess, or features, that caused the creation of such demon kings.


    You sound personally invested. Do you want to go? I wondered.


    It is. I volunteer to go.


    Take Edna and Roon with you.


    Got it. Ste said. Ill give you a better reading on where


    ***


    The Valthorns were in full swing as they set up the bombs. Lumoof watched, and the team was familiar with our usualyout that they worked with hardly any intervention from the senior team. There were set formations that determined how the bombs were arranged throughout the arrival area.


    Impressive work. Michael said to Lumoof. Lumoof merely chuckled.


    Its not enough, though. Lumoof said. Wed probably have to step in for the finishing touches.


    Is it? I wouldve thought this amount of magical weapons would be sufficient to cause an explosion. MIchael countered.


    The priest grinned at the priest of the other faith. You underestimate how hardy the is.


    Really?


    Yes. Lumoof nodded.


    We have miners that use explosives for their underground mines. Michael rified. I had the impression such explosive weapons would be enough.


    The demon king isnt a creature that dies easily.


    Michael paused. I noticed its mostly ordinary explosives, but since the opponent is the demon king, why not use [holy] explosives?


    Lumoof stared at Michael, and realized that Hawa may have ess to divine-tier bombs, created with Hawas magical energies.


    The demon king isnt vulnerable to [holy] weapons. Most anti-demonic spells and abilities do not apply to the demon king.


    Really? Michael paused. Our divine [champions] would always im it is the Hawa Armaments that made them so powerful and use it to defeat the demon king.


    Lumoof nodded. Weapons made by your god must be truly powerful. Id like to see them, if we have the chance.


    Michael nodded. Sure.


    Olivia, meanwhile, looked around. Lord Lumoof, have you seen my husband around?


    Lumoof paused, a little annoyed that she referred to Roon so casually. No.


    ***


    <i>Demon Conquered World - Orion</i>


    The riftgate wobbled. Stes bubble of void magic touched the riftgates, and easily resonated with the frequency.


    And so, the trio was now on the other side. They immediately realize this was an unusual world among unusual worlds.


    Theres some kind of magical hexagonal grid in the sky and thends. Ste looked around in both amazement and horror, as she felt the same forces of divinew trying to apply on them. Luckily, it bounced off their domains.


    Roon breathed a sigh of relief. I dont remember ever being so relieved.


    Ste nodded. What sort of god created this world-


    A world that has fallen to the demons. The world that created Sabnoc came from a world twisted by divine energies!


    Lets move. Roon said, as he looked around the environment. It was incredibly eerie to observe the demonic warriors stop after moving across a certain number of hex grids and stop. The magical grid, imposed by divinew, caused creatures that caused those grid barriers to feel exhausted.


    The void domain holder watched and immediately made the connection. This entire world was designed as if it was a board game yed on a hexagonal grid, and the rules were imposed on regr creatures by way of divinew.


    I can see why it fell. Edna said. Those board games have to follow rules, but the demons and their imported army will feel limitless, even if the demons have to obey the rules


    The grids tried to impose their will on them repeatedly, but as domain holders they were spared. The terrain itself was also shaped by this magical grid. Temperature, terrain, features, vegetation all changed just by crossing the grid.


    Edna joked. You know, of all the worlds to be summoned to, at least you were not summoned to this world.


    Heroes should have some really lopsided powers, no? Roon countered. Something to offset the disadvantages of this system.


    It may not matter if the way you fight has to follow the stupid rules ofbat like Satrya. Edna said.


    Ste nodded. In a world like this, where the divinew imposed grid-dictated movement, stamina and attack time limits, a million demonic hounds could deliver death by a million tiny scratches.


    But the divinew was woven into the creation of this world, and so, its core, ordingly-


    Roon led the ground, moving through the grids as if they didnt exist. The terrain was beautiful in a strange way. With the aid of magic, they flew across the hexagonal terrain and soon found arge hexagonal hole in the ground that led to the core.


    Well- thats the core.


    The divinew in this world also served other functions. As they approached iit spawned a screen that all could see. It was likely to be a feature unique to this world, perhaps as an experimental world by one of the earliest gods?


    <i>[The Tunnel to Demon Corrupted Core of Orion]</i>


    <i>[Long ago, Orion fell to the demons, and ever since then, it has birthed demon kings to fuel the demons ceaseless invasion to the other worlds]</i>


    <i>[Countdown to Demon Kingpletion : 14 days]</i>


    You know, life would be much nicer if we had tooltips like that all the time. Roon countered.


    Ste looked at the sun, which initially seemed normal. But, as it turned out, the divinew also created an interface on the sun and the sky itself, and had a clock oveid on the sun itself.


    We dont need clocks in this world. Ste said in amazement.


    Thats both incredibly useful, and annoying. Roon frowned. Im going to be scolded for waking upte if this was a thing.


    Hah! Ste smirked. Who dares scold the archer-god?


    You? Roonughed. Anyway, lets find the rift gates. We need to rob a few, right?


    Ste nodded.


    They found four rift gates, and sent them back to Treehome, and then decided it was time to head back for the battle.


    ***


    <i>Back on Satrya</i>


    The way the demonic worlds path glowed was the same, as my men prepared. The bombs were ready. The two priests of Museo and Olpash were unnerved, they were so near to the demon king!


    We- we have never been asked to be so close. The priest of Museo said, but in the safety of my newly ced clone, there really was nothing to be afraid of. My clones presence on Satrya had been unusual, I felt like I was exerting power over and that resisted me, and my influence on thend bounced off like water on an oily te.


    I suspected this was how Hawa controlled the world of Satrya.


    Edna was nearest to the battlefield. She would be the first to stand against the demon king from the hexagonal origin world, her magical quest-swords floated around her like her guardians.


    Ste smiled. After this, can we explore the void worlds?


    Yes.


    Both will have to happen at the same time.


    The path twisted with the foul energies of a demon king leaving their original world, and then, the Demon King Ur arrived. It was a six headed Hydra, each with a different face, but its power level wasparable to the variant we faced on Mountainworld.


    Bombs.


    The bombs detonated, and reality itself warped around the intense magical explosion. Edna, Lumoof, and my domain holders charged in. Id call on the heroes if we need to. But for now, with our focus on growing our own strength, I decided to prioritize this battle for my domainholders.


    The bombs left the Demon King Ur with four of its heads burnt, and it was beginning to regenerate. It was amon gimmick amongst demon kings to have regenerating parts. Lumoof entered avatar mode and my root spears pierced its gigantic armored by, and more lesser demons appeared, I suddenly realized-


    This was easy.


    My spiritual energies messed with the regeneration.


    Unlike heroes who had to keep figuring out how to destroy the demon kings heads repeatedly. I could tamper with regeneration by messing on the mechanism at a spiritual level. The ability to block spiritual ess also prevented [healing]. A body heals based on a biological code, provided by the spirit. Magic has a reference point.


    Ive done this before.


    Easy.


    Ednas magical des chopped off one of the heads. Roon and Johanns arrows blew off the other.


    Then the demon king attempted to transform.


    But it was interrupted.


    My roots, through Lumoof, pierced its body. Weve faced Multipus, and Multipus was way tougher. My roots crawled and snuck through its inner parts, and wrapped around its demonic core.


    And then Lumoof ripped it out of the body. Its fluids shot out of its body, magical energy and demonic mana leaked, as the muscr roots ripped the heart of the Demon King Ur out of the body. I felt it attempted to reshape, transform.


    It wont.


    I do not allow it to.


    My energies prated the demonic kings core and the demon king found its shapeshifting abilities disabled.


    My roots drained it of mana.


    Itsrge, massive mana pool attempted to coalesce, as if to trigger a detonation of some kind. As it always did.


    But no.


    This time it failed.


    I drained its mana quickly, as Lumoof winced in pain.


    It felt like minutes. It probably was. But the demon kings core struggled like a machine going through itsst moments. It was like a spinning machine, it whined and whirled in itsst moments.


    But, fueled by the [Fury of the Avatar], Lumoof could take it.


    The demon kings body, now separated from its body, froze as if petrified. Without the heart of the Demon King, it was no more than a puppet with its strings cut. As more demonic mana was drained out of the demon kings core, the body itself began to copse. It soon melted into goo.


    Lumoof stood close at the center of the goo, two gigantic muscr masses of roots and vines emerging from his body held the demonic kings core. Drained of its mana, it was like a machine that ran out of juice and shut down.


    Well take this. Lumoof dered, as the demon kings core vanished, sent back to Treehome for further investigation.


    This was getting easier.


    The locals got a notification. We didnt. The Will of Satryas refusal to acknowledge my presence in this world meant none of us did.


    But the two priests of Museo and Olpash received the notification, and they were stunned beyond words.


    Ednanded next to Lumoof. Good job, Lumoof.


    [Youve gained a level. You are now level 266]


    Only one level. I said.


    But it didnt matter. Both Lumoof and Edna benefited from this battle, because both of them experienced arge surge in power.


    Power we will need for the next phase of our internar war.


    The two domainholders were now Level 200.


    ***


    Well, what did you get? Edna looked at Lumoof, and asked him first.


    I thought you should say it. I thought your choice would be more interesting.


    Edna smiled, I suppose so. But Im more curious about your choice, Lumoof.


    As weird as it sounds, I only have two choices, instead of three like Aeon. My avatar grinned. Lumoof then exined his choices.


    Lumoofs first option was [The High Altar of Faith]


    [The High Altar of Faith granted the Avatar of Aeon the ability to select non-domain faithful believers, and admit them into the Altar. Up to twenty people will be allowed to join the High altar. Aeon may activate [Avatar mode] through the Members of the High Altar, though the expressed power is limited to three times their level. Only two full [Avatar Mode] can be active among the High Altar Members at any one point, though all High Altar members can activate a lesser version of the Avatar form. Members of the High Altar stop aging while they are members, and will share sights, senses, and knowledge with the Avatar and also Aeon. High Altar Members can be resurrected by Aeon at a negligible cost. In addition, High Altar Members can teleport items to each other, and can summon each other to their location. However, they cannot bring others with them. Aeon and Lumoof will also gain control of each of the High Altar Members].


    [Selecting this option will also enhance Aeons Lesser Wooden Avatars, and increase the Pantheons Lesser Wooden Avatar power Limits to Level 150].


    Thats like a weird mix of [Court of the Deitree] and [Avatar] mode. Edna immediately thought. Not that useful, though. Whats the other one?


    Lumoofs second choice is [The Towering Avatar].


    [The Towering Avatar elevates the Avatar into the total reincarnation of their origin gods. Lumoof will now be able to function and support all of Aeons abilities, including [Soul Forge], the clones [teleportation], and so on. In addition, under this form, the Towering Avatar is able to summon [Aeons Spirit]. Aeons Spirit functions as a temporary butplete incarnation of the patron god. Destruction of Aeons Spirit does not result in any penalties or drawbacks. Aeons Spirit is usable once a month.]


    [Selecting this option will slightly upgrade Aeonsbat abilities, and also, doubles Aeons mana pool.]


    Wait, is that it? Edna said.


    Yeah. It just means we no longer need to deploy Aeons clone for battle, and the clone can now be reserved for permanent establishments.


    Oh. Ooooooh.


    And its like we have two Aeons in battle. Myself and the clone. And the mana pool will double.


    The earlier option allows us to have mini-Aeons all over the ce.


    But we already have clones and nodes.


    Correction, mini-Avatars all over the worlds that can be revived. In short, zero-risk explorers. Ste added.


    Zero-risk explorers suddenly make that option a lot more appealing, for the void worlds. Edna realized.


    Lumoof nodded. I think the choice is whether to go <i>wide</i> or to go <i>tall. </i>Both have their own legitimate use case, especially as Ste said, explorers. Teleportable explorers and envoys. Or a portable summon of Aeon that we can use in ce of clones, so that we can reserve clones as home bases. This could be tremendously useful if were faced with a lot of fighting on the peripheral worlds. We wouldnt need to lock up clone slots to secure the frontier.


    The question sat in the room for a while.


    Whats more useful?


    I say tall. A portable Aeon without locking up clones is way more useful than mini-Aeons everywhere.


    What if we encounter dangerous threats?


    The likelihood of threats-


    Im talking about hostile gods. Ste said. The High Altar can function as high-power, but zero-risk explorers, while having a decent fraction of Aeons power.


    Lumoof then looked at Edna.


    What about yours?


    Ednaughed.


    Spaizzer


    I''m nning to take a week off for Lunar New year (not sure when, but probably when my backlog runs out)

 282. Into the Void

    282. Into the Void


    Year 272


    We didnt see the need to rush into Lumoofs choice. After all, we could figure out whats happening on the peripheralnds, before choosing the better fit.


    That was the thought with Ednas choice, too.


    ***


    So what did you get? Lumoofs turn to rib the knight. The knight didnt seem too enthusiastic.


    I could summarise them into three main directions. The first choice of my Level 200 domain is the Martial Paragon. In this form, I would achieve what we longed for. Combat ability not only on par, and even more than the heroes. Martial Paragon would allow my [Duty] tost longer, and my overallbat abilities would rise significantly. Some of my abilities would also gain upgrades, such as my [Quest Swords] would gain even more power. I gain the ability to teleport to any of the fellow domainholders who are members of the Pantheon, at my choice. I am also able to leave a [shadow knight] with members of the pantheon, to provide some protection.


    I found it underwhelming.


    She sighed. I think, aside from power, the utility aspects of this choice isckluster.


    Lumoof frowned. Edna, I think you shouldnt worry about the utility issue. The rest of us will deal with it.


    Edna nodded. That is true.


    Then whats the next?


    The Divine Herald of Knights. I gain the ability to sense the presence of all [knight] sses all over the world, and more. The Herald of Knights gains the ability to speak and grant [quests] to all knight sses all over the world directly, grant blessings, rewards, and also, bestow [knight] sses of different tiers. I am also able to form [Knight Orders] out of a group of knights, which grants them some kind of group-wide ability. I am also able to teleport to any knight that requests for my aid, or send magical assistants and spiritual knights. Pantheon members also gain an ability to set up a [Lesser Knight Order].


    This is more in line with a goddess of knights- Ste chewed on a sweet of some kind. With the defense of Satryapleted, the next phase was the void worlds, the peripheral worlds, and also the assimtion of Delvegard.


    In short, the first choice is to go tall-in the direction ofbat. This second choice goes wider, just like how Lumoofs one did.


    I must say Im starting to see a pattern. Ste wondered.


    Its just how the system creates these domains. Its a choice of focus, or breadth. Roon said as if he knew it all along.


    Johann poked his fellow domain holder. And you know whats yours going to be?


    I bet mines going to be some kind of super-archer upgrade, or some kind of split-archer form.


    Alright, alright, Edna, whats the third choice?


    The third choice is the wildcard choice. [Sword of the Void Forest]. It is the domain that takes me closer to Aeon, Lumoof, and Ste.


    Edna looked at Lumoof in a way that made Lumoof squirm ufortably. What in the world-


    I can also be an avatar of Aeon. Edna repeated. And you can be an avatar of me.


    Lumoofs eyes widened in shock.


    Ste shook her head. Thats a clear no. Thats too much-


    You didnt even hear the details. Edna said. Ste, the system clearly considers you as part of this arrangement. The primary power of this domain choice is the ability to have spiritual equivalents, or as the system calls it, Manifestations'', and tag along with Aeons Node Trees, Clones, Stes Void Explorer, and Lumoofs avatar form. In this form, I essentially be a person with multiple bodies, like Aeons clone. These Manifestations are [Void] in nature, and I can travel in the [void sea] with your void explorers.


    You create them? Lumoof asked.


    No. Strangely enough, this domain binds the Manifestation to the abilities of Ste and Aeon. My manifestations appear whenever there is a Clone or a Void Explorer, or your avatar form. Its a package.


    A form of subdomain, but not totally subservient. Lumoof thought about it.


    In a way, its more of a pantheon-support type of role. Edna countered. Though the choice mentioned Lumoof, Aeon and Ste specifically, its not actually limited to them. It extends to all pantheon members.


    The rest of the domain holders were in thought, but then Johannughed. Roon, you might get a mixed-choice. Think about it, what if you got an Aeons Archer type of ability.


    Roon rolled his eyes.


    At least you wont get one linked to your prospective partner! Ezar, the brawler, chuckled. Imagine that!


    Roon had a look of genuine horror. Oh no way.


    It is a wildcard choice. Ste decided it was a fun topic and added fuel to the me. A wildcard romance-linked domain choice would be a supreme troll-move from the system.


    Im going to opt for the World Faith System if the system does that to me. Roon countered.


    Youre taunting the system?! Ste feigned horror.


    Roon realized Ste had a point and decided it was best to just shut up.


    We didnt decide that day. We had worlds to visit, and we wanted Alka to join us in the choice. We would prefer to optimise our abilities. Choices that would get us through the next hurdle.


    It also helped that Alka would have a level up of his own, and we wanted to hear from him.


    What was it like, being dead?


    ***


    Lumoof, Ste and Edna gathered for a trip. The three were often the first to visit dangerous ces, and this time, they would visit the void worlds together.


    The void worlds exist only in the voidyers, and it would be the first time my people ventured there. We wondered what it was like, but after all the wondering, it was time to visit.


    Well. Ste summoned the void mana in her body, and tapped into the voidyers. The voidyers required a few additional extra steps of locational information, and the cost of opening a rift to the voidyers was a little bit higher than normal, but other than the extra ring of magical glow around the rift itself, it seemed pretty normal. To the first void world.


    Lumoofughed, and walked through without hesitation. Ste stared. Hey wait! She called out, but Lumoof was already through. I thought it wasnt ready-


    Edna smiled at the void mage, and then, she walked through too.


    Dammit. Ste ran through.


    ***


    The path through the voidyers was as if one slipped through the gaps of reality. They existed on a differentyer of the void sea, upying the same ce, but on a different ne.


    Well, took you long enough. Lumoof smiled as Ste finally stepped through. We looked around, and saw a world with a burning ck sun, and a surface made of darkened rock.


    Uh. So where are we? Ste said, but just as she said that, her own magic expanded into the world.


    Void world-


    Our magical senses rang, as a strange creature appeared before us. It emerged from the same type of rift gates that we used, but the shape was different. It was some kind of worm, and it immediately judged us. It stared at us. It has fifteen eyes, and tentacles that looked like they were made of the void sea itself.


    It radiated void mana through its body. The eyes, each of them were as if they were made of starry skies, dark, and yet, somehow deep. The three spoke telepathically. This is a void creature. Ste said. It was a familiar feeling, she sensed creatures like this in the void sea, but to encounter them in the voidyers was somewhat expected.


    Standing before us was a creature that didnt look like any living being, and through Lumoof, I sensed it wasnt even a creature with a normal soul. It was as if it was cobbled together from something that belonged in the void sea.


    It reminded me of a jellyfish, its mind distributed throughout its limbs.


    It stared at us for a while, and just as suddenly, the rift gates emerged again. It then vanished.


    Well, what was that? Edna said.


    I dont know. It looked like it was curious, but not altogether hostile. Ste countered. The void world itself had a dark sun, the world had a glow that was quite simr to the reflected lights of the moon.


    Faint.


    There were clouds in this world, made of ck dust of some sort, and when they covered the sun, the world around us twisted. Thews of reality worked differently here. A world wasnt a fixed object, but a flexible one that transformed ording to the suns light.


    The terrain warped, and somehow the way it warped was always rtive to our position. It only warped when the three of them were not there, in the distance, visible.


    The stars lead to different ces. Ste stared, as she watched the position of the world shifted. It was as if the voidyers were rolling a wheel, and the stars spun, slowly, and slowly settling into position.


    Edna nodded. Useful?


    Potentially. Ste countered, as we continued to explore the void world.


    It was a world that was bare. There was no vegetation of any sort. The terrain was all rock and sand, all ckened rock and sand, all imbued with void mana to some degree.


    We searched.


    And searched.


    Then we came across arge rocky in that finally had something unusual. A crater with a skeleton at the center. It was a human of some kind, but a little taller than the normal human. The body had long been eroded by the sandy winds. What was left was just the bones, perfectly preserved, made of something resistant to the winds corrosion.


    A body.


    I could probably use the bones to search its memories, just like with the dragons. How did it get here?


    Its been here for a long time. Lumoof said, judging from theyers of sand and the condition of the crater. The edges of what would have been the impact crater, were all smoothed out. Eroded by the winds.


    The wind carried the same ck dust everywhere.


    The wind was created by magic, the swirling energies of the void.


    This world should not have winds, but it did, because the rifts created low and high pressure areas throughout the world. Each time a rift opened, opened by the strange rift monsters that sometimes visited, it created a pressure zone.


    Winds.


    There was nothing else, but the voidyers contained many worlds. Many more that Ste could see. We would have more to visit.


    ***


    <i>Satrya</i>


    Lumoof and Roon returned to Satrya, to find the two priests waiting for them.


    Hawa wishes to speak to you, Lord Lumoof. Michael said with a bow. Theyve been exceptionally polite, and since the defeat of the demon king, they have treated Lumoof with the full benefits of a foreign dignitary, and some.


    It was a treatment that the lesser ranked priests found strange, but those in the Divine Guards silenced them, iming that it was Hawa''smand. The Hawas Circle rarely devoted full attention to any one person, but Lumoof, as avatar of a peer, was leagues above. It made Lumoof feel a little strange, of course.


    The entire courtyard waited, as Michael and Olivia sat at the side.


    Lumoof sat, while Roon stood behind him.


    The world twisted, and Hawa arrived once more. Here, in Museo, most mortal men never felt the presence of god so close. It would be something they remember for the rest of their lives. To be in the same city as Hawa arrived would be a mark on their souls.


    <b>Well done, and most impressive. </b>Hawa spoke, his golden form shone. <b>Youve saved me precious points. Each of us spends every point we can spare, especially in defense of the faraway realms.</b>


    I waited for him to speak, as Lumoof glowed. The avatar form rippled in the air, and the entire temple structure wobbled as my own energies rubbed against the energies of Hawa.


    A golden pendant emerged from nowhere, as if it popped out of space itself. <b>This contains my will, and you may use this to sway my faithful followers in the peripheral worlds. Those who possess my rted sses would know that you represent me, and you can im to act on my behalf.</b>


    Useful.


    <b>Change the bnce of power, Aeon.</b>


    I do admit feeling like Im being used. I responded. Both priests present paled at my statement, and feared Hawas retribution. They didnt know how their god would react to such a rebuke.


    <b>You can im the peripheral worlds as your own. I have no need for them, and many of us lose points holding on to them.</b>


    Ill do it, of course. But Id like your knowledge. Of the demons, of the other gods. Of how the system works. Of the worlds you have ess to. I countered. I didnt mind working, and expanding my influence in new worlds was a win, even if it was contested territory, but I wanted knowledge.


    There was a moment of silence, as the air around us wobbled. Eventually, Hawa agreed. <b>I will share what I know.</b>


    Another golden gem appeared, a quick nce of it is clearly a divine item.


    <b>This will allow you to ask me questions. I will reply to them when I am able. I will inform you of what I can tell you. Some things are restricted by our pact. I will let you know if it is.</b>


    Both Michael and Olivias eyes were filled with greed. Two new divine items appearing in a single day would cause the priests to go insane. Armies would fight to get hold of them.


    But no one would dare snatch it from Lumoofs hand.


    Very well. This is more like it. I answered. I will begin to reach out to the peripheral worlds, and will need to travel through some of your outer worlds.


    <b>Understood. But move quietly. Some of my worlds know no other god but me, and it is in my interest to keep it that way. You may take my two priests with you to the Peripheral Worlds. I hear my priestess has found one of your minions attractive, and would like to be married.</b>


    It made Roon and Olivia blush.


    I merely brushed it off. Their own private affairs are their own. But thank you for the offer. I will keep it in mind.


    ***


    <i>Maelga, home of the imprisoned Crystal, Threeworlds,</i>


    The human kingdoms of Threeworlds bent the knee, as they were expected to. The Valthorns havepleted the assimtion of the Crystal Kings power structure, and reced them. To the nations and kingdoms of the human-dominatednds, they stopped challenging our authority.


    It was a peace brought about by blood, and a lot of captured men. We sent a few thousand of them to Lavaworld, where a quarter of them died, and the remaining too horrified to ever raise their arms against us. Blood on my roots and leaves, and so be it.


    Peace is here, and it was time to milk the industries of this world into the war machine.


    My Valthorns quickly identified locations where we could set up manufacturing facilities for crystal bombs, weaponry, and tools. We also began setting up training and recruitment institutes, where the recruits of the Centaur-rulednds and the humans of the Human-controllednds would train.


    The humans found the presence of the Centaurs in theirnds unsettling, at first. They were enemies, but under the watchful eyes of the Valthorns, they were in no position to attempt anything.


    Trade and mutual learning happened more frequently. Human merchants, mages and schrs were sent to the Centaurnds to learn from them, and vice versa. Centaurpatible inns and institutions were set up in the humannds, and the opposite was also true in the centaurnds.


    It was an ufortable change.


    But both sides knew that they were now parts of an intergctic war. It was an ufortable realization, that the peace of their world was merely an illusion. For many, they chose to believe in the lie. It was a lie that their world was still peaceful. It was also a lie that the three hegemons maintained a fragile peace.


    Many chose to believe the lie. It was easy.


    To those who didnt, they were guided into our propaganda machine.


    Through arge recruitment program, talented soldiers from all sides, drafted and recruited. We wanted those who sought more from themselves. To those who didnt like the fake peace, they saw our greater purpose appealing.


    I liked it that way. They would join soldiers from Treehome, Mountainworld, Tropicsworld and soon, Delvegard.


    A coalition of forces from all over the multiverse.


    ***


    Your ambitions are great. Zhaanpu said, his mummified body floated in what was a quiet, private oasis meant only for him, and his guests. It was rarely used, from what I understand, but these days, it is where we meet and talk.


    You knew that. I responded.


    I did. But even an immortal like myself cannot truly fathom the scale of what you want to achieve.


    I told him about my intention of constructing a multiversal force a long time ago. A force to take the battle back to the demons. But as with many others all over the multiverse, it is one thing to have information. It is an entire thing altogether to turn that information into understanding and knowledge.


    So, my tree, the vessel of my will, wobbled in his little green oasis. There was a small pond, perfectly clear. Beautiful, white sands, more crystalline than dirt. There were tiny insects crawling all over the ground.


    You have something you want to say.


    Zhaanpu mused for a moment, before he went for the strange question. What do you have nned for me?


    I paused, before I decided it was best to be honest. I intend to honor our old agreements, look for a suitable world of sand as you requested, and nothing more. This question arises because of the Crystal King?


    Yes. Zhaanpu admitted. It is unnerving to see how you humbled my peer, and now I am uncertain of the nature of our rtionship.


    I decided to reiterate my old stance. Perhaps in politics, as the power bnces shift, there are times when I need to speak to those who are my friends, and remind them that they are friends, and not minions. When one party is much stronger than the other, it is only natural that this causes feelings of insecurity. I ask for nothing but mutual cooperation. I do not ask for you to fight for me, and I would like to continue being friends.


    Friends. Zhaanpu said. As if the word was meaningless.


    In some ways, what meaning did it have? What does it mean to be friends, when we are immortal creatures that lived forever? I would not impose, Zhaanpu. I do not intend to. As we expand, our needs will be spread over a wider set of worlds.


    Zhaanpu breathed a long sigh of relief. Very well. I shall take your word for it.


    ***

 Chapter 283

    Chapter 283


    Year 273


    The Emperor had aged, when I sent Lumoof to see him. The Holy Emperor¡¯s hair had turned white, even though his power and ss should have kept him a lot more youthful. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since west met, Emperor Erranuel. I hope you¡¯ve been well.¡±


    ¡°As well as I could be.¡± He waved his hand. His aides and guards left the room. There really was no point to have them here.


    ¡°Really?¡± Lumoof nodded, and decided to joke. It was inappropriate, but no one dared correct him. ¡°Your hair seems whiter.¡±


    ¡°Age and the weight of managing an empire, Lord Lumoof. In time my hair will soon fall off.¡± The Emperor rxed.


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly too soon for hair to start falling off.¡± Lumoof countered. The Emperor wasn¡¯t that old, was he? He was perhaps eighty, or ny. He ascended to his Imperial Throne around forty years ago.


    Heughed. ¡°If I lived a leisurely life without worries, I¡¯m fairly certain my hair would still be beautifully golden. But s, I struggle to understand how an empire actually manages to stick together, with all the bickering nobles and lords.¡±


    Lumoof chuckled, and sat on a chair next to him. A tea set was already prepared. The Emperor was more of a coffee person, a relic of the earlier parasite years, but diplomatic channels had data on Lumoof, and indicated he was a tea person. ¡°Would you like me to find some ointments and potions for your hair, then? It should be a fairly easy issue to solve.¡±


    The Emperor smiled at Lumoof¡¯s offer. ¡°That would not be necessary, my whitened hair is quite useful. It¡¯s a good reminder to my nobles that I am an aging man. My mortality helps bring out the schemers amongst the ducal families, and misleads them into thinking that I am a frail, weakened man.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Lumoofughed. To feign weakness when one is strong, and lure out the schemers is amon tactic. Somehow nobles still fall for it. Their greed and desire for power often overwhelms the warning signs.


    ¡°So, are you here to just taste my tea?¡±


    ¡°Nothing like that. We met Hawa. Twice, actually.¡±


    Emperor Erranuel sagged. ¡°I heard rumors from my informants. It felt so imusible that I¡¯m certain it¡¯s an intentional leak.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Lumoof chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s good to see how news travels. It helps us know who¡¯s talking to who.¡±


    Erranuel looked in the distance. All of us y the game. His throne room was necessarily grand, the act of being invited to this room was a spectacle, a ceremony. Something for mere mortals to remember. But to the Holy Emperor, this is no more than a ritual meant to enhance his mysticism.


    The priests said the regr citizens must be reminded that they stand before the representative of god. A Holy Emperor.


    So the throne room was filled with enchantment. For regr soldiers and citizens, they would feel a tremendous weight as they entered. A set of spells and items, meant to enhance the Holy Emperor¡¯s presence.


    It was exhausting, and Lumoof could see it. He had a role to y, as a symbol of sorts for his Empire.


    His powers as an Emperor were strong. It is for this reason his lesser nobles have not tried to assassinate him. The empire would copse without his presence, and lesser nobles were not prepared to deal with the aftermath and power vacuum.


    He was not the only Holy Emperor, and the rtionship with the other Holy Empires were cordial at best, and outright hostile in less pleasant times. Not just that, the threat of the guilds still remained in the background. Though the era of merchant warfare was mostly over, there were still small skirmishes and battles. Little reminders that there are greedy guilds waiting to pounce.


    So the nobles, despite their greed, dared not shatter the Emperor¡¯s presence that supported their empire¡¯s strength. His skills, and his blessings, endowed his people with strength. It is a country-wide blessing, and worked in some ways, simr to those of my own priests and trees. Harvests are bountiful, mines are more productive, people are healthier, and levels increase a little bit faster.


    Erranuel sipped the tea. He wasn¡¯t a big fan, and Lumoof could tell. ¡°Would you like to visit the world where we met Hawa?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Though I suppose my nobles will curse my absence. My blessings fade over time. But I want to go. To see the God I im to represent.¡±


    We¡¯ve known this since the Emperor¡¯s visit to the Lavaworld, andter on, a week-long tour through the Threeworlds and Mountainworld. The other Emperors were not so keen on visiting, they bought their church¡¯s propaganda to a stronger degree than we ever did.


    A missing King is therefore bad for the country, even if the effects are not felt immediately. That said, there are [assassin], [spy] and [conspirator] abilities that could mess with a King¡¯s abilities. It is often said that it is better for a King to die in battle, than to die assassinated in his sleep, because the [assassin] ss passively erodes the King¡¯s country-wide blessing, while an honorable death in battle is often rewarded by some other form of blessings.


    Lumoof thought about showing the divine item, but we decided we would keep it. Not now. We didn¡¯t want to ruin his first experience of divinity.


    ¡°I will make the arrangements and let you know.¡±


    ¡°Do you not fear your long absence?¡± Erranuel asked abruptly.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lumoof paused. The tea was perfectly warm. The cup was some kind of enchanted cup, that emitted a soft, gentle heat that kept the tea warm.


    ¡°You travel to other worlds, on long missions. Do you not fear for the safety of your homes when you are away?¡±


    Lumoof found the question amusing. ¡°Why? I trust my fellow warriors to keep things safe.¡±


    Erranuel sighed. ¡°I admire that. I can¡¯t trust my nobles, well, except two, but they have their tes full keeping the empire together. It would¡¯ve been easier if we had a structure that¡¯s so immensely loyal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something you must build, Emperor.¡± Lumoof advised. ¡°This structure was constructed over centuries,yers byyers, built on the backs of many veterans.¡±


    ¡°Only for it to copse when I die.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t.¡± Lumoof smiled.


    Emperor Erranuel stared at Lumoof as if it was the most ridiculous thing ever. After a while heughed. ¡°I sometimes forget I¡¯m speaking with an avatar.¡±


    ¡°You just need to gain levels. There are worlds out there where you can gain levels.¡±


    Erranuel paused and looked at Lumoof. ¡°Are you suggesting I expand the Empire to other worlds?¡±


    For others it is as close to impossible. The Valtrian Order hasplete monopoly over void mages. Void mages is a ss that dabbles in the void mana, and for younger void mages in training, idental void mana corruption and curses still ur somewhat regrly, and so most void mages still need to get ¡®treated¡¯ for curses. Even void archmages experience mishaps, though their souls are so well attuned to void mana that the mishaps are usually minor.


    So, a senior level void archmage wouldn¡¯t even think of working for others, due to the sheer gap in resources. Perhaps the Angels could entice some of my void archmages, but we keep a thorough inventory of who and where each of my void mages are. Well, except those that vanished into the void during the Demon¡¯s Comet.


    My avatar looked at Erranuel, and knew that deploying him on other worlds would be a good way to use his talents. His talents were stagnant here. His powers were used to fight and resist my influence. Here, we werepetitors, even if it isn¡¯t much of apetition. I would prefer to have his abilities used against the demons or other forces in the peripheral worlds.


    It¡¯d be a good time to also use my [anointed king] ss, and see its¡¯ effects on the peripheral worlds.


    So Lumoof doubled down. ¡°Yes. I¡¯d be happy to facilitate your move, and even provide you with a suitable protective force. We will help get your new Empire in the faraway worlds up and running.¡±


    Erranuel stared at Lumoof as if it was totally ridiculous. ¡°You¡¯re asking an Emperor to leave his Empire, and start a new one somewhere else in what¡¯s likely to be a war-torn, demon infested world.¡±


    Lumoof grinned. ¡°Absolutely. It¡¯s exciting, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    Erranuel closed his eyes. It felt like minutes.


    His lips curled into a mischievous grin.


    ¡°Well, can¡¯t say I¡¯m not swayed. When do we start? And I¡¯d like to see the look on my nobles when I¡¯m appointing an Imperial Regent.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have scribes, painters and mages for the moment.¡± Lumoofughed.


    ***


    All of them were in full suits of armor, as they prepared for the rift gate. It was a small group, only about six of them, mainly just to protect Ste as we made the journey to the peripheral worlds. Ste, Edna, Ezar, a druid warhealer, a ranger, and an elemental mage.


    The peripheral worlds required six hops, mostly through Hawa¡¯s regional worlds. It was likely to be safe, since these were Hawa controlled worlds, but Edna was with her, just in case.


    We were not allowed to linger, and though it was a bit of a pity, I understood Hawa¡¯s reasoning, and epted it.


    So, the goal was to keep moving until we reached one of the peripheral worlds, and because the peripheral worlds were all rtively close to each other, I would then deploy either a clone or a node tree. From there, we¡¯d use that clone and node tree as the ¡®base¡¯ to make further travel, skipping the Hawa¡¯s outer worlds entirely.


    These peripheral worlds were pretty much a cluster of unloved worlds. Worlds too far from the gods, not that far they are out of reach, but far enough that it wasn¡¯t sustainable. Still, the pact forced them to protect it.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s start hopping.¡±


    The first Hawa world was simr to Satrya, the presence of divine energies was strong. Just as we arrived we could feel the strands of divine energy trying to exert itself over us. This was another Outer Core World.


    But the five worlds after the first world only had a faint, divine presence. There were no ws¡¯ like the Outer Core Worlds, and per the data shared by Hawa, these were the Regional Worlds of Hawa.


    Then, we were finally at the frontier of Hawa¡¯s power bubble. The peripheral worlds.


    ***


    The First Peripheral World - Landas


    Stended first, and we were immediately assaulted by the presence of demons. The astral space of the peripheral world glowed with the demon king¡¯s path, and when we looked to the skies, we saw were filled with flying demons.


    ¡°The weing party is here.¡± Ste quipped as the rest of the six arrived. Edna was just a short few seconds behind her.


    ¡°Exactly what I was expecting, though.¡± Edna smiled. The flying demons were not that powerful. Perhaps about level 30. She could take them on single handedly. ¡°Node tree?¡±


    ¡°Too early.¡± Ste¡¯s senses fanned out, and Edna¡¯s own magical senses followed. ¡°Divine presence here is minimal. Comparable to Treehome and Mountainworld.¡±


    Of the first three worlds, I would rank Threeworld¡¯s divine presence to be a little bit stronger. There is a pact of sorts that governs the three hegemons, and there must have been three gods that agreed to it, a long long time ago. Their presence may have faded due to the distance, but the pact sustains a certain level of divine presence in the world.


    Edna looked at the demons, and activated a small defensive, illusionary object. It immediately masked her presence. The rest of the crew followed.


    The first peripheral world seemed fairly war torn, the terrain around us was charred. There were burnt trees and burnt rocks. Corpses that had long rotten.


    Bodies.


    One of the Valthorns, a Level 140 [Warhealer], squatted down and examined the bones.


    ¡°Elven, or at least some kind of elven variant. Dead for at least four years. But these burn marks look younger.¡±


    Ste nced at Edna, and back. ¡°Well, I suppose there should be some surviving civilizations here. Let¡¯s go look for them.¡±


    One of the Valthorns immediately wondered. ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll be like the rans. Cowered and hiding in their tunnels.¡±


    The void mage nodded, but one of the [rangers] began using his scouting abilities. ¡°There seems to be some kind of habited location further away. I detect new smoke and the faint smell of cooked food in that direction.¡±


    Ste nodded. ¡°Distance?¡±


    The ranger immediately shared the distance, coordinates, and Ste opened a magical portal. The group stepped through, their presence hidden by their illusion items, and on the other side was a fortress that was under attack.


    They were hidden.


    There was a group of flying demons above them, about two hundred demons and a single demonic champion among them. They attacked the fortress, but for now, their progress was hindered by a decently powerful protective barrier.


    ¡°Well.¡± Edna looked at her fellow teammates. ¡°There are living people on the other side, and we have demons attacking it. What is there to do but stop it?¡±


    The army of flying demons wasn¡¯t very strong, and so Ezar stood. ¡°Let me.¡±


    He stretched, twisted briefly. Then, his fists glowed, and he began to punch the flying demons with his energy punches.


    ***


    Native POV - Novorosk


    Landas was not always a world infested with demons. But for survivors, like Novorosk, that sort of history didn¡¯t matter. They fought the demons for decades, and a life of fighting demons was the only one they knew.


    Ancient history imed there was a time when the five different elven tribes, the blood elves, the high elves, the night elves, the white elves and the riverine elves, all had multiple empires, all incredibly powerful. It was a time when the five tribes fought each other for supremacy.


    It was ancient, and a dream told from the great matriarchs and lorekeepers to the young.


    There were demons, back then. But each of the five empires would have [heroes]. Elven champions, each of them, and they would fight the demons and destroy them. No lorekeeper remembered when, but there was a time, a few thousand years ago, or perhaps tens or hundreds of thousands of years ago, the [heroes] began to dwindle.


    For five, to four.


    Some elves believed that this was divine punishment. The five sub-races, all those elven empires were all reckless. The demon¡¯s supremacy and the loss of the heroes was due to the other empire¡¯s foul behavior. It was an era where elves, already hostile to each other, med each other, instead of banding together as one. After all, it was the other empire and elves'' fault that the gods abandoned them.


    The era of war came, and just as the wars between the elven tribes intensified, the heroes vanished.


    Four, to three.


    No matter what the elven tribes did. They fought. They made sacrifices to the gods. They offered worship and prayers.


    But it was all for naught. The world of Landas drifted further away, unknown to them all. Their gods, faraway and silent, did nothing to tell them of the truth. It costs them too much to even send a message. The Gods were stretched, and limited faith points were used to support more worlds. The gods supported thousands of worlds each, but to each of these worlds, they know only a single one.


    Their own.


    Then three heroes became just two.


    The demons¡¯ presence in the world of Landas became almost permanent. Somewhere along the way, the demons established a foothold in the world of Landas. They im the vast sands as their home. And hostile to the elven tribes, and what was once a vast ocean of sands became twisted by the demonic energies that took root.


    It transformed the sand oceans into the Landasian demonds. The demonnds spawned demons forever, and what was once-in-a-decade incident became a never ending nightmare.


    Then two heroes became only one.


    The world of Landas only received a single hero.


    A single hero to hold off against the powerful demons. A single hero who couldn¡¯t be strong enough to kill the demon king and live to tell the tale. A single hero that didn¡¯t benefit from the blessings of the [hero shards]. Because there were no other heroes to give him that shard.


    And it felt like the gods took forever before they sent a hero. The world of Landas was now in an eternal war against the demons.


    It¡¯s been many many years since then


    The old feuds for the elves gradually faded away, as their inter-tribal enemies paled before their existential threats.


    Novorosk prepared for battle. Their home, the Fortress of Roskor, was protected by old magics. There were relics left from the earlier era that still gave their Fortress City its shields and protections.


    Their people were ready to die.


    Novorosk, the leader of the defenders, prepared his bow, his spear, his harpoons. The flying demons were difficult enemies. He could kill a few single handedly, but there were hundreds in the skies above.


    It was hard to talk, each time the ws and fangs of the flying demons mmed into the magical shield, there was a loud humming sound.


    A life of war meant Novorosk was already level 80. Many in his squad were level 60 to 80, and each of them could kill multiple flying demons. In full strength, this army of demons would not have been a problem for them.


    But the demons were relentless. They had flying armies by the tens of thousands, and this was the sixth attack in thest week. His men were all injured, wounded by a thousand tiny cuts, poisoned by tiny droplets in each strike.


    Even Novorosk himself felt the demon¡¯s foul poison in his left thigh. There was a ckened stain that was slowly fading. It would heal in a few days, but the demons didn¡¯t give him the time.


    He¡¯d have to fight without his full mobility.


    Novorosk, blood elven warleader, watched as a healer tried to soften the effects of the poison. The healers tried to patch up the defenders, as much as they could, but none of them will be at their best today. The shamans drew blood-colored lines, enchantments, on their skin.


    The leader of the demonic army was a flying demon with arge battleaxe. The blood elves referred to it as the Axe Leader.


    Novorosk beat it before. He killed three of them in thest year alone. But he wasn¡¯t sure he could do it with the poison in his leg.


    He cursed. ¡°Aturk. You¡¯ll need to support me.¡±


    Aturk, his third-inmand, looked at what Novorosk was looking at and frowned. His face was one of fear. But he wasn¡¯t going to let his leader down. ¡°Yes, Warleader.¡±


    Aturk was level 65, and in better times, he would¡¯ve been a good warleader.


    The shield wobbled. Novorosk waved his hand, and signaled for the squad to be ready. There were about seventy warriors in his detachment, and another thirty would be supporting from the back.


    If they could take down the Axe Leader, they should win this. It would be at great cost, and Novorosk himself may not survive it. But the Fortress of Roskor would live another day.


    ¡°-Warleader Novorosk! There are civilians outside of the fortress!¡±


    Novorosk stared at the shouting scout, absolutely baffled. He tried to run, but his poisoned leg made it painful. The shaman¡¯s pain suppressing lines glowed, and suppressed the pain. But it still hurt.


    There was a group of six adults, and from a distance, Novorosk thought they looked like the white elves of the snonds.


    ¡°Where did theye from?¡± Novorosk shouted. ¡°Didn¡¯t our magical detectors spot them?¡±


    THe scout looked embarrassed. ¡°No, warleader. We did not notice them at all.¡±


    ¡°Is our equipment faulty? Who¡¯s in charge of maintenance?¡± Novorosk frowned.


    The scout shook his head. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be-¡±


    ¡°Something is wrong-¡±


    The second inmand walked to the scouting tower. The shields continued to wobble. It likely won¡¯t hold for long. ¡°Warleader, let¡¯s deal with the civilianster. The defenders are ready. At yourmand.¡±


    Novorosk sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right. Civilians who take such risks will have to be responsible for it.¡±


    The blood elven warleader surveyed the fortress walls. His men were all in position. They were all deathly afraid, but they would not let it affect the fight. Novorosk looked at the second-inmand. He would be in charge if Novorosk fell in battle.


    He¡¯s a good man, and Roskor would be in good hands. Novorosk tapped the shoulders of the deputy warleader. ¡°Take care of yourself.¡±


    The deputy shook his head, he was armed to the teeth. ¡°We¡¯ll cover you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid.¡± Novorosk countered, and then stood on the battlements. ¡°Get ready! Supporting fire-¡±


    But they all felt it then. A sudden surge of power that wasn¡¯t demonic. A pressure so intense that Novorosk felt the blood in his face drain away.


    ¡°-what-¡±


    They heard sounds. It sounded like a really loud punch. A single ¡®swish¡¯, and a ¡®st¡¯. In the constant humming from the magical shields, and in the noise of demonic fangs and ws rattlings and attacking, they didn¡¯t know why the punch sounded so loud.


    It was as if the only sound that mattered, and all the other sounds were somehow silenced in its presence.


    The demons exploded.


    They watched the flying demons felt in the skies above. The Axe Leader of the demons turned, as if looking for its enemies.


    But it too, sttered into smithereens.


    Novorosk watched as the strongest of the demonic flying horde turned into mush.


    The demons were all gone, their bodies sttered all outside of the ground. The deputy turned to face Warleader Novorosk, unable to understand the changing tides. ¡°Warleader, what just happened?¡±


    [AN : I''m taking next week off]

 284. Greenfield Expansion

    284. Greenfield Expansion


    Year 273 (part 2) -


    <i>Landas, The Peripheral Worlds I</i>


    <i>Novorosk</i>


    The six strangers were foreign. Everything about them was foreign. Visitors from beyond the stars. Their weapons were made of wood Novorosk did not recognise, the carvings on their armor and the texture of their steel unknown to them. The way their magic seemed like an endlessly deepke made the entire army tense up.


    Everyone knew they were different. The way their ears looked. The scent of their hair.


    Hello. The woman in armor said first. Im Edna, and these are my fellow warriors. We are the envoys of Aeon, and wevee to help.


    Novorosk looked at the rest of his team. Traditionally,munication would be made in the receiving rooms of the elven cities, but most of the receiving rooms have been repurposed. As amodation, as a warehouse, as a ce for healers. Novorosk cursed and immediately whispered to his second-inmand. Do we still have a receiving room?


    The second-inmand shook his head, he naturally paled at the question. No, warleader.


    Quickly, get some men and go clean one of the rooms up. Ill hold them here. Move quickly.


    The second-inmand nodded, and ran for it. He hauled at least ten of his soldiers. Novorosk hobbled closer. My apologies, visitor Edna. I am Novorosk, Warleader of Roskor, I will have my warriors prepare a receiving room. May we know what you need from us?


    The visitor Edna paused, and looked around. The Fortress of Roskor was battered, its shields weakened from the assault. There were about two thousand elves living in this ce, about half of them working the farms within the fortress walls, there were about a quarter that looked to be children, and a smaller group, about two hundred or so that looked to be much older.


    Their farms were unique, the nts and vegetables were on stacked tforms. Novorosks eyes noticed how the visitors seemed to look at the stacked tforms.


    Did they want food? Novorosk quickly did mental calctions. Their druid-farmers produced enough food, but their supply would normally be enough for a week. If they asked for too much, they wouldnt have enough-


    Edna turned to another woman with jet ck hair and a scent of the night. Novorosk wondered whether she was a night elf, but she didnt share any of their features. Youve seen something like this, Ste?


    The woman nodded. It reminds me of vertical farms back on earth. Its interesting that they resorted to this, because ofnd constraints.


    Novorosk immediately cut in. Visitors, our food condition isnt great, but once the receiving room is ready we can arrange for some food-


    Novorosk felt the visitor Ednas stare, as if she was judging him. She answered. Very well, Warleader Novorosk.


    ***


    The receiving room was ready, it was hastily cleaned, and still had the faint scent of dried blood in some of the old, ancient carpets. Novorosk wished they kept a single receiving room proper, but centuries of war meant all space had to be reused.


    The six didnt seem hostile, but the way they looked at things was intense, and made the entire force feel tense.


    Are you the ultimate leader of this Fortress? Edna asked.


    Warleader Novorosk shook his head, as the second-inmand brought three old elves to the receiving room. Each of the three wore a set of robes that looked like they were never worn in hundreds of years. The dust on the robes were hastily cleaned.


    Novorosk nodded, as he bowed. He struggled to remember the words, Presenting the Elder Council of Roskor, Elder Ruzus, Elder Muzur and Elder Noroskor.


    The three elders nodded, the elder in the center, an old man, took the lead. Greetings, visitors. I am Elder Muzur, and wee to Roskor. It- its been ages since we used the Receiving Rooms, so we apologise for the poor condition.


    Edna looked around, and Novorosk wondered what shell say. But she shrugged. Weve seen worse. So, we are new to this world, so we want to know everything. Do you have a map?


    Novorosk thought he misheard that. What did she mean by new-to-this-world?


    But the elders were moreposed. Bring thetest maps. All of them.


    Two of the elven crafters that doubled as assistants hurried out. The Fortress of Roskor had few administrative workers left, most of their popce were warriors and the military supporters like shamans and druids, farmers, healers or crafters.


    The maps they brought were old and stained, but they depicted a set of cities and areas that were still upied by elves.


    The six stared at it intently, then one of them took out arge piece of paper. At first, Novorosk thought hed start to make a copy. But he didnt take out a pen.


    [Map Replication].


    The map was then immediately copied over to the paper. The elders stared, unable to believe the spell that just happened. Novorosk paused, and didnt know there was such a spell.


    Alright. The woman, Edna, said. Thanks for that. Of these cities, how many survive?


    The elders looked at each other. Its been months since they received letters from the other towns. Novorosk watched as the elder pointed to a set of neighboring cities, and then a set of outer cities. We spoke to some of these neighboring cities about four to five months ago. We have notmunicated with these other cities in thest few years.


    Edna, the woman, looked at one of her team. Novorosk wondered whether they are the womans subordinates, because they seemed deferential.


    What do you know about the greater world?


    There wasnt much to share. Roskors focus has been to survive day by day, week by week. For most part, the city mostly managed to remain stagnant. There were periods of time in Roskors history when they had multiple level 80 individuals, and they were able to expand a bit. They even sent out expeditions, but they never came back.


    Dont you have [message]works? The woman asked.


    One of the elders paused, as if surprised that the woman knew of such a thing. It- its not reliable. There are demonic energy storms that frequently interrupt those [message]works.


    I see. The woman in front of them said.


    Novorosk watched as the woman began to interrogate them on the history of the world, as if they knew absolutely nothing. They asked about the gods of the world of Landas, and about the different gods, then its history, and its heroes.


    It really was as if they knew nothing.


    Eventually, the two women, the one that felt like a soldier, and the other one that felt like the night, looked at each other. Well, thank you for your hospitality. We will be leaving now.


    Leaving? One of the elders, Elder Noroskor, said. Its- its dangerous out there, with all the demons.


    But the two other elders immediately looked at Elder Noroskor, and he immediately shut up.


    My apologies, distinguished visitors, we do not mean offense. We doubt the demons would pose a threat.


    Edna grinned. It is fine. On behalf of our leader, Aeon, this world will be under our protection. You will be hearing of us soon enough.


    Novorosks eyes couldnt leave the woman, and in that small, cramped room, felt as if the world shifted around him. There was something about that supreme confidence, a swagger and weight that truly gave that ridiculous sentence credibility.


    He had long believed that their life in this world was one of endless struggle for survival.


    But his heart pounded.


    The world was going to change.


    He could feel it in his soul.


    ***


    <i>Treehome</i>


    <i>Lausanne</i>


    Lausanne was in the crowd when Roon and Johann stood before them. There were about five hundred Valthorns present, many recalled from a recent tour of service in Threeworlds. With the human kingdomsrgely stable, the number of active personnel was reduced and reshuffled.


    There were many newer, recently promoted Valthorns. Those previously in the lower level 80s to 100s, and now that they reached Level 100, they were ready to join the higher tier of the Valthorns.


    There were more from Mountainworld, too. What was once a really small group of soldiers now grew, thanks to therge recruitment process over at Branchhold over the past few decades. Its been almost 70 years since Branchhold was established, and now the force from Branchhold was a respectable quarter of the total present.


    In time, Lausanne believed that Threeworlds human and centaur recruits, and also the new Tropicsworld soldiers would join the ranks.


    They would have to prepare for another tour of service.


    The Valthorns were expected to support multiple locations. Delvegard, and up to fifteen peripheral worlds, as identified by Hawa.


    So, ready for a trip to faraway worlds? Kei smiled. The briefing was over, and what came next was for each of the Valthorns to sign up, or abstain. Kei once said that this process was a little like howpanies would ask for volunteers to go on faraway outstation assignments, and how it was amon thing in the merchant guilds of Earth.


    Lausanne found the concept amusing, and nodded. Sounds like theres a lot to do there. If we can make a difference to the lives of the locals, yeah, Im up for it.


    The golem nodded. Ever the hero at heart.


    Lausanne immediately red at the female golem. She smiled.


    Im joking.


    Lausanne poked her yfully. Youre not.


    At that point, Kei looked at the counter. They were allowed to sign up immediately, or go back and think about it. Most of the Valthorns would mull on it for a few days.


    Which world looks good to you?


    We dont know yet, do we? Lausanneughed. But the peripheral worlds would be a ce where I think I can contribute. At least there should be more demons to destroy. Delvegard doesnt seem particrly interesting to me.


    Its the safer option, and more suitable for those fond of more subtle types of moves. Another Valthorn spoke, and Lausanne nodded. Not all Valthorns were the warrior types, some were spies, like Spymaster Intip, and many others were diplomats. Each of them had worlds and situations that best made use of their talents.


    For Lausanne, she felt she belonged in the battlefields. She longed to fight against demons, an experience now mostly missing from Treehome.


    Roon and Johann also spoke of the void worlds, but the void worlds would remain off limits for non-domain holders. The presence of unusual creatures and strange rules meant the void worlds were a significantly higher risk to the elite Valthorns, while the peripheral worlds, as unloved, soon-to-be-godless worlds, are likely to be free of more obstructive and invasive divine meddling.


    Lausanne listened as Roon and Johann narrated that the meeting was more to assess the level of interest amongst the Valthorns. The exploration team of Ste, Edna and Ezar was still surveying the faraway worlds, and the Valthorn presence woulde in once theyve established the general details.


    The initial reports were not encouraging. The earliest departure to the peripheral worlds would happen within days, because the peripheral worlds were all under heavy attack.


    The elven warrior listened, and wondered whether shed be able to join the exploration team like Edna. That sounded interesting, and she remembered how she used to explore the other continents of Treehome.


    She would like to be there. Exploration was one of her other interests. She heard tales of how Valthorns were involved in exploring the various tunnels and caves of Mountainworld, and her heart wished she was a part of it.


    You look like you have unanswered questions, mdy. Something on your mind? At that point, Johann was the one that approached Kei and Lausanne.


    Lausanne smiled back, and spoke her mind. I was thinking about the explorers, and wonder what itll be like to be one.


    Johann nodded. If you are interested, I believe Aeon would be happy to rotate you to the exploration team.


    Lausanne agreed. Ah, I will raise it the next time I speak to him.


    Johann grinned. Few people could answer that way. We look forward to having you with us on the field, Lausanne. From what I know, well need almost all our people.


    Lausanne nodded.


    It was horrifying.


    The peripheral worlds were pretty much demon-infested, at different stages of destruction.


    Yet, she found herself excited at the prospects.


    ***


    <i>Treehome</i>


    <i>Aeon.</i>


    Are we involved in the peripheral worlds? Colette and Prabu asked. They were briefed, naturally, as were Adrian and Khefri. The presence of heroes in these worlds rekindled the idea of a League of Heroes, one that would be managed by Kei.


    Yes. The number of worlds involved would require all of you to be deployed, at least to help remove the threat of the demon kings. I responded directly. The Valthorns would thene in to sweep up the rest and help rebuild these worlds. I will need you all to step in, if there are any heroes surviving.


    You will be doing this in your own name? Colette wondered. Or on behalf of Hawa?


    My own. If Hawa wishes to spread his presence, he can send some of his forces over, wed be happy to facilitate, but since its our lives on the line, Ive got no intention of letting him get the credit.


    Colette paused before answering. I see.


    Id like to minimize the role of the heroes, simply because their strength is inconsistent. My domain holders all appear much more stable and centered, while the heroes feel like they could snap. Well, maybe except for Colette.


    Colettes [liberated hero] gave her a sense of calm and assuredness that the rest of them didnt have. Even her partner had strange outbursts, like when he interacted with Chung.


    It was a strange thing to feel, even though I personally like talking to Prabu more than the rest. The heroes all have a switch in them that could trigger without notice and suddenly alter their reactions and behavior. It is for this reason that they are unreliable, even if interacting with them on a day to day basis can be pleasant and friendly.


    They were trustworthy, until they suddenly were not.


    I didnt want to work with these sorts of requirements. Not in the peripheral worlds, and not when we took the battle to the demon sun.


    So, I intended that the peripheral worlds be a farming location for my Valthorns, and hoped we could elevate a few more of my Valthorns.


    Once we stabilized the demon situation, I intended to deploy at least two clones, in thergest, most populous worlds, and use that presence to transform those worlds. I would like these peripheral worlds as future core worlds, just like Treehome, Branchhold, and what I was doing with the world of Delvegard.


    The data that came back from Edna and Ste was rather depressing.


    The first world they were in, Landas, was almost conquered by the demon king.


    The demon king that attacked Landas was some kind of flying demon king, and Landas itself faced demons with high regrity, apparently records, whatever little that they have left, imed that the demon kings attacked almost every ten years.


    They also used to have heroes, but the amount of heroes shrunk quite quickly, and so the condition in their world deteriorated rapidly. It only held on due to the many, many historical relics left behind by all the different heroes, and the high leveled warriors that protected their cities.


    In short, they were perfect as our first base.


    From Ste''s surveys, they really needed help.


    ***


    Hey there, check out this story!


    It''s already 80k words long and growing! Don''t miss this story about /series/987619/the-homeseeker-lightning-adventurer-litrpg/


    What you can expect:


    Epic, climactic battles


    LitRPG Leveling system with Elemental Abilities


    Character growth, changes from arc to arc


    Some light humor here and there


    Rare Magic Artifacts


    NO profanity/swearing


    Schedule: M/W/F with 1-week breaks between arcs

 285. Interludes – Greenfield Expansion II

    285. Interludes ¨C Greenfield Expansion II<ol start="285"><li> Peripheral Landas 3</li></ol>


    <i>Edna</i>


    Edna and team arrived at the next location on the map, only to find it was already an open air cemetery. The bodies of elves torn by the flying demons were everywhere. Blood and the smell of rotting bodies filled the air. The elves probably died no more than a few days ago, because the bodies were only beginning to rot.


    Were toote. Edna said.


    Ezars shock was brief, because he quickly steeled himself, and nodded. There were things that needed to be done. Lets keep going. We dont want to bete for the next one.


    Edna looked at the two rangers and druids. Wait. Toote to save the cities, but there may still be survivors. Lets search underneath all of this. We should help them before we leave. Just in case anyones left.


    The knights words made the Valthorn druid regain hisposure, and spread out his senses. The ranger used a kind of calming ability on himself, and searched.


    Ezar looked at Ste. Lady Ste, send me over to the other locations first. If there are demons, I want to be there.


    Ste nodded, and the portal whirled open. As expected, there were demons. Ezar nodded, and he stepped to the other side.


    About that time, the druid shouted. Theres a small group of them hidden underneath this rubble. Theyre very weak!


    After stating that, roots and vines immediately emerged from the druid and pierced into the rubble, and began to lift the copsed structure. A set of roots reached for the semi-unconscious elves hidden underneath. They were injured, hungry, and almost dying. Only three. But three was better than none.


    Edna got to them, and immediately used a set of potions on them. Their wounds healed, and soon their eyes opened to the sight of Ednas glimmering form.


    Are we dead? They asked.


    No. Edna said gently. Youre not.


    The ranger then shouted. Theres another few hidden here. Theyre in bad shape too.


    The druid and the mage immediately went over, while Ste checked on the first group. From his pocket space, they took out more potions. They continued to search and soon found, in total, twenty survivors. Mostly children and their mothers, hidden underneath the rubble.


    Many were delirious, but the potions helped with the physical wounds and the shot of food helped with their hunger.


    Ste immediately opened a portal, and sent them back to the Fortress of Roskor.


    Novorosk was there when the portal opened before his eyes.


    Warleader Novorosk. These are the survivors from the nearby city. Take care of them. The ranger guided the survivors through the portal.


    Novorosk stared. -what-


    Just take care of them. Feed them and house them somewhere. We wille back and check.


    Novorosk panicked, but nodded. Once all of them were over, the portal closed.


    At that point, Edna then looked back at Ste. Ezars right. If there are other cities, we should go and get to them quickly. The more survivors we can save, the faster we can get this world back on its feet. Aeon needs to send more people over, and to all of the fifteen worlds.


    We cant scout that many worlds at the same time. Ste countered. The domain holders must be first to go. The druids roots immediately rescued another few more elves hidden under the buried rubble.


    The demons killed indiscriminately. To the demons, the mortals were just obstructions. What the demons wanted was thes core. Everything else was unnecessary.


    Edna looked around. I think we can leave this world to the rest of the Valthorns. Leave Ezar here just in case. We must start moving. We dont know what condition well find in the other fourteen worlds. Each day we waste, is another day for the demons to ughter more of these folks. Many of them do not have our advantages. We need full mobilization now.


    -but.


    Us domainholders will need to start hopping. Lets deploy the [node] here, and well use this ce as ourunchpad. Edna said. We need all the domainholders, in all the peripheral worlds.


    Ste pointed to the immediate problem. Theres not enough of us to cover all the worlds.


    There were eight domain holders, excluding Aeon, and there were fifteen worlds. There were only four heroes.


    Well have to leave node trees there, and use that to support those worlds where we cant. The [heroes] will have to step in. We will need to hop extensively.


    Ste nodded. That wasnt ideal, but it was the best n they could do with their current resources. Fifteen worlds also meant some worlds wouldnt have a [node] tree. Aeon only had nine node tree slots left, after the first one was used on Delvegard.


    Kafa will have to leave Delvegard.


    Delvegards priority should be lower. Edna countered. Lives are at stake. Lets make haste. We can afford to patch it up as we go.


    Ste nodded. Very well. Let me do so.


    ***


    <i>Ezar</i>


    The portal led to a horde of demons attacking what was probably a city. It was one, once. There was already crazy fighting when he arrived, the demons have stained thends with blood and corpses. Flying demons loomed, as arrows zoomed.


    The defenders were fighting with their lives on the line. Everyone was fighting. There were children, old elves, all doing their best with sticks and whatever weapons they had.


    He looked around, and immediately spotted the demon champion in charge. It was one of those axe champions. Arge bulky demon with four giant wings, tworge wed legs, and two arms, each with arge burning battleax.


    He fought demons across the worlds, many times and always found them to be emotionless creatures. If anything, he always thought the demons looked afraid. But it was ridiculous. The demons didnt feel fear. So, he didnt believe it either when he thought the demon champion looked smug.


    Demons had no feelings. Ezars enchanted gauntlets glowed, as he channeled his domain ability. In an instant, the burst of energy from his fist smashed into the champion, and it sttered to death, unaware what hit him.


    The death of the demon champion sent the demon army into a wild frenzy, but that was intentional.


    Ezar activated the rings on his fingers, and released its stored ability. They summoned five gigantic beasts. Two lions, and three gray wolves, each about level 80 in power. Go and y the demons.


    The presence of the five giant animals instantly drew the attention of the demons. Without the demon champion, the rest of the flying demons were torn apart by the five powerful magical beasts.


    Ezar hopped, and in a single leap hended right next to the breaking lines. He spoke, his voice carried by the weight of his [domain].


    Stand back.


    To the defenders fighting for their lives, they did.


    Ezars gauntlet glowed, and he punched with such weight that all the demons in front of him were crushed in a single energy punch.


    There was no need to use his domain ability here. He watched as his five summoned beasts tore through the demons, and the flying demons fled. Any demon that got close was crushed.


    -mommy, are we saved? There was an elven boy, who looked absolutely in awe. He was dirty, covered in blood, but her mother was injured. Her mother, an elf, held a sharp, pointy wooden stick as a weapon.


    Her mother looked around. Everyone did. There was a feeling amongst all of the elves.


    Disbelief.


    Hope.


    Relief.


    Ezar turned. Is this it? Any more demons?


    The elves didnt know what to answer. So no one answered. Ezar realized they probably wasnt in any condition to know.


    The ce was probably a fortification of some kind, but the walls were already destroyed. The elves were fighting theirst stand within the city itself, because they couldnt outrun the flying demons. Not that there was anywhere else to go, anyway.


    The elves looked amongst themselves. There were no leaders left, all that was supposed to lead them died during the battle. The five beasts walked closer to Ezar, now that their target have been destroyed, and the elves stared in fear.


    Ezar looked back at them. They were creatures tagged to his enchanted summoning ring. One of his many equipments. There was no need to speak themand, high-tier summons are mentally linked to their masters, but Ezar said it to assure the elves. Patrol the perimeter. Roar if there are any demons.


    The lions and wolves roared in acknowledgement, and they ran to secure the perimeter. The elves were relieved to see the creatures move.


    Bring all the wounded here. Ill help them where I can. Those that cant move call me. Ezar said, as the rest of the elves scrambled to sort everything out. But at that point, they obeyed.


    Ezar looked around, and frowned. This wasnt the only world.


    Ezar to Ste, Ezar to Ste. This location is safe, but we need to keep moving and hit the rest of the cities. Can you open a portal?


    Portal iing. We n to deploy a node soon to bring more forces over. Domain holders will need to visit all the peripheral worlds as soon as possible to deploy nodes.


    Ezar smiled. It was nice having teammates that he could count on. Acknowledged. Let me know.


    ***


    Ezar turned back to face the elves, as Ezar checked his inventory. At that point, the portal swirled open, and both Ste and the druid stepped out. Ezar, youre needed elsewhere. Falin will handle the healing and fixing the security.


    Falin, the level 130 Valthorn druid, got to work.


    There are other locations with demons. Ste said, as she prepared to open a portal again.


    Ezar nodded, as Falin looked at the location. The druids arms glowed briefly, as roots shot out of his arms. At that moment, a wall of bramble emerged around whats left of the elven encampment. This should protect the location for now.


    Wheres Edna?


    Theres another location. A proper city. It may be under siege.


    Is it our timing? Why are cities under siege at this time? Ezar found it terribly unusual. It ismon knowledge that most reinforcements arrive either too early or toote, though in some ways, they are toote. Somehow, so many cities are under siege.


    Ste smiled. Well deal with thatter. Portal open. Go go go. Ill deploy the node once Aeon acknowledges our request.


    ***


    Ezar didnt know where and how far he was from Ste, but it didnt matter. He trusted shelle back for him once it was over. The portal opened and he arrived to immediately see three demon champions in the air.


    Three! How cute.


    The demons actually saw him this time, and they roared at him.


    He punched through them. Two died instantly, and then he dashed towards the third with such speed that the third demon champion briefly looked horrified. He was fairly sure it wasnt horror. Perhaps it was just a survival reaction.


    It died.


    The elven city of this location was protected by a magical shield that felt like [star mana]. A quick nce suggested that this was a fairly prosperous city at one point in its life. But it had a breach.


    There were two more demon champions there, battling the defenders. The defenders here was actually fairlypetent. There were two level 80 plus elven warriors battling against the demon champions, and they looked like they had special equipment from a much earlier time.


    Ste, I dont think this location needs help. They have [hero items].


    Really? Ste responded through the [message]. Uh, give me a couple of minutes, Ill send you elsewhere.


    Got it. Ill make myself useful for a bit.


    He looked around, and decided to just help their odds for a bit. His domain spread out. Everyone saw Ezar glowing midair like a god of war, his fists shimmered with power like the fists of furious heavens. Lightning, fire and the elements each in a single punch.


    The demons charged at him. Mindlessly.


    The two demon champions trying to break the gates turned to face him, as they soon decided he was therger threat.


    They all were nothing before a [domain holder]. His domain was oppressive to these lesser demons.


    They died in a stter of magic.


    The elven defenders stared at Ezar in horror. Ezar merely smiled, and decided it was worth it to pitch his presence. He scrambled to recall the name in the map. Greetings, Elves of Shorodosk. Ie in the name of Aeon. You will hear from us soon.


    The elves looked like they had more questions, but Stes portal opened.


    Deal with the remnants. Ezarmanded. Stay safe. We will contact you.


    And he stepped through the portal, and left the elven defenders wondering what happened.


    ***


    <i>Edna</i>


    This was supposed to be the biggest city known to Roskor Elves, at least, for a few centuries ago. This ce was supposed to be the old capital of the White Elves, Nunarnusk. When Edna arrived, what she found was a fortified city that was battered in many, many ces.


    It reminded her of Mountainworld. The same scrappiness in the eyes of the people. The same ruthless desire to protect themselves. Everyone here fought wars. Generations lived to fight, and so their people turned hardy.


    Tough.


    They made do with what they have. Because they had no choice.


    They deserved better, of course. This kind of society destroyed those who didnt adapt to this kind of life. Who couldnt adapt, because they were talented in a field that this world didnt need.


    A sad thing, but societies like this have to make do.


    The city of Nunarnusk was protected, just like the other city. There was a magical shield that stopped attacks and blocked demons. But they were also selective, and allowed for the elves to move in and out freely. So, the shields that protected the city didnt work on Edna.


    She felt its energy wobble. It was weak. It weakened a lot over the years, but the fact that it still held for so long was testament to the incredible power of [star mana].


    Immediately within Nunarnusks shield bubble was ayer of battered walls made of stone, wood, and whatever rubble they got their hands on. There were guards on all the towers, and everyone looked tense.


    There were demons, but the demons were not attacking. Instead, Nunarnusk was under siege. There were five to six demon champions, all seemingly waiting. Edna thought of helping, but realized it was better to figure out what was happening.


    Edna cloaked her presence even before she went through the portal and so as she walked through the tired crowds, it was clear everyone was preparing for the next fight.


    Itll be hard for anyone to see her here.


    Have we patched the left walls? Edna eventually found someone that looked like a leader, and he was barking orders to the worker men. The elf had armor, and exuded power equal to someone at the very limit of their strength. Most likely level 85.


    Some of the workers were injured. A lost limb, a limp. They did the repairs, because in a fight, theyd be useless.


    It was very rare to see amputees and folks with lost limbs in the Valthorns and Valtrian Order. Ever since Aeon healed Juras limbs many, many decades ago, Aeon made it a point to restore everyones limbs. Aeon even extended the treatment to the general popce, though there was a lottery that was always oversubscribed.


    The leader turned to face another set of workers. All the folks that can fight are waiting for you, Commander Argo.


    The man known as Commander Argo nodded. Edna quietly followed. Argo nced briefly in her direction, but he was unable to pierce her illusion items.


    There were about a thousand fighters there, all armed with weapons and armor. Ednas quick nce told her all she needed to know. Half of them were injured in some way, and only about three hundred were in full fighting form.


    Commander Argo soon borated on what seemed to bemon knowledge to those present. The demons have been waiting outside for thest one week after their earlier failed assault. There were more demonsing, and the demons had the city of Nunarnusk surrounded. Commander Argo opted for a defensive strategy. Stay put and keep waiting.


    Edna listened, and surveyed those present. There were about seven or so that had a power aura simr to Commander Argo. Level 80 to 85 meant they could take on the demon champions and win.


    Theyd survive this battle. There were enough strong warriors here to survive the siege.


    Then, as the group was dismissed, Commander Argo was surrounded by that same group of strong warriors. And internal divisions emerged. There were whispers of going against the Commanders n, and the high powered folks were split in half. Together, theyd survive.


    Three of them had enough. Were tired of waiting. We charge out there and break this siege. We need the resources outside our walls, Commander. We cannot hold up like this forever.


    Argo countered. We dont even know if those resources are still there. The demons could have destroyed it.


    Then what? We keep waiting and let them destroy those resources? We need the iron quarries and the white-iron stones. Our weapons need repairs. Our healers need the white-iron stones to make some of our healing tools. Were dying if we keep holding here.


    Edna thought the conversation was slightly pointless. If she acted, they wouldnt have this issue. But she listened. It was good to know what was going on.


    Argo frowned. There are five ax champions out there. The four of you rushing out there is a death sentence. The demons will get us separately.


    The equipment used by the four elves were in pretty bad shape. They were battled and scarred, and some of its old magic lost. Thene with us.


    The city is defenseless! We cannot leave the city defenseless! Argo countered.


    The shield will hold.


    The shield will not. Argo said, frustrated. Its energies are weak, and wontst if the demons attack. Itll need time to recharge.


    Then why are we waiting? We must charge out there and defeat them before they overwhelm us. Youre being too careful, Argo. Its time to go out there and defeat them.


    Argo paused. Can you give me half a day to think about this?


    The other elves looked at each other, they shrugged. Fine. Commander Argo, well charge out there, whether you areing or not.


    Argo frowned. Please- dont do anything stupid.


    ***


    Edna trailed Commander Argo to his own office. There was a small office filled with resources scattered everywhere, and he sat on the only chair in the cramped room.


    He was talking to himself then. Its always like this-


    Edna then appeared at the door, as she disabled her cloak. Commander Argo.


    Argo turned, and his weapon of choice, a kind of dagger, was immediately pointed at Edna. Who are you?


    Edna smiled. An ally. Well, a potential ally.


    An ally? Argo looked around. Are you alone?


    Sort of, yes. But Id like to talk. About your city, and everything.


    And what makes you think Ill talk to a stranger. How did you even get here? Argo said, totally unused to the fact that there was a stranger.


    Because, Commander Argo, I can help.


    You can? You, alone?


    Of course not. I am here on behalf of Aeon and the Valtrian Order, and we are here to destroy the demons.


    Ive never heard of you.


    Youve never heard of anyone outside your city. Edna corrected. Mostmunication between cities copsed due to the constant demonic attacks, as cities turned insr.


    Thats not true. There was a period of peace after the hero Junmark defeated the demon king 59 years ago-


    Is it? But how many demon kings since then? Edna asked. Every hero that came after is weaker, and fighting against tougher odds as the demons established stronger footholds. Every hero weakened, since they couldnt level quickly with the loss of the low level habitatsmonly used for farming.


    Heroes could spar to gain levels, but given their situation, he wondered whether the kingdoms would just immediately force the heroes out to the battlefield.


    Argo looked at Edna like she was an alien. So, what do you want?


    Tell me the history of Nunarnusk in an hour, and tell me everything. I assure you, I will deal with your demon siege once this is over. You can even watch.


    Argo had never seen a stranger, but Ednas presence overwhelmed him. His eyes looked at the knight, and thought she was mad. Confident, but mad. -very well.


    ***


    The demons came in huge waves every ten years. The past few decades, the hero was able to defeat the demon king, but they did so at great cost. Thest attack left the previous hero without one of his arms, and cursed by a dark magic that no one in the entire world could break.


    Thanks to the curse, the hero couldnt go on and destroy the remaining demons. Instead, he was like a weakened, semi-dying man wishing he could die, but the [hero] ss was too strong.


    Even severely weakened, no one could kill him. His soul and blessings were still too strong. So, the hero rested in a city of the Night Elves called Chursky. That was thestmunication Nunarnusk received from Chursky about six years ago.


    For Nunarnusk, the demons never really stopped. The great deserts, of which there were seven great deserts, each turned into demonds and continued to spit out demons by the hundreds and thousands, and so travel between cities became a matter of great risk.


    Only cities that were really close together could stillmunicate regrly.


    There were no gigantic oceans in Landas. Instead, there were six greatkes, and at the center of those greatkes were the few bastions of the old elven empires. Nunarnusk lost touch with those old bastions a few years ago.


    ***


    Edna listened, andughed. Very well, call your men. Call them all to the walls. I, on behalf of Aeon, would like to demonstrate our intentions.


    Commander Argo thought it was rather embarrassing, but when he left his office, the six other level 80s were waiting for him. He looked back at Edna, and then towards the walls. To the walls.


    The four that supported the push outwards looked surprised. Lets go.


    The seven gathered up on the walls, and Edna followed quietly behind. The rest of them didnt notice her, they were busy preparing for the charge out. The four immediately called their own supporters to prepare for the charge.


    Once they were at the walls, Argo looked at Edna. So, what is it that you want to demonstrate?


    It was at this moment that everyone noticed Ednas presence. Edna nodded, her cloak vanished to reveal her in shining armor. Two anti-demon swords appeared magically, and there and then, her domain flooded the city.


    Everyone felt it, Argo as well.


    [Regenerating Guardians].


    Five glowing magical knights appeared, and they flew. They were ephemeral objects, and they shared Ednas toughness. They zoomed across the skies, creatures of magic.


    Creatures made from Ednas [Domain].


    Edna looked around. There are demons on the other side, as well?


    Argo nodded, his white hair seemed whiter, his fair face a slightly greenish pale.


    Ednas energies wobbled outwards, as more magical knights appeared. Ednas lesser magical summons swarmed outwards, a hundred magical knights now took the field.


    It was a short battle, because none of the demons could even harm Ednas guardians.


    The seven leading defenders of Nunarnusk looked at Edna, with both a mix of awe and fear. Well, Commander Argo of Nunarnusk, I am Edna of the Valtrian Order, and we are here to recruit allies. If you agree to join us, you will have our protection, but in turn, we will require you to support our war against the demons.


    Argo nodded. There was no other word to say.


    ***


    Okay. Nunarnusk is secure, weve added it to the fold. Has Aeon approved the node trees cement? Edna said as the elves of Nunarnusk breathed a rare moment of relief.


    Ste responded. Yes. Node deployment approved. But we need to decide on a location.


    Ezar, also on the same discussion, added. Just pick a location and start sending Valthorns over. Is there a hero in this world?


    Yes. Want to arrange a visit? Edna countered.


    Ezarughed. Lets bet. A hundred gold that its under siege.


    Edna chuckled. Thats a stupid bet. The hero is there, the demons must be drawn to him like moths to a me. Also, the hero seems to be cursed.


    Ste frowned. If thats the case, the decisions made for us. Lets ce the node tree where the hero is. Send the hero back to Treehome, let Aeon work on him, and send him back here to fight.


    Edna had a feeling what happened on Landas would be a tale simr across all the worlds.

 286. Greenfields III

    286. Greenfields III<ol start="286"><li> The node and the hero</li></ol>


    <i>Edna, on Landas, the Elven Peripheral World</i>


    The portal whirled open to the old location, supposed to be where the hero was. Nunarnusk was once the great capital of the White Elves, and so, they retained many old records, stored, luckily, in their underground vaults. The locals dly gave her a tour of the ce, and indeed, there was a time long, long ago when they rivaled even the great empires of Threeworld or Mountainworld.


    Great empires are but materials to be turned into sawdust in the hands of the demons ever persistent grinding machine.


    The old vaults were sealed magically. The White Elves hoped that if they fell, the citys history would still somehow remain within these vaults. There were no weapons here, instead, it was all books and records. Paintings.


    And most importantly, detailed maps.


    Maps, that made it easy for Ste to roughly locate its location. An old White Elf, apparently almost 600 years old, volunteered to help them verify the location of the Heros resting ce. There was a time, a few centuries ago, when there was a lull in the demons push. When they lucked out with a hero with the right mix of talent, capability and luck to help beat back the demons and push the bnce of power in their favor.


    During the fleeting era of peace, there was travel between the cities. There was trade that has long vanished. Magical travel was possible during the period, instead of the constant, perpetual disruptions today.


    Portal disruptions seem prettymon. Ste said. A lot of the [messaging] and [teleportation] failure was entirely due to the demons magical disruption, and for someone like Ste, it wasnt even hard to tell where those disruptive energies came from.


    The demons nests in the deserts of Landas were all sources of that disruption. Ste almost didnt notice them, but Stes portals, that survived the shredding of reality and teleportation on far more chaotic environments like the Demons Comet, easily overpowered the disruptions. If they had capable mages, they might have managed to maintain some semnce of amunicationwork even in spite of the disruptions, but Edna knew that those odds were unlikely.


    Talent needed the right circumstances to flourish, and even today, even with the huge talent infrastructure of the Valthorns, mage training remains slow. Faster than before, but still, slow.


    And so the portal opened, to a field of destruction and burnt wood. Ash.


    It was ake, once upon a time, but it has long since dried up. There were bodies filled with the corpses of the dead, though demons rarely left corpses. They decayed way too quickly.


    There were champions in the distance, hammering at what appeared to be a magical shield. The shield protected a cherry tree that has long since withered and without a single leaf or flower.


    There is an injured hero within that trees little space.


    All around the shield was just endless, endless destruction. The White Elf copsed on the ground and wailed. This entire ce- it- it used to be arge city. One hundred thousand High Elves once walked thisnd, and now, all that remains is the Sacred Cherry of the First Estate?!


    Edna and Stes eyes both scanned the demon-filled surroundings, there certainly didnt seem to be anything resembling a city here. It was just a series of craters, whatever civilization didnt leave any structures or infrastructure that survived the demons attack.


    The champions all hammered away at the shield. The shield did not break. The shield did not bend. But they both could sense the attacks chipping away at its strength. Slowly. The shield couldst a few more years.


    Since I am here. Edna said, as she jumped andnded not far away from the flood of demons. I might as well y.


    Her [Quest Swords] appeared by the tens, and the knights magical summons soon appeared to apany her. What were champions before a domain holder?


    Ste created a shield around herself and her guide, the old white elf. Ednas de shone like the fury of the stars. In thend that was once the First Estate, light returned, and ended centuries of darkness brought about by the demons champions.


    In what was no more than ten series of shing lights, the army of demon champions crumbled.


    The pounding of the shield ended, and an eerie silence returned to thend.


    Even the wind seemed to stop.


    Ednas footsteps felt like the marches of a million soldiers. She walked to the gigantic Cherry tree thats all withered, and felt the presence of a heroic shield.


    Aeon would be pleased to find another spirit tree out here. Edna said, her [quest swords] vanished into their own magical space.


    Ste looked at the White Elf guide, Please return to Nunarnusk.


    The White Elf wanted to stay, but he dared no object. Please dont hurt the Sacred Cherry. It is one of the most sacred ces for all of the High Elves. Our ancestors have offended the gods enough, I do not wish to offend them further.


    Ste found that amusing. All the briefings they received suggested they were all enemies. Rest assured, if the Sacred Cherry is not our enemy, it would not find us a threat.


    The white elf went back through the portal, and Ste teleported up to Edna.


    With not a single demon in sight, the withered Cherry Tree stood before them.


    So, do we talk to it? Ste asked. Or do we require Lumoofs presence? Connect roots and stuff.


    I thought you said wed just deploy Aeons clone here and be done with it. Edna teased, but the nature of their work meant most ns had to be adjusted. Reality and ns were not good friends.


    A root emerged from Ednas body, an ability of Aeons familiar. It pierced the dirt around them, and made contact with the roots of the Cherry Tree.


    The sensation was immediate, like two minds touching. But her domain protected her, while the counterpart was unprotected.


    <i>[Domain blocked attempted intrusion]</i>


    But they could still speak through the connection of roots.


    Greetings. Ednas words were transmitted through the roots from her body. All she felt was a weak whimper from the other side. Its thoughts were slurred and weak.


    Edna could feel the vulnerability, the frailness in its energies, and so she tapped into the familiars healing powers. Though nothing like the real thing, the effects were immediate, as the flow of healing energies into the Cherry Tree reinvigorated the withered nt, its branches and trunk gained color that was lost, and small cherry buds began to emerge from the tips of its branches. New leaves spawned from the tips of the tree.


    It took about ten or fifteen minutes, but the Cherry Tree no longer withered. Ste smiled. Well?


    This time, the reply from the Cherry Tree had strength that was once lost.


    I greet our rescuers. Our gratitude knows no bounds. The Cherry Trees voice was like the whisper of a gentle old man.


    Edna looked around. I was told the hero is here.


    The hero lies within. Nursing his curse.


    The hero is cursed. Edna recited from experience. His soul feels as if hes wrestling against the darkness. There is demonic poisoning within his soul. A curse that tainted his soul, a mark that blemished his once pristine soul spring. He may even have voices in his mind, whispering demonic words.


    You have seen this sickness. Edna felt the Cherry Trees surprise through their root connection.


    The knight grinned in amusement. Things repeated. She understood why Aeon once said that what was possible, is pretty much a certainty to ur. Once they visited enough worlds, it was inevitable that they would meet those with simr circumstances.


    We have someone that can heal the curse. Edna looked at Ste. We need Lumoof here.


    Ste caught on. On it. The rift gate opened, though momentarily Edna detected the Cherry Trees defensiveness. It must have suspected this was the demons work.


    The priest stepped through the rift gate, and the earth itself around them seemed to spring forth with life. nts, grass spawned as if spurred on by the world itself, and the Cherry Trees buds bloomed. What was a destroyed field turned into a field of young grass.


    Well, where is the patient? Lumoof asked.


    Within. The Cherry Tree answered, and Lumoof nodded. The Cherry Trees bark bent magically, and a door opened.


    [Secret Hideout]. Lumoof said as he approached the room. It was a tiny space, much smaller than thebyrinth within Aeons true body.


    Edna followed closely behind and saw an elvish man strapped to tree vines. One side of his arm turned ck from the effects of the curse, a familiar old rot from a far older time. She saw something simr in Aeons [dream academy].


    Lumoof touched the elvish man, and he felt Lumoofs [domain] focus. It was instantaneous, because Lumoofs energies grabbed something within the elf hero, and pulled.


    The demons curse was ejected forcefully, a festering parasite that Lumoof grabbed and pulled out of his soul. It immediately transformed and attempted to take the form of some kind of demonic spawn. Ednas de was through the spawns body, and her shining de destroyed it instantly.


    The removal of the demons curse restored health to the elven hero instantly, as the darkened skin on the heros body regained color. His face that was once in pain instantly rxed. Lumoof, Edna and Ste stood, and allowed the hero to sleep.


    Well, I was told there are many other worlds like this. Lumoof looked at Ste as the three domain holders rested outside the Cherry Tree. Should you start moving?


    Ste shrugged. Well, yes, but we couldnt leave things in their current state here. And since we are familiar with this ce already, we might as well finish what we started.


    You are like us. The Cherry Tree spoke abruptly.


    Lumoof stopped. Ah yes, I did not introduce ourselves. We are from the Valtrian Order, and we are an organization that aims to defeat the demons across the multiverse. We were asked toe here, to shore up the locals defenses, as the old gods presence fades.


    You are a tree. The Cherry Tree emphasized.


    Edna and Ste chuckled.


    Lumoof shook his head. Im not a tree, I am merely the avatar of one.


    There is no difference.


    Oh, there is a huge difference. Lumoof countered.


    ***


    We have authorization for deployment. Lausanne sat quietly in the vast meeting room when themander and strategist presented theyout. Our destination is Landas, and based on the map retrieved these are the identified settlements. Each team of ten will visit thirty locations, defeat demons, rescue survivors, help restore some basic semnce of civilization, and report back.


    Lausanne nodded, as the teams of ten were formed. All in all there were twenty teams. Nice to see you again, Ebon. Lausanne smiled.


    Ebon, the [aeonic battle knight], shook her hand. d to serve with you. Its been a long time.


    Ebon served as a knight for many decades, though he did take a break. But he was also one of those who was stuck in the high level 130s to 140s, unable to push on.


    Then, a centaur approached. Arjan. Youre on our team too?


    Arjan nodded. Hallowedpany indeed. Aeons princess and the old ck knight. The centaur peeked behind Lausanne to find another woman. And a matreearch.


    Lausanne turned and bowed before Matreearch Hoyia. I was not aware you are participating in this round of exploration.


    Hoyia smiled gently. There are younger priests to handle affairs on Treehome, and things are stable here. How could I resist diving into the deep end and see what it is like? I would have to trouble the rest of you to be my bodyguard.


    Lausanne chuckled. Hoyia was a Treeology Matreearch that served for decades and she doubted the woman needed protection. Not with her own natural set of blessings. Six other Valthorns joined the four, and they were all in the level 125 and above.


    It wasnt the first run for most of them. The announcement came immediately that evening.


    Alright, the [node tree] was deployed, get ready for transport. Equipment ready! Final checks! Lausanne checked her own backpack, and her spears. Her group would be led by Ebon, he was technically the most experienced one here with a long history of deployments to strange new worlds.


    Ebon nced at his team, and they all indicated their readiness.


    Well, lets go.


    About 250 will be teleported over to Landas, but 50 of them will be around the [node tree]. The node tree in the outskirts of Nunarnusk.


    Good luck.


    ***


    Another survivor here. Hoyia said, as she helped a young boy out of the hole. There was something about visiting a world where death is somonce, that survivors seem like a miracle.


    Lausanne wondered how the boy survived in that hole, but such perilous circumstances often seemed to create miracles.


    Are you angels sent by the gods? The young boy asked when he was much better. It almost seemed like all of them were surrounded by a halo.


    Lausanne shook her head, even though she could see why the boy thought so. No.


    She remembered that conversation with Kei, how she was a hero in her eyes. She looked around, at her team, and saw they too had simr emotions. No matter what they said, in the eyes of these survivors, the team were heroes.


    Alright, lets send them to Roskor. We need to keep moving. More ces to go. Ebonmanded. This was their sixth location, and almost all of them were just ruins. Most survivors lucked out, somehow trapped under rubble but not yet dead. The others hid and ran. The rangers found many survivors this way, hiding in what remains of the forests, in caves or holes throughout thend.


    Of the marked locations, they found a few somewhat intact cities. These cities and towns were all lucky, because long ago, the heroes left defensive items for them. Some ruins were just filled with dead people, dead for years, if not decades.


    The seventh location was a field of death. Destruction imed thend from long ago that nts began to grow from the ashes.


    This is what our world could be like. Hoyia said quietly.


    Arjan merely tapped the matriarchs shoulder. Dont dwell on it for too long, priestess. Our focus is on rescuing survivors, if any remain.


    Lausanne remembered a simr scene on the Eastern Continent. The demons didnt get a chance to destroy freely, because Aeon existed. If the locals could not defend themselves, the solution was obvious. Aeon needed to be everywhere.


    They needed to be everywhere.


    Lausanne realizedter that day that being everywhere was a lot harder than they expected.


    ***


    They covered eleven locations that day, and gave themselves four hours to rest. They would need to keep moving.


    The domainholders will be moving to another world. Ebon spoke when they woke from their rest. New orders. They expect that only four or five teams will remain in this world to support the natives by the weeks end. We need to start making substantive improvements to this worlds defenses, as soon as possible.


    -what? Hoyia said. But we just came here.


    There are fifteen worlds to reinforce. Treehome expects to send lower leveled Valthorns over to support those that remain. Ebon said. Lets keep moving. We wont be able to rest much.


    ***


    The seven surviving domainholders had to split up, and formed three teams. Edna and Ste left Landas behind, and arrived in the next world. Lumoof and Kafa were sent to another one. Johann, Roon and Ezar to the fourth peripheral world.


    All three teams found more worlds at stake. All these worlds were under attack by the demon kings. Some were almost all lost, and in others, the heroes were significantly less and weaker from their earlier days.


    They were weakened, because the demons employed demonic curses extensively in all these worlds. Demonic parasites, demonic curses were found even in lesser beings, but these lesser beings died quickly.


    They are pulling the teams there already? Hoyias exasperation was immediate. Dont we have people on Treehome?


    Too low leveled. Ebon countered.


    The Valtrian Order as a whole had about 3,000 level 100 and above individuals. A huge amount that meant the Valtrian Order far outssed the powers of every other party in Treehome, Mountainworld, and Threeworldsbined.


    It was, in every sense of the world, a monumental sum. A fighting force to fear.


    But, about one third of these are nonbat sses. Crafters, enchanters, builders. Merchants and Lords. Mage-researchers. Trainers and teachers..


    So, effectively, only 2,000 level 100 individuals that were ready for deployment. There was also a need to maintain standing forces on Threeworld, Mountainworld, and Tropicsworld. These three worlds security situation required arger staff strength. That eliminated another 1,000 or so level 100 individuals from deployment. If they stretched it, they could reduce the number to 500.


    So, at any one point, only about 1,000 to 1,500 or so Level 100s could be deployed as an expeditionary or peacekeeping force, supported by arger poption of lower leveled Valthorns.


    The high level math was obvious. If there are 15 worlds like this, we can only deploy about 70 to 100 level 100 individuals per world.


    It seemed like a big number, but each of these worlds wererge ces. These 70 Valthorns would definitely turn the tide and trivialize all lesser threats wherever they went, but they couldnt be everywhere. It wasntrge enough to cover all the ces that needed help.


    It will have to do. Ebon said. The support force of those below level 100 would have to fill up the gaps.


    The team sat and processed Ebons update. Lausanne looked around them, and wondered whether there were enough of them to reach these worlds in time.


    Lets keep going. We might have to depart for another world once were done here too.


    They visited location after location in a rush, and finally, when they stopped at thest marked location, Lausanne stood over a corpse that was still warm. A young elven woman gored to death by demons.


    Maybe if they reached the ce an hour earlier, she wouldve lived.


    No use thinking about it. Ebon sat next to Lausanne as they ate some of their rations. There were few animals or wild creatures to hunt for food, and most forests were destroyed. The surviving cities all had their own specialized farms, supported by their local [druids] and [farmers]. We just have to keep going.


    Lausanne didnt like the feeling of helplessness. What price would she pay if she could save more people? No, what would she sacrifice to end this war?


    Maybe that was Aeons question. She knew Aeon sensed it all. Aeon could see this. He absorbs the spirits of the dead by the hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions.


    Why would he not make a deal with the devil to end this ughter?


    How many of us are left on Landas? Lausanne asked.


    Six teams remaining. The other fourteen have been summoned to leave for the other worlds. More are getting ready.


    Lausanne looked around them. Hoyia helped some of the injured with her healing powers. Her blend of priestly and familiar powers meant she could fix most injuries instantaneously.


    Thanks to thebined efforts of all their teams, theyve constructed a revised map of Landas, indicating all the surviving cities. Of the six great capitals of the elves, only three remained. The other three were razed into the ground by the demons. Nunarnusk, Atarusk and Sorokor were the threest elven capitals that stood in some way or form.


    Alright, Lumoof and Kafa have left the world. Ebon said suddenly. It was a matter-of-fact update.


    Wait. Its been barely a few days? Lausanne thought.


    Their world was in such terrible shape that there wasnt much left to help. Ebon recited themunications that came through thework. Updates on the peripheral worlds were given regrly to each of the team leaders, along with updates on the domainholder movements.


    Did they deploy a node?


    No. Not yet. Ebon countered.


    What are our orders now? Lausanne wondered as one of the druids helped create a reinforced wooden rampart for the survivors. They would survive. Theyve eliminated almost all the demons they could find.


    None yet. At this point, Treehome Commands leaving it up to the rest of us team leaders to decide what to do.


    Lausannes instincts were simple. If the overarching goal was to reinforce the natives, then they could also aplish that by weakening the demons. We have two main choices that maximize our presence. We strike the demons bases in the deserts. Clean up the shit that was left behind, and reduce the frequency of demonic raids on the surviving natives. Or we support the elf heros retaliation.


    Ebon nodded. The elf heros in Treehome for now. So the heros retaliation will have to wait until he returns. Let me talk to the rest of them and build a strike force.

 287. Greenfields IV

    287. Greenfields IV


    287 - THe elven hero on treehome


    <i>Novorosk, in Freshka, Treehome</i>


    Everything about the ce was surreal. Novorosk looked around, and had never seen a city like it. It was massive and filled with creatures. Talking lizards and horse-people!


    But more importantly, were the people that came along with him. People he didnt think hed ever see. Novorosk of Roskor couldnt believe the people he met. You- youre the [hero]?


    The elf man was gorgeous. He had features of the High elves, long light blonde hair that was till his waist, elvish ears, and handsome features that made the females present stare. He sighed, and somehow he managed to look good while sighing. Yes. Not a good one. I am Samuel, or since Ivee here, I go by the name Samahiro.


    This way. There were chauffeurs, attendants that led the group of twenty or so leaders of Landas to arge tunnel. The city was overwhelming to them, and all of them were dazed. Novorosk looked at the mass of people and immediately wondered how they were fed and housed.


    Except Samuel, who looked at the city wistfully, as if remembering a life before his current one.


    Novorosk was next to ady with pale gray skin and equally gray hair. Among the elves, they were sometimes referred to as the Drow, but they referred to themselves as the elves of the night.


    The woman and Novorosk exchanged nces, as if sizing each other up. Commander Argo, the leader of the White Elves of Nunarnusk greeted the rest of them. The fact that so many senior members of the various elven cities could gather made the Commander look as if he wanted to cry.


    Are you alright, Commander Argo? Novorosk asked out of concern.


    He rubbed his eyes. I, I just cannot help but feel a little teary, that the leaders of the various elven cities are allowed to meet under much gentler circumstances. This moment should be recorded. The first gathering of the elven leaders after a period of darkness.


    The woman was surprised. I believe it is too hasty to consider it the end of darkness.


    That statement made the rest of them freeze. It was true that they now have hope, but they were not out of the darkness yet.


    Samuel, the elven hero,ughed. Look around us,dy. We are in an entirely different world, and we face a force clearly geared for war. If this is not the end of the darkness, then what evidence do you need?


    At that moment, a woman in a dark green uniform stepped out of a gigantic door. Greetings. Aeon is ready to see you now. Hero Samuel, you will have an additional, separate session after the meeting.


    ***


    The beetle led them underground, through tunnels and vines, but strangely, it felt as if the earths pulse gained strength. The blood elves of Roskor were particrly sensitive to energy flows, particrly spiritual energy. It is spiritual energies that powered their blood-runes and blood-marks, and so the overwhelming presence of spiritual energy in the tunnels was a strange surprise.


    Whats going to happen? The night elven woman asked the uniformeddy.


    You will meet our God, the leader of the Aeonic Pantheon.


    The night elf frowned, as if there was disbelief. They then saw the valley, with the pulsing trees and the flowing energies. The ce pulsed, as if each of the trees possessed a heartbeat. There were streaks of light, as if the stars and meteors were trapped in the trees themselves.


    We are here.


    The beetle stopped in a gigantic courtyard, and in front of them was the biggest tree they have ever seen-


    Then he felt it.


    His attempts to look at the tree was met with a sensation as if a million eyes were upon him. His mind was immediately sucked into a maze of trees, and he felt lost. Novorosk didnt know how long he was in there, but then-


    You alright? Samuel asked.


    Novorosk suddenly felt himself pulled out of the maze, but what reced it was immediately a sense of scale. He looked at the tree, and thought for a moment like he was looking at trees in other ces, and the more he tried to look at it, the more he felt like his mind was being pulled apart.


    His knees buckled, and quickly, he averted his gaze. The rest of them stared at the tree, and only to all kneel, their heads unable to look at the tree anymore.


    Greetings. The voice was in their head, and Novorosk felt his skin tremble. His hair stood on its end, as if that voice whispered right next to him, from both his ears at the same time. No, it was as if a choir spoke to him all at once.


    Samuel the hero heard the voice too, and looked around, as if searching. Greetings? Who- who are we speaking to?


    I am Aeon, the gigantic tree right in front of you. Wee to my Valley. I have asked my people to bring you here for many reasons. Mainly, I ask for your cooperation.


    Samuel was the only one who could look back at the Tree. Novorosks attempts to even nce at its roots immediately awakened that feeling from before. How? Why? Thedy mentioned that the Tree was everywhere, and yet in this valley, why was the sensation so intense?


    Anything youmand. Novorosk answered, as if his soulpelled himself to answer. Just being here imprinted the Trees presence in his soul. He would never forget.


    What is it? Samuel asked.


    I will establish the Valtrian Order, on your world of Landas. We will help you rebuild, if you let us. But, we will also ask some among you to fight for us, and we will choose those willing and talented among you, to take this fight beyond your world, and further into the stars.


    Novorosk realized then that this was a conscription. Aeon intended to turn their world into one that supplied soldiers-


    Who are we fighting? Samuel asked.


    The demons, of course.


    The night elven woman asked. Are- are you sent by the gods?


    There was a moment of silence, before the Tree answered into their minds. Your old gods are drifting away. I am here to take their ce.


    Samuel was the only one standing. Why?


    Time, and expansion of the multiverse.


    Novorosk didnt understand it, but Samuel did. He looked at the Tree and sighed. Can you send me back home?


    No. I am not the one that brought you here, and so, I cannot send you back.


    Then who did? Samuel asked.


    Hero Samuel. You will have another sessionter to speak to me privately, and with some other individuals that you will work with, if you choose to cooperate with us. To the rest of you, do you agree to assist my people as we settle in your world?


    The night elvendy answered. I cannot decide on the behalf of the rest of my people but I will try my best to convince them to agree.


    Commander Argo answered with a firmness he never exhibited back in Nunarnusk. Yes. We will support your people with all our might.


    The rest of them nodded without hesitation. Yes.


    Novorosk wondered how much of their answer was fear. They were ants, and the tree in front of them was the finger of god and could crush them if it so wished. It was a sensation he couldnt shake. A savior hase to their world, but their world will be reshaped in their saviors image.


    The guide helped the rest of them out, and they were all relieved to be brought far, far away from the gigantic tree.


    Novorosk sat, and thought. His world will change. It will change into a world made to support this Gods war. For once, they were no longer helpless victims of war.


    This will be a better life for his people. For most of them, as the beetle brought them out of the valley and into therger city, he realized that they now have a hope to live a life like they once did, and better. The various elven empires would be remade from what was left behind.


    For most of them, this will lead them to prosperity.


    But, he also noticed the soldiers of Tree. The short eared men and women, lizard-people and horse-people, all draped in weapons. They were strong, but he saw in their eyes a look he recognised.


    These were people who lived a life of war. Never ending war.


    Some of his own people will have to make the sacrifice for the rest of them. They will be transformed into pawns, to be deployed where the Tree saw fit. Some of them will be expendable pieces.


    It is a sacrifice.


    The few will have to bear the burdens of the many.


    Novorosk looked at the prosperity outside of the beetle-carriages windows, and felt the imprint in his soul.


    If asked, he will be the first to raise his hand.


    ***


    <i>Aeon</i>


    The elven hero fidgeted quietly. He was nervous, and he had a lot of questions. But I decided to ask mine first. I wanted to hear from him directly.


    How did your first battle with the demon king go?


    Samuel paused, and shook his head. Bad. The demon king was some kind of Flying Demon, while Im an Archer. It shouldve been a decent matchup, but the demon kings armor was so strong, and he possessed so many poisoned axes.


    All demon kings attacks are poisoned to some degree. It is the nature of their energy. The Demonic Curse infects all that survive their attacks. I briefly remembered that I was even poisoned by the demons curse in the first few decades in this world, and it took years to remove it. The second time I was cursed, it was from the demonic mana, and that required my [domain] to free myself from its effects.


    Samuel didnt know that. Really?


    Are there no surviving records in Landas?


    Samuel shook his head. Im not sure, and I also didnt think about it. There were no one left to man their stores or archives. The elven nation was battered when I came, and the demon king struck when I was only around level 90. I was not ready.


    That was usible. If the gods summoned teenagers, they mightck life experience. If they summoned teenagers who didnt have much agency and mostly went along with the flow, they likely would not think too much about their strategy, and would not seek out information.


    At that point, I introduced the four heroes. I teleported them in via my ability.


    Samuel, let me introduce the four that will now assist you. Adrian, from Mountainworld, Khefri, from Threeworld, and Colette and Prabu. They are fellow heroes.


    Samuels eyes brightened, and his own senses immediately detected that they were like him.


    Colette stared at Samuel, and immediately said. Wow youre so pretty! Youre even more pretty than all the other elves Ive seen. You- youre like what I imagine an elf should look like.


    Khefri nodded furiously. You look like a doll.


    Samuel blushed. I- Im sorry. This is the look they gave me. I- I didnt look like this originally, but-


    Khefri cursed. Her annoyance at her appearance never faded. You lucky bastard. They made you a beautiful elf. They made me into this scorpion shit.


    Samuel sighed. Mdy, I wish we couldve traded ces. This form did nothing but harm to me. The unwanted attention from the native elves just made life hard.


    I know we just met, but to me, suffering from this ugly ass shit form, that sounds like ughh! Khefri countered.


    These four are heroes, just like you, and they will help you with the battle against the demon king in Landas. I will have one of my domain holders support you.


    One? At that point, Khefri asked.


    The rest of them are exploring.


    Can theye back after theyve done the initial exploring? I think this pretty boy still needs to gain some levels. He feels kinda low level. Khefri countered.


    eptable. We may choose to liberate Landas once the rest of my domain holders visit all the fifteen worlds.


    At that point, Samuel interjected. Sorry, what- what is this about fifteen worlds?


    Colette answered. The gods intend to abandon fifteen worlds, so Aeons tasked with taking over. In short, theres been a big ass mess thats got out of control, and these guys are the professional cleaning crew sent in to take over.


    Shit, how can they do that?


    Apparently, not much of a choice. Colette said. Gods have a limited range.


    Samuel sat there and looked at the other four. If the four of you are here, it means theres no way back, isnt it?


    Colette shook her head. Death. The spirits of the dead heroes tell us death leads us back home.


    The elf hero stared. How?


    At that point, a Valthorn centaur guide appeared. The centaur spoke. The Journal Room awaits.


    The elf hero touched the journal as expected, and for a moment, all was well once more.


    ***


    <i>Lausanne, Landas</i>


    Found them. Lausanne spoke over [message]. She was high up on a tree that she made, and she saw the flying demons in the distance.


    The operatives, spread all over the world of Landas, reached most of the known cities over the past two months. Death in demon form came to two thirds of them, and only one third of the known cities remain as actual, habited locations. The rest were ruins. Dead. Destroyed.


    It was sobering, but it steeled her determination.


    No, it steeled everyones determination.


    Sights of thoroughly ruined cities, cities where survivors died because no one came to help them, reminded them of a state possible if they fell. The devastation brought back memories of all her earlier campaigns.


    The Order is ruthless. The Order is sometimes cruel. The Order can be callous. There were sacrifices made for power, but all this merely reminded them that their cause is true.


    This was an enemy they must defeat.


    Team Leader Ebonnded next to her, then a mage followed. The mage created spears of ice that flew towards the flying demons, and they died instantly.


    Alright. Lets move. The deserts not going to clean them up themselves. Ebon answered, as the Valthorn forcended closer.


    The Valthorns extensive counterattack brought a moment of quiet to the cities, while Valthorn druids and operatives constructed new defensive formations. The now-destroyed city of Chursky, and home of the Sacred Cherry, became the new home of Aeons node.


    There was already a small force of builders constructing fortifications. An army of beetles and spiders marched behind them. Beetles outfitted with projectile weapons, fired from the abdomen. They have quite a few deserts to clear, before the heroes attempted to battle the demon king, now hidden deep within the tunnel to the core.


    The demon kings journey to the Core would take a few years.


    ***


    <i>Edna, and Ste, The Second Peripheral World of Sarlpi</i>


    Edna and Ste arrived in a world of Fire and Ice. Plumes of smoke from volcanoes poured into the sky above. Demons were everywhere. The first habitation they found was a group of Lavapeople. They were humanoids, but with skin resembling freshva, they built their homes in a cave where rivers ofva flowed.


    The demons were of the traditional kind. Fiery, with horns of me, wings of me, and axes of mes, apanied their fire breathing cerberus and hellhounds. They were a terrible matchup for the Lavapeople. The Lavapeoples fire weapons were resisted by the demons, while the demons overpowered the Lavapeople with sheer brute force.


    From the Lavapeople, or as they called themselves, the Arpik.


    Edna and Ste then learned of the Snowpeople, the Sarljuk.


    The people who were once the Lavapeoples mortal enemies, but theyve found peace with each other after a while. It significantly helped that the two races of the world of Sarlpi did not really contest the same territories. The Snowpeople live in the cold poles of the world, while the Lavapeople live in the warm central bands, and the areas where they intersected were popted by the Mixed Bloods, known as the Cham.


    The Cham were sort of pariahs to the two sides, who preferred the purity of their own race. The Cham were people that resembled humans, and unlike the Snowpeople who retained some innate control over the powers of ice, or the Lavapeople who had innate control over fire, the Cham had none.


    Still, as Edna and Ste surveyed thend, they eventually visited the Snowpeople, and found that many of the Snowpeoples great cities and nations remain unscathed.


    The fire demons that so easily overpowered the Lavapeople were weakened by the hail storms and blizzards of the colnds, and were easy pickings for the Sarljuk defenders. Even the demon champions were battered by the strong blizzards, and the strong natural coldness severely hampered their ability to expand into the cold north and south.


    The demon king didnt care. There were no heroes in the world of Sarlpi. Thest two heroes died about four years ago. Thest two heroes were born to the Chams, and sadly, due to their pariah status, did not receive much support from the Sarljuk. Even their death did not affect the Sarljuk or the remnant Arpiks.


    Instead, after the victory, the demon king dug into the depths. It had not seeded in iming the world, yet, but it would happen eventually.


    Prosperous Sarljuks, and a battered, impoverished Arpiks. The Sarljuks saw no reason to help the Arpiks in their warm, volcano fillednds. It was also and that was disadvantageous, they were weakened by the heat of the centralnds.


    Life is unfair. Ste said at the end of their visits.


    It always is. Edna said. Lets help the Lavapeople and the Cham, and well end it there. The Sarljuks dont need us.


    Ste nodded.


    Selfishness. Ste said. It seems it is amon thing throughout society everywhere.


    Edna nodded, but the Sarljuk had their own reasons. The warmnds of the Apriks were not friendly to the Sarljuk.


    It wont be thest we see. Edna said. But let us keep moving to the others. They didnt have much time to spend here. Not yet, anyway. They needed toplete a quick reconnaissance of the remaining worlds. Only then, the Order can form a coherent strategy on how and where to ce the rest of Aeons nodes, clones, and the rest of the Valtrian forces.

 288. Greenfields V

    288. Greenfields V


    <i>The Third Peripheral World - The Deadworld</i>


    Lumoofnded in the third peripheral world only to find a world without survivors. This was a dead world, there was no one here, and as far as he extended his senses, it was all demons.


    It was a world at the very edge of full conversion into a demon world.


    Not a whiff of mortals.


    He sighed, and spoke to Ste.


    Send me elsewhere.


    Already?


    This world is dying. I sense no survivors.


    Are you sure? Ste said through their sharedmunicationwork.


    Lumoof spent another few days scouring the world and found nothing. Ruins. Death. Corpses that were easily a decade old. There were some trees, some vegetation that survived the destruction wrought by the flying fire demons.


    Is it me, or are there a lot of flying and fire-type demons? Lumoof asked. Ste, are you going to investigate the originating demon worlds?


    Later- Ste said. Still moving.


    Lumoof looked at his partner for this mission. How was your stint on Delvegard?


    Kafa shrugged. Nothing much. I am d to be reassigned to the front lines.


    Delvegard is the front lines. Lumoofughed.


    Not for me. It is for the Dwarven Lords, and perhaps alchemist Alka.


    A pity. Alka wouldve loved the ce. Or hated it because it has too many damned dwarves.


    Kafa rted with the response, and chuckled along. I feel that way whenever Im in Wetport Lapule.


    Thats racism against your own kind. The priest teased.


    I didnt say our kind is without ws. Kafa smiled. There wasnt much to do in this world except destroying demons, so the two domainholders took the time to catch up and chat. Nothing threatened them. Ten demon champions were nothing before a level 200 avatar. My people are still changing, and itll take a few generations.


    The priest understood it keenly. The hearts of the people are often hard to change. He could preach the truth, show the evidence, and some of their hearts would still deny it. The heart believes in what it believes, and it is a primal thing.


    It is why the Central Continents priests and the Order tried very hard to reach the young children and embed their values as soon as possible. It is something the parents resisted, after all, some of them believed the children should be free to make their own minds. But Lumoof, as an avatar of a rising god, saw it differently.


    The truth in the heart of the people needed to fit reality. The beliefs they hold must match the societys needs and wants. They tried to step in where possible, and it is why orphans were so often roped into their circle of influence.


    Its an area where Lumoof frequently disagreed with Ste, who believed in the independence of mind. Thankfully, Ste was a void mage, and her views did not affect how the Treeology approached the issue of education and shaping societys cultural zeitgeist.


    They had to.


    The society needed to be ready to fight wars. The society of Treehome must ept and believe in the cause. The society as a whole must possess the industrial and military capacity to support a war throughout the multiple worlds.


    Perhaps someday, Stes view of the world coulde true. A world where beliefs develop organically.


    A wartime government has no choice but to make choices differently,pared to the government of a world with no existential threats. Lumoof believed in it wholeheartedly, and that all of them, even Ste, are wartime leaders.


    Of all the races on the three Core worlds, the lizardfolks, treefolks and elves have a very high level of support of the Central government. Dwarves and humans were generally split between Centrists or Order-believers, the noble-royal groups and the guildsmen. Aeon once remarked how ironic that the human groups could be summed up to the stereotypical trio of the priests, the nobles, and the merchants.


    Do you think the Delvegard Dwarves will fold obediently, or will it be violent? Lumoof asked.


    Generally, I expect it to be violent. Kafa countered. The craft-kings of Delvegard wont give up their supremacy so easily.


    Should we just kidnap them and spare the world of Delvegard from an unnecessary war? Lumoof proposed.


    Kafa stared back at the priest.


    He was unable to answer.


    Lumoof could feel the lizard warrior weighing the odds. A war would have tremendous casualties, and in most cases, unnecessary. A kidnapping in the background by a sneaky, hidden group like them would truly enable them to get around and avoid such conflicts, especially if a transfer of power could happen peacefully, or if these craft kings realize where they stand along the true scales of power.


    The lizard warrior sighed. I admit kidnapping the leaders and forcing them to bend the knee may be the wiser choice, but I cannot help but feel extremely ufortable with it.


    Maybe it was his ss. A warrior ss did not sit well with such ndestine methods. Their ethos is excellence throughbat. But a priest is a type of subversive ss. The natural state of the priest-ss is to change minds without violence. To convert others.


    The avatar patted the lizardmans shoulder.


    Its hard to make such choices, isnt it?


    Lumoof pointed to the world around them, and then, the portal whirled open before them.


    There was nothing else to do on this world, other than to destroy the demon king. With that knowledge, it was time to move on.


    Time to go.


    ***


    <i>The Fourth World</i>


    <i>The Drakeworld Capra-Terban</i>


    Roon, Johann and Ezar arrived in a world and felt the simr presence of demons in the air. The environment around them was filled with rocky spires and deep valleys, and the energy levels in the air seemed to match the shape of the terrain. At the bottom of the valleys were usually fields of dark rocks filled with bugs that survived off the things that fell down or raging rivers.


    It was and meant for flying creatures, and it just so happened that the demons responded with flying demons of their own. They were the type of flying demons also found on ra.


    Well, were bumping into more of these buggers.


    Well, fuck. I dislike flyers. Ezar cursed as he immediately sensed the presence of demons in the air. Without Ste around, they have to rely on their movement abilities, but the mountainous terrain was not meant for sprinting. They would be hopping from spire to spire, since their levitation and flight artifacts would notst that long.


    The spires were everywhere, as if the earth itself protruded out of the ground like thorns, covered in small vegetation and bushes.


    Demon king. Roon frowned, and they spotted the demon king quite a distance away. Lets get some distance between us!


    The demon king of Terban was a gigantic flying dragon with tworge heads, both sting the terrain with its energy attacks. The three quickly fled the confrontation with the demon king. It wasnt time yet, not with theirck of knowledge.


    As they explored the rest of the mountainous world, the three eventually discovered the natives of the world. The natives were a type of goat-people that rode drakes of their own. These goat people lived along the cliffs and made homes in caves and crevices along the cliff walls. Their society was simr to viges and towns, stuck in the standardized medieval era.


    Capra. The Goat People, and they rode the domesticated Drakes. Drakes, or the domesticated variants, were friendly smaller drakes that have grown used to the goat peoples lives.


    The more worlds we see, the more I wonder why everyones weapons and development seem to be stuck in this particr era. Johann said as he rode his own flying dragon.


    His flying dragon was hugely interesting to the Capra. The first sight of Johann, they immediately bowed to him as if he was the next incarnation of their hero.


    The heroes of the Capra were legendary drake riders, and the old gods granted the heroes an ability to supercharge their partner drakes, that even allowed those flying drakes to transform intorger dragons, and also strangely, into humanoid forms. For male heroes, apparently the drakes would take on a female form, while the opposite was true.


    Roon thought the gods meddling with the sexes of their partner dragons to be rather disgusting, and even wondered if this was a form of honey trap or honeypot.


    The heroes of the Capra world could also take on human forms, on top of their Capran forms.


    Theynded on what looked to be one of therger popted cliffs, and immediately noticed the huge magical protections covering the cliff. There was also a massive illusionary magical formation that hid the cliffs from the demons, powered by hero items.


    ***


    So there were no heroes in thest thirty years? Johann, Ezar and Roon stood as they were weed to the Capran Cliff Lords home. It was a fairly small ce, but the lush decorations of the room made it feel much bigger.


    No. The Capran Cliff Lord answered. Our god and benefactor, Hawa, has not responded to our prayers since two decades ago. But we cling faithfully, and continue to pour our prayers into these ancient items left behind by the heroes that came since time immemorial.


    Roon heard the updates from Lumoof and Edna. This was amon urrence for the peripheral worlds. They are peripheral worlds for a reason, and the distance from their protector-gods meant they didnt get much protection.


    At this distance, it mustve cost too much to inform the Caprans of their doomed fate.


    The flying demon-drakes of Capran, the same type as those on ra, found Capran to be incredibly suitable and made those same cliffs into the demon nests. The magical energies of Capran seemed to be corrted to the height of the cliffs, the tallest mountains seemed to have stronger leylines, and so the demons were naturally drawn to them. In the same manner, the old Caprans also found these tall mountains to be ces where they could grow and breed strong Drakes.


    The Caprans thus fought against the demons for control of their strongest cliffs, though that war was mostly lost over thest three decades.


    Why didnt the demon king dig underneath the earth after these thirty years? Johann asked.


    The Caprans didnt know the demon king did that, so they had no answer. But the three domain holders nced at each other and thought about it.


    Maybe it wasnt ready? Roon wondered.


    Or is it searching for something?


    Or it needs more hero-souls. Ezar countered. You know, like whats written and recorded during the Rottends incident. The demon king killed the heroes, collected the hero souls, and used it to poison the earth.


    Roon and Johann nced at each other. So youre saying the demon king has not killed enough heroes to start digging?


    Maybe, if the Cores resistance is strong enough. Ezar proposed. There seems to be some kind of resistance from the Core, maybe not super strong, but enough that a demon king wont attempt a dig to the core until it possesses sufficient kills.


    I want to say it doesnt make sense, but at the same time, maybe there is some variability in the demon kings range of abilities. Johann frowned.


    If thats true that is a good sign, and may exin why the demons sometimes seem to just wait it out.


    If its true, it does feel a bit too good to be true.


    Ezar countered. There is probably a limited number of abilities the demons could cram into the normal sized demon kings. Think about it, these demon kings are immensely powerful, and from what we know of the powers of creatures, there has to be a tradeoff somewhere. Abat focused demon king or a corruption focused demon king may not be as well equipped as a demon king designed to take over a core.


    It would be a sensible tradeoff to make, too. Johann went along with Ezars thought process. If demon kings could capture hero souls and use their own energies to power theary corruption-


    It exins why both Adrian and Kelly were not killed but rather captured when we found them back on Mountainworld.


    Sorry, may I know what you three are talking about? The Capran Cliff Lord interjected.


    Ah, our apologies, we were merely lost in thought. Ezar politely apologized. We mean no offense.


    The Capran Cliff Lord didnt dare to be offended. Johanns beautiful dragon was a powerful beast that signified the riders immense position. Such a unique beast could only have an equally powerful master. So, he was polite in response. It is nothing. It must be important if it merits the great master of the beast to think about it so seriously.


    ***


    The three domainholders epted the hospitality offered by the Caprans, though they found their choice of food mostly unappealing. The Caprans seemed to pride themselves on all different sorts of cultivated grasses, weeds, and nts as delicacies. They did not eat meat at all.


    They were pure vegetarians, and Capran cooking was mainly through seasoning the various types of grasses, weeds and nts with sauces derived from fruits. It was odd, but they ate a little anyway, if only not to insult their hosts.


    But they did find something amusing. Their drakes were fed on special types of fruit.


    Aeon would love this. Roon said as he picked up the strange fruits. They were meaty fruits, they had a tough, stringy texture that looked, felt and tasted like meat. It was as if nature created its own natural nt-based meat. We should ask for one for the [Bib].


    Johanns dragon tried one, and seemed to enjoy the taste. He was given seconds. And thirds.


    The ce that youe front, there is no Drakefruit Tree? The Caprans were very amused, because the Drakefruits sole purpose was to feed the Drakes. There were sub variants to the Drakefruits, such as those infused with more magic so that the drakes gained additional magical properties, or those that gave the drakes extra armor, stronger ws and so on, In the good old days, the cliffs drake breederspeted on training the best drakes, with the bestbination of magical properties.


    It would please us if you could give us a small sapling of these Drakefruits. Johann asked, and given his status as a dragon rider, his request was as good as amand. They gave Johann three saplings, each a different subvariant. They would be sent back to Treehome where they would be properly studied,


    Johann wanted to ask for some drake eggs, too, but he knew his own dragon seemed fairly possessive and like a jealous pet, would show some attitude.


    With nothing else to do in this cliff town, the trio went on their way.


    The trio soon visited a few more cliff-towns, and rescued a few of them from champion-ss attacks. The Demon King was just roaming about, as if the presence of the natives were nothing. It was puzzling behavior. Why did it not eradicate the natives?


    Was it to farm more hero souls?


    If so, it would be risky to deploy heroes on worlds where the demon king wanted to find heroes.


    ***


    <i>Landas</i>


    Lausanne watched as the rest of the eighth demonic nest was destroyed by the army of beetles. Theyveunched attacks relentlessly, and the mages worked tirelessly to send them from battlefield to battlefield.


    Portals were extremely powerful. They invalidated traditional limitations of space and expanded the operating range. For warriors like the Valthorns and their augmented bodies, they could fight as if their stamina was almost limitless.


    Six more nests and all thats left is the demon king. There were still smaller pockets of demonic nests, but with the major nests removed, the frequency of the demonic raids on the surviving cities reduced tremendously.


    Yet, the demon kings behavior on Landas was strange. The demon king ignored the cursed hero.


    Lausanne wondered why, perhaps it either concluded that the elven hero was not a threat, and so decided to bury underground. But the data contradicted how certain demon kings on other worlds seemed to wait forever before starting its dig.


    But their presence brought a huge sense of relief to the five elven races of Landas. Almost all of them were sent to Treehome to meet with Aeon, and when they returned they found a world not at war.


    Mostly.


    It took another three months, but Lausanne and the rest of them finally crushed all the major demonic nests, and all that was left was the demon king.


    The hero still needed time to prepare, but for the rest of Landas, an era of peace had finallye.


    The magical interference vanished, and with it, the ancient magicalmunicationworks between the various elven cities could be restored. The surviving elven cities began to reconnect with other nearby settlements.


    But fear still permeated the elves lives.


    Many grew up being told not to venture too far.


    It would take some time for this foul memory to fade, but Lausanne felt joy.


    It made her happy to see the elves rxing. A fuzzy feeling when the injured elves didnt have to rush back to the front line, and were allowed to heal.


    She came to help the peripheral worlds heal, and was eager to move to the next one.


    Well, where to?


    The 5th.

 289. Greenfields VI

    289. Greenfields VI


    <i>Magisar, The Fifth Peripheral World</i>


    <i>Metteria Hudrot, Gorfort Tower Mage</i>


    Metteria Hudrot watched as the magical shields were battered by the attacks from the demons. The fists and arms of the rock demons were strong, but she was a Level 42 Stone Mage, and her shields would hold. This generation of demons had been a good matchup for her, and she gained many, many levels in the numerous skirmishes since then.


    Metteria! Duck! Metteria pulled back, her movement was propelled by manipting the stones embedded within her robe and a fireball barely grazed her hair and mmed into what appeared to be a rock golem.


    But at that moment, she thought she saw a man, with short white hair and wearing some kind of greenish robe. The fireball exploded, and Metteria panicked. Wait! I saw someone!


    Saw what? The rock demons came for them, but then, there was not a trace of the man that she saw.


    Was she hallucinating?


    Pay attention! Metterias captain screamed as another fireball mmed into the rock demons, this destroyed the rock demon entirely. Metteria! Defense!


    Got it, got it! Metteria shook her head briefly and her stone shields reappeared. She once again repositioned herself using the stones within her robe. Her [Stone Levitation] allowed her to drag her entire body along as she moved to help her teammates. A few more fireballs, and a few stone bullets and slowly, Metteria and her ten teammates brought down the small squadron of rock demons.


    Good job, good job. The Captain said, relieved that none of this team died. Metteria looked back at the battlefield, and she swore that she saw that old man.


    She walked into the location where she thought the man was, but found nothing. There was absolutely no trace of the man, as if he was never there.


    Something on your mind, Metteria? The captain asked.


    I thought I saw a man during the battle. But he vanished just as quickly.


    The Captain walked closer to her, and then grabbed her hand. That sounds like mana exhaustion. But no sign of mana exhaustion.


    Was I the only one that saw the man? Metteria nced around. No one else did. The only reason she saw it was it was exactly in front of her, but he vanished just as quickly. Where did hee from?


    No one answered her. The Captain frowned. Metteria, report back to the infirmary and have yourself subjected to tests by the life mage.


    She wanted to protest, but then she knew how this all looked like. Yes, sir.


    ***


    <i>Lumoof</i>


    Lumoofnded on the fifth world and immediately had a fireball m into his shield. It wasnt intentional, because the fireball hit the edges of the shield. There were demons everywhere, and there were strange mages fighting against them. The demons around Lumoof were gigantic rocky creatures made of a kind of sandstone rock.


    The demonic golems of brimstone and fire attempted to punch something in Lumoofs direction, but he vanished before they got him.


    Ste, can you avoid live battlefields when opening portals? Lumoofined through their linked messaging system once he got out of his short-distance teleportation andnded a good distance away in what seemed to be arge valley filled with demons, and a group of mages defending against them. The defenders were humans, but they all seemed pale. Lumoof briefly wondered if they were malnourished, but his senses soon realized this was their natural state.


    The humans, for once, were not exactly helpless. They all seemed like a decently experienced group ofbatants and they hurled magic freely. Magical fireballs and sts of energy mmed into the demonic golems, and the explosions ripped the golem demons apart. The group of skinny humans huddled together.


    Lumoof watched as they shredded thest of the golem demons, and then checked their surroundings for more enemies.


    Lumoofs presence was shrouded in enough protective items and illusions that he was fairly certain they didnt see him.


    Kafa popped out of the portal a few minutester. Sorry Imte- Did I miss something?


    Thankfully, he was also protected by his protections that most likely would not have noticed him.


    ***


    Lumoof and Kafa continued to follow the group of mages back that eventually led to a steep mountain. At the peak of that mountain was a magical structure that floated above the skies, a magical creation.


    The mountain wasnt totally bare. It was filled with some small trees and vegetation, though Lumoof immediately noticed the encroaching presence of demonic hybrids in small patches all over the ce.


    He would have to investigate thatter, and get a better read on the worlds state. But for now, he directed his attention towards the floating structure, a city suspended midair by magic.


    That is quite impressive. Lumoof said. He activated his spiritual sight and immediately noticed the presence of magical energies from the ground below. There was a faint taste of the heros presence in the magical structures beneath the floating castle, and multiple magical protections. Seems like they used ley lines to power a levitation formation, and kept their city protected from the demons.


    Ley lines that were fading.


    The group of magicians regrouped somewhere near the bottom of the castle, and then Lumoof heard them curse.


    Whats taking them so long to activate the teleportation formation? One of the humans that appeared to be the leader of the group began to talk.


    One of the other mages then teased. Probably one of the mages sleeping on the job.


    Really? Ill give that guy a good sounding once I get back-


    Lumoof looked at Kafa, and then back at the flying castle. Think we can get in?


    Kafa shrugged, but knew it was a rhetorical question. The real question wasnt whether they could, but which method would serve their interest best. So, Kafa responded with a silly question of his own. Do you want to jump in, or do you want me to throw you in?


    Lumoofughed, and then pointed. Lets just watch. They are not the only group. Lumoof said as he felt the presence of more people through the nts and trees around them. I sense more peopleing here.


    Kafa turned around and tried to focus his own senses That nt-sense of yours is overpowered as hell.


    You can be a tree man if you want. Lumoof smiled. Its surprisingly nice to have Aeon right next to me all the time.


    Kafa shook his head in horror. Ill take that back.


    Well, lets see what these guys are up to.


    There were six other small groups, all mages just like the first group. They felt like mages, because of how their mana poured out of their spirit, and the spiritual lines that facilitated magic use were most pronounced. Amon feature when mana use was high, and something Lumoof seen often in their own mages and wizards.


    Still waiting for the teleport? The other groups arrived and quickly asked. They were all slender looking mages, and all wore some kind uniform, made of knitted leather and wool.


    Yeah. Its taking a damn while.


    Are the charge crystals malfunctioning again? One of the other mages from the 3rd party asked.


    Howd I know? But that would exin why were stuck here.


    d to see you guys all in one piece. The mage-leader from the very first party smiled.


    Eh. Just usual rock demons, wed live.


    A fourth party returned, and Lumoof noticed this party carrying far more things. He continued to observe their interactions. What happened?


    Our usual forage run is interrupted by rock demons, and one of my guys is an idiot. The 4th party leader exined. There was a corpse. Hes dead, but we hauled his body back for his family.


    The rest sighed. Young ones should know better than to charge into a party of demons.


    Lumoof watched and he felt it. The thread of magic in the air was something he could sense innately, and so, he activated his invisibility, and walked closer to the group.


    The teleportation formation activated, and the group all vanished, pulled into the floating fortress above the mountain.


    ***


    <i>Metteria</i>


    Youre fine. Eyes appear normal, and theres no unusual mana presence along your mind or your spirit. The healer said. Healer, Life mage. The distinction hardly existed in the Gorfort Tower.


    The rest of her team was already in the barracks dropping off their harvest for the day.


    I am? Metteria muttered, but a secondter she realized how ridiculous it all sounded. Of course. Of course I am fine.


    The healer and life mage promptly discharged her, and Metteria decided it was time to go visit her own master. Her masters tower wasnt far from the ce, so she stepped out of the infirmary and into the streets of Gorfort Towers 4th floor.


    She nced around, her feet sensed the vibrations of the stone used around Gorfort Tower, and noticed-


    Am I being followed?


    It cant be. She looked again and theres nothing there. Her stone sense was a strange skill, but it saved her life a few times. But why? Who would follow her?


    She walked anyway and went into her masters research tower. It was a small, cramped space. Space was very expensive in all the safe havens of Magisar.


    Did you manage to find what I asked? An older voice said once Metteria stepped into the third floor of the tiny tower. It belonged to a small, petite woman with not much muscles. Her appearance was tired, wrinkles were all over her body.


    -yes. I did. Metteria checked her pouch and took out a piece of rock with stripes. The vein remains untouched for now.


    The older woman frowned as she also picked up the same rock, and then she began to examine it with a strange copper-colored contraption. This is no good.


    No good? It looks fine to me. Metteria didnt want to believe it.


    Stupid disciple. Come closer. Look at the stripes. Its starting to show dark-reddish spots.


    Metterias face was one of horror once she too noticed the presence of the tiny spots in the stripes, made visible through the copper contraption. The demons magic is seeping into our usual mineral veins. The Tower Masters must-


    They know.


    Metteria was about to protest but then she stopped. What? They know?


    They know, disciple. Theyre just trying to figure out how bad it is and what can be done. They are not fools, despite all the arrogance they portray around the rest of you.


    The younger mage frowned. -how much time do we have?


    Thats why I sent you. The older woman pulled down a paper map suspended off a ceiling. The map was one of the wider surroundings, with the tower in the center. Around the tower were marked locations, each with a date.


    She snapped a finger and a wooden five steppeddder came over, and she climbed up to the map. She began to write dates, and then, with a wooden abacus, began to calcte. It was a rtively simple mathematical extraption based on the distance and dates of corruption based on thest corrupted vein and the newest corruption vein, and the extrapted to their current location.


    Think we have somewhere around seventeen to twenty five years before the ley lines underneath Gorfort experience the demonic taint.


    Thats not a lot of time. Metteria countered.


    Not much, but not little either. The old woman sat down, and then took out another copper bowl. She ced the rock into the copper bowl and then set it down. Well, lets go see Ol Junker and see whether hes got a different data set.


    Metteria stared at the old woman. Hes also looking into this?


    Of course he is. You think he spends his time flirting with his two beautiful disciples? No! He works them like hell!


    Metteria chuckled lightly. Do you need me to go with you, master?


    Come. Magister Junker would spill a lot more secrets if you are around. Hes not interested in old hags like me anymore.


    The younger disciple watched as her master climbed down the stairs. It still made her marvel every time she saw her move about as if she was still a spry young woman.


    The two of them moved down, but then Metteria paused and looked back. She thought she saw one of the books on the floor move. The vibrations on the rock and wooden floor seemed strange, as if there was someone else in the room with them.


    Invisibility was impossible. Metteria was not aware of such magic. She looked around, tried to feel for the presence of magic, but the entire ce was filled with so many little magical trinkets that it was hard to be sure.


    She turned back, and followed her master out of the door.


    The alleys and streets of Gorfort were all tiny. Space was expensive in a safe haven like Gorfort, and every inch mattered. It was someones home. An extra few bits of space could fit a shelf, or a cab, or even a tiny bed for their skinny bodies. They were not fat. Not at all.


    ***


    <i>Lumoof</i>


    Lumoof and Kafa looked around and immediately felt it was hard to move about. The entire ce was so tiny that they were bound to bump into things. The humans of this world were skinny, thin. Not a single one of them had bulky muscles, and instead, they all seemed more attuned to magic.


    The entire structure was a series of floors, built on top of one another. Eachyer wasrgely self sufficient, and movement between theyers were regted by the guards and mages that controlled the tower. It wasnt hard for Lumoof to notice that those located in the middle were all the unwanted, lower ss people, while those who had some skills and talents were located along the sides of the floating castle, where theres sunlight and some fresh air.


    They followed the two mages through the small streets, trying their best to dodge where they could, and eventually, they passed through what was an actual, really crowded market. There were not actually that many people, they passed through the tiny stalls, packed with all the goods they tried to sell.


    Kafa looked at the stalls. It was separated into segments, andbeled with signs. Equipment. Tools. And Food.


    They use a lot of wood, gems and copper for tools. Kafa spoke telepathically as they observed the crowd. The two mages were still walking up ahead.


    Do they not have mines? Lumoof wondered as they then passed the tools and equipment section. It was so cramped that it was just a few steps away, and they reached the food section. There were only three stalls, one with vegetables, another with baked breads, and another with fruits.


    Theres nothing for me to eat here. Kafa said as a joke. Seems like a good ce for the non-meat eaters though.


    Lumoof felt like a candle lit up in his mind. Is their skinny build due to ack of meat?


    Kafa shrugged. Sounds like its worth exploring. Lets follow these two. They seem to be talking about important stuff.


    ***


    <i>Metteria</i>


    Ol Junker! Her master shouted as she pushed the wooden door open and stepped into a small workshop on one of the corners of Gorfort Towers many, many floors. The old man inside was tinkering with some contraption while his two female assistants were also trying to replicate his contraption.


    Her voice shocked all three of them, and the old man immediately looked up. What brings the grumpy old Kerifa to my workshop? Cant you see Im trying to teach these two girls how to tune a magical seekerspass?


    Thats a stupid thing to learn in this time and age! I got mytest data on the taint. I want topare notes. Her master, Kerifa Gundhert shouted. Metteria wasnt sure when her master wrote the scroll in her hands, but somehow she did.


    First, no magic is stupid. Junker Quartz, one of the leading bronzemages, immediately red at Kerifa hatefully. Second, if you are here to depress me, Ill kick you out.


    Its depressing all right. Kerifa said. Do you want to know or not? Or should I take it to the older farts upstairs?


    Fine. Disciples. Lets head upstairs and see what this ol woman has for us. The two girls bowed


    ***


    Above the workshop was a rtively airy room, with a view of the skies. The corner units of the Gorfort Tower were highly prized, and it was only with Junker Quartzs ster record as a master bronzemage that he won the right to use them.


    On one set of walls were three empty boards. Kerifa tapped her scroll and the scrolls contents were transferred to one of the magical boards.


    Junker stared at it, and looked at his two disciples. Bring our set of reports. One of the girls nodded, ran down and back up again in a minute and he tapped the scroll.


    Kerifa frowned. Looks like yours is more optimistic.


    Our samples were collected- One of the girls ran to the board and pointed. There.


    We dont know which of the taint would reach us first.


    Our usual copper mines would be under threat and farms would be under threat.


    The Tower Masters should be calling for a culling of the demonic vegetation. Kerifa said.


    Junker shook his head. I dont think that would work. Ninefort tried that with their surroundings, and their ley lines were still corrupted.


    Kerifa frowned. Is that supposed to be a secret?


    Yes. But Im telling you anyway. Are you going to report me?


    No. So it wont. Whats our solution?


    Junker looked at the map, took a deep breath, and then said. Energy filtration. We need to purify the demonic taint so that we can continue to use the energy. Our entire existence depends on it.


    This made both Metteria and Kerifa re at the old man suspiciously. Use of demonic mana from harvested demonic trees has caused mutations. Do you have a workaround?


    -no.


    ***


    Lumoof and Kafa listened in the room, and the rest of the conversation shifted to politics. At that point, the two retreated to a quiet area, and looked at each other.


    Our goal is to fully survey all fifteen worlds before we decide how to and what to deploy. Kafa repeated. But I cannot help but feel we should help all of them. All of these worlds are in trouble in one way or form.


    The very reason Hawa asked for assistance was simply because these worlds were in trouble.


    Fifteen worlds. Even if one of us is in each of these peripheral worlds, and Aeon leaves a clone on the rest, that still leaves us four short. Lumoof said. And Aeon will not risk all the clones.


    We have node trees.


    Or if we select one of the options you are given. Kafa said.


    That should help. But look beyond their immediate troubles, and think beyond it. Aeons goal is to bring these worlds into our wider campaign. Which of these worlds will contribute the most to our war effort? Which of these worlds will be strategically useful, and contribute to our war.


    Kafa looked away and sighed. I wish we could just help them all.


    We will help them all. But there is a choice for us to make, beyond the immediate assistance. A question of permanence. A question of adding strength to our whole. Which of these worlds is worth an investment? Which of these worlds can be made into a Core world?


    Landas has it easy. They have a node.


    A node doesnt mean we will invest our resources there. The Valthorns ability to invest on aary scale is limited. Even now we can only fully upy one world at a time.


    Just the mere act of controlling the human kingdoms on Threeworlds took a significant amount of Valthorn personnel. Rebuilding Tropicsworld still continued to require a significant amount of imported resources.


    The choice we make adds to our overall resources. Lumoof said, as he recalled how Aeon once described the problem as an optimisation issue. Clones were limited, but clones bestowed benefits on their host worlds.


    The various auras of Aeon enhanced their citizens health, development, productivity and even made them level up faster. Each of these worlds would benefit from Aeons aura, but which one would benefit the most?


    Lumoof looked back at the Gorfort Tower. Theyve visited five worlds. There were ten more to go.


    Spaizzer


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 290. Greenfields VII

    290. Greenfields VII


    290


    <i>Sixth World - The Great Steppes</i>


    Edna and Stended together on a field. Vast, and the fields of green and gold seemed to go on forever, over the rolling hills to the horizon.


    This is quite the view. Ste smiled, and stretched. It reminded her of the farnds back home, or the great open ins where horses and wild bulls used to roam. She took in the air. It was windy. The grass was colorful, and on closer observation, it is as if someone made a field of grass and added a palette of colors just for variety. There were spots of red, pink, and even purple grasses. I wouldnt say I dislike this.


    They were likely slightly magical, but at this point, all the void holder wanted to do was take the view in and appreciate a rare moment of peace. The wind blew, and the des of grass rustled. It was pleasant.


    Edna tapped the woman on her shoulder. A nice wee, and I believe this world has potential to be a tourist spot some day.


    Ste shook her head, she probably imagined beetlebuses of tourists, shuffled from viewing point to viewing point. The tourists would probably ruin it.


    Ednaughed. Ste once warned extensively on the problems of overtourism, though none of her fears actually yed out in the Central Continent. For now, tourism remainedrgely the realm of the wealthy, and even though middle ie folks could afford to travel regionally, it was still not inrge enough numbers that ces experienced overtourism.


    It helped Aeons natural energies meant damage to nature was fairly easy to mend. It didnt take hundreds of years to restore a damaged forest.


    Well, lets look for the natives, and find out what kind of demons gue this world.


    They found a group of traveling centaurs a rtivelyrge distance away.


    ***


    Greetings. Both Edna and Ste arrived and the centaurs immediately kneeled once they arrived in front of them.


    Oh the holy ones blessed us! The two-legged heroes have arrived! Ste from a few decades ago would have blushed, but she was now quitefortable in her position of authority that she didnt flinch. Up close, they noticed the sheen of natural armor around the centaurs chest, as if they were some blend of a suit of armor and a horse, rather than the usual centaur form of a man and a horse.


    Edna and Ste looked at each other and regretted their approach. Ste pinged Edna through magic. Did we just fuck it up?


    I think we did. We should know better. Remind me to use invisibility and spy on the natives before we even attempt to talk to them. I suppose we should exploit this opportunity to learn what we can. After all, if they think we are heroes, we should be able to get information.


    Edna nodded at the centaurs. Hello. Can you tell us about this world?


    The centaurs rose from their awkward kneeling position. Centaurs were not really designed for kneeling, their four legs more suited for running. Certainly, blessed ones. We will guide you to the nearest encampment.


    ***


    The world was known as the Great Steppes, and is and filled with mostly rolling hills and vast grasnds. The Great Steppes didnt have much vegetation beyond bushes and grasses, andrge trees were almost altogether non-existent.


    Still, Great Steppes was mainly popted by two types of centaurs, that are so different that they might as well be entirely different races. One was the Armored Centaurs, and they are referred to as the Armataurs. These were centaurs with naturally built armor and helmets. Their bodies somehow created hard tes over their chest, arms, shoulders, and body,.


    The other centaur race are the Lancias. They are centaurs, but with natural weapons and retractable spears,nces and spikes throughout their body. Despite an ancient tradition where both of the two centaur races lived apart, the two centaurian races were generally cordial with each other, and frequently cooperated with each other for special asions.


    The Armataurs worshiped Hawa, while the Lancias worshiped a god called Zulfa.


    The demons were the usual fire breathing demons wielding a ming weapon of some kind, and their elites were a variant of the demon knights. The demon king were in about eleven years ago, and the previous hero died with it. The new demon king just arrived not long ago, and seemed to be waiting for the heros arrival.


    It was a world that seemed rtively stable now. In the vast grasnds and shrunds of the Great Steppes, there were now areas that were regrly known as the Demonic Hignds.


    For Edna and Ste, the contact went fairly standard. The two centaurian subspecies waited for the blessed ones, and the blessed ones would y the demon king.


    With enough data collected, it was time to get moving.


    ***


    <i>Aeon</i>


    Roon, Johann and Ezar returned home briefly, and then they were off again to visit the Seventh World. In the meantime, I was given their collected samples from the world of Capra.


    Drakefruit. The nts went into my bibs, and I immediately unlocked the ability to replicate the drakefruits at scale. I noticed that they were also surprisinglypatible with my existing ss seeds and skill seeds, and in short, it would be possible to fuse the drakefruit with my skill seeds and ss seeds, to create skill fruits for drakes.


    This was a fascinating thing, and I didnt know why it never urred to me to create powerful skills for various pets and mounts.


    I watched, and from my central vantage point, Landas had mostly stabilized.


    Landas was the first world where I truly tested what were the limits of the Node Tree.


    My node tree didnt have my aura, and although I could still spawn subsidiary trees through my node trees, trees that were linked through my node trees did not share my higher tier abilities.


    So, node trees had some constraints. One, I couldnt use my giant attendant trees through them.


    Everything that was connected through the Node Tree was restricted. I could see through them, but only at a basic level, not my full breath of spiritual sight. Even my listening and observational abilities were severely limited. The mana output and extraction at each of these worlds were also a fraction of my tree.


    Node trees also didnt share any of my auras, and the subsidiary trees of Landas were the basic version. This meant the number of beetles they could host per subsidiary tree was three beetles per subsidiary tree, and the beetles were inferior to those spawned by subsidiary trees linked through my clones or main body.


    Still, the teleportation ability of the Node Tree meant it was possible to send my titans like Hytreerion to Landas.


    Ste, while traveling through Landas and thenter to the Sarlpi, began hammering on the need to use my titans, especially given my new expanded limits.


    I could deploy up to ten additional titans, and each of these Titans would be a strong supporting force in any of these peripheral worlds, or even Delvegard.


    Or I could use them to augment my resource restrictions back home.


    In many ways, my high level 100s were a limited resource. Especially when distributed over the nned 15 worlds. So, they needed a force multiplier, and titans should be that sort of force multiplier.


    Lets see what sort of Titan choices I have now. With my clones new ability to support titans, I could now support up to 15 titans, and a total of 13 additional. I currently have 2 active titans in service. Hytreerion and Patreecks presence in Threeworlds was likely to be unnecessary soon, and I would like to redeploy him to one of the other worlds soon.


    So as my domain holders gathered data on the peripheral worlds, I began to consider the tools I had at our disposal to enhance my Valthorns performance in these peripheral worlds.


    Ever since my [Greater Titans] upgrade, my choices changed. They started with a base power level of about Level 125, a decent increase from their prior level 70 to 90 power levels.


    [The Great Storm Bird- A greater storm titan that takes the form of a flying thunderbird, and has the ability to summon up to 3,000 flying eagles of rtively strongbat power. Has shared vision and senses, and many lesser abilities.]


    [Carapace Demonhunter Worm - A greater variant of the depth worm, with immense earth abilities and very high resistance to demonic damage. Has the ability to summon 2,000 worms with simr resistances and abilities. Can significantly improve ground fertility and nt yields, and also undo demonic corruption for earth]


    [The Greater Leveling Dungeon - Dungeon with higher levels and more rewards. Will cause its surroundings to be tainted by pollution and magical miasma, and the spawn rate of high level monsters outside of the dungeons vicinity will be significantly increased. Certain blessings and auras will be nullified in the Greater Leveling Dungeons presence, but experience gain will be significantly increased. Skills gained below Level 149 will likely be of a stronger variant.]


    [Fusion with any Court of the Deitree - The Treant King. Significantly improve the host''s abilities and endurance. Host will no longer age, and will be immune to non-divine sickness and poisons. Host will also now enjoy [domain]-level mental protections, and will be able to resist divinews. Also grants the ability to summon and control up to 300 treants.]


    [Gantreethor Beetle Carrier - A flying beetlemander transformed into a Greater Titan. Each Gantreethor functions as a mobilemand center for beetles, allowing all beetles to operate significantly further from an existing subsidiary tree. Each Gantreethor also carries within its spatial body an army of 8,000 greater beetles. Each greater beetle is around level 30 to 35, and possesses flight abilities. Each Gantreethor can also self-destruct to deal explosive damage]


    [The Void Treant - Fusion with a familiar granted to a void-attuned treefolk - A treant meant to thrive in the voidyers. Resistant to void turbulence and can move about. Can use void mana, use void magic and also open void portals.]


    [Fusion with Treechikomas - The Gigantic Spidertree - A Giant Walking Laboratory and Hospital with the ability to deploy smaller about 1,000 treechikomas, treants and beetles. Provides a strong mobile blessing aura and healing presence to restore friendly parties. Living beings in its presence will not grow hungry or thirsty.]


    [Fusion with hamadryad body (only one avable) - The Primordial Elemental - A significantly powerful dryad mage specializing in elemental spells of around Level 140. Can regenerate even after destruction, and is able to summon 500 fire, water or earth elementals.]


    [Fusion with Underground Living Crystal Labs - The Primordial Foundry - A tree that attached itself to a ley line and converts magical energy into crystals or metals. Produces arge quantity of crystals or metals based on a system-defined ratio.]


    Thats a fairly good selection. Lumoofmented while he was elsewhere. A world away, but we were always together. That was life as an avatar. But I think what you need is utility in these peripheral worlds. The ability to provide low level suppressing force while the Valthorns deal with any stronger threats.


    We could pick one of each and send them- Ednamented, also in a different world. But I suppose there is a matching problem, since not all titans are designed for each of the worlds.


    But I thought about the titans as a second-best choice, for worlds without my clone. I have three clones, one on cooldown after I used one on Hawas world of Satrya, but ultimately I was only prepared to deploy two clones.


    Id like to keep one, or perhaps two in reserve, if we do stumble on more worlds.


    The peripheral worlds are not the only worlds. Beyond these fifteen worlds there will be many more worlds that need our help, and so, to artificially limit my choices to these fifteen worlds because of Hawas request would be silly.


    I did not make a choice. Not yet. I thought itd be fairer to optimize once the domain holders came back with the detailed reports. There were still a few more worlds to go.


    ***


    <i>The Fifth World, Magisar</i>


    Eighteen surviving magical academies, all conveniently located in levitating cities. Lumoof said as he surveyed the documents stolen from one of the mages. Unlike the mages of Magisar who did not stray far from their homes, Lumoof and Kafa found the world no threat at all, and so they camped in the wilderness, in a cocoon of roots.


    Despite the initially impressive veneer of the levitating cities, what they saw did not impress them. The levitating cities of Magisar were pretty much something copied out of a despotic magical universe, with the tower masters ruling as oppressive kings, while the lower sses were all just nothing more than flesh that was thrown away once they were not useful.


    Because the tower masters controlled the levitating cities, everyone else were pretty much at their mercy.


    There were a few fortresses onnd that were made by those who didnt want to endure the Tower Masters oppression, but these fortresses did not have better living conditions. In fact, because of theck of generational resources and legacy magical items, these fortresses are often at a subsistence level, and their rulers are also pretty much dictatorial, if for no reason beyond maintaining order.


    It is hard to be happy and well behaved when everyone is perpetually underfed and in a terrible living environment.


    I must say this doesnt seem to be the worst world. Kafa said. They still have functional governments, even if its teetering on copse.


    Really? Lumoof asked. I wouldve thought this is one of the worst ones.


    Worst than Landas that is holed up in their artifact cities with much smaller poptions? Kafa countered. Or the world of Sarlpi where almost nine out of tenvapeople have died? Or the deadworld with no one left?


    Lumoof looked back at the map. Well, I suppose on a sheer numerical survivor basis- this is pretty decent.


    It is. Kafa repeated. I would rank this in a simr capacity to the world of Capra-Terban.


    Would you save them?


    Yes. That doesnt need to be asked. Kafa said. It is our duty.


    Lumoof chuckled at the term duty. Some of them viewed helping these worlds as a duty of those with strength. As wardens, we were here to reset the damage caused by an extraordinary force. Something outside of the normal nature of these worlds.


    Should a warden also engage in repoption? Ecosystem restoration? Is there a line between restoration, and meddling with natural selection? It was a thought I entertained briefly. Its a dangerous loop to go down, and I decided to prioritize life. Save lives, and deal with bncing issuester.


    It was a good thing to do, politically. It enhanced our reputation, it gave reason and purpose to maintain arge Valthorn army and infrastructure, and the Valthorns often truly believed in it.


    Only Lumoof felt my own inner conflict, with the duty of safeguarding the worlds natural state, and whether we would go too far, and believe in ourselves as saviors. A saviorplex would be troublesome, and that made me ufortable.


    Then, Lumoof looked at Kafa. From what youve seen of the mage-societies, would you want to bring them into the fold?


    That was a tough one. I didnt have the answer for it either. A magically proficient species would be a great help to offset our magical needs, but we would have to significantly usurp the ruling mages in order to gain ess to the talent we need.


    I would rank them the best of the worlds weve seen so far, in terms of potential contribution to theing days. Kafa said.


    Lumoof smiled. Fair. But lets keep it aside, because its time to go. We have more worlds to see. Lets leave the demons for now, well leave it to the Valthorns toe in and sweep.


    The demon king of Magisar appeared to be some kind of demonic golem, and even now, more demons appeared through the demonic rifts overhead. One of the key problems faced by Magisar was the demonic corruption. The demon champions of this world were simr to the corrupting demons of Sabnoc. They were gigantic demonic walkers that nted themselves near sources of magic such as leylines, and then used that demonic energy to spawn more demonic golems.


    In the process of doing so, they corrupt their environment and also cause the demons energies to spread into the world around them. This created the demonic hybrids that we saw across the terrain, and incredibly, the demonic hybrids themselves carried demonic spores that spread even more demonic corruption.


    What we learned of the demons methods did not really surprise it. It was just some variation of existing demon tactics, and should be fairly easy to deal with.


    ***


    Weter deployed a small batch of Valthorns on Magisar, mainly to support the information gathering once Lumoof and Kafa ensured that there was minimal divine-level meddling, and my Valthorns began scouring the terrain looking for refugees and those not living in the giant towers.


    There were more than we expected. We rescued a few groups of small refugees fleeing theirnd based encampments, and it exined most of their unusual behavior


    One, they did not have iron tools or hard metals inrge quantities. Instead, all their people primarily used variants of some kind of copper or tin element, or in the more powerful mages, gold or silver.


    Iron was truly a rarity, and it reflected in the nature of the humans themselves. They resemble humans in many ways, but their blood is made of a different elemental metal altogether. Unlike our knowledge of humans that had iron in our blood, the humans of Magisar instead had something else that we have not encountered in the rest of the peripheral worlds.


    A quasi-iron, and it was something I would like to examine in greater detail. It was likely Magisar humans could not interbreed with regr humans due to blood-ipatibility.


    The blood samples and biological samples we collected through aiding some of the refugees suggested that this elemental difference in their blood resulted in Magisarian Humans being biased to magic, as their bodies did not bulk and did not gain much muscle.


    Overall, we did have a rtively high rating for the world of Magisar, but we needed more time to shape the form of our contact. We have not yet decided on how to engage with these magical towers, whether we would take over, or whether we would be a little more diplomatic. Outside of the natural magical talents of the natives, the world itself was of no use, and I wondered whether we could offer a choice to the locals, and then relocate the natives to a safer world, once we verified that their physique could survive on otherworld foods.


    A massive breeding program could offset our challenges in training wizards and mages.


    With a high level understanding of the world of Magisar, it was time to move to the next world.


    ***


    <i>Seventh World</i>


    Now this is something. Lumoof sat as he watched the winds blow from top to bottom, and there was no horizon. Instead. The horizon curved upwards, as if the world was looped. Another ringworld, but not one of the demons.


    Mayhaps the inspiration source of the demons Sun-Rings? Kafa looked in another direction, and then up into the sky to see two gigantic rings that rotated around the sun. That ment there were a total of three rings, and they were on the outermost ring. There seems to be multiple rings.


    Lumoof nodded, and noticed this world was physically quite big. I do wonder, where is the Core of a ringworld?


    Core? Kafaughed and pointed into the skies. Theyered rings around the surprisingly small sun seemed strange. Maybe that moon? Thats the only thing that resembles a core from this distance.


    The avatar shrugged as his eyes traced the demonic rifts above them. Strangely enough, this world had two active demonic rift paths. Kafa couldnt see it, but the news made Ste curious, and so both Ste and Edna left the Great Steppes to join them in the Layered Ringworlds.


    There were three rings surrounding their small sun, and the innermost ring was the smallest and thinnest. The middle ring was a bit wider, while the furthest ring was the widest. Closest to the sun was a strange glowing purple moon that overlooked all of the three rings.


    The three rings orbited around the sun like the three axes of a gyroscope, each moving in its own direction.


    The demonic rift paths through the void sea were then each connected to outermost and middleyers.


    Well, we have evidence 101 that the demons can actually attack with two demon kings at the same time. Ste said as she studied the demonic rifts. Theres no actual rule against it, merely a convenience from the way the demons arrange their attack pattern.


    Two demon kings doesnt mean we have to face both of them together. Edna shrugged. Some operational difficulties, but if the two dont stick together, it isnt that different.


    Agreed, but it does lend credence to Hawas im that the demons have measures we dont see yet.


    Lumoof then looked around. Maybe we should ask Hawa about this world. Make use of that artifact he gave us.


    First, we should find the natives? Ste countered. So far in the few days they were busy studying the magical energies of the world that they have not located any natives.


    It was not hard to find them once the four started to look. They were hibernating humans living in underground caves, and it seemed the world experienced what was called, the regr weeks of darkness.


    There was no concept of a day-night cycle in this world, because the sun was always overhead in a ringworld. Instead, they had a period when the sun dimmed significantly, for two weeks at a stretch.


    The purple darkness.


    The domainholders were on the surface when the darkness happened. The sun abruptly transformed and changed color. As if the bright yellow sun itself was turned into a dim, dark blue sun.


    The light vanished. The sun in the sky was still there, but was difficult to see with regr sight, because now the dominant object was the purple moon. Everything turned purple, and then the monsters appeared.


    They were no threat.


    But the monsters were powerful. Level 60 to 80 monsters, seemingly empowered by the purple moon.


    It was this worlds natural defenses, and the domain holders saw these monsters ying the demonic beasts as well. Only the demon champions could hold


    Huh. Lumoof realized. Who do they need heroes if the native beasts are so powerful?


    Lets ask the natives.


    ***


    The native humans were few, but they created entire societies underground. Their underground tunnels were fortifications,yers ofyers of walls, and none of them wanted to be outside during the Purple Darkness. They were very good at constructing defenses, simply because the monsters were all really powerful, and so they concentrated their resources on building multipleyers of walls.


    The domain holders continued to spy on the natives for a bit, using invisibility to sneak through their defenses and into their underground societies.


    There, we saw the natives living fairly decent lives. They grew crops under the glow of unique light emitting metals, and we watched their society operate.


    There were two main activities for their society, the Wall Builders, and the nters. The Wall Builders were just the overarching title given to those who constructed their fortifications, and structures. They dug new rooms underground. There were a subgroup, called the venturers, that traveled along the surface to find new ces to build a home.


    Each of thesebyrinthian homes were called a Chamber. This one was called the White Ringed Chamber. Each of these chambers could be home to 5,000 to 20,000 people, and throughout the Three Rings, there were at least thousands of these chambers.


    Each of the rings, in terms of actual surface area, was likely much, much bigger than the surface area of the Threeworlds or Treehome.


    In some ways, these three rings potentially had the highest poption potential. If the threat of the Purple Darkness was nullified, and the demons solved, each of these three rings could house 10 billion, maybe even 20 billion for the outer rings due to the sheer size of the surface area.


    So, after two to three weeks of observation, we finally made the move to contact the natives.The humans were surprised to see us, but ultimately they were all very weing of guests.


    Because in this world, all humans fought against the demons and the monsters outside. The surface of the ringworlds was a dangerous ce at the wrong ce and the wrong time, and the odds of surviving in the Purple Darkness was thoroughly low.


    So, the world developed a norm to house guests in their outer rooms. For venturers who ventured too far. For harvesters and herbal collectors that lost their way.


    Youe from the world of the heroes? Those summoned by the Three Ringed Gods will? Lumoof, Kafa, Ste and Edna stood as they approached one of these native fortifications. They only exited their fortifications once the Purple Darkness came to an end.


    Still, as a wary kind, they created special holding zones near the entrances of their underground societies. Their fortifications were simr to theirs of an evil mastermind, andprisedyers andyers of doors, each fortified to keep unwanted people out.


    I cant help but wonder how this society even developed. Kafa said, as the humans escorted Lumoof and Kafa to their guest zones. How did a societye from nothing to this?


    Luckily, the natives were more than happy to exin their own origin story. It seemed to be a story that each child learns when they turn two or three years old.


    We were created by the three ringed gods. The humans spiritual leader exined. Each of the rings are the bodies of our god, the Three Ringed God, and the god fought against the devourer of the sun. The battle ended in a stalemate, with both sides dying. The evil god became the remnant moon, while the Three Ringed God became the rings that we live on.


    Lumoof and Kafa looked at each other and knew their creation myths were probably wrong, but they didnt want to correct them. It would be highly improper to correct their hosts. It was not yet the time. Such things had to be handled gently.


    We came to this world as refugees, brought over by the Three Ringed God from an older world. The Three Ringed Gods voice sent us into the underground homes, and gave us talents to thrive in this world.


    The native spiritual leader then demonstrated the ability. The seemingly normal humans then created fists made of steel, as if their flesh had the ability to transform into steel. Weve seen it in operation, but still we feigned surprise.


    Internally, the Valthorns ssified these humans as the Steelblooded. They were naturally tougher and more resistant, but even that wasnt enough.


    We use our gifts to build these steel walls, form our homes out of the body of the Three Ringed Gods, and manipte the Ringsteel into these fortified doors. They keep the demons out.


    I see. Lumoof answered. Your Three Ringed God is wise.


    Kind. The native human answered. At this point, they were not really native humans, but some of us wanted to call them the Ringmen.


    Are the strongest among you able to defeat the monsters during the Purple Darkness? Kafa asked.


    A few of us, yes. The Ring-leader answered. But there are more beasts out in the purple darkness than we ever could. Only those blessed by the Three Ringed God can walk under the Purple Darkness and face the darkness.


    The interactions and discussions over the next few weeks with the natives went fairly well. We learned that the locals were not the type to battle the demons or the monsters of the purple darkness. They only engaged and hunted monsters during the Months of Sun, as they needed their flesh and parts for tools. Under the influence of the Purple Moon, they avoided contact and focused on hiding in their bunkers.


    The domain holders learned what they could, but there were no true bombshells. Things that the rest of the Valthorns can gather, in due time.


    So, Stes attention turned skywards.


    They all looked at the thing that floated so close to the sun. A massive celestial object that was the true master of this realm.


    Lets go to the purple moon.


    <strong>[I''m taking a break next week]</strong>

 291. The Tainted Greenfields I

    291. The Tainted Greenfields I


    291 - Greenfields VIII


    <i>The Purple Moon of the Three Ringed World</i>


    The four domain holdersnded on the purple moon, and the sensation was immediate.


    Core. Lumoof said, but he didnt really need to say it. All the domain holders knew, it was simr to the time when they reached the Core of Tropicsworld. There was no doubt, no uncertainty.


    Just merely stepping on it they felt the core attempt to make a connection. For the rest of them, their domains blocked it. but Lumoof allowed it through, so that I could speak to it.


    The feeling of a million thoughts seeping through his feet, and somehow the million voices coalesced into three distinct voices, yet they speak as one. The mere contact flooded me with visions of the Three Rings, of a world once without the gue of the demons.


    Of a world when the Purple Moon did not release bursts of energy to cause the monsters to run amok.


    <i>Visitors. How- strange.</i>


    The voice spoke through my mind immediately, and by now, I was quite used to the presence of such ancient things. Hello. I am Aeon, from another world.


    <i>We have not had visitors since the long drift apart.</i>


    There was a long pause, but I said nothing, because I felt its probing senses. Cores, from what I could tell, were not evil. It was looking for things around me, and its energies moved.


    <i>I can sense the vague remnants of my fellow Cores in your being, their power subsumed into yours.</i>


    I wondered then whether those were my clones.


    <i>Are you here to im us? Like the foul constructs?</i>


    No. I answered through the avatar form. With things like the Core, I decided honesty was the best policy. They were in some ways, sentient machines. Ie to destroy them, as requested by one of the gods.


    <i>So you are a imant either way. A less destructive one.</i>


    I could feel Lumoofs intention to respond negatively, but again, Ive talked to enough cores to understand that their statements tend to be more pointed.


    If that counts as iming, then yes. I will establish a presence in your ringworlds, and then use it to mount a counterattack on the demons. I said inly through our mental link. The domain holders stood on the purple rock, and the entirety of the rock was this realmsary core.


    It just didnt take the form of aary core, but instead ced itself out of reach of the demons by existing as a moon.


    <i>What will you do to our children?</i>


    The cores created and took care of each of their inhabitants. In that way, each native is a child of their core. Still, I was not sure how to answer them. They will live. Prosper, perhaps. But live.


    I felt a probing sense, as if it tried to understand where and what I had done. It somehow traced my flesh across all the worlds, yet not through me, but as if it were droplets of rain flowing down the leaves and barks of a tree.


    Yet. Protectiveness. This was a protective core. A world that wanted to keep its children alive.


    <i>Altered forever, but alive. Our voice, if our children believe.</i>


    I felt a sense of eptance, that my presence would be tolerable. eptable. The cores voice vanished.


    We were still standing on the core. The core refused to entertain us further, as I felt the Will retreat back into the depths of the Core. I could force it if I nt a clone here.


    But would I be better than the demons that way?


    I think of cores, or actually, these realm cores as the center of each world. It is not the sun like our old worlds, but instead, these worlds are as if medieval beliefs where Earth was the center of the universe was true. Well, almost every one, except for this one. I had many questions about the design and creation of this world.


    We looked back at the Three Rings. From this vantage point, it was as if the three rings moved around us. We nced at the sections where the three rings intersected one another. There were six intersection points, and at each of these intersection points were beams of light that connected one ring to another, a ce referred to as thedder.


    It allowed the natives to move from one ring to another, and it was how all three rings are connected, even if one didnt have magic.


    I suppose we should just move on. Ste said. Or step into the demon worlds linked through the rift gates.


    This world has two demon kings. Edna countered. From the purple moon it was surprisingly easy to find the demon king, because its presence was not obstructed by other things, and there was a straight line from the purple moon to the sun-facing side of the rings.


    And this world is a long way from being captured. Ste countered. Its only issue is that Hawa cant send anyone over anymore, and anyone Hawa sends need to send enough to deal with two demon kings.


    Lumoof looked at the rifts, and the paths through the stars. Let us hit the other worlds. We have a mission. This world can wait. The locals look very cozy and the demon kings seem content to wait.


    Why dont we just take a tour, pay a visit to the demon kings and just see what it was up to? Edna smirked, and it made all the other three domain holders stare at her.


    Youre serious.


    Yes. Why is it not doing anything? Dont you want to get more data points?


    And it was strange. We stood near it and watched the demon king remain as if it was in a hibernating state, or at least, in a state where all it did was reproduce. The demon king did not move as if waiting for something to happen.


    Does this count as a stable state? Edna asked. We were wary that there are vulnerabilities, like what happened to Keis demon king. If we attacked a living but ultimately harmless demon king, we could invite the presence of a far stronger demon king that would not just sit idly around.


    As weird as it sounded, when demon kings didnt act and remained passive, our immediate thought was to consider whether it would be less harmful overall to just suppress the rest of the demons, and leave the demon king as it is.


    A sort of fantasy version of harm mitigation.


    I think we should ask Hawa. This sounds like something Hawa would know. Edna said.


    Lumoof nodded. Well, another thing to add to our growing list of questions.


    Probably easier to just visit Satrya again. Edna said, but she knew we could not do so.


    Our mere presence creates doubt, and shakes the faith of their followers. In a world where god is present and that god says it is the only god, the mere presence of someone outside that gods rule is heretical.


    I bet theres more to ask after this. Kafa said. Every single one of these peripheral worlds is about to be abandoned by Hawa. Might as well just move ahead and get on with it. We canpile our questionster.


    Is that artifact time limited or with limited use?


    Not really, it just takes a long time to charge between uses. The divine energies contained within it takes a while to umte. Lumoof said.


    Then lets keep going. Lets split up again. You are with me, this time. Lumoof pointed at Ste. Ste grinned.


    Sure, old man.


    This time, Edna would go with Kafa to the Ninth, while Ste and Lumoof would go together to the Eighth.


    ***


    <i>Eight World - Triotuga</i>


    The eighth world started with Lumoofnding on what seemed like an alley. That was a good sign. Ste followed a brief moment after, since she did have to open the portals for everyone.


    An alley. A narrow street. A good sign. Lumoof said as his senses fanned out into the surroundings. There were people. Humans, just the typical humans. They were both cloaked in illusions made to hide their presence, and so, they walked out of the alley to find a vibrant market. For once, this human city was not at war.


    Not yet, at least.


    This worlds human society resembled the typical human-magical medieval society. There are kings, knights in armor, guards in chainmail and mages in robes walking around the main street.


    This is one of those copy-pasted worlds. Ste said. Kindazy when they designed worlds like that.


    Lumoof chuckled. You make it sound like creating worlds and societies to be an easy thing.


    I would think the natural evolution of-


    One of those the heroes cause the spread of humans across the worlds theory?. Lumoof looked around and felt calm. Rxed. At least, for one, I like how familiar everything is.


    Familiar yet different? Steughed as the humans argued. As with all medieval societies, there exists a noble ss, a priest ss, a tradesmen ss, the soldier ss and then the peasant ss. A priest wearing typical Hawa outfits walked by, but he looked like the most corrupt, fat priest she had ever seen. Correction. Familiar, and extremely disgusting.


    From one priest to another, let us not judge too hastily. My avatar smiled, and walked about. The pair explored the human kingdoms, and found that this world was a tripartite state simr to Threeworlds.


    The humans, the forestfolks, and the demon-users.


    Humanity and corruption are almost inseparable. The humans were incredibly typical. It was a wide number of small and medium sized human-dominant monarchies that were spread over one third of thend.


    Unlike Threehome, they didnt have dominant bodies, and so, the alliance of the human nations were motivated by a need to stick together to counter the incursions of the others. There was no set of central authority, and overtaking it would be fairly easy.


    The forest folks were made of two great subspecies, the winged faeries, and the earthbound dryads. Unlike the myth of our own world, these faeries were allrge, almost human seized and possessed sharp ws and teeth. In some ways, these winged fairies were more like winged goblins than actual faeries, and the faeries were more like the lower ss, and seemed to be bred in gigantic hives that looked like an oversized bees nest.


    The dryads were the usual rulers, twice the size of humans and thergest were the size of full trees. They took the form of humans with bark skin, but could shapeshift into trees, or even animals. They also possessed a variety of earth magic. It reminded me of the dryad body I once possessed, and wondered whether that would be one way to infiltrate them. Or I could use my parasite, Ally, the former demon champion.


    From what we gathered, the forestfolks were also made for a collection of kingdoms, each a gigantic forest of its own.


    With the existence of such a ce, naturally I wondered whether their kingdoms were anchored by spiritual trees, but despite therge amount of magic coursing through their forests, Lumoof did not detect any spiritual trees.


    The forest folks used a kind of light [camouge] and [illusion] ability, simr to my [dark forest] in order to hide their presence from others, but around domain holders, it was fairly easy to unmask.


    The border areas between the forest folks and the humans were outright battlegrounds. The forest folks tolerated no humans, and killed them with their control over the trees. The humans of the border practised extensive culling of trees, and permitted no shrub or bush higher than a child. Every singlerge nt along the border and arge buffer zone was effectively purged of allrge nts. The humans were just as brutal, and the humans of the border used magicals and harpoons with a kind of iron string.


    The priests of Hawa, despite their corruption, also possessed a set of [Purge] and [Banish] abilities that seemed extensively effective against the forest folks. The forest folks, on the other hand, were able to regenerate and recover from damage by draining their nearby trees of its life force. Their weakness was iron, and so, in a defensive battle, the forest folks could fight with extremely high toughness. The dryads, on top of their passives also had good ranged abilities and had the ability to control their environment.


    I suspected that the dryads had a hostile rtionship with spirit trees, and potentially, given the forest folks ability to drain life force from spirit trees, its likely that any spirit trees that spawned in their magical forests were sucked to death.


    The third faction, the demon users, were a kind of boar-faced people with strong hides, and it was walking into theirnds that we realized what was wrong with them. They controlled demons, and I could feel their spiritual tendrils extend beyond their body. Young boarfolk could extend one or two spiritual tendrils out of their bodies, and they would link this to the demons. This would allow the boarfolk to control them.


    But this link was not a one-way link, and in older boarfolk that controlled more demons, the demons influence also corrupted them, and turned them into almost-demon like creatures.


    This is like Aeons mana overwhelming, but far more specific. Lumoof observed them from our hidden location. The tendrils were visible to me because of our spiritual vision, but to normal mana sensitive folk, they would feel as if there is a haze of magic emitted out of the boarfolk.


    The boarfolk created a society of sorts, small cities made of boarfolk and their enthralled demons. They were able to control weaker demons, but from what I could see, not a single demon champion.


    Instead, we followed the footsteps of the stronger boarfolk and observed that their base abilities were simr to animal tamers. They controlled the demons as their pets, and empowered their pets to do the fighting. Maybe they even were beast tamers at one point, but then turned their talents towards the demons.


    Unfortunately, this link would be supercharged whenever there is a demon king present. A link that would corrupt them.


    In short, when a demon king arrives into this world, the entirety of the Boarfolk suffers from demonic corruption, and transforms into a demon. This process would strangely reverse itself once the demon king dies.


    Not all boarfolk transformed into the demons, like the children, and the boarfolk constructed special locations to house their young boarlings during the demon years, supported by a group of boarfolk that did not control any single demon.


    They essentially sold themselves to the demons. The demons spared the boarfolk, because of the demonic corruption through their mental link. I would love to capture them and study how their mental link worked.


    It should be possible for me to create more powerful versions of the boarfolks demonic control, and turn the demons against itself. Though, looking at how the demons mana worked, its likely such a thing would be outright rejected by my domain holders, unless the circumstances truly demanded it.


    As of now, the world is still rtively stable. The rifts have not yet opened, but there was a glowing path in the skies above. The demon king wasing soon, and war would break out.


    The boarfolk always invaded the rest of them, and so the other two races erected massive fortifications along the border.


    But weve seen enough. We would send Valthorns here to understand them in detail. It was time for the domainholders to keep moving.


    ***


    <i>Ninth Peripheral World</i>


    <i>The Tale of the Two Continents</i>


    The portals opened, and Ednanded on the roof of what seemed to be a heavily popted city. Kafa followed.


    Crowds. They saw crowds, and everyone lived their lives. It almost seemed like none of them worried about the demons.


    Well. This doesnt look like a demon world. Kafaughed after a week of traveling. It was just more and more people. It was just a world with a lot of humanoids. Humans, lizardfolk, dwarves, elves, centaurs. It had most of the types of people, and yet they were all trapped on this massive continent-sized ind.


    An ind that clearly didnt have enough resources to meet everyones desires, and so they fought each other over what little they had. Thend was mediocre, the metals were mediocre, and the magic in the air was thin.


    It was a massive continental ind, home to hundreds of millions, and not a single demon in sight. There were few forests in this world, instead, everyone lived in cities, or in the case of the elves and dwarves, turned forests into cities.


    Farnd was also plenty, but unlike the other worlds, the farms here were heavily worked. They could feel the presence of many effects and abilities trying to force more output out of their limited farnds.


    Arge, heavily popted world with a scarcity issue.


    But only on this continent. Edna and Kafa knew the world was much bigger, and so they used magic, and traveled.


    Then they discovered a few more inds, with more resources, but infested with monsters.


    And even further away, another full sized continent overrun with demons.


    It was as if imagining Treehome, in a situation where a demon king stuck to one continent and never left it. The humanoids imed one continent for themselves, and the demons imed another. The continent of demons was densely covered with demons of varying strength, and the demon king was a gigantic three headed demonic elephant that was already digging into the ground.


    In a decade or two, it wouldpletely dig into the core, and this worlds way of life would change forever.


    The rest of the smaller inds were just overrun with magical creatures, and this was where the humanoids ventured for wealth and resources.


    But the great demon continent remained forever and none dared touch. And of death and destruction.


    They referred to it as the cursed continent.


    I couldnt help but feel a tinge affected. That was what they called the Central Continent, once.


    Well. Kafa and Ednanded on the ind, and Kafa looked at his fellow warrior. This worlds not in trouble. Not yet, anyway.


    Seen enough? Edna smiled after about a month of travel.


    Kafa sighed. Theyvergely formed an assessment in that month. The great part of this world is its poption. If our goal as an institution is to truly collect talent, then a significantlyrger surviving poption is more likely to produce the talent we need.


    Outside of the poption, I suppose you are right. Lets go to the next.


    Each world had their own demon kings, and each had their own ticking timer. Some had more time, some had less.


    We would likely need to do a full sweep of all the worlds, clean it up for demon kings, and then decide where to properly set up base. There were six more worlds to go.

 292. Tainted Fields II

    292. Tainted Fields II<ol start="292"><li> Tenth</li></ol>


    Tenth - The Human Kingdom Lands of Caval


    And of knights. And of warriors. Ednas stint on the ninth world was short, so she and Kafanded in the tenth world to find one filled with knights, and demons. It was something like Satrya, and yet not.


    It was too familiar, and yet that familiarity also evoked a sensation within the lizardfolk.


    Im starting to feel a little sick of traveling. Kafa mused as a joke. It was only partly one.


    Edna agreed. Traveling too much does weigh on ones soul.


    I think I understand why Hawas just eager to let go of worlds. At some point, I think I wouldnt be able to care.


    Edna stared, and wondered how that escted quickly. The lines between a stare and a re were so thin. You shouldnt be like that. That will be our slow death.


    Kafa looked back. Youre made of stronger stuff that I am, Lady Edna. I see these new worlds, and I realize at some point, why should I care? A part of me speaks to return to my familiarnds. Lands that are safe. As long as our homes are safe-


    Death. Edna answered. We cannot be the only ind in a sea flooded with demons. Deathes to us eventually. Together, with a coalition of the living, we can create a wall.


    Kafa sighed. That was true. I know. I know. But this has been a lot more tiring than I expected. I thought the worlds would be interesting, but now we are in the tenth peripheral world and even if they are interesting, I wonder to myself whether I should care anymore.


    Edna tapped the lizard warrior on his armored scales. Because we must. Because we are the only ones that can care for these worlds that are no longer cared for.


    I know you are right. Kafa said but he looked at the world and felt a little nk. This is the burden of our existence, and we may have traveled a little too much.


    Edna nodded. Lets get a break. We can return home and rest. I suppose we do need it. I will continue on with the others.


    Kafa nodded. I certainly do need some time back home.


    It was so tempting to relegate the world to just something of a copy paste of another world. Even when none of the worlds theyve been to were actually proper mono-human societies.


    This was a world with only humans, and they fought demons.


    Naturally, in mono-race societies, anything or anyone that doesnt resemble that mono-race is automatically assumed to be a monster. Or a demon. Both, if the demons had possession and corruption abilities, and that race had inherited trauma from past parasitic demons.


    We still see this in the Southern Continent where some humans still experience micro-flinches at the sight of non-humans. Perhaps not outright hostile, but a reaction nheless.


    Well, to be fair this human world fits your powers like a glove. Kafaughed a few dayster as they explored the world of Caval.


    On the other hand, I could think of about a hundred or two other Valthorns and allies that would benefit from this world. Edna countered. There were also many others who could exploit a world of multiple city states.


    Maybe the next one is a sandworld.


    I dont like sand.


    I know. Some lizardfolks im it gets between our scales and makes everything nasty. Kafa answered, and so Edna chuckled.


    I thought some lizardfolks are native to the sands.


    Some. Kafa said. Im not one of those. Im the swamp kind, and sand irritates me.


    Then we should visit a swampworld. I bet theres one. Maybe not the peripheral worlds, but beyond that.


    The tenth peripheral world of Caval was one of not many gimmicks. It was just humans and demons. Its poption was fairlyrge, and in the past, the city states that received heroes from the old gods prospered. But somehow, the cities never quite formed up intorge empires.


    Its social structure was also fairly simr to the humans of the eighth peripheral world, and even the old human empires of Treehome. The feudal aspects naturally reurred throughout the multiverse, and that was a fairly sad thing to think about.


    I believe its a product of the power andbat based systems. Societies where the powerful can exert power much more easily over the weak would naturally be more feudal, simply because there is no check or bnce on the authority of the strong.


    Well? Any views? Edna asked.


    Kafa just sighed. If what we want is gaming the odds of getting talent, I suppose this isnt a bad ce. It has most of the basic resources and resources, and with Aeons influence, it should be possible to turn this world into a farm for soldiers over a few decades.


    Overall, where would you ce it?


    Below the mageworld, and that overpopted world. Or even the Three-Ringed world. Hell, at least Landas has a magic tree. This world of humans is a little ordinary to be worth a clone.


    Ordinary could be good. Mountainworld is fairly ordinary as it goes, and it is now our core world.


    Then why choose? We could just roll the dice. Kafa said. Each world has a ceiling for poption size it canfortably absorb, a ceiling to its mana output. I suppose given this worlds ordinary design, it should have a fairly bnced mix of resources, so thats one thing going for it.


    Ednaughed. Youre perfectly right. Alright, Im not going to tease you more. We should keep going.


    ***


    The seemingly ordinary world of Caval wasnt totally ordinary, once they started to investigate the heroes and defenses of the various city states of Caval. There were segments of uniqueness to it, such as the many magical swords on the world of Caval.


    The heroes of Caval, when they were summoned long ago, would also arrive with something called the [Seed of the Hero Sword]. Each hero would then, through their own growth journey, grow this Sword Seed into a magical weapon worthy of them, and throughout the world of Caval, there were hundreds of remnant hero swords, left by earlier heroes.


    Completed hero swords were extremely powerful, they contained arge fragment of the heros power that grew as the hero developed over time. Even iplete hero swords, left by the heroes that died too young or early, were still decently powerful artifacts.


    Interestingly, the journey of the heroes of Caval also takes them through the path of gathering the swords made by previous heroes, to add the power of the old hero swords to their arsenal of abilities.


    Naturally, I began to wonder why these worlds were this way.


    Did theary core influence how a worlds heroes worked?


    ***


    Lumoof held up the strange object in his hands, and willed it to activate. We could feel the power of a divine artifact, it twisted the world so viscerally that anyone nearby wouldve felt as if the world itself was torn apart to create the small tunnel.


    It linked the world, and Hawa, if only momentarily, for us to speak. It felt like a sheer waste of divine energy, but then again, what could be more important than the exchange of information between two multiworld powers?


    A part of me was repulsed by that sort of overbearing thoughts, but arge part of me embraced the reality long ago.


    <b>I was wondering when you would have more questions?</b>


    Well, then I finally have them. Why do heroes seem different from world to world? How exactly does the hero ss work?


    <b>It is not too much of a stretch to say that it is a trade made with the system. We petition the [system] for heroes that are adapted to defeat the demon kings. The hero sses themselves are created through the system. Think of it as visiting a merchant, and you tell the merchant that you wish to purchase a weapon with a certain set of attributes, and a certain set of skills. The merchant would then go to the back of it''s room, and after searching and cobbling things together, it would then offer you a selection.</b>


    I paused. Then the mental controls on the heroes?


    <b>Our earliest attempts to summon heroes cost us too much of our faith points, we gave heroes all the power at the very start, only to find that they misused our gifts. Rather than deal with the demons, the heroes summoned did everything else. In quite a few worlds, the heroes ended up destroying everything. They were a medicine that killed its patients. A cure worse than the disease.</b>


    This was something I long suspected.


    <b>So, as a whole, we imposed conditions on the heroes. Many of the gods came together, back when the world was much smaller, to collectively control heroes. The heroes were a very sharp knife, and we wanted it directed specifically at the demons.</b>


    Then the worlds-


    <b>Each hero ss, offered to us to choose, is abination of our parameters, and the restrictions imposed by each world. We cannot summon a dragonling hero to a world without dragonlings. We cannot summon a lizardman hero to a world with only humans. These conditions are within each worlds inherent conditions. In worlds where everyone uses magic, working with the worlds restrictions and conditions reduces our faith point cost. Think of each core as a micro world with its own rules. Oveing the rules costs faith points. Working with the rules reduces our faith points. It already costs us too much to pluck heroes from the source worlds and then send them over to these demon-attacked worlds</b>


    We listened. But- why do the core worlds have these rules? Where do theye from?


    <b>At the heart of that question, is a question of our origin. That is something I do not know the answer for. Even we wonder what truly is our origin story. Where we came from remains a mystery to even the most ancient of us.</b>


    But surely worlds and rulese from- somewhere?


    <b>In the early years, there was an idea that we are all creations of dreams. The unused radiant thoughts of the source worlds. It remains to be proven. But I digressed. Each world has its own rules. Oveing them has a price. </b>


    There were questions.


    <b>For my core worlds, I am able to alter the cores rules directly, because I exert control over their core. I can weave my divinews into them, and change how each of these different worlds function. There are limitations imposed by the system, but ultimately, it is all a matter of faith points.</b>


    Then, can the heroes gain divinity?


    <b>Im afraid not. It is an inherent restriction of the hero ss. The hero ss is a borrowed power. A god cannot borrow its power from another.</b>


    Even those freed?


    <b>Freed?</b>


    Those that escaped from the mental restrictions and altered the hero ss.


    <b>That is not supposed to happen. But no. The power remains borrowed. The hero ss is linked to a store of divine power from the system.</b>


    I see. Colettes chances of having a domain is nil. Unless she gives it up for- But they can trade their hero ss for other sses-


    <b>Yes. But there is a cap. There is a distance they will have to climb on their own merit.</b>


    I see. But then, I look at the heroes, and remembered there was a question I really wanted to ask. Why the heroes? Why pick them from the source worlds?


    <b>Because they have the best souls.</b>


    Really? I found that hard to believe.


    <b>What you see is after the systems meddling. But the souls of those from the source worlds are most suited for the perils of interdimensional travel.</b>


    I thought about the question that the heroes asked. Do they- do they really return to their source worlds after they die? Can they go home?


    <b>I have no ability to send them back, so I am not certain. But the system ims they will, so they will.</b>


    How? Is it really a lie? What is the system?


    <b>I have no answer to that. Know that what is created across many worlds are often random. Worlds that cannot self sustain simply copse, and those that can are all that remain. Unusual and different, but they have reached a point where they can function as self-sufficient worlds. At least, until the demons threatened to consume us all.</b>


    At this point, I felt the powers of the divine artifact wane. It would need some time to recharge.


    <b>There is no need to worry, we will speak again.</b>


    We had answers, but we still had more to do.


    ***


    <i>Fifth world - Magisar</i>


    Lausanne and Ebon looked at each other during a short break. Just a while ago, they helped the Magisarian humans out of the rubble. Some of these humans, who didnt want to live under the rule of the Tower Masters, left the tower and decided to strike it out in the vast wilderness.


    The wilderness, filled with monsters and the demon golems, nts and demonic hybrid nts, was a hostile environment, but these refugees decided rolling the dice was worth it, at leastpared to the cramped and slum-like living standards of the Towers.


    This group of refugees were not that big. Just about one hundred people.


    Are you really from another world? The leader of the refugees was a rtively strong mage at about level 52. He was supported by a group of thirteen level 40 mages.


    Yes. Hoyias calming presence worked like a charm. To the refugees, she was the presence of the divine itself, a woman of tremendous holiness that even the mages cannot help but believe. The man stared. But I am not the hero.


    The heroes of Magisar, at least, some time ago, used to arrive once every two to three decades. Not enough to quell the demon kings reign, but enough to buy time.


    The hundred or so were fed, and given food. The food provided had to be nt based, because the differences in blood type were then immediately noticeable. They vomited when given meat from other worlds. It was alien meat to them, and their bodies, though simr in appearance, were not able to tolerate the meats from the other worlds.


    At least they responded to the healing energies, and that sort of energy transfer still worked.


    There would be a lot of things to study. The interactions of the Magisarian humans with all the different types of materials avable would be something they needed to check. Despite the natural magical aptitude of the Magisarians, if the side effects of their body were serious, it may seriously hinder their ability to operate offworld.


    ***


    Lausanne snuck into Gorfort Tower. It wasnt difficult, aligning ones mana to the frequencies of the teleportation spell was fairly simple,pared to the mana attunement required to travel through demonic rifts.


    Every single Level 125 Valthorn is familiar with the basics, even advanced versions of a few other major disciplines. They had to be, because out in the fields, it was really hard to know what the other worlds could throw at them. Even if they didnt receive a ss in those unrted ss trees, the skills and knowledge still helped their overall performance.


    How is it in there? Ebon asked via their messagework. He was located a distance away, clearing out the demonic hives. It was quite easy to locate more refugees, once they figured the patterns. The refugees generally preferred wide open spaces where its hard for the golems to surprise them.


    So, rather than look for easily defended ces, the mages exploited wide open spaces where they have range and it is easy for them to use spells.


    Its surprisingly sad. Lausanne found the living conditions terrible. Due to the space scarcity in the Towers, everyone was crammed into a small space. Ultimately, Lumoofs information guided them to one of the mages they stalked.


    The mage Metteria Hudrot lived in a small room, just big enough for a bed, and four shelves. There were no bathrooms, and instead, for their level, the bathrooms were shared by a few units together, simr to a dorm.


    She lived in a less pleasing ce when she was lower leveled. Under level 30, a mage was pretty much just a peon, and would only have a bed and a small box as their personal living space. Even children were centrally managed. For the low level mage-parents, they were pretty much living in tiny rooms with stacked beds.


    Whos there? Metteria Hudrot looked around, and Lausanne smiled. Who- who are you?


    It was easy to tell they were different. Their skin tones were different. Their build was different. Lausanne had dense, lean muscles throughout her body, while Metteria was thin, almost boney. Unlike Lausannes rounded joints, the Magisarian humanscked the muscle mass and their joints protruded from their skinny frames.


    Lausanne knew it wasnt the diet. She knew of humans that strictly consumed vegetables that still had muscle mass. This difference was in their blood and genes. Their stick thin appearance is a norm.


    Hello. Id like to talk.


    -what?


    Im sent by the man you saw during your mission a few weeks ago. The man that vanished.


    Metterias eyes immediately widened. It wasnt an illusion!


    Of course. Now, will youe with me? Lausanne approached her, and suddenly a magical portal appeared right next to Lausanne.


    Metteria gulped. Where are we going?


    Somewhere we can talk in greater detail.


    There were probably a million questions going through the mages mind, but it was important to learn more about the Tower Masters of the various Towers, before making contact. So, they had to infiltrate and learn about their society from the middle, where they had enough knowledge and ess to see the bigger picture.


    Lausanne would try to contact Metterias master, next. It would be easier if Metteria could do the introductions.


    They would slowly find potential allies, learn about the various Tower Masters pain points and weaknesses, and see how they could absorb these Towers into the fold peacefully.


    By Lausannes own estimates, Aeon had much to offer these Magisarians. She only hoped that they were wise enough to ept the deal. Announcement


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    Though, not even restful eternity awaited her in death.


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 293. Floodplains

    293. Floodins


    293


    <b>Year 274</b>


    <i>Aeon</i>


    It¡¯s been a year since we started exploring the peripheral worlds, and we were now in our 11th world. I began to feel the strain of the expanding world. The Valtrian Order now stretched across more worlds, and each of them required resources. Shipment of goods. Even mana.


    Ste and her growing team of void mages worked overtime to send people over, but ultimately, we had to decide on the cement on the node trees. Without node trees, the void mages would be fully tasked with the movement of people and resources, and this strained our void mages.


    Our void mages were a fairly limited group in the first ce. There were about two thousand void mages, but most of them were rtively mid levels around level 60 to 90. Then, there¡¯s about one to two hundred void mages that we considered to be ¡®deployable¡¯, a decent number, but for movements to these faraway ces, it is mainly the void archmages and their peers that did the work.


    With my domainholders leading the exploration, I directed my own attention on the industry growth. I needed the ¡®drain¡¯ on resources by some of the worlds in repair, such as Tropicsworld, to taper off.


    But luckily, it was not bad news.


    Because for the world of Treehome, the reality bubble expanded, and then, I felt something exceptional happen.In the faraway distance, at the edge of space itself, I could somehow see past the bubble that separated Treehome¡¯s reality, and the endless void sea. Using the vision of the voidyers granted and shared with me, it was as if there was a world birthed within the void itself.


    At that moment, I saw thousands of worlds, floating as if suspended in a dormant state. Each world was encased in a package of void energies. The void sea is the spawning pool of the world. It is the primordial soup, and from my point of view, I believe, it was only something I could see.


    Because through my domain, through my empowerment of Treehome¡¯s core, I could see the energy of the Core stretch into the void itself, and then, it searched. I didn¡¯t know how, or what it did. But it searched through the void sea, as if looking for something that matched.


    Then it found one, a world somehow withnd and water encased in a strange liquid sac within the void sea. I felt the Core¡¯s authority spread into that liquid sac, and it pulled.


    It pulled, and pulled.


    It felt like forever, it felt like just a moment, and the reality bubble of Treehome suddenly bulged as that new world in the sac made contact with the wall. It was as if arger soap bubble joined with a smaller soap bubble, and then, a new world entered into Treehome¡¯s reality.


    It drifted, then drifted and settled in an outer orbit around Treehome¡¯s sun.


    And so, Treehome now has a sister.


    ***


    My forces arrived on the sister to find it already popted and with nts and people.


    A dream from the Core of Treehome filled in the nks.


    A world that existed entirely within the void sea in a state of limbo. It exists, but imperfectly. The void sea is the cradle of worlds.


    I strangely found it simr to something from my past life. This new world was as if a program that was in development, but never went ¡®live¡¯. It ran in a test environment all this while, but when it was pushed to the ¡®live¡¯ environment, it inherited all the history it created during the test environment.


    The sister world of Treehome, which I now called Shrubhome, shared the same racial mix as Treehome, and it came already present with a decently sized poption.


    ¡°How?¡± Most of my forces didn¡¯t understand. Or maybe they did, but it was a reality that was hard to swallow. For us from Earth or the source worlds, it was hard to grasp whether we were dealing with reality. How was a world that didn¡¯t exist before, suddenly exist with its own history in what felt like a few days. In a way, it was simpler to think of this new world as one that exists in a realm separate from ours, and now it moved across the realms to join us.


    Because the implications of a world created out of scratch meant we were all simtions. That our existence could be created out of the blue by the void sea.


    The mages were surprisingly more willing to ept it. To them, if summons were real, then creations of a world with its own history could be real.


    For me personally, I found it easier to think of this sister world as a world that was teleported in, to be our celestial neighbor.


    ***


    Shrubhome was a smaller world. Smaller, but still had seas and continents, simr to Treehome. It had threerge continents, and my forces arrived to find existing kingdoms and nations already squabbling.


    There were no domain holders here. Not a single one, and the strongest person we sensed, as only in the level 50s.


    We spoke to some of the leaders of Shrubhome, and it seems, from their point of view, they were always there, and when they looked up to the skies and the sun, Treehome was always in their star maps.


    Again, if magic can do so much, creating worlds out of thin air should be doable. But damn it was hard to truly ept. Somehow. The flow of energies on Shrubhome was also the same as Treehome.


    This was a world where the Core is actually linked to Treehome¡¯s core.


    I sensed the same energy from Shrubhome¡¯s core. The core was a physical object, but in Treehome¡¯s case, now it was split into two.


    I wondered whether this was a form of defense mechanism. A demon king needed to capture both cores in order to fully control the world.


    ***


    Eleventh World - <i>Shasan [Land of Sands and Floods - Demons are Gigantic Fire Demons But Expansion Curtailed by the Sands]</i>


    ¡°Sand.¡± Johann picked up a handful of sand, and the sand was blown away by the wind. It was fine sand, high quality, even. But sand. The sun was bright, and there was not a single cloud in the sky.


    The sand, the heat, the cloudless sky all reminded them of the Scorpionoidnds of Zhaanpu.


    ¡°Well, looks like we found the world to fulfill our promise to Zhaanpu.¡± Roon smiled. ¡°Khefri would enjoy this ce.¡±


    ¡°Is something going on with you and Khefri?¡± Ezar asked.


    Roon shook his head. ¡°Nothing. There was nothing, and there¡¯s still nothing. At one point, Chung was pursuing her.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dying soon. You have a chance.¡±


    Roon made an exaggerated retching expression. ¡°Please. At some point I¡¯m going to prefer to be partnerless.¡±


    ¡°I have a partner.¡± Ezar admitted. ¡°And she¡¯s cute. I hope to have many babies with her.¡±


    Roon paused as he looked into the distance. There was a very faint scent of some kind of human presence. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that. Is it a fairly recent thing?¡±


    Ezar nodded. ¡°Yeah. We got together recently. At least, before this whole peripheral worlds thing. I kinda miss her already.¡±


    The ranger pointed in a direction, and the three began to move. ¡°Well, maybe you should head back and go make some babies. I think there¡¯s really no need for three of us in a single world.¡±


    Ezar shrugged. ¡°The three of us are meant to offset Lumoof and Edna¡¯s significantly higher levels. But yeah, I should make babies.¡±


    ¡°I know I know.¡± Roonughed. ¡°But yeah- look, humans. Again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Johann joined in and the three activated their illusionary spells. They needed to stalk the natives and learn more about them before making the first contact. ¡°Aeon would love to have a look at your kids.¡±


    Ezar nodded. ¡°Aeon¡¯s medical care would be indispensable.¡±


    ¡°I mean-¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean.¡± Ezar said. ¡°I¡¯m curious too. I just hope there¡¯s noplications for the mother.¡±


    ¡°Is she human? Where¡¯s she from?¡± Roon asked.


    ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s an enchanter working for the Valthorns. She helped make one of the pieces of my gauntlets.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Sweet. At least she isn¡¯t an outsider. That hardly works well.¡± Roon said. ¡°There¡¯s Valthorns married to folks outside the Order, and that can get a little messy if things get leaked.¡±


    Ezar squirmed. ¡°That-¡±


    ¡°What usually happens is the outsider gets absorbed in, but that can be a little traumatic for the partner.¡± Roon exined.


    There were information ess tiers to the Order, and for domainholders, they pretty much had full ess. As one goes down the Order¡¯s ranks, the ess tiers decreased. It¡¯s monitored by the artificial minds, to ensure key information remains secure.


    There wasn¡¯t 100% security. Not with the various kinds of espionage skills and surveince spells, but we have been fairly sessful in controlling data leakages with a hugework of artificial minds and Patreeck¡¯s perpetual mind scanning abilities.


    ¡°You need to tell me more. Later.¡± Ezar said as the three snuck close and followed the human caravan traveling through the sands.


    ***


    The trio didn¡¯t take long to start noticing the unusual creatures of this desert world. One, there were sandbirds. They were part sand-part spiritual creatures that were more like elementals, than actual animals.


    There were many otherrger creatures, like a gigantic sandfish that resembled a transparent fish but with sand as its skin. They were just native animals made of sand.


    Then, the vegetation was also different. Despite the strong sunlight, the nts they have were skinny, brown colored things. Instead, these nts were drawn to magic, and seemed to derive sustenance from the natural magical energies.


    As a result, they tend to be brownish or sand-colored, and were mostly camouged in order to hide from the animals that prey on them. The nts were also able to move to an extent, because their roots seemed to be able to extend to reach the magical ley lines.


    In a way, they were pretty much some kind of nt-animal blend that didn¡¯t need water or sunlight, and instead used sand and magic for its¡¯ sustenance.


    ¡°The great rain is in fifteen days.¡± The trio listened to the local humans talk. ¡°The sands will flood and we must reach Norgan. Make haste, everyone.¡±


    They whipped the strange armored beasts, and they roared. The armored beasts were also sand-like creatures simr to the sandbirds and the sandworms. They were fed a collection of brown nt leaves harvested from the various magical nt patches. The locals called them the Brown Trees.


    The trio followed the human caravans and reached it in thirteen. Norgan was the first human settlement they encountered in the world of Shasan, and it was located on a rare rock outcropping. A mesa in what appeared to be a sea of sand.


    ***


    The people of Shasan made things out of sand and rock, and they did so through a ss known as the [Sand Sculptors]. We also soon noticed the presence of an Altar made of Sand that we were pretty sure was a magical object.


    It granted the ss [Sand Sculptor] to anyone who prayed to it. All cities have one of these Sand Altars.


    They were magical existences, a kind of spiritual object simr to a spiritual tree, but one of sand.


    It reminded me of Zhaanpu, and wondered what Zhaanpu would¡¯ve done to a world like this.


    ***


    Then we experienced Shasan¡¯s unique weather.


    The Great Flood. A seasonal rain that happens almost like clockwork. The skies were charged with a kind of magic, simr to ley lines, but different.


    The people of Shasan were ready. Their homes, all located on top of the mesas, were built withrge walkways, and then it poured. The skies poured more water than we¡¯ve ever seen anywhere. It was just a constant torrent of rain that flooded everything.


    The sea of sands became an actual sea,plete with monsters and creatures. The sand creatures we saw previously now took new forms, and they shed their body of sand for a body of water.


    The actual constant rainsted for two weeks, but the Great Flood itself wouldst for about two more months, followed by two weeks of ¡®the great draining¡¯.


    The world alternated between sand and water in about three month cycles. During the great rain the Shasan humans would fish and harvest the various creatures that spawn in the sea. During the great sands, they would hunt certain types of nts and beasts, such as the magically sustained Sandnts.


    Yet, so far, the demon¡¯s presence were minimal. There was a demon king here, so it was strange to us. Eventually, my domain holders spent months moving through the vast sands and seas and eventually found it.


    We soon found the demon king in a flooded pit. It wasn¡¯t dead. Water wouldn¡¯t kill the creature that didn¡¯t need to breathe. Instead, it was headed towards the depths of the Core. We also learned there were no surviving heroes. Thest of the demon yers died about twenty years ago.


    Despite this, the demons did not take over the world. The environment significantly hindered the demon¡¯s ability to expand, just as how the oceans of Treehome often constrained the demons to a particr continent.


    Even when the demons did attack, The demons were also clustered around a few corrupted mesas, inds of demonic forces. The lesser demons didn¡¯t take well to water, and the sand creatures were brutal.


    In some ways, this wasn¡¯t a horrible state. The demons hardly bothered the locals.


    This world didn¡¯t really need us.


    ***


    <i>Metteria Hudrot, The Stone Mage of Magisar</i>


    There were only three of them, and three of these visitors. They were not the strange person she saw, but she trembled. Her senses screamed to take at least a few step backs, so they did.


    It was the man in armor. Ebon. He emitted a keen, cutting presence that made her feel as if her skin and head would be sliced open. Next to him was Lausanne, the woman that invited her and spoke to her a few days ago. Then, next to her was another man that felt every bit like a Tower master, and more.


    ¡°Greetings. Thank you foring.¡± Lausanne said with a smile. Metteria¡¯s brief meetup with her was punctuated by teleportation portals, skills that only Tower Masters could use.


    Junker Quartz, and Kerifa Gundhert were both master mages and were in the high level 60s. The true masters were in the level 80s, and yet Metteria watched the two of them sweat. Magisarians all had a keen sense of magic and mana, and some magisarians could even see magic flows in the air around them.


    Junker Quartz was one of those unique individuals with the power to see magic in the air, and it was why he became a great bronze mage.


    Lausanne led them to a meeting area carved out of the rocks of the ground. The entire area should¡¯ve been infested with demonic golems, and yet, Metteria¡¯s senses were clear. There wasn¡¯t any.


    Kerifa sat first, and she naturally took the position as if she was in charge. ¡°Who are you three, and what do you want?¡±


    Lausanne smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s start with what we want. I was told that the Tower Masters¡¯ position as the Tower Masters can be challenged directly through a magical duel.¡±


    Kerifa, Junker and Metteria stared at each other. Her immediate suspicion was the other Towers. During an earlier, much less demon infested time, Tower Masters frequently sent mages to other Towers, and tried to usurp power and im the Other Towers by way of a duel.


    ¡°Who- who do you work for? Which Tower?¡± Kerifa asked.


    ¡°None of that.¡± Lausanneughed. ¡°But can it be done, and is it still recognized today?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it. The Tower masters won¡¯t let go of their positions. Not in our current environment.¡± Kerifa frowned, but at that point, a portal opened and a man Kerifa and Metteria recognized stepped out. Metteria¡¯s fellow disciple.


    ¡°Good to see you again, Master Kerifa.¡± Lezzan was one of the refugee mages rescued in the Valthorn¡¯s recent tour of the Magisariannds. ¡°It¡¯s been- eight years?¡±


    Kerifa rubbed her eyes. ¡°Have I gone blind? I thought you were dead!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite hard for a bug like me to die.¡± The refugee mage was one of the assistants. ¡°Well, we had enough of the Tower Master¡¯s selfishness!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a death sentence.¡±


    ¡°Now, we have enough to finally think of challenging the Tower¡¯s whims.¡± Lezzan said proudly.


    Lausanne coughed. Lezzan immediately paled and changed his words.


    ¡°My apologies. I certainly wouldn¡¯t dare to im credit for the visitors¡¯ achievements.¡±


    Ebon¡¯s helmet turned and stared. At that moment, they all felt the man¡¯s overwhelming presence on their shoulders. Metteria didn¡¯t notice it before, but now that she did, she noticed the man¡¯s armor and helmet were not made with theirmon bronze alloys.


    Instead, it looked like a metal that¡¯s exceptionally rare on Magisar. So much so that Metteria blurted it out. ¡°Is that a suit of armor made of steel?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ebon said, and then turned to face Lezzan. His voice was heavy, and strong, and Lezzan cowered in his presence. ¡°And you. We invited you to repeat what you said to us.¡±


    Lezzan gulped. ¡°I- I- said that it is possible to formally take the position as a Tower Master if a challenger is endorsed by at least three resident Level 50 mages.¡±


    Kerifa and Junker then looked at each other. Kerifa scratched her chin once she recovered from Ebon¡¯s presence. ¡°The old Tower¡¯s Challenge remains within the Gorfort Tower¡¯s code, but it has not been invoked in the past forty or so years. Will the challenger be one of you, Lezzan? Your leader?¡±


    Lezzan shook his head. ¡°I- I doubt our leader could evenst against the great Tower Masters.¡±


    ¡°Can it be done?¡± Lausanne asked. Metteria noticed she was already a little annoyed with the mages'' constant diversions.


    Kerifa nodded. ¡°Possible.¡±


    Junker looked at Kerifa, and then at the man standing next to Lausanne. ¡°Will it be you?¡±


    Metteria¡¯s eyes and senses focused on the man with a strange hat, and he shrugged. ¡°Much depends on our central Command.¡±


    Lausanne frowned. ¡°The two of you, can you find someone willing to endorse a foreign mage for the position.¡±


    The two shook their heads. ¡°We won¡¯t endorse an outsider.¡±


    The woman sighed. ¡°Well, this has been a waste of time. What level is the Tower Master?¡±


    ¡°They say the few tower masters are all level 80 or so.¡±


    ¡°Should we really y their political games just to ¡®formally¡¯ im to rule? Let¡¯s just abduct them and haul them back here.¡± The man who was clearly a mage sighed. ¡°I bet we can make them see reason with some good ol¡¯ Aeon¡¯s Perspective.¡±


    Ebon nodded. ¡°We will discuss this further. What is the current formal way to be epted back into the Tower?¡±


    ¡°A written endorsement and sponsorship by a Resident Mage.¡± Kerifa said.


    ¡°Issue one.¡± Lausanne dered. ¡°No, issue three.¡±


    ¡°Why should we-¡±


    Lausanne then took out a small crystal of tremendous luster. It was soaked in mana, and seemed to shine. Metteria¡¯s eyes stared at it greedily, and she noticed her two senior mages making a simr expression. ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal.¡±


    Kerifa straightened up and her posture changed into one Metteria knew. It was the one when she wanted to do business. ¡°Well, I would¡¯ve preferred if we started off this way. What are we dealing in, and is that thing for trade?¡±


    Lausanne smiled. ¡°Why, yes.¡±


    Metteria stared at the crystal, and realized she couldn¡¯t miss out too. ¡°Can I be part of the deal, as well?¡±


    Lausanne nodded, and took out two more equally sized crystals. ¡°Would you be interested, Junker?¡±


    The old man¡¯s posture transformed in the same manner as Kerifa. ¡°What do you want us to part with?¡±


    Lezzan looked betrayed. ¡°Why wasn¡¯t that-¡±


    Ebon stared at him, and he instantly realize he had no ce here. The mage flicked a finger, and portal opened. ¡°Please leave. This part of the discussion does not involve you. But if you behave and cooperate, there may be other deals we can make with you.¡±


    Lezzan nodded and ran through the portal


    Lausanneughed.


    Metteria¡¯s eyes never left the shining crystal of magic. Greed truly was universal.


    ***

 294. Floodplains II

    294. Floodins II


    <b>Year 274 (part 2)</b>


    There were still a few more worlds to explore, but back home, I tried to consider my options with the eleven worlds we have visited so far. I decided it was a good idea to pool all my domain holders and get some preliminary assessments.


    It¡¯s likely that the four worlds wouldn¡¯t be too far off.


    A group back home started to work on our expected response to the demons. Some of these worlds were in a stable state.


    It made me wonder, of course. Despite the peripheral world¡¯s distance to the demon king, not all of them have folded. So, why?


    So, I¡¯ve been thinking about the nature of the peripheral worlds, and concluded that the peripheral worlds usually have some kind of ¡®defensibility¡¯. It is this defensibility that makes them into contested zones. Worlds that are hard for the demons to fully capture. Worlds that are also hard for the gods to properly reinforce.


    In short, peripheral worlds are not peripheral worlds by distance, even if it was one of the factors, but by sheer survivorship bias. Faraway worlds that cannot be defended, andcked inherent defensibility meant they would easily fold to the demons.


    That meant they were not the gods¡¯ problem any more, since they are then demon worlds.


    Worlds that are close to the gods can be easily defended and reinforced, so they remain as normal worlds.


    So, peripheral worlds are those that are in limbo. Worlds that are hard for the demons to conquer due to their design, and those that the gods find it hard to reinforce. If these two were true, it was likely that these sorts of worlds would be ¡®peripheral¡¯ worlds, because they would survive the drift.


    ¡°Could it just be a fluke, that the heroes¡¯ old artifacts and items give the natives some fighting chance to hang on?¡± Lumoof countered.


    ¡°Of course. But it¡¯s just something I¡¯ve been thinking about.¡± It was just a hypothesis, that peripheral worlds be battlegrounds, because they experience longer periods of struggle against the demons.


    Worlds that can¡¯t put up a fight die, or fall to the demons, and thus drift out of the god¡¯s influence anyway.


    ***


    ***


    <i>Lavaworld</i>


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± Khefri said as Samuel, or Samahiro the elf hero, gained levels battling the demons of Lavaworld.


    ¡°Better. Stronger.¡± Samuel said while he rested. He gained a level that day. The demon champion was hardly a threat. With more power, they would have the ability to retake Landas from the demon king. The goal was to get Samuel at least into the level 100s, one they achieved fairly easily.


    But each new hero had their own style of battle, and Kei, as the new hero-manager, decided that all the heroes needed to have ¡®practice¡¯ sessions. It was something copied from the Valthorns, since the Valthorns had battle simtions in order to form their battle tactics. The heroes, even with their natural gifts, still needed practice.


    Samuel also needed to get used to his new abilities, even if the divine gifts of the hero ss helped tremendously.


    But the demon champions were too weak to be a challenge. Without really pushing it, it was hard for the heroes to really know how well they worked together. Teamwork was one of the few things that the hero ss wasn¡¯t very good at.


    ¡°It is good to have another closebat fighter in our team.¡± Adrian said.


    Colette, Prabu, Adrian, Khefri. Four heroes. And now they were five once more.


    ¡°I¡¯m just happy there¡¯s more of us.¡± Prabu sighed. ¡°I hope they find more heroes on the other worlds.¡±


    Samuel looked around. It was better than being alone, for sure. ¡°I hope so too.¡±


    The Valthorns concluded it was best to decide which world to clear out its demon king, only after we¡¯ve explored all fifteen worlds. In some states it¡¯s likely there were ¡®stable¡¯ worlds.


    So for now, Samuel and the other heroes prepared for war. They repaired old hero items, restored magical defenses.


    ***


    <i>Twelveth</i>


    <i>Gigantadragon - Theary Dragon</i>


    Ste and Lumoof opened the portal and instantly knew this was one of those unusual worlds. A world that existed on the surface of a giganticary dragon, that¡¯s forever chasing a sun. The world was constantly moving, it wasn¡¯t moving in the void sea, but after staring at the edge of its reality bubble for a moment, we concluded it was likely to only ¡®appear¡¯ as if it was always moving. Maybe, it was like a marble spinning in ce as water flowed around it.


    ¡°Well. A giant dragon.¡± Lumoof looked around. Theynded on what appeared to be the middle part of the dragon¡¯s body. The part that looked like the head was the brightest, and yet, even on the surface of this giganticary dragon¡¯s body, there was running water, nts, trees, and mountains. ¡°That¡¯s a first.¡±


    ¡°I wonder whether Aeon¡¯s clone could link to the dragon¡¯s will, then we could possibly gain control, ormunicate with it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re concluding that aary sized world¡¯s core is a sentient dragon.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I suppose.¡± Ste said. ¡°A creature of this size-¡±


    ¡°I think we have to let go of some of our assumptions. It may only possess the physical form of a dragon, but nothing actually requires it to be sentient. It¡¯s movements, it¡¯s mannerisms may just be a set of instructions imprinted to its being.¡±


    ¡°A machine.¡± Ste sighed, as she scanned around. ¡°I suppose in a world of magic, nothing really requiress to be, well,s.¡±


    Lumoof nodded, and through him, our senses expanded. I could feel it, and they could too. Heroes. There were still heroes here. And at the same time, we also felt the presence of a demon king. A strong one.


    We knew because it¡¯s demonic energies were intense, as if amplified by the natural energies of thend itself-


    ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡± Ste said, as her hands got to work. A portal whirled open, the two stepped through and found a battlefield with strong demons.


    Demons that glowed with lines of magic, and they were strong. Champions littered the skies as if they didn¡¯t cost energy. Because they didn¡¯t.


    Ste¡¯s magical senses expanded, as she sent magical probes all around.


    But here, around the ¡®waist¡¯ of the sized dragon, was a battleground between thend controlled by the demons, and thends controlled by the natives.


    Two heroes, two humans with magical wings, surrounded by smaller drakes, fought back against the demons. They were strong, but the demon king, a giant two headed armored lizard breathed magic glowed with the same strange lines.


    ¡°I¡¯m not totally certain, but it seems this demon king left parts of itself on ley lines and that ley line energy fed the demon king.¡± Ste said as shended behind Lumoof. It seemed like the demon king was going to fire a weapon their way as well.


    One of the heads opened fire, and a magical st smashed into Lumoof¡¯s shields. It burned through threeyers of shields, but didn¡¯t reach Lumoof. It did make him sweat a little, and so he prepared to activate his shields again. ¡°Well, that¡¯s something.¡±


    The other head of the demon king fired, and the heroes dodged the energy st. It was considerably more powerful than the average demon king, and it¡¯s energies were a blend of demonic energy and the unusual ley lines¡¯ energies. They couldn¡¯t take the hit directly.


    ¡°Think we should help them?¡± Lumoof looked at Ste, but that question was partly directed at me. I could feel Lumoof¡¯s presence.


    The demon king charged at the heroes at a surreal speed, and the two heroes countered with attacks of their own. They were fairly powerful, and their own energy attacks leftrge scars on the demon king, but those wounds regenerated quickly, it¡¯s health supported by the ley lines.


    Ste could feel the demon king¡¯s energies were linked to other ces. There were fragments of the demon king spread throughout the tail of thisary sized dragon. ¡°We should help to destroy those ley line sources, if we want that to happen.¡±


    But we couldn¡¯t do that. The demon king closed in on the heroes, and fired an energy st at point nk. A shot that would¡¯ve killed the heroes.


    Lumoof seemingly blinked in front of the two humanoid heroes, and created a massive wooden shield and blocked the attack from the demon king. The st tore throughyers of wooden shields, and the shockwave of the attack sent Lumoof and the two heroes backward.


    I could feel the two heroes were tired, and had not much strength to continue this fight. ¡°Let¡¯s rescue the heroes and we can talk strategyter. Taking out the demon¡¯s fragments on the ley lines should be quite easy.¡±


    Ste nodded. ¡°You¡¯ll have to carry them out. My void portals won¡¯t work with the heroes.¡±


    Lumoof approached the two humanoid heroes. They were battered. They didn¡¯t have much wounds on them, but they spent quite a lot of their energy on the demon king.


    ¡°Hello, heroes. I think this battle is lost. Let us retreat and we can discuss detailster?¡±


    The two looked at each other, and back at Lumoof. ¡°Sure.¡±


    ***


    The demon king didn¡¯t give chase, while we followed the heroes away from the battlefield and arrived at a dragonling city, filled with flying drakes and the humanoid dragonlings.


    It was a border town, one closest to the creeping demonic corruption, and the home base of the two heroes, for now. They¡¯ve been trying to push back against the demon king for a while, but with just the two of them, they¡¯ve not been able to overwhelm the demon king.


    ¡°I¡¯m Lumoof, and this is my friend, Ste.¡± The two heroes, Rajah and Wira, were summoned about a year ago. But the demon king and the demons arrived about six years before that, and so they got a five years head start.


    ¡°The demon king advances slowly.¡± The two heroes exined. ¡°Each time it creeps forward, it tries to capture the ley lines within the ground, and it goes stronger with each captured magical ley line. The two of us couldn¡¯t really beat it, even though we gained levels after each battle. It almost seems as if we¡¯re fighting against a monster we can¡¯t win. Each time we hurt it, it just regenerates.¡±


    ¡°Demon kings have exceptional regeneration ability.¡± Ste said. ¡°What you experienced isn¡¯t unusual. Does it have minions? I didn¡¯t see any lesser demons beyond the usual hellhounds and critters.¡±


    ¡°A few. They¡¯re not that weak, though.¡± The heroes said.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you sneak past it and attack the leylines?¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t let us.¡± Rajah countered. ¡°You know how this world is like one long dragon. Any time we try to get past that line it knows we areing. It can tell we are headed there.¡±


    Ah. The demons have hero-vision. So for the heroes, they would not be able to sneak past the demon king. Ste looked at Lumoof. ¡°But we could.¡±


    The two heroes looked at each other. ¡°Yes. Yes you totally can.¡±


    ¡°Teleportation?¡± Lumoof asked.


    ¡°Jammed.¡± Rajah added. ¡°The demon king¡¯s energies spread throughout the demonnds and any teleportation spell into that area gets shredded. We can¡¯t maintain a stable portal.¡±


    ¡°But what defenses do they have?¡±


    ¡°Mostly the demon lords.¡± Rajah added


    ¡°Demon lords?¡± Lumoof asked.


    ¡°Demons empowered by the ley lines. They are quite powerful, but nothing like the demon king. We could take one down, but the ley lines are all protected by these demon lords.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Demon champions. Just terminology differences.¡± Lumoof breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn¡¯t an unusual ss of demon, most likely just a demon champion that has a simr energy-absorption mechanism as its parent demon king.


    This demon king seemed to rely on capturing ley lines to make itself stronger, and also spawn more powerful demons.


    ¡°So, actually, we kinda got ahead of ourselves by diving right into the demon problem. What is this world?¡± Lumoof said. The dragonlings of this world, Giganta, looked at us with interest, but ultimately left us alone.


    The heroes were more than happy to exin it to us.


    The world of Gigantadragon is a long-dragon shaped that is perpetually chasing the golden sun. The day-night cycle is determined by the position of the dragon¡¯s head, and the long shadow the head casts over the rest of its body as it moves through in a rotational pattern through space, blocking out the sun. It twirls and moves, as the stars around the world warped and shifted, as if it is forever chasing the sun, but we knew this was an illusion. Nothing was moving.


    Thend itself is separated into fifteenrge segments, each representing like a chunk or segment of the body, as if the body of the dragon is some sort of gigantic centipede of stone and earth, and on those segments are rather normal features such as mountains, seas,kes, farnds and so on. Between the segments is a part called the dragon¡¯s skin, essentially an unstable part of thend that frequently experiences fissures due to how two linked segments of the-sized dragon moves about as it rotates around the sun.


    The tail end is significantly colder than the parts closer to the head, where it is warmer. The magical energies of the ley lines are also stronger closer to the dragon¡¯s head, but there are ley lines throughout Giganta¡¯s body.


    The locals refer to the ley lines as the ¡®dragon¡¯s veins¡¯, because they were the energies of the gigantic dragon.


    It is inhabited by a mixture of dragonlings, drakes, and humanoids, and the dragonlings worship a mix of Hawa and Gaya.


    The dragonlings and drakes have elemental biases that were reflected in their skin. The green-shaded dragonlings and drakes generally had powers of the wood and earth, the reddish, orange dragonlings were fire, and the blue-white dragonlings and drakes were of the water, ice and wind elements.


    These three were the main subgroups of dragonlings, and the fire element dragonlings were clustered closer to the head of Giganta and the areas where there were volcanoes and rivers ofva, while the water and earth element dragonlings were more spread out.


    Rajah and Wira, as heroes, were the union of the three dragonling subgroups, and they had powers of all three dragonlings, and could empower their drakes. The drakes of Capra or Johann¡¯s Dragon would be fascinating to introduce to the dragonlings of this world, and vice versa, but that would be ater problem.


    For now, it is the heroes that would do the moving.


    ¡°So, when are you two going to sneak past the gates? Are you two like world travelers? Like some hero that finished their quest and now could travel from world to world?¡±


    Ste shook her head. ¡°Nothing like that. We¡¯re not even heroes, but let¡¯s say we have an organization behind us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see it. Is it like some kind of starship flying overhead?¡± Rajah and Wira looked overhead. The sky was somehow filled with stars, even if it¡¯s not a real thing, and the stars looked like they moved in a particr direction.


    ¡°No. I suppose if we deploy a node here, we can introduce you to the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait. What about defenses? We¡¯ll have to hold the demon king back. If it senses us disappearing, it may decide to attack! We¡¯re what stands between the demon king and total annihtion of the dragonlings!¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t always happen.¡± Lumoof countered.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t? No. We can¡¯t desert our post here. Not even for a bit.¡± The two heroes said with certainty.


    Their reaction made Lumoof pause for a while, before he said. ¡°I see. Then we need to discuss our ns before we go ahead.¡±


    The two domain holders left the heroes to their own affairs.


    ¡°What¡¯d you think?¡± Ste and Lumoof met somewhere away from the heroes. ¡°Their hero sspulsions seem a little strong there.¡±


    ¡°They are fairly high level, that sort of meddling is expected.¡± Lumoof frowned. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be able to move them, and we¡¯ll have to bring the rest of the heroes here.¡±


    Ste merely nodded, and waited for Lumoof to continue.


    ¡°Or we do what¡¯s sensible. We sneak past the demon¡¯s battle lines and hit the ley lines. That would ensure that the heroes can survive the next conflict with the demon king. Then we bring the heroes. If we leave as it is, it¡¯s likely they won¡¯t survive an encounter with the demon king. I think we should call for some reinforcement, give them some breathing room then decideter.¡±


    The void domain holder nodded. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s probably our best choice. We should figure out what¡¯s up with this demon king anyway.¡±


    Spaizzer


    The peripheral parts will end in about 6-8 chapters. Hang in there.


    In the meantime, check out this story :


    /series/1039151/a-chronicle-of-liesbook--puppeteer/<blockquote> Synopsis </blockquote> <blockquote>


    Vincent Cordell a college student with schizophrenia, doesn¡¯t want to be crazy. He just wants to lead a normal life, something his condition has never let him have. Voices whisper, walls bleed, eyes sprout in strange ces. Getting a degree in electrical engineering is hard enough without worrying about falling into the abyss of his own madness.


    But one dark night, the abyss pulls him in...


    A supernatural entity strikes, and a simple car ident bes anything but as Vincent finds himself thrust into a majestic, alien world where dragons stand on two legs, living and dying like men. And, thanks to a painful, impossible transformation, he is now one of them, stuck in a body he doesn''t even know how to use.


    An ancient evil stirs. Strange storms leave terrors in their wake. The natives of this world think Vincent has the power to save them. But he doesn''t want anything to do with them or their myths. Dragons and prophecies are the products of a broken mind...aren''t they?</blockquote>

 295. Interlude – Peripheral Consequences

    295. Interlude ¨C Peripheral Consequences


    295 - Interlude - The Aeonic Landas Era


    <i>Landas</i>


    Commander Argo looked and noticed unusual expressions in his fellow elves.


    They didn¡¯t have the old expressions of exhaustion, or anger, or joy.


    Stress.


    His fellow elves struggled to keep up with the demands of their new rulers. Fortifications were constructed at breakneck pace, the old farms rebuilt so quickly. The visitors. The divine guides. Argo, in his heart, thought of them as the messengers of heaven.


    It was hard.


    His people were so used to subsistence. So used to existing scraping by, that the messengers of the Tree God had to teach and reintroduce many new skills. Even the art of building better homes, or processing tools, or recording information.


    Landas lost so much of its old administrative abilities and knowledge. But, the change brought by the messengers had been swift, so swift that his people, now no longer existing under the threat of the demons, struggled to adapt.Stress.


    They were all listening to the centaur, talking about recording information, city design, and city administration. Things they never thought about. It didn¡¯t matter when things could get destroyed.


    But now, they had to design for permanence. They had to rebuild their military ability, and they were all, truly, stressed.


    The old elven soldiers were now trained by the messengers. They were veterans of war. Many of them were old too, and survivors of many demonic attacks.


    But they survived without regimented training. They gained their levels, often learning from the older soldiers, and from each other. Their methods and styles all contained habits that didn¡¯t always work.


    Now the Valthorns came, and truly, they were a thorn in their backside.


    Yet it was not defiance. His people were not defiant. They knew how different the power level were.


    Every single messenger Argo met was level 100 and more. They were stronger, their equipment and tactics were well honed. In some ways, they were truly anti-demonic specialists, and they wanted to train them to be like them.


    The Valthorn Lord present came with a small army of expertly built golems. A [Golem Master] of some sort, and somehow, theborers worked to rebuild the city.


    ¡°Nunarnusk must be rebuilt quickly and better.¡± The man said. ¡°And unfortunately, many of you lost the skills to do it. We will have to bridge the gap. But first, we need all the old designs out of your old archives!¡±


    Nunarnusk was an ancient city, and the druids¡¯ magical roots pierced the ground and revealed many such old structures hidden after centuries of war. Many of them were hidden under debris, and over time, forgotten. Their people were too busy surviving war after war that the brief periods of peace didn¡¯t grant them much respite to even think of archaeology.


    Stress.


    The elders squinted and cracked their heads trying to decipher text from the old days that they struggled. Some of them were written in old White Elven that none of them truly could say they still understood.


    Even though the [system] naturally bridged the speakingnguage, and often granted knowledge of the current lingua franca, the written system drifted over the centuries, and that drift meant old text started to lose legibility after sufficient amount of drift.


    But the messengers insisted that they dig anyway.


    The messengers were not all warriors. Some were clearly mage-schrs, fascinated to pour over new text and subjects never before seen by their kind.


    Commander Argo was nearby when he saw a group of them discuss. They spoke fairly audibly that Argo heard them loud and clear. ¡°Our goals for the excavation are to locate old maps and find old spells. From those old maps, we then locate ces of magical study. If we are lucky, we may be able to learn new spells that were previously unique to the White Elves. We will have to leave the originals here with the White Elves as per our caretaking agreement, but what we learn, we take and add to our library of spells. We will also extend our coverage outside of Nunarnusk, if there are any strong leads. Understood?¡±


    The rest of them nodded.


    Old spells. Argo wondered to himself what old spells did the White Elves know. A part of him wondered whether he should consider it sacred and sacrilegious to let these neers go through their history..


    But the locals had no strength to resist them.


    Nunarnusk and the many capitals were all home to great elven mages during the pre-demonic age.


    Though the messengers clearly came to help, it seemed that they also had ulterior motives of their own.


    ***


    Roskor was a hive of activity, as new areas for housing were built seemingly overnight. Gigantic trees turned into homes littered the outer ring of Roskor¡¯s original fort, all meant to house the tens of thousands of refugees that now called Roskor home.


    Refugees.


    ¡°How much food do we have? Do we have enough to feed everyone?¡± Novorosk stared at crowds waiting outside their newly constructed canteens.


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± One of the blood elves nodded with a bit of frustration. ¡°Warleader, don¡¯t worry about us. Food will take some time, but there is enough.¡±


    ¡°Enough? Sure?¡± It was so strange that the word ¡®enough¡¯ still seemed weird to him. It was hard to change from a mindset of scarcity.


    For some, it was easier. For Novorosk, it was hard. He didn¡¯t know what to say. He felt a little lost. The refugees all came to collect and eat food. The Valthorn druids blessed their farms and spawned new fruit trees. There were many new farms, and with more new produce there should be enough for everyone to keep their hunger away.


    It wouldn¡¯t be enough for luxury. Not yet. The druids and builders that came to Roskor focused on the staple foods, and together with the refugees, constructed new farms and ntations that would feed them all. It was enough to feed twice their current poption, but the variety was still almost non-existent.


    They would have to develop more farms with more interesting food varieties in the future.


    Novorosk watched, and wondered what he¡¯ll miss in Roskor if he blinked.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯ve summoned everyone here to discuss a key topic for the future of Landas.¡± Druid Falin of the Valthorns stated, as a treefolk man appeared. They¡¯ve never seen a man made out of a tree, and wondered whether he was some kind of mythical creature written in their ancient text. ¡°This is Lord Kraveik, a senior noble lord from our world. He is visiting temporarily to assist with the economic aspects of Landas.¡±


    There were old elves from every surviving city of Landas. Many of the surviving towns quickly consolidated, as most were barely surviving and eager to rejoin arger society. In time, some will wander out again, but for now, the centuries of war left most elves eager to reconnect with their fellow elves.


    ¡°Coinage was lost from your old era.¡± Kraveik dered after what appeared to be weeks and months of pouring through ancient text with a small army of assistants and trantors. ¡°Most cities and Landasian settlements now function without coinage, everything through a pooled set of resources allocated by the elders. This is familiar to all of you, but that was not how things were in the old era, and your current favors and allocation system will not work once you be proper nation-states.¡±


    What followed was Kraveik¡¯s highly summarized brief on the economic history of the old elven empire era.


    ¡°On behalf of the Valthorns, we intend to restore the coinage system, and for now, we hope that all the different elves adopt a single-coin system until your world regains sufficient scale and industrial output. We will then use this coinage to trade with your cities for the resources each of your cities will then produce.¡±


    The elders nced at each other. They would have to produce something to trade with each other, because the Valthorn force concentrated on defenses, and basic needs. The Valthorns expansion also quickly gged many potential resource sites, some containing the usual metals, some containing magical resources such as crystals and gems.


    There were some rather basic questions from the elders. They asked why trade was needed when each of them were currently self-sufficient.


    ¡°Two main reasons. Quality, and levels. Specialization allows the creation of higher tier goods, which improves quality. It also raises levels, which allow for an individual to create even better tools and equipment. Trade is necessary, to allow each individual to have sufficient production volume. With sufficient production volume, the system recognizes their specialization and awards levels. Trade creates volume, volume creates improvements and experience, and the maker then gains levels. This is how our world¡¯s industrial base gained power. We hope to replicate it to yours.¡±


    Kraviek naturally omitted the part where this was only applicable to the lower level 100s, because the level gains from nonbat activities quickly teau past level 70 to 90, depending on the type of nonbat ss.


    They weren¡¯t there yet. Not with their current subsistence level industry.


    It would take a decade or two to restore some decent level of trade. It was as much a ¡®mindset¡¯ and ¡®habit¡¯ issue, than just knowing the means.


    ***


    ¡°Warleader Novorosk, please, show me the old shield structures.¡± The hero Samahiro or Samuel finally visited their home. He was healthy, handsome as hell, and all the elven females watched him walk by.


    Novorosk nodded, pleased to be useful. Novorosk hardly recognised Roskor now, with all the new structures added and old structures cleaned up.


    ¡°How are things?¡± Samuel asked. ¡°Thest time I saw you was on Treehome, my apologies for not visiting sooner. I had to gain some levels.¡±


    ¡°It is nothing. It¡¯s not like the shields were used at all.¡± Novorosk said.


    Samuel nodded, as they finally reached the shield structure. There used to be at least three to four mages here, all feeding their magical energies to support the shield structure. It was an ornate, historical object, made with a blend of metals and crystals, and left by a hero many, many centuries ago.


    It was once their lifeline, and Novorosk swore to protect it with his life. Little did he expect to ever see a day that here it stood, unattended, unprotected.


    He sighed. ¡°If this erasts, this thing will no longer be needed.¡±


    Samuel shook his head, as he touched it. His star mana pool wasrger now, much, muchrger than it originally was. He easily fed his star mana to the thirsty object, and the two felt the energies of the shield regain strength. ¡°The wider world is an unforgiving ce. Very, unforgiving ce.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Novorosk said. ¡°How many such structures have you fixed?¡±


    ¡°A lot. I lost count. I was told to create new ones, just in case.¡± Samuel sat. ¡°So, will you keep mepany, Warleader?¡±


    Novorosk nodded. ¡°There is nothing much for a warleader like me to do. Other than train and spar with my fellow soldiers.¡±


    For a moment, the two sat in peace.


    ¡°You should join them.¡± Samuel spoke after working for a bit, and a magical ball emerged before him. Samuel¡¯s [Hero Forge] would create an additional set of defensive equipment,plete with instructions of use. Most defensive equipment also had a passive charging ability, but often the ambient energies are so thin that they take a while to charge.


    Novorosk looked out of a small door. It was normally closed, but these days, there was no risk. The view was of a Roskor that was changing.


    A warrior would have no ce in a time of peace.


    ¡°I want to.¡± Novorosk said.


    Samuel nodded. ¡°You worry for your team.¡±


    Novorosk wanted to say no, but then nodded. ¡°Yes. I- I still wonder whether my ce is here or there. Or whether I should even-¡±


    ¡°You should join the Valthorns. I¡¯ve seen what they want to do, and they still need more soldiers. They need far more than you can fathom.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Samuel looked up, there was a ceiling on top. There were fading paintings made by the old White Elves from an older time. ¡°There are thousands of worlds out there, many of them like ours, struggling to hold on. They all need help. You received help, Warleader Novorosk. It is time to do your part, and help those who are in need.¡±


    Novorosk looked at Samuel. He heard of the same briefing, and understood what it meant. ¡°I know. I- I just need some time to tell my team.¡±


    ¡°They will understand, just as how the rest of the heroes understood I needed time. I, too, was not ready to face the demon king again.¡± The two exchanged nces, and Novorosk understood that Samuel was still afraid of the demon king. The demon king cursed him in their first confrontation, and even though he sessfully fled, the curse deteriorated and left him in a nearatose state, with the Cherry spirit tree trying its best to keep him alive.


    The warleader sighed. To the hero, the hero must think his own fears as just something small. ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Good. I¡¯m done. I will have to speak to the mages. Can you call them?¡± Samuel took out a crystal spherical object that quickly made itself at home.


    Novorosk felt its magical energies spread out, and another magical protectiveyer emerged over their Fortress. It wouldn¡¯t be enough to cover all of Roskor. Not with all the new settlements outside its old walls.


    But it was just an additionalyer of security. An insurance.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call them in, Hero Samahiro. Please wait.¡±


    ¡°Good. I hope the next time I see you, it¡¯s when you are in a different set of uniforms.¡±


    Novorosk chuckled at how quickly the elven hero switched allegiances. But he was right. The world is much bigger than he thought. He¡¯d speak to the Druid Falinter, and see whether he could be a new member of the Valthorns.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering when you would ask.¡± Druid Falin had a schedule where he visited each of the different elven cities. There were only about thirtyrge surviving elven cities, and Roskor was one of them.


    ¡°You know?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the first, Warleader Novorosk. The Valthorns are already vetting those who wish to join.¡±


    ¡°How- how many asked?¡±


    ¡°About a hundred for now. We expect more to join, eventually.¡± Falin patted Novorosk on the shoulder. ¡°I can¡¯t give you any special benefits, but you¡¯ll have to join the training system. Once you¡¯re sufficiently trained, you will be sent to where Aeon sees fit.¡±


    Novorosk shuddered. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Many will fail. Being around Aeon is a difficult thing, and minds need to be made of sterner stuff.¡±


    Novorosk remembered the sensation of having his mind assaulted. It was something that still lingered until today.


    ¡°But many of you are warriors who lived a life of protecting your homes. If you do it for the right reasons, and so, I think you will find it easier.¡± Falin said.


    ¡°I do?¡±


    ¡°Those that put themselves out there must be willing to burn a bit of themselves.¡± The druid said.


    Novorosk didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Why?¡±


    Falin smiled. ¡°Because you will be digging deeper into yourself, all the time. You will try to be more, do more. We burn a little bit of ourselves so that together, we shine brighter.¡±


    Novorosk thought that sounded familiar. It was a sensation he remembered. He nodded. ¡°I look forward to it.¡±


    Falin tapped him on the shoulder again. ¡°I hope to see you soon, Warleader Novorosk. Be prepared for transport.¡±

 296. Braided branches

    296. Braided branches


    296.


    <i>Treehome</i>


    ¡°It is damned good to be back.¡±


    Kafa was happy to be back in Freshka. He took a shower, followed by a long, long dip in a slimy tub filled with fragrances that most humans would find appalling. But lizardfolks enjoyed certain types of scents, scents that reminded them of the vige, or city they came from. The rivers they yed in. Non-lizardfolks visiting their homes often have to use some scent-nullification artifact, to mitigate the nausea it tends to create.


    It was time to hit Gigantadragon soon, and Johann¡¯s party also took a short break.


    The domain holders decided it was a good idea to meet up to discuss strategy and tactics.


    ¡°Well, I think given it¡¯s stronger magical nature, it should be somewhat vulnerable to anti-magical attacks. At least, the stronger anti-magical weapons could disrupt the ley lines enough to temporarily weaken the demon king.¡±


    ¡°We could test it out.¡± Edna said. They would have to draw up a revised list of equipment and inventory for theing battle. ¡°But taking that many anti-magic weapons will drain our store.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been using them a lot.¡± Ezar noted. ¡°Production¡¯s not keeping up.¡±Kafa shook his head, and sipped his drink. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°ess to that world is seasonal. We don¡¯t have a clone or a node on it.¡± Johann quickly looked up some reports. ¡°You think, I think we should put a node there, at least.¡±


    The five domain holders looked at each other. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s do that.¡±


    Roon frowned, and then looked at Kafa. ¡°I think our thinking about these sets of worlds need to be adjusted. I think the anti-magic sand worlds needs to be turned into one of our Core Worlds.¡±


    ¡°It has no poption. If the entire idea is to strip mine that world for the anti-magic sands, a node tree will be sufficient.¡± Kafa countered. ¡°I¡¯d rather put a clone on this dragon-world. Or that heavily popted world.¡±


    ¡°Does Aeon want to ce a clone on this dragon world?¡± Johann asked. ¡°We seem to be encountering a streak of dragon-type worlds.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good for you, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kafa countered cheerfully, in a much better mood. He had a ss of his favorite juice.


    ¡°In some convoluted way, not really. My dragon seems easily jealous, and I¡¯m not exactly sure how it¡¯ll react to it.¡±


    ¡°There should be some kind of group-benefit from controlling all the dragon-drake worlds together.¡± Edna countered. ¡°The drakefruits of Capra could be used to help the drakes of Gigantadragon. This mutual assistance could result in a powerful force.¡±


    ¡°Does he want the dragonlings?¡±


    Kafa shrugged. ¡°I think all the differences between the world and their special qualities is just a distraction. I think it¡¯s all a little silly in the end.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± That made Roon and Johann turned.


    ¡°In the end, there¡¯s only three things that really matter, at least when we try to fit them in the way we work. Domainholders, crystals, and the craftsmen that produce the equipment and items tos support us. Worlds that can create domainholders, worlds that help produce crystals so we can blow the demons up, and the worlds that can create all the craftsmen we need, so that we can turn resources into weapons.¡±


    ¡°That relies on the assumption that our bombs continue to work on demon kings. There will be demon kings resistant to bombs.¡±


    ¡°Resistant, but not immune.¡± Kafa countered, and took a big sip of his juice. ¡°Now, really, if we look at the bigger picture, creating domain holders is really a game of numbers. If the odds of finding someone who can be a domain holder is one in a billion, then we need to get billions on our side. Aeon should therefore im the worlds that have the highest poptions, convert them to our side, and from thisrge pool, there will be some talents.¡±


    That made Edna shift a little ufortably. ¡°I don¡¯t generally view it as a game of numbers. Domainholders can emerge from anywhere, and what matters more is the institution designed to support that growth.¡± Edna, in her heart, believed that the ability to reach the domain is actually a lot moremon, but it is the institutions around them that encourage that sort of excellence.


    ¡°But they must have the talent. The special thing that pushes them beyond thatst step.¡± Kafa said. ¡°We have it, somehow. But, we need more domain holders, and I say it is not something that can be manufactured. Yes, the infrastructure is important, but we are ultimately looking for gems in a wheatfield.¡±


    Edna and Kafa nced at each other. ¡°So you advocate for the heavily popted worlds?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kafa stated. ¡°There will be talent. They can be trained into craftsmen. I would choose worlds withrge existing poptions which can be redirected into other causes. Either as potential domain holders, or as the craftsmen and all that needed for the rest of us. Gimmicks like drakes are unnecessary. I don¡¯t see how they can contribute against the demon king, even if they were stronger. They¡¯d have to be domain holders to even have the right to stand up there with us.¡±


    The rest of the four waited for him to continue.


    ¡°So, if it was up to me, I¡¯d take Delvegard, Magisar, Twin-Continents as my three clone locations. Delvegard because it fits with the second and third goal of supplying equipment. Magisar because it also provides a supply of craftsmen and Twin-Continents because it has the numbers to create domainholders and also craftsmen. The rest can be nodes.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t even have enough nodes.¡± Edna countered. ¡°Let me flip the question around. Which world would you give up on?¡±


    ¡°How many do we need to give up on?¡±


    ¡°Three. We have fifteen.¡± Edna said. ¡°Three clone slots, and ten node trees. Two of them are already on Delvegard and Landas, but we can count the one deployed on Landas as something we can move around. If we deploy a node on the anti-magic sand world to boost our anti-magical weaponry, we¡¯d be down to nine nodes, so, we have to leave four worlds.¡±


    ¡°Deadworld¡¯s a clear choice for the first world to give up on.¡± Kafa continued, but he hesitated with the remaining two. ¡°Maybe- Maybe Landas.¡±


    ¡°What.¡± That made Roon squirm. ¡°I thought Landas was a good world. Elves!¡±


    Kafa stretched, his views colored by his little stint on Delvegard. He wasn¡¯t impressed by the giant colossus fielded by the Delvegardian Dwarves. In his mind, he could crush them single handedly. What use were these things before the demon kings? ¡°The huge mountains we have to climb to repopte it means it wouldn¡¯t be useful to us so soon. Elves also take a lot longer to reproducepared to the other races. In a game of numbers, we must churn through recruits to find the gems.¡±


    So, even lesser dragons, Or unique types of races. Sure, they have some value, but in the end, it is the domain holders that make the difference.


    Edna shook her head slightly, as she remembered their own talks much earlier. The domain holders had to advocate for their worlds, and this was Kafa doing his part.


    ¡°Talking about Delvegard is a good point.¡± Johann touched his chin. ¡°Does Aeon intend to keep one of his nodes as a spare? Nodes can be thrown across the void sea, and that has some value. Let¡¯s assume Aeon keeps one as a spare. So there will be five worlds where we wouldn¡¯t have Aeon¡¯s direct presence, and our presence there will depend on the void mages.¡±


    The knight stated her view then. ¡°These five worlds without Aeon¡¯s presence should be those that are still the strongest. Worlds that are in least need of our assistance. They can somewhat fend for themselves.¡±


    ¡°That means the Three-Ringed World and the hero-sword world of Caval?¡± Kafa thought. ¡°Maybe this new Gigantadragon world too, once we y the demon king.¡±


    ¡°The rest of them are in pretty bad shape.¡± Edna said. There were pockets of resistance in all worlds, but there were not many structural factors in their favor. Only Caval with all their scattered anti-demon hero-swords, the Three Ringed World with their Purple Darkness, and maybe Shasan, the flooded world had some natural anti-demon advantages.


    Roon then asked. ¡°The world of Twin-Continents appears to be stable.¡±


    ¡°For now.¡± The lizardfolk countered. ¡°To achieve Hawa¡¯s objective, we still have to free up the demon continent. I doubt they actually have the strength to do anything if the demon kingnds on their continent, instead of where it currently is.¡±


    ¡°We need a full dossier on the strength of these worlds.¡± Johann said. ¡°Something we can only conclude once the rest of the Valthorns enter them and start gathering information.¡±


    ¡°I quite like Delvegard, and I do agree with Kafa¡¯s assessment partially. Our goal for doing this really is to build strength quickly, and yes, numbers help. But we don¡¯t have to ¡®dominate¡¯ worlds like the Twin-Continents. If what we need is resources and talent, that can be through a strong recruitment presence.¡±


    ¡°I think a clone is a damned good statement to their poption.¡± Kafa said.


    Roon shook his head. ¡°We are not sure if that¡¯s what impresses them. Arge show of force may be counterproductive. Some races are like that.¡±


    That made Kafa pause. ¡°I guess that is fair.¡±


    ¡°But the Three-Ringed world is unique. Maybe Aeon would unlock something unique through his presence there?¡± Ezar suddenly asked. ¡°He does get unique blessings and [soul forge] abilities when he has ess to unique worlds.¡±


    The other four domain holders looked at each other. ¡°I kinda forgot he got that.¡±


    ¡°It happens so rarely.¡± Ednaughed as recalling some old facts. ¡°But yes. Aeon also needs a clone presence on a particr world, to get hero fragments when their heroes die.¡±


    ¡°So if we want fragments, then Aeon must ce a clone on Gigantadragon.¡±


    ¡°Snek¡¯s also petitioning for a node to be ced on ra.¡± Ezar added.


    ¡°So six worlds without Aeon¡¯s presence.¡± Edna said. ¡°Can our void mages support that much troop movements?¡±


    ¡°People, probably. Resources, no. Our forces there will have to source a lot of native resources. I¡¯ll need to get Central to do the numbers.¡± Roon rified as it dawned on the five domain holders that they would all be working with fairly limited resources. Void mages spend days to recharge their void mana, and opening portals through the void sea from one world to another consumes arge amount. ¡°By my guess, we¡¯d have to deploy almost all our void mages if we want to maintain near-constantmunication and troop movement.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be hard.¡±


    ¡°Do we have information on their demon king¡¯s invasion frequency?¡± Edna asked. ¡°I think that should also be something we need to consider for our next battle. We¡¯ve known for a while that it¡¯s exceptionally hard to moverge quantities of weaponry through void magic alone. Our experiences on the Demon¡¯s Comet-¡±


    ¡°Fifteen world¡¯s demonic invasion frequency- I thought we were supposed to collect htat somewhere!¡±


    ¡°On everyone. Again, suitable for a recruitment-type presence where we don¡¯t have to exert control or continuous presence.¡± Roon said, while rubbing his head. ¡°Alright, alright. Maybe we stop this for a bit and prepare for our next trip.¡±


    ***


    <i>12th World, Gigantadragon</i>


    Ste¡¯s void portals brought both Lumoof and Ste to the furthest end of the gigantic dragon¡¯s tail. There were areas that experienced massive magical interference, which Ste soon concluded to be rted to the magical ley lines that flowed through this odd shaped world.


    The ley line took the form of a massive demonic spire, and it thrummed loudly, as if it was a mountain-sized demonic factory, churning out demons by the hundreds. Each of the demons that appeared wererge demonic creatures, some resembling regr demons, some looked as if they were cobbled together from a pile of unwanted designs.


    ¡°Well.¡± Lumoof¡¯s spiritual eyes zoomed into the mountain, and we saw the way magic of the ley lines were entangled with the demonic energies seen throughout the mountain. At the very heart of the artificial demonic mountain, there was a glowing fragment that we knew immediately what it was.


    A fragment of the demon king, in both flesh and spirit.


    Lumoof nced at Ste, and shook his head. ¡°The demon king left a part of him here to tap into the ley line.¡±


    ¡°Well, then let¡¯s destroy it.¡±


    Lumoof nodded, and he activated avatar mode. Power surged through him, as his [Fury] brought a torrent of magically empowered roots through the mountain. I felt it as the roots he summoned mmed through the demonic spires, it crushed everything in it¡¯s path, and then abruptly mmed into something hard.


    We focused and saw a gigantic floating scale of a dragon, but with demonic features. It was charged with demonic energy, simr to that of the demon king.


    ¡°We gotpany.¡± Ste said. ¡°Look up.¡±


    The skies above us seemed as if it was torn apart by the void, and within it, the head of the twin-headed demon king popped out.


    ¡°Teleportation. The ley lines are also markers.¡± Steughed. ¡°It seems the demons are learning from us.¡±


    Lumoof rolled his eyes, as the demon king¡¯s two heads charged with magical energy. ¡°A coincidence. Think we should bail?¡±


    Ste nodded. ¡°We should hit the demons with numbers. The demon king certainly can¡¯t be everywhere.¡±


    The demon king¡¯s energy st poured out of its two mouths like water from a powerful fountain. It mmed right into a wall of wood, and like a powerful jet of water, it cut through the wall of wood. But the wall of wood was much thicker, and regenerated.


    ¡°Well, get us out of here?¡± Lumoof said, as his energies charged his shields.


    The demon king¡¯s second energy st also mmed into the shields. We were fairly certain that this demon king¡¯s power was up there, because of it¡¯s energy draining mechanic. Once weakened, it¡¯s likely fairly weak.


    Ste shook her head. ¡°Think we¡¯ll have to run. The demon king¡¯s presence is bending void space.¡±


    ¡°Was that supposed to happen?¡± Lumoof looked at the void domain holder, even though there were two magical jets of energy mming into the shield.


    ¡°Well, the demon king¡¯s distortion of the void wasn¡¯t that pronounced normally. I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s simply because this demon king has a higher power level. I can manage short ranged teleportation, though. Think this is the strongest demon king we¡¯ve seen on the peripheral worlds so far.¡±


    ¡°A part of me actually wants to see how much stronger it could get, if it has control of even more ley lines.¡± Lumoof mused idly. A little of my tendency to consider wild oues infected my avatar.


    ¡°Well, can you push back with your shields, and we¡¯ll buy some room to run? Once we¡¯re back with the cavalry, we can hit it with a multi-pronged attack.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think it doesn¡¯t have countermeasures?¡± Lumoofughed, as he channeled more of his mana into the multipleyers of [wooden shields]. The wooden shields regenerated rapidly, and then, the floating wooden shields pushed in the direction of the demon king¡¯s two jets of power.


    Ste shrugged at his question, but she charged up arge spear imbued with void energies anyway. ¡°I¡¯ll hit it with this, and then we run, got it?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    The two-headed demon kingnded on the ground, and Lumoof began to sweat. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we had a workout.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing great! Now push that attack back and let me stun it for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Lumoof called on the full power of the avatar, and amplified by the [fury of the avatar] state. The shields grew massively, even as the demon king¡¯s two heads poured its magical power into the st.


    Bit by bit, the wall of wood pushed back.


    A small moment of vulnerability opened, and Ste¡¯s spear of void energies flew towards the demon king like a reality distorting bullet. It mmed into the body of the demon king, its explosion sent a messy mix of void energies through the demon king¡¯s body. For a moment, the demon king staggered from the blow.


    Lumoof followed with his own attack, as gigantic roots just asrge as the demon king appeared from the ground and wrapped around the demon king. It wouldn¡¯t be enough to hold the demon king for long, but the few seconds was enough for the two domain holders to flee far enough and activate a portal.


    ***


    ¡°We knew that didn¡¯t work.¡± Wira and Rajah listened as we updated them on our attempt to attack the ley line. ¡°The demon king has some kind of teleportation or beacon ability that allows it to move to its captured ley lines.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Then we will have to split up and attack together?¡± The heroes were now in a much better state of health, and in the small moment of peace, they worked to repair the hero items scattered throughout Gigantadragon¡¯s defensive lines.


    ¡°Well, yes. But let¡¯s wait for the cavalry.¡± Lumoof said.


    ¡°Cavalry?¡±

 297. The Tree Towers

    297. The Tree Towers


    <b>Year 274 (part 3)</b>


    <i>Gigantadragon</i>


    Lumoof stopped at an uninhabited part of the ¡®frontier¡¯. Gigantadragon¡¯s frontier are all battle-scarred battlegrounds, the slender, twisting cylindrical nature of the long serpent dragon¡¯s meant the demons¡¯ path, in some ways, were fairly constrained.


    The demons controlled from the middle half onwards, all the way down to the end, or as the locals called it, the tail of the dragon.


    All this while, the heroes held the line in the middle. They tried to stop the demon king from gaining control of more ley lines. It did, but the heroes also leveled, so the two forces were in a fairly fragile stalemate.


    It¡¯s been over a year since we started the exploration of the peripheral worlds, and as we drew closer to the end of the peripheral scouting campaign, it was also time to flex our strength.


    Partly, that desire was also our own self interest. Gigantadragon was home to two living heroes, and we wanted to add them into our fold. Two additional heroes would bring the total to seven, and that was a really respectable strength.


    Lumoof looked around, kneeled, and his palm touched the ground. A magical seed emerged from it, and immediately sunk into the ground below. It was a deep greenish object that shone even though there wasnd and soil.


    The node tree emerged out of the basketball sized seed, and spawned outwards into a giant tree. Even though it was just a node, this was the moment when my roots connected with the soil of Gigantadragon.It knew, and so, I saw visions.


    <i>And of dragons and monsters. Giants. A rough, untamednd with powerful terrain. Volcanoes, and huge tsunamis. Towering mountains. Raw fury. Creation, and destruction. Power.</i>


    It was a relief to me. Gigantadragon only took the form of a dragon, but not the mind of one.


    Through the node tree, the rest of my domain holders, and the rest of the heroes came over.


    ¡°I feel a little bad for Alka. He¡¯s missing out on so much.¡± Edna said as she stepped through.


    ¡°He¡¯ll catch up.¡± Lumoof shrugged. ¡°But you know, Edna. I made up my mind.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Let me guess, [Towering Avatar]?¡± Edna smiled, as if she already predicted it.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Lumoof agreed, as we felt the attention of the demon king on us. The presence of so many heroes must have drawn it¡¯s attention. The demon king could ¡®see¡¯ heroes. It has a mental link to sense those with star mana.


    Edna stretched, as she prepared for what¡¯s next. ¡°I too, intend to go for [Martial Paragon]. We¡¯ve seen twelve worlds, and from what I¡¯ve seen in these worlds, our job is to go tall, not wide. The Valthorns and future new domain holders can cover andpensate for the weaknesses of not selecting the ¡®wide¡¯ option, but they cannotpensate for what only we can do. They cannotpensate for raw power against the demon kings. For us two, I believe tall is the way.¡±


    ¡°Unless you¡¯re Aeon, or maybe Ste.¡± Lumoof smiled. For utility-type domain holders, wide has its advantages. But at this point, both Level 200s stretched, and made their choice. ¡°Well, then let¡¯s greet our demonic foe with our new powers.¡±


    ¡°dly. I¡±d love to see how I fare.¡± The entirety of Gigantadragon felt it, as if the air itself thrummed with power. Their choice was like a shockwave that rippled throughout the fabric of reality.


    Edna¡¯s physique form did not change, but from then on we knew she was on par with a hero. In some ways, maybe she was even more.


    I suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia. This has been a really long journey, and I thought of the little elven girl that grew up with me, and Jura, who died in my service. Edna was living proof that the people too, can match the heroes.


    Lumoof¡¯s choice, the [Towering Avatar] was an experience for me, as well as for him. We were already connected, but there is always an opportunity to be even more connected.


    ¡°Do you not fear for your sense of self, Lumoof?¡± I asked. I feared for the man.


    Lumoof stood on that hill, his eyes staring into the demon-controlled half of Gigantadragon. ¡°That choice was gone the day I chose your subdomain. Aeon, it is time to go.¡±


    The rest of them could feel the tangible difference in Edna and Lumoof. Roon pped his hand. ¡°Well, Edna, leave some scraps for us, will ya?¡±


    Edna smiled. ¡°Each of us will split up. I¡¯ll be the bait, and handle one spot by myself. Lumoof too. The rest of you will strike other ley lines in pairs. Ste will stay back to give us a path out, just in case.¡±


    Kafa, Ezar, Roon, Johann nodded. ¡°I kinda wish Alka¡¯s here. His self-detonation would make things pretty easy.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll have his chance.¡± Edna said. ¡°There are many, many more demon kings to go.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    Edna went first. ¡°Send me to the demon king.¡±


    Ste smiled. ¡°Got it.¡±


    ***


    Edna stepped through the portal, as close as Ste could send her. She arrived at another part of the frontier, where the two heroes waited. The demon king was just over the hill.


    It was getting closer. ¡°You¡¯re the cavalry?¡± Rajah and Wira looked at the female knight.


    ¡°Part of it. Now, my two heroes, I think you better spend your time destroying whatever demonic structures the demon King put on the ley lines. Get out of here.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep the demon king upied.¡±


    ¡°You? Alone?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Edna¡¯s [Quest Swords] emerged, and her summoned magical knights appeared around her. ¡°I am enough to keep him upied. Make haste, heroes. There are ley lines to be destroyed, and we don¡¯t know how long the demon king will fall for the trick.¡±


    Edna and Lumoof¡¯s role were to be the ¡®bait¡¯. Edna would first attempt to hold the demon king and prevent it from hitting the other locations. With her [Duty beyond life and death], and her various buffs, she would be able to frustrate the demon king significantly.


    Lumoof would be the second ¡®bait¡¯ or ¡®harpoon¡¯. If the demon king moved elsewhere, Ste would move Lumoof to that location, where if needed, he would summon my image, and I¡¯d then hold the demon king back with my abilities. That, in theory, should also buy quite a bit of time for the rest of them to destroy even more ley lines.


    Between us, we were fairly confident we could destroy multiple ley lines. If it the n went well, the demon king should be significantly weakened, we would then have everyone converge on the demon king, and destroy it together.


    Or, if we were confident, Edna, myself, and Lumoof would take on the demon king ourselves.


    I hoped we could replicate that first victory on Lavaworld against the demon king, this time with only domainholders without the spawn bombs.


    We wanted this strategy to work. We wanted to know that we were ready.


    A sess would be all the evidence we need.


    ***


    And it went swimmingly.


    There was something beautiful about watching a n work perfectly well.


    The battle scarrednds saw battle once more, as the fury of a war goddess descended on the empowered demon king. Edna struck first, she attacked with multiple anti-magical spears that disrupted teleportation, and left a few [quest weapons] that created some kind of [anti-teleportation] field.


    Her [quest weapons] were all incredibly powerful weapons, collected over her many journeys into her strange pocket dimensions.


    The demon king staggered as Edna¡¯s weapons now packed a punchparable to the heroes, and it was something I could feel in her presence.


    <i>Joy.</i>


    She was always frustrated that shecked the ability to deal substantive, ¡®real¡¯ damage.


    Not anymore.


    Her quest weapons shimmered with her domain¡¯s power, the aura of a de that was no longer in the mortal realms. The demon king was torn, it clearly sensed something was wrong elsewhere as the rest of my domain holders and heroes swept through the demon controllednds and easily destroyed the demon¡¯s structures.


    The demon king¡¯s other head kept looking elsewhere, as if trying to pull it towards other things. It knew it was needed elsewhere. It wanted to leave, while it¡¯s first head bombarded Edna with attacks.


    But Edna¡¯s series of anti magical weapons prevented it from going too far, and the army of magical summons created by the knight ensured its every movement was not without obstacles.


    ¡°Your opponent is here.¡± Edna roared, as the demon king attempted to create a portal. It crumbled when Edna¡¯s anti-magical spear mmed into the rift and interfered with the demon king¡¯s attempt to open a portal.


    Her spears and swords struck the demon king, and pierced through its regenerating skin.


    The creature was confused for a moment. A few strikes from Ednater, the demon king realized it wouldn¡¯t be able to reinforce its back lines, and now both heads focused on the knight.


    It rained a set of attacks we¡¯ve seen it use against the heroes. The demon king¡¯s attacks were intensely powerful, but she shrugged them off. Its attacks were useless before [Duty before Life and Death].


    She traded blows with the demon king, and came out ahead every time.


    ¡°Is that all you got?¡± Edna said with augh. The st vaporized some of her summons, but they respawned soon enough. ¡°Come on.¡±


    <i>Fun.</i>


    And slowly, we felt the demon king¡¯s connection to its supporting ley lines fade.


    ***


    ¡°I feel like we¡¯re cheating.¡± Roon said as the ley lines were crushed without much resistance. There were demon champions, and even champions that had additional power from the ley lines that put them as ¡®stronger¡¯ champions.


    But stronger toys were still toys.


    We crushed them. Each of the domain holders swept through ley lines and destroyed them easily.


    Tens of ley line spires. Hundreds within half a day. The two heroes could not believe how they managed to waltz through the demon¡¯s battlelines without the demon king¡¯s disturbance.


    ¡°Will, will your friend be alright?¡± The hero powers worked really well against the demonic spires, but the heroes were worried.


    Lumoof shrugged. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. Come, let¡¯s keep going. It¡¯ll help her too.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s alone.¡±


    ¡°Oh she¡¯s not alone. How much time does she have left?¡±


    Ste, who was far away and facilitating the movement of people, nodded. ¡°About six days left.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Lumoof. ¡°She¡¯dst a battle of endurance and attrition for a week. We¡¯ll get back to her in time.¡±


    ¡°What are you guys?¡± Rajah said with utmost disbelief.


    Lumoof said. ¡°It¡¯s kind of hard to exin while we¡¯re destroying demons. It¡¯s much, much easier if you visit us. You¡¯ll know once we kick this demon king¡¯s backside. After that, you two will go with us to our homeworld. And right now, your vacation ticket is held by that two headed giant lizard.¡±


    ***


    Edna and the demon king traded blows, and progressively, the demon king weakened. Edna [Duty] nowsted for a week thanks to her Level 190 upgrade, and now with her Level 200 power up, her ability to dish damage.


    A full day passed, and yet, Edna wasn¡¯t done. She was tired, and her stored magical abilities were spent. It was not the first time she fought without rest or sleep, but fatigue was still ever present.


    ¡°You know.¡± Ste said from a far. ¡°It almost seems like you can win this alone.¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Edna said. ¡°It¡¯s regenerating almost as fast as I can deal damage. I think I¡¯ve barely cut through half of it¡¯s current form.¡±


    ¡°You think there¡¯s a second form?¡±


    ¡°I expect it to.¡± Edna said. ¡°There¡¯s a reason why solo heroes rarely win against the demon king.¡±


    ¡°True, true.¡± Ste said, as she coordinated the magical portals for the domain holders. Unfortunately, Rajah and Wira had to run really quickly since they couldn¡¯t use her portals.


    ¡°Now if Lumoof gets his ass here, we¡¯d have a chance.¡± Edna said with a grunt. Her sword just made a deep gash in the demon king¡¯s neck, but it was already regenerating. ¡°I could use Aeon¡¯s spiritual interference.¡±


    ¡°Hang in there for a bit. We¡¯re getting rid of the demonic spires.¡± Lumoof countered through the shared messagingwork.


    Gigantadragon is arge ce, and even if it was just a constant set of explosions and battles at every single location, there were still a lot of spires and corrupted ley lines that it would still take a while.


    ¡°Oh well.¡±


    On average, it took the team just about half an hour, per team, to fully destroy one single corrupted ley line. There were hundreds of these corrupted ley lines all over Gigantadragon. Just locating the ley lines without the demonic interruptions took some time too.


    ¡°Well, we missed it.¡± Lumoof said, as Edna retreated on the sixth day. The demon king was weakened considerably, as we¡¯ve managed to remove about two thirds of the ley lines. It was enough that the demon king lost a third of its strength. ¡°But I think we¡¯ve achieved what we needed. All we need to do is recharge for a week or two, then this time, we hit it with everything we got.¡±


    Edna shrugged, but it truly impressed the two heroes.


    ¡°You were t out amazing, mdy.¡± Wira said, his eyes seemed to outright shine in admiration as they returned to see.


    ¡°I need to rest for a bit.¡±


    ¡°How many times can you do that?¡±


    ¡°Five times a year. Which is a little too much, I think.¡±


    ¡°Which is plenty.¡± Lumoof said. ¡°It¡¯s so damned overpowered.¡±


    ¡°Not as overpowered as being able to respawn and split yourself where I can¡¯t find you.¡± Edna smiled.


    ***


    After the attack on the ley lines, there was finally time to properly introduce the two heroes to the rest of them. We introduced the two heroes to their new peers.


    The heroes met, and mingled. What happened was simr to what used to happen. Surprise, joy, and a sense ofradeship. It helped Samuel to feel like he wasn¡¯t alone. From five heroes, now there are seven.


    Seven heroes would definitely help. So, while the heroes rested, mingled, and swapped war stories, the domainholders readied for a second strike at the twin-headed dragon demon king.


    Edna and Lumoof wanted a shot at the demon king by ourselves. A battle, only with all the domain holders. A chance to prove that we could do it without the heroes, even without the beneficial terrain.


    The seven domain holders gathered, and prepared to strike. The demon king lost a third of it¡¯s strength, and with my domain holders fully healed, it was time to put our strength to the test.


    Were we ready to fight a demon king without our beneficial advantages?


    ***


    The two headed demon king stood waiting, and Lumoof grinned at the already weakening king. ¡°Aeon, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I¡¯ve fought demon kings over the years, and just like my domain holders, it is now a chore. With Lumoof¡¯s new powers, I expect the creature to be fairly easy to defeat. As it was now, it was not much stronger than an average demon king. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Lumoof moved first.. His first act was close in, as close as he could get, and immediately summon my presence. I emerged almost instantaneously, an experience simr to a [clone].


    <b>[Aeon¡¯s Spirit].</b>


    But I wasn¡¯t real. Not the way a clone is, instead, it was a magical replica, and my form was clearly magical, because it was somewhat transparent. An outline of magic, like a shadow. Despite the appearance, it carried the full weight of my presence, as my all of my aura spread throughout thend. My presence was like a heavy nket that coated everything around us, all the lesser demons were rendered immobile.


    But my attention was on the demon king, and instead, I felt pity. It didn¡¯t feel that strong. Not with its weakened state. One of its heads sted a beam of energy at my trunk, but my wooden shields blocked it easily.


    My powers were stronger thanks to all my levels and Lumoof¡¯s newer buffs, and my roots surged out of the ground. My roots were massive things, as if a gigantic tree farrger than the demon king had somehow transformed into the tentacled limbs of a wooden kraken. So, my roots wrapped around the demon king, and drained its mana.


    The demon king struggled, and found itself losing the exchange of both strength and magic.


    At that point, Lumoof looked at Edna. ¡°I think we¡¯re probably going to be unnecessary very soon.¡±


    But Edna¡¯s face was one of utmost happiness. She was delighted to see how my spiritual roots easily overpowered the demon king, and how I drained the demon king of it¡¯s energies. ¡°I consider this a part of the journey. If Aeon can¡¯t even do this, how do the rest of us hope to face what¡¯s on the demon sun? Come, let¡¯s make this swift. We got more worlds to clear.¡±


    I felt the demon king attempt various things to free itself, but I knew for certain now that I was strong.


    My spiritual energies tampered with its ability to regenerate. My roots drained it of its mana. My roots punched holes in its flesh.


    And my domain holders killed the helpless demon king without much of a scratch.


    It was easy. So, incredibly easy.


    We won.


    I gained two levels.


    <b>[You are now Level 267]</b>


    But I didn¡¯t mind. Trivializing demon kings is what I should do as the leading God of my growing pantheon. It would be a battle we¡¯d have to fight on more worlds.


    But this was a boost of confidence.


    We now know we can do it ourselves.


    <strong>[Announcement : First Week of July I''ll be on Break. We''re organizing a birthday party for my kid, so that''s gonna take up a lot of my time]</strong>

 298. Contemporary Considerations

    298. Contemporary Considerations


    <i>Gigantadragon</i>


    Gigantadragon was freed from it¡¯s demon king, and it was the beginning of our ¡®upation¡¯ of the peripheral worlds. We would need to hold off the demon kings until Hawa could fulfill his end of the bargain, and so Lumoof wanted to take our battle to the demon kings. We would now n to remove the rest of the demon kings, and gain levels in the process.


    From this battle, Lumoof and Edna gained one or two levels too. Their experience gain was slow, and at this point, they needed the hero fragments. The subject of hero fragments did feel a little sensitive. I didn¡¯t want the heroes to die, they were a force I could deploy quite easily with Lumoof functioning as a mobile warp gate.


    ¡°Y¡¯know, I never quite realized how overpowered you two are.¡± Roon said. His contribution in the final battle against the demon king was decent, butrgely, the battle was fought by myself, Lumoof, and Edna.


    Lumoofughed. ¡°It was the right set of enemies. Aeon did the bulk of the work.¡±


    ¡°I genuinely thought the demon king looked quite pitiful, when it struggled against Aeon¡¯s big ass roots. It felt like the demon king was a whale struggling against a gigantic kraken.¡± Ste quipped, easily amused. ¡°But boys, let¡¯s clean this up, and we have more to do.¡±


    With the demon king out of the way, the domain holders and heroes quickly swept through the rest of Gigantadragon and eliminated all the remnant demons. There were still demonic spires all over the ce and this process took them about six weeks.


    But, the demons were gone, and we saw the pathway through the void sea linked to a demon world crumble. These days, with Ste¡¯s upgraded abilities, she could get a ¡®code¡¯ on the demon¡¯s rift, so we could still locate these worlds.


    ¡°How many more levels before you get your level 200 ability?¡± Lumoof looked at Ste.¡°A lot more. I¡¯m about to hit level 180. Hopefully I will get a decently strong [domain ability] then.¡± The void mage continued. I knew we needed her at level 200. Given how strong Level 200 abilities are, it¡¯s likely some of the drawbacks of the void mage sses could be mitigated with her higher levels.


    Gigantadragon was beautiful. Without the demon¡¯s presence, the natural weather of the tail-half of theary dragon returned. The demonic spires no longer drained away the magical ley lines, and instead, those ley lines returned to their natural state, and transformed into gigantic magical sculptures. The ground beneath them transformed just as quickly, as the space around the ley lines were warped into doorways that led into dungeons.


    The tail half was the ¡®frontier¡¯ for the dragonlings of Gigantadragon, at least, before the demons conquered it. Now, there were a few ancient cities buried under the demonic sludge from a time long before the demons.


    The domainholders had to keep moving. There were three more worlds to go.


    ***


    A switch flipped in the minds of both Wira and Rajah when the demon king died, and suddenly, they seemed normal. What was an almost crazy obsession with the demons vanished, and instead, both of them looked thoroughly exhausted. As if their minds were forced to maintain a high level of performance for too long that now, the sudden emptiness just made them unsure what to do. In a way, we contributed to that. We defeated the demon king, not the heroes, and so, theycked the sense of achievement.


    They were now willing to travel with us back to Treehome, to visit the old hero journals, and for once, have a normal life.


    They actually seemed keen.


    So, now that Lumoof could function as a mobile teleportation pad, all he needed to do was touch them, and I could send them to Treehome.


    ***


    Their visit went pretty much as expected. The heroes experienced a little culture shock to see Treehome now resembling a srpunk version of their human cities. It made me feel happy to see how excited the existing heroes were, to introduce the two neers to Freshka.


    Freshka was pretty much the most advanced city we know of, with many magical equivalents of facilities known to man.


    Freshka is the central node for transport between the worlds, and also the political headquarters of everything rted to the Valtrian Order. Naturally, this meant a need for embassies, and various support staff associated with such diplomatic events.


    The confluence of diplomacy, and the high amounts of youths receiving education in the multiple colleges throughout the greater Freshka region led to the rise in entertainment and consumer options simr to the heroes¡¯ own homeworlds, and a vicework that we controlled.


    It was a guided development, primarily driven by our intelligence department. Such entertainment and vices meant these officials and embassies were lulled into a sense of familiarity andfort. It loosened up their guards. It was easier to obtain a favorable agreement when it was whispered to their ears by a charmingpanion. Theaters, ys, concerts, bars and clubs, forums. Nobles everywhere were mortal after all, and we used both carrot and stick to get what we wanted.


    The heroes were wined-and-dined, and treated to entertainment options that reminded them of home.


    The change happened so slowly over the years that the existing heroes didn¡¯t notice how they were now sucked into the entertainment culture and lifestyle.


    Even Kei didn¡¯t notice, until Rajah and Wira both looked at her and asked. ¡°Is this- is this all really okay? It¡¯s fine for us to get free entry and reserved seats at these entertainment areas?¡±


    Since most of the entertainment options in Freshka were indirectly controlled by the Valtrian Order, we set up special rooms meant for ¡®unique situations¡¯. This meant private viewing balconies, special guestrooms and all that sort of thing, for my domain holders and also for the heroes.


    Kei paused, and that was when it hit her that we were now doing what the churches did to her peer, Alvin. She gulped. ¡°Yes. It is.¡±


    ***


    <i>Thirteenth - Khubor</i>


    <i>The World where the Dead Do Not Move On</i>


    Roon, Johann and Ezar frowned when the portal ced them right in the center of a mountain of bones.


    ¡°Man.¡±


    There were bones everywhere, and they watched as the magical gray clouds rained bones of different shapes and sizes around them.


    Roon stared at Johann, and Johann stared at Ezar. ¡°Who was it that said worlds can¡¯t get any weirder after Lumoof¡¯s giant dragon? Here, exhibit one. A world that rained bones.¡±


    ¡°Where do theye from?¡± Ezar looked at the rain of bones smashed into his magical artifact. The bones were surprisingly hard and smashed into the ground. The ground itself was covered in bones.


    ¡°Magic, I bet. Or some Core shenanigans.¡± Roon said.


    The ranger picked up some of the bones that rained, and noticed they weren¡¯t actually animal bones. They were just shaped like bones, and made of the same stuff. There was a kind of magical cloud above them that produced these ¡®bones¡¯.


    ¡°It is probably more appropriate to call them bone-stones, than actual bones, since they are just bone-like, but not actually the bones of an animal or monster.¡± Roon said, as he examined them in greater detail.


    ¡°Fair, fair. That¡¯s probably a better way to wrap our heads around it.¡± His fellow domain holder said, as they kept exploring. The clouds of the world were a storm of magic, they could feel the intense magicsing from their bonestone-creating-clouds. ¡°Well, think we have living beings to see-¡±


    That was when a spirit, a wight, appeared before our very eyes.


    ¡°You three are far from thends of the living. Return to thends of the living, the deatnds are not for you.¡± The spirit¡¯s voice was like the whisper of the wind.


    Roon looked at the wight. There were a million things he wanted to ask, but decided not to. ¡°Could you point us the way?¡±


    The spirit pointed. ¡°That way, if you walk at the normal living pace, you will reach the Kingdom of Murnds in six days.¡±


    ¡°Very well. What lies in the deatnds?¡± Roon continued with his question.


    ¡°The nations of the departed spirits. It is thend where creatures like me form our nation.¡±


    ¡°Heck.¡± Roon said, a little surprised. ¡°Well, I suppose we should go that way, though, I think this world would probably interest Lumoof.¡±


    ***


    Roon, Johann and Ezar eventually did encounter the Kingdom of Murnds, which was not a special kingdom. It was only one of many humanoid kingdoms, and throughout the area, all the ¡®living¡¯ kingdoms came to be known as the Kingdoms of the Living. Thend of the living were kingdoms of faith, where the priests of Hawa and Gaya roamed.


    When the folks of the livingnds die, they ship their corpses over to the deatnds. This was organized by a group that existed with the support of the Hawa and Gaya temples, the Deathmen. The Deathmen would ship the corpses to the Deatnds, and the Deatnds would pay for their services in goods from the Deatnds.


    ¡°They trade with the dead.¡± Roon exined over ourmunicationwork.


    ¡°I¡¯m headed there now.¡± We both had a million and one questions, and so, my avatar quickly headed over.


    The Living kingdoms were fairly normal, they were mainly humans, but there were some slightly longer lived dwarves and halflings, organized around kings and supported by priesthoods.


    But as Lumoof arrived, he could see something different about this world. It was something only obvious to Lumoof, and yet, he wondered whether the local priests knew.


    ¡°Not all souls escape this world. Instead, for the corpses that were shipped to the Deatnds, their souls, still partly bound to their flesh, are turned into these spirits.¡± Lumoof theorized. Their corpses are linked to their souls. Though the soul may have ¡®separated¡¯, if someone meddles, it is possible to pull the soul back into the corpse.


    It¡¯s a feature that worked both ways, just like how we were able to restore souls from old personal items of a person, because there were fragments of that person¡¯s soul in them.


    ¡°I believe there is a domain-level individual deep in the Deatnds.¡± Lumoof said, and so, for once, our suspicions were true. Once we paid attention, we could sense it, the small ripples of space of a domain holder. Deep in the Deatnds, there¡¯s clearly something, or someone, that could tamper with souls to create these wights and deathlings.


    ¡°Could it be friendly?¡± Roon said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Lumoof said. ¡°The only way to know is to go and see it. And I¡¯ll only do so when I am at full strength. Just in case.¡±


    Fighting another domain holder is an iffy thing, and we are not exactly sure what kind of powers this other domain holder had.


    Domain holders, at least those we¡¯ve met, were all slightly entric existences that didn¡¯t like to be surprised. So, we knew from experience that I couldn¡¯t just barge into the depth of the Deatnds and be well received. So, we needed to figure out a way to send a message, one that would be favorably received by the other side, and we could then meet to truly understand them.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯lle back in a while.¡± Lumoof said. ¡°I¡¯ve got other ces to go, but for now, the three of you, maybe help to figure out what¡¯s up with the heroes, and do research on past alliances, discussions andmunications with the Kingdoms of the Dead. The goal is to establishmunication. Peacefully. Without scaring them.¡±


    ¡°Got it, boss.¡± Roon said.


    My avatar rolled his eyes, but we knew it was in jest.


    The kingdom of the living upied two thirds of this world, while the remaining third, was the kingdoms of the dead. The demon king, asionally, would spawn in the deatnds, and those in the Deatnds would band together to destroy it.


    When this happened, it was called the ¡®Week of the Waking Nightmares¡¯. For a week, people all over the world would have nightmares, and it almost seemed as if spirits appeared all over the world.


    This was a fact that worried me, because it suggested that the Deatnds had a weapon powerful enough to destroy demon kings, though, from what we¡¯ve seen so far, the Deatnds stuck to itself. If it could take on demon kings, then it could definitely take on domain holders.


    Maybe it was something like the blood sacrifices and the hex bombs of the blood mages, because whatever was in the Deatnds clearly knew how to manipte souls and turn them into wandering spirits that couldn¡¯t move on in their cycle of reincarnation.


    It was possible this domain holder got further along the path of weaponizing the incredible powers of the soul. If so, maybe the power of the soul is what we need to destroy the demon sun.


    Anyway, information from the living nations was scarce. They didn¡¯t have insights into the nature of the deatnds, and all their interactions with the Dead Spirits were for trade andmerce. The Dead Spirits didn¡¯t reveal about the intricacies and inner workings of the Deatnds, thoughmunication was clearly possible with these Dead Spirits.


    The heroes, if summoned, would arrive at the kingdoms of the Living, and the Dead Spirits are usually not hostile. Their first instinct is to chase the living out of the deands, and only raise their weapons if such actions were repeated and their attempts to remove the living were stopped.


    There was, to our surprise, still one hero surviving and living in this world. He defeated thest demon king that arrived about twenty years ago with the aid of the Deatnds, and since then retired to the countryside.


    A man who clearly wanted to live and have a family.


    ***


    Roon, Johann and Ezar discovered the hero living in a quiet, picture-perfect valley surrounded by a farm. There were cows, chickens, fields of vegetables and wheat. There were three beautiful children running about. The oldest one looked like he was in his teens.


    When they knocked on the door, a tall, well built man greeted them. He was dressed like a farmer.


    ¡°Greetings. You are the hero, Gideon?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Gideon, yes.¡± The hero and the three exchanged looks, and the hero eventually added. ¡°but no, I¡¯m no longer an active hero.¡±


    ¡°No longer?¡±


    ¡°Well, no.¡±


    Roon looked around. ¡°Can wee in and talk? We don¡¯t mean your family any harm.¡±


    Gideon looked around, and back at them, and shrugged. ¡°Well. No weapons, but sure. Come on in.¡±


    ***


    The home was fairly simple as hero-homes went. It didn¡¯t have themon features of hero homes seen elsewhere. It was something Roon immediately noticed, at leastpared to the homes of Colette and Prabu, or Khefri or Adrian.


    Instead, it was clearly designed to resemble a picturesque farmhouse. It hadrge ss windows that allowed plenty of sunlight in, and a view of the valleys. It was functional, and almost entirely made of wood.


    ¡°A beautiful ce.¡± Roon said. ¡°Certainly unlike the homes of the other heroes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Come, there isn¡¯t much, but you can sit.¡± Gideon¡¯s kids noticed, and looked worried. They came over, but the hero patted their head. ¡°Go to your rooms, kids. Daddy gotta talk to some visitors.¡±


    The three nodded, and Gideon¡¯s wife, a beautiful maturedy with golden blonde hair, followed their kids into their room.


    ¡°You¡¯re not from here, are you?¡± Gideon said frankly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Roon sat and nodded. ¡°There¡¯s sort of two reasons why we came, so we¡¯ll get right down to it.¡±


    Gideon sipped his mug of water. ¡°Well, sure.¡±


    ¡°One, we¡¯re recruiting heroes. We¡¯ve formed a coalition of heroes to fight the demon kings across worlds, and we¡¯d like you to join us.¡±


    Gideon stared at Roon, and sipped his mug again. ¡°So there are worlds other than this one that also have demon kings?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How many have you recruited?¡±


    ¡°Seven. Well, five, but two¡¯s new and maybe they¡¯ll join us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of power in one team.¡± Gideon said.


    ¡°True. But there are even more worlds.¡± Roon said.


    Gideon paused, and then sighed. ¡°Honestly, you came a little bit toote. I¡¯ll tell you why, but what¡¯s the other one?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been to the deatnds?¡±


    The hero stared at Roon, this time seriously. As if judging him. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s in the deatnds?¡±


    Gideon paused and shook his head. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°We sense something unusual in the deatnds. It is as if souls were captured and unable to move on. There¡¯s a strange emptiness in theirnds.¡±


    ¡°I see you already have an inkling. What is in there, is an undead demigod. The Osroids.¡±


    Roon leaned forward. Both Johann and Ezar looked around, as if anticipating a sudden strike. ¡°What else do you know about them? We hear some really fascinating tales about the deatnds, and we want to know what we are dealing with, and whether it is friendly.¡±


    Gideon frowned. ¡°Friendly? It¡¯s an undead god that turns corpses into spirits, vampires and zombies.¡±


    ¡°And yet it¡¯s undead seems well behaved.¡± Roon asked, a little puzzled.


    ¡°The dead need the living to replenish its souls and spirits. This is the bnce of the world. If they didn¡¯t need the living they would have invaded us and killed us all. This peace exists entirely due to the ancient agreement by the church and the deatnds to sell corpses to the deatnds.¡± The hero said with a sigh.


    ¡°What about the demons?¡±


    ¡°Just an enemy of my enemy.¡±


    Roon, Ezar and Johann nced at each other. ¡°Well, I suppose only Lumoof can handle such a thing.¡± Roon then turned back to face the hero. ¡°Well,st question, why won¡¯t you join us?¡±


    ¡°Simple. The Osroids gave a simple way to destroy the demon king. It ripped a portion of the [hero] ss out of my spirit, and used it to make a bomb.¡±


    All three domainholders were stunned. It took a good thirty seconds before Roon¡¯s shocked face turned into a smirk. ¡°Oh boy, Lumoof¡¯s gonna have a field day with this one.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I think our patreon god probably has a lot of simrities to these Osroids. And so- you have an iplete [hero] ss?¡¯


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ***


    The three met outside.


    ¡°What the fuck¡¯s going on here?¡± Ezar cursed. ¡°That dude¡¯s a half-hero or some shit?¡±


    Roon nodded. ¡°Not what I expected, but I suppose so.¡±


    Johann looked around. ¡°I think, what¡¯s really important to know, is whether the Osroids are some kind of threat to us.¡±


    Ezar looked a bit bewildered. ¡°I am guessing it¡¯ll be yes. It¡¯s some death-manipting domainholder with some soul-type shenanigans.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s- let¡¯s not pass judgement so quickly. Just because it¡¯s using death power doesn¡¯t make it bad. What it¡¯s doing now seems fairly proper. It trades for corpses, uses souls from corpses to create it¡¯s people, and used the hero¡¯s ss somehow as a weapon.¡± Roon countered. ¡°I- I think we should let Aeon decide on this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Hawa clearly considers this world to be a peripheral world, and it ¡®loses¡¯ faith points sustaining this world. Yet it clearly doesn¡¯t seem like it needs help, if this Osroid can use the hero ss to destroy demons.¡±


    ¡°It still needs the hero ss to make the weapon, and that costs faith points. I reckon the act of summoning is what drains most of the faith points.¡± Roon countered.


    ¡°So, the way to ¡®save¡¯ Hawa¡¯s faith points is to blow up demon kings before new heroes are summoned.¡±


    ¡°Yea. Pretty much.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll need to make an agreement with this death-god in the deatnds.¡±


    Spaizzer


    Next week I''m on break.

 299. Second to last

    299. Second tost


    299.


    <i>The Fourteenth World - The Floating Inds - Terras</i>


    Thend of the floating inds immediately evoked a sense of wonder when both Ste and Lumoof arrived. It was a world where it was a set of massive floating inds, and thend below was an infinitely dense and thickyer of white fluffy clouds.


    ¡°You know, when I was a child, I used to imagine worlds like this where everything is a floating ind, and it¡¯s just a sea of white clouds. Each of us have our own inds, and we¡¯d visit each other on flying ships.¡± Ste said.


    Lumoof didn¡¯t rte. His childhood wasn¡¯t that vibrant. As a native of Treehome, his childhood was mainly trying to be useful to his parents. When they still lived. ¡°I can¡¯t say I understand, but it is quite beautiful.¡±


    The sun was bright, and somehow floated overhead, and they noticed a strange contraption around the sun. It was always visible, arge gigantic screen that orbited around the sun. Strangely, there was a gigantic steel like structure that connected the screen to the sun. When I saw it, my first thoughts were thoseary modelsmonly found in schools.


    Ste stared at it, as if trying to make sense of it. ¡°In a way that¡¯s somewhat simr to the Three-Ringed World, this world¡¯s day-night cycle is controlled by that screen thing. It moves to block the sun.


    Lumoof found it funny. ¡°As if this world is a toy.¡±


    ¡°I mean- I suppose you could say that.¡± Ste looked around and found bridges made of clouds that linked the ind to other inds. Magical clouds. ¡°Man, this world is a fairytale.¡±I felt my avatar¡¯s sense expand, but because as a tree, our senses mostly propagate through the ground, and so it ends where the ind itself ends. I tried to grapple with what I felt, and studied how therge inds floated, only to discover they were not exactly floating.


    They were suspended. I felt a strange, divinew type of string, and they bound each at every single ind. They weremanded to float where they are, so they did. In short, [divine] powermanded the inds to float in the sky, and the world obeyed.


    ¡°Could you do something like that someday?¡± Ste asked, once she realized the presence of divine power.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s not that simple. Such amand must have been woven into the world when it was created.¡± The idea ofmanding the inds to do so now seemed silly, and wasteful. It¡¯s likely that there was some kind of ¡®foundationalw¡¯ that made it happen, which is why it persists even when these worlds theoretically drifted away from the range of gods.


    ¡°So, that sounds like there¡¯s a godmanded divinews, such as thosemanded by Hawa, and a set of ¡®neutral¡¯ or ¡®core-bound¡¯ divinews, that are specific to each world¡¯s creation. Right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my guess.¡±


    Ste nodded. ¡°And I found living folk.¡±


    ***


    Humans. Regr, normal humans living almost idyllic, peaceful lives. They were farmers, farming on incredibly fertilends. The crops they nted were familiar, though it was more of a mixed farm, with small patches of everything.


    There was magic in thend itself, it almost seemed as if the nts were growing before our very eyes, as if they were spurred on by the blessings of a level 70 to 80 druid.


    ¡°Oh hey there, it¡¯s been a while since we had visitors, but how did you arrive? I didn¡¯t see any flying ships or balloons.¡±


    ¡°We walked.¡± Ste answered.


    ¡°Oh, through the cloud bridges? I¡¯m surprised people still do that.¡± The farmer said. ¡°So, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re lost. Could you help us out?¡±


    There were thousands, or even tens of thousands of floating inds, somerger, some much smaller. There were a set ofrger floating inds known as the ¡®Main Inds¡¯, and these housed most of the humans in this world.


    The main inds were rich in all sorts of magical resources and metals, whilends further awaycked most natural resources and metals.


    Humans were the only poption, but there were monsters on some of the inds, and these inds became known as the magic inds or dungeon inds, because these inds were the locations that spawned monsters. Monsters generally stuck to their own inds, though asionally, flying monsters did attack their surrounding inds.


    The main inds were home to a series of kingdoms and empires, and wars were frequently fought between them. The further inds, like the one that they visited, were generally those that escaped the constant warfare of the main inds.


    Farming was somehow easy in all the inds, and each ind usually had a series of naturally urring springs that createdkes and rivers.


    ¡°Some of these worlds just absolutely defy understanding. How does the water cycle work in a world where everything¡¯s on floating inds?¡± Ste rubbed her hair in her guestroom. The farmers were friendly, and were more than happy to let them use the guestroom once it was clear they were not hostile.


    Lumoof didn¡¯t answer her. He knew her long enough to know that she just needed to vent when things just didn¡¯t match how she understood reality.


    Ste pped herself gently. ¡°Alright, alright, I know, each world has their own rules. Each world, own magic. Got it. Quirks of their reality. This is just how this world works.¡±


    My avatar nodded. ¡°I do foresee all these different rules of different worlds will make it hard for the Valthorns to swiftly adapt to each world. They will have to spend some time to limatize themselves to how each world behaved. I might forget, if I¡¯m suddenly sent back to say Landas, or say Gigantadragon. Or that hex-grid world where everything is controlled by divinews.¡±


    ¡°So, cultural familiarity is going to be a big issue?¡±


    ¡°Not just that, I could easily imagine representatives from each of these worlds are unfamiliar with the quirks of other worlds, and their well-meaning suggestions thuse off as weird or unhelpful to others.¡±


    Ste paused. ¡°Oh. So you¡¯re talking about the Order¡¯s structure across all these peripheral worlds.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s been on my mind. Knowing Aeon, the structure of how the Order will function is highly likely to be delegated to a person that will be based long term in that world. That warps our preferences, our understanding, especially non-domainholders who are not protected from the divinews of each world. I imagine that anyone who spends a few years full time at any of these peripheral worlds will get used to the localws, that they lose touch with how things work elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°So the Order expansion is dead underwater.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. I mean, not all of these changes are that dramatic. The system and our powers still work on them. Just- I suppose there will be some expectation and cultural differences that will emerge.¡±


    ¡°We already have those differences.¡± Ste said. ¡°That¡¯s why Branchhold recruits and Treehome recruits have slightly different attitudes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be worse with these peripheral worlds.¡±


    ¡°Eh. It¡¯s just the urban-rural gap with even more skin. I¡¯m sure it can be solved. We¡¯ll just need our own internal diplomats.¡±


    Lumoof gave Ste a look of disapproval, and she eventually sighed. She rolled on her own little bed. ¡°I know, we¡¯re building even more bureaucracy into the system. We¡¯ll use Aeon¡¯s [dream academy] and work around it. Frequent trips to Treehome to soak up our culture. That¡¯s whatrge guilds, corporations and governments do. I think it¡¯s too early to tell. Branchhold seems to integrate well, so far.¡±


    ¡°So far.¡± Lumoof said as he looked out the window of the guestroom. The gigantic screen was starting to cover a part of the sun, creating a strange dimming of the world. ¡°Which is why I fear for worlds that won¡¯t be linked via a node or a clone. They will stray from Treehome¡¯s supervision. Even with us present, we can¡¯t hope to match Aeon¡¯s trees.¡±


    Ste decided to hop off the bed and walked to the window. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s quite a view.¡±


    ¡°It is. It¡¯s like an eclipse.¡± The seemingly white clouds now glowed, as if the world around us turned into darkness. Yet, it wasn¡¯t total darkness. The clouds themselves glowed.


    ¡°Imagine it happening every day.¡± Ste said in a rare moment of wonder. ¡°Must feel pretty normal to the people here. The clouds are pretty.¡±


    ¡°A sea of clouds that glowed.¡± My avatar also took the time to bask in the beauty. ¡°I think I¡¯d like to see it from the edge.¡±


    ***


    The farmers didn¡¯t stop them, but the two walked uninterrupted to the edge.


    Demon kings, at least in the past, used tond in special inds. It seemed that every time the demon king was about to arrive, a new ind would appear. That ind was known as the ¡®demon¡¯s ind¡¯, and it was a magical creation. A dark red glowing ind that floated above all the other inds.


    Then, when the hero arrived, a chain of smaller inds would appear that allowed the hero to go and meet the demons.


    The demons were unable to use the cloud bridges, so they were often trapped on their own inds. It is only when flying demons appeared that they could expand to the other inds. When that happened, it was a huge disaster that caused a lot of deaths.


    ¡°These inds protect them.¡±


    ¡°In the same way the oceans protected us.¡± Ste said. ¡°Look at these clouds. They feel like they are partly magic.¡±


    ¡°They probably are.¡± Lumoof nodded, as he observed the clouds floating from ce to ce. Some of them were fluffy, some took the shape of streaks.


    ¡°The winds are pretty constant. They have a defined direction.¡± Ste suddenly noticed. ¡°They all move in the same direction, at the same speed.¡±


    ¡°Worldly magic.¡± Lumoof said. ¡°I wonder what thest world would be like.¡±


    Ste decided to just sit down at the edge. She wasn¡¯t afraid of heights, and somehow, she knew she wouldn¡¯t fall. There was a fundamental divinew that operated in this world, a kind of specific force unique to this world. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d actually see a sight like this.¡±


    ¡°There was the stormworld with a floating ind, remember?¡± Lumoof said.


    ¡°That one- that one wasn¡¯t this beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Is it? I thought the turbulent storms were quite beautiful. They had so much energy, the shes of lightning, the seemingly gigantic rivers of magic that turned into a cloud river.¡±


    ¡°This is peaceful. Calm.¡± Ste said. ¡°I can see myself retiring somewhere like this. Some day, when all of this is over, I¡¯d like a farmhouse too. I¡¯d probably need a bit more necessities and stuff from Freshka, but one of these faraway inds would be nice. I¡¯ll nt some fruits and stuff.¡±


    ¡°You could pick an ind. The inds along the Eastern Oceans are still beautiful and untouched.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have this view.¡± Ste smiled, and Lumoof stretched. He too decided to sit along the edge. It was a sensation I didn¡¯t enjoy. I didn¡¯t like my feet dangling midair. I very much preferred to be rooted down on something solid. Even these floating inds were a little too much for my liking.


    Lumoof took a deep breath. The air was clean.


    The two domain holders sat quietly, and both enjoyed the beauty. There were other inds in the distance, but the clouds obscured most of them from view. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the main inds tomorrow.¡±


    ***


    Airships were everywhere, and they were armed to the teeth. The peace of the distant inds were soon reced by the constant threat of war.


    Human kingdoms hated each other.


    Lumoof and Ste found the main inds of this world to be in a state of constant warfare. Large airships were built out of unique floating materials, and weapons mounted on them. Then they fought each other.


    There were five main inds, split into three main empires. The three human empires all maintainedrge fleets of airships of their own. War in these main inds were brutal, because the main inds were incredibly resource rich. The inds itself were magical, divine and seemed to produce resources indefinitely.


    All that potential used to fuel a war against each other.


    ¡°A sickening testament to humanity.¡± Ste cursed.


    ¡°It is in our nature.¡± Lumoof said as we arrived in the capital of one of theserge empires. Fleets of airships floated overhead, each of them filled with magical weapons. Their array of magical weapons were slightly more advanced than those found on the other worlds, though still quite behind those of the dwarves of Delvegard.


    The capital was fairly advanced, in therger scale of things. Only the dwarven cities of Delvegard and the dragonling cities of Gigantadragon couldpare.


    But of all things, it was the inds themselves that truly got my attention.


    Just walking on the main inds I felt our souls, both mine and Lumoof, resonate with the ground below. The touch of divinity was woven into the ground, and it was simr to how a [druid] encouraged trees to grow. Here, some force caused the ground itself to ¡®spawn¡¯ metals and crystals.


    Control of these main inds could significantly alleviate our resource problems.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be-¡± Ste said. ¡°Wait. You¡¯re thinking about it.¡±


    ¡°They use a lot of crystals and metals for their airships. They fight a lot of wars with each other. I see value here, just like Delvegard. Though, it would be simrly hard to get them to bend the knee. They already hate each other, and unlike the dwarves of Delvegard that generally respect and obey technical superiority, these humans would not be so cooperative.¡±


    Ste and Lumoof were seen as travelers, farmers from afar that came to see the big city. So, it wasn¡¯t entirely problematic. Most of their gear were also hidden elsewhere, so they passed through security fairly easily, though some of their items failed in their presence.


    ¡°So much for peace.¡± Ste said, as we walked through the city. The city was heavily militarised and there were constant recruitments for soldiers, and a massive industrial system built around supporting the war. It was like a more advanced version of Mountainworld. ¡°I can see why the humans moved to the outer inds.¡±


    Three empires of humans, Aire, Argin and Taufang, each with their airships, and there were frequent wars between them. Even now there were smaller skirmishes where their empires met. All three of the human empires worshiped Hawa, yet somehow, the church itself splintered into three sub-branches of Hawa.


    The demon king wasn¡¯t here yet. Thest demon king came 15 years ago and after that, there was a brutal war that saw the demon king defeated. The stories spoke of how the demon king died when the hero ascended into the demon¡¯s floating ind and slew them. The ind was destroyed, together with the demon king.


    It¡¯ll be at least five or six years before the demons start appearing again. And so, the Empires descended into war.


    ¡°I¡¯m putting this world under the good for resources pile.¡± Lumoof said. ¡°Just like Delvegard.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I wonder what Edna sees in the fifteenth world.¡± Ste said. ¡°We¡¯re finally done exploring, and we can then move on to the next stage.¡±


    The void mage looked at the world at war.


    ¡°Do you think we can convince these three empires toy down their arms?¡±


    Lumoofughed. ¡°If they do not listen to words, they¡¯ll have to listen to a very big swarm of beetles.¡±


    Spaizzer


    Hi. Thanks for reading. I oversleptst night so I kinda forgot.


    Also, check out my patreon. It has more chapters. It has patreon-only chapters that won''t be public like that one about Reefy.

 300. The Scramble for the Peripheral Worlds

    300. The Scramble for the Peripheral Worlds


    300


    <i>Fifteenth Peripheral World</i>


    <i>The Empire of The White Statue</i>


    ¡°Emerald waters, and white sandy beaches. Mountains of white stone and marble, and cities that shine.¡± Edna said as she looked at a city so white and beautiful it could be seen as she crossed the hill. Humans, strong, muscr lived there. An honest life, of farming, of craft, and of fighting.


    Things were simple, but functional. Clean. Organized but not overly so.


    ¡°A ce I cannot quite admire.¡± Kafa smiled, but the stresses of travel were temporarily gone. Lizardfolks like Kafa were so used to a state of organized chaos that the overly orderly scenes of this ce reminded them of the world of Angels. Still, he was in a cheery mood, hidden in in sight that none of the humans of this world saw him.


    As we approached the city, we began to see towering white marble columns in the distance. The temples on the top of the hill looked transnted out of an ancient civilization. They walked and explored for days, and found a world strangely ancient, and yet advanced in its own way.


    ¡°Wee to Raeko, traveler. Your attire is foreign, so you must¡¯vee from a ce far, far away. Come,e, our code dictates that our foreign visitor¡¯s first meal and board is free. Let us lead you to ourmunal guesthouses.¡± A man in white tunic greeted Edna as she approached the gates. The walls were white, and beautiful as if they¡¯ve never seen battle in ages, and yet the guards took their work seriously.


    Edna nodded, as they were ushered into a fairly basic but functional guesthouse. Food was warm, though there was a particrly pungent taste that the locals seemed to love.Before long, the host and the guest began to trade stories, and the host¡¯s pride in their nation was clear. He was eager to impress on the greatness of their nation, and Edna soaked it in. Edna gave a generally vague description of and far away, which the host presumed to be thend beyond the White Shores,monly referred to as the Untamednds.


    This was a fairly small world, and home to arge nation called the White Shores. It was ruled by a really old white statue that stood as the guardian of the birthce, and administered by a council of the wise men, who would routinely elect one amongst them to be the decade¡¯s Philosopher King. The Philosopher King would then shape the White Shore¡¯s policy for that decade, though changes were often incremental rather than revolutionary.


    Eventually, the host spoke of the home city, the White Capital, and home of the White Statue. The host spoke at length about how every citizen of the White Shores would make a pilgrimage when they came of age, to the White Capital to receive their calling.


    ¡°I should go there.¡± Edna said, realizing that there was something about it that hinted to the presence of a domainholder, or some kind of immortal guardian spirit.


    The host, naturally, was more than happy to assist. It was fairly easy for Edna to change into the local¡¯s attire, though Kafa would then y off as her attendant.


    Raeko was one of the many cities of the White Shores located closer to the fringes than the center, and so, the pair set of on a leisurely journey towards the heart of the White Shores.


    They traveled with themon means of transport, which mainly consisted of horse-drawn carriages that went on well maintained pebblestone and cobblestone paths.


    It was on these cobblestone paths outside of the small town of Raeko, where the smaller road joined with arger one, an intersection, that stood a replica of a giant white statue. There were smaller statues all over the ce, but Edna felt drawn. Shemanded the driver to stop, for them to take a look at the statue.


    The small clearing around the giant white statue was covered in marble flooring, and there were a few guards standing about, mainly to supervise traffic.


    Yet, as Edna looked at it, she felt there was something here.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t sense a thing.¡± Kafa said, at first.


    ¡°You were not there when we visited the beast deity Bitu. I sensed a faint link from these statues elsewhere. Once you get used to it, you¡¯ll even see it in Aeon¡¯s trees.¡± Edna said as she stood in front of the statue.


    Faint strands of divine influence.


    ¡°Really?¡± Kafa walked closer to the White Statue. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s my level.¡±


    A guard immediately walked over, gave a warning, and walked away. ¡°Citizens. You are permitted to remain here but do not conduct any unsavory activities. I would like to remind you that touching the White Statue is not permitted. Have a good day.¡±


    ¡°Takes his work seriously.¡± Kafa looked at the guy.


    Edna nodded. ¡°That is good. They are quite strong. Do you not notice the way they are blessed?¡±


    Kafa frowned. ¡°I¡¯m a warrior. Sensing such auras is harder for me.¡± But he squinted just to try and see, and when it clicked, it clicked. His eyes widened, as he looked around. ¡°No way. It¡¯s everywhere.¡±


    ¡°It is, and it swirls around us like a subtle fog that¡¯s almost invisible to see.¡± Edna¡¯s eyes looked at the Statue. ¡°I wonder what it¡¯ll take to get its attention.¡±


    Kafa looked about. ¡°I think that can wait?¡±


    Edna looked back at the lizard warrior, and after a second. ¡°You are right. Let¡¯s see this world for a bit.¡±


    ***


    <i>Aeon</i>


    We have seen fifteen worlds, and now back home, I was fairly clear on my first course of action. I would flush out all the demon kings with all my domain holders, and let them level up. This was the easy part.


    The one I had trouble with, was whates after.


    Do I even bother establishing a position here? Should I force a presence on all of them, or just don¡¯t bother? The demons are not ying games, and so, I need to grow. I need to grow faster, and quickly. Good, high quality growth. Growth that will bring us to the next level.


    I decided to pull in my domain holders for their views.


    Kafa went first. ¡°I believe that talent is key, and talent exists where the poption is biggest. We should have a bigger presence in a world like Twinspace, where it¡¯s overpopted and people are eager for a better life. That¡¯s my first pic. Second pick, I¡¯ll pick Capra.¡±


    ¡°Capra?¡± Edna responded telepathically. ¡°Why Capra?¡±


    ¡°Because the Caprans seemed to gel well with us.¡± Kafa countered.


    Edna decided to reframe the question. ¡°Okay, i think let¡¯s work through this by elimination. Which world do we don¡¯t want?¡±


    Lumoof thought for a moment. ¡°I kinda want all of them.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not helping with that! We have to eliminate some of these worlds. Worlds where we just maintain a casual presence.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to understand that as worlds that have their shit figured out and we¡¯re not necessary. And worlds that are already wrecked. So that¡¯s Deadworld, Three Ringed World, Caval and Khubur. All these three worlds are strong, and have people designed to sort out their own shit. Khubur even has a domain holder of some kind. I say we leave them alone. We visit asionally just to check in, but otherwise, we leave it as it is.¡±


    Roon nodded. ¡°I¡¯m generally with you there. I think we should just be insurance, just in case this domainholder acts unnaturally, but yeah, I think we can leave the Osroids alone, whether they are friendly or not.¡±


    ¡°Edna should im the world of Caval. That world just meshes super well with her set of abilities. If we wanted to arrange for someone to speak to the administrators when they are offered the Faith System, Edna should set up a significant presence on Caval.¡± Ezar countered. ¡°It¡¯s human, it has a strong knightly tradition due to the presence of historical hero-swords.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Caval¡¯s contentious. Let¡¯s put that aside.¡±


    ¡°I like Gigantadragon. If we take Capra, we should take Gigantadragon. The two dragons and drakeworlds have some value together.¡± Johann advocated. ¡°Synergy effects and all that.¡±


    ¡°If so, Magisar and Caval as a set. Swords and magic.¡±


    ¡°Are we pairing up worlds?¡± Ste asked. ¡°I say we take Twinspace and move the heavily popted folks to the Deadworld, since that world¡¯s dead. That can happen with just nodes, so we don¡¯t really need Aeon¡¯s clones there to boost everything else.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure we need the Deadworld? It¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°I think Landas is a node-only world. The hot and cold world of Sarlpi, the Centaur world of the Great steppes and Shasan, the flood and desert world, I rank them in the middle. Not a priority.¡±


    ¡°Magisar?¡±


    ¡°Magisar is an upper tier world.¡± Edna said. ¡°They are naturally magically talented. There¡¯s some things we can use to offset our current magical shortfall- Together with the world of the floating inds.¡±


    ¡°You like the floating inds?¡± Ste asked.


    ¡°I thought you did.¡±


    ¡°I did like the world, personally. But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that great for the Valtrian Order. Would Aeon¡¯s abilities work well in a world where thends are fragmented. Where each piece ofnd is cut off from othernds? I think Aeon¡¯s clones would be functionally weaker in such a world.¡± Ste countered.


    Lumoof nodded. ¡°I could test it out by using [Aeon¡¯s Spirit], but my intuition agrees with Ste¡¯s conclusion. Aeon¡¯s clone would be suboptimal in a world where each ind is separated from others by magic. Aeon would not be able to fully exert his benefits across the entire world. This also applies to the Three Ringed World.¡±


    ¡°Wildcard idea here. Aeon should be on the Deadworld. Like, perfect world to reconstruct from scratch. We¡¯ll offer the people of the overpopted worlds a ce to move to.¡±


    ¡°Too long. We¡¯ve seen Tropicsworld, and it takes forever to rebuild. If we want to scale quickly, we should hit ces with thergest existing poption and supercharge them. That means that twin continent world. We could even sell it, by starting an expedition to the Cursed Continent and clean it up.¡± Kafa suggested. ¡°We¡¯ll call it Aeon¡¯s Crusade. Imagine the impact it¡¯ll give to the poption that someone sessfully cleaned up the Cursed Continent.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mad, but I like it.¡± Ezarughed. ¡°That does sound like a good idea.¡±


    Lumoof nodded. ¡°Seems sensible. That means Twinspace pushed up a notch.¡±


    ¡°Our key resource shortfall is crystals, and that¡¯s aplenty in the Floating Inds world.¡± Edna said. ¡°Along with Delvegard.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean we need clones. We could use nodes.¡±


    ¡°Aeon has a crystal-producing titan. Those titans will work better with a clone¡¯s blessings. Production titans must be linked to Aeon since they are pretty much unique trees. So we¡¯ll need a clone.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be on any of these worlds. These Crystal Titan could be based out of our existing worlds.¡± Roon countered. ¡°It¡¯ll be closer to where the crafters are, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Fair. So where does that put the Floating Inds world. What¡¯s with the drawbacks of the Floating Ind world?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how it¡¯ll y out. But just like Delvegard, our presence can force them to change. Aeon¡¯s clone has a ten year cooldown. We could test it out, build a presence, and if it doesn''t work as well, Aeon could swap it for a node.¡±


    ¡°Or if Aeon gains levels, we¡¯d have more clones.¡± Roon countered. ¡°I think let¡¯s just summarize a little. A node on Twinspace, Capra, Magisar, Gigantadragon, Deadworld? Clones currently proposed to be on Twinspace and Deadworld?¡±


    ¡°Why not Capra or Gigantadragon?¡± Johann countered, in rare disagreement with his fellow partner. ¡°Aeon¡¯s ability to meddle with fruits and supercharge breeding of drakefruits could be beneficial to the drakes and dragons of these two worlds. Done properly, we¡¯d have a really powerful flying force.¡±


    Kafa shook his head. ¡°Only domain holders matter, Johann. Against the demon kings, everyone else falls short.¡±


    ¡°I disagree with that.¡± Johann didn¡¯t think so. ¡°Our organization is built upon the support of thousands of support staff. Someone makes our equipment, keeps our supplies stocked, and does our nning.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But ultimately, the organization must be designed around producing domainholders as it¡¯s core objective.¡± Kafa defended. ¡°So, poption, thus talent, matters more. Aeon has 3 clone slots. With Lumoof¡¯s [Aeon¡¯s Spirit], we technically don¡¯t need to keep any as spare. Or at least, we need to choose two worlds. Twinspace should be one of them by virtue of its poption size. Blessing such a world to produce even more potential talent will supercharge our talent pipeline.¡±


    Ste paused. ¡°What if we don¡¯t bother with clones at all? Let¡¯s just go with [node trees]. Aeon has 7 node trees left after the ones on Landas, Delvegard and Gigantadragon. Let¡¯s use all of them. Twinspace, Magisar, Capra, Caval.. Those Four have the most potential. We can add in Triotuga and maybe Shasan or the Floating Inds just to round it out. The rest of them, we¡¯ll leave it as portal-only worlds.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Johann paused. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°We cannot be relying on Aeon¡¯s clones forever as a crutch. We need the Valthorns to outgrow its current abilities, and to do so, it must first gain the ability to function and prosper without Aeon¡¯s clone presence. [Lords] and [Kings] grow faster in times of peril, and the Order will learn to be better with the challenge.¡±


    Kafa paused. ¡°A clone would make a big statement.¡±


    Ste countered. ¡°Agree. But, the people of Twinspace don¡¯t know that.¡±


    A story emerged in Lumoof¡¯s mind. ¡°The story of winning over Twinspace will be simple. We create a small node tree with limited abilities, and sell the Cursed Continent as a promisednd. Then, weunch that crusade as Kafa suggested, then once we seed, a clone gets deployed and then we can create a new great nation in that resource rich continent.¡±


    That made my void mage freeze for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s kind of unnerving, even if I know how it¡¯ll work.¡±


    ¡°As priests, our jobs often involve crafting mythos. We will need to create one for each of these worlds. A story. We need the people to buy in. To hope. A reason for them to join in our journey, to take part in a tale we create together.¡±


    ¡°I think to venture into the heart of the demon¡¯s territory and y the source is a prettypelling story.¡± Roon said.


    ¡°For some. But again, variations. We could craft smaller tales about our journey in each of these worlds. Like how we have the venture to the Cursed Continent to create a promisednd, on Gigantadragon, Landas and so forth, our story will be one of restoration and revival.¡±


    ¡°But what if what we are reviving is terrible.¡± Ste countered. ¡°Not all of these old civilizations are great.¡±


    ¡°Renewal.¡±


    Kafa frowned. ¡°I think to just say that these worlds will now be part of amunity of wider worlds could work, though that doesn¡¯t actually inspire loyalty.¡±


    ¡°The generation that saw the most change and improvements will be loyal by virtue of our actions.¡± Edna stated. ¡°It is the sessor generations that would see the need for a finely crafted narrative. Something to convince them to be a part of our crusade.¡±


    ¡°Will Lumoof take the lead on the narratives?¡± Ezar asked.


    ¡°A bit. But I¡¯ll likely leave it to the other Decarches.¡± Lumoof said. ¡°It ties into our mythos, of a tree expanding its roots and branches into the other worlds, to purge them of the demons and spread the fruits of growth.¡±


    ¡°And the roots to suck up talent.¡± Kafa chuckled. ¡°But Ste¡¯s [node] idea is logical. A clone is a decision that has a long term impact. A test case with nodes would work.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of the myths, we should just call this whole thing the Fifteen Revivals.¡± Roonughed. ¡°Or the Aeonic Expedition.¡±


    Ste rolled her eyes. A part of her disagreed with the colonial, imperialist methods of our Order, but unfortunately, it¡¯s part of the developmental stages these worlds have to go through.


    ¡°Eh. We shouldn¡¯t be touching the worlds with the domain holders. It¡¯s pretty dangerous unless we want to fight another domainholder. That means Khubur, and the world of the White Statue.¡± Edna said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯d lose.¡± Ezar said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so either. But the battle is the easy part, recing the power vacuum it creates is what¡¯s hard. Unlike the Crystal King, these two worlds have fairly intertwined domain holders that run what seems to be fairly well put together.¡± Edna countered. ¡°If these worlds are working well, we don¡¯t have to mess with it. We can just drop in, deal with the demon kings, and go out. Let things remain as they are. That¡¯s all we need to tell the existing domain holders, strike a non-interference treaty, say our whole job is just to deal with the demon kings, do it, and go. If they are willing to help us, it¡¯s a win.¡±


    The consequences of betrayals were self exnatory. They could test us, but if we made the statement with Lumoof and my own avatar form, the difference in power should be clear.


    ¡°Okay, wait, Seven nodes. We are choosing to ignore the Deadworld, Sarlpi, Great Steppes, the Three Ringed World, Shasan, Khubur and White Shores?¡± Roon decided to repeat the conversation. ¡°Wait, that still leaves one spare.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Why Triotuga over Shasan?¡± Ste asked, out of curiosity.


    ¡°Shasan seems like they got things figured out, while winning over one of the three factions of Triotuga seems a lot easier.¡± Kafa countered.


    ¡°The dryads there have something against spirit trees.¡± Lumoof said. ¡°Or at least, they¡¯d find our trees a target. I think I¡¯d go against Triotuga out of principle.¡±


    ¡°But the human poption there is fairly healthy.¡± Kafa added, once again taking the point of view that poptions matter more. ¡°That world sort of resembles Threeworlds.¡±


    ¡°Shasan¡¯s wider skill set and unique creatures is more interesting to absorb into our fold.¡± Roon jumped in. ¡°Though I suppose Shasan is not exactly friendly to trees. That ce is either too dry or too wet.¡±


    ¡°Actually, let¡¯s skip both and go for the Great Steppes.¡± Edna said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the two centaur ns and I think their strength could be a wee addition. It¡¯s also decently well popted.¡±


    ¡°Or the Floating Inds. A node tree on a floating ind, ideally one of therge ones. Just to gain ess to the resources.¡± Lumoof suggested, and recalled the resources of the Floating Inds. Control over any of the main inds could improve our resource situation, at the expense of the locals.


    ¡°Do we really want Capra over these four choices?¡± The lizard domain holder didn¡¯t strongly buy the dragon argument. ¡°Or Landas.¡±


    ¡°Landas isrgely settling in its ce.¡± Edna said. ¡°Our infrastructure is built. The poption is lower than we like, but they wee us.¡±


    In the end, I wasn¡¯t sure the Valtrian Order wasrge enough to sessfully build new branch establishments across nine new worlds. We would have to recruit as we go, and augment our strength. Therger nativeponent would be key to our sess.


    There was no need to rush on the nodes, and to me, [node trees] with their fairly short cooldown times meant we could change our minds. ¡°It is fine. Let¡¯s go with it and respond to what happens.¡±


    And so, a decisionrgely made, thousands more left theforts and safety of Treehome, and spread out across the stars.


    I thought it fitting, this was the moment where we consciously tried to move up to the next level. Our scale would have to increase to match our growing ambitions.

 301. Border Control I

    301. Border Control I


    301


    <b>Year 276</b>


    <i>Magisar</i>


    ¡°We yield.¡± The group of mages were battered, their leader unable to believe what happened. Half of the upper dome of the tower was sted apart, exposing the top to the whims of the weather.


    A dwarven mage stood standing, in his hand a wooden stick made from one of Aeon¡¯s many branches. A fragment of divinity, as a conduit for magic.


    Lausanne looked at the Magisarian mages and wizards. Their shields shattered. Their staffs cracked. A group of them, defeated by one of Valthorn archmages, a level 145 [Grand Archmage] named ckmoore, a rare dwarven mage. It wasn¡¯t hard at all to bribe enough of the mid-ranked mages of the Tower to support an unusual challenge for the tower.


    It was even easier once these bribed mages saw who exactly they were consorting with. Those whose eyes could still see, knew the winds were changing. Mages were generally smart, a certain level of intellectual prowess was generally necessary to understand the tomes and scrolls of earlier mages, though there were always those who intuited magic as if it was the back of their hands. Those were geniuses, and those were incredibly rare.


    Spectators, there were about two hundred or so mages who belonged to the upper sses of the Tower, unsure whether to p or cheer. It was just pure silence.


    Lausanne smiled, and decided to set off the cheers. She pped, and soon, those that she bribed took the cue to p as well.ckmoore stood in the center, with his level, he easily dwarfed every other mage present.


    In their eyes, he must seem like a prodigy, and they are not wrong.


    ckmoore could be called one of those prodigies. Blessed with a gift for the higher magics that was really hard to trante, in the old dwarven societies he would have been forced into some kind of magical cksmith, or alchemist. Instead, through the Valtrian Order¡¯s many academies, he escaped the constraints of the dwarven social order, and dabbled in more pure forms of magic.


    Lausanne knew how hard it was to train magic. She was there when the old Wizard Madeus tried to train the new students. It¡¯s a shame that so many with talents were often educated in fields that did not exploit their strengths.


    She shook her head. Here they were, and so, the first of the Towers.


    ckmoore dered, as he nced about. ¡°Any more wishes to dispute our im?¡±


    The Tower Lords frowned. The female elf could see the disbelief in their eyes. All their lives they¡¯ve worked towards higher magics. They dedicated their resources and efforts to their goals, and reached the level that couldn¡¯t go anymore.


    The cursed level cap.


    For Magisarians, it was also around Level 85.


    For mages who reached that level, it must¡¯ve felt like they¡¯ve reached the end. They could not go higher.


    ¡°How?¡± The Tower Lords asked. Maybe the question they should have asked was why.


    ckmoore was not protected by a domain, and thus, a high level version of [inspect] could give a Level estimate. So they knew his levels must be very high. They could conclude it was some kind of [inspect-confusion] type of spell or ability, thus the number shown was a lie.


    But the strength he disyed was clear, and no one could deny the hole in their tower. The spectators were stunned to see a mage overpower so many of them so clearly.


    ckmoore nodded, as he turned to face the spectators. ¡°Aeon¡¯s gift. I ask the crowd again. Does anyone wish to state their opposition to our demands?¡±


    The Tower Lords could not believe it. ¡°What- what do you want?¡±


    ¡°As is often said in our circles. Nothing for now, but eventually, everything. But I jest.¡± ckmoore grinned. ¡°Our first goal will be a coalition of the Towers. As of this day, and until the day the demons are driven back, we will now have full control of your military. Together, we will drive the demons back.¡±


    Everywhere, the Tower Lords fought tooth and nail against the mages of Order, but the gaps in strength between someone in the level 80s and someone in the level 140s was immense.


    The Valthorns won everywhere, but we did not be the new Tower Masters. If anything, thebined military forces of the Towers would still palepared to whatever we could field.


    But, it would deliver an impact. It was our moment of strength. A chance for thebined mages to see how high the tree grew, and where they stood beneath it.


    The Order would not be able to administer this world. It just didn¡¯t have the size or scale. It would be harder still to do with those entrenched in the current system resisting us at every step.


    The Valthorns concluded that the existing process and ruling system of the Magisarians were notpatible with our ways. We would not be able to fully capitalize on their strengths if we maintained their system. Thus, we would have to redo it our way.


    A statement of strength would lend credence to our legitimacy and ideas.


    This statement would win over allies. This statement is our way of telling the local military that there is another way. Aplicated power dance to tell those watching that we have the power to protect them. That their tower masters were going to rot away in their towers.


    Ultimately, we were not bound by the rules of Magisar. The Order would create new cites, one of them with a Node Tree at its heart. Unlike the Towers of Magisar that were all in various states of decay, a new city would be built in one of the reimednds. Somewhere that would be fertile enough. A new city, and volunteers from the Towers could then move to.


    With our strength, we would even set up a city right where the demon king was.


    From the volunteers and those willing, the Order would form a new organizational structure of both these Tower Refugees, and the Order. The young mages would be directly trained and supervised by the Order. Those entrenched in the old system would stay back, and they would bear witness to the gaps between us.


    ***


    ¡°How¡¯s things, Lausanne?¡± Ebon came over from Landas, and visited one of the newly constructed cities on Magisar. It was located in a valley, in a space that was reimed from the demonic corruption. Lausanne was made the temporary leader of the new city, as she was technically the most experienced person in the field. Given how thinly the Valthorns were spread across the worlds, it¡¯s not like they had that much of a choice.


    Other than the Dwarven Archmage ckmoore who was slightly higher level than her, everyone else was in the level 100s to 120s, while Lausanne was already firmly in the Level 140s. It was a pace she didn¡¯t expect, yet somehow, everyone else seemed to think it was normal.


    Lausanne stood, and smiled at her teammate from their Landas tour. Hoyia followed behind, as she too, appeared through the makeshift door.


    The elven temporary leader answered the dark knight. ¡°Slow. But moving.¡±


    ¡°As is on Landas. People remain the hardestponent of our struggle. Give them time. I see you¡¯ve gotten all these built, at least.¡± Ebon pointed to the structures around them. Lausanne shrugged.


    ¡°The physical objects are easier to build. The Magisarians remain unnerved by thesend-based cities. They¡¯ve lived so long in their floating towers that they are still mentally scarred by life living so close to thends. That¡¯s a problem that will take some time.¡±


    Hoyia looked around, and after a while, tapped Lausanne on her shoulder. ¡°Little to worry. A passive blessing from the aura of a [Prayer Tree] should fix that.¡±


    Lausanne looked outside. There wasn¡¯t much of a view, much of the Magisarian terrain was rocky and rugged. ¡°What of Landas?¡±


    ¡°The [Lords] are moving in to set things up, and the locals are generallypliant with what was asked of them. Have they assigned a [Lord] to Magisar, yet?¡±


    The elf shook her head. ¡°Central ims they are not yet ready.¡±


    ¡°Strange. Delvegard has seven lords.¡± Hoyia frowned. ¡°Wonder what¡¯s happening on the field that¡¯s causing this.¡±


    ¡°I was told that they¡¯re trying to get a [Mage Lord].¡± Lausanne regurgitated the answer frommand. She would likely transfer that control to one of the dedicated [Lords] or dies] once they arrived.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Hoyia and Ebon clicked in acknowledgement. Specialized sses were harder to prepare for deployment. Certain ruling sses were harder to deal with.


    ¡°So for now, I¡¯m the temporary leader trying to smooth things over. I do have some good assistants, and nners, though.¡± Lausanne answered, though she did have her share of difficulties. Frustrations with the locals were mainly on the little microaggressions and resistances. ¡°The Magisarians have many quirks, and I initially hoped that they¡¯d be smart enough to just ept us. I am sadly proven wrong.¡±


    Though some of the mages epted the deal, they were not going to ept all of the Valtrian requests.


    ¡°Their cities are not charred fields. Their viges were not burnt and destroyed.¡± Ebon said. ¡°It is only normal that they will fight for it. Those who lost almost everything will think of a chance to rebuild differently, than those who are asked to tear down what exists.¡±


    Lausanne didn¡¯t speak of the time when the vige was ashes. A faint memory of a time when she and her mother were standing in what was a charred field of ash shed before her eyes, and she nced away.


    The Tower Masters thought of ckmoore as powerful, but yet, still reachable. To them, if they worked together, maybe they had a chance. They schemed much a little too obviously. The Valthorns present were from a spread of disciplines, it wasn¡¯t hard to pick up on what they were trying.


    Even if they lost in a battle, they would not give up their posts without an attempt to wrestle it back in the dark.


    This was part of the process.


    They tried to speak to the Tower Masters. Yet somehow, all of the Tower Masters seemed cut from the same cloth. They were cunning, but not very wise. Even in the face of power, they¡¯d rather control what little they have.


    They would not be the first to change how things were.


    Resistance came in many forms. For many of these Magisarians, there was a strong cultural undercurrent.


    Even in their new city, she noticed their subtle disapprovals. The clicks, the sighs, the subtle headshakes as they observed how things will be in the new city. In their minds, the Towers are still the ideal to strive for. It was a cultural relic in their mind that they will need a few generations to change.


    This was the part of her tasks that was hard. Lausanne sighed. They were there to help, but it did irritate her that those who need help seem to think they don¡¯t.


    Hoyia gave the elf a long, warm motherly smile. The matriarch ced both of her hands on both sides of Lausanne¡¯s shoulders, and tapped her reassuringly. ¡°A problem that will be solved in time. Those who have not felt the touch of divinity often doubt its existence. Such is the way of mortals. The mind is hard to change, and it takes overwhelming force to ovee one¡¯s mental inertia. Let us not dwell on the difficulties, but instead, let¡¯s celebrate sesses. Show us what you¡¯ve done.¡±


    ***


    Lausanne led the group through a makeshift city built for the refugees and those who agreed to join them. ckmoore, as the dedicated mage champion, went about and challenged all the Towers, and after hepleted the tour, there were refugees and those who wanted to join them.


    All in, about ten to eleven thousand Magisarians came to join the new city. Some were spies, but ultimately, the Valthorns had enough firepower and about thirty level 100s, more than enough to maintain a strong level of control over a single town.


    The Valthorns also brought in about two hundred Valtrian Order support operatives from Treehome to handle construction and development of the new city.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got these new wells, with these filtration trees that cleans the water.¡± Lausanne pointed. Ebon and the crew were fairly familiar with most of the things. Clean water was a surprisingly rare thing on Magisar, and the locals developed quite sophisticated rainwater collection systems in their magical towers to supplement the missing natural water sources. ¡°One of the tweaks we had to make to the [rhizofiltration trees] was that the water content needed to be separated to remove some of the minerals that seemed toxic to the Magisarians. They have a zero-iron diet, and their bodies adapted to it so well that iron is now fairly harmful to them.¡±


    Ebon nodded. ¡°Huh. The Landas elves seemed fairly normal. I wonder whether there is other stuff we¡¯d have to look out for on the other worlds. Maybe the Caprans and the Dragonlings will have some unique quirks.¡±


    Lausanne agreed as she recalled what happened during the first few days. ¡°We only realized it after a few of them got sick. The water is fine now, but that was a rather careless blunder on our end. A proper biological study through one of Aeon¡¯s bibs should help.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Ebon walked about and noticed the homes built everywhere. There were magical shields constructed. They passed by arge farm, where the druids were in discussion with some locals over the nts.


    ¡°Food¡¯s a pain at first but we¡¯re getting better. We can¡¯t use the food from our world because of their diet, so we¡¯d have to restrict it to native nts. But their local nts all have low yields, because they are mostly a nation of harvesters and hunters, where their cities exist as areas to protect themselves from the demons, so their local nts were not selectively bred for yields. It¡¯ll take a generation or two to change it.¡± Lausanne narrated. ¡°Even if I see these Magisarian mages as useful, I wonder whether the Order would eventually be overwhelmed with all the custom supply choices for each of these world¡¯s recruits. Standard rations that are not standard will lead to arge surge in logistic overheads.¡±


    ¡°That does limit their external deployment options, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ebon thought about it, he rubbed his chin as he thought about the difficulties of keeping a Magisarian force fully supplied in remote locations. ¡°Unless they could use familiars.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something we¡¯d like to try.¡± Lausanne borated. ¡°We¡¯ve not had a Magisarian with Aeon¡¯s familiars, so we don¡¯t know whether those familiars can produce Magisarianpatible foods when they are operating out of the other worlds.¡±


    Food. Water. Amodations from Magisarians were simple, though they were initially unused to all the space they now possessed. On a spiritual level, the Treeology priests provided a sort of calming effect on the popce using a mix of their various abilities.


    It is not an entirely new situation. Valthorns faced some difficulties a few decades ago when the Order started including Lizardfolk and Treefolk field agents, but over time, the logistics system absorbed their culture and it became second nature to cater for their unique needs. That said, lizardfolks were generally able to consume and tolerate a vast amount of foods and so, they were not hard to integrate. In time, it may be the Magisarians that will change, or the Order as a whole figured out how to better support them.


    Lausanne eventually led them to the walls. There were threeyers of walls, and though it was quite unnecessary given the Order¡¯s strength, it was the locals that needed convincing.


    For an added sense of security, there wererge magical barriers erected to give the newly settled natives a perception of security. It was partly performative, since the shields were only strong enough to protect against enemies of the demon champions level.


    Ultimately, their real defense force was the deployed Valtrian Order, and the local militia.


    ¡°Are there native monsters?¡± Ebon looked about, and across the horizon. ¡°I¡¯ve only seen demons since we¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lausanne said. ¡°But they are rare for now. They should start spawning once the druids get to work and push back the corruption. Also, since you guys are here, wanna help me get some fresh air?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Lausanne grinned, and stretched. They went on a demon hunting spree.


    ***


    <i>Delvegard</i>


    It was a quiet time in the dwarven towns of Delvegard. The appeal of small towns was always its rtive obscurity, and that was what drew the dwarves to live in such ces. Peace. Free from the usual tussles for Sunsteel and the mines. Free from the rough, chaotic warfare that are the machine wars.


    So, the recent changes were met with mixed reactions. Not everyone wanted the attention, because it affected their peace. Yet, the Valtrian presence brought much needed food security.


    It was a tradeoff that the dwarves begrudgingly epted, because food was a pain. Security was something that could be fixed.


    The strange dwarves from beyond brought a tree that magically grew within their town, and the locals now had to produce equipment to trade for food.


    It was at a very good rate, and so that was highly appealing to the local dwarves, but it was a strange, unusual practice to trade with a ¡®tree¡¯. The central equipment purchasing hall was located right next to the [Node Tree], a dark-brown colored tree that¡¯s six stories tall and its trunk was the size of two houses across.


    There was a cavity in the center, the ce where everything appeared, and vanished.


    Even people. The ruling [Lord] Sundus found it amusing that the rumors are so crazy. It was a rumor. A curiosity. It was often whispered that people could be eaten by the tree, though they would then see those people reappear some timeter. For now, it seemed as if it was a magical tree that traded food for crafts.


    If only they could see where they lead to, or the links that tree represented. He tried exining it to the local craftsmen that it led to other worlds, but all the local dwarves did was stare at him like he was mad.


    He¡¯d love to see their reaction when he¡¯d send them away for the first time. It would be something he¡¯d carve to his memories. For now, to the locals, it was a tree that traded food for crafts. Crafts and goods went in, food came out the other side.


    Of course, the locals didn¡¯t trade with the tree directly. They traded with Sundus¡¯s men, but the locals were curious, and they saw how his people moved the goods to that cavity, and then it just vanished.


    So, it is known to the locals as a ¡®Magical Trading Tree¡¯.


    A few locals even tried sneaking in, perhaps the result of being a little too intoxicated at the local tavern, and tried trading with the tree directly.


    One of them imed to have heard a voice in his head. The rest of them justughed it off as drunken hallucinations.


    Aeon would speak to them one day. Then they would know the truth. For now, they waited. Sundus knew the n for Delvegard mainly hinged on Alka¡¯s return. The return of the alchemist of bombs would then shift their ns on Delvegard forward.


    For now, the Lord focused on shoring up their position, and setting the field.


    News, especially amusing news like the Magical Trading Tree, spread quickly. It attracted the presence of neighbors, and faraway travelers. Sundus could see them, many of them were obviously not traders, but these so-called traders pretended to visit the local market. But they tried the ¡°Magic Trading Tree¡± anyway, and his men were willing to trade anyway.


    Maybe it was paranoia. Maybe it was curiosity.


    Dwarves were proud, but they were not stupid. Curiosities could mutate into a bigger problem. The Dwarven Lords from the nearby nations were curious, they¡¯ve all heard of the alliance of dwarven towns. The so-called ¡°Small Group¡±, backed by strange tall folks and their unusual equipment.


    Sometimes, Sundus wondered what they discovered. But so far, Valthorn¡¯s presence remained fairly small, and spread across all the smaller towns, and they were all shrouded in a fairly thickyer of disguises to throw off most onlookers.


    After watching these spies try the trading tree and furiously write notes, Sundus decided to go and chat. They were clearly not very good spies, and their disdain leaked through their words. They were curious, but from what Sundus could tell, they were mostly not worried.


    For now, they are unusual, but nothing to be worried about.


    None of therge dwarven groups have set their sights on them. They held norge Sunsteel or Sunmetal veins. They were not aware of the Valthorn¡¯s secret mines nearby. They didn¡¯t have any of the Colossus war machines.


    Why should they be worried?


    Nothing they¡¯ve seen so far threatened to upset the status quo.


    Would they react differently once they met someone like Alka?


    Sundus tried his best not to grin. He liked this feeling.


    He thoroughly enjoyed it when people looked down on them, only to be proven wrong. He totally couldn¡¯t wait for the day for the domain holder to visit Delvegard.


    ***


    <i>Landas</i>


    Lumoof stood at the entrance to the pit, as all the domain holders gathered to purge the first visited peripheral world of its demon king. The Demon King was down there, and he could feel its presence.


    It wasn¡¯t digging. It was still digging a few weeks ago. But not anymore. It stopped once it sensed the heroes all reappearing nearby. It had some intelligence to know the heroes came for it.


    The hero, Samuel, stood nearby, along with the rest of the heroes. Wira, and Rajah, surprisingly, decided to join them.


    ¡°It¡¯s down there.¡± Samuel, or as the locals called him, Samahiro said, his finger pointed to the pit. ¡°I hear it calling.¡±


    He was stronger, but somehow, it didn¡¯t matter. The fear was real. The impact of the demonic curse was so strong that it messed with some of the [hero] ss¡¯s usual mental protections. Lumoof nodded anyway.


    ¡°Have no fear, Samuel.¡± Colette said. ¡°You are not alone, this time.¡±


    Somehow, those words made Samuel tear up a little. His eyes seemed a little reddish, and he rubbed it away. It was not the time to show weakness, as he tried his best to show an expression of determination.


    ¡°Shall we lure it out, or does it want us to go down there to it?¡± Colette then looked at Lumoof.


    He shrugged. ¡°Edna?¡±


    ¡°I think let¡¯s lure it out. We¡¯ll have better escape options fighting out here.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Lumoof nodded, as he walked over the edge, and fell into the pit. ¡°Alright then. You guys wait here.¡±


    The heroes looked at each other, and Samuel looked worried. He didn¡¯t need to be. The demon king wasn¡¯t that strong, and in avatar mode, fighting underground where a tree¡¯s roots could grow and gain control of the environment was thoroughly advantageous to Lumoof, so the demon king, predictably, chose to escape from the depths.


    The demon king came out to meet its death.


    It was fast.


    It was undramatic.


    It was just a flurry of colors and lights, as so many heroes and domain holders worked together to destroy a single demon king.


    It died so quickly that the battlested no more than an hour.


    For that hour, the world momentarily shook as a huge surge of magic crushed the demon king, and so Landas became another peripheral world freed of its demon king.


    Just like Rajah and Wira, a strange sensation vanished from Samuel¡¯s heart.


    Everyone still had ces to go. The domain holders had tasks to do.


    With Landas freed, the demonic riftgates copsed, and the demonic invasion ended.


    Reconstruction could now go full throttle.


    ***

 302. Border Control II

    302. Border Control II


    302


    <i>White Shore</i>


    The White Capital city of the White Statue was, in many ways, an aspiration for the entire Empire. Edna watched, as the wagon that carried her crested the hill, and the city was in full view.


    The main city,monly referred to as the White Capital, but formally called ritas of the White Statue, was eye-catching and beautiful. Itprised a central conical hill, and at its peak stood arge white temple, thergest temple of any Edna¡¯s seen in any of the cities so far.


    But the city itself wasn¡¯t massive. Instead, Edna thought it looked fairlypact for a capital city. It was what appeared to be a nned, properly organized structure where not a single piece was out of ce.


    In some ways, it reminded her of the angels.


    It was as if an array of marble structures was built to decorate a single hill. Every building was made out of a kind of white, shiny marble that never seemed to umte dust or wear. It was apparently an ability of many stonemasons, though it originated from the White Statue itself.


    There were white statues all over the city. Edna was alone this time, and she felt it the moment she walked through the city, and entered the city guard¡¯s checkpoint.


    <i>[Domain has blocked an ability]</i>¡°Well. What is this?¡± Edna mused to herself, and just about instantly, a siren blew.


    At that point, the guards had an unusual reaction. Then, the guards at the gates immediately stopped her. ¡°Mdy, pleasee with us?¡±


    Edna smiled at the four guards, all d in full body armor. Their weapon of choice was a double sided shortsword, and a set of spears. They were all of a decent level, maybe level 50 or so. They were tense as hell, and prepared to fight. In their eyes, she could see their readiness to die at the moment.


    Was this her turn to go through what Lumoof did back when he first visited the Crystal King? Would this White Statue be friendly, or hostile? But she saw enough of the White Statue¡¯s impact, and realized that it was probably worth talking to this entity. ¡°Sure.¡±


    They were relieved when she did not resist, and at least, they did not chain her. They seemed to understand how different their powers were.


    The four began to lead her through the path. Those along the road looked, and she could hear them whisper. But the guards paid them no mind, and none of the busy citizens blocked their path.


    ¡°So, where are you taking me?¡±


    ¡°To the hill, the White Statue.¡± The guard answered.


    Edna could feel the throbbing presence of another domain holder. It was as if the air itself wasyered with a kind of invisible white dust.


    She was escorted through the city, and so, she took the chance to see the lives of those living here. Streets were clean, and beautiful. Each and everyone looked healthy, and they were doing business with each other. Everyone, as weird as it sounded, looked good. Men were tall, muscr, and healthy, the old people looked wise and still fit with none of the patchy featuresmon in older people.


    ¡°Are there poor people in this city?¡± Edna asked.


    ¡°No.¡± The guards answered. ¡°No one whoes to ritas will be poor. The White Statue guides, and the citizens follow. Their poverty is but their starting point.¡±


    Her eyes squinted, and tried to sense it in the presence of the four guards around her. She blinked. ¡°He touched all your minds.¡±


    ¡°The Virtues of the White Statue is imprinted in our souls, mdy. No one who obeys the Virtues will be a poor citizen. The State will ensure a role appropriate to you is created, and a fair remuneration is paid.¡±


    ¡°What of the sick?¡±


    ¡°The White Statue heals those it can, and those who can¡¯t be healed are sacrificed at the altar.¡±


    Edna paused, but her feet kept walking. It was a centrally nned economy, but to an extent stronger than even that of Freshka. A city controlled by a god, and where everyone did what it was told to do.


    She blinked. This was not far from an ant colony.


    Yet, as she looked at how everyone looked happy. Everyone had a purpose. A task from God itself. It mattered, because their god told it to their soul it did. She blinked again, when she realized Aeon could do this too, and wondered briefly whether it should happen. Everyone seemed to take their work seriously.


    ¡°Virtue.¡± She repeated. ¡°It¡¯s a fascinating thing.¡±


    The guards naturally agreed. ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s yours?¡±


    The guards looked at each other and didn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°It is not for us to say.¡± The guards answered. ¡°Only the White Statue has the right to reveal what is one¡¯s virtue.¡±


    Edna nodded, as they passed even more buildings. There were administrators here. People who coted reports. This was the heart of the Empire, and she felt the touch of the domain holder in every single one.


    It was like a magical familiar, but more pervasive. The knight refocused her attention on the four guards around her. They were calm. Prepared. She wondered how strong this domain holder had to be. Perhaps in the same tier as the Osroids.


    ¡°Do they still summon heroes?¡± Edna asked. When she asked about heroes back in the other cities, they¡¯ve gotten nothing. Instead, all they got were nk stares. When she probed about the demons, strangely, all she got was also just nk stares, before one of them said they would be handled by the White Statue¡¯s elite forces.


    The guards looked at her, three of them said nothing. But one of them turned, and walked close to her. He whispered. ¡°Those who im to be representatives of the Pagan Gods? The visitors from the stained well. That is something only the White Guards know. If you wish to know more, you must ask the question to the White Statue yourself.¡±


    Edna paused, and felt strangely unnerved. This was the first time they mentioned the term, ¡®Pagan Gods¡¯. Much of what happens in the regional towns of the White Shore is so normal, so perfectly manicured that Edna kept wondering whether there were unusual things. There must be secret things only the special people know. The touch of this domain holder kept most things secret, as the pieces began toe together.


    It is not that they don¡¯t know, it is that they were not allowed to know.


    There was a vast, white building filled with windows, in it were men in white tunics all walking about. They looked busy, going over papers and reports.


    Edna¡¯s long nce was answered by one of the guards.


    ¡°That¡¯s the main office of the Philosopher King and the Council of Elders. All matters of the Empire travel through that office.¡±


    Edna nodded, and wondered how much of it was for show. Though the Philosopher King supposedly rules the nation, it is truly the White Statue that holds the puppet strings. In some ways, Edna thought that was simr to Aeon, though, each domain holder and society found their own stable position in the spectrum between ¡®control¡¯ and ¡®freedom¡¯.


    By now, she was almost at the peak, and the grand temple stood before her. At this distance, she looked up, and couldn¡¯t quite admire the temple. She felt the aura of another domain holder from outside, and it was trying its best to press against hers. It didn¡¯t work.


    The guards stopped, they were unaffected by the domain holder¡¯s aura. It was focused. ¡°Mdy, you¡¯ll have to step inside yourself.¡±


    The knight looked about, took a good look at their city, and then back at the door. She gently pushed it, and the heavy painted steel door opened without a sound. It was perfectly oiled and maintained, and though it was pitch dark inside, she could feel that it was just a single, gigantic chamber. The door closed behind her, and here, she sensed no unusual magic.


    There was no need for little toys in the presence of an existence that likely considers itself a god. In it, was a giant statue of a man, and she felt the emanating power of a fellow domain holder.


    ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Edna.¡± Edna answered, as she walked towards the White Statue. Here, in thisrge, ethereal chamber, her footsteps echoed. ¡°Pleased to meet the White Statue.¡±


    The Statue¡¯s eyes glowed white, and it went directly to a question. ¡°Are you sent by the pagan gods?¡±


    Edna¡¯s eyes squinted. ¡°Who are these pagan gods?¡±


    ¡°Those that deserted us long ago. The old ones.¡± The White Statue answered.


    Edna frowned, and then looked at the White Statue. There was no facial expression to read in an object like the White Statue. It¡¯s carved face was that of an old man, but yet, she wondered what she was dealing with. ¡°We encountered them, but no, they didn¡¯t send us here.¡±


    ¡°Then why have youe? Have youe to represent them? To retake thends that were once theirs?¡±


    Edna shook her head. ¡°Not at all. I represent the Valtrian Order, led by our tree god, Aeon. I am one of those in Aeon¡¯s pantheon. We have been asked by Hawa, to deal with the demons in these faraway worlds.¡±


    There was so much history scrubbed from the memory of those present. The people of the White Shore do not remember the past. To them, their creation myth started from the White Statue. It was a lie, naturally.


    There was a moment of silence.


    ¡°Like the souls that they lied to?¡± The White Statue asked.


    Edna paused as she realized. ¡°The [heroes]? No. We are not summoned like them.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want? If you seek to upset the structure I have created in their absence, then we will be enemies. I will y you here and now.¡± The White Statue dered. Edna was fairly certain she would survive any conflict.


    The knight felt the probing energies of the White Statue¡¯s domain, but again, it was ineffective. She couldn¡¯t quite sense what the White Statue was, though the founding myths she heard so far imed the White Statue always existed, and he held the light of wisdom that brought the men of the White Shore wisdom. It is so that they exist as productive members of society, instead of living as barbaric creatures in the farawaynds.


    ¡°We merely want permission to deal with the demons.¡±


    ¡°And deny us the experience we need?¡± The White Statue countered. ¡°We do not need help dealing with those creatures from beyond, or the lostmbs the old gods send our way.¡±


    Edna frowned, as she realized the White Statue probably has some means of dealing with the demon king. Briefly, was this something she needed to feed back to Hawa? This world didn¡¯t need help. So, why did Hawa still mark this world as a drain on their faith points? Something didn¡¯t add up. What happened to the heroes?


    ¡°I see. ¡± Edna said. ¡°Who do you do with those summoned by the old gods?¡±


    For a moment, the two just stood in silence, as both took a sense of each other¡¯s power. She roughly estimated the White Statue to be around Level 200ish, and probably had some means of dealing with the demons. Perhaps a collection of ancient weapons, or some unique power.


    The White Statue folded.


    ¡°We will send them back, of course. A swift death.¡± The White Statue dered.


    ¡°Death.¡± Edna repeated. ¡°You killed them?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°May we propose that you send them to us, instead? That we take them away from you?¡± Edna countered.


    ¡°For them to return one day and exact the old god¡¯s vengeance? No. My White Guards hunt them down.¡±


    The knight stared at the White Statue and for a moment, felt a sense of injustice. She tried her best to hold herself back, and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Are you dissatisfied with our conduct?¡± The White Statue asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not kill them.¡±


    ¡°They are a potentially rogue agent and a poorly constructed weapon of the old gods. Their presence only serves to create chaos, as their incredible potential is turned into the tools of their whims.¡± The White Statue dered. ¡°Such poor tools do not deserve to exist.¡±


    ¡°You could rip the ss out of them.¡± Edna countered, as she recalled what the Osroids or the rans did to the heroes. ¡°They be regr mortals, and at least, they get to live normally.¡±


    ¡°Even without their powers, their whims and thoughts are tainted by a world unlike ours. Ours possess a structure that is fundamentally ipatible with their world, and now, I realize your world has a structure ipatible with ours too.¡± The White Statue dered, and for a moment, the two auras shed once more. The entire city of ritas experienced a rare tremor, as the two domain holder¡¯s weight of existence mmed into each other.


    ¡°Have you spoken to the administrators?¡± Edna asked, and in an instant, the sh of aura stopped.


    The White Statue¡¯s white eyes glowed brightly. ¡°You speak of something I do not know. borate.¡±


    Edna realized that the White Statue must have not yet reached Level 250. Because if it had, it too, should be offered the choice.


    It possessed a religion centered around the White Statue. It was strong. By both counts, it met the criteria. Her mind thought of the angels of Angelworld, and that moment when they hosted the eight-winged angel, Raph. Would their presence here set off another chain of potentially hostile power?


    She closed her eyes. ¡°It seems you have not reached that level of power. It is not my ce to tell.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The white marbles of the temple moved, but stopped just as quickly, as if the White Statue realized it was useless. It thought quickly, and then, suddenly proposed. ¡°If you want me to spare the lives of the future summons of the old gods, then you will borate on this ¡®choice¡¯.¡±


    ¡°It is not my ce to decide. We will discuss your offer.¡± Edna said.


    ***


    ¡°I have a bad feeling if we tell them.¡± Lumoof said. ¡°From what you described, he gives me vibes like the angels. Do we really want to let him know about that future?¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t, we don¡¯t get to save the heroes.¡± Roon countered, and asked a rhetorical question that didn¡¯t really need to be answered. ¡°Is that important to us? Should we have to weigh what we want to do here?¡±


    ¡°Of course we do! They are heroes. Alright, let¡¯s look at our options. Let¡¯s start with the obvious. Should we go in there and fight that White Statue?¡± Ste asked, and it was met with silence.


    Lumoof waited, and frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea in the short term. At our stretched levels, we cannot deploy enough personnel to fill the power vacuum or maintain order. It¡¯s also going to be pretty hard to predict how these folks will behave should the White Statue suddenly disappear. The imprints on their mind sounds like it could go either way. I think we leave that option for muchter. It should be a nuclear option, once we conclude that the White Statue really is hostile.¡±


    It was an ufortable reality that fighting is often the easy part. Maintaining order, and advancing society were significantly harder.


    Was it worth it, just to save some heroes? It was a line of thought that Kafa raised. ¡°What makes a hero¡¯s life worth more?¡± Kafa countered. ¡°We¡¯re at the point where they are more of a liability. A rogue element, and I would even go as far as saying that the White Statue is right to consider them as erratic. Like we all remember what happened to Chung.¡±


    ¡°We need them because heroes can help defend the existing worlds. They can move around freely with nodes, and through Lumoof. They are our defensive pieces, and their situation can be managed. The more heroes we have, it bes less risky for us as a whole to rely on them.¡± Roon exined. ¡°And as much as I hate to admit it, heroes are worth more than normal people. Their potential to save lives is so much higher.¡±


    Ste squirmed ufortably. Discussions of the value of lives made her react this way. She knew how I thought about it. ¡°So we¡¯re going to tolerate this White Statue¡¯s murder of mostly innocent fresh heroes.¡±


    Lumoof sighed before he exined. ¡°We all make sacrifices, and I am cognizant that even Aeon¡¯s branches are stained with more blood than the White Statue. We¡¯re in no ce toment on the sort of sacrifices the White Statue made to achieve a stable, prosperous society.¡±


    ¡°I mean, that¡¯s fine with me. We¡¯ve all killed, some way or another, so, I think we¡¯re not really innocent. We just think that it¡¯s the right thing to do. But more importantly, can we actually trust this White Statue¡¯s offer? Is it an offer in good faith? What if it reneges on the deal?¡± Ezar, the brawler, then asked. ¡°I mean, there¡¯s really nothing other than our word and theirs to hold this agreement together. We¡¯re giving special knowledge, in exchange for a promise.¡±


    ¡°What does Aeon think?¡±


    I reviewed Edna¡¯s exnation, and personally, I thought it was a matter of time. ¡°If it has been defeating demon kings, it may be a matter of time before it reaches Level 250 anyway. By then, it will meet the administrators. The very fact we have informed him of the existence of these administrators is already revealing much.¡±


    ¡°My bad.¡± Edna said.


    There were sacrifices made in every society, and from what Edna saw on the White Shores, they made some too. I had my share of brutal experiments and demonic touches. If I could save these heroes in exchange for knowledge, it seemed like a fair position to take.


    ¡°Letting it know beforehand could be advantageous. Maybe it¡¯ll be a future god we can work with, or at least, reason with. Or it might be a threat. But for now, I don¡¯t think we need to see it as one.¡±


    I saw the heroes as useful, even if they¡¯re increasingly less so rtively speaking. If anything, saving these high potential individuals was worth it, even if we¡¯re sharing information with a potentially risky individual.


    Maybe it¡¯ll be like the angels, a force for order in a chaotic world.


    Maybe Raph was right after all. The world does need some agents for structure and peace. My approach may work for some, but I do not think it is the perfect one.


    In a world where the system grants so much power on individuals, maybe we do need gods that y a more pervasive role to mitigate the potential chaos of errant individuals with system-granted power.


    Anyway, that was a side thought.


    ¡°I think we can agree on this.¡± I proposed. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t deliver, then we know it can¡¯t be trusted. We¡¯ll deal with it when it happens.¡±

 303. The White Statue

    303. The White Statue


    303


    <b>Year 276 (Part II)</b>


    ¡°You know, I think our interaction with Osroids is gonna be pretty messed up too.¡± Edna said as she rested on a corner sofa. She stretched, and felt her muscles turn. They were all very happy to be home, even if there¡¯s a lot more to discuss.


    ¡°With creatures of that level of power, I¡¯m not surprised.¡± Ste sighed. The two female domainholders frequently spent time with each other, somehow, they both saw each other as a bit of a kindred spirit. ¡°Few things grow to that level of power without a little bit of madness. We all are mad in our own way.¡±


    ¡°Hah.¡± Edna said. ¡°You think that¡¯s the key missing thing to be a domain holder?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Ste picked up a ss and poured herself some fermented fruit juice. ¡°But at the rate we¡¯re going, every domain holder we meet is going to be unusual in their own way. They don¡¯t be domain holders by being normal.¡±


    ¡°What are the odds there¡¯s someone like you out there?¡± Edna countered.


    ¡°If you mean whether there¡¯s bound to be someone who can travel worlds? I think the chances are very high. But also, if you¡¯re like me and we have the ability to run whenever things get dangerous, all we¡¯ll be doing is to keep running.¡±


    The knight paused for a long, long time. ¡°You know, that¡¯s a very valid point of view. There really might be a domain holder that¡¯s only running from world to world and hiding constantly. Or a void mage.¡±¡°Yeah. Why bother staying and fighting when running is so easy?¡± She drank the fruit juice and barfed. ¡°I¡¯ve no idea why I drink such things.¡±


    ¡°You enjoy a little bit of misery.¡± Edna chuckled, as she suddenly jumped up. ¡°Did you personally agree with our choices?¡±


    ¡°Which ones?¡± Ste said, and somehow, took a second big mouthful of the fermented fruit juice. ¡°The node worlds, or the subdomain?¡±


    ¡°The one about the node worlds?¡±


    ¡°Eh. Could be worse. Nodes are disposable, I think it¡¯s fine to just correct as we go. I¡¯m nning to bug Aeon to continue our tour of the Void Layers.¡± Ste said, barfing again, and then walked over to one of her bookshelves. It was a magical contraption that unlocked only with her magical signature. ¡°I think we¡¯ll waste a few years, but we can afford that.¡±


    ¡°We could, eh.¡± Edna said. ¡°Alka¡¯s waking up next year. I wonder what he¡¯ll think.¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯ll think like us.¡± Ste said matter-of-factly. She chose a book written by one of the Valthorns on strategic expansions.


    The two women shared a longfortable silence. Ste sat down and began to read on one of her finely polished wooden tables, and Edna continued to just look out the window. The view of Freshka from Ste¡¯s mansion was quite good.


    ¡°Do you think we all think alike? That we¡¯re having a bit of a groupthink going on?¡±


    That made Ste pause, and turn to look at the Knight. ¡°Is that something that¡¯s bothering you?¡±


    ¡°A little. I was actually fairly ufortable at how the White Statue marked everyone¡¯s soul and injected them with a ¡®life mission¡¯. But then, I realized not a single one of their denizens thought that way. To them, having a life goal was good. It gave their life purpose, meaning, and it shaped how they directed their time.¡±


    Ste wanted to say something, only to stop midway and seemed to think for a long time. Eventually, she continued the conversation. ¡°And I think they have a point. I would¡¯ve loved to know what I was meant to do. Having to figure shit out for ourselves is a pain.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Ednaughed, at first, and then stopped when she realized Ste was serious. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s not that bad?¡±


    ¡°I mean, in hindsight, sure it seems that way, but back during the early days when I¡¯m still a lost, sad, depressed painter? Not at all. Those rose tinted sses are hell of a thing.¡± Ste said. ¡°I would¡¯ve given a lot to have a purpose thrust into my soul, and not just that, it¡¯s something I¡¯d even wholeheartedly believe in.¡±


    ¡°Do you think Aeon should do that?¡± The knight asked, suddenly. ¡°I mean, hypotheticals, of course. It¡¯s just something I thought about when I saw the fellow people of the White Shore, and I saw purpose.¡±


    ¡°What? No!¡± Ste said. ¡°It¡¯s crazy. I know that motivation and morale is a big problem over the longer term, but I still think spiritual tampering is still a step too far.¡±


    Edna nodded. ¡°I guess so.¡±


    ***


    Lumoof looked at the city of ritas, and the beautiful white marbled city. He sighed. ¡°Reminds me a little too much of the Magic City, and the prison of the Crystal King.¡±


    ¡°But a deal is a deal.¡± I countered, and through Lumoof, I could sense the White Statue¡¯s pulsing presence. He was at the heart of aplex web of spiritual connections that was then linked to almost every single citizen of the White Shore. More than anything, I thought that was a level of control even beyond what I was willing to do.


    It was simr to Bitu, only, more direct. It was impressive. In a way, though the people around us resembled humans in every way, their actions were guided, and so, they were more like autonomous ants than actual independent people. Only the people from the faraway wilnds were spared of the White Statue¡¯s spiritual meddling.


    Lumoof was right at the gates when the guards paused. Our presence didn¡¯t need an introduction, the White Statue must have known we wereing, because a full battalion of highly decorated soldiers stood waiting for us, armed with enough weapons to match the angels, and even Hawa¡¯s elite guards.


    The elite White Guards escorted Lumoof through the city. ¡°This way, distinguished guests.¡±


    The walk was brief, and somehow, the streets were empty. Not a single one of ritas¡¯s citizens were on the street when we walked.Somehow, they clearly marked this as a sensitive event.


    Unlike Edna¡¯s visit, this time, two of the strongest White Guards escorted Lumoof through the door, and the White Statue¡¯s domain pushed against ours.


    ¡°I see where yourpatriot¡¯s confidence came from. It is rare to see one that bests me in power.¡±


    Lumoof nodded as it felt as if two winds swirled around us. A hurricane against a tornado. ¡°Level 200 is still a very respectable power, White one.¡±


    ¡°Let us get to the matter at hand. I agree that we will spare the pagan god¡¯s summons from a quick death, you agree to tell me what yourpatriot hinted at. Everything of these administrators, and the gods you have met.¡±


    My priest reacted quickly, unsurprised by how quickly the White Statue got down to business. ¡°In return, we ask that all of the heroes are kept safely. We will take them away from your world when they arrive. I ask that they are fed, in a physically good state and kept healthy until we can retrieve them.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. You have my promise as the current master of the White Shore. Now for your end of the bargain. Exin.¡±


    Lumoof took a moment to pause, catch his breath, and then began his exnation. On our end, we saw no risk to the decision. Not an immediate one where we couldn¡¯t correct. So, he spoke about the Level 250 choice, the existence of the World Faith System, gave an overview of the faith system, and why their ¡®drift¡¯ meant they were fading from some worlds. It was a fairly peaceful process, where Lumoof exined, and the White Statue answered with a nod.


    ¡°And that is why we are here, and we still want to rescue the heroes.¡± Lumoof ended.


    The White Statue did not respond, but the fluctuation in the spiritual energies around us made it clear that it was deep in thought. The temple only had small windows, but somehow, the winds within were strong.


    There was a really long silence, Lumoof was used to it. He was around me so often that he seemed used to the hours I normally took to reply.


    The winds then gradually softened, as the White Statue calmed down.


    ¡°If what you say is true, my earlier punishment of the old gods as pagans was misguided. It truly seems that wecked context.¡±


    I was a little surprised, but then again, I suppose not all gods and domainholders are hostile.


    ¡°It is easy to assume so when the old gods don¡¯tmunicate.¡± Lumoof said with a sigh. ¡°Perhaps it is their arrogance. After all, in their eyes, mere mortals are still way beneath them. Informing us costs faith points, and there¡¯s nothing much that could be done even if we knew.¡±


    The White Statue clearly wanted to correct, because the statue¡¯s hand moved, but then, it stopped. Again, after a few minutes of silence, it continued. ¡°To think that even lesser deities like us remain insignificant.¡±


    Lesser deities.


    ¡°Less so. Less so.¡± Lumoof said, and he decided to go on the charm offensive. The rare moment of vulnerability suggested the White Statue was open to negotiations. ¡°But I see you have built a great world here, and you have a way of defeating the demon king.¡±


    ¡°We do. More specifically, I do.¡± The White Statue answered. ¡°As a statue, I can shift my being and presence to any of my other statues, and with that statue, I fight the demon king. I leave a little fragment of me behind, hidden amongst my other statues, so that I can regenerate if defeated. But we¡¯ve gotten better at fighting the demon kings, though in my earlier centuries I still had to borrow the powers of the pagan summons. This was long before this drift, and back when my world resembled yours very much.¡±


    ¡°It is an impressive thing to do. It¡¯s a feat few worlds can im to have achieved.¡± Lumoof answered. For a Level 200 plus to defeat a demon king isn¡¯t thoroughly impossible. Maybe it¡¯s power set was better suited tobat than mine.


    ¡°It is so. But we must look forward. If there is this option at Level 250, then I must now prepare for it.¡± The White Statue answered. ¡°It will take a few centuries to get the levels needed, since the demon kings only arrive once every 20 to 25 years. Unfortunately, nothing else provides experience like them.¡±


    Lumoof didn¡¯t want to suggest the obvious. He could also defeat the demon kings on other worlds. The White Statue was likely smart enough to know that was an option, but unless he mentioned it, he wasn¡¯t going to suggest it.


    There was no track record to justify continued trust, but its exnation of how the White Statue¡¯s soul was spread across all the statues revealed a key point if one day we were enemies. It was able to separate its spirit and spread it to all of its statues. It wasn¡¯t a full clone like mine, but still, a decent failsafe.


    Once again, the two stood as the White Statue continued to be in thought.


    After a while, it asked. ¡°Long ago, this world had two of the old gods. Hawa, and Neira. Have you encountered them?¡±


    ¡°Only Hawa.¡±


    ¡°I see. If you meet Neira, I ask that I be informed. I have some ancient grudges to settle. My existence today can be traced to a Neiran blood ceremony. A ceremony to bless a statue to serve as a guardian for this city, and our old pagan ways involved blood sacrifices. I was once a doctor, I forgot how many thousand years ago, and I was sacrificed against my will and my spirit was thrust into the Statue.¡±


    Lumoof looked, but off my head, without any special intervention, moving a soul from one body to another was such a traumatic process that only hero-souls survived. Our own experiences on our death row prisoners informed us that it is fairly difficult to encase a person¡¯s soul in a new host, unless special powers like mine were involved. Blood magic and sacrifices rarely met the conditions needed for it to happen sessfully. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t work. The soul usually doesn¡¯t survive such traumatic damage.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But I was no ordinary mortal. My soul was stronger. Much stronger, and so my spirit lived when thousands of sacrifices before me failed. It is a cruel irony that they were right to do so. I did protect my world from the demons for tens of thousands of years.¡±


    ¡°You purged all belief in the old gods?¡±


    ¡°Almost. I cursed them for creating me, but in time, I¡¯vee to a state of peace. Now, the wildfolks still carry on their weird beliefs, but there must be some chaos to give my men a concept of order and purpose, so I tolerate their existence.¡± At that moment, I thought that we were quite simr. The system encouraged conflict. Rewarded struggles, challenges. So, for Order to be, there must be a state of Disorder. ¡°The old dungeons too. We needed their special resources and the monsters, so I left them as they are. As controlled opponents.¡±


    In the end, the two domain holders looked at each other once more. Lumoof thought it was mostly over, and so. ¡°I believe that is all. If there is nothing else, we will return.¡±


    Again, another wait. It was not too long.


    ¡°It is most unusual to meet someone that I could finally im to be an equal. We will honor the agreement, I will spare those summoned by the drifting gods. And there is one more thing.¡±


    My avatar stopped, turned and looked at the statue once more.


    ¡°I wish to join your pantheon and this fight against the demons.¡±


    I was stunned, and Lumoof was too. We couldn¡¯t answer immediately.


    ***


    <i>Treehome</i>


    There was a quietness on Treehome. With so many of my level 100s deployed on the other worlds, the city¡¯s ultra high end market was significantly quieter. The merchants especially felt it, because many of their regr customers, those who belonged to my elites, were all away for long stretches, and that had a knock on impact.


    They still worked with my mid-tier Valthorns, many of them were busy preparing for their own trips to the other worlds. We didn¡¯t have much of a choice. The order may be a massive, and very powerful institution, but the very nature of how levels are gained and the exponential nature of the experience requirement meant it was a lot slimmer at the top.


    Those that provided ¡®lifestyle goods¡¯ to the elites instead have to redirect their production to provide portable goods. Goods that my elites could take to their faraway deployment. Even though a few years honestly just felt like a few weeks to me, for my elites and for the businesses, they still had to make adjustments.


    The crafters, those directly under our employ, and indirectly as subcontractors or outsourced manufacturers, continued to experience huge quantities of orders, though the nature of production now shifted towards infrastructure goods.


    Now that Lumoof, Edna and myself could handle demon kings, my central nners anticipated a slowdown in crystal bomb production requirements. This was a resource requirement that choked the world¡¯s economies, such that the past ten to twenty years were periods of ultra high crystal prices.


    Strategically, we would continue to rebuild our crystal weapons stockpile consumed during the Demon¡¯s Comet incident, but as a whole, the pace of this replenishment could be reduced. This would have a knock on effect on the prices and profitability of crystal mines everywhere if we suddenly reduced our purchases, so the Order as a whole continued to buy, though at a reducing trend.


    Instead, I¡¯d like to figure out a better use of the magical storage properties of crystals for the war effort, not as weapons, but as some form of utility tool. We already have crystals capable of doingputations, recording images, storing bits of memory, and we have also used crystals as temporary spell cores, where they created an area of effect that enhanced or weakened things and people in their immediate vicinity.


    I didn¡¯t have many ideas of my own, so I put it to the Valthorns for ideas.


    There was feedback on the ground for some kind of deployable protective spheres, so that the Valthorns could quickly protect injured nonbatants from attacks, from our experience with the natives. Alternatively, a mobile food and healing kit, stored as spells within a set of crystals.


    Maybe Alka would have some ideas when he finally reawakened.


    Deep within my main tree, Alka floated in a pod that dabbled with powers that made no sense to me. His body was reconstructed by an automated will that could only be the system, his flesh reconstructed in bits and pieces in a way that is more as if a perfect replica was being built.


    I tried my best to understand it, but truly the system understood Alka¡¯s existence at a level of depth that I couldn¡¯t capture.


    When I looked at Alka¡¯s reconstruction, I saw parallels with the voidyers and Shrubhome. Maybe the system had a mirrorworld where Alka still lived, and what happened was a perfect copy.


    It is times like this where I question the fundamental nature of the system, because when a world popped out of nowhere is hard to grasp for those without the mental flexibility to contemte how the state of existence could just flip from nothing into something.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. Just ept it.¡± Ste once said. ¡°The void sea is many things, and it¡¯s quite hard to pin down what it is. The Zaratan I met once said it is a state of all that is not existence, and more. It is a state of possibility. When we carve a path through the void sea, the Zaratans once described it as walking in a type of dream-like space, where things exist if you imagine it to exist, and could supply the void energy to motivate the void sea to respond to your imagination.¡±


    Even that didn¡¯t grasp the full scale of the void.


    Increasingly, I felt that staring into the void was like going into the inner workings of this world.


    I wondered if we ventured deep enough, did the voidyers lead to Earth?


    Or perhaps, an Earth-like world?


    ***

 304. Border Control III

    304. Border Control III


    <b>Year 276 (III)</b>


    Even though the interaction with the White Shore went decently well, it made us curious of the intricacies of the World Faith System, specifically, how the entire hero summoning system worked. So, Lumoof decided it was important enough to travel back to Hawa¡¯s core world to figure it out.


    Lumoofnded back in the world of Satrya, and the little relic in his hand whirled. Here, closer to Hawa, the item itself recharged faster. There was already divine energy in the world itself, and all the relic had to do was tap into it.


    Ste¡¯s ability to move through the void space is overpowered in it¡¯s own way. For one, it made it easier for us to speak.


    ¡°I have more questions.¡± I asked through Lumoof. ¡°Some of the worlds we encountered have powerful domain holders that have taken hold of those worlds, and protected them from the demon kings. Interfering with what they do to the heroes may cause a confrontation. How does the hero summoning work in detail? In such situations, can you stop summoning heroes?¡±


    <b>¡°Which worlds?¡±</b>


    ¡°The 13th world, Khubor, and the 15th one, White Shore.¡± I answered.


    The relic hummed, and then. <b>¡°Wait a moment-¡±</b>


    I thought that was weird.But a split secondter. <b>¡°Interesting. The system allowed me to cancel future hero summons for White Shore.¡±</b>


    ¡°Wait. You can do that?¡±


    <b>¡°I am obligated to summon heroes if I do not have information, or if situations change. But, if I receive reliable information that those worlds are self-sufficient, as gods, I can raise a dispute on my faith point spending for these worlds. The intention of the system is to bind the gods together for mutual protection. If there¡¯s no need for protection, I can raise an objection. The System permeates everything, it knows whether the information is legitimate or not.¡±</b>


    That made both myself and Lumoof wonder whether we could trick the World Faith System into verifying information on our behalf. ¡°But, why doesn¡¯t the World Faith System cancel it automatically?¡±


    <b>¡°The Gods prefer that everyone participates in an arrangement, rather than everyone opting out. There are also factors that the System may not be able to foresee. But for Khubor- It seems that my information is not yet sufficient. Did you meet said domain holder?¡±</b>


    ¡°-No. Not yet.¡±


    <b>¡°Perhaps that is how the System verifies whether you know, or not.¡±</b>


    ¡°Is this because you can¡¯t see those worlds?¡± I countered. ¡°Why can¡¯t you spend faith points to verify it yourself?¡±


    <b>¡°I could, yes. My information on these peripheral worlds is scarce, and all I could tell is that my heroes die. I feel the link of magic to the heroes fade, and that a demon king died. I do not know who participated in the battle, or how it died. It also does not help that there¡¯s a hugeck of followers on these worlds, so they do not transmit fragments of their knowledge to me on death.¡±</b>


    ¡°And you won¡¯t?¡±


    <b>¡°If you will meet this existence anyway, I may as well save on the faith points.¡±</b>


    ¡°True. You learn from people dying?¡± In hindsight, that seemed obvious.


    <b>¡°I learn from prayers. I learn from the death of my followers. I learn from those who have faith, and offer me sacrifices. It is the power of the World Faith System. Their Faith in me provides the knowledge I need to act.¡±</b>


    It is simr to my ability to collect souls, but the World Faith System does work on arger scale. ¡°Does this work if the soul gets stolen?¡±


    <b>¡°No. When the spirit of a dead person enters the void, that is when the fragment of their identity merges with the system, where I would then collect it. If the soul fails to reach the void sea, then I do not gain it.¡±</b>


    Ah. So Khubor has been indirectly cutting information off by stealing the souls of the dead. ¡°Why does the system force you to protect these worlds?¡±


    <b>¡°It is the old gods, each unable to trust each other, but need each other¡¯s faith to collectively protect the worlds from the system. So, the old gods weaved this requirement into the World Faith System in its nascent stage, topel all of us to do our part. A mutual defense pact.¡±</b>


    Trust, orck thereof. I saw parallels of this in so many things, where collective action is needed to get out of problems, but when each acted selfishly, it led to the worst type of oues. It¡¯s unfortunately just game theory ying out on arge scale.


    <b>¡°Naturally, the old gods didn¡¯t think the lesser deities needed to y a role.¡±</b>


    ¡°That does not seem like a glowing testimony of the other god¡¯s personalities.¡±


    <b>¡°Those who have power are often a little bit paranoid, even when they don¡¯t need to be. If you have a visit to the domain holder of Khubor, that will help my ability to dispute the hero summon.¡±</b>


    On some level, I felt it ratherical that gods still have to engage in information gathering to argue their own case. It¡¯s as if the system was this irritating system of governance that didn¡¯t want to move unless prodded.


    <b>Year 277</b>


    Alka¡¯s revival happened without much warning.


    It just happened one moment when his eyes opened, and the pod naturally unfurled to release him from his long sleep. Then, his domain expanded, reasserting its presence on the world around him.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to be awake. I was in a really, really long dream.¡± He said, as he realized where he was. Somehow, he knew I was there watching. Maybe it was my presence.


    ¡°Good to have you back, friend.¡± I said, as I alerted the rest of the domain holders. They were all on their way back.


    He blinked, stretched, and picked up a robe that was already gathering dust. ¡°You¡¯ve waited a long time.¡±


    ¡°A little. Seventeen years is a long time, and much has happened.¡±


    Alka looked outside, and he could feel it. ¡°I know I just came out of a pod, but I¡¯m already eager to head back and have a [dream academy] reying the years I¡¯ve missed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll have to wait. The rest of them are on their way here.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Fine. I guess they¡¯ll miss me after- seventeen years? Man, that long dream is so misleading, I thought I was asleep for only a few years.¡±


    ¡°Did you get anything for your sacrifice?¡± I asked, curious whether he leveled. ¡°Any new abilities?¡±


    ¡°Surprisingly, yes. I¡¯m now Level 171, and I¡¯ve gotten the ability [Physical Mana Manifestation]. It¡¯s the ability to turn raw mana, both mine and others, into a kind of physical object which can then be used as a bomb. In a way, it¡¯s pure mana as a bomb, no intermediaries, no need for crystals and all that sort of stuff. Right now, we store mana in crystals and various potato storages spread throughout the world, but this physical mana manifestation pretty much leaps through them and turns the mana emitted from our souls into a physical object that can be used as a bomb, and maybe a battery.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Wait. Doesn¡¯t that mean you could use my mana to create a very big bomb?¡± I said, realizing how this power interacted with my own extensivelyrge mana pool. Of all the domain holders, I had thergest mana pool by multiple orders of magnitude.


    ¡°Well- yes. There¡¯s got to be some downside to it-¡± Alka said, and after a few seconds, he figured it out. ¡°Ah. Handling. It¡¯s kinda fragile and could easily blow up. Because it¡¯s like pure mana in physical form, anyone not strong enough could easily get mana overload and mana poisoning. And it also decays over time, though rtively negligible whenpared to how frequently we use crystal bombs.¡±


    ¡°The bombs may be obsolete, though. We¡¯re at the level where we can handle demon kings.¡± I had to correct him, though I could see such a physical bomb as a powerful tool on the Sun-Rings. If we could blow it up, we didn¡¯t even need to rely on Hawa¡¯s divine weapon, whatever that was.


    Alka paused as the bombshell just hung in the air. After a few seconds, he spoke again. ¡°I really do need to get to that [dream academy] and have a recap of what happened in the past seventeen years. I missed out on a lot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. In a way.¡±


    At about that time, the door to the pod opened and the rest of the domainholders gave Alka a big group hug. It was a strangely nice feeling to see my domain holders give Alka a hug.


    ¡°It¡¯s really you, isn¡¯t it?¡± Steughed.


    Alka rolled his eyes as if it was obvious. ¡°Maybe. Maybe the real me died that day and what you see now is a perfect replica.¡±


    ¡°It is a perfect replica, physically.¡± I answered. ¡°But his soul is the same one.¡±


    Ste grinned. ¡°Good enough, I guess.¡±


    I allowed my domain holders to have a half a day to catch up, and then Alka, as he requested, had a long few days digesting the events of the past seventeen years in my [dream academy].


    ***


    We needed to hold the worlds, for a period of time.


    At least for one or even two demon king cycles. Alka had a lot of ideas in his mind after he reviewed the data, and one of the first things he did was calcte whether we could blow up the Sun-Rings with his new ability.


    Our initial information was fairly encouraging. It would leave a rather big hole, and the Sun-Rings are such a massive object that it would likely survive. If we could make bombs equal to ten times my current mana, it should leave arge crack. With Edna and Lumoof¡¯s ability to fend off the demon kings, we could potentially destroy the Sun-Rings if we hit it multiple times.


    I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯ll be enough to destroy the strange demonic barrier that blocked our view of the inner demon realms, but we will have to try.


    ¡°So, now that you know what¡¯s up, what do you n to do?¡±


    The dwarven master alchemistughed. ¡°Let¡¯s just say, I have some dreams I suddenly feel like fulfilling.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright, what will it be?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make a trip to Delvegard.¡± Alka said with a stereotypical dwarven grin. ¡°That seems like the best ce to get me up to speed and relive some of my fantasies.¡±


    ***


    <i>Lausanne, the world of Magisar.</i>


    Lausanne stood on the edge of their newly built city. There were few demons these days, in the past few months, even more demons were in, and increasingly, their once skeptical refugees and escapees from the towers began to see the merit of their ways.


    There truly was nothing like power.


    Sadly, not everyone saw it that way.


    ¡°There¡¯s a nned rebellion to push us out, mdy.¡± One of her subordinates reported during a regr weekly meeting. The actual Valthorn force deployed on Magisar wasn¡¯trge, only a hundred to two hundred. The Valthorn¡¯s extensive weakening of the demons, together with an alliance of the mages that supported the battles, gave the local Tower Masters the wrong idea.


    The Tower Masters presumed that the Valthorns onlyprised two hundred to three hundred or so mages, and they were thinking of overwhelming the entire Valthorn force during one of the battles against the demons.


    In some ways, the Valthorns supplied the ingredients for the Tower masters to n the rebellion. The destruction of various demonic hives meant the disruptions were removed, and the old [message]works were restored.


    So, the Tower Masters, eager to regain control over the entire world and ce as the rulers of the world, quickly plotted with their peers.


    In their minds, 10,000 mages across the ten or twenty or so towers would be enough to take on two hundred or so Valthorns. In order to make it happen, the Tower Masters would all deploy some secret teleportation scrolls tounch the attack together.


    ¡°Why do people do things like this?¡± Lausanne sighed, as she heard the full scope of what the Valthorn spies discovered. ¡°Do they truly think they¡¯ll win?¡±


    ¡°They might, if the Tower Masters themselves arrive.¡± One of Lausanne¡¯s assistants answered. ¡°They don¡¯t quite understand the full scope of our strength.¡±


    Both Ebon and Hoyia were redeployed to other worlds, and she looked at the report again.


    ¡°At least half of their mages will die if we let this attack happen. That¡¯s a massive waste of magical talent.¡± Lausanne said with a sigh.


    ¡°I think we should haul up the Tower Masters. Let them know what exactly they are facing.¡±


    Lausanne paused, as she thought about it. ¡°Is that the best course of action? I mean, how can we truly solidify our impression on the Magisarians that we truly mean to help them.¡±


    Each of them suggested different ideas, but was there really a way to stop the conflict in such a way that would show them the gap between the two forces? Something that would truly show the Magisarians that in a real ¡®war¡¯, there really is a huge gap?


    Something that would truly spare them the enemies?


    In the end, Lausanne thought of a few different ways to solve the problem, but ultimately, the solution was some variant of Aeon¡¯s Perspective.


    Fear.


    She hated using fear to convince others, but there are times there is no choice.


    Fear was a survival tool, and for those scheming against them, it would save their lives. There are those who didn¡¯t think it through. Perhaps the hold of their old system was too strong.


    It was hard for people to change overnight, what more such arge, cultural change.


    Fear was a fence. It would keep them safe. Conflict was inevitable, sometimes, this conflict was peaceful, sometimes, it was deadly. As Aeon¡¯s envoy to these worlds, they had an incentive to keep things peaceful.


    It was kind. She knew and spoke to some of the Magisarians that would rebel. They even fought together briefly during one of the earlier attacks on the demons.


    She tried her best for the charm offensive. To convince their minds that choosing Aeon was the right choice. But in the end, the presence of the domain holders on Magisar was fairly temporary, and only a few felt what is like to stand before what


    She double checked, and together with her team, came up with a n. One that would allow the archmages to go all the way, only for it to fail at thest moment.


    ***


    The Tower Masters wanted to strike during one of therger offensives against the demon hives. They saw that as theirst window of opportunity where quite a few of the Valthorns would be gathered in the same ce. 3,000 mages of the various Magisarian Towers were supporting the attack, and at the same time, about 6,000 more mages from across the field.


    Lausanne was there, as were ny of the other Valthorns deployed to Magisar prepared for the battle. Only about half of them knew of theing betrayal, so the other half that didn¡¯t would be updated at thest minute, and sent into the demonic hives first.


    ¡°Lady Lausanne.¡± A Magisarian mage came over, there was a trembling in his hands. ¡°Will weunch the attack on the demons soon?¡±


    Lausanne looked at the hive, as a Magisarian mage walked over. He was one of those who joined the refugee camps. Yet somehow, the Tower Masters promised him great titles, positions and wealth if he cooperated with their schemes. She would¡¯ve understood if it was someone like Lezzan, the old leader of the refugees that decided to side with the Tower Masters.


    Some of those left not because they were against the structure of society, but merely because they did not benefit from it.


    The Valthorns yed the political game of Magisar, and won the right to rule through their magical prowess. s, the game was there only when it benefited them. Already, the Tower masters whispered how it wasn¡¯t meant to allow foreigners toe and im the Towers, even if it was never formally written down.


    Lausanne looked at the demonic hives. It was quite far away, and the mage¡¯s pulse was ragged. He didn¡¯t have much sleep.


    The demonic golem hives were crowded, there were therge demonic golem champions. ¡°Yes. Soon. This is thest demonic hive. What¡¯s left is only the King, and we will get to that soon. Are you ready?¡±


    The mage gave a nod, but his bodynguage was unnatural. He knew today would be the day the natives would try to flush out these ¡®invaders¡¯.


    ¡°It will be a glorious day. The day of thest hive purged from Magisar.¡± Lausanne exined. ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll be recorded as the Battle of Nothlend¡¯s Valley.¡±


    The native mage could only nod.


    ¡°Maybe you have another name for today?¡± Lausanne teased, and she felt the native mage tremble. There was something he wanted to say, but he couldn¡¯t. ¡°Rx, it¡¯s just a joke. It¡¯s just the first step. Rebuilding your world is going to take a while.¡±


    Lausanne sighed, and tapped the Magisarian mage on the shoulder.


    ¡°Change is hard. Removing threats doesn¡¯t mean Magisar is ready to be a member of the wider world, and the society must be ready to contribute, just as it will receive aid and rewards for doing so.¡±


    She wondered whether he would hesitate at thest moment.


    The archmage ckmoore led the charge into the demonic hive, as the Valthorns struck first. They always did. The native army¡¯s role was just to support the Valthorns¡¯ assault.


    She nced at a corner, and sighed. The mage bowed as he tried his best not to expose their plot. ¡°I must go prepare, Lady Lausanne.¡±


    He didn¡¯t. It was a shame that someone she thought would be receptive to change still wanted the old order.


    Lausanne sighed, and felt a familiar hand on her shoulder. ¡°A good try, Lausanne. But do not worry, they won¡¯t be harmed in the little demonstration.¡±


    The elf nodded. She led the rest of the deployed Valthorns. ¡°Valthorns!¡± She shouted, as the rest of the Valthorn force gathered around her. ¡°Let us destroy thest demonic hive!¡±


    The small group of high level Valthorns roared, and they all charged into the demonic hives. Only Lausanne and another Valthorn stayed back. The scheme had begun, as she felt the activation of teleportation spells. The army of the local Magisarian mages grew, as hundreds more mages joined the existing army, and then, the Tower Masters appeared.


    She had to focus to feel them moving around. They didn¡¯t shine like the Valthorns.


    ¡°Attack!¡± The shout came from behind the lines, and Lausanne closed her eyes. She turned and saw a trembling mage. The same mage that spoke to her, and their eyes met. The magesunched a volley at the demonic hives. The hives were done for, anyway.


    ¡°Attack the invaders.¡± The second volley was the key signal.


    The mage steeled himself, and yet, Lausanne stared into his eyes and said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    He did, anyway. He raised his magical staff, as did many others, and they allunched a spell, this time aimed at the Valthorns.


    The spells were fired, and smashed into Lausanne¡¯s protective wooden shields. The Tower Masters flew overhead, they were armed in all their best weapons, and a battering of spells smashed into Lausanne¡¯s shields.


    ¡°Die, invaders!¡± They said.


    Lausanne¡¯s shield held. They underestimated the sheer gap of power between them.


    ¡°No one is hurt, yet.¡± Lausanne heard the same familiar voice in her head. She nodded.


    The Valthorns that knew of the betrayal quickly moved to protect their peers that didn¡¯t. Lausanne emerged at the center of a heavily damaged crater, and looked at the Tower Masters. ¡°So this is what you¡¯ve elected, Tower Masters?¡± Lausanne said with a smile that terrified the Tower masters.


    One of them had a look at the grin on her face and knew they had fucked up.


    ¡°You¡¯ve brought quite an army to support this attack, and yet your attacks fail to even get past my shields.¡± Lausanne dered. In truth, very few in the world could. Her shields came with Aeon¡¯s special blessings, and that meant her shields were always above and beyond everyone else, only those in the domain could match her.


    Lausanne walked towards the group of thirty or so Tower Masters, many of these floating Towers had a few Tower Masters, not all of them were here. They were wise to do so.


    ¡°All you¡¯ve brought is an audience for your execution.¡± Lausanne dered, as the Tower Masters panicked. The second wave of spells smashed into her shields and did nothing.


    The mood in the thousands of mages present changed.


    ¡°You must wonder why we are strong.¡± Lausanne dered.


    Lumoof¡¯s invisibility vanished right next to her, but his presence was zero. He hid his powers.


    ¡°Tower Masters,e.¡± Lausanne dered. ¡°Show me the nerve of your resistance. The fire that possessed you to fight us.¡±


    The Tower Masters did, a few of the ringleaders shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t fear her! She¡¯s just taunting us!¡±


    Their spells gathered, and just then, a wave of anti-magic spread throughout the entire valley. Lausanne nodded at Lumoof briefly, the [anti magic aura] meant not many would be hurt.


    ¡°Come.¡± Lausanne said, as the army of mages realized quite a few of their magical equipment and spells were not functioning.


    ¡°What- what¡¯s happening?¡± The disbelief in the army.


    Lausanne withdrew a spear of anti-magic, a pure ss weapon. To the magic-sensitive Magisarians, it was akin to staring into a whirlpool that drained magic from around it.


    The Tower Masters had to use higher tier spells that were unaffected by the anti-magic aura. They all smashed helplessly into Lausanne¡¯s anti-magic spear. She walked towards them menacingly, while the lower level mages were rendered not much more than regr, magic-less foot soldiers.


    Her physicality meant she reached them, and she gave them a punch. Their shields were useless, all it took was a light poke by her spear and its magical energies were sapped. They were not built for rigor. .


    The army of mages watched helplessly.


    ¡°These are your tower masters.¡± Lausanne dered, as she flung the bloodied tower masters on the floor. ¡°They led you, and told all of you that made you believe you had a chance.¡±


    She red.


    ¡°All of you are just fodder. They are more than prepared to see three quarters of you die, just so that they can stand atop of your world once more.¡±


    The army of mages of Magisar were generally below Level 60.


    And yet, to Lausanne¡¯s bewilderment, they raised their weapons. She saw in their eyes those who dared to fight them. If only they used that daring against the demons instead of them.


    ¡°Even before those who are twice your levels, do you really want to do this?¡± Lausanne asked, and those present were shocked. ¡°You might still think you have a chance against me?¡±


    She looked at the group of Tower Masters, and they were still somehow defiant. Their spells sted into her wall of wooden shields. Those who followed them attacked with their own weapons. Some of them held hero-items.


    A waste of such good weapons in the hands of lesser mages for the purpose of a power struggle.


    Why?


    Were they unfair to them? All they did was round up their army, and cobbled them together into a unified fighting force. And yet, they used that opportunity to rebel against them instead.


    She red at the Tower masters, and they did not relent.


    She saw courage. Misced courage, in the heart of the mages who believed they were fighting an upier.


    Were they upiers? Lausanne knew they were not.


    Yet somehow, despite their spies and allies, the Tower Masters managed to convince so many mages that they were. That these mages and wizards were freedom fighters.


    Courage. They were driven into a frenzy as the Tower Masters continued their attack. She could feel them use some kind of magic that blessed the mages under their banner, and raise their spirits.


    Words would not do now.


    Lausanne¡¯s eyes looked into those mages that stood against them, despite being so outssed. They believed her reluctance to hurt them as a sign that they had a chance.


    So brave and yet so foolish.


    She felt sad for them, because she did not really want to use Aeon¡¯s presence to crush their spirits. She had seen those broken by Aeon¡¯s presence, and it was hard for them to find their courage again.


    Yet the alternative was death. The alternative was a spell that would hurt them. Or a perpetual gueri rebellion as these mages continued to believe their chances.


    Lumoof waited. It would be her call as the temporary leader of the Valtrian Magisar Division.


    She weighed the odds in her heart, and finally relented. ¡°Lumoof, let us show them who stands at the heart of our organization.¡±


    Aeon¡¯s Avatar descended, and the air instantly turned oppressive, and the Tower Masters gazed at the sky, only to see darkness. The sun was blocked, as the towering presence loomed over the entire army.


    ¡°With each rebellion, and each resistance, the perceived value of your world to us diminishes.¡± Lausanne dered. ¡°Those of us here are trying to prove that your world still has value, and thus should be trained to be a part of the bigger war.¡±


    In the face of something like Aeon, somehow everything just stopped. The mages looked in foolish courage only to find an abyss of stars looking back at them.


    In Aeon¡¯s Avatar they saw the cruel reality that they never stood a chance.


    In that moment, Lausanne rushed ahead, and grabbed one of the mastermind¡¯s robes, and pulled him up. They were vulnerable. The Magisarians were never a physical kind, and next to Lausanne, this much was clear. Lausanne was a slim elven woman, but her limbs were all strong, dense, and flexible.


    ¡°We¡¯ve known of your schemes for a while.¡± Lausanne dered loudly to the man¡¯s face, but its intended audience was everyone else. ¡°It is quite convenient that you¡¯ve identified those with rebellious tendencies for us.¡±


    The army of mages all panicked, but they had no words. They were unable to. The pressure that pressed on them was now too strong.


    ¡°I had such high hopes.¡± The elvendy sighed, she spotted the traitorous mage hiding in the crowd. ¡°All of you will live, but your loyalties were tested today, and foundcking. Return to your home cities and towers, mages. All of you are now barred from all preference trades and all benefits with the Order are suspended until you¡¯ve atoned for your rebellion.¡±


    Through Lumoof, a group of three hundred or so Valthorns appeared. It was a temporary deployment, a force that was meant for the other worlds, but Lausanne borrowed them to control the rebellion.


    The Tower Masters could not resist, as Aeon¡¯s vines wrapped around them.


    Lausanne sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with youter. The rest of them, please send them home.¡±


    There was no need to imprison them. The fear will haunt them for the rest of the month. The power of [Haunted Forest] at Aeon¡¯s level is an imprint on their psyche.


    The Tower Masters knew they were doomed. Some of them expected death.


    Lausanne sighed, and still, she didn¡¯t want to kill them. There was no need for death when there are demons to kill. ¡°I believe these Tower Masters are in need of some perspective.¡±


    They were whisked away for a good year-long trip on Lavaworld.


    Thus, one of the most peaceful failed rebellions on Magisar, where the only injuries are some bloodied faces and bruises.


    But the scar on the minds of Magisar¡¯s mages will take an eternity to heal.

 305. Border Control IV

    305. Border Control IV


    Chapter 305


    <b>Year 277 (Part II)</b>


    I couldn¡¯t immediately decide on the White Statue¡¯s offer, and at this point, there was not enough trust between us to even begin offering it a position. In short, we barely knew each other, and we would have to wait for a few rounds of safe ¡®hero-returns¡¯ before we could seriously consider his offer.


    So, that was what Lumoof did. A simple visit, where we remarked that we appreciated the offer, but we were unable to decide on it, until we had built up a history of cooperation and trust. We would like to see it deliver on its promises to spare the heroes, and from there, decide how to move forward.


    The White Statue understood, and didn¡¯t seem hostile.


    A part of me feared whether it would retaliate for rejection, but then, if it did retaliate, then that solved whether it was someone we could work with, since it did not respond to what was a reasonable request.


    The problem was, Hawa had removed the World Faith System¡¯s future hero summons, and thus, there was no real way of testing whether the White Statue would hold up it¡¯s end of the bargain.


    On some level, the White Statue was not yet a threat. It had hero-levelbat strength, which made it very powerful, but it didn¡¯t have the means to move to worlds. If it did, then it had all theponents necessary to establish an entity like the Valtrian Order.


    Other than its past records of killing heroes, in aggregate, a White Statue-like empire throughout the multiverse would be a benefit, just like Raph¡¯s angels.There are forces within the Valtrian Order ufortable supporting an entity that could one day grow into a force that rivaled our own.


    But that is nature, isn¡¯t it?


    There will always bepetition, and those unable topete have to find their own niche.


    For me, I wasfortable letting these existences grow. I saw them as good, and it was not as if we were the only power around. There are still the old gods, and though the old gods are more ¡®clustered¡¯ in nature, they still formed a powerful force that would hinder the expansion of potentially expansionist empires.


    I believe it may be a good idea to send the White Statue to one of the demon worlds, let it experience what are the types of foes we face, and the lines of our war. Eventually, I would let it have it¡¯s first expansion, to one of the many new worlds that we encounter.


    I thought about Raph, and the angels, and wondered whether it was wrong for us to just avoid them altogether. Maybe I should revisit them someday, because by just ignoring them, did I just sweep the problem under the rug?


    Maybe I did.


    Maybe we all did.


    Knowing that, I thought about the White Statue and Raph.


    Raph and the Angelworld leaned strongly authoritarian, and in hindsight, that may be what is needed during a period of chaos, especially dealing with a popce that is not familiar or able to operate within more coborative methods.


    From those experiences, and having seen the White Statue¡¯s Empire, my previous action of ignoring them is unlikely to be fruitful. Instead, engagement and guiding them towards a peaceful coexistence would be better for the world as a whole. I believed that the multiverse was big enough for everyone, and even if it wanted to grow, there¡¯s the demon worlds that could be reimed to feed all their ambitions.


    Ignoring them and letting them sit in their own worlds may be a solution. Destroying them was also one.


    But I didn¡¯t think destruction was a good idea.


    Would I be better than the demons if I destroyed other races that could¡¯ve helped against the demons?


    So, we should do what civilizations do. Diplomacy and engagement.


    We should engage with both Raph and the angels of angelworld and also the White Statue and his empire.


    They could still be enemies. But at least we¡¯ve given them and their societies a chance to prove themselves.


    ***


    Meanwhile, the Valtrian order¡¯s priorities shifted to the rest of the peripheral worlds. The Valtrian Order deployed my nodes on the chosen worlds, and so we began our expansion.


    I watched with great amusement as the mages of Magisar attempted to rebel against us, and was quite happy with how Lausanne dealt with it.


    But it did quite suck that many of the interactions eventually ended with, ¡°We have the big guns.¡±


    Lumoof didn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°If we have the divine on our side, it is best we show it. Power must be known, and must be seen used. Only then, will the people remember it.¡±


    But Lausanne didn¡¯t. It was not her ideal oue.


    ***


    <i>Lausanne, Magisar</i>


    The single event reshaped the thoughts among the Magisarians. The mages that survived that event went back with their views of the Valthorns thoroughly changed. She could see it in their face, the mix of horror, awe, and strangely, hope.


    It was partly why she hoped to avoid that card.


    But she knew she couldn¡¯t. The mages were still eager to fight. She saw, even in spite of the strength she disyed. Even if she swimmingly overwhelmed the Tower masters, some people would die that day. Unnecessarily, because of lies from their old leaders.


    It was why she ultimately asked Lumoof to activate Aeon¡¯s Avatar.


    But it has consequences.


    It was not the first time she met people with such a reaction. She saw this same reaction in those subjected to Aeon¡¯s Perspective. The nobles were all unable to fathom an existence so much greater than themselves that they lost their ability to fathom it.


    <i>Gods.</i>


    Lausanne sighed. She was privileged in a way different from others. She grew up watching the big tree in her vige grow into the ginormous existence that protected their world. To those around her, Aeon was always a god, and they couldn¡¯t see Aeon as anything else. She too, believed in Aeon, but unlike others, she had seen Aeon¡¯s failings, and knew that even gods have ws.


    She saw how it was done, for most parts of the way, and thus she could see even a powerful existence like Aeon wasn¡¯t unreachable.


    A part of her wondered to herself whether this was the difference between those who could be domain holders, and those who couldn¡¯t. Somehow, she believed she could be one. No. She saw how it was done, and knew it was entirely possible. Those who aspire to be domain holders must make it a part of them. An innate belief that the gods aren''t something that cannot be reached.


    Yet, as she looked at the now subservient mages, she wondered whether such an act would cut off their ability to rise.


    The Magisarian mages would be sycophants. The new ¡®zealots¡¯.


    She heard of the news through their Valthorn informationwork. The White Statue imprinted a mission on those it met, woven into their souls. Lausanne knew that Aeon¡¯s Perspective, and using Aeon¡¯s presence on low-leveled existences was pretty much the same thing.


    It was an equivalent of a blunt smash into their soul. It was the equivalent of a battering ram breaking down the seemingly impervious castle gates. No one forgets something so clear.


    Even the Tower Masters.


    The slight trembling in their hand. The awkward jerks when she approached. They remember that moment.


    An imprint.


    It was no different to the actions of the White Statue.


    The presence of a domain holder affects all those who encounter them. Everyone felt the way their existence warped and influenced the world. Because they do.


    Lausanne feared that there woulde a time where Lumoof and Aeon were so powerful that the mere sight of them would turn those with weaker wills and minds into golems, and so, it is important that the use of Aeon¡¯s Avatar be limited.


    ¡°Lady Lausanne.¡± The mage knelt in front of her, and there were ten others behind the mage. He didn¡¯t kneel before this, but he was there during the day of the crushed rebellion. All of them were ¡°I- I wish to atone for my sins. We were fools for believing the Tower Master¡¯s lies.¡±


    Fear. Worship. Lausanne had seen so many mages who probably went back to their homes and realized that they would have died that day.


    It was pathetic.


    She shook her head. Her goal was to save lives, and she did so. There was no pointing to the peripheral worlds to save them from the demons, andter on kill the natives due to infighting and rebellion.


    It defeated their purpose. The peripheral worlds were not theirs to ¡®im¡¯. Yet, as she looked at the sorry mages who came, maybe they were already dead.


    She didn¡¯t believe those who had their wills broken had the capacity in them to be one of them. Not with what their task called them.


    In her eyes, Aeon¡¯s goal of extracting talent from the people of this world would have to wait for the next generation.


    ¡°If you wish to atone for your mistakes, do your job well, and teach your children well.¡± Lausanne answered, feeling a little resigned. It was a little sad, but for Magisarians with their human-like lifespans, it would just be a few decades.


    The mages nodded, and thanked her profusely. She had to resist a sigh. She wondered when Central would finally send over a [Mage Lord] to run the ce.


    She shook her head. No. She shouldn¡¯t think of her escape.


    She¡¯ll do her job well, until her part is done.


    ***


    Alka finally walked on thends of Delvegard.


    ¡°This is nice.¡± Alka said as he watched the chaos that unfurled in the valleys below. [Lord] Sundus apanied him, as were a few other dwarves, and they sat at the vantage point. The vantage point was protected by magic, and so the group saw it fit to bring wine, food, and tables. They all had binocrs or other sort of viewing tools, and watched from theirfortable location, while eating. There was a war between two of the dwarven nations, and they brought out a few of their big guns. Both factions deployed their gigantic war machine. ¡°But it¡¯s so impractical.¡±


    Sundus shrugged. ¡°The dwarves fight their wars this way. They don¡¯t do much covert warfare. It¡¯s pure mechanical weaponry and power.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps no one with other ideas would get sufficient funding and resources.¡± Alka said. The way resources were allocated in Delvegard favored those who preferred to build big war machines. It made them gain levels, and their craftsmen could then go on to build even bigger, better war machines.


    ¡°Most likely. I¡¯ve met a few low leveled crafters and they were fairly amused when asked to build other things.¡±


    ¡°If we could show them other ways to fight this war, they¡¯d quickly adopt and copy the new designs.¡± Alka said as he activated some kind of spying skill.


    Sundus paused. ¡°Should we really introduce new ways of killing each other to the dwarves?¡±


    Alkaughed. ¡°Fair. Have you wondered what it¡¯ll be like if one of Aeon¡¯s carriers came here?¡±


    ¡°You think- With all due respect, it¡¯s not a good fit, sir.¡± The Dwarven Lord stopped, a little surprised.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t. It¡¯s a joke.¡± Alka smiled. ¡°But now, have you ever wondered what the dwarves will do?¡±


    Sundus realized the question was serious, and momentarily sat there. ¡°They would naturally turn their weapons against us.¡±


    ¡°But the beetle carriers fly high above these dwarven contraptions.¡± Alka said. ¡°Barring the crystal weapons of the dwarves, there is hardly anything that could hurt them. Now, beyond that, these carriers are expendable. Consider what will happen to the politics of this world.¡±


    ¡°They will band together. But, we¡¯ll be like demons.¡±


    Alka said. ¡°And that¡¯s the problem. How do we stop people from fighting each other? In almost every world we¡¯ve been to, it is always a powerful force enforcing social order, because fighting is advantageous to the rebels. The one who cooperates and exists peacefully with their fellow men takes longer to get what they want, while the rebel who fights just takes and gets it now.¡±


    A ssic prisoner¡¯s dilemma. If everyone cooperates and coexists peacefully, there is potential to have even more than the spoils of war. And yet, because there is no way to enforce trust and peace without weapons, and the one who behaves peacefully is almost always at a disadvantage, everyone is then forced to prepare for war, which diverts resources away from a ce of wealth.


    ¡°So, we can do what Aeon did on Threeworlds and Mountainworld. Establish a colony and recruit people. Then, the natives turn on us because they fear our rising power, and then, they remember to keep their distance for a while. Is there a better way?¡± Alka asked. ¡°Would it be better if we came in with overwhelming force, so that we are seen as invaders, and force the locals to obey?¡±


    Sundus frowned. It was true what they did now on Delvegard was more of the same. Slow expansion by establishing a small base of operations.


    ¡°Or, we take what we want. The talents. The resources. How do we undermine what sustains the war on this world?¡±


    Sundus paused as he realized it was simr to how the Order drained the vassal wars of its fire. By taking out the winds. ¡°We steal all the void weapons. That would absolutely cut off all the supply of Sunsteel and Sunmetal, and the existing nations would have to resort to old weapons.¡±


    ¡°That is one. Two, we begin a wide scale collection of the talented crafters. Recruitments. Spies. We need to give the talented crafters of these dwarven worlds reason to leave, and also a damned good reason to join us. The academies are valuable, but its contents can be stolen. It is the people that we need. People who we can redeploy to build new types of weapons for use against the demons, instead of fighting these repetitive wars.¡±


    Sundus nodded. ¡°So, first, we need to engage in wide scale theft of weapons, and a good amount of private visits.¡±


    ¡°Great. d you see it my way.¡± Alka tapped the Lord. ¡°Can I count on you to make it happen?¡±


    Sundus shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll treat my best.¡±


    ¡°Good. As for me, I¡¯ll infiltrate one of these craft academies, build up a dossier of talented individuals, learn their secrets, and then, when we are ready, we¡¯ll convince those we can, and rebuild a version of the dwarven academies somewhere secure.¡±


    ***

 306. Border Control V

    306. Border Control V


    <b>Year 278</b>


    ¡°For the worlds that we don¡¯t intend to spend much time on, let¡¯s just go in, destroy the demons and the demon king. The locals wouldn¡¯t realize anything¡¯s different, and we fulfill our end of the bargain with Hawa.¡± Lumoof repeated. ¡°For those where we intended to deploy a node, we¡¯ll work out a more detailed n.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± The heroes and the domain holders nodded.


    ¡°Okay,e. Now let¡¯s go-¡±


    <i>Sarlpi</i>


    Lumoof and Ste led the way, and theynded on the world of Sarlpi. Once Lumoof went through, the rest of the heroes and domain holders followed, transported through my clone-teleportation ability.


    The demon king of Sarlpi was a fire demon, and it waited. The world of Sarlpi was heavily battered, though the few Order operatives on Sarlpi managed to create a safe space for the fire people that still lived.


    A few of them would stay back to protect the fire people, in the event that the ice people of the north and south decided to expand, though the unfavorable terrain meant it was unlikely that the ice people would be interested in thends.


    It was fairly easy to find the demon king, and the battle was now trivial.Sarlpi¡¯s Demon King died in a fairly quick battle. The might of nine domain holders and seven heroes meant what was a formidable challenge for a single hero was thoroughly trivial. The heroes could not believe how easy the battle was over.


    ¡°I like that this is easy.¡± Samuel breathed a sigh of relief.


    Prabu and Colette nodded. ¡°It¡¯ll be great if all demon kings are like this, but we have to prepare for demon kings that are like the one on Gigantadragon or Multipus.¡±


    The heroes gained a level or two each, and the lower leveled domain holders did as well. But for the three of us that reached Level 200, we didn¡¯t gain a thing.


    It was fine. We had to keep moving.


    ***


    <i>Capra</i>


    The forcended on the world of Capra, through one of my node trees. The Node Tree was safely ced in one of the Capran Mountaintop Cities.


    The Caprans were hospitable, and they were more than happy to send a party with us to witness the battle. The agreeableness of the Capran rulers made it easy for us to work with them, though a part of me wondered whether there was something we didn¡¯t see or realize.


    On some level, I suppose it didn¡¯t matter. As long as the Caprans cooperated, provided resources and talent towards our end goal, I didn¡¯t see a need to expect more from them. This was their world, I was just their temporary protector.


    Just like on Sarlpi, the battle against the flying demon king of Capra ended quickly. The moment both Lumoof and Edna got on top of the flying demon king, and properly locked it into the ground, the battle was mostly over. Without the incredible mobility of the flying demon king, the rest of the heroes and domain holders hammered the demon king to death.


    It was a very different style of battlepared to what the Capran literature depicted. ording to their old legends, the battles between demon kings and heroes often brought them acrossrge areas, as their battle crisscrossed the valleys and the towering mountains. As Capran attracted flying demon kings, and the heroes have flight abilities of their own, the old legends were pretty much aerial dogfights and chases through the valleys.


    The brutal, up close and personal nature of our forces were a shock, but victory was victory, and we were ready to move.


    Capra was free, and we would shift our direction here. On Capra, it was a time for recruitment and reconstruction.


    ***


    <i>Magisar</i>


    Lausanne requested that the battle against the demon king be a fairly quiet affair.


    The quelling of the rebellion left a visible mark on the way the mages conducted themselves. It was as if the fire in their mage society was suddenly robbed of their fuel. Depression and a sense of sadness seemed to permeate the towers. Those that didn¡¯t participate in it thanked their lucky stars, and the stories of how the rebellion was quelled turned more oundish at each subsequent revision.


    It¡¯ll take some time for this sensation to fade.


    ¡°Join us, Lausanne. As well as ckmoore. Those level 140 and above should join the final battle.¡± Lumoof offered the Valthorns. It was voluntary, but in the end everyone who was Level 140 epted.


    We knew from experience that those close to the domain needed it. Edna, Roon and Johann fought in numerous battles against the demon kings before they broke through that unknown barrier.


    The battle against Magisar¡¯s golem demon king also went smoothly, and quite a few participants gained a level or two, but sadly, it wasn¡¯t enough to make anyone a domain holder.


    It was disappointing, but it made sense.


    ¡°Our presence is making it too easy.¡± Lumoof said. ¡°But I don¡¯t see why we should stop doing it. There will be many other worlds to take more risks.¡±


    With Magisar¡¯s demon king defeated, the group moved on to the next world.


    ***


    <i>Great Steppes</i>


    The Armataurs and Lancias were incredibly helpful, and the way they treated the heroes were as if they were the walking embodiment of god itself.


    The priests of the two centaur subspecies were gifted with a way of noticing the presence of those who bore the touch of their gods, and so the presence of so many heroes created a controversy among the faithful.


    The treehome heroes were not summoned by Hawa, and neither was Khefri or the other heroes. In the first ce, their ability to locate ¡®their¡¯ hero only worked specifically to the hero summoned to the Great Steppes, and not elsewhere, but this was a matter that still confused them.


    The Armataurs, which worshipped Hawa, and the Lancias who worshipped a god I¡¯ve not met named Zulfa, and in both their religions, they only received two heroes during each and every hero summoning.


    One by Hawa, one by Zulfa. Thus, the presence of seven heroes meant the existence of many gods beyond what their creation myths stated. It was a cause of great debate among the priests and faithful.


    Some of these priests tried to exin it by some kind of exceptional summoning. Some of them spoke about theing of a third god, which only made these bunch seem sphemous to those who believed in the primacy of the twin centaurian gods of Hawa and Zulfa.


    In the end, the great leaders of the two centaurs decided to order an embargo on all information about the presence of so many heroes, in order to prevent any widescale consequences, and restrict the knowledge only to the small group of leaders from both sides.


    On our end, it didn¡¯t matter. Their decision came from the desire to maintain peace, prevent unnecessary discord, and protect the current social order of the world. The Hawa and Zulfa faith didn¡¯t need their followers questioning them, and since we¡¯ve decided to let them be, we allowed them to do what they wanted.


    We fought the demon king and won swimmingly, and the Great Steppes returned to a time of peace.


    ***


    <i>Treehome</i>


    ¡°How many demon kings are we nning to fight this year?¡± Samuel asked, slightly unprepared for how frequently he was moved from world to world. The few heroes met in a massive, luxurious lounge set in a mansion, and it was Prabu and Colette¡¯s family home in Freshka. The heroes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Colette answered, while she briefly nced out of therge ss windows. Prabu was chasing their daughter Rohana in the fields. Rohana invited some of her school friends over to y, most of them were children of the Valthorn elites that decided to have kids. ¡°But we should be moving soon.¡±


    ¡°Is it always like this?¡± The hero from Landas asked. ¡°Like- can we have some breaks in between?¡±


    ¡°Not really. We¡¯ve not had so many demon king battles in a single year, but the peripheral worlds are a rtively new phenomenon.¡± Colette rified. ¡°But if you want to rify the schedule, I think you should just ask Kei- and speak of the devil, she¡¯s here.¡±


    Kei walked in and waved. ¡°Oh, hello. I¡¯mte, apologies for that. I¡¯ve got the details on the next battle-¡±


    Colette cut in. ¡°Samuel¡¯s getting tired of the demon king battles. Could you suggest a way we can build a schedule, that way we get enough advance notice, and I can still arrange time for my kid¡¯s parties?¡±


    The crystal golem girl stopped and looked at the mage Colette a little bewildered. ¡°Seriously? You want me to schedule an appointment for each demon king battle?¡±


    Samuel stared at Colette. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant!¡± Maybe he was a little annoyed that Colette just used his question as an excuse to advance her own interests.


    Colette shrugged. ¡°I do think schedules are a good thing. For the peripheral worlds we pretty much have all the information we need, and with both Lumoof and Edna- hell, can we suggest that the domain holders take the battles on their own?¡±


    The former hero couldn¡¯t quite believe the words she heard, but then again, Colette as a [Liberated hero] is probably the only one who could say such things. The idea of not fighting demon kings is something that gives all the other heroes a great big headache. Kei looked at Colette, no, she stared at the hero, and the mage smiled.


    ¡°I mean, I get that Aeon wants to spread the levels around, but I kinda think it¡¯s experience that¡¯s wasted on us heroes? It¡¯s not like more levels for us actually help the greater cause.¡± Colette said, once again something only she could say.


    Kei rubbed her temple, unsure why her golem body still gave her the same kind of migraines a biological body would experience. Maybe it was a shadow of her soul, a headache felt in her spirit so it is then replicated in her body, whatever it was. ¡°I will bring it up.¡±


    ¡°Great! I think a good ratio would be one-in-three. We¡¯ll participate in one third of all demon king battles, and the domain holders can take the rest.¡± Colette suggested, more than happy to get out of demon king battles.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Samuel cut in, his face looked partially in pain. ¡°Why are you suggesting such a thing-¡±


    ¡°Because I can.¡± Colette smiled. ¡°Live a little, Samuel. You should find a wife, too. Maybe Khefri.¡±


    Khefri rolled her eyes, somehow a little more resistant to the hero ss¡¯s effects. ¡°No thanks. I¡¯m gonna head back to Threeworlds once we¡¯re done with the demon kings.¡±


    The two newer heroes, Wira and Rajah, still adopted Gigantadragon as their home, but they too asionally visited Freshka for a taste of modern life.


    All in, seven heroes. Prabu, Colette, Khefri, Adrian, Samuel, Wira and Rajah, all would have to work harder.


    Kei frowned. ¡°Well, there¡¯s two demon kings to hit in the Three Ringed World next. I suppose you want a break?¡±


    Samuel clearly looked torn, the effects of the hero ss trying to exert itself. So Colette answered for him.


    ¡°Yes. A break. Let¡¯s battle the rest of the demon kings next year. The domain holders can handle it.¡±


    Kei nodded. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll see what can be done, there¡¯s only the demon kings on Three Ringed World, Twinspace and Shasan left, a total of four demon kings. The rest are all freed.¡±


    Colette nodded. ¡°Great!¡±


    ***


    <i>Three Ringed World</i>


    ¡°And so we are here after all.¡± Lumoof smiled as the Valthorns followed. There were at least fifty level 140s, Lausanne and Ebon among them. ¡°Since the heroes opted to sit out the next demon king battles, it is thus appropriate for us to try and get some of you to be domain holders.¡±


    Everyone knew that already, and yet, it still frightened them. As level 140s, they were decently strong, and could generally survive lesser wounds. Their attacks were also fairly powerful, since they came well equipped with powerful weapons created over the decades.


    But death was a possibility, even with Edna¡¯s [Three Strikes] and various protective abilities mitigated quite a few of the risks.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go. Enough models and simtions, it¡¯s time to test out our abilities.¡± Lumoof said, and my forces descended on the demon king.


    In Avatar mode, through Lumoof, we could single handedly wrestle with the demon king¡¯s strength, and together we drained the demon king of its magic. With Lumoof around, we pretty much pacified the demon king Edna, Alka, and all the others went all out and the demon king died fairly easily, even without the heroes.


    It took us way longer, though. Instead of a battle that finished in two hours or less, fighting the demon king without the heroes now took us a full day.


    But we still saw that as a win, since we achieved this without using bombs.


    With one of the demon kings defeated, we rested for a few days, and then replicated it with the second demon king.


    It was quite a relief that the two demon kings did not assist each other, and instead, somehow operated independently. If we had to face two demon kings at the same time, that would make our battle slightly harder.


    So, we freed the Three Ringed World from it¡¯s demon kings.


    My Valthorns mostly gained a few levels here and there, and yet, sadly no new domain holders just yet.


    Maybe a few more.


    ***


    <i>Treehome</i>


    <i>The Holy Empire of the Southern Continent</i>


    ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the ce for me to go to.¡± Emperor Erranuel said as Lumoof arrived in his main chambers. The news of Erranuel¡¯s intention to expand to the other worlds made the nobles that had been eying for more power confused.


    Erranuel¡¯s holy empire was politically fractured. It always was, even though he tried his best to hold them together.


    But there were far too many vested interests, and Erranuel still felt like he had too much to lose by taking action. It was something Lumoof found pitiful. Maybe he didn¡¯t have confidence in the support he had amongst his own nobles. The Holy Empire¡¯s origins were the cause, the Empire in itself is a cobbled nation, forcefully fused together by the acts of the churches in order to resist the merchant guilds and also the Order¡¯s power.


    Thisplicated history merely papered over old faults and grudges among its member states, and so, Erranuel¡¯s role was chiefly as the mediator.


    He hated it all. Or maybe he was just tired of it, and desired something new.


    So, when Lumoof returned with a destination, we could see it spurred him into action. He nominated one of his trusted senior dukes as Regent, and then quickly rounded up a group of nobles, both loyalists and traitors, for the mission.


    ¡°Shasan is one of the worlds that didn¡¯t quite fit our needs, but it is a fractured world with desert and part oasis type of terrain that you should be fairly familiar with.¡± Lumoof said.


    ¡°It¡¯s one of your leftovers.¡± Erranuel countered tly, there were a few nobles seated around the Emperor.


    ¡°You could put it that way.¡± Lumoof continued without stopping. ¡°But it is a world that doesn¡¯t have a unified nation, and each of it¡¯s nations are fractured. They also follow Hawa, even if only at a limited level. With the right motivations and resources, I think you could do a great deal.¡±


    ¡°Hah.¡± Erranuel chuckled. ¡°Since you put it that way, then I must live up to my reputation. But first-¡±


    Erranuel nced at Lumoof and back at his own people.


    ¡°First, will you lead me to Hawa? My people wish to meet their god. I too, have many questions.¡±


    ¡°If you ept, we¡¯ll drop by one of Hawa¡¯s core world of Satrya. Whether Hawa graces you with his presence is between you and him.¡± Lumoof nodded. ¡°Your men and priests cane with you, though the very presence of your god would likely be overwhelming for most of them.¡±


    Erranuel shook his head. ¡°I believe my men¡¯s faith is stronger than that, but I¡¯ll take the challenge. Maybe, it is just what they needed.¡±


    ¡°Well, then get ready, we¡¯ll arrange for all of you to be sent to one of the weaker, chaotic towns after that on Shasan.¡±


    The Emperor would not be starting from scratch, because he would make the journey with a decent sized selection of soldiers and leaders. Maybe he was getting bored, and so the prospect of building a new nation thoroughly excited him.


    I wanted to see what others could do, on other worlds.

 307. Alka’s Delvegardian Journey

    307. Alka¡¯s Delvegardian Journey


    <b><i>Alka and the Delvegardian Yards</i></b>


    The dwarven kingdom of Ruthfyord was one of the powerhouses of Delvegard, and they were also the home of the legendary Delvegardian Yards,monly referred to as the Yards.


    Next to the Yards was the official capital of Ruthfyord, Kingsholds. To the locals, it is where the Dwarven King reigned, and the political, trade and administrative capital. But not military and magic, because the capital of that is the Yards.


    At this point, Alka had seen so many capitals and cities that it didn¡¯t impress him much. He nced at the map provided by the spies, and then, double checked his documents. It is incredibly easy to get the right dwarven merchants to provide a rmendation letter, when the right amount of money exchanged hands. Dwarves were not incorruptible, though their price tags were often a wee bit higher than humans generally who would often sell out their friends and allies for less.


    Alka¡¯s appearance was one of a much, much more youthful version of himself. A change in their appearance didn¡¯t take all that much of his strength, but worked wonders for espionage.


    He would infiltrate the Yards as a craftsman. ording to records and information gleaned by the spies, it would take about five to six years to rise through the ranks of the Yards, though, given his exceptional abilities, it¡¯s likely to be shorter.


    Alka¡¯s goal for the next few years was simple. Weave himself into the Yards structure, get ess or identify a range of ssified documents and information, identify and recruit potentially talented craftsmen for the Order and if possible, usurp the Yards from within.


    He wouldn¡¯t be alone. The Order¡¯s spies assigned a few other dwarves who would join over the few years at various levels, through different channels. There were also agents that would enter the other famous yards and workshops. Together, they¡¯d form a hiddenwork of agents that would then work to redirect the Yard¡¯s leadership.


    One of the challenges and learning points from the Magisarian rebellion, in Alka¡¯s point of view, was theck of discretion.The Order was too public, and moved a little too quickly.


    On one hand, Alka understood why. They had no choice. The world wasn¡¯t a stable ce, and Lausanne¡¯s goals were to save lives. For Delvegard, which is currently stable, their involvement could be more discreet, and they could keep themselves hidden for longer. An advantage he intended to maximize.


    The guard nced at Alka, back at his paper, and bowed respectfully. ¡°Wee, Craftsman Alka.¡±


    Craftsman. A title given to promising cksmiths and crafters who were then given a chance to join the famed Delvegardian Yards as a working apprentice. The passing mark was Level 30 as a craftsman, where they could be trained by the level 60 to 80 craftsmen of the Yards.


    The Yard itself had two main paths. The first path was the Craftsmen, which referred to those that would work with metals and build the war machines. The second path was the magic path, where alchemists, enchanters and mages, who would create runic formations, inscriptions, enchantments, all the other magical liquids andponents that went into the war machines.


    Alka was first and foremost an alchemist, but as the Yards generally treated its craftsmen better, he decided it was better to infiltrate the Yards as a craftsman. It would make it easier for him to get close to those who had talent, and sway them towards the Order.


    The two sides worked, studied and lived together to build the war machine, though they were separated in some of the sses and learning sessions.


    It was a fairly elite set up that worked well for the Dwarven Kingdom of Ruthfyord. Over centuries they umted military strength, and so they solidified their position as the best weapons and war machine academy in the world of Delvegard. The only such academy that could even challenge them, the nation of Airan¡¯s Delvegard Workshops, was on the other side of the world.


    He nced at his documents again. His assigned room was somewhere on one of the corner buildings. The Delvegardian Yards was arranged into long rows of buildings, with wide open spaces in between the buildings. The buildings themselves were each individually self sufficient, it had its own residential section, its own set of workshop areas, its own canteens and its own study areas.


    The wide open spaces were meant to facilitate movement of the war machines produced from the gigantic workshops. Even from afar, the first thing he noticed on each of the buildings were their giant hangar doors.


    It was quite impressive that these dwarves got to the point of developing their own walkers to counter the old demons. The information Sundus¡¯s spies gathered from the nearby towns and cities were fairly thorough, but it was quite hard for the spies to get hold of good quality historical documents. There were some basic documents and books, but history for most part only documented the great battles and victories of each nation. Only the King and perhaps its closed advisors had ess to the true history of the world, and the Yards reputedly had one of the best archives and records of documents from earlier days.


    Again, Alka understood. History is written by its victors, and so, the less the popce knew about the truth, the easier it was to shape the mindset of its people.


    Alka looked at the open spaces between each of the blocks, and along some of those empty fields, smaller war machines battling it out. Their means of battle were mainly physical attacks, where the war machines attacked each other using their legs and arms. Magical weapons and energy weapons would only be activated when battles were fought in the special areas located in a different block.


    Alka looked around and saw about twenty other new craftsmen walk through the door. They all stared and looked around equally bewildered and happy. One of the new dwarven students walked a few steps, and suddenly got down and kissed the stone floor.


    He could hear the dwarf student making a prayer to Eras for guiding him here. The others just groaned. ¡°Ohe on, don¡¯t embarrass our year.¡±


    It made him think of Freshka Treetiary College. There were simr reactions in young recruits when they visited the FTC for the first time.


    There were supposed to be about thirty new craftsmen this year, and they would be split to each of the five main blocks. Each of the blocks were rivals, so most of these would be his rivals. Alka chuckled, and checked his document again.


    The five blocks were named after the five past kings of Ruthfyord. Ruthen, Arden, Melden, Furden and Carden. Alka didn¡¯t know why Ste chuckled when she heard the names, but it was probably one of those Earth things Alka didn¡¯t get. Maybe it was the rhyming names.


    ¡°Block Arden.¡± Alright. Alka nodded, got himself settled into a fairly cozy room, and quickly met his supposed ¡®batchmates¡¯. In the first two weeks, he generally kept a low profile, and focused on understanding how the entire system worked. Using tools from the Order, he installed additional surveince tools to keep tabs on the inner workings of the institution.


    One of the first things he deployed were tiny surveince golems, made by the golem masters of Treehome. They would spread out and nt themselves throughout different parts of the Delvegardian Yards, and report the interactions back to him.


    ¡°Everything alright?¡± Alka heard Aeon check in through the familiar.


    ¡°Yeah. All settled in.¡± Alka responded. He didn¡¯t have to do this, but the situation on the peripheral worlds was stable, and Alka wanted to do something different, just to satisfy his curiosity.


    Maybe it was one of those things that he wanted to do, since his temporary death.


    Alka remembered a feeling of floating about, and when he reemerged from Aeon¡¯s pod, he felt like he was born again.


    He felt he missed out. So now, he sought out these experiences. To do something different. Going to an academy and taking over it seemed like a fun thing to do.


    ***


    <i>A monthter</i>


    ¡°Alka! Come, join us! We are meeting some seniors and the head of the Arden block!¡± One of Alka¡¯s fellow blockmates mmed on his bedroom door. Alka groaned as he climbed out of bed.


    The bed wasn¡¯tfortable, so he had it secretly reced. A shadow emerged right next to his bed and Alka¡¯s sleepy eyes opened to stare at an absolute lookalike of himself. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Ally, I¡¯ll go for this one.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Ally answered, in the form of Alka¡¯s lookalike. A body created to look like him vanished into the shadows, and the domain holder walked to the door.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Alka smiled. Acting wasn¡¯t his strongest suit, but it was fairly easy to get used to an environment where there¡¯s a lot of work to be done.


    As new recruits of the Yards, they began by making supplementary equipment for the various war machines. These were things like weapon mounts, recement ws and arms, recement shields, or just gears and parts for all the variousponents of the Delvegardian war machines.


    War machines came in tiers, thergest were the King Spiders, and those were the biggest at about the size of arge building and were about the size of the demon walkers. Below that were the Prince Spiders, which were about the size of arger room. Then, there were the Lord-Spiders, which were generally the size of a bed. The definition, per the Yards¡¯ rules, were governed by the size of their workshop doors.


    War machines were simr to golems and warships in many ways. Just like warships, they came with inbuilt abilities bestowed by their creators, which could then be amplified by the abilities of their pilots or controllers. Mages and enchanters could inscribe runic formations and patterns to give war machines even more power.


    Sunsteel was thus the perfect material for these war machines. Strong, light and magicallypatible, though they needed to be forged with Ice Crystals, a process then known as cold forging. Ste remarked it sounded quite like the mythical mythril, though we didn¡¯t know whether it was even simr.


    The yards wanted Craftsmen to be trained to a high level, since stronger craftsmen gave their war machines stronger skills, which was then amplified by the enchantments that went into the war machines, and also the pilot¡¯s own skills. It was for this reason that theserge things are so dangerous. Each of them represented the skills and powers of multiple people that coalesced into a single tool for destruction, though the Sunsteel was a big part of why they took this direction.


    On Treehome, Aeon¡¯s crafters and golem builders constructed golems and other such structures to fairly good results, but ultimately, the materials had limitations on how much innate strength they had, and how much magic power can be worked into them. This meant there was a cap on how much stronger Treehome¡¯s machines got, even if their crafters were better. On Treehome, it was warships with theirrge sizes, multiple skilled crews, that went crazy with their outfits and equipment.


    ¡°Everything alright, Craftsman Alka?¡± A supervising crafter, around level 60 or so walked past Alka, and noticed him staring nkly. He then quickly took a peek at Alka¡¯s work, and answered before Alka could respond. ¡°Everything looks good. Amazing, even. Keep up the good work.¡±


    Alka nodded. In the Yards, the craftsmen worked with and trained with other budding dwarven alchemists and enchanters, who were also students going through their own set of challenges.


    On top of that, they spent quite a bit of time testing out designs, and to a limited degree, work on the Sunsteel and Sunmetalponents, mainly as assistants to more senior craftsmen. As the construction of the giant King Spiders took almost a full year, the chief engineer¡¯s ns were stered right at the top, and thenponents of it were then distributed to each of the different groups.


    It was familiar. The golem factories and golem magic schools that emerged in the past few decades on Treehome had a simr vibe. Those institutions had a hard time recently due to the crystal shortages, but the golems have been a fairly reliable workforce that supported industrial work.


    Alka stood, and watched the group of eager fellow craftsmen trying to learn from the more senior dwarven craftsmen. Dwarves by their nature were more direct, and so, he was fairly pleased to find some of the more insidious forms of politicking were notmon in the Delvegardian Yards.


    There really was a fairly genuine desire to learn and be actual better craftsmen. But rivalries weremon, and that manifested in duels. It was apparently such amon thing that the heroesughed when he reported it.


    ¡°So, Alka, I heard you¡¯re the best one in your batch.¡± The senior then walked over to Alka and taunted him. Alka merely shrugged. Another challenge.


    ¡°Yes. What of it?¡± Humility wasn¡¯t a strong suit for dwarves, either. Alka didn¡¯t get to where he was without being proud of what he¡¯s done. If he¡¯s good, he¡¯s good.


    ¡°Oh. Confident! You think you can make a better war machine than me?¡±


    Alka looked at the senior. He was supposedly in his 3rd year, and due to the adversarial,petitive nature of the Delvegardian Yards, the craftsmen and builders would gain levels from challenging each other. ¡°Is that a challenge, senior?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The senior grinned. His batch smiled, eager to watch another fight.


    ¡°Oh, our Alka¡¯s actually challenging the senior!¡±


    Alka nodded. What kind of domain holder would he be if he couldn¡¯t even face a challenge even if he¡¯s here with different intentions. ¡°So, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it the old fashioned way.¡± The senior smiled. ¡°Two-on-two, Lord-ss war machines fight till the other gives up or the war machine¡¯s core is destroyed.¡±


    Alka shrugged. ¡°Two-on-two? Sure.¡±


    ¡°You may pick one of your friends to help.¡±


    Alkaughed. ¡°That will not be necessary.¡±


    ¡°You may be skilled, but don¡¯t be too cocky.¡± The senior countered.


    ***


    War machines. The people of Delvegard were beholden to certain ways of battle. Big towering machines, big frightening weapons and powerful beam weapons.


    It was due to the types of the battles they frequently fought, and the power levels of therge war machines. Or maybe it was the sense of security and armor ting therger war machines had.


    But Alka had many advantages as an alchemist of his level. One area where Alka excelled is in the use of alchemical lubricants and greases, and the use of various oils and greases to improve performance was still quite primitive among the Delvegardian engineers.


    ¡°Such a small machine?¡± The senior taunted Alka. ¡°And only one?¡±


    Alkaughed, as he climbed into his small war machine. It was a small,pact war machine with small arms but engineered to attack and move with far greater speed than what most war machines were capable of. ¡°I only need one to win, seniors.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The senior and his friend¡¯s war machine charged. ¡°Then don¡¯t say we are too rough on you.¡±


    Alka grinned, and his war machine moved faster than the other two. The lubrication in the joints meant they moved far faster than his foes. He was able to strike with pinpoint precision. He knew exactly where each of the war machine¡¯s weaknesses were, and was able to destroy their joints with his small but powerful strikes.


    The small crowd of other craftsmen watched in awe as Alka somehow systematically disassembled the tworger war machines.


    It would not be thest time when Alka was challenged by other craftsmen of the Yard. It was intentional. This would get him the attention of even more talented craftsmen who would love to battle a rising star.


    Dwarves respected ability, and just like that, the two seniors couldn¡¯t help but be in awe of Alka, amazed. ¡°Where- where¡¯d you learn how to build war machines like that?¡±


    Alka smiled, and ced his bait. ¡°Somewhere far, far away. Would you all like to visit, someday?¡± If they are worth anything, they will be recruited.


    Predictably, they nodded. In fact, some of the other craftsmen in Alka¡¯s batch even joined in. ¡°Can we visit too, Alka?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Why do dwarves fight each other?¡± Alka asked during one of the regr beer gatherings in their block. Everyone was fairly happily drunk by then, and Alka made it a point to attend them regrly. So much so that he did feel quite close to these fellow students, and hoped they did well in the future.


    ¡°Because we¡¯re idiots.¡± One of the seniors answered.


    ¡°Craftsman Alka, if you¡¯re trying to get us to say something that¡¯ll get us in trouble, don¡¯t.¡± One of his batch countered. Alkaughed.


    ¡°Seriously.¡± Alka said. ¡°You¡¯ve never thought about it? Craftsmen, alchemists, enchanters. The weapons we build will be used on people just like you. Other workshops build things like this, and the dwarves fight to the death with them. It would be better if conflict could be resolved in more peaceful ways.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± One of the seniors said, as he drank his seventh mug of beer. ¡°But what can we do about it? Those in power are not going to change. So long as there are kings, territories and politics, conflict is inevitable. Those who are strong do not see the problem when they exert their power over others.¡±


    ¡°What if there is a way out?¡± Alka said. ¡°What if you don¡¯t have to fight each other, but you can use it on the demons?¡±


    ¡°Demons?¡± The seniors looked at each other. ¡°Wait, the demons areing in a decade or so? Maybe two?¡±


    ¡°No. Now. Look outside, and look at the night sky. There are other worlds out there, all with demons. There are people fighting them everywhere.¡±


    Those present stared at him like he was half insane. ¡°Craftsman Alka, how many beers did you drink to say this sort of thing?¡±


    One of the alchemist-students in the drinking sessionughed. ¡°Have you been snorting some kind of dreaming herb, Alka?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s very real, my fellow friends. I¡¯d love to show them to you someday. The war against the demons rage on in thousands of worlds.¡±


    ¡°Hah. I¡¯ll chop up my leather belt and make soup with it if it¡¯s real.¡± A senior taunted, yet Alka could tell some of them felt inspired by it.


    Alka chuckled. ¡°Oh, my good senior, I¡¯ll take that bet.¡±


    ¡°When will you show us?¡±


    Alka touched his beard. ¡°I promise you then, within the next two years.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re on.¡±


    He could tell that the rest of his batch were looking at him as if he was insane. But Alka had to nt the seed. Let such thoughts fester in their minds. One day, when he finally open the door and show them what exists beyond Delvegard, it will all make sense.


    ***


    Time passed quickly, and just like that, it¡¯s been nine months since Alka joined the Delvegardian Yards. Throughout this time, he made copies of various schematics. Their different origins meant they had design ideas that were worth looking into at great detail. They were also a significantly older institution, the Delvegardian Yards had a history of over a thousand years, which made them older than Freshka.


    Generations of craftsmen and dwarven engineers incrementally improved their workings, and Alka found that it was in small things where Treehome¡¯s craftsmen could learn from. The slightly different ways screws and bolts were made, or how they were all welded together. Treehome generally had a rapid development of magical equipment, but there were minor efficiency differences that the Delvegardian engineers made to their tools, defensive tings and war machines that Treehome could learn from.


    Alka, within that nine months, had risen the ranks. Within the Yards, most newbies were craftsmen, but they could be promoted to be senior if they were good enough. Usually, this happened after the 2nd year, because the constant honing and battles amongst the craftsmen and their war machines improved their skills.


    The craftsmen and seniors of the Yards were initially skeptical, but they couldn¡¯t match Alka¡¯s capabilities, which were much more sophisticated than them.


    This eventually caught the attention of someone higher up in the chain.


    Someone knocked on the door. Ally took the door. It was one of the Yard¡¯s senior craftsmen. He spoke to him a few times.


    ¡°Craftsmen Alka, the Block Master wishes to see you.¡±


    Ally nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    The door closed, and Ally looked at Alka.


    ¡°Should I go? He¡¯s been spying on us and looking into what you¡¯ve made.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll handle it. Let¡¯s see what the Block Master wants from me.¡± Alka said. ¡°I expected this confrontation for a while. I may need you to shapeshift and be his body double.¡±


    Ally nodded, as its body transformed to resemble that of the Block Master. As a parasite spy, it was able to reconfigure the body to match its appearance, and even copy a certain set of abilities. As a Titan of Aeon, Ally¡¯s level 80ish presence meant no one would even doubt it was the block master.


    Then, Alka activated hismunication ability. ¡°Ste, I might need a portal soon. Got someone I might have to kidnap.¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡±


    ***


    The Block Master was one of the five middle masters of the Yards, one for each of the Blocks, and they reported to the Forge Master, who was the former King of the kingdom. Each block master is individually powerful rtive to the rest of Delvegard, and Alka estimated they were likely close to their level cap, at about Level 80 to 85.


    ¡°Beer, Craftsman Alka?¡± The Block master offered as Alka walked into his study.


    Alka nodded. There was no one here except the two. ¡°I normally don¡¯t drink, but if it is the block master, I will.¡±


    The drink was spiked. A rare move from the dwarves that preferred more direct means, but Alka was immune to such weak poisons. Aeon¡¯s familiar purged it instantly.


    The Block Master stared at him. ¡°So tell me, Alka, who are you? Your record and innovations is unmatched from anyone in our history, and you clearly have knowledge of something that¡¯s not from the Yards¡¯ repository of knowledge.¡±


    Alka smiled at the Block Master. ¡°You clearly have some idea already, block master. Why not tell me what¡¯s your theory, and I¡¯ll tell you whether it¡¯s right.¡±


    The Block Master stared at Alka. ¡°That¡¯s not a way to talk to someone that is your Block Master.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. But I¡¯d love to hear your thoughts.¡± Alka countered.


    The block master stared at Alka, and Alka didn¡¯t flinch. ¡°Fine. My first suspicion is that you are an agent of the Airan Workshops trying to destabilize us. But I¡¯ve looked at your war machines and realized they don¡¯t match anything the Airan Workshops are capable of. So, if you are not from the Airan Workshops, then the only other entity able to train a genius of your level would be the highly secretive Shadow Hangars.¡±


    Shadow Hangars. That was something Alka wasn¡¯t aware of. It was clearly intel that Sundus was unable to obtain, because it only lingered in the very small circle of senior members of the Yards, and not frequently discussed. ¡°Oh? And what is it about the Shadow Hangars?¡±


    The Block Master stared. ¡°We destroyed the Hangars thirty years ago. Are you here for vengeance? Infiltration is the sort of tactics these foul corrupted dwarves believe in.¡±


    Alka smiled, a little amused how wrong he was. ¡°Really? And you think I¡¯d be here for something like vengeance?¡±


    ¡°Why else did youe and humiliate the rest of our craftsmen like this? Is this how the Hangars want to exert superiority? Are you here to recruit the students?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not.¡± Alka countered. ¡°However, I am here to recruit your students.¡±


    The Block master stared. ¡°-what-¡±


    ¡°In fact, Block Master, I think you¡¯re a fairly talented craftsman too. Would you like a tour of what we have to offer?¡±


    The Block Master was horrified. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Is that a no?¡±


    The Block Master and Alka exchanged nces, as if he was trying to gauge Alka¡¯s statement.


    ¡°Would you like to see where I learned how to do what I do? I¡¯ll take you on a trip, it wouldn¡¯t even take long.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± The Block Master seemed fairly surprised, but decided to y along. ¡°Then, yes. Show me where you learned how to do what you did.¡± The Block Master said, probably thinking Alka was just going to reveal his secret. Alka somehow blinked right next to the Block Master.


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go on a little trip.¡± The two vanished through a void portal.


    ***


    Alka and the block master arrived in Treehome, inside one of the many industrial buildings within the wider Freshkan area, and the block master stared. ¡°What- what did you do?¡±


    ¡°What do you think about the state of Delvegard, and how the dwarven nations constantly fight each other?¡± Alka ignored his question.


    The Block Master looked around, and noticed the far more busy city around him. ¡°-what- where am I?¡±


    ¡°Another world, Block Master. The air feels different here, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It does.¡± The Block Master kept looking around, and was trying his hardest to stop it. ¡°Where are you taking me?¡±


    ¡°To where my people create weapons used to fight against our real foes. So I ask again, Block master, what do you think about the state of Delvegard? Do you think your beautiful weapons are wasted on ughtering the lives of your fellow dwarves in your brutal battles?¡±


    ¡°It- it is what we have to do. The Lords and Kings do not want to bow to others. Our kings, they are proud dwarves.¡±


    ¡°Pride. It¡¯s led to such a waste of life.¡± Alka sighed, and the door swung open to reveal a vast industrial factory where crystal weapons were made by the thousands. The block master stared in disbelief. ¡°I have a proposition to make to the dwarves of Delvegard, Block Master. The war between dwarves is unnecessary. Useless. Wasteful. Instead, I ask the dwarves, talented ones like yourself, to devote your efforts against the real enemies of the wider world.¡±


    The Block Master looked at the crystal weapons. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Demons, Block master. Delvegard has been a lucky world, a world where the demons onlye once a century. But the other worlds are not so lucky. This world once faced demons every decade.¡±


    The block master blinked, unable to fathom it. He was a rtively old dwarf, at about 160 to 180 years old, and he saw the demons once when they arrived about 80 to 90 years ago. It was a horrible time, but the dwarves banded together and with the help of the Dwarven Hero, pushed the demons back. The thought of such monstrosities invading the world once a decade was hard.


    ¡°Imagine for a moment, what we could achieve if Delvegardian war machines were paired with the magical equipment of my world?¡±


    The Block Master watched for a moment, even at this distance he knew enough to get a rough sense of the sort of equipment that was being made. ¡°You really are recruiting me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Alka said. ¡°I will recruit everyone I can, Block master, and I want you to help me.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think we would join you?¡±


    ¡°Because now you use your weapons on your fellow dwarves while I offer to use your weapons on demons. Because now you are capped behind your levels, stuck at level 85 to 90 unable to reach beyond, while we have our ways of reaching in the steps of divinity. Because now, your people¡¯s purpose is no more than to satisfy the whims of your kings, while we offer the chance to serve a power and purpose that would save many from these demons, and also elevate many more to join us.¡±


    The block master stared, as Alka led him through the factories and intorger barracks made up of Valthorns preparing for their next deployment on the peripheral worlds.


    ¡°Look around you, Block Master. These are mypatriots. They will serve in battles against the demons. We have taken the battles beyond our homes and reached into the shores of the demon worlds. The dwarven blood thirsts for war, Block Master. It is why dwarves are only able to unite during the demon king crisis, but after that, the dwarves cannot help but fight each other.¡±


    A void portal whirled in front of him, and Alka led the Block master through to the peripheral world of Sarlpi. Here, they witnessed Valthorn warriors hunt down the rest of the fire-elemental demons that still remained on Salrpi.


    ¡°I offer to take your nation¡¯s warriors and war machines, and I offer them the glory, destruction and war of the demonnds. So, Block master. I am recruiting. Death. Blood. Destruction and Suffering awaits the warriors who join our cause, but my fellow dwarves aspire to more than just beer, politicking, and building war machines to ughter their fellow dwarves.¡±


    It was a long, long silence.


    Alka allowed his words to sink in, as they followed the destruction left by the Valthorns. The fire demons were torn from the skies.


    The Block Master looked around the chaos of Sarlpi, and saw people he had never known existed.


    ¡°They will not thank you.¡± Alka said. ¡°But if your men itch for war, if your men are eager to show the glory of your war machines, I ask that they show them against the demons. There are hundreds, thousands of demon worlds out there to satiate your lust for war.¡±


    ¡°Take me to one. Show me.¡± The Block Master was clearly shaken, his hands trembled. His heart pounded furiously.


    Alka nodded, as another portal whirled open. Theynded in front of a rift gate. A void mage nearby nodded. ¡°Opening portal to the demon world connected to Landas-¡±


    The rift gate activated, and they were both sent to a demon world. Untouched. Landas was freed of its demon king, but the Valthorn had robbed it of its rift gates and locked it to its void coordinates.


    The demons were everywhere. Yet, Alka draped a cloak over the block master. It immediately hid him from detection.


    The domain holder led the block master through the still mostly unexplored demon world. Towering demon hatcheries were everywhere, and the stench of demonic energies was still thick. The Block master could feel it, and looked ufortable.


    After a few hours, they stopped.


    ¡°Bring me back. I¡¯ve seen enough. Send me back to the Yards.¡±


    And they did.


    The Block master was back in his own office. The first thing he did was walk to his big,fortable chair, and sat on it. He poured himself a beer, and downed the entire mug in a single gulp.


    As the beer¡¯s effects kicked in, the Block Master looked around his room. Medals from the King were pinned there. As were certain paintings of the glories of their war machines.


    After a long while, he turned to face Alka.


    ¡°You really want to recruit me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You do realize this is treachery and betrayal of the King, and the Forge Master of the Yards.¡±


    Alkaughed. ¡°Yes. If they don¡¯t join us too, that is.¡±


    But the face of the Block Master was one of eptance. Maybe it was bloodlust. Maybe it was a desire to escape from mundane politicking and back into the fires of war. ¡°The hell with all of this. Yes. Yes I will. Who else do you need?¡±


    Alka smiled. ¡°Everyone.¡±

 308. Dealings I

    308. Dealings I


    <b><i>Year 279</i></b>


    <i>Landas</i>


    The Valthorns recruited a sizable group of soldiers and warriors from Landas, many of them from the ranks of survivors during the earlier harsher periods and went on to be fairly high leveled soldiers and defenders of the elven cities were eager to take their skills to other ces. Many of these have known a lifetime of fighting and so the sudden end of wars meant they were feeling out of ce in a world where there was going to be peace.


    Thus they joined the call to serve and fight on other worlds.


    Not all, though. There was also those that were more than happy to see the end of the fighting. Strong warriors who finally relished the chance to return to normalcy, and to do what they always wanted to do. Many finally settled down and restarted what they¡¯ve long dyed. Family. Their old family workshops. Rebuilding cities and pursuing tasks their parents or grandparents abandoned when things got bad.


    Now, Landas is doing well. The demon king has been in, and the world began to turn a corner. Things wereing around.


    The old cherry tree that once guarded Samuel regained its old strength, and since it didn¡¯t have to store energy to deal with the demons, Cherry redirected their powers towards the rebuilding effort. The old cherry tree had a wide range of forestry rted powers, and so used it extensively to rebuild.


    Despite these positives, I still expect a few decades before Landas regains some level of normalcy. The world¡¯s poption declined far too much.


    In terms of poption, we estimated it lost 70 to 80% of its poption due to the prolonged demon war. But with heavy intervention from the Valthorns, we were helping the repoption. Children were born, and we ensured they were well supported. The Treeology priests went about blessing many of the surviving youths and even slightly more mature elvishdies with fertility potions.It may seem a little heavy handed, but as a society, they needed the poption to restore all their heavily battered society. The social wing of the Order came in to support many young families with caring for young children.


    Most of their material needs were catered for, with the presence of the Order¡¯s craftsmen and workers that set up new factories and workshops, and helped retrain the Landasian elves in crafts, to revive Landas¡¯s lost industrial capacity.


    In two to three decades from now, Landas¡¯s babies of today will be the warriors of the future, and these growing workshops would grow intorger establishments that would help support the war of the future.


    It will be a long process, but the first few steps have already taken ce.


    ***


    The first batch of Landas-origin soldiers, such as Novorosk, were given elerated Valtrian Order training, though we had to supplement their knowledge with a good helping of teachers and tutors from Treehome.


    Theirbat capabilities and instincts were quite good, due to years of battle experience under defensive conditions. That said, we also felt the need to widen their skillset to cover some of the other things they would encounter in the demon worlds. Rescuing survivors, constructing makeshift structures, knowledge of the various demon types and monster types, andbat tactics.


    Most of them were defenders, their focus was always in protecting their home cities. Large scale offensive tactics was an area they needed work on. From defenders, they would now have to be attackers.


    It¡¯s likely that Novorosk and their batch would be demon-world focused operatives, since that was the environment they excelled at. Constant battles, destroying demons and surviving with little on the fields came naturally to them. In fact, we generally observed that these survivors were able to tolerate the stresses of long term battle quite well.


    I figured it was some kind of survivorship bias at y. Those that couldn¡¯t died. What¡¯s left were battle hardened veterans.


    That said, unlike our homeworlds, it wasn¡¯t entirely in the mind.


    There were [skills] that helped, and from these battle hardened veterans we were able to collect a few skill fragments that I happily replicated with my skill-fruit growing trees. These yielded fruits that contained skills such as [battle hardened], and [survivor¡¯s heart]. Those who consumed fruits with these skills tolerated stress better, and made better warriors out in the battlefield. Many of my Valthorns didn¡¯t need these skills, because they acquired itter on in their higher levels.


    I¡¯ve always wanted a simr skill for mages. If there was something like a [mage¡¯s instinct], I would¡¯ve pounced and tried to replicate it by the thousands, but sadly, most of a mage¡¯s set of skills were things like [magical memory], or rge mana pool], though we did notice more specific type of abilities like [void sensitivity], or [elemental instinct].


    My hopes for the Magisarians were something that could help improve our magical training process. My hope was that the Magisarians had some kind of unique [skill] I could replicate, and then turn them into skill fruits.


    As it is, we produced thousands of these skill fruits each year, and we distributed these across all our academies, training schools and institutions. Some were given out to students as rewards, some for my Valtrian Order recruits to round up their own set of skills.


    My domain holders often imed that the skill fruits saved each and every one of them hundreds of days of work, because they could shore up their weak points with a skill fruit, and is partly why the Valtrian Order and Valthorns are so feared.


    Very few institutions could im to produce strong soldiers with such consistency, though the ability to grant skill isn¡¯t unique. [Priests] and [trainers] could actually grant [skills], through some of their own skills. Even [teachers] were able to grant skills, but in most cases, these [skills] were often in the basic-intermediate level, and there was some element of randomness in how they worked. A teacher teaching [mana maniption] may have students acquiring weaker variants like [mana shaping] or [basic mana flow].


    For the Landas warriors, we also realized that most of them acquired a range of survival skills over their decades, and in some ways, that made them suboptimal for independent operation. This was because my Valtrian Order folks trained with the presence of my [familiars], and so they often rejected the acquisitions of survival skills since that could be outsourced to the familiars, in order to better focus onbat abilities.


    My familiars came with a range of food generation, healing, and supplementary abilities.


    I believed this problem to be transitional, a consequence of recruiting experienced soldiers from a war torn Landas. Future Landas soldiers that went through our usual regime would not have these drawbacks.


    Whatever it is, talent is hard to find. We¡¯ll take it, and we would just have to find ways to best exploit their strengths.


    ***


    <i>Shasan</i>


    The domain holders and the heroes gathered for another round of demonic attack. Alka decided to sit this round out, as he was busy infiltrating the Delvegardian Yards.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll be going to a sand world.¡± Khefri was fairly excited when shended. Her biology found the dry sand to be mostfortable, and unlike the rest of them, sand didn¡¯t get stuck in her joints. There was just something about the hot sand, a burning sun overhead, and white-orange sands as far as she could see that appealed to her.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re partly brainwashed by your body.¡± Colette countered.


    ¡°I know.¡± Khefri shrugged, and rubbed her head slightly. Despite a different biology, she wasn¡¯t spared from headaches. ¡°But it is what it is. The body likes this kind of environment, and so I like it.¡±


    Colette said nothing, and looked at Prabu. Prabu was decked out in gear. A little overkill, but at this point, they¡¯d rather not take many risks.


    Rajah and Wira, the two dragonling heroes, felt their wings warm up from the heat of the sun. They didn¡¯t like it the dry heat or the harsh sun all that much. Gigantadragon was still far morefortable to them than any of the other worlds so far, with the only exception being the magimodern facilities of Treehome and Branchhold.


    Samuel shared their struggles. The elven hero didn¡¯t like the heat or the sun.


    The domain holders and heroes chatted, as they prepared for the start of the operation.


    Edna pped her hands. ¡°Alright, alright, Shasan should be a fairly simple mop up operation. Shasan¡¯s a fairly strong world, with strong natural defenses. We don¡¯t really expect much opposition other than the demon king. As usual, Lumoof will fish out the demon king, and we¡¯ll engage it on the surface. Hit it with all we can, and then we¡¯ll only be left with Twinspace. Clear?¡±


    Everyone nodded. There were about thirty level 140s Valthorns present as well, and they were the ones that were most visibly nervous.


    Lumoof smiled. ¡°Alright. Comeee. Shouldn¡¯t be too hard. Rx, it¡¯ll be fine. Check your protective equipment?¡±


    Samuel still looked a little lost. ¡°Is- is that it?¡±


    Adrian, the hero of Mountainworld, tapped Samuel, the hero of Landas, on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it. Took me about five or six demon kings before I was able to get over how casual this whole thing feels.¡±


    Samuel paused, and after a while, he sighed. Both of them knew each other faced their own trauma from the past. Adrian spent quite some time under the corruption of the demons, and Samuel nursed a demonic curse. The idea of facing the demon king still asionally pulled out that trauma, and the whole thing being just a regr trip to the doctors was hard to reconcile.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll head in first.¡± Lumoof looked at the flooded pit that led to the core, and dived right in. The demon king was a kind of boney, half-shark, half-demonic creature that was still digging at the rocks. Lumoof, unaffected by the water, easily interrupted it¡¯s constant digging, and engaged it in battle.


    Somehow, water numbed the demon king¡¯s senses, because it was only then it reacted to our presence.


    That was a surprise to us.


    Lumoof got a good, powerful root strike through its body. Not enough to kill it, but enough for me to get a rough sense of its strength.


    It wasn¡¯t going to be a problem.


    The shark-demon king soared out of the flooded pit, again, it¡¯s senses seemed dull. The moment it exited the flooded pit, it was battered with a range of attacks.


    The demon king, weakened by the st, shapeshifted, and then summoned more demons. But those extra small fries died like flies. The heroes and domain holdersunched more attacks.


    It was no match. The demon king of Shasan died. The heroes gained some levels, the domain holders gained none, and some of the Valthorn level 140s gained a level or two. Not enough to push them to a domain.


    But now, there was only one demon king left. The demon king on Twinspace.


    We wanted to make it a spectacle.


    So, I redirected my attention elsewhere. I wanted to visit Hawa again.


    ***


    <i>Satrya</i>


    Lumoof went through the portal first, andnded in arge receiving hall filled with people. Hawa¡¯s priests and an entourage fit for a king.


    ¡°Greetings. Patriarch Lumoof.¡± Olivia of Olpash stood there, waiting. She still asked about Roon asionally, but this time, she was in her priestess mode, and spoke with all the gentleness and grace of a high priestess. ¡°Are the rest of the entourageing?¡±


    Lumoof nodded. ¡°They¡¯ll be here in a second.¡±


    Emperor Erranuel and the rest of the Emperor¡¯s escorts warped in. They appeared around Lumoof through my teleportation ability. Erranuel brought about a hundred people to Satrya, and this same party would then be deployed to Shasan tounch Erranuel¡¯s new world program.


    But the fact that Lumoofnded here so specifically seemed to trigger some rm bells. Hawa seemed able to guide how and where Ste¡¯s portals opened, and ensured that arge, luxurious weing party was present.


    Ste was fairly surprised that a god could do that, but this was Hawa¡¯s core world, guiding portals and specifying specifding zones should be well within its range of abilities. However, it did highlight that this was a very clear vulnerability. Ste could teleport us right into a trap, especially if a god was hostile to us.


    Essentially, we could be on the receiving end on a spawn-camp attack. That was an ufortable thought to entertain.


    Lumoof grinned at the sight of the two high priests of Hawa. ¡°Well, nice to see you again, priestess Olivia and Priest Michael.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to wee you and your party, Patriarch Lumoof. It is especially blessed for us to finally meet those who are faithful to the teachings of Hawa from other worlds. Our God Hawa¡¯s blessings and wisdom reaches even to the furthest of worlds, and from one Hawa¡¯s servant to another, we sincerely wee you.¡± Olivia spoke, and Lumoof grinned at her heartfelt praise of her god. Her words were genuine.


    Though her words were sweet, it was somehow lost on the Emperor.


    ¡°So this is what it feels like where Hawa¡¯s presence is strong.¡± Emperor Erranuel¡¯s heart pounded. Lumoof could sense the trembling in his fingers, and we spected that his ss, the [Holy Emperor], was instinctively linked to Hawa. Therefore, it was possible that here, in this world, that ss was stronger than even on Treehome. The Emperor looked around for a few seconds, took a few deep breaths, and then finally, turned to face the hosts. ¡°My apologies to the very generous and hospitable priests and priestess. I am just suddenly overwhelmed by the presence of our god Hawa that I cannot but take a few moments to take it in. Patriarch Lumoof promised me a visit to a world where Hawa¡¯s reach was still strong, and it is truly a unique feeling.¡±


    The priestess could sense it too. A sense ofradeship in those that share the faith. ¡°Yes, your majesty. Satrya did not face the need to create a [holy emperor], but I do agree it is most interesting for us as well to meet those who triumphed against great odds. It is the foul demons that cause Hawa¡¯s influence to be weak on your world, but your people persevered.¡±


    Erranuel nodded, and then turned to face Lumoof. ¡°Patriarch Lumoof, thank you for sending us here. I¡¯ll be able to handle it from here. What happens next, I believe, mainly concerns discussions about our faith, and so, it would most likely be uninteresting to you. So, thank you, I wish not to upy your time any more.¡±


    We expected that Erranuel would want to have some private words with the other Hawa-believers, so this went as nned.


    Lumoof nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to it. I¡¯ll return in approximately three months.¡±


    ¡°Three months is plenty of time, Patriarch Lumoof. We will be ready when the timees.¡±


    Erranuel was a man with his own ns, and I didn¡¯t mind it.


    The world wasrge, and right now, there was enough for everyone. Even if he turned against me, it was fairly easy to cordon off certain worlds. We nned on sending Erranuel to Shasan because it wasn¡¯t a world where we had much interest in.


    They could have it on a silver tter if they so desired.


    I expect that as we discover more worlds, my resources and manpower would not be able to keep up to maintain a decent level of control, and so, rather than let certain worlds suffer because Icked the resources to deal with them, I was willing to pass some of these worlds to other forces. From my point of view, I didn¡¯t want to let these other worlds suffer from the demons just because I couldn¡¯t help them and refuse to share the portals with others.


    People like Erranuel were rtively low risk, since theycked the means to travel through worlds. In time, maybe Lillies, or Aria and Aispeng, or the White Statue could be roped in to take control of certain worlds, though given the White Statue¡¯s strength, it was a matter of time before he achieved travel between the worlds.


    But now we stand at a position of growing strength, and we no longer need extensive paranoia. We have the weapons and strength to punish all those who break our trust.

 309. Dealings II

    309. Dealings II


    <b>Year 297 Part 2</b>


    <i>Treehome</i>


    Treehome. Our home base, and the long peace led to a decent growth in terms of poption. Our measures to soften the blow of parenthood and supplying the central continent¡¯s families with a high level of support meant we continued to see good growth in terms of poption, and so, our recruiting pipeline is healthy.


    Freshka, the capital and heart of the Valtrian Order, buzzed with energy. Politically, the mood in the poption was fairly upbeat. Progress was made on many fronts, and the world entered an unusual era of peace.


    It was this peace that partly enabled Emperor Erranuel¡¯s expansion n to the world of Shasan. It was going to bergely a one way trip for the first five years, and we intended to deploy a few Valtrian Order agents just to apany them, and void mages would drop in once a year to help them move people or resources, as needed.


    The news of the Emperor Erranuel¡¯s travels to the other worlds wasrgely kept quiet, mainly because of fear for the merchant guilds and merchant kings¡¯ attack. However, no one was really in the mood for attack. The Valtrian Order¡¯s consumption of crystals has reduced gradually, but the world¡¯s smaller forces are still not ready and have not rebuilt their stockpiles of war.


    The consequences of the past war, and the fear of my punishment for now continued to deter the prospect of wider war.


    Instead, the guilds came to us with a proposition. They too would like to expand to the wider worlds. I immediately thought about Raph and the White Statue, and the risks.


    I was willing to let them try expanding, though a part of me felt a little disturbed at allowing corporate forces to have a stake in expanding into other worlds.Right now, we had a monopoly on travel due to our void mages, but it¡¯s likely that my monopoly over my void mages would eventually be broken. It may not happen in ten years, or twenty years, but at some point, it could happen.


    Some void mages would eventually agree to join these other folks, or maybe, they figured out how to independently train void mages. Of all people, the White Statue could discover how it¡¯s done on its own. As a domain holder of his level of strength, if he had seen the powers of a void mage, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard for him to start figuring out how to create one.


    After all, we learned how to create void mages through heavy exposure to void mana and constantly healing the individual from the effects of the curse. Eventually, they were able to gain the [void mage] ss. If the White Statue learned how to do the same, it¡¯s likely they would be able to do it too.


    We have a technological head start, and the White Statue would figure out how to create void mages if it tried. That would allow it to expand to other worlds. Simrly, my void mages are not prevented from mingling and talking to other mages and people, so, those of Treehome have some inkling of how a void mage is trained from scratch, even though the process of actually creating a void mage still remains elusive thanks to the various sicknesses and curses in the soul caused by exposure to the void mana.


    However, as medical and healing abilities of the general popce catch up, or if any of my level 100 and above healers joined one of these guilds, they would have the ingredients needed to experiment on void magic.


    What would they do with it?


    Was this power something we should release to the world? What if the power to travel to other worlds that only destroy others?


    But we are not the fairest judge of that. We¡¯ve used our power to reach the other worlds, we¡¯ve saved lives, but in the long run, we also harvest their societies for their brightest children to fight this war. We should intervene if they used it to harm more than good, or when our trust is broken.


    The ability to travel worlds in itself is not a bad thing, even if it may lead to bad consequences. I also didn¡¯t see myself as intentionally policing their behavior. It felt like this was one of my usual dilemmas again. Do I allow people to do bad things with neutral powers? It¡¯s like preventing people from flying because some people could just use flight to fight wars.


    Worlds that had this power would have an advantage over worlds that didn¡¯t. Just because they gained ess to void magic doesn¡¯t make them more powerful over those that didn¡¯t. If the defending worlds were like Khubor where there are existences like the Osroids, it may not be that clear cut.


    Thinking that way, maybe it wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing to actually release knowledge of void magic to the wider world. Yes. It¡¯s potentially dangerous. But right now, only the old gods and the demons have figured out how to travel between worlds, and both have left quite a fair bit of the multiverse in a terrible state.


    But, Ste was quite against it.


    ¡°No. I cannot allow that. Yes, maybe some people can be saved. But as far as I can see, void magic is as good as a nuclear weapon. The longer they stay away from it, the more we can save people. We should be the ones saving them, because I won¡¯t trust anyone else with this power. I currently cannot imagine how any other institution can handle this power carefully, not with where these other people are now.¡±


    ¡°Not even Raph or the White Statue?¡± I countered.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Are you being biased?¡±


    From a gain to the world, linking the others worlds should lead to savings of life. It means demon-attacked worlds have an exit path. That in itself should save many lives.


    ¡°Have you not seen the people? Everyone¡¯s a warmonger. People will be killed, and I cannot trust any of them to treat those beneath them with more care than the Order. Not yet. Maybe someday there will be a truly good society that is worthy of this, but right now, no. The angels and the White Statue have potential, but I want to see how they behave, without our threat before I¡¯d even trust them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something you can hide forever.¡± I countered. Void magic can be learned.


    ¡°I know, but I will stop it as long as I can. I want to be able to pull the plug on this experiment if they misbehave. As the void domainholder, let me have this right.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    ***


    Lumoofnded on the world of Khubor.


    We knew that we were the ones that should face it. We walked to the very edges of the Khubor¡¯snd, and wondered whether this was a hostile domain holder. Even at this distance, we could subtly feel it¡¯s presence/


    I hoped that we coulde to an agreement, like Lillies. At the border between thend of the living and thend of the dead, there was a trading post. This was where the humans of Khubor traded with the undead. So, we approached the undead, and requested an audience with the Osroids.


    We dered we wereing. The undead at the border didn¡¯t respond to us immediately, but eventually, one of the undead actually spoke with magic.


    ¡°Please wait.¡±


    We did.


    A wraith appeared about half a dayter, it probably flew from really far away. It nced at Lumoof with its glowing yellow eyes, and nodded. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    We followed the wraith on a path that headed for the center of thend of the dead.


    Thend of the dead was surprisingly productive, filled with mines and quarries, and factories. The undead worked, and they worked with only a little bit of rest.


    As we escorted deeper into thend of the dead, we noticed the presence ofrge ck crystalline towers that radiated magical energy.


    It was familiar. It reminded me of that dungeon core that spawned undead from my earlier days. Lumoof¡¯s magical senses focused, and we realized these were magical ley lines that were corrupted by the ck crystal. These crystals then drew on that energy to create some kind of ¡®undead nourishing aura¡¯.


    The undead consumed magical energy in their day to day activities, and the aura replenished the undead¡¯s magical energy. In short, these was what kept dead going.


    As we moved deeper into the deatnds, we noticed more of these ck crystals, clustered around where the undead worked. We did notice some undead were different from others, there wererge, heavily armed ck knights that had a series of magical gems within their bodies.


    They drew from that undead aura, but likely were able to operate without it.


    It was around that time that we began to sense the eyes of a domainholder. It was just a sensation of someone looking back at us, whenever we looked or passed by one of those ck crystals. The wraith that escorted us clearly noticed that we noticed, but it said nothing.


    I still found them fascinating. They were, in a somewhat twisted way, a post-death society. People whose souls were given a second chance to live again here, even if they were just doing more work. But they do not tire or feel pain, and they are permitted to interact with themselves.


    Even from afar we could listen to them talk to each other. Some of the undead talked to each other about their day to day life, or talked about their past. Some missed their families, but some of these undeads were family when they lived.


    I wondered whether they gained levels and skills. Or they lose the ability to gain levels.


    We traveled for about a day and then we stopped in one of the ¡®cities¡¯ of the dead. A city for the undead, built around one of these ck crystal obelisks. This was a city of crafts, where undead and wraiths worked in workshops to build tools and weapons. Things that they used, but also things they traded with the humans.


    ¡°You will rest here tonight. We will continue our journey tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± I could feel the Osroid¡¯s presence in the gigantic ck crystal at the heart of the city. We were getting quite good and experienced at sensing the presence of these domain holders. Bitu, White Statue, and now the Osroids all employed tools to maintain control and oversight of their territories.


    The city was clearly built to amodate human visitors. Maybe the heroes, like the hero Gideon. We didn¡¯t need sleep, and it was easy to notice how the undead didn¡¯t need sleep either. The workshops continued to work even at night, though the rarely used inn had really thick walls to drown out the noise.


    On the next day, a gigantic bone dragon arrived in this undead city, and the wraith waited next to it. ¡°Visitor, we will now take you to meet the Osroids.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡± The bone dragon flew quickly, and I rated it¡¯s power somewhere in the high level 80s. A creature able to give even demon champions a run for their money. Amazingly, it wasn¡¯t a reanimated bone construct, but instead, also possessed the soul. Multiple souls that were linked together. The wraith stood next to us, and observed us.


    Lumoof grinned.


    ¡°We should be there quickly with this dragon. Perhaps a day.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The wraith answered.


    We flew over surprisingly fertile fields, mines, workshops, cities, and barrennd. In parts of thend of the dead, bones rained. Magic woven into thend itself caused bone-like materials to appear out of nowhere. As we flew closer, I could feel it, the familiar presence of another domain holder.


    The Osroids¡¯s home was an easily fortified valley, with a small gap.


    The dragonnded at the door to the valley, and the wraith led us along the road. The valley walls on both sides were filled with carvings.


    People. Creatures. Artwork made of gray stone, all intricately made from the valley¡¯s natural gray colors. It was a temple, and the whole journey walking through the carvings felt serene, quiet, and even holy.


    Maybe it was once a holy ce.


    There were many small doors that were carved into the valley¡¯s walls, and they all led to underground passageways and rooms.


    The wraith eventually stopped at one of the doors, where another undead awaited us. The undead was a heavy knight, it¡¯s bones wererger and magically reinforced to be stronger, covered in enough magical armor and weaponry to be on par with the elite White Guards of the White Statue.


    It was the right direction. The presence of the Osroids all over the valley at first, but as we focused, I could triangte its location.


    The knight pointed at the door, and walked it first. We followed.


    We walked on a path covered with magical traps and weapons, but somehow, not a single one of them activated. Eventually, after we went through multiple passageways and underground rooms, I saw three creatures, all physically separate yet magically intertwined. I knew they were a single being.


    ¡°Greetings.¡± I answered on Lumoof¡¯s behalf, and I felt the presence of a being pushed back against us.


    The three undead bodies spoke at once, and it felt like I was talking to a magical twin of Lillies. Lillies¡¯ underground roots and had the same sensation. ¡°Greetings. Why have you asked for an audience with us?¡±


    It clearly knew we were something. Our aura and presence as a domain holder was clear, and at this distance, I knew the Osroids was a peer of simr strength as the White Statue, though it¡¯s power set was likely lessbat focused. Just seeing it and being here answered 90% of the questions we had, but we asked the two main questions on my mind.


    ¡°We are travelers, expanding through other worlds and are here to help deal with the demon kings. Are you willing to coexist peacefully with us?¡±


    The three Osroids answered differently. ¡°No. Maybe. Yes.¡±


    Lumoof smiled, and answered sternly. ¡°We would appreciate honesty, Osroids. You three are one, your soul is to one, even if you share three flesh. There is no need to y such tricks on us.¡±


    The Osroid at the center paused, and then, the other two merged into it. The three boney bodies fused together into a singlerger bone creature, with three faces.


    ¡°Greetings, my fellow Soul Shaper.¡± It spoke as one.


    Lumoof nodded. ¡°Greetings. I¡¯vee for two real purposes, and one goal. One, to know whether we can coexist with you, and two, to inform you of the fading hero summons. The hero¡¯s summons will end soon.¡±


    The Osroids paused. ¡°We are as we always were. If you leave me be, I will leave you be.¡±


    ¡°Great. That solves the first problem. Two, the demon king is a continuing problem, but the hero summons will be over soon. Are you able to deal with it?¡±


    In my mind, I believe the answer is yes.


    The Osroids stopped, and it¡¯s undead face transformed into one of displeasure. ¡°Yes. But not without a great sacrifice. Without the heroes, we would have to rely on the powers of shaping the soul into a weapon. We would need many sacrifices from the living to create a weapon strong enough to defeat it.¡±


    I had a sense that the Osroids could win without it, but it is unlikely to sacrifice itself to do so. It would prefer to win the easy way.


    Lumoof frowned. ¡°I see. What would you do if itnded in the deatnds?¡±


    It¡¯s answer was also unappealing. ¡°I would chase it to thends of the living, until I collected enough sacrifices for the weapon. That would be our n.¡±


    The end of the hero summon would greatly destabilize the current bnce and prosperity of Khubor. So, in my mind, I considered offering a deal. We would deal with the demon king in exchange for continued peace and non-interference. We gain the experience, the world stays as it is.


    ¡°When will the heroes¡¯ summons end?¡± It asked.


    ¡°Soon. I am not certain. We were asked by Hawa to deliver the message.¡± I was fairly certain it¡¯ll end the moment we inform Hawa. But I could hold it off, but that would dy my ess into the inner demon worlds. y off the time difference and Hawa¡¯s limited information.


    There was silence, but I felt the buzz of the Osroids¡¯ mind. Its presence fluctuated like a turbulent ocean. It was in thought.


    ¡°You are strong. Stronger.¡± The Osroids said. ¡°You seem familiar with the ways of the invaders, and can fight them. We have no interest in the invaders, they are something with deal with because we have to.¡±


    Lumoof listened. The room was fairly small. Constrained. It was quite different from most of therge, airy chambers favored by other domain holders.


    ¡°So, we will trade weapons and magic for security. Knowledge of necromancy. We are interested in maintaining the status quo, and will trade for it.¡± The Osroids offered. ¡°Thend of the dead will remain off limits, but we can construct a new undead city to amodate your people. If you wish to have undead servants, we are happy to supply it. We are also capable of constructing custom souls that meet any of your more exotic desires.¡±


    Lumoof squirmed at thest item, but decided not to dwell on it. Instead, he redirected the question. ¡°What did you do with the heroes?¡±


    ¡°If the heroes are willing to fight the demons, we let them. If they are not, we use what is in their soul to make a powerful creature to battle the demon king instead. If that fails, we use the power of the hero¡¯s soul as a weapon.¡±


    Lumoof frowned. ¡°In the past, have you ever harmed a hero?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The Osroids answered, as if exining itself. ¡°Those who are aggressive get what they deserve.¡±


    At that moment, I felt the Osroids split a portion of itself, and that portion of itself snuck away. Maybe it anticipated a fight. Lumoof merely smiled. ¡°It is not necessary to do so. We mean no harm.¡±


    Lumoof and the Osroids didn¡¯t move, and yet at that moment, we felt our two domains graze each other. The Osroids may have realized we could sense it¡¯s soul movement, but it decided the risk was worth it.


    ¡°We will ept your offer, Osroids, with two exceptions. We will require full ess to your deatnds to do battle with the demon king. Two, we do not know for certain how long the hero summons will remain, but we ask that if you find these heroes, you send them to thend of the living.¡±


    The Osroids didn¡¯t move, but I felt the chattering shifts of bone. I wondered whether I emit such a sensation when I was deep in thought. It spoke. ¡°eptable, but my wraiths will apany your forces.¡±


    ¡°Fair. That is all. We will be in touch, and we hope our peace remains.¡±


    The Osroids seemed suspicious, but ultimately, answered diplomatically. ¡°The peace will hold as long as it is upheld.¡±


    Lumoof smiled, and said some nice words to end it. ¡°It is good to meet a necromancer that isn¡¯t immediately hostile. This has been pleasant. We will be in touch, Osroids, hopefully, in more cordial terms.¡±


    The Osroids didn¡¯t respond immediately, and instead, just watched us leave.


    The wraith escorted us back to the valley¡¯s entrance where the bone dragon waited for us, and we left the world of Khubor.


    A deal was made.

 310. Edna on Caval

    310. Edna on Caval


    Caval.


    Edna returned this time to Caval with a purpose to ce a node tree, preferably somewhere friendly. Caval was and of knights, and and of small feudal kingdoms. These feudal kingdomsid im to [hero sword], and that served as the foundation of that kingdom¡¯s power.


    How this actually worked was an interesting mechanic at y in this world, and it was something she wanted to see more of.


    The descendant swords.


    ¡°So, Ebon. How many more levels?¡± Edna asked as they both approached the small fortified town. They could feel the magic that leaked out of the city, but Caval was a fairly safe world, and so, they were both in rather ordinary vige wear. A tough outer tunic and pants, though they both had much morefortable inner clothing.


    ¡°One.¡± Ebon said. ¡°Level 149.¡±


    Edna nodded. She knew he¡¯s been at the very edge of the path for a long time, though the exact details often eluded her. Ebon¡¯s service to the Order was probably a hundred years long. Edna nodded, she remembered many years ago, he was just a young [Aeonic Battle Knight]. ¡°You¡¯vee a long way, my disciple. There¡¯s but a few more steps to take.¡±


    Ebon nodded with a brief sigh, a mix of frustration and exhaustion. Ebon was not the only one.


    Many Valthorns reach Level 149 and never move for years, even decades, like Ebon, his service is almost a century long, even with all the breaks he took in between service. Even Roon and Johann stared at that final level for years before they made it. ¡°Thisst step feels a lot further than all the ones before.¡±Edna tapped the man that was once her disciple on the shoulder. ¡°Keep at it. We¡¯re almost there.¡±


    It was a small fortified town, and six guards stood at the gates, decked out in polished steel armor. They wore the liveries of a nearby Lord. [Knights] and [Squires], perhaps with the ability [Clean Armor] or some variant thereof. Edna¡¯s eyes, in particr, noticed one of the guards who stood nearby wielding a magical de. A de that has a faint presence of the hero sword.


    ¡°Visitors?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Edna and Ebon both smiled. ¡°Can wee in?¡±


    ¡°Bags?¡±


    Edna and Ebon both handed over their bags and just briefly checked them. One of the knights whispered to the other. ¡°I keep getting nothing.¡±


    The other knightguard replied. ¡°Really? Let me try. [Security Inspection].¡±


    Edna and Ebon nced at each other and immediately, they both activated small rings on their hands. An illusionary object meant to throw off [Inspect].


    ¡°What are you talking about? I get [Viger] and [Traveller] for both of them.¡± The other knight tapped the man. ¡°You must¡¯ve drained your magical energy.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, you two are free to go. If you¡¯re here to live permanently, you¡¯ll need to speak to the Town Lord, but other than that thews of our town are simr to all others. Don¡¯t cause trouble. If you¡¯re here to watch the Seed Drawing Ceremony, it¡¯ll be in four days.¡±


    They were exactly here for the Seed Drawing Ceremony, and entered the fortified town.


    At first nce it seemed just like any other town. In fact, that was what the scouts thought at first. They didn¡¯t have much time to dive deep into how they worked back then, but now that there was only one real demon-king infested world to deal with, time was quite plentiful.


    This town had one hero sword, and unlike most other towns, it had its hero sword out in full disy. It stood at the town¡¯s center, a gleaming golden sword that stood embedded into arge stone. It¡¯s presence wasn¡¯t really that great, for both Edna and Ebon, it didn¡¯t seem particrly interesting.


    They built a small water fountain around it, and there were at least two knights present, standing guard. The sword itself had a massive steel chain that tied it to the ground. At this distance, they could feel the subtle pulse of the hero swords, and strangely enough, a voice.


    Well, only Ebon could, and was partly why she brought him along. ¡°You could hear it?¡± Edna asked. Edna as a domain holder couldn¡¯t interact with this aspect of the hero sword. Strangely enough, Edna didn¡¯t detect her domain blocking anything.


    It was as if whatever ¡®feelers¡¯ the sword had knew it couldn¡¯t reach her.


    Ebon paused as he focused, and then, he nodded. ¡°It¡¯s- it¡¯s whispering. It¡¯s saying something, I can¡¯t quite make out what it is.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Edna nodded. The Valthorn agents imed they¡¯ve heard strange voices when they were around the cities and towns, but most of the hero swords are hidden in secluded courtyards and spaces. Edna checked her dates again. ¡°Well, don¡¯t think too much about it, we still have time. Let¡¯s rest.¡±


    The fortified town didn¡¯t get many visitors normally, but there were slightly more than normal. So, at the inn, the two managed to talk to some other slightly drunk vigers to find out more about the Seed Drawing Ceremony.


    ¡°I¡¯m still amused that every year or two there¡¯s still visitors that want to see the ceremony. It¡¯s nothing much, really.¡± The visitor said. ¡°Nothing much for us to see, at least, but it¡¯s a lot of work for the swordsmiths.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re travelers, and we¡¯ve not seen a seed drawing ceremony. What is it about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s when the swordsmiths offer their des to the divine des, and the divine des share fragments with the des. It happens every year or so, when the divine de is ready. The swordsmith with the best des gets to work with the fragment.¡±


    Ebon couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°How is it judged?¡±


    ¡°Judged? It¡¯s no eating contest! The divine de chooses whichever de it wants. Sometimes it chooses none at all and the swordsmiths will be in trouble with the town lord.¡±


    ¡°The sword chooses?¡± Edna found that strange. ¡°Do the swordsmiths hear the sword talk?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Those that hear the sword¡¯s words are the sword whisperers! They have a destiny to be great swordsmiths!¡±


    Ebon frowned. He was nowhere near a swordsmith, but he knew he heard the sword. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it just say weird things?¡±


    ¡°No one knows. Swordsmiths are very secretive about that sort of thing.¡± The slightly drunk viger said. The town was a little more crowded as the day of ceremony got closer, and Ebon noticed the voices from the sword began to sound more like a chaotic mess.


    There just wasn¡¯t much in the townfolk¡¯s lives that even supposedly boring Seed Drawing Ceremonies be an event.


    The town square was converted into a podium, as the fountain¡¯s water was drained, and reced with temporary wooden floors.


    A priest appeared, but he was different from the normal priests. He looked like a priest, and yet, also a swordsmith. He wasrge, muscr and filled with scars from years of work in the workshops. Even though he wore the deep brown robes of the priesthood, they could tell he was once a swordsmith.


    The priest seemed like a fairly mid-level individual. He was likely around level 60 to 70. In one cordoned off area, a group of swordsmiths looked nervous, and they all held a set of weapons wrapped in thick cloth. All of them have done it before.


    So, Edna focused her observation on the gossip and rumors from the travelers. Merchants who had seen more ces.


    <i>¡°I heard this isn¡¯t a powerful hero sword.¡± </i>One of those in the crowd whispered to the others.


    <i>¡°It¡¯s not, that¡¯s why the town lord¡¯s only a town lord.¡±</i> Another one whispered back.


    The priest-smith walked to the hero sword, and began to chant.


    Edna felt him channel priestly powers. Holy powersmon in priests and those who had a leg in these sort of sses. The sword glowed and emitted a powerful magical presence, as if it was a sword in its prime, as if it¡¯s original creator still lived.


    For a moment, this was a hero sword as if a hero still held it.


    The priest turned and roared at the swordsmiths. ¡°Present your seedling candidates to the Holy Sword.¡±


    The swordsmiths were ready, each of them held a finely crafted sword in their hand, and they all walked towards the tform. Once they approached, the hero sword seemed to glow, and it had wisps of light that reached out. The wisps touched the swords presented by the swordsmiths briefly.


    The priest continued to chant, as if continuing to supply magical energy to the hero sword, and then, the hero sword pulsed.


    ¡°The Sword has chosen.¡± The priest said.


    The hero sword pulsed once more, and then, two of the swordsmiths¡¯ creations floated up. The hero sword shot a beam of light into each of them, and those swords glowed.


    ¡°Two of the crafted des are worthy!¡± The priest said, and the crowd cheered. Those that failed looked dejected, but some looked relieved. The floating glowing swordsnded back in the hands of the swordsmith, and they looked nervous.


    The priest said a prayer, and then turned to face the crowd.


    ¡°And so, it is now the duty of the swordsmith to forge the greatest des with the seedlings granted to them.¡±


    Ebon looked at Edna. ¡°Isn¡¯t the sword already done?¡±


    ¡°I thought so too.¡± Edna nodded, as she then tried to ask a viger. ¡°What happens now?¡±


    ¡°Oh? The swordsmiths are supposed to refine the des some more, usually they do some polishing, some engraving and all that kind of stuff to make the sword worthy of a hero-descended sword.¡± The viger said, clearly faking a level of expertise. Edna didn¡¯t buy it.


    The details of what exactly happened with the hero swords and these ¡®descendant¡¯ swords is unclear, though Edna and Ebon both knew that most of these weapons were in the hands of the town lords and his chosen knights. So, the two decided to watch.


    Secretly.


    ***


    They infiltrated one of the victorious swordsmith¡¯s workshops that very day. The swordsmith, a rtively middle aged man, probably around levels 40 to 50 in some [cksmith] rted ss was greeted by his apprentice, a younger boy that was about level 15 to 20. Edna and Ebon, both shrouded by magic, hid in the corners and watched how the Swordsmith did their work.


    From what Edna knew, it was exceptionally hard to work on hero items, due to the presence of star mana within them. Only Aeon could attempt to replicate and work with them, but the powers of the [Hero¡¯s Forge] were in a league of its own.


    ¡°Master, I have the things ready.¡± The apprentice said nervously. The apprentice looked nervous, but from what Edna understood, this swordsmith made a few descendant swords in the past few years, so this wasn¡¯t their first run.


    ¡°Good.¡± The swordsmith said, ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡±


    The actual space where the sword would be forged wasn¡¯t like any other part of the workshop. It was clean, and almost seemed like an altar, rather than a workshop. The swordsmith ced the sword with the hero sword¡¯s seed on the altar, and then, the smith knelt before it.


    He started to pray. The glow of the sword began to spread, and then, touched the swordsmith itself. The glow spread, and for a moment, both the swordsmith and the sword were connected by a glow of light.


    Holy power allowed the smith to reach into the sword, and change it.


    The swordsmith began muttering some prayers, and the apprentice ced a tray of items next to the swordsmith. The tray contained a rather random selection of items. A few types of metals, a few types of wood, flowers, pens, paper, some food, some drinks, a small cup of blood, and a cup of water.


    He picked up some metals, some items, and then, somehow offered it to the sword.


    The sword seemed to change ever so slightly. The swordsmith offered some more steel, but some of the items were then suddenly rejected and flung far away.


    ¡°Okay, not that one.¡± The swordsmith said, ¡°Something else. Faster.¡±


    The apprentice quickly offered some flowers. The flowers were strangely taken, as they vanished into the sword.


    The apprentice handed a pen to the swordsmith, but then he stopped. ¡°Wait. It¡¯s saying something. Wait. It¡¯s ready. Apprentice, wait.¡±


    The swordsmith turned to face the sword and bowed to it. He began to mutter certain words of prayer, and the glowing between the two brightened slightly.


    At that moment, the swordsmith picked up a hammer that was on his belt. ¡°I am ready.¡±


    Edna and Ebon watched, as the swordsmith¡¯s eyes began to glow, as if he was having an out of body experience. They felt some magic flow between the swordsmith and the descendant sword, and the swordsmith just knelt for the rest of the evening, his eyes glowing but his mind clearly not present.


    The apprentice held the swordsmith, and kept him supported during the rest of the evening. Edna and Ebon watched, and Edna felt the subtle shifts in the sword during this entire time. Sometimes it got stronger, sometimes it turned weaker.


    Maybe it wasn¡¯t the perfect oue, but in the depths of night, the glow between the two vanished, and the swordsmith returned to his body thoroughly exhausted. The swordnded back on the altar. ¡°Water.¡±


    The apprentice ran with tworge mugs which the swordsmith finished in two big gulps. At that point, the apprentice asked. ¡°How did it go, master?¡±


    ¡°I- I think I did decently. Let¡¯s check the sword. Help me up.¡± The swordsmith¡¯s body was kneeling the entire evening, and so, the apprentice helped him up. The two walked to the sword to inspect it.


    The swordsmith looked at it a little frustrated.


    ¡°Ah. It¡¯s not much different from what it was. I thought I did better.¡±


    The man took a deep breath, and prayed anyway.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make a scabbard for the sword tomorrow.¡± The man left the de on the altar and took a good rest.


    ***


    The next few days, the man made a rtively borate scabbard, and then, Edna and Ebon watched the two swordsmiths present theirpleted weapons to the Town Lord.


    The Town Lord inspected the weapons, and didn¡¯t seem too impressed.


    Despite that, he said nothing of it, and just thanked the two swordsmith for their work. One of the Lord¡¯s treasurers paid the two for their services, and sent them away.


    The two infiltrators didn¡¯t just leave it as that, and stayed back to listen to their honest assessment.


    ¡°It¡¯s average. Good enough for knights, but not something that could rece this.¡± The town lord tapped a sword on his belt, also a hero-descendant sword. Edna noticed almost everyone in the lord¡¯s personal knights possessed a sword of simr category.


    The Lord¡¯s knightmander nodded, as it was now his turn to inspect the weapon. ¡°It¡¯ll be good enough for the newly promoted knights, but this does mean we can only promote two new knights this year.¡±


    ¡°Two will have to do, then.¡± The Lord dered to his men, ¡°Let the remaining squirespete for the post.¡±


    ***


    Ebon and Edna left the two to explore another bigger town.


    Caval¡¯s towns were all spread far apart, and the farms were fairly clustered. One of the primary causes of the high density and clustering was because of the hero swords.


    A town without a hero sword is no town.


    There were smaller viges, but these were often linked to arger town that regrly sent knights to protect them from the monsters. In between all the towns and cities were plenty of untamed forests and mountains, and monsterirs.


    On a macro level, this fed into the myth of the Knights of Caval. Knight would set out to y the monsters, defend their cities from the dark creatures.


    ording to the reports, thergest towns generally corrted to the strength of their hero swords. Stronger hero swords attracted more people to live under its protection, since the powerful hero swords created stronger descendant swords, and stronger knights.


    The hero swords are like fruit trees. Each hero summoned to Caval starts with a sword seed, which grows into his personal sword. It is this sword that bes a hero sword when he dies, or when he gives it away. It is said that a hero could create a new hero sword if he gives one away, but there is some kind of price to be paid. Details were fairly scarce, since most of the drunk knights only regurgitated tales from their travels, the stories brought by travelers and merchants or whatever their lords told them.


    The next city they arrived at didn¡¯t disy the hero sword out in the open. Instead, it was hidden deep in the city¡¯s keep. The city lord styled himself a King, though it seemed that no one dared to speak up to the King, since he didn¡¯t have the [King] ss, and instead only had a [Lord] ss. The city never had a [King] in its history, but at some point, the system could recognize it as true, and would convert the city lord¡¯s title into a [King].


    Edna and Ebon weren''t particrly interested in the city¡¯s politics, as their focus was learning about the details of the hero sword, and how they worked.


    The world of knights and their glorious aplishments didn¡¯t spread on their own and instead, it was the traveling bards and songstresses who amplified the knight¡¯s glories.


    The rtive ratio of armed warriors to non-warriors was quite lowpared to the other worlds, simply because a knight that had a descendant sword could do the work of ten soldiers against the monsters. Due to the limited nature of these swords, Caval¡¯s towns and cities valued quality over quantity. Thergest amount in any city were the squires. Squires who were soldiers in training but have yet to receive their descendant swords.


    Even in a city with 20,000 to 50,000 people, there were only about 2,000 actual squires, and about 100 to 200 knights. On the other worlds, the military¡¯s strength was at least three to five times the number.


    High leveled knights who were level 60 to 80, and outfitted with the descendant swords could y demon champions. It¡¯s a virtuous feedback loop, where a small number of strong warriors ying demons and monsters meant less sharing of experience, which created even stronger warriors.


    This specialization also meant there was more resources and manpower for more artistic pursuits and specializations. Bards, woodworkers who made a range of instruments, farmers, brewers, the priest-smiths, and many other kinds of frivolous entertainment.


    Here in one suchrger city, that was in full disy.


    Taverns with beers, dancers, singers and bards were all over the main street. It wasmon in Caval that the temples and the workshops were often located next to each other. The priests of this world prayed to a range of gods, and unlike the other worlds, Caval¡¯s temples worshiped a pantheon of gods. Hawa, Neira, and Gaya. The Cavalians referred to these gods as the Three Swords of Gods, and they often pray to all three together as Three.


    ¡°She¡¯s around here.¡± Ebon reached a quiet home located in the workshop district of the city. It was a small, slender home that was probably once a workshop, but the workshop was now reced with a small garden of flowers. Walls reced with open windows for the sun.


    Their goal was an old priestess and a great sword whisperer. In her youth, the rumors imed she made powerful descendant swords. But mainly, because she was really old, and thus knew things many didn¡¯t.


    Ebon checked. ¡°She¡¯s inside.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Edna knocked on the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Hello, we¡¯re looking for Priestess Shuwan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a priestess anymore.¡± The old woman responded.


    Edna grinned. ¡°Then we¡¯re looking for Shuwan, we wish to speak to her.¡±


    ¡°Come in.¡± The former priestess¡¯s home was clean, and well lit with ample sunlight from therge windows. The living room was fairly narrow, but it didn¡¯t feel that way. Two of the walls were decorated with scabbards, their swords nowhere to be found. ¡°Sit, sit. Do you want some tea? What can this old woman do for you?¡±


    Edna and Ebon smiled, and so Edna started. ¡°That would be nice, but we¡¯re here to learn about the past, and the hero swords that are all over our world.¡±


    Shuwan smiled, brewed a pot of hot tea and sat down on the table with three cups. Ebon quickly helped her pour the tea.


    ¡°Oh? You want my story?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Edna said.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably the third time someone ever asked, and in the first two times, it was a hero. Are you a hero?¡± Shuwan smiled.


    Edna smiled back, and shook her head. ¡°No.¡± Most of these worlds didn¡¯t have an appreciation of the truth and history. They were busy surviving year on year, and even when they did create documents about history, it often spoke about the glories and achievements of their cities, kings, lords and knights. Things about the nature of hero swords would be mentioned in passing, but not much attention was given to them. The swords were how things are, and how things were, and how things will be.


    Someone like Shuwan with her long history, knew and seen a lot of things, and interestingly, it was only people like heroes that would think about speaking to someone like her.


    The woman was old, and at almost three hundred years old, it was probably the limit of her level-extended lifespan.


    ¡°And if you¡¯re not the hero, why should I tell you?¡± Shuwan said.


    Edna smiled. ¡°What would it take for us to hear the truth?¡±


    Shuwan found that funny, and nodded. ¡°I jest. I¡¯m an old woman happy to talk about my past. Too bad few want to listen and many have long forgotten who I once was. Where should we start?¡±


    ¡°What are the hero swords?¡±


    ¡°It is what you know. They are the remains of the heroes¡¯ journey. Each hero arrives in our world with a seed, which with their nurturing, grows into a powerful weapon. Depending on the Three Sword¡¯s blessings, the swords gain different types of powers. When I traveled with the hero Yoru so many, many years ago, he would visit each old hero sword and he would then imprint a memory of that hero sword into his own. The old heroes gain a wide variety of powers, because they can summon the swords they have met during their journey to aid them.¡±


    ¡°You traveled with the hero?¡± Edna asked.


    ¡°Yes! I traveled with two heroes, actually. Yoru, when I was a young woman, andter Zahar, when I was an older priestess of the sword.¡± Shuwan said proudly. ¡°But it¡¯s an old story, that was- maybe two hundred years ago. Back when the three or four heroes arrived and I was the one chosen by the Lord to apany the hero and provide my wisdom.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± Edna asked. She knew why, but she wanted to hear it from her.


    ¡°Heroes need knowledge. They needpany. They need someone to be there for them, care for them, and love them.¡± Shuwan said frankly. ¡°They are fragile men and women, and even if they have strong powers, the temples know they must be cared for, and the temple- well, the temple wanted children from the heroes.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Did you have any?¡±


    Shuwan smiled. ¡°Yes! My grandson¡¯s now the Knight Commander of the city! Of course, the hero¡¯s blood is a little diluted, but still!¡±


    ¡°But, why?¡±


    The former priestessughed. ¡°Why else? Our children can draw more out of the hero¡¯s descendant swords.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Edna chuckled. ¡°So, these hero swords, what else do you know about them? What¡¯s something we don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Hah. Such a hero-way of asking questions, I¡¯d almost think you came from their world.¡± Shuwanughed, but talked anyway. ¡°Well, the heroes- well, Zahar gave away one of his hero swords when he was level 90 or so, just because he saw a vige that was really vulnerable and wanted to protect them. So he nted his hero sword there and then.¡±


    ¡°Must a hero nt the sword?¡±


    ¡°Not always. That¡¯s what I¡¯m for, as well. If the hero falls in battle, I¡¯ll retrieve his hero sword. The hero swords actually contain a fragment of their being, a part of their soul, and it resonates better with me than anyone else because I was theirpanion on the journey. Thepanion is always a priest-smith, because we can work with the sword he left behind. We can speak to it, better than anyone else.¡±


    But eventually, they too die, and so lesser smiths must learn to pick up the ck.


    ¡°Is it always a girl?¡± Edna wondered.


    ¡°Not always. A man is fine, as long as the two have a strong friendship. Sending a woman to be a hero¡¯spanion has its challenges, since a woman may find the hero less appealing and there¡¯s a lot ofplicated feelings that don''t make us a goodpanion. I was lucky that I liked the two heroes I was assigned to, but it¡¯s not always the case. Romance and love isn¡¯t necessary, all that is needed is a strong connection that the hero sword inherits. Are you two trying to be the next heropanion? There should be a demon king in another five or so years, but it¡¯s hard to say whether there will be a hero.¡±


    Edna just nodded. ¡°You can say that.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Hopefully they send more than one. It rarely ends well with only one hero.¡± Shuwan said with a sigh.


    ¡°So, a hero can create a second hero sword?¡± Edna tried to redirect the question back to the earlier question. ¡°Why not create more? The world clearly has space for many more.¡±


    ¡°Each new hero seed costs levels. Five to ten levels of the hero¡¯s [Hero] ss, and the new hero sword starts from scratch.¡± Shuwan said.


    ¡°Starting from scratch?¡± Edna asked. ¡°Do the hero swords have levels?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The old woman smiled. ¡°They are special like that. They are a part of the hero, and so, each hero gains two sets of levels. One for himself, and one for his sword. Once given away they stopped growing, the swords transformed into the objects you see out there, but they gained some other abilities to protect their new home.¡±


    Edna¡¯s mind immediately thought of Aeon¡¯s idea of creating a living weapon. That was possible with a titan soul, but here, the hero¡¯s sword was doing something else altogether.


    ***


    ¡°Do you think we can do something simr? A living weapon that¡¯s so powerful that we could use it on the demon Sun-Rings?¡± Edna asked. ¡°Something that ousts even the heroes.¡±


    If the hero swords were living weapons, then the natural idea was for a hero from Caval to gain power across many, many worlds to create a super-hero sword. Or whether they could make something with a titan soul, and push the living aspect to it¡¯s limits by cobbling multiple titan soul-like weapons together.


    ¡°This makes this world a dilemma for us. If we stop hero summons, we¡¯re fulfilling our end of the bargain, but we wouldn¡¯t be able to experiment with the heroes.¡± Edna said. ¡°I¡¯m being a little selfish, but I really want to see what it¡¯s like to have these living swords pushed to the limits. Could they be more powerful than the heroes themselves?¡±


    ¡°Then we should let Aeon know to just hold off on this world. I think we could afford a dy to our ns?¡± Ebon wondered. ¡°Skipping one cycle is what, ten or twenty years? Aeon could wait that long, no problem.¡±


    Edna agreed. ¡°Aeon won¡¯t be the problem. Time is hardly a concern for him, and waiting a decade more or two is indeed nothing. I am more concerned with my peers. Would my peers be willing to hold off for twice as long? Alka may be on my side, since he¡¯s willing to experiment, but will Ste let me do this? Are we ying with the lives of my fellow warriors?¡±


    ¡°We could let the demon king appear but don¡¯t kill it? Leave it incapacitated and allow the summoning of heroes to trigger?¡±


    ¡°Agreed. That¡¯s possible with Lumoof¡¯s powers and my swords. Now, I¡¯ll have to convince the rest of my domain holders to hold on for a little longer.¡±


    Spaizzer


    So I have a bookunch tomorrow. Book 6 of Tree of Aeons on Amazon. Wow. I have 6 books. It still makes my mind twist a little. But my 7th book will only be out maybe mid 2025, so, that''s a really long time away.


    I do want to write faster. But my brain''s capacity to thinks limited. I have a tendency of writing things that takes me a long time to think about. RSM requires me to think about interpersonal rtionships and choices all the time (which is why its so slow). Tree requires me to think about civilizations and societies on a macro scale and kinda estimate how they go.


    Anyway why am I rambling. Here''s book 6''s link. please add it to your library if you have it. Also on Patreon, a few peeps volunteered to help me edit. Yey! So yey for edit squad. We''re still working out the flow but hopefully it''ll be better edited stuff once it hits RR/SH a few more chapters down the /gp/product/B0CZ14CLS4


    Check it out, thanks for reading, please buy my book so that I can save enough more money and be a full time writer. Someday. Some daaaaaaaaaay.

 Tree of Aeons Book 6 launches on Amazon!

    Tree of Aeons Book 6unches on Amazon!


    Greetings my dearest readers. Tree of Aeons Book 6 invades Amazon today. Do check it out here /amazon/B0CZ14CLS4


    If you do have a KU, add it to your library, do give it a read, and leave a rating/review. THANKS!


    Man, book 6. That''s crazy, don''t you think so? I think so. It''s wild that I''ve written so much. Goes to show that even writing just 3,000 words a week over almost 6 years did finally get me to this point.


    Anyway. please read, leave rating. Thanks :)

 311. Faith

    311. Faith


    311


    <b>Year 280</b>


    ¡°Hawa, how long do we have to wait if we n to hold off on rescuing one of the worlds?¡± Lumoof asked the object in his hand. Edna¡¯s encounters with the hero swords made me wonder whether we could rece it with another world.


    There was silence, at first.


    <b>¡°If it¡¯s one world, perhaps another 5 years, so all in you may have to wait and hold these worlds for up to 35 years before I gather enough faith points.¡±</b>


    Thirty five years. In a way, that wasn¡¯t a bad amount of time, since we could reinforce our hold on these peripheral worlds, and replenish the strength of the Valtrian Order and Valthorns. 35 years was enough for one to two generations of new warriors to join our ranks.


    Though a part of me wondered whether it is enough to attack the demons, I realize that at this moment, it didn¡¯t matter. We¡¯ll just have to get ready. If we are not, we will take a step back and rebuild.


    ¡°Do you have domain holders under you?¡± Lumoof asked.


    <b>¡°Yes. A few, they care for some of my Core Worlds. They serve as my voice to my people.¡±</b>¡°What do you do if they get too strong?¡±


    <b>¡°Why would they? It gets progressively harder to get stronger under the old system, and they would have to constantly seek out battles. My core worlds are safe, they do not get invaded by the demons frequently.¡±</b>


    Ah. It¡¯s so easy to teau, and I noticed this too, even in my domain holders. There¡¯s always a point where progress seems incredibly slow. Years pass by without a level gained.


    Even for me, my level gains have been so slow that I¡¯ve not expected more levels unless I did something big. Thest significant gain I had was during the demon¡¯set. So far, our expeditions to the peripheral worlds didn¡¯t lead to many levels for me.


    ¡°Have you started to save up some faith points?¡±


    <b>¡°Yes. It will take some time, but faith points umte slowly over the years.¡±</b>


    ¡°Yet you do not want to send your priests and prophets to these worlds to convert them to your faith?¡±


    <b>¡°Distant worlds generate the least amount of faith points. I much prefer to create news in my core realms and popte them with even more believers. There is more progress that way.¡±</b>


    ¡°Wait. How big are your core worlds?¡±


    <b>¡°Compared to some of the peripheral worlds, perhaps ten, or twenty timesrger? Some of my realms have thirtys filled with my believers, in the billions.¡±</b>


    That exined the sheer scale and why the gods are so unwilling to entertain distant worlds. It¡¯s core worlds are so big, and just managing that should take up most of its time. ¡°Ah. But how does the Will of the World work in such a situation?¡±


    <b>¡°There isn¡¯t one. I have merged with the old Will of the Worlds for those where I have imed as my Core Worlds. These worlds and me are one and the same, and it is why my existence is calcted as a blend of the worlds where I rule.¡±</b>


    ¡°But- wait, don¡¯t you die if you lose your followers?¡±


    <b>¡°Yes, but the worlds will have to die first, and so long as I rule them, I won¡¯t.¡±</b>


    Ah. Interesting. So since the World Faith System allows them to supnt the world¡¯s existing will and made it their own-


    ¡°Wait. Then how do the demons capture a god if you are merged with your core world?¡±


    <b>¡°They must have defeated all of that god¡¯s worlds, and forced it to itsst controlled world. And there, it captured itsst controlled world, effectively iming control over its faith.¡±</b>


    ¡°But a god can draw power from further away than its core world.¡±


    <b>¡°Yes. But the core worlds are where we tie our presence. Call it an anchor of our reality.¡±</b>


    ¡°But, why don¡¯t the gods just keep merging with the Will of the Worlds?¡±


    <b>¡°Each merger costs Faith Points, and the less world we control, the harder it is to generate the necessary faith points.¡±</b>


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you keep merging with more worlds? At some point you control so many worlds that you can keep merging with more?¡±


    <b>¡°There¡¯s a distance penalty for each merger, each merger shifts my center of faith ever slightly, making some worlds further away from that center and dilutes the faith point generated from that world. In other words, there is an optimal arrangement of worlds based on the current density of worlds in the void.¡±</b>


    ¡°But you can move worlds as the Will of the World. Can you not just move it closer to the center of your mass such that each world is optimally arranged within your center of faith?¡±


    There was an odd silence. A really, really long odd silence. <b>¡°It can be done, at some faith point cost, but there is a size restriction of the number of realms in the same space in the void sea, but no real limit on the number of worlds within a single realm, but-¡±</b>


    Again, a weird, long silence, as if it was in thought.


    <b>¡°Maybe that belief is also wed. I will experiment on this.¡±</b>


    ¡°Ah.¡± Even the old gods work with fairly constrained information. The System works the way it does, but not all the tricks to optimize it¡¯s performance are known.


    At that point, I wondered how my clones interacted with the Will of the World.


    ¡°What sort of powers do you get with the Will of the World? I mean, other than the power to move worlds.¡±


    <b>¡°Fairly wide. I can create and alter racepositions, alter species, create divine and magicalws that permeate the world, move worlds, alter its core concepts, subject to the [System]¡¯s limits.¡±</b>


    ¡°Can you shape portals?¡±


    <b>¡°Yes.¡±</b>


    I wondered. ¡°Are you able to block people froming, then?¡±


    <b>¡°I have not tried, but maybe. At least, I can block a world¡¯s core from interacting with a person. Like, I can weave rules into the world to prevent certain things from happening, such as dragons can¡¯t fly, or trees can¡¯t grow bigger than a certain size. Some rules will need to go through the System¡¯s implied voting process, and can take a while.¡±</b>


    Could it even stop me from deploying my clones? ¡°Can you stop the movement of souls, too?¡±


    <b>¡°A limited yes. I can create mechanisms that slow the movement of souls and recycle them, but over a long period of time, no.¡±</b>


    This lends credence to the idea that souls are one of the foundational forces of the world, but I wondered what the demons could do with worlds where it has fully ¡®possessed¡¯ the will of the world, and weaponized that ability. It has not done so with the demon worlds we¡¯ve seen so far, but there is no reason to believe the demon worlds within the bubble are simr.


    ¡°Are you able to prepare a force to fight with us, as we make our way to the demon¡¯s sun?¡± I asked. ¡°Join us, support us in our fight.¡±


    A long silenceter, it agreed. <b>¡°Very well. I will have 1,000 high quality warriors ready within forty years.¡±</b>


    ¡°Any domainholders?¡±


    <b>¡°No. My domain holders are far too precious.¡±</b>


    ***


    Three decades of rtive peace should be achievable, though we are left with a few more worlds where we intended to see a little more happen.


    ¡°We arergely ready for the next phase of our movements. The rest of the Valthorns will focus their efforts on restoring the health of the peripheral worlds, but for us, we have other things to do.¡± Lumoof gathered the domain holders for a talk. They were connected through [dream academy].


    The dream version of Alka nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll spend another few years here in Delvegard. I think I can get a deeper grip into their society, but we¡¯ll need a big deployment of staff to build a new space for these guys. In a safer world. Do we intend to use the world next to the Sun-Rings as a staging post? If so, that¡¯s where we should go. It¡¯ll make it much easier to send over the war machines to the Sun-Rings.¡±


    ¡°Is attacking the Sun-Rings with war machines even necessary?¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe not, but the Sun-Rings is where we are closest to the demon¡¯s barrier. Once it breaks, it will lead to the inner worlds, and I expect a lot of war.¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡±


    ¡°What sort of crack are we expecting in the demon¡¯s barrier?¡± Johann asked.


    Ste then borated. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure of what sort of power Hawa¡¯s weapon has, but let¡¯s assume the barrier will either have a hole in it, or fallpletely. We should be able to move closer towards the demonic worlds that are on the other side. I believe we should be seeing demon worlds.¡±


    ¡°So a whole lot of battle.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and the domain holders will be the tip of the spear.¡± Alka exined. The rest of the Valthorns will need to hold on to a set of worlds that form a path for us to retreat, if needed. ¡°The likelihood of that sort of path being necessary probably isn¡¯t high if we can have Aeon¡¯s clone deployed somewhere along the way, but we don¡¯t really know whether there are restrictions of Aeon¡¯s deployment. We know so far during our first attack on the Sun-Rings that Aeon cannot deploy on ces without sufficient soil. We are highly likely entering worlds that have been heavily warped by the demon¡¯s presence, quite like the core worlds of the old gods.¡±


    ¡°So more divinew stuff.¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly. Which is why we are the tip of the spear.¡± Alka said. ¡°We¡¯ll need more firepower. Way more firepower.¡±


    Somehow, Johann, Roon, Kafa and Ezar looked at Lumoof at the same time.


    Lumoof blinked. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to get more allies.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes.¡±


    ¡°It is the avatar¡¯s role as the primary representative.¡± Johann said. ¡°If we need more domain holders, we¡¯ll have to recruit some of these others to fight on our side.¡±


    ¡°Or we find more allies.¡± Ste said. ¡°We should resume the Void Layers exploration.¡±


    ¡°Or reach for the other gods.¡± Roon poked in, and this time, he looked at Ste. ¡°If we can get Hawa to give us some guys, Aiva probably could too. We should reach Aiva, somehow.¡±


    Ste frowned. ¡°Aww man. I already have two void explorers headed in different directions. If we find something, we¡¯ll know.¡±


    Roon and Johann looked at each other. ¡°But if we¡¯re venturing to worlds where there are divinews, we¡¯ll need a void domain holder.¡±


    ¡°Unless if, we can somehow share the protections of a domainholder with any of five other void archmages.¡± Alka said.


    ¡°Is there?¡± Ste asked.


    ¡°Not that I know of.¡±


    Lumoof shook his head. ¡°If we can locate more gods that is ideal. But our efforts should be on the basis that we don¡¯t find any more gods, and so we need to improve the strength of our forces. The peripheral worlds are mostly connected to a demon world, we should make use of that.¡± Lumoof said. ¡°That¡¯s a good way to give our new recruits some additional knowledge and experience.¡±


    Then Edna brought up her observations on the hero mechanic on Caval. The matter was circted to the domain holders earlier, so most of them knew about it on a rtively high level basis.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to experiment on the hero ss.¡±


    That made Ste squirm slightly. ¡°The rest of the heroes won¡¯t agree on that.¡±


    ¡°Why won¡¯t they? They have another friend to fight with.¡± Johann asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s taking people away from their homes. Away from their current lives. It¡¯s allowing the gods to kidnap them.¡± Ste countered.


    ¡°Not if you believe what happens to heroes when they die.¡± Alka said. ¡°They get ced back as if it never happened. Nothing really was lost. It¡¯s like a dream.¡±


    ¡°We have no way of proving whether that is true.¡± Ste countered. ¡°I don¡¯t like this. We¡¯re allowing the system to take one.¡±


    Alka looked at Ste, and frowned. ¡°Just one, Ste. Think of the lives we can save, if there¡¯s a way to make a super powerful living weapon. Something that we can then use on other worlds as well.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s ways to do that without the heroes.¡± Ste insisted. ¡°Edna already has her quest swords, why can¡¯t her quest swords do something simr once she gains more levels?¡±


    ¡°Ste, it will end on it¡¯s own. It¡¯s a matter of time.¡± Alka countered. ¡°The more we can learn how the world works and how some worlds integrate the hero summons into it¡¯s natural ecosystem, the better equipped we are to deal with the consequences. Caval will have its end of summons eventually, and I think Edna has a point. One hero. One summons. That¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Do you want some time to think about this?¡± Alka tried to brush off her rejection.


    ¡°Aeon, we have to stop this cycle of pulling people from our worlds.¡± Ste said. ¡°Stopping hero summons is a good thing!¡±


    But I wasn¡¯t so sure.


    ***


    <i>Twinspace</i>


    Land of the plenty. Land of the overpopted.


    Kafa, Roon and Johann arrived and found the chaos even more overwhelming than the overpopted cities of the Central Continent. Somehow, the poption here was just bigger. People here just had more children, and children grew up faster. Fertility levels were high in every race, and it seemed the minds of the people were very much inclined to have children, and we discovered they were indeed wired differently.


    The souls of humans, lizardpeople, elves, dwarves. All slightly different. Their minds favored children, even though as a society, they don¡¯t seem to treat their young very well. Instead, they generally were left to fend for themselves, though crimes on young hungry children were rarely punished, unless severe.


    But there was a price to such a different mindset. A price paid, in another form.


    The level caps on everyone were lower. No one got above level 75 in this world. Ten levels of difference, and in return, and slightly smaller than the Central Continent housed ten, if not fifteen times as many individuals.


    Maybe even twenty.


    Kafa found the ce pleasant. He was always fond of crowds. Lizardfolks generally werefortable with crowds. It didn¡¯t bother them, and their minds were able to shut out the unnecessary noise.


    ***


    ¡°The demon continent is the promisednd!¡± Matriarch Hoyia stood on top of the podium. A crowd surrounded her. ¡°Our divine God Aeon has a vision, a task for us all. Once we reim the demon continent, it will be transformed into and of plenty. Enough to feed your family. Your friends. Everyone!¡±


    The crowd listened, as Hoyia¡¯s [A Seed for the Masses] spread throughout the entire za.


    ¡°Aeon¡¯s warriors await us on our journey. Our path, my fellow brethren. Our divine god calls on us to prepare for this journey. A crusade of our own to purge the unholy from our world! The reward is a new promisednd. And that is fertile, where minerals and resources are plentiful, and our god¡¯s men will be there to help us. So, my brethren. We must make the journey. Our crusade awaits!¡±


    Roon and Johann kept watch, just in case anyone tried something. But Hoyia had enough artifacts on her to block a demon king¡¯s attack. ¡°The crowd¡¯s buying it.¡±


    ¡°A lot more than I expected.¡± Johann said, and realized a lot were nodding. Some were swayed. A few walked up. Hoyia bought a buildingter that day, and officially set up the first Temple of Aeon on the world of Twinspace.


    A total of three matriarchs and patriarchs of the Treeology came to Twinspace. The act of converting these masses into believers, zealots, was the first step. Once they gained scale, they would convert even the nobles, and from there, the preparations for the crusades would be on the way.


    The first Twinspace Temple of Aeon was located on a harbor city, it was ruled by a local King. There were soldiers, but anyone could tell that they were hardly loyal. They were only doing it because the King paid them.


    How easy it was to sway the hearts of these lost sheep.


    An offering of food, a blessing from a priestess, and a light touch of borrowed divinity, and Hoyia turned a group ofzy, unmotivated guards into her own private army of eager zealots.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite scary what she¡¯s doing.¡± Roon said, as each of the matriarch and patriarch somehow converted hundreds and thousands of regr civilians into believers of the Aeonic faith.


    Simr to Alka, Hoyia and the priesthood went down to the people, and converted them first. The ruling institutions will fall on their own, once the legs they stood on copse. The powerful may have higher levels, and are stronger, but in the end, the benefits of that level only matter if they have someone to lord it over.


    With the Temple of Aeon, and the power of the matriarchs, it would be easy to resist their attempts.


    In two months, the Temple of Aeon on the shoreline cities had grown to thousands, winning over soldiers and citizens alike.


    The nobility began to notice, but by then the Temple of Aeon was already sizable, and some began to whisper directly into the noble¡¯s ears.


    In that shoreline city itself, the fire now reached the city¡¯s lord.


    ¡°The demon¡¯s continent is actually our promisednd.¡± A zealous converted officer exined to that very town¡¯s lord. The Lord was furious. ¡°We must join the Temple of Aeon on the crusade to the demonic continent! Our suffering all this while was because we allowed the demonic continent to remain corrupted!¡±


    ¡°What ridiculous im is this? How are the other temples not crushing this fake priestess?¡± The Lord stared at the converted officer. The rest of the guards looked tense. They were friends, but the officer had been thoroughly mesmerized.


    The zealous converted officer stood, and drew his sword. ¡°City Lord, the powers of the matriarch are real, and her divine blessing is true. You doubt it, but see this.¡±


    His entire body radiated power for a matriarch¡¯s blessing.


    ¡°Are you dabbling in demonic energy?¡± The Lord didn¡¯t believe it, incredulous. ¡°Haul him up and throw him in prison.¡±


    ¡°City Lord, you may throw me in prison, but I beg you, go see the priestess for yourself. Matriarch Hoyia¡¯s faith is true, and her vision of god is real!¡±


    The Lord looked at his guards. ¡°Throw the man in jail, and summon this false priestess to my office. I¡¯ll see what this subus is doing to my officers!¡±


    ***

 312. Rooted In One’s Mind

    312. Rooted In One¡¯s Mind


    312


    <b>Year 280 (continued)</b>


    Hoyia was not a young woman. She took the appearance of a regal, mature woman, and the very moment she walked into the Lord¡¯s mansion it was clear to everyone.


    Maids, butlers, soldiers, guards. They all could feel it in their souls when someone who possessed the air of holiness, and for the Lord of that Town, his opinions shifted the moment she walked through her door.


    <i>Holy.</i>


    A thousand words could not describe standing before one who speaks with the weight of divinity.


    Hoyia and the priests were normal for the rest of the Valthorns. But for these folks of Twinspace, they cannot even begin to exin how unique the sensation was. The local [Lord] stood in the presence of a high leveled priestess with her powers in full swing.


    Though fleeting, or momentary, a priest is an extension of their god. A priest is the conduit between reality and the powers of god as written in the system.


    The Lord blinked, as the sensation hit him. For a Lord who had never met a true holy man in a world with few holy existences, it was akin to seeing for the first time. ¡°-how?¡±Hoyia did not bow or kneel, her words divine, but she may as well have been a subus. There really was no difference at their level of power. The [Lord] wasn¡¯t very strong, likely only level 30 to 40, and so, his resistance crumbled.


    ¡°Greetings, Town Lord. It seems Aeon saw it fit to arrange an opportunity for me to convince you of our truth. Would you like to join us in our crusade? There is a promisednd for us, but it is not free. It is one that we have to earn ourselves.¡±


    The lord was enraptured, and in a single meeting, converted. Hoyia made it look easy, and some [Lords] were ever weaker than others.


    One Lord done. Hundreds more to go.


    A crusade for the demonic continent would now stir the world into a frenzy. New ships would be constructed, aided by the Valtrian Order¡¯s craftsmen.


    Perhaps, Magisar should¡¯ve used the priests to speak to the mages. The faith was far more potent and infectious than they expected.


    <b>Year 281</b>


    The Order purged all of Magisar¡¯s demonic hives. What¡¯s left are just small patches of demons and corruptednd. A matter of time before the world is truly devoid of demons.


    The Magisarian economy hinged on food harvesting and mineral collection. Due to ack of hard metals in their world, most of their goods were constructed and reinforced with magic. The hero-created floating towers were the primary exception.


    With peace, that meant old harvesting locations and mining spots could be restored, and trade routes resurrected. Most of this didn¡¯t need her involvement.


    A great thing, and so, the Order focused its efforts on recruitment. Training mages for the next batch. New schools. Lausanne and the Order recruited some of the friendly mages, thankfully not all were stupid enough to side with the Tower Masters, and a few new schools were constructed.


    Children of Magisar did not have the old biases of their parents, and they did not inherit a ¡®fear¡¯ of thend.


    Like the lizardfolk, the children would experience a world so different from their parents that it was hard for them to understand. The Order¡¯s priests would have to heavily step in to manage this generational transition.


    The Order set up a total of ten new magic schools across Magisar, and unlike the Tower, the new schools wererge academy style buildings replicated after the various magic schools of Treehome, but staffed with a joint team from both the Order and also the local mages. The Order didn¡¯t have that many mages to spare, so each of the schools could only have about five to ten level 70 to 80 mages, and the rest would be Magisarian local mages.


    The Magisarians used to have magical carnivals, tournaments as recorded in their historical documents, so she revived old tournaments and events between the Towers, and added these new academies into the mix aspetitors.


    Now that the demons are exterminated, in theory, the Order should gradually cut off the Towers and let them return to their old ways, simr to Treehome. But Aeon¡¯s mercy left a mark on the old leadership, and none of the sessors dared toy im to the respective leadership roles. So the Order¡¯s mages continued to rule in ce of the Tower Masters.


    To make the best of what was already done, Lausanne and ckthorn replicated the council of representatives of the Central Continent, and made each of the Towers nominate a group of five representatives, to represent their interests to the newly established Magisar Council, housed in the new city.


    ***


    <i>Delvegard</i>


    Crafters vanished. Tens. Hundreds.


    Entire workshops somehow robbed overnight with not a sound or witness. Vaults filled with Sunsteel, Sunmetal and void weapons are all gone somehow.


    A great theft of people, weapons and resources.


    The Kings and rulers of Delvegard were in panic. Many wanted toprehend what in the world happened to their nations.


    Even in the greatest of Delvegard¡¯s war machine academies, multiple masters just vanished overnight, along with all their gear.


    There was a noticeable sense of dread in the Yards, that even the Forge Master of the Yards, the former King, patrolled the ce extensively, along with his best warriors.


    But even full security didn¡¯t help when powerful Order operatives ced everyone in the yard to sleep.


    Those that vanished were housed in a series of secret new homes in new cities, in a series of new cities throughout Delvegard. Built into old Sunmetal and Sunsteel Mines, the crafters and builders from the Order had quickly constructed new, fortified and heavily magically reinforced cities hidden from view, and in ces normally inessible.


    We called these the New Delvegardian Cities.


    Carved out of old mines or dead mines. An underground path was constructed that connected these New Delvegardian Cities to the regr dwarven towns ruled and managed by Lord Sundus and his peers.


    These cities were basic but functional, but what truly made them realize that they were now working with crafters who were from other worlds were the singr object ced in their heart, along with the strange crystals that surrounded them.


    The Rift Gates at the heart of the Delvegardian Cities. These oval-shaped gates were massive objects of otherworldly origin, and the dwarves could tell these were not made by dwarves.


    ¡°Stolen.¡± The void mages exined to the dwarves. ¡°We took them from the demon worlds. The demons used them to invade our worlds,¡±


    An object of tremendous void magic. It was something all the Delvegardians admired. Many of the crafters often walk around it and keep trying to figure out how it¡¯s made.


    Even my crafters had not figured it out, and actually, it made me wonder how did the demons even reach the point of having such powerful technology. Were the demons some kind of technological creation by a powerful being from the past, and the rift gates were also one of their creations?


    If so, their creator must have been some kind of truly powerful crafting god.


    But no matter, the reason why we ced the rift gate at the heart of these cities was simple.


    Alka promised them the glory of war, and we intended to deliver.


    Delvegard would face its own demonic attack in a decade or so, but the pathways between the two worlds grew stronger day by day. Our void mages could amplify that connection and travel to the other side.


    And so, as a small battalion of the dwarven war machines prepared, the void mages activated the rift gates.


    ¡°You will be the first Delvegardian dwarves to ever set foot on demonic worlds.¡± Alka encouraged them. ¡°Now, go and fight the demons!¡±


    There was a roar from the first dwarven force, and they walked through the rift gates riding their war machines.


    The demons on the other side were small, and resembled the hellhounds and dog-headed monsters, and therger creatures were gigantic versions of these hellhounds and had three heads. They breathed fire, and that fire smashed into the magical shields of the war machines.


    Alka watched, a little amused how out of shape they were. The dwarves panicked, unsure how to fight the demons. The Order stepped in to help calm their nerves briefly, while a few of the Order folks quickly reminded them what they needed to do.


    This was the first trip, of many, many more toe. They fought for a while, for what was half a day, and then, the rift gates opened again, this time to bring them back.


    Alka gave them a mission to establish a foothold on the demonic world, and the dwarves epted. Groups of Delvegardian Dwarves from all over the world came together, and somehow formed into cliques, and rather than fight each other for real, Alka merely gave out rewards for those who ughtered the most demons.


    ***


    ¡°Had a good time?¡± Alka smiled at the block master. He was among the first group that rode their war machines to the other side.


    ¡°No. Not really. It was bad.¡± The Block master conceded, as he reviewed his own performance. ¡°We were out of shape.¡±


    Alka nodded. ¡°A lot of room for improvement. Fighting demons is quite different from fighting each other. It¡¯s quite chaotic, and there are many types of demons.¡±


    ¡°Hah.¡± The former block master looked at Alka. ¡°You seem exceptionally used to this.¡±


    ¡°Me? Not really. I spent most of my years in a workshop building stuff. It¡¯s only in the recent decades I¡¯ve ventured onto the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°Recent decades?¡± The Delvegardian looked at Alka, and then Alka undid his disguise, and transformed into his older, usual self.


    ¡°I¡¯m much older, block master.¡± The domain holder sat with the dwarves as they rested back in their home.


    ¡°Ah. That exins it. And here I was wondering whether the new generation are truly so impressive.¡±


    ¡°They are.¡± Alkaughed. ¡°With the regime we put my fellow warriors through, theye out as strong as you within a decade or less.¡±


    That was something that was met with an ufortable silence.


    ¡°How are things back in the Yards?¡± The block master asked, as he too decided to redirect the topic of conversation.


    ¡°Tense. The King and the Yardmaster are still trying to hunt down the culprits. That¡¯s not going so well for them.¡±


    ¡°Have you not been able to sway them?¡±


    ¡°No. They tried to kill me.¡± Alka said, andughed. ¡°At some point, it¡¯s not worth it. I¡¯ve got most of the good people I wanted, and we¡¯ve stolen quite a few of their war machines.¡±


    ***


    Throughout the entire Delvegard, there was a rumor of what¡¯s known as a ¡®mass disappearance¡¯ of alchemists, crafters and mages, along with multiple war machines. Even the Delvegardian Yards saw half of theirrgest war machines stolen, and most of their void weapons as well. Most of them were swayed by Alka and the Valthorn¡¯s appeal to fight for a better cause.


    They referred to it as <i>The Delvegardian Disappearance.</i>


    Alka did make an attempt to convince the Forge Master. The disguised form of Alka offered the deal to the Forge Master, and the proud dwarven man attacked him instead for lying. Somehow, he was too proud, or perhaps, he was too high up the pole to see the drawbacks of the society he ruled over.


    The order didn¡¯t see the need to continue engaging the kings that refused. Instead, he would continue stealing talent and resources from the Delvegardian nations, and so, the kidnapping would continue.


    It caused the entire war economy of Delvegard to grind to a halt. Lords didn¡¯t want to invest in new war machines only for it to be stolen.


    ***


    Alka returned to Delvegardian Yards discreetly, and found it exceptionally quiet.


    The ce once hummed with the hammering of Sunsteel, the ttering of war machines in battle now seemed like it was abandoned.


    There were patrols. Actual, heavy patrols, and many of them started to look at each student as if they were a suspect. The King himself was almost delirious, but the news that almost all workshops were targeted made them feel better. War machines were rigged with spells and artifacts to ensure they could be located. But it was trivially easy to remove them.


    Across Delvegard, some cities were badly hit. They lost almost all their war machines and crafters. These were usually towns and cities that had wars in their recent history.


    War didn¡¯t leave people happy, and dwarves were often torn between pride, loyalty, and a sense of duty to family and friends. So, the Order now provided a real alternative.


    A possibility to live a different way, there was no reason to hold onto that cause, so many of these crafters decided to leave. The Order took everyone who joined them, and their family, and set them up in the various New Delvegardian Cities.


    Back in the Yards, Alka¡¯s little spy machines were everywhere, and he found ways to sneak into the doors of many craftsmen and talented men to speak to them.


    Each day, Alka convinced a little more to leave.


    ¡°Another three disappeared today?¡±


    As the King turned mad and paranoid, that only pushed more of their valuable crafters towards Alka¡¯s offer. Not every approach was sessful, but Alka got better at understanding the types that would fold. For those where he felt it was a little risky, he approached with a disguise.


    There were those he approached that did not join him.


    Instead, they all confessed to the authorities, and said how they were approached by a strange man, who spoke of joining a war on other worlds, where dwarves do not fight each other, but fight demons.


    The King was furious. The King knew, of course. Alka already approached the dwarven royal, but the King ignored his approach.


    But his citizens were fascinated. Kings and royalty rarely faced the consequences of their pointless wars. They had the best war machines. The best equipment. The best healers and potions. Fighting for their country was thus seen as a must. A proud thing, a duty. Fights were the dwarven way of proving their strength. No Delvegardian King earned their ce on the throne without war, and expansions were glorious things.


    An achievement in their rule, turned into stories to be told in taverns and sung around as hymns by drunk dwarves.


    The middle and lower ss didn¡¯t see it that way, but the world wouldn¡¯t change just because they disagreed. Theycked the means to cause that change, and so the cycle of war perpetuated.


    But as the dwarves who rejected the Order¡¯s offer shared their experiences, and exined what was said, rather than inspire horror, instead, it only amplified them.


    The promise of the big war came to be known as the ¡®Great War¡¯. An inspiration.


    A part of me wondered whether this was a rehashed version of Valha and Ragnarok.


    Maybe that was why the tales seemed to sell so well. Stories of wars that spanned worlds inspired grandeur and glory in the minds of young impressionable dwarves. Alka¡¯s attempts to kidnap and sway crafters, pilots and alchemists to join the real ¡®Great War¡¯ was like the song and purpose many waited for, and so, throughout Delvegard, many smaller independent movements emerged in support of the disappeared dwarves.


    ***


    ¡°The tales grow more crazy by the week.¡± Lord Sundus exined as the tales spread far and wide, and to the smaller Delvegardian towns. Thus far, Alka and the Order¡¯s great kidnapping mainly targeted therge workshops, academies and crafting institutions.


    Then, Lord Sundus¡¯s spies reported of a nned execution of a crafter.


    The tales of one such craftsman spread so much among the popce that it caused great distress and fear to the ruling ss of one of these affected Dwarven City.


    The craftsman was decently talented, at around level 50, and because of family concerns he rejected the offer. But somehow, rather than rewarding the crafter for remaining loyal and rejecting the offer, the town¡¯s lord grew increasingly suspicious of his exnations.


    ¡°This fool is spreading false stories!¡± The Town Lord hauled the crafter dwarf to the Town¡¯s square, and intended to publicly execute him. ¡°There is no Great War out there. These are lies spread by those who deserted their post and town.¡±


    The crowd watched in horror as the Town Lord picked up the executioner¡¯s ax. The craftsdwarf was chained to a tform, his dwarven body trapped.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lie, town lord! It was real! I really met a man and he told me about this story! He really wanted me to join him!¡±


    The Dwarven Lord was frustrated, and turned to his people. ¡°Shut your lying mouth. Now, I intend to set an example for all dwarven crafters everywhere! There is no Great War, and there is no war in the heavens. All these people who joined them are being sold a lie. They are liars! These people were consumed by the very demons that seek to destroy us!¡±


    The people listened in fear. The crafter struggled and wept. ¡°My lord! I did not lie! I have chosen to remain in the town out of loyalty to you, my lord! Please, do not punish me for my loyalty!¡±


    But the Dwarven Lord did not buy it. ¡°Speak no more, liar. These evil words merely convinced the town folks of your lie. There is no great war. This is all a plot to weaken us all!¡±


    He lifted the ax, and then, a voice boomed in the entire town za. Somehow, the Town Lord found himself unable to move. A kind of paralysis or stasis magic had locked everyone in ce.


    ¡°Crafter. If you are given a choice again, would you choose differently?¡± The voice asked.


    The crafter stared at the Town Lord¡¯s ax. There, on the execution tform, surrounded by a crowd of spectators, the choice was clear. Anything else was death. In the Dwarven Lord¡¯s eyes was madness. Paranoia. Fear.


    His loyalty was not rewarded. And so he chose differently. ¡°Yes. Yes! I will join the great war!¡±


    The Dwarven Lord struggled against the magic that bound him, and by sheer will, the dwarven lord broke free of the magical bindings He quickly swung his ax downwards, towards the crafter¡¯s neck. ¡°Shut your lying mouth!¡±


    The ax came down with force, a dwarven lord¡¯s strength behind it, and instead it smashed into the wooden tform. But the crafter had vanished. Instead, they saw the remnant swirl of a teleportation portal.


    The Town Lord looked around in shock. He blinked, before he screamed. ¡°Guards! They must be around here! Find them!¡±


    A roar erupted in the za. The Dwarven Lord¡¯s guards and soldiers scrambled and searched the za. They found nothing.


    The spectating crowd were frozen, but they talked. The rumors raged like an inferno, and throughout the world, more Delvegardians saw how the ruling ss was weakened by the severe disappearance of their crafters and their war machines.


    ***


    <i>Delvegard¡¯s Demonic World - Darkgard</i>


    One of the great benefits of the dwarven crafters was that they were all skilled builders, and they could easily work with whatever materials avable to them. On the demonic world that was linked to Delvegard, which we now referred to as Darkgard, the dwarves were quick to build fortifications from natural rocks, stone and steel.


    Darkgard¡¯s demons would invade Delvegard in a decade or two, and they were sold on a dream. A mission to stop the demons before they reach Delvegard.


    The Order could handle it for them, but the dwarves would not learn. An easy win would not satisfy their inherent need for challenge and a well-earned victory.


    Materials were shipped through the rift gates, and it was hard work.


    But the Delvegardian dwarves were an industrial bunch, and found joy in work. There was a palpable sense of excitement in them, as dwarves from all over Delvegard now united to attack the demon world.


    Once the loyalties and capabilities of these war machines are decently tested, we would start incorporating the weapons of Treehome. We have a range of weapons such as our anti-magic weaponry, our own set of crystal based weapons and wood-based weapons that could enhance their anti-demonic capabilities.

 313. The Dangers of Zealotree

    313. The Dangers of Zealotree


    313


    <b>Year 282</b>


    <i>Shasan. The Land of Switching Sands and Seas</i>


    Lumoof dropped in and watched Emperor Erranuel¡¯s men work. The Emperor and his group of followers had quickly fought with some local rulers, taken control of one of the towns, and dered it as the new Hawa Capital of Shasan. He had even styled it the Holy City of Hawa.


    They¡¯d worked quickly to gain one town. It was their first year on a foreign world, and for them, they did not have the systems or processes on how to set up a new outpost on another world. Interestingly, we found both Michael of Museo and Olivia of Olpash, both on Shasan.


    ¡°It¡¯s interesting that both of you are here.¡± Lumoof smiled as he visited the Emperor¡¯s new office. The void mage that helped send them here did provide a list of people he had transported over, but Lumoof thought it strange and wanted to see for himself.


    ¡°It is only right that we stand to support our fellow brother in faith in his quest to expand Hawa¡¯s reach.¡± Michael answered.


    ¡°That is so, that is so. How have you found the experience so far?¡±


    ¡°Different.¡± Olivia answered. ¡°The people of this world seem unsure of their faith, as if Hawa does not exist to them.¡±¡°I don¡¯t me them. Hawa really doesn¡¯t exist here. I¡¯m sure you have noticed when you attempt to tap into your god¡¯s power.¡±


    Olivia frowned. There is an imprint that exists in the system, and priests can tap into that. But that connection is stronger in worlds where the god¡¯s presence is stronger. By the same measure, Hoyia and my other priest¡¯s connection to me is stronger in worlds where I have a node, and weaker in worlds where I have none. But not defenseless, because they can also tap into the system, and the system is everywhere. It was quite like connecting through a roo, versus speaking through [message].


    ¡°We both intend to spread Hawa¡¯s faith, and strengthen Hawa¡¯s presence. In time, this drawback will fade.¡± Michael supported hispatriot.


    ¡°Then good luck with that.¡±


    I wondered whether Michael and Olivia would find a weakness in the Shasanian¡¯s psyche and tap into a vulnerability in their hearts. If they could, maybe they would be able to sweep through Shasan like Hoyia as well.


    ***


    <i>Twinspace</i>


    The new converts were zealots. Those new to the faith were driven and eager to prove their faith, and it was frightening. Did I really want to use this power?


    That was something I asked myself as I watched the Treeology priests whip the poption of about ten towns into something not too different from a passionate bunch of looters. The promise of a bountifulnd, salvation from their current suffering, and the gospel of prosperity made me think of my own interactions of simr religious institutions. Was this what I had in mind?


    The town lord stood obediently as Matriarch Hoyia took the stand, and she swayed even more nobles to her side.


    ¡°Matriarch Hoyia, the King now wants to raise an army against us!¡± A passionate zealot reported. A convert. Spies. It was surreal that Hoyia had built an entirely new structure of zealots centered around her and her closest advisors.


    Johann and Roon stared at each other and even asked her. ¡°You sure you didn¡¯t use some kind of mind control on them?¡±


    Hoyia chuckled at the domain holder¡¯s suggestion, but Twinspace¡¯s expansion would be led by Hoyia, just like how Lausanne controlled Magisar. We needed to give the level 140s greater responsibilities and hopefully push them towards a domain. ¡°Oh not at all. They believe in the promise. A crusade. A cause. Now this is the moment we must guide the fire.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re ying with fire.¡± Johann observed. ¡°This could very easily turn against us.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it can. Which is why we must tend to it carefully, feed it. And mp down on those who do not fit in our faith.¡± Hoyia said as she heard the reports from the various zealots. ¡°If the King wants an army to fight us, then we will have one. Now, my fellow faithful of Aeon, we have nothing to fear! What do we, those gifted and blessed by Aeon itself, have to fear from these faithless men?¡±


    Johann and Roon were a little ufortable. ¡°I think using priests offensively might be a mistake.¡±


    But it¡¯s effectiveness was incredible. The various nations of Twinspace were dumbfounded by how quickly the Temple of Aeon spread, and how these priests of Aeon appeared out of nowhere and converted thousands in mere weeks. Some Kings immediatelyunched purges against Aeonic believers, which somehow only emboldened those faithful that they were right.


    ¡°They fear us because we are right!¡± Hoyia roared in a fiery sermon to the new zealots, as she recited a verse from an invented book of Aeon. ¡°Even in Aeon¡¯s homeworld, there are those who do not believe. And just like us today, those faithless men waged not one, but two crusades against Aeon! But we do not fear them, because just like Aeon, we will prevail. They attacked us. They will stop us from trading. But they will eventually give in. Because theyck faith!¡±


    The crowds everywhere bought it, and the fires of zealotry formed into an army, an army Hoyia called ¡®The Defenders of the Faith.¡¯


    Twinspace was no stranger to ult faiths. Over the centuries, there had been many charismatic individuals, who had used their powers of persuasion to create a cult. The difference between a cult and a faith was thin, and the only difference was whether a faith had a link to real power.


    ¡°I feel bad that we are manipting them into this shit.¡± Johann admitted to Hoyia after the sermon.


    ¡°But what is the alternative? A status quo where they are aimless, purposeless, and do not contribute to the security of the realm?¡± Hoyia said. ¡°Not all people have the same potential to rise and think for themselves. But that doesn¡¯t mean they cannot contribute. With faith, we can tell them what to do.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t far off from what the White Statue is doing.¡± Johann said.


    ¡°Oh. I was actually inspired by what the White Statue did and believe that Aeon can do it too. It is why we should. The masses of Twinspace and its massive poption are wasted in their current state. Reproducing inrge quantities but not amounting to much. The wider worlds would benefit from their increased productivity. It isn¡¯t really that different from what Alka did on Delvegard. I am giving them a purpose, packaged in the form of faith, and they have epted it into their hearts and minds.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡± Johann said. ¡°I still think it¡¯ll bite us in the back someday.¡±


    ¡°Consequences that Aeon can deal with.¡± Hoyia smiled sweetly. ¡°You should head over to your dragonworlds and get back to work. We¡¯ll need an army of drakes and dragons.¡±


    ***


    Religious ceremonies weremon throughout Treehome and Branchhold, and often they were used to provide small scale blessings thatsted a long time. A blessing to a young child to grow up healthy, a blessing to somehow recover from injuries, a blessing for rity when studying, and so on.


    The power of a priest was mainly manifested through [blessings]. They could replicate the blessings of their patron god, often to a lesser degree. A power of the [system].


    It was the equivalent of tapping into the system¡¯s concept, that an entity like Aeon exists.


    My general conceptual understanding is that a person¡¯s faith, a person¡¯s soul, these are the two things that power the [system] as a whole. The World Faith System, this offshoot and variant of the existing system, merely tapped into that faith directly, rather than through the entire system as an intermediary.


    An army, raised by a threatened neighboring King, marched on the converted Towns, and the Towns raised an army to match them. Though there were actual soldiers among them, in the end, it was mainly an army of peasants armed with sticks and simple tools that walked to the field of battle.


    Hoyia could¡¯ve called on the Order to act. But she didn¡¯t. A part of me thought this was crazy, but then, Matriarch Hoyia, as the lead Valthorn member of the Twinspace expedition, had full decision making authority.


    As the worlds grow, I must delegate. And I must allow them to make mistakes.


    I could feel Hoyia¡¯s loyalty, and I knew she did not doubt.


    ¡°Sacrifice. Participation. They are all necessary for real faith. To experience fear, and to be saved.¡± She said gently, as there were about ten other lower leveled priests around her. She held in her hand, a broken branch that she collected from my main body.


    The opposing army was thirty thousand strong andprised mainly of actual soldiers. The converted zealot army was about the same size, but only a third of it were actual soldiers.


    Hoyia watched and prepared a ritual. Over the decades, the Treeology priests developed rituals and abilities, and they were most effective on the weakest segments of society. A blessing was an additional wind of strength behind an already strong warrior, but for the weakest soldiers, it was transformative.


    The priests began to sing. A hymn. A chant. A call on me. A call on the system. A prayer to me. A prayer to Edna. If Edna was here to witness it, maybe she would feel crazy embarrassed about it.


    Yet Hoyia could say it with a straight face. With full faith. Commitment. Seriousness. Perhaps it is the nature of priests in our world, that they must believe in those that are their friends. Their reporting officers. And the stick vibrated with holy power. A priest tapped into the system, and through the system, it channeled a memory of my power.


    ¡°Charge!¡± The enemy general roared. ¡°y these heretics! y those who seek to venture to the demon continent and go against our old traditions!¡±


    The generals activated a range of abilities that supported their army. The peasant army looked afraid, but there were a few generals who converted over to Hoyia¡¯s faith, and they too activated skills to counter the enemy general¡¯s abilities.


    But Hoyia had nned this. The priests wanted this. In a way, maniptive.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them get too close.¡± Hoyia said to the generals. She could¡¯ve started the blessing earlier. ¡°Protect us as we call on the powers of Aeon.¡±


    The zealots immediately shouted in defiance. ¡°Protect the matriarch!¡±


    It was not necessary. An army of 30,000 couldn¡¯t get past Matriarch Hoyia¡¯s shields even if they all attacked together. The two armies met. Blood stained the fields as the peasant army struggled to hold back the forces of the enemy.


    She wanted this.


    She was prepared to let some of them die.


    She wanted the peasants to feel they contributed.


    She wanted their devotion. She wanted them to truly buy in. She wanted them to put their lives on the line, and feel rewarded for it.


    She dragged it on slightly, fully aware of what was happening. Was it really necessary to convert people to the faith this way?


    But I must trust my generals. She waited, as the enemy army, a group of heavily armed cavalry, forced through the zealot¡¯s defensive lines. They were getting nearer.


    ¡°Matriarch Hoyia, you must retreat. They are getting nearer!¡± The zealot general said, eager to protect the leader of the faith.


    ¡°No.¡± Hoyia said. She feared nothing, her acting perfectly on point. ¡°There is nothing to fear when we are right.¡±


    At this distance, the enemy cavalry roared. They could even hear them curse her. ¡°Charge! Let¡¯s grab that subus¡¯s head! Kill her and destroy this heretic cult!¡±


    Hoyia smiled. The zealots on her side tried their best to protect her. ¡°Protect the matriarch!¡± They roared, and a few of her loyalists died, as the enemy¡¯s spear pierced through their flesh.


    ¡°Let it be known that I do not fear them.¡± Hoyiamanded, her voice somehow could be heard everywhere. It was a priestly ability to give sermons even to arge army. ¡°Zealots of Aeon! Your faith will be rewarded!¡± She finally triggered the blessings she dragged forever. It was a form of dramatic timing. To make it seem as if it was a perilous battle with real danger.


    The enemy¡¯s army wanted to punch through the defending zealots, and im their heads.


    Then, arge-scale blessing spread throughout the army of peasants and soldiers. The zealots suddenly felt a surge of strength. For those under level 30, this surge felt like it added a good fifteen levels to their strength. For those under level 50, it still was a respectable ten levels of extra strength.


    The enemy cavalry¡¯s charge mmed into a wall of magic. ¡°There is nothing to fear.¡± Hoyia roared. ¡°Our god has answered our prayers! Crush them all!¡± The blessed army turned into a frenzy, as the sudden surge in strength heavily flipped the bnce.


    The war that the zealots should¡¯ve lost on paper, turned into a decisive victory. Then Hoyia fanned the mes of fear as she held the heads of the in enemy generals and dered to a listening army of peasants and soldiers.


    ¡°My fellow zealots, our cause is true. They will im we are heretics. They will im we are evil. They will im everything is wrong. But are we afraid?¡±


    Amplified by the moment. The death. The ughter. The adrenaline and high of a victory. They roared and answered their shepherd. The peasants and soldiers present all roared ¡°NO!¡± as I somehow sensed many of them experienced a conversion of their sses.


    At least a thousand of those present gained an [Aeonic] ss variant that day, because I could suddenly feel the presence of many new believers. Hoyia turned the army of zealots into an army that would put their life on the line for her. They would cut their flesh off, sever their limbs and kill their family if she asked.


    I watched in equal parts awe and horror.


    The Order, traditionally, used faith defensively. On Treehome, on Branchhold, and on Threeworlds, my faith had so far been to maintain order in my controlled territories, to ensure loyalty among my subjects, and to support our domestic policies.


    This was because of the faith¡¯s origins. We initially used the faith to counter the four temples of Hawa, Gaya, Neira and Aiva¡¯s crusade, so we needed agents on our side.


    Hoyia turned that faith into a weapon.


    A tool to turn the masses into my subjects. She crafted a bloody war where thousands died, to convert those who survived into an army of true zealots.


    ***


    ¡°Can we reconcile this?¡± Centrally, on Treehome, my Lords and administrators wondered how to reconcile the different directions taken by various arms of the Order.


    On Delvegard, we went through appealing to the dwarven pride, loyalty to their kind, and a desire for war. On Magisar, we inadvertently used fear and overwhelming power. On Landas, we rescued the people and won their loyalty. Now, on Twinspace, Hoyia¡¯s direction took them towards religious fervor.


    These were all different ways of creating loyalty, and my followers from each of this world would view me differently.


    The strength we need to take the war back to the demons will need all kinds of strength, from all over the multiple worlds. A part of me suspects that this cobbled order will fracture when the demons are finally destroyed. At least, at the lower parts of society.


    But another part of me found it beautiful.


    It is the part that found beauty in chaos. That it is only normal for loyalty and faith to take many different forms.


    This messy, ipatible nature of everything is perfectly natural.


    Spaizzer Did you know I have a xianxia fic that''s ongoing? Check it out at /series/920438/regressor-sect-master/

 314. Divinitree

    314. Divinitree


    <b>314</b>


    Year 283


    Hoyia was the voice of god in the eyes of men, and when she spoke the people listened, entranced. It was as if she held their hearts and wielded the masses as her limbs. The first victory sparked fear. An army that gained levels from battle, even if it was from the blessings of a higher power, was a threat. Each victory added to their strength, and the nations of Twinspace feared her rise.


    Assassins were sent her way, but just as if to prove her divinity, she allowed an assassin to stab her with poisons while she gave a sermon to the masses.


    The power of Aeon flowed through her, and through it, there was no poison that could match the Tree God¡¯s restorative powers. Each attempt on her life only magnified her position amongst the eager believers. Miracles entrenched her ce, and her powers, even if they were executed through the might of the Order¡¯s machinery, only made her seem more godly.


    Hoyia and her group of priests traveled from city to city, preaching along the way. An army walked with her, but cities that received her had already lost the moment she was allowed through the doors. It meant their propaganda had spread so strongly that a city wanted her there. It meant the popce wanted to see god in the flesh, merely to confirm what already lingered in their minds. Faith was insidious as the stories spread they turned into a thought in the hearts of regr folk. And when that thought was confirmed with acts that seemed miraculous, that thought turned into faith. Loyalty. Zealotry.


    Armies rose at the sound of her voice. Hoyia spoke with the weight of the Order.


    ¡°I feel like we as domain holders are thoroughly outssed by how Hoyia¡¯s just bulldozing through the resistance.¡± Roon watched in a fair bit of amusement.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. The power of priests is more effective in such ces. Dense and unhappy. Radicalization is often a response to a perceived oppression, and this world has always had the ingredients for such a cultish explosion.¡±The reason why Treehome hadn¡¯t experienced a surge in cultish behavior was because the old [Lords] and [Kings] had powers that tipped the bnce of power. A world with a [system] was inherently unequal, and it was in favor of those on top.


    A cult movement from the grassroots,prising a mass of peasants and serfs, would never be able to overpower the might of even mid-leveled [Lords] and [Kings] and their higher leveled soldiers. It is why feudalism persisted despite centuries or millennia of civilization. I wondered whether Lumoof and Kafa felt it subconsciously, that this world was ready and that¡¯s why they felt so strongly about it.


    Just like Delvegard was receptive to a Ragnarok-type mythology, Twinspace¡¯s poption was sold on the promisednd.


    ***


    The nearby nations raised four more armies, but as expected, Hoyia crushed them, and her army of zealots gained levels along the way. Her stronger army of loyalists was good for us. They added to our strength. Yet, a part of me felt it was so wasteful.


    Unlike Delvegard where the amount of blood actually shed was minimal, Hoyia decided to use the other nations refusal to join and convert to the faith, and their subsequent derations of war, as a way to hone her men and solidify their loyalty.


    There was camaraderie in fighting together. Friendship forged on the battlefield. Loyalty and awe earned by achieving greatness together.


    It was her tool, her weapon, and she took the ybook straight out of our own history.


    Our past.


    Freshka¡¯s expansion became the inspiration for her war, and her small council of priests worked extra hard to produce propaganda. That era, when we came to take over the Central Continent about one to two centuries ago came to be referred to as the First Aeonic Revolution.


    Propaganda was the whip, the masses her workhorses. This was Hoyia¡¯s moment.


    ***


    Her army of zealots came to be known as the Undefeated Army as more and more zealots were sucked into the cult of the tree. Merchants carried the propaganda far and wide, and the constant string of victories amplified the insecurities of even faraway nations.


    In just two years, she had managed to gain control of a quarter of the overpopted continent. Kings and Lords surrendered quickly, many overwhelmed by her zealots. Some Kings and Lords were dragged out to the streets by bloodthirsty zealots, captured and treated as criminals.


    The strength of Hoyia¡¯s followers grew with each sessful expedition, and soon she was surrounded and supported by a fairlyrge number of level 50 to 60 individuals native to Twinspace.


    Hoyia doled out special blessings to those who acted as her champions. Generals, Captains, Administrators, Lords, and even Kings.


    Further away, Hoyia was referred to by those against their expansion as the Temptress of Aeon. Seductress. Subus. The false prophet of a false god. It was really familiar. I remember being used in a simr manner, and it was partly why Treeology priests emerged. Back then, I did it out of spite. If the four temples used me as a false god, I might as well live up to my name and build a faith around me.


    Parallels.


    In life. In time.


    My past struggles with the first crusades was now her inspiration to start a new crusade.


    Life is surely fond of rhymes, even if the verses and words change.


    ***


    <i>Caval</i>


    Ebon and Edna decided to take a leaf out of Alka¡¯s experience, and both decided to try a hand at the art of making swords, the Caval way. The creation of these descendant swords on Caval was a spiritual affair, and surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t really that hard to walk up to one of these swordsmiths and ask.


    Though the actual ess to the hero swords itself was heavily guarded and the actual master sword smiths were treated as a member of the faiths of Caval, most individuals were granted fairly easy ess to learn the basics.


    ¡°They teach everyone.¡± Ebon listened to a fairly drunk apprentice. ¡°They say they never know who actually has the art of whispering to the sword, to create weapons that the world hasn¡¯t seen before.¡±


    In therger cities of Caval, the great hero swords and the knights were given titles, and they were often known as the inheritors of the descendant des. The swords themselves did not choose their masters and so the best weapons were in the hands of the Kings and Lords.


    But descendant swords ultimately lost their blessings, and so, the great Kings and Lords perpetually needed to replenish their treasury with new des. But the priest-smiths struggled to forge better des than what they¡¯d already made.


    For Edna and Ebon, the basic courses in making these descendant des were pretty much standard steelworking, but with an additional step of prayers. The temples and all the priest-smiths advocated praying extensively and creating altars in the workspace itself to encourage ¡®holy¡¯ weapons.


    It was an affair so deeply intertwined with superstition and unusual traditions that didn¡¯t really lead anywhere, that the two generally concluded that the Caval swordsmiths were pretty much attacking the issue with mainly luck. Each city essentially built their own superstitions on what worked, but because there was no attempt to share how descendant weapons were made, the locals didn¡¯t really know what worked and what didn¡¯t. Most assumed their current methods worked well.


    For Ebon and Edna, they were both already highly leveled, but making weapons was not their strength. So, Edna approached the former heropanion of Caval, Shuwan, and asked her to apany them in their journey throughout Caval.


    The former heropanion Shuwan had a whole list of superstitions of what to do and copying them didn¡¯t seem to work.


    Edna wanted to somehow replicate arge quantity of these hero descendant swords and hopefully use it as an alternative means of creating strong weapons. The knights of Caval were also a decently leveled force.


    ¡°Actually.¡± Ebon stopped Edna about a year into their exploration. ¡°I¡¯m starting to have second thoughts about the merits of this world.¡±


    ¡°Really? borate them.¡± Edna said. Edna believed that having a wider variety of weapons was helpful.


    ¡°Caval is a strong world thanks to the presence of the descendant swords and highly leveled knights, but outside of the growing hero weapon, I think I¡¯ve exhausted any potential avenues to any improvements here.¡± Ebon said. ¡°I rmend swapping for a group of high level cksmiths to learn the local¡¯s way of making these hero descendant weapons and then opening a recruitment center to recruit talented squires who were passed on from receiving their hero swords.¡±


    Edna thought about it for a few days and realized Ebon was right. Caval¡¯s knights had ovep with Edna¡¯s own knight-boosting abilities, but ultimately, it wasn¡¯t all that different.


    Then the demonic invasion urred. Demonic rifts opened by the hundreds across the vast uninhabitednds around Caval, and we saw the various Caval¡¯s knights in action.


    They handled it well, with the senior knights all about level 80 or so,and augmented with powerful descendant swords, it gave the senior knights the ability to match up with the demon champions and win. We did notice one area where they were weak.


    Armor.


    The hero swords and their descendant swords gave their users tremendous offensive power, but the knights were frail, relying solely on their levels and what little armor they had. Even the swordsmith-priests focused primarily on creating new swords, and so, the development of physical armor for their knights was still fairly basic.


    They had metal armor, te armor, and all that sort, sufficient for regr non-magicbat, but once their opponents were demonic champions with elemental abilities, the knights died very quickly. This meant the knights themselves and squires would often run into the battlefield itself and try to get hold of the fallen descendant des.


    For Cavalians, there was a myth that descendant des significantly boost their level gains.


    But for Edna and Ebon, the demonic attack was the best time to get their hands on a descendant de for their own studies.


    They retrieved two such descendant des from fallen knights and brought it to ab for studies.


    ***


    ¡°Took you guys long enough to get one.¡± The mages and smiths joked as they quickly got hold of one. The two descendant des were brought to a makeshiftboratory located in the mountains. Caval was a rtivelyrge world with vast uninhabitednds, as the cities¡¯ clustered around old hero swords. So, there was plenty of space for a temporary site or even a node tree.


    ¡°We don¡¯t steal. Not where we can help it.¡± The Aeonic knight answered.


    ¡°Should¡¯ve just sent some spies or thieves and be done with it. But never mind, let¡¯s look at this.¡±


    With a descendant de in our hands, we were finally able to dissect theirponents. It took the mages and smiths a few weeks, but eventually we had a single point of reference.


    The descendant des were actually simr to my [familiars]. They were offshoots of the main hero sword, and each of the des contained a single mote that linked the descendant des to their main de. In fact, it was even possible for someone with star mana to trace the connection to its parent de.


    Like familiars, they could gain strength over time, because even my familiars were able to umte levels, though they were capped at a fairly low level. For my Valtrian Order operatives, this meant my familiars were always this additional source of strength since each familiar had skills they could tap into.


    The discovery of the Artificial Souls andter the Titans, had increased the level cap much further.


    That partly exined the spiritual and ceremonial aspects of the creation of the descendant des.


    It needed a ceremony. A ¡®contract¡¯.


    It was also likely that each city had their own different superstition because familiar contracts varied widely. A familiar from Aeon had different requirements aspared to a familiar from the Lillies of the Lake or Aria and Aispeng of the frozen inds.


    ¡°So how do we exploit this?¡± The mages wondered to himself as they tinkered with the descendant de. ¡°We should get a hero from our world here and see what it does. A hero should be able to form a direct connection with the hero swords, even if they are not from Caval.¡±


    It could also mess with the current native city¡¯s defenses. Right now, every town and city relied on their hero swords to ensure that they were protected.


    ¡°Everything is finely bnced at this point.¡± Ebon said. ¡°I believe we should leave it as it is. Just keep recruiting, while we independently figure out how to exploit these descendant swords. It does make me wonder whether we could have multiple such swords at the same time.¡±


    ¡°I believe not. Ten level 30 to 50 familiars are still not much usepared to a single level 100.¡± Edna said, ¡°For the Order, at its current state, it is likely not too useful.¡±


    The mage interjected. ¡°But there are Titan-ss familiars, even if Aeon hasn¡¯t used it yet. These hero swords are an alternative path to achieve that. That said, its heroic origin may mean there are differences in its level cap that we do not yet fully understand.¡±


    ¡°But can we tell what level these weapons are? Or are they user specific?¡± Edna asked.


    ¡°Conventional [appraise] and [inspect] doesn¡¯t seem to indicate much information, but perhaps something powered by star mana could pierce through its heroic origins to tell us what it is.¡± The mage-researcher spected.


    ¡°So we need the heroes here.¡± Edna frowned. ¡°Let me get this cleared with the rest of the domain holders, and we¡¯ll revisit this issue. For now, let¡¯s do as Ebon intended and have some cksmiths and recruitment offices set up.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Aeon, there are two things I¡¯d like to have to improve our expansion on Twinspace. One, please bestow on us a special weapon. A divine relic, so to speak. One that contains your presence and aura to the extent possible. A staff, or a weapon that feels as if it is divinity encased in a weapon. Two, I¡¯d like to request for a Titan to be deployed on Twinspace, as part of a ritual spectacle. Make it seem as if it is a summon.¡± Hoyia made a request.


    ¡°Is there a need for that?¡± I countered. ¡°Just say it is your petition to me, and I answered your call.¡±


    ¡°Spectacle and ceremony is important, Aeon. It is rituals to cement faith as something real, something part of their lives, something that they can then say they are a part of.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Which Titan?¡±


    ***


    Forging an item that represented my being was a harder task than I initially expected, as the first few items I made through my normal growing process were decent, but not at the level that my operatives wanted.


    Hoyia¡¯s request required an item that would be a relic. A holy object that is revered, and prayed to.


    So, with Patreeck¡¯s help, I went through all the items I¡¯ve seen so far, and narrowed it down to only the ones from Hawa on his core world of Satrya and Lillies¡¯ death staff, felt like divine items, or close to divine items.


    ¡°[Soul Forge] feels like a good ce to start. Or the Titans.¡±


    A titan in a weapon was a little bit strange and even if the titan-in-a-weapon would be very powerful, I doubt it would be a ¡®holy¡¯ object. I still felt titans and artificial souls as lessplete souls, and it didn¡¯t fit the idea of a holy object.


    So, [soul forge] it is.


    I then spoke to Lillies on how to create such an object.


    ¡°It is not hard. One merely needs to cut off one¡¯s self, and shape it into something else.¡± Lilies answered. ¡°It is like making seedlings. You should soak it, tie up its loose ends. Our bodies all contain a little bit of us. Our things, too. When they are separated from us, what¡¯s left of us within those things decay, but you can stop it.¡±


    Lilies¡¯ answer was not too clear, but I suppose that was a way to start.


    Lumoof naturally walked to one of my big branches and snapped one of myrger branches. It was a gigantic segment, and I felt a tiny bit of pain when he broke it off. He then immediately carried it over to my [soul forge], and threw it into the gigantic lightning-struck tree.


    My broken branch was somehow transported into that soul space, where then, I could see what Lillies spoke of.


    Fraying ends, strands within the branch that were quickly decaying. It was as if I stared at a bundle of rope, and now, the little threads that made up the rope were rapidly untangling. Left alone, there will be nothing left of my soul.


    With my [soul forge], it was fairly easy for me to reach out into the branch and meddle with it.


    It was then that I realized the branch was malleable. As long as I reshaped the remnants of my soul within, here in the spiritual paste of the soul forge, the wood would follow whatever shape its ¡®spirit¡¯ took.


    Over long periods of time, the soul is like a slow flowing liquid and takes the shape of its container. It remembers an image of its body. But in the short term, the body takes after and is guided by the soul. Healing, growth, all of that is the will of the soul and its soul spring.


    I reached into the store of soul remnants I¡¯ve collected over the centuries and stitched some of that soul remnants into the freshly broken branch. I meddled into the remaining spirit, and I could insert ¡®skill seeds¡¯ just like how crafter¡¯s blessed their weapons.


    Interestingly enough, because this was forged from a broken piece of me, the spirit of the branch could hold a few of my own non-domain skills. A true copy linked to my power, a bit like a crystal that¡¯s used to store spells and abilities.


    Since Hoyia intended for this to be a weapon of some sort, I added my root strike ability, [Fields of Death], [Demonic Suppression Aura] and some poison abilities. I could feel this branch as if it was still a part of me, and realized I probably could not make too many. These ¡®isted¡¯ spiritual fragments of me were linked to me, and overuse would be a possible drain on my own existence.


    After what felt like two to three months of experimenting, Hoyia finally had an object worthy of a holy relic.


    The [Greatstaff of Aeon¡¯s Fury] was finally ready to be wielded, and next year, it was finally time tounch the first sea expedition to the demonic continent of Twinspace.

 315. The Onion Layers

    315. The Onion Layers


    Year 284


    <i>Twinspace.</i>


    The shipyards and drydocks of Port Tarfa were almost entirely new, and yet in the past six months, the twenty new shipyards each made a new warship every month. Each warship was able to ferry 100 to 150 battle ready warriors, along with all the new supplies. The warships were modifications of an existing design, aided by a few of the Order¡¯s shipwrights.


    The new yards, piers, drydocks, and structures made Port Tarfa the singlergest port on this side of the main inhabited continent of Twinspace. The first of many more toe, but the first 30 or so warships would set sail for the inds located along the path would form the First Exploratory Fleet, while the remaining ships would undergo more preparations.


    They would set sail for the string of smaller inds that existed between the two continents and reim the string of volcanic inds from their native monsters. The fleet would then spend some time there and build those inds up, if they found a suitable location, and transform them into one of Aeon¡¯s outposts.


    The sea-facing frontage of the port city was crowded, as tens of thousands wanted to watch the great sendoff.


    Three seamanders would receive blessings today, from Hoyia herself, and through Hoyia, they would all receive a [ss Seed]. The [War Admiral] ss would elevate their existing [Captain] variant sses and make them more effective for their assigned mission.


    On thergest pier Hoyia stood on a tform specially constructed for her, as she revealed her relic for the first time. Even if it was just a fragment, a fragment of god was still a fragment of god.


    The entire city could feel it as Hoyia channeled her priestly powers and stood in front of the three seafarers. Shemanded them to consume the ss seed, encased and fused into a fruit. The priests began to sing, and the three dug in and ate the fruit, unsure of why they were told to do so. But it was then that all three of them felt their sses change.The surprise in their eyes was all the answer anyone needed. They were chosen as they were part of the loyalists. One of them was probably a skeptical believer, while the other two were zealots.


    The true zealots wept openly as they felt their [Captain] sses evolve, and they openly praised their god. They screamed, and one of them turned to face his ship.


    ¡°Sailors, warriors! Today we are blessed. Today he has made me an [Admiral]. And today, we set sail for the cursed continent and drive away the demons!¡±


    The crowds went wild, and the rumors flew.


    ¡°Did you hear that? The Captain has an [Admiral] ss!¡± Merchants said as the stories spread.


    ¡°This god ims to have the ability to evolve our sses?¡± The tales began to spread. They were whispered in the taverns and crowded inns of Twinspace. Rumors regurgitated by merchants as they walked the busy trading routes.


    ¡°I saw it happen!¡± The merchant answered. ¡°I was there at Port Tarfa, and I couldn¡¯t believe it! It¡¯s real!¡±


    ¡°You know there are abilities that can deceive your eyes!¡± The other merchant was skeptical.


    ¡°But the Saintess Hoyia, I cannot imagine it. If you¡¯ve seen her you will know!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really smitten with that woman.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve just never seen her.¡±


    ***


    Back on the main continent of Twinspace, Hoyia continued to add more cities and nations into her growing Holy Empire, where she and her high council of priests existed as a ruling cabal.


    A holy empire, and again, in another year, she now controlled half of the Continent. The other half raised an army against her and promised to brutally ughter anyone who spread her dangerous ideology.


    But they couldn¡¯t stop ideas whispered secretly. Kings and Lords themselves met Hoyia and found themselves impressed by her presence, some charmed, some smitten. Thepetition for her attention only drove up the desire to prove their use.


    Her army grew, and her priests continued to spread. Hoyia had to call on a few of her peers back from the School of Treeology to set up a small school in Twinspace to train the next generation of priests and to continue carrying the ideology to even more ces.


    ***


    Meanwhile, the journey to the inds took about three months, and the ships were about a third of the way to the cursed continent.


    The three newly promoted [Admirals] crushed the monsters along the path easily. The sailors and soldiers they brought were all around level 25 to 40, but the presence of a few Order operatives and priests ensured that victory was all but ensured.


    The archipgo was located somewhere close to the middle of the ocean. The ocean that separated the tworge continents was generally known as the middle Ocean. The inds of the archipgo emerged from the oceans fromyers andyers of underwater vegetation and corals. So, the surface of the ind itself wasn¡¯t sand, but instead, small, disintegrated chunks of corals and other forms of decayed vegetation.


    Thergest of these had risen over the years into a small hill. It didn¡¯t have regr trees found on the main continent, instead, and-adapted variant of the underwater corals were the primary form of vegetation on thergest inds.


    An actual forest ofnd-based corals made for an ind filled with bright colors and unusual shapes.


    It was fascinating, and the few priests quickly ordered that samples be collected for further study. The ce itself was magically quite dense, and so the monsters that spawned in the area were magically strong.


    In a different world, this unique ce would likely be preserved as some kind of national park or ce of interest.


    ¡°We could raise the earth and create artificial inds, like we did on Treehome.¡± One of the priests suggested to Hoyia. ¡°It may not be necessary to tamper with the surreal beauty of this ind just yet. Aeon would prefer to have such beauty remain untouched, as we did on the other worlds.¡±


    Hoyia thought about it and realized raising the earth in a ce where the seabed isn¡¯t so deep was feasible.


    So, a few Valthorn Earth mages warped in and found a patch that wasn¡¯t that deep. The unique corals were quite spread out, untouched for centuries if not millennia because no one actually came here, and so, we selected a patch of soil and raised it up to serve as an outpost. We would need it in the future to supply ships and patrol the seas.


    The artificial ind amazed the sailors, but they had to quickly get to work. The druids and mages quickly used magic to form structures, and the few builders also got to work setting up housing.


    The artificial ind would be sufficient to house about 10,000 people once fully developed, but for now, all it needed to do was to provide anchor and shelter for the 30 ships.


    ***


    <i>Void Layers</i>


    <i>Ste and Lumoof</i>


    Meanwhile, Ste and Lumoof took the opportunity to revisit the voidyers, and we returned to find a ce different from what we visited originally


    ¡°This ce looks different.¡±


    ¡°I thought we went to the same ce.¡± Ste double checked her magical calctions. ¡°Strange.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing our rules and magic don¡¯t apply anymore?¡± Lumoofughed as the pair wandered around the different ces. The realm around us twisted before our eyes. The skies twisted, as if changing to be thend, and thend became the skies. There were rivers of color that seemed to stretch, and thenterpress into veins that flowed in the sky.


    Ste looked around. ¡°Was it like this thest time we¡¯re here?¡±


    Lumoof shrugged, as he began to walk. Though he walked forward, somehow he went upwards, as if the reality itself shifted him higher.


    Ste blinked, a little amused to watch Lumoof float upwards entirely caused by the world itself reacting to his movements.


    But just as suddenly, it stopped, and then he walked forward normally again. That made Lumoof stop, take a step forward and find himself moving normally.


    ¡°Wild.¡± Lumoof said. Through our senses, it was hard to know what was changing, but we could feel it was. Our domains could assert our hold on the realm, but it was like trying to hold sand. A wave would just wash it away.


    Lesser beings, those who were not protected by the domain, or close to it, might experience rapid deconstruction.


    Thest time we came to the voidyers, we left a small artifact here, which we hoped to use to measure the voidyers and what it was. The small artifact would collect magical readings and record it within a set of crystals located within.


    We couldn¡¯t find it at first, until we suddenly recognized a massive, unusual object that was warped beyond its original shape. It was twisted, and transformed into a gigantic crystal filled with strange twists and turns to its shape. It was as if the crystal was a living octopus.


    The only thing that made us realize it was the artifact we left behind, was the small logo carved onto its being. The twisted object lunged at him, clearly corrupted and twisted by the powers of the voidyers.


    Lumoof could easily still activate his abilities, but then we immediately noticed something. Our attacks changed when they interacted with the energies of the voidyers. Our roots turned into something else, and then crumbled.


    We felt it again, a sudden shift in the voidyers, as if a new set ofmands or rules swept through thend. The crystalline octopus froze, and exploded.


    It transformed into a frog, and jumped.


    ¡°You know.¡± Ste said. ¡°I recognize this sort of thing. It¡¯s like those cartoons where things get deconstructed.¡±


    ¡°I do not understand-¡± Lumoof said briefly, before he took in a bit of my memories and understood. ¡°Oh. Ooooh. This ce is the factory of worlds and so it is anything and everything, but nothing is permanent.¡±


    ¡°Unless our domains exert our will over it.¡± Ste said. Our objects resisted the effects of the voidyer slightly, but the longer they remained here, the more they changed. ¡°It is wise that we erred on the side of caution.¡±


    It was a different form of divinew. Just as some worlds had divinews weaved into their entire world and forced things to operate in a certain way, the voidyers were the primordial soup and those without domains could not walk this space.


    Lumoof paused and looked at Ste. There were weird puffs of smoke and clouds. They popped out of nowhere. ¡°Aeon theorized there could be a way back home, through these voidyers.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes. I thought about that as well.¡± Ste looked at the crystal frog, which suddenly transformed again, as if agitated by our presence. ¡°But I don¡¯t really want to go back.¡±


    Lumoof said nothing, and merely just nodded. How deep did this ce go? ¡°Well, let¡¯s keep exploring.¡±


    ¡°There should be a way to use these voidyers as a way to skip the regr distances of the void sea.¡± She tried to meddle with the space, as if trying tomand the environment to change for her.


    It didn¡¯t work.


    Or more like, there were too many other things for it to work. The voidyers wereyered with multiple changing energies. Different strands of fundamentalws of reality that imposed itself on the voidyers. Some of thosews vanished, and new ones took their ce.


    There was no air to breathe.


    The two could walk the space because they were domain holders, and their existences could be sustained by magic. Both knew that their abilities allowed them to operate without air or water.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just follow the pulses.¡± Ste pointed, but even that direction was not a good guide. Direction was strange in the voidyers, they could walk left and move right. The pulses came from the front, and suddenly they¡¯d walk into each other.


    It felt like months. But it was only for a few days. The voidyers. My senses through Lumoof were strained when he was in the voidyers. It was as if I was dipped in a dark, pitch-ck pool and I could sense nothing beyond the thin barrier created by our domains.


    We arrived at a gaping hole, where the only thing we could sense was more unusual energies. It wasn¡¯t really a hole. Not always. It looked like a rift in space, and then its shape kept changing. But in all forms, it took the shape of a door. A hole. A gate. A crack in space. A small valley. Even the size changed all the time.


    From that gap, I could feel something constantly pushing against us. It sought to impose its will on us, but it couldn¡¯t.


    Strangely enough, the system gave us a title.


    [They who Saw The Void Layer Gates]


    ¡°You got that?¡± Ste said.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going in.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not worried you¡¯ll be sent back home?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Come with me, Lumoof.¡± Ste said, and we went in.


    ***


    We were in another ce, but it was the same. Well, different, same. For reasons I couldn¡¯t understand, it felt like it was both at the same time.


    The Void Layer Gates sent us through instantly.


    We were now in a ce with strands, strings made of things I do not understand everywhere, and we were floating. It felt like being in the middle of a constant flow of strings flowing around us. Though there was no light around us whatsoever and our senses were limited, somehow, we just knew they were there.


    We floated, and here, we moved with thought.


    Strands. It¡¯s as if they spoke of their presence to our souls directly, and thus their appearance took this strange form.


    These strands were everywhere. Ste used a small [light] glowing from her hands, because the spell copsed the moment it left outside the protection of her domain.


    But the light from her hand allowed us to see, and the strands were all of a different set of colors. Some were rainbow colored. Some were pitch ck. We were trapped in the middle of a constantly flowing river of strings, but there were little gaps here and there. Through the gaps, and through the little holes created as the strands stitched together, we could see little bubbles of worlds, and when we tried to walk towards them, or reach out to them, we couldn¡¯t.


    It wasn¡¯t real. It was as if we were touching projections of light.


    ¡°So, what do you think we¡¯re looking at?¡± Ste said, as we kept walking. The path must¡¯ve led somewhere, even if there was no reason for it to.


    Lumoof now wanted to touch the strands that were in front of him. They were so close, but they somehow instinctively moved out of the way. As if space itself bent to create space for us. We couldn¡¯t touch them. Even if they felt like they were in front of us, no matter how far we reached, it was always outside of the way.


    But even observing the strands themselves, we noticed they were only sometimes real.


    They flickered. Turning on, and off. Randomly. Sometimes for long stretches of time, they remained real, the others, some of these strands withered away like dry sand in the wind.


    ¡°I have no idea what we¡¯re looking at.¡± Lumoof said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. It should lead somewhere. Somewhere the voidyers want us to be.¡± Ste sighed, as she floated. I wasn¡¯t sure if we were moving.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re saying the voidyers want us to be somewhere?¡± Lumoof looked at the woman. The woman seemed sure. Suddenly. As if she felt something. ¡°Are you hearing something?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Ste said. ¡°Like, there is a voice somewhere. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± We had no sense of direction. I couldn¡¯t feel much beyond the boundaries of my domain, and what we saw changed all the time. The strands rotated, moved, and fluctuated. The only clue that we were moving was that the things just flowed out of the way.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just follow me.¡± Ste said, as she held Lumoof¡¯s hand. It was like swimming in an infinitely deep and wide ocean, filled with strings. Ste led us through the strands all around us. But we didn¡¯t know how far we were. There was no frame of reference, while the strands surely changed, but what and where were we going?


    They continued for days. And then the days turned to months. From afar, I was unsure whether we were moving.


    But Ste assured us we were. The voidyers had a waypoint somewhere. It had a marker that she could feel, and we were getting close.

 316. Peeling Back

    316. Peeling Back


    <i>Void Layers - 2nd Layer?</i>


    Lumoof thought it felt like years, but it wasn¡¯t. It was just the sameness of it all that made time seem to stretch out.


    ¡°How many days have we been moving?¡± Lumoof asked Ste. If he didn¡¯t regrly check in through our mutual connection, it almost felt like he was lost in the ocean of strings. At times, the strings looked fat, like gigantic long earthworms. Sometimes they resembled colorful eels, wriggling and wobbling just out of reach around them, never quite touching them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Ste said, but she soldiered on. ¡°Keep going. We¡¯re almost there. I¡¯ve been thinking about it for a while, but actually, this is a familiar feeling.¡±


    ¡°A familiar feeling?¡± Lumoof asked.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t pin it down, and kept wondering where I felt this feeling before. But you know, I learned void magic from the Zaratans, and the Zaratans have a mind-state where the void forest feels like something simr. Rather than strings, instead it was like a constant slurry of mud.¡±


    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s different then.¡± The avatar wasn¡¯t sure where Ste was going with it, but humored her.


    ¡°It is.¡± Ste said and then she stopped. ¡°I think we¡¯re here.¡±


    The strings just stopped moving, and without us fullying to the realization, we were suddenly not in that part of the voidyers anymore.***


    Theyer below felt normal. There was soil, albeit blue soil. There was a sky, albeit a brown sky. There was a sun, albeit a ck sun. But it was somewhat normal. Compared to an ocean of strings, this was normal.


    ¡°So, why are we here?¡± Lumoof looked around and touched some of the soil. The world didn¡¯t feel magical. Instead, it felt thoroughly devoid of magic, and all their magic would have toe from within them. This would be a dangerous world to be stuck in, if they didn¡¯t have their own internal ways of generating magical energy.


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± Ste said. ¡°But it is a differentyer. My senses tell me that much. Let me just lock thisyer in-¡±


    Lumoof gave the woman some space and so spent some time walking about the clearly lifeless ce. It was as if it was a failed world. After a while, Ste looked like she was done registering the ce into her own record of the voidyers. ¡°At least we¡¯re out of there.¡± Lumoof looked around. ¡°Does your gut feel tell us where we need to go, now?¡±


    Ste blinked as she stared usingly at the avatar. ¡°My gut feeling is not apass.¡±


    ¡°But you do know where we need to go. Don¡¯t you?¡±


    The woman made a rare blush. ¡°Well, yes. Yes I do. Come.¡±


    The vastnds eventually gave way to a single hole in the ground. Ste seemed to be able to feel the unusual flows of the voidyers. ¡°It¡¯s like there¡¯s a flowingyer in the background. It¡¯s like water moving in a particr direction, and so all I do is follow it.¡±


    Lumoof looked at her. ¡°Will this actually go anywhere? Like we¡¯re trying to find a way to reach parts of the world we couldn¡¯t do normally. Does this actually help?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Ste answered. ¡°But we have to understand it. At least, somewhat understand it. Then we can start using it. As it is, we know nothing. Something is still infinitely better than nothing.¡±


    ¡°That something is knowing that there¡¯s ayer made of eels, strings, and elongated stretched objects is not exactly useful.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but they must exist to do something. The voidyers don¡¯t feel purposeless. They have a purpose. Either as a failed state, a graveyard of worlds, or just as a nursery for something. They exist as a result of a creation process.¡± Ste said, but we¡¯d known her long enough to know this was part of her theorizing. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    We did, and we entered a tunnel. A vast, massive tunnel. But there were walls here. Walls that were invisible, its presence written into our souls. Yet, we could see what happened beyond the tunnel¡¯s walls. In a distance imperceptibly far away, we both saw an egg form before our eyes.


    A ck egg, as massive as the world and more.


    We walked and kept walking along that tunnel, fully able to see what was around us and what was ahead. As we walked further, we could see further, deeper into a giant swirling ck object.


    Then we couldn¡¯t proceed any more.


    There was a barrier, made of a tremendous amount of void energy, blocking our path. It was transparent and yet visible to our souls. A gigantic puzzle in the shape of an ever changing door. A door that we could not open, no matter how much force or energy we exerted on it.


    It was a mechanism present within the voidyer. Perhaps, a protection from things that the voidyer didn¡¯t want others to touch.


    ¡°What in the world-¡±


    Ste frowned as she tried to get past it. She looked at Lumoof. ¡°Use Aeon¡¯s power and try to hit it.¡±


    Lumoof did and with the full strength of my powers, we attacked this invisible barrier. The sensation was unusually clean, as if my powers smashed into a perfectly repelling rubber wall, and the recoil was just as perfect.


    ¡°Ouch. It¡¯s not going to work.¡± From the recoil, it answered everything I wanted to know and realized how poorly made the demon¡¯s void barrier was. Whatever it was that the demons used to block the rest of the worlds away from our eyes, it was nothingpared to this. This was incredible, and from that single hit I knew I was dealing with something that was created out of the veryws of the multiverse. This was the system itself saying no to us. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll break it with more power, no matter the number of times I hit it.¡±


    Ste frowned, and yet she felt a connection to this mechanism. ¡°It¡¯s a lock. And I will need enough void mana to get through it. I have an inkling how to get past it, but I¡¯m- I¡¯m not ready yet.¡±


    She just knew.


    No. The very interaction with the mechanism and barrier fed the knowledge to her. It spoke to her and imprinted into her being that she wasn¡¯t ready.


    She stopped and looked at Lumoof. ¡°We¡¯ll return when I¡¯m stronger. I think I need to reach Level 250 to get past thisyered lock. Whatever this is, it is made as a fundamentalw of thisyer, and we won¡¯t get past it without fulfilling its requirements.¡±


    ¡°That is a very high bar to reach.¡± Lumoof looked further, and it was clear that there were other mechanisms in the way. ¡°And it won¡¯t be thest barrier.¡±


    ¡°If one wants to pursue the truth, it lies beyond this thing. Let¡¯s go home.¡± Ste looked back at the ck swirling object that stood at the very end of the transparent tunnel. It wasn¡¯t ck anymore. Instead, it started to change color. There were more eggs around us, each a nascent world preparing for birth.


    Lumoof looked at it, and back. Was this really something to the demons? This felt like one of those hidden stories that went far off course from our goals. ¡°It may not be worth it. Our goal is to stop the demons.¡±


    ¡°I know. But I think this, just maybe, this is something for me to chase after all of that is over.¡± Ste looked, and she created a portal to bring them out of the voidyers.


    <b>Year 285</b>


    <i>Mountainworld</i>


    The arrival of the demon king was long overdue. In the past three years, the demon¡¯s rifts were a minor affair, since our Valthorns ensured that none of these demon rits ever caused any significant damage.


    After thest attack on Mountainworld about 17 years ago, it would be finally time for Mountainworld to face its regr, scheduled disaster.


    It was slightlyte. We¡¯d been monitoring the connected demonworld for the past three years, and didn¡¯t detect much movement, and on our end, we didn¡¯t want to trigger another dem by attacking the demonworld world directly. So we allowed it to y out as usual.


    Over the next few years, there were quite a few demon kings that would spawn.


    The world of Caval, with the hero swords, would face a new demon king in a few years. Whether we followed Edna¡¯s n and allowed for a hero to be summoned, or deferred to Ste and destroyed the demon king upfront, was still open. I personally leaned towards Edna¡¯s n, since, if what the Gods¡¯ said was true, heroes really did return to that moment in time where they ¡®died¡¯ or a version where they didn¡¯t die.


    Yes, it would be traumatic for the hero, but with the right support system and amunity of fellow heroes, we could minimize the pain, while we got a chance to fully explore the powers of a growing ¡®hero sword¡¯ and try to push that to the limits.


    There was quite an interesting ovep between the nature of these hero swords and the nature of my artificial souls and titans. I thought that the learnings from this experience could lead to stronger artificial souls.


    It really cannot be understated how useful artificial souls are in administering my vast empire. It is the artificial souls that control the movement of beetles throughout the empire. Without the artificial souls ensuring that my beetles move where they are supposed to, the logisticwork of the Order would grind to a halt. They are pretty much the trucks and cargo ships of my empire, the red blood cells ferrying crucial cargo everywhere.


    Better artificial souls would only allow me to handle more beetles and deploy even more resources.


    There was also the world of Triotuga. When we visited that world, the demon king was already dead, but in the next few years, they should have a demon king as well. It¡¯s also one where we would live to observe the Boarpeople and how their powers interacted with the demon king¡¯s presence.


    Then, there¡¯s Twinspace and ra, where the demon king still reigned unchallenged.


    All in, there were about four to five demon kings over the next five years to defeat.


    We would use these battles as a chance to elevate people like Lausanne, Ebon, and Hoyia to be the next generation of domain holders.


    A few others like them all asked for a chance to face the demon king without assistance. We roughly concluded that it was quite difficult to be domain holders if they fought demon kings with too much help. They needed the experience, the entire experience. The Level 140s would battle theing demon kings entirely on their own, until they were spent and totally unable to. Only then our domain holders would step in.


    It was risky, but no one became domain holders without taking on some risk.


    We¡¯ve grownrge. Large enough that there is going to be some world, somewhere, that is going to be invaded by demons and a demon king.


    We can handle it.


    ***


    ra was a world where we were quite torn on.


    They are a low priority world. The peripheral worlds and their perilous conditions meant I¡¯d need to maintain my node trees for convenience of ess to the peripheral worlds and to facilitate smoother movement of traffic.


    If I gain an increase in my number of node trees, I am still hesitant to ce a node on the little snakeworld of ra, partly because the locals don¡¯t really want me there. But if Snek insisted, I would spawn a node tree just so that they can have an exit route, if that day ever came to pass.


    Meanwhile, I spent some time checking on the city of New ra.


    The new group of ran migrants, who made a home on Tropicsworld, did well. The past decade of expansion and growth meant the hard part of migrating had mostly passed. Most of the rans now settled down, and the new generation of rans adapted to their new way of living. Snek hoped that New ra would take after the practices of the older, pre-demon rans, before the demonic conquest, but those records were still back on ra.


    The old den lords were not keen to allow those who left a chance to return. Their reasons were entirely understandable. They didn¡¯t want their ideology to spread amongst the rans that remained behind.


    So, without ess to the ancient records, Snek shared stories as much as he could remember and the builders of New ra tried to recreate the old cities of ra to the best they could.


    But it was a struggle. Even after so many years, the ran migrants were so used to the subterranean life that life on the surface was awkward, and even after a decade, there were still some parts where their behavior was strange.


    They were getting better. Day by day, there was improvement.


    From what I could see, this was probably one of the better stages to be in. The pioneer era was the time when great chances were made, new norms were formed, and society experienced a period of genuine, well distributed growth.


    New ra was meant to be the new symbol of the ran¡¯s desire for change, and in some ways, it was. The younger rans grew up without fear of the demons, even if it would take a generation or two to fully change their ways.


    Just like many others, they would grow up different from their parents.


    The early mature and developed stage would usually be the golden era. The post-pioneer era where some structure and order would emerge, but not still not overwhelming. Resources would be abundant, everyone would have opportunities to make something for themselves, ancient norms and rules would still not be so rigid, and their society would go through the equivalent of their teen and early adult years.


    For some societies, this was when they peaked and it was all downhill from there, unless they went through a good process of renewal.


    Institutions get used to a particr way of working, and over time that creates a force that resists improvement. No, more than the ossification of institutions is the presence of immortals.


    It¡¯s very much true in worlds with magic, where there are existences like myself. Immortals create a concentration of power that resists change, unless the immortals themselves desired change.


    We are the old pirs that prevent the rot from being too deep, but we are also the barriers that prevent further improvement. The societies, due to the pervasive effects of the immortals, over time are an image, a creation of their controlling immortal¡¯s views.


    ***


    <i>Freshka</i>


    The heroes had a few rtively peaceful years, and for them, they moved about and visited each other. The ie provided from trading the hero items to the Order wasvish and afforded them many luxuries. Some heroes, like Khefri, liked massive mansions with dancers and all that.


    It was a veryfortable and luxurious life, but I could tell that they were all a little lonely. Only Colette and perhaps Prabu, were less so.


    It¡¯s not as if the heroes didn¡¯t have friends. Many did try to make friends and sessfully did so with the various Valthorns, whom at some level, could be their peers. But they were never too close.


    The restraints on the [hero] ss didn¡¯t just hurt their ability to maintain their sanity. The [Hero] ss sabotaged their ability to form connections with their friends. Peers. But I¡¯d seen how to break the [hero] ss¡¯s constraints.


    I understood that it was all written into the structure of the soul spring. That white, corrupted soul spring. And so Colette also suggested something, for Prabu, and the rest of the heroes.


    It emerged because Colette grew increasingly frustrated at how much she had to look after the rest of the heroes.


    ¡°The soul spring contains our [hero] ss, and if you remember correctly, it cracked over time. Can you have a look into Prabu¡¯s soul and see whether there is something in there?¡±


    The heroes regrly visited my bibs for scheduled medical checkups, once every few years. They were heroes, but it was a good habit. It kept them in generally good shape, physically. But the mental aspects were gated behind the heroic soul spring, and I wouldn¡¯t touch it unless explicitly instructed to.


    I dipped into the hero¡¯s soul, and from outside, it looked generally alright.


    Prabu winced, but I could feel his mind struggling. I sometimes wondered whether the [hero] ss had some level of sentience to it. At least, maybe Caval¡¯s hero ss had something different to it.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to lift up your soul spring. If there¡¯s something hidden within your soul spring, or if there¡¯s some damage, we¡¯ll take it out.¡±


    It was rtively easy to lift the once-heavy heroic soul springs. They still consumed arge amount of energy, but given my stronger levels, it felt as if they were lesser.


    Stronger, I felt confident and tried to look deeper into the spring itself. Thest time I tried there felt like the hero¡¯s ss resisted, but this time, that resistance could not stop me. So, I noticed that some of the rocks that represented the hero ss protruded into the flow of the mana.


    It was as if the rocks were shaping the flow of the soul¡¯s mana into the rest of the body.


    I lifted the stones that formed the hero skills, and as Colette predicted, there was damage throughout the rocks.


    ¡°There is damage, isn¡¯t it?¡± Colette frowned, who was also along for the ride through a sharing of vision via [Dream Academy]. ¡°Can you fix it?¡±


    My spiritual tentacles touched them, and the damaged rocks were fused back together. They were not really actual stones, but more like representations of a hero ss. Was all this some kind of wear and tear? I did not recall such damage in my Valthorns, as I have done simr checks on them.


    Was this the engineered decay of the [hero] ss? The heroes¡¯ experienced skill decay after they defeated the demon king. This ¡®decay¡¯ was this ¡®wear¡¯ in their soul spring?There were some remnants, the grinded up dust and shattered remains of these hero ss stones. I picked them up and kept some.


    When I did, I got a notification from the system.


    <i>[Dusts of the Heroic ss - Can be used to seed new sses and skills and empower them significantly]</i>


    Was this why there was a mechanism within the system to convert the hero sses to something else? For non-hero sses they often took a different color and shape, and these non-hero sses were often forced to the outer ring of the Soul Spring.


    Colette quickly reminded me to focus on Prabu. ¡°Ah yes. Let¡¯s get to it.¡±


    I picked up Prabu¡¯s heroic ss stones and fixed them one by one, but as I went deeper, I reached some of the protruding rocks. I didn¡¯t understand why they were meddling with Prabu¡¯s soul flow, and they were likely pushed out of ce over the years.


    So, I adjusted the locations of these rocks so that they no longer blocked the flow of mana from the spring.


    I was done. ¡°How¡¯d you feel?¡±


    Prabu blinked as his partner quickly gave him a hug. ¡°I feel. Strange. Strangely clear headed. Like, everything feels fresh and new.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Should we do this for everyone?¡± I asked Colette.


    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s ask them. I¡¯ll word it as just some spiritual healing and therapy.¡±

 317. Blossoms

    317. Blossoms


    317


    <i>Mountainworld</i>


    Lausanne double checked her armor and triple checked her arsenal of spears. They were all tremendously powerful weapons, and there were fifty five of her peers around her. All of them were preparing for the battle. Ebon. Hoyia. Lausanne. The dwarven mage ckthorn and many others prepared for a battle against the demon king.


    Fifty five Level 140s would attempt the first attack on the demon king, and the hope was that some of them would make it past the finish line.


    For some, the mood was rxed. ¡°I heard you¡¯re making big waves on Twinspace.¡± Ebon grinned and tapped the matriarch on the shoulder. He looked proud of his fellow Order teammate.


    ¡°It has to be done.¡± Hoyia answered, the matriarch had more armor on than the rest of them. Her physical abilities were probably one of the weakest, so she had to shore it up with more armor and equipment. ¡°Just as what we have to do today.¡±


    Lausanne thought about what Hoyia did ever since the developments were updated on their shared <i>intre</i>. She was there during the crusades against Aeon and felt a little bit of unusual envy. She should¡¯ve been there. She should¡¯ve tried the same thing with Magisar, too.


    Mages were not immune to religious propaganda, but as someone who grew up with Aeon in her life, it was just something so taken for granted that she didn¡¯t even know where to start. For Hoyia, inventing a tale and a myth was perhaps easy. Maybe it was her ss, that of a priest, that made storytelling easy.


    Somehow, the knight noticed Lausanne. ¡°Has someone relieved you on Magisar, Lausanne?¡±Lausanne snapped out of her thoughts and nodded. ¡°Ah, yes. A Mage [Lord] finally arrived to do so, but I¡¯m staying back to help the transition of power. What about you? I heard you were on Caval for a bit, was there anything interesting there?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much.¡± Ebon shrugged as if it wasn¡¯t much. ¡°The living weapons are interesting and worth researching, but I think it¡¯s going to be quite challenging to get anything else of value out of it.¡±


    ¡°Good that you called it quits before you¡¯ve spent too much time there, then.¡± Lausanne added. ¡°Or are you still headed back there?¡±


    ¡°About that, it isplicated. I think we¡¯ll see each other on Twinspace instead, once Hoyia¡¯s naval expeditions are in full swing.¡± Ebon said, as he also checked his weapons. The knight¡¯s assortment of weapons came from many different craftsmen, and he had a wide range of spears, swords andnces, but one of the things he tried to do differently was minimize the use of blessings from other domain holders.


    There were somepeting theories on whether the assistance of other domain holders made it harder for a person to make that final cut, so even amongst the group of Level 140 Valthorns, there was some variation in whether their equipment were enchanted with the blessings of other domain holders.


    A few of them went as far as surrendering Aeon¡¯s familiar, just so that they could truly put themselves on the line.


    Lausanne breathed. She didn¡¯t go that far. The [Court of the Deitree] was too important to her. She nodded. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go get that demon king.¡±


    Ebon nodded. In theory, there was enough firepower here to match a demon king. But because it was split across multiple individuals and not focused, that it partly meant its effectiveness was minimized. ¡°You too. See youter.¡±


    One of the mages in front made a signal and everyone got into position. It was time to step through the portal and head to where the demon king would arrive. Patriarch Lumoof would watch the battle from somewhere rtively nearby and step in once the Level 140s were spent.


    She hoped it never got to that point, but took a moment and looked around. Some of her peers had no backup teleportation device. Some of them did.


    Reckless, but they¡¯ve been stuck so long.


    Was recklessness one of the factors? She didn¡¯t think so. But after such a long, frustrating stagnation, one step before the finishing line for years, she could understand why some of them tried such unusual strategies.


    A few of them looked nervous. If she told anyone else, they¡¯d probably think it would be fiction. Even if their foe was a demon king.


    To the regr folk, it was hard to imagine people who were Level 140s being nervous. Folks that were so close to divinity having to give themselves a pep talk was a hrious image.


    Those not here would not understand the emotions they have, or what it is like to face a demon king with few exit routes.


    Lausanne closed her eyes momentarily and gave herself a pep talk. <i>She would make it.</i>


    She closed her eyes briefly and imagined her mother. She remembered her childhood, hiding in the tree. The decades since Aeon¡¯s presence had made Mountainworld into a safe ce. She would like to help spread that presence to more worlds.


    Everyone deserved freedom from a gue that did nothing but destroy. Some forms of destruction resulted in renewal. They destroyed the old so that the new could rece them.


    The rift gate opened, and the Level 140s waited.


    And they were off.


    ***


    Lausanne watched the demon king emerge from the rift, in one of the thousands of mountainous valleys of Mountainworld. Mountainworld was home to numerous mountain ranges, created not by tectonic tes but by the flows of magic that forced the terrain to flow with it.


    [Demon King Armaddon has arrived]


    The demon king was arge scaled creature, resembling an armadillo with heavy armor, with four legs, all ending in sharp ws. It emanated a toxic aura, and the gaps in the armored scales periodically released some kind of gas. A root-mask emerged via her [Court of the Deitree] and covered her face. Some of the other Valthorns changed into full body suits of armor and magical masks, while others relied on Aeon¡¯s familiars to create a breathing mask.


    Her spears charged with power, as she ran up to the gigantic armadillo demon, while the rest of the regr demons also emerged from the rift.


    Distractions.


    The skies rained with fire and magic, as the mages of the Valthorns bombarded the area with magic. These attacks quickly thinned the battlefield, and Lausanne herself closed in. The poison was slightly corrosive, requiring her to activate a healing ability in response.


    The first strike mmed into the heavy armor and left a crack. But it was healing.


    She cursed and struck again. About half of the level 140s were priests and healers, and they mostly kept their distance.


    She struck again, as she felt the priest¡¯s blessings kick in. Her body, enhanced by the priest¡¯s [Strength of the Divine], made a deeper strike into the armor.


    ¡°Try the gaps between the scales!¡± Ebon shouted, as he treated his weapons as if they were disposable. He thrusted the powerful magically charged spears andnces into the gaps, and detonated the stored magical power.


    It ripped a few of the scales off, and exposed some kind of flesh underneath.


    ¡°Eh. You¡¯ve made the opening.¡± Lausanne smiled, as she dived at the unprotected flesh. The key to the demon king was the demon king¡¯s core. There were two real ways of killing the demon king.


    One, was to drain the demon king of its energies. Each time the demon king regenerated or repaired itself, it used up the energies within the core. That was its ¡®health¡¯. Once that ran out, the demon king wouldn¡¯t be able to restore itself and would die. Of course, the demon core also could regenerate its magical energy, so the damage delivered would have to exceed the regeneration in order to reach the point where that is even possible.


    The other way was simpler. Damage the demon¡¯s core itself. Lausanne knew this worked because she had seen how Lumoof and Edna¡¯s strikes delivered damage to the core, even if it didn¡¯t hit it directly. That was key to quickly defeating the demon king.


    Aeon¡¯s ability to deal spiritual damage directly to the demon king¡¯s core and mess with the rest of the demon king¡¯s abilities worked exceptionally well and was partly why demon kings felt weaker in his presence.


    Lausanne dived into the flesh herself and thrust her de into the opening. The armadillo demon king responded by flooding its flesh with poison and some kind of acid.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stay in there long with that.¡± Lausanne said as she leapt out. The barrier created by her familiar wasn¡¯t strong enough to ovee the deluge of poison and acid. Some of her armor was already partially corroded.


    The mages and priests that kept their distance understood, and she was then blessed with an array of shields and barriers. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Ebon said, as he briefly retreated to the mages. His armor was heavily damaged, but he managed to rip apart some of the armadillo demon king¡¯s scales on the other end. ¡°I¡¯ll get in from the other side.¡±


    There were about twenty other level 140s harassing the demon king, and a few of them tried what Lausanne did. So far, not one of them died yet.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be reckless.¡± Lausanne said, as her spears glowed. ¡°Even if this demon king is slightly on the weaker end, they shouldn¡¯t take such risks.¡±


    ¡°Says the one diving into a flooded pool of acid and poison.¡± Ebon smiled as his armor somehow regenerated magically, armor shining as if it was newly forged. ¡°We are all prepared to die, mdy. Our conviction is just as strong as yours.¡±


    Lausanne blinked, and then smiled. ¡°Ah. That is true. Then let¡¯s see who gets to it first.¡±


    ***


    The Valthornsunched wave after wave of attacks, but the demon king¡¯s toughness was truly impressive. A few of them tapped out and retreated.


    Lausanne kept trying, but the demon king¡¯s core proved elusive. The creature was toorge, and each of their strikes wasn¡¯t deep enough. She remembered how Edna once said that she felt thoroughly frustrated.


    She was a domain holder, but even at Level 150 to 190, she didn¡¯t have enough firepower.


    But no. Lausanne knew she couldn¡¯t think that way. Edna was Edna. She was someone else, and her talents were different.


    She saw Ebon run through different weapons, each of his strikes cut fairly deep, but consumed the weapon itself. She needed a way to strike the demon king¡¯s core and yet, could she replicate some of Lumoof and Aeon¡¯s spiritual sensing ability?


    She activated her [Court of the Deitree] and used her spiritual vision. It couldn''t see through the demon king¡¯s body.


    She should have been able to see through it. Frustrated, she moved much closer to the demon king andnded into one of the regenerating wounds, stabbing her spear deep into the demon king¡¯s body. Using the spear as a listening, sensing tool, she tried to sense where the turbulent magic of the demon king came from.


    The demon king flooded her with demonic mana.


    Lausanne saw her skin change color, as the demon¡¯s magical energies flowed through the spear and into her hand.


    Ebon, on the other side, mmed his sword into the demon king¡¯s flesh with all his might. The attacks caused the demon¡¯s magical energies to wane slightly, and Lausanne¡¯s own spiritual energy pushed back and regained control of her hand.


    Still, she tried to find the demon king¡¯s core. The armadillo was toorge. They wouldn¡¯t get anywhere if they keep attacking like this.


    Then, Lausanne felt herself flooded with holy energy. Hoyia and a few other priests noticed what Lausanne was trying to do andbined their energies to bless her.


    The best thing she could do now was to not waste it, so she pushed her own spiritual presence through her hand and into the spear.


    ¡°Where was the demon king¡¯s core located-¡± She cursed, as she felt the two powerful forces fight within her soul. Hoyia and the priests channeled their powers through her, and the demon king¡¯s energy fought back.


    ¡°Keep up the attack!¡± Ebon rallied the rest of the fighters to buy Lausanne some space. The rest of themunched volleys of attacks against the armadillo.


    Lausanne searched systematically through the demonic creature and then she found it.


    She immediately took out a special spear and held it up. ¡°Hoyia! Bless the spear!¡± Shemanded as she channeled her own magical energies and abilities. The spear glowed, and she lunged it towards the demon king¡¯s core, hidden beneath multipleyers of demonic sinew and muscles.


    That attack caused the armadillo to il wildly, as the spear¡¯s energies barely grazed the demon king¡¯s core.


    The attack hurt it slightly.


    ¡°Again!¡± But this time, the armadillo iled like a wild bull and began to curl up into a ball. A few of the druids and mages tried to stop it and used the weapons to hold the demon king in ce, but they were not strong enough. Lausanne¡¯s spear touched the demon king¡¯s core again, and she felt a little crack.


    Then, the demon king released a powerful burst of energy.


    Lausanne cursed and immediately moved out of the way, as a spherical explosion emerged from the demon king. The demon king transformed, as the explosion forced all the Valthorns to retreat.


    The giant armadillo transformed into a smaller, human sized beast, and immediately charged towards Lausanne with tremendous force.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Lumoof emerged, as his avatar formed. A massive shield of wood mmed into the demon king with a thunderous boom sending shockwaves throughout the valley. Then the spiritual roots emerged. If the attack hit her, Lausanne knew that was the end. ¡°We¡¯ll take it from here.¡±


    Aeon emerged, and the demon king was no match for their enraged divine patron.


    The demon king was in in but a few momentster. Lausanne watched the battle end and knew they¡¯d have to try again-


    [Demon King Armaddon has been in]


    That would¡¯ve been the end of it, as it normally did.


    But then, Lausanne felt the system¡¯s whisper continue.


    She blinked.


    [You¡¯ve gained a level. You are now Level 150, and may now select a domain. You have three avable choices].


    [Domain of the Spirit Warrior]


    [The Spirit Warrior is a master of weapons that strike at the spiritual heart of your enemies. You will gain a range of abilities and weapons that attack both the spirit and the flesh. These spiritual attacks are able to ignore conventional and magical defensive abilities. You are also able to bless weapons to grant them the ability to temporarily deliver attacks that pass through conventional and magical defenses]


    [Subdomain of Aeon - Aeon¡¯s Huntress]


    [As a subdomain of Aeon, You gain an ability to link through Aeon¡¯s clone and treework, allowing you to move seamlessly through the multiverse at will. You will also gain a range ofbat abilities simr to your patron god, to enact fury on his behalf. You are able to transform trees into Aeonic War Treants and also summon Aeon¡¯s beetles to support you inbat.]


    [Domain of the Unchosen Champion]


    [You once wanted to be a hero, and you¡¯ve finally reached the starting point. This domain replicates certain heroic abilities you¡¯ve encountered in your journey, except for the [hero¡¯s forge], and allows you to use star mana, convert your mana to star mana, and vice versa over a period of time. You gain the ability to use and manipte unprotected hero-items without any penalty]


    Lausanne blinked again, and then turned to look at Lumoof with shock.


    ¡°I¡¯m Level 150 and I have a very important choice to make.¡±


    Spaizzer


    Next week I''m taking a break. Just want some time to myself to y some games, write some experimental stuff, build up my backlog.


    Also, patreons voted for Unchosen Champion. What would have the SH folks choose?


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 318. The Seedling’s Fork

    318. The Seedling¡¯s Fork


    <b>Year 285 (continued)</b>


    <i>Lausanne, on Mountainworld</i>


    Lausanne stood at the side of the crater, the demon king already crushed by Aeon¡¯s roots. The corpse of the armadillo demon king was filled with roots that tore it apart. One of the roots was holding an intact demon king¡¯s core. It would be another one for Aeon¡¯s group of mages and artificers to study.


    But it was just a passing point of note. Her mind was preupied. Ascension.


    Something she had hoped for, and now she had finally achieved it. Her mind swirled at the choices.


    She had never nned for this part. After all, without knowing what the [domains] were, what sort of nning could there be?


    She looked around.


    Was she the only one? Ebon looked exhausted, and she felt for him. He had worked just as hard. There was Hoyia on the side, she seemed relieved. She also felt a little bit stronger. Hoyia was in the Level 140s, but she wasn¡¯t exactly at the edge. She must¡¯ve gained a few levels and now she was on the cusp of bing a domain holder.


    But Ebon noticed Lausanne¡¯s eyes, and he walked to Lausanne. ¡°You did it. I could feel it.¡±¡°I did.¡± Lausanne said, but thought of consoling the knight. Ebon was at that edge far longer than anyone else, and yet the system gave her the domain before him. Why? There were a thousand questions in her mind, but none would help at this moment.


    But she stopped before the words left her mouth. Ebon didn¡¯t need it. He¡¯s a damned good knight, he didn¡¯t need her consoling worlds. She knew he would trudge on. He tried his best to smile. ¡°Good job. It¡¯ll be me next time.¡±


    ¡°It will.¡± Lausanne answered. The rest of the Valthorns packed up. The battle was over, and it was now time for their routine cleanup. A group of mages and crafters teleported in and began to mine the space for anything valuable.


    Hoyia walked over as well to congratte her. ¡°Well done.¡±


    Lausanne smiled and said the usual thanks. There were many others who all came to congratteher, but for now, she had something to think about. Something important that would truly shape the rest of her life.


    It was an interesting set of three choices, and she wondered how they fit in her life. Lumoof once said that one¡¯s domain choices seemed to be based on their [ss] and their selection of abilities, but it was also a reflection of the direction of their lives.


    She had served Aeon since her childhood and wondered whether Aeon¡¯s Huntress seemed to represent that. Her early life when she grew up under Aeon¡¯s care and theter years when she served as one of the tree god¡¯s many warriors. As one of the earliest members of the Valthorns, she was sent on many missions to support the then-New Freeka¡¯s issue.


    She spected the first one, the spirit warrior, arose from her attempts at developing powerful piercing weapons, again, as part of her role as an agent of the Valtrian Order.


    Thest choice made her think of her old Uncle Jura. She would love to see his reaction to this. Maybe she would¡¯ve told Uncle Jura that her dream of being a hero wasn¡¯t impossible after all. Or maybe he would¡¯ve been really proud of her. Even though it had been many, many years since he died, for a moment, she imagined him there tapping her on the shoulder.


    <i>¡°Well who would¡¯ve thought. I was wrong after all.¡± </i>The imaginary Uncle Jura said with pride. <i>¡°To think the little girl that I stopped from killing a wolf is now a champion.¡±</i>


    She shook her head, her heart wasn¡¯t ready to choose at this time. So, she looked around some more, noticed there wasn¡¯t much left to do and then said to Patriarch Lumoof. ¡°I think I want to go home and go see my mother and my two kids.¡±


    Lumoof nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing to do. Go and clear your mind. You¡¯ll need it.¡±


    Maybe she should visit herte husband¡¯s grave as well. Yeah. She should. People that she should talk to before she decided on which of the three to go for.


    Her heart told her that she should go for thest one. It was a dream, a dream she had buried and told herself was impossible, but deep down inside, her subconscious still didn¡¯t really believe it was.


    ***


    As she returned to Freshka after the war on Mountainworld, there were many others that sought her attention. News of her ascension was only known to the level 140s and domain holders, but she knew it would spread eventually.


    For now, home.


    Home was her well-furnished mansion in a quiet corner of Freshka. It wasn¡¯t the first home, but it was where she had lived for the past few decades. It was here where she remembered Kei knocked some sense in her and then convinced her to rejoin the Order.


    She should thank her for giving her that jolt she so sorely needed. And it seemed that the golem had a talent for impable timing.


    ¡°I came to see you.¡± Kei, it seemed, had read her mind and was already in the area waiting for her. ¡°I heard from Lumoof.¡±


    ¡°He told you?¡±


    ¡°I would curse him for an eternity if he didn¡¯t.¡± Kei the golem tapped her on the shoulder. ¡°One more to Aeon¡¯s pantheon of future deities.¡± Kei didn¡¯t need to drink, and yet she came with some kind of juice from one of her favorite fruit juicers.


    ¡°Did Lumoof tell you about my choices?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. He didn¡¯t. He said I¡¯d have to ask you myself. That damned old man feeding me with iplete information.¡±


    The newly ascended elf found the golem¡¯s reaction amusing. ¡°He just didn¡¯t want to spoil the surprise then. Do you want to know?¡¯


    ¡°Of course I do!¡± Kei said loudly and thumped her crystalline chest. Her biocrystalline form was so good at mimicking flesh that Lausanne still asionally forgot that she wasn¡¯t actually a human anymore. ¡°I¡¯m invested in your sess!¡±


    The two settled down in one of the reading rooms in Lausanne¡¯s mansion, and the elf narrated the three choices. In the end, Kei¡¯s choice was very simr to Lausanne¡¯s gut feeling.


    ¡°Choose the unchosen champion. It¡¯s the path for you to do what you¡¯ve always wanted to do but couldn¡¯t. Star mana is tremendously powerful.¡±


    ¡°I believe so too. But I thought of giving it some time before I make thatmitment. We are not at the point where I need to rush through that decision.¡±


    After Kei, a few of Lausanne¡¯s closest friends, families all came to talk to her. Her mother, Laufen, was proud as hell and wished that her father would have been there to see it. Her daughter, Arlisa didn¡¯t seem too excited. If anything, Lausanne¡¯s sess turned into a deeper,rger shadow that loomed over her life. Lausanne tried to tone it down, but Arlisa¡¯s frustration only grew.


    Her son was fairly rxed and didn¡¯t have much of an opinion of his own. He was just d that now that she was a domain holder, she would be eligible for the resurrection ability of Aeon. He didn¡¯t have to fear losing his mother, and that was all that he needed to know.


    ***


    The valley of the Unrotten. It was the name those who came after her gave to this ce. The name of the ce where they survived the Rottends.


    She didn¡¯t like the name. It was her home. It was Freeka, and then New Freeka. It wasn¡¯t such a deep, scary valley, either. Their long confinement of almost two decades surviving on their own druidic produce and what little food they farmed in the valley was a memory most of them didn¡¯t think about.


    Things are definitely better now.


    Nostalgia. Her mind thought about those days when she was trapped here in the valley.


    The valley has changed so much. This ce used to be home. Their homes used to be within the various [subsidiary trees] of Aeon, but it had been more than a century. She hadn¡¯t been back in a long time, and yet, the very act of achieving one¡¯s domain seemed to refresh her past.


    So here she was.


    The ce felt dense. Aeon¡¯s presence was so heavy here, and before she got her domain, at times it felt suffocating. She could even tell he was trying to shift his presence around, but Aeon¡¯s presence distorted the world and that distortion was unmistakable. Increasingly, even Edna, Ste, and Lumoof all also distorted the world around them.


    For lesser beings, they were at the mercy of something that could unmake them in many different ways.


    This time, this visit, it all felt different. She could still feel Aeon¡¯s powerful presence, but it gently moved around her, as if she was a boat sailing through calm, peaceful waters. She was once a sandcastle facing the ocean tide, but today, it was as if her sandcastle was made of carved marble and stone, and the waters did not harm her.


    ¡°TreeTree, are you there?¡± Lausanne could speak to him everywhere, and yet, she still came here to speak to him.


    Her childhood that at some point seemed hazy, now turned clear. She knew her fellow domain holders had rather vivid memories, but the sudden rity to her memory and the strength of her nostalgia made her wonder whether this was an effect of the choices avable to her.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The voice spoke into her head, and she blinked as she realized she could alter the form of that voice. Aeon¡¯s voice had taken an ethereal, choral quality over the years, as if a thousand trees rustling and speaking together at once. Now, with the domain, the voice she allowed to enter her mind was within her control.


    She could shape that voice such that it didn¡¯t overwhelm her, and she blinked as she realized how much leeway she had to shape the voice of thosemunicating with her telepathically.


    She had always known that the [domain] protected them from mental intrusions and the effects of other immortals. In a way, a domain was the [system]¡¯s way of carving up the distinction between someone who existed as a part of the environment and someone who now stood above them.


    ¡°I can make you sound like you used to.¡± Lausanne said, feeling amused at how Aeon¡¯s voice was back to that old, wise, but singr voice of her younger days.


    ¡°It seems the domain has brought you a fair bit of nostalgia.¡± Aeon spoke to her without the echoing. Her mind didn¡¯t have to strain to withstand a powerful being¡¯s intrusion.


    ¡°Yes. It has. Since two of my choices make a reference to my past, I would think so.¡± Lausanne said. Both the [Unchosen Champion] and [Aeon¡¯s Huntress] referred to her roles over the years. ¡°It seems I was held back by my past more than the others.¡±


    ¡°And the [system] recognizes you for it.¡±


    ¡°I thanked Kei for helping me realize that I had unsolved dreams. But now I think I owe her a little more than that.¡± She should buy Kei a good present for breaking her out of her stupor. A nice meal would be the normal way of saying thanks, but the golem didn¡¯t really need to eat.


    ¡°Kei¡¯s casual way of achieving things without much direct conflict is a strength of hers. I would give her a reward, but what she wants is just for the heroes to have a good rest.¡±


    Lausanne smiled. She knew Kei yed a big role during the first crusades, thenter as the coordinator of the League of Heroes. Now this. ¡°Yes. But this is the start. I am at the starting line. What should I choose?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your choice. We will respect whatever you do and know that there will be a ce for you.¡± Aeon said, and for a moment, she remembered the days of New Freeka. ¡°There are thousands of worlds. Ste¡¯s detection finds more worlds the further it goes.¡±


    ¡°The first choice-¡±


    ¡°The first choice, I suspect, is about your youth.¡± Aeon said. ¡°Your first weapon was a spear, and a dagger. The spear, because you hoped to reach them and hit them before they could hit you. The dagger, because you wanted to kill the moment they got close enough.¡±


    ¡°Edna always wanted to be a knight.¡± Lausanne said. She actually remembered meeting Edna when she was just a [Grand Knight] undergoing training in Freshka. She remembered Aeon offering her the level-breaking fruit, and she had declined. That fruit, instead, went to Edna. She had wasted so many years.


    ¡°That is a part of it. A part of you wanted to wander the world, learn from various spirit trees. We are more than just a single thing, and the [System] probably has to try very hard to boil down what your story is.¡± Aeon spected.


    Yet thinking about the system¡¯s peculiarities was not why she was here today.


    Lausanne shook her head, and approached one of the Giant Attendant Trees. ¡°Is our home still there, inside your [Secret Hideout]?¡±


    There was silence. A long silence she was so used to.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Can I see it?¡± Lausanne said.


    The dark, magical bark that was part of Aeon¡¯s gigantic body shapeshifted, the bark itself reforming into a door. It was a kind of wood magic, but maybe not. Her fingers and arms seemed to tremble as she reached for the knob.


    The room was unchanged. There were still a few of Uncle Jura¡¯s things all over the ce. There were some old clothes, perfectly preserved by Aeon¡¯s preservation ability.


    ¡°This was after New Freeka?¡± Lausanne asked. ¡°We stopped living within you after the Rottends Incident.¡±


    ¡°Yes. After my long sleep all of you were used to living outside. You¡¯ve all stayed in for a bit, but then, eventually all of you moved out.¡±


    Lausanne nodded. The valley wasn¡¯t a ce to stay. Freshka, the new city that was built nearby, was a much more pleasant ce. Not everyone wanted to live under the presence of a god. So, the [secret hideout] was just as it was. Most things of value were taken away, but there were some old things left behind.


    They were already a powerful group at that time. Freshka and the Order had risen to dominate the continent. There were a few old overcoats, some thick boots, and a few more gloves. There was the old pantry area, with the old wooden tes and cups.


    ¡°The world used to be a lot simpler.¡± Lausanne said, and she felt Aeonugh in her head. Without the creepy echoes of Aeon¡¯s voice, theughter genuinely felt amusing.


    ¡°It¡¯s only simpler because someone else dealt with theplicated stuff.¡± Aeon said.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It was just a silly thought in my head.¡± The elven girl looked at that. ¡°But I still miss those days. My memories of my childhood are so vivid, suddenly.¡± Then she was quiet. ¡°I¡¯ve never brought myte-husband here, did I?¡±


    ¡°No. Not to this space.¡±


    ¡°He would¡¯ve loved to see it, and I can still imagine him here. He would have said we lived in a life of luxury. Temperature controlled and stable supply of clean water is something hard to find out there as an adventurer.¡± Lausanneughed. ¡°We were lucky. We were very, very lucky.¡±


    Aeon didn¡¯t answer, but she knew it was good fortune. She knew he agreed.


    ¡°What should I choose?¡± Lausanne asked again.


    This time, Aeon didn¡¯t answer with words. Instead, a door opened. She knew what it was. It led to Aeon¡¯s secret chambers. It was where the old [Soul Forge] and [Bibs] were.


    She followed thergely unused stairs down into an old room. She remembered she was here often.


    She looked around, and then, saw a door that she had never seen before. It opened.


    It led her further, deeper.


    Down into the depths, into a secret room. It wasrger, newer. And it was filled with treasures.


    She blinked.


    ¡°This room is-¡±


    ¡°A room of treasures. Things we¡¯ve collected over the years. The various nts from all over the multiverse. The various fruits. Trinkets. Belongings of those who have fallen. The divine log and many others.¡± Aeon said. ¡°I kept them here mostly as a store of things, and mainly, I wanted you to see the relics we have.¡±


    The divine log. The lens for the Margmarian dwarves. Special weapons used by the old, fallen warriors. Jura¡¯s old set of weapons. Lovis¡¯s old spear. The heroes¡¯ items and a few personal belongings. She recognized many of them. There were things from the other elves too. Aeon kept the mementos and belongings of the Valthorns that fell in battle, it was a connection to those who fought for him. Even items from the very first refugees who came to New Freeka.


    He needed them to augment his abilities as a [Soul Tree] and allow for the living to speak to those who recently died.


    It was part of what he did to ensure that their spirits were properly handled and processed through the spiritual realm.


    In a twisted way, it was a cemetery to those who died. An altar made of the personal belongings of so many people.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a ce where I kept things. A [Treeasury], if you may.¡±


    Lausanneughed. ¡°Can I touch them?¡±


    ¡°Try not to. The spiritual remnants of those who have left are very fragile. I keep them protected, but a touch from a [domain holder] is stronger than most.¡±


    ¡°I see. We¡¯ve lost many of our friends over the years.¡± Lausanne suddenly could remember the faces of those who used to have these things.


    ¡°It is. Of the first generation, only a few of you live, or remain.¡±


    There were a few mementos of those who died. Things that belonged to her friends. Emile, Brich, Wahlen. She looked at them and memories of her childhood with her friends when still lived.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t save them.¡± Lausanne said. ¡°That day when the Rottends happened, I was too far away, and I could only reach a few. In the end it was Uncle Jura that saved us.¡±


    ¡°Death was toomon in that era.¡±


    A lifetime of changes had urred in the past two centuries, and yet, she was now effectively an immortal. There would be a lot more changes toe, and she would y arger role in shaping that future. She looked at all the relics and realized they were exactly that. Relics of the past. A snapshot of a time that was. But she wasn¡¯t in the past. ¡°I see what you¡¯re trying to do, now.¡±


    ¡°Oh. What would that be?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m too preupied with the past. I should think about what will work better for the future.¡± Lausanne said. She should approach her choice without the baggage of the past, but instead, think about what would serve her well for the future.

 Break Announcement

    Break Announcement


    Hi all. I am taking a break for the entire month of December to indulge in some new obsessions. I will be trying to make some games on RPGmaker and also try to get my nonputer-literate brain to somehow digest godot''s gdscript and concepts.


    What I wanna do :


    1. Try to set up a simple gamey loop in rpgmaker for Tree of Aeons to explore a sorta ''base-builder'' style game for ToA


    2. Try to do a RSM dating sim on Rpgmaker.


    3. Learn how to get godot to work.


    I have been absolutely consumed by godot and rpgmaker to think about anything else, and I don''t really wanna write when my heart is elsewhere.


    Thanks for all the support.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!